Chapter 662: Capture
Fang Xiaoxiao took a deep breath. She didn’t know what Captain Meng had done, but Zhao Gufeng had fallen into a completely defenseless state. In a battle between equals, this was akin to handing over one’s life to the opponent.
Her gaze toward Xu Wuyi grew even more complicated. She wondered, "Is this... a hundred percent?"
Xu Wuyi retracted his right hand, and the blue flame dissipated. He looked at Zhao Gufeng and said calmly, "Take us in."
Zhao Gufeng’s body trembled slightly. Clarity gradually returned to his eyes, but within that clarity lay profound fear. He looked at Xu Wuyi as if he had just seen something terrifying. Then, he turned around and walked toward the double wooden doors.
His six subordinates stood rooted to the spot, at a complete loss for what to do. Zhao Gufeng stopped in front of the doors, pushed them open, and stood by the side. He kept his head lowered, not saying a word.
Xu Wuyi walked through the doorway, with Fang Xiaoxiao following close behind, her heart beating rapidly.
Behind the doors lay a massive office. It was easily two hundred square meters, featuring floor-to-ceiling windows that offered a panoramic view of the Xingjing City East District. A row of bookshelves stood against the wall, crammed with various books and documents. In the center sat a huge mahogany desk, topped with three curved light screens and stacks of paperwork.
Behind the desk sat a middle-aged man in his fifties—Wang Haidong. He wore a custom-tailored dark gray suit, his hair combed impeccably. The expression on his face was complex—a mix of fear, confusion, and anger, but mostly, it was a facade of forced calm.
Seeing Xu Wuyi walk in, he stood up and squeezed out a smile. "You two, what is..." His voice was somewhat dry. "What is going on here? Zhao Gufeng, he..."
Xu Wuyi walked up to the desk and stopped opposite him. "Wang Haidong," he said. "I am Meng Zhishou, Captain of Squad Four of the Federation Inspection Department’s Field Operations Group. This is my ID." He placed the black ID card onto the desk.
Wang Haidong glanced down at the card, his smile freezing on his face. Inspection Department. He knew exactly what those words meant.
"Captain Meng, there must be some misunderstanding here." He tried hard to make his voice sound calm. "I, Wang Haidong, have always run my business by the book. I have never..."
"Wang Haidong," Xu Wuyi interrupted him. "You are suspected of organizing large-scale Star Realm smuggling. The evidence is conclusive. You are now being placed under arrest in accordance with the law."
Wang Haidong’s face instantly drained of color. He opened his mouth to speak but couldn’t utter a single word.
Fang Xiaoxiao stepped forward and retrieved a pair of specially made handcuffs from her waist. The cuffs were forged from a unique material designed to seal a Martial Artist’s Qi and Blood circulation, rendering anyone shackled by them completely powerless.
Seeing the handcuffs, Wang Haidong’s expression grew even uglier. His hands trembled slightly, and fine beads of sweat seeped from his forehead. But right then, he suddenly took a deep breath. The fear on his face slowly receded, replaced once again by that facade of forced calm.
"Fine," he said. "I’ll go with you. But let me remind you—I’ve been in Xingjing for many years, and I know a lot of people. You arrest me today, but you’ll have to release me tomorrow. And when that time comes..."
He didn’t finish his sentence.
Xu Wuyi looked at him, his gaze serene. "We’ll see when the time comes."
𝑓𝘳𝑒𝑒𝓌𝘦𝘣𝘯ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝑚
Fang Xiaoxiao stepped forward and cuffed Wang Haidong’s hands. The moment the cuffs locked, Wang Haidong’s body gave a slight shudder as he clearly felt his strength being sealed away. He gritted his teeth but didn’t struggle.
Just then, Xu Wuyi’s personal terminal vibrated. He opened the message, which was from Li Zhaowen.
"Captain Meng, Zhang Yuhuai has been detained. We are currently searching his personal terminal and have discovered a massive amount of chat logs and ledgers related to smuggling."
Immediately after, Zhou Bin’s message arrived as well.
"East District warehouse has been secured. We found a large cache of military-grade materials and contraband. The evidence is conclusive."
Xu Wuyi read through the messages and put his personal terminal away. He looked at Wang Haidong and said, "We’ve already secured the goods in the East District warehouse. We’ve also arrested Zhang Yuhuai. We have all the evidence of your smuggling operations in our hands."
Wang Haidong’s face completely fell. He opened his mouth to speak but couldn’t utter a single syllable.
Xu Wuyi turned and walked toward the door. Fang Xiaoxiao escorted Wang Haidong, following close behind. As he reached the doorway, Xu Wuyi paused and glanced at Zhao Gufeng, who was still standing by the door.
Zhao Gufeng kept his head lowered, not daring to meet his gaze.
"You’re in luck," Xu Wuyi said. "Today is a law enforcement operation, not an extermination op. Otherwise, you’d already be dead."
Zhao Gufeng’s body trembled slightly, but he remained silent.
Xu Wuyi walked out of the office and stepped into the elevator. Fang Xiaoxiao followed him inside with Wang Haidong in tow, and the elevator doors slowly closed.
It was quiet inside, with only the faint hum of the elevator’s descent. Wang Haidong kept his head down, saying nothing. His hands were cuffed behind his back, and his body trembled slightly—whether from fear or anger, it was hard to tell.
Fang Xiaoxiao looked at him, then at Xu Wuyi. The black-and-white mask concealed Xu Wuyi’s expression, but judging by his posture, he was perfectly calm—so calm it seemed as if he had just completed the most mundane task imaginable.
The elevator descended floor by floor.
Fang Xiaoxiao suddenly recalled something. When Xu Wuyi had struck earlier, she had clearly seen Zhao Gufeng’s condition—that dazed stupor of completely losing himself.
She wondered, "What exactly is that ability?" She had seen many different Heart Images and various abilities, but she had never encountered anything like this.
Down in the first-floor lobby, the security guards and the young women at the front desk all stared in stunned silence as the group walked out. They watched Wang Haidong in handcuffs, led by the masked man walking at the forefront. No one dared to step forward and stop them.
Xu Wuyi walked out of the Tianhai Building and headed toward the parking lot across the street. Fang Xiaoxiao shoved Wang Haidong into the backseat, closed the door, and got into the driver’s seat. She started the car and drove away from the financial district.
After they had driven a fair distance, Xu Wuyi’s personal terminal vibrated once more. It was a message from Zhou Bin.
"Captain Meng, the evidence has been fully inventoried. As long as the chain of evidence ties it directly to Wang Haidong, it’s enough to earn him a death sentence."
Xu Wuyi read the message and put away his personal terminal. He looked out the window at the rapidly retreating streetscape, his gaze tranquil.
This was only the first step.
***
The three teams returned to the Inspection Department headquarters almost simultaneously.
Zhou Bin and Sun Jing arrived first, escorting three cargo trucks packed with contraband confiscated from the East District warehouse. The military-grade materials were sealed inside specially designed metal crates bearing the insignia of the Federation Military. One look was enough to tell they had been acquired illicitly.
Li Zhaowen and Chen Yunxuan followed closely behind. They brought in Zhang Yuhuai, the core executive in charge of logistics scheduling for the Tianhai Group. Zhang Yuhuai was in his early forties and wore a pair of gold-rimmed glasses. He looked gentle and refined—not at all like a smuggler.