In the name of supernatural powers

Chapter 199 Life Supplement from an Unknown Source

Life supplements are known as liquid gold, far surpassing the value of gold. Especially after the Cataclysm, the Federation monopolized the production of the vast majority of life supplements and classified them as state-controlled items.

But this did not stop the prosperity of the black market trade.

The more something is prohibited, the greater the profits become, and naturally some people will take the risk.

Zhou Wanhua previously worked in criminal investigation in Jinghu Road, mainly in charge of economic crimes. He was well aware of the extent of the black market trade, which involved smuggling at almost every level from top to bottom.

The profits are too high. A bottle of low-level life supplement can easily cost thousands of yuan, and a bottle of higher-purity supplement can fetch five or six times that amount, which is equivalent to the monthly salary of many officials.

Not only are government officials reselling these products, but wineries are also selling them.

For example, they might collude with a local unit to pass off inferior health supplements as genuine ones, and then sell the good ones on the black market.

To some extent, local government finances rely on the black market for supplementation.

Despite repeated crackdowns by the federal government, the problem has been difficult to contain.

Zhou Wanhua has handled many cases involving the smuggling of life supplements, but he has never seen a truckload of life supplements being smuggled.

A strange feeling welled up inside me: "Is this what a big city is like? Even smuggled life supplements are transported by truck."

At this moment, a teammate asked, "Team leader, should we go down and arrest them?"

Zhou Wanhua sighed, "Xiao Li, call the Economic Crime Investigation Team and tell the rest of you to get out of the car and make the arrest. Remember to keep someone alive, or the trail will be lost."

This was his first task since taking office, and Zhou Wanhua didn't want to mess it up and affect his future promotion.

However, if uncovering a life supplement smuggling case can lead to some clues, wouldn't that be considered a major achievement?
As Zhou Wanhua pondered this, he pulled out his pistol and got out of the car.

With the right foot touching the ground, one's perception of the surroundings deepens, allowing one to assess the life development level of those around them to some extent.

People climbed out of the two vehicles one after another. The refrigerated truck contained two people, whose life development level was less than the first level, and each of them was armed.

Three people, at least at the second level of life development, climbed out of another truck smuggling life supplements.

Three second-tier transcendents?!

Zhou Wanhua immediately said, "Don't act rashly. Immediately notify the special counter-terrorism units in the area. This is no longer an ordinary crime."

Economic cases fall under the jurisdiction of the Economic Crime Investigation Division, but the nature of crimes involving superhumans changes, requiring transfer to the Special Counter-Strike Force.

Because ordinary people who investigate superhumans could easily be killed if they are not careful. Especially second-tier superhumans, who can easily break a person's neck and skewer a person like a gourd with an iron pipe.

Zhou Wanhua himself is at the second tier, but he is a support-type supernatural being, and his subordinates are generally at the first tier with around thirty points of life force.

Their work is more about investigative experience than life sciences.

Division of labor and cooperation should be implemented, with combat tasks delegated to specialized departments rather than being handled by a single department.

Everyone returned to the car, and the driver reversed the vehicle to a safe distance. Some people then contacted the special counter-terrorism unit and their superiors.

At this moment, a battle had already broken out ahead.

The two thugs in the refrigerated truck picked up their guns and fired at the three second-tier superhumans. The next moment, a ball of fire engulfed the two men, and their screams echoed through the street.

The pistol bullets were too small; when they hit a second-tier superhuman, they could only barely break the skin and possibly damage the flesh, but the bleeding would stop quickly after they were removed.

If one can break through the mental barrier and circulate Qi to heal wounds, even being hit by a rifle bullet will not be fatal.

Second-tier superhumans can still be killed by firearms, but unlike first-tier individuals, most of their injuries are not fatal.

A superhuman, seemingly of physical ability, righted the overturned vehicle.

The three then got into the car and hurriedly left.

Zhou Wanhua immediately ordered, "Follow them, but don't get too close, just within two kilometers."

Compared to cases involving the smuggling of life supplements, cases of illegal organ trafficking are clearly more lucrative.

If we can solve the case, we might get a first-class merit award; if we find clues, we should get a third-class merit award.

Moreover, the leads on illegal organ trafficking have been cut off.

"Yes."

The van started moving as well.

Under Zhou Wanhua's command, the van and the truck maintained a distance of two kilometers, making it impossible for the criminals to detect each other.

His reconnaissance differs from mental probing; even if a third-tier transcendent being awakens their sixth sense, it is difficult for them to detect subtle vibrations.

--------------

The Ninth Detachment's barracks.

News of Lu Zhao's handling of Cao Yang spread quickly, immediately igniting the already pent-up discontent among the soldiers.

It seems that some members of the Mobile Squadron are planning to cause trouble and come to Lu Zhao to demand an explanation.

Lu himself did not panic. The guard squadron had already strengthened the defense of the detachment headquarters to prevent any reckless person from rushing towards the leaders.

Comrade Xiao Wei reminded him, "Sir, the people below are very agitated, what if...? Should you send someone to calm them down?"

Lu Zhao looked thoughtful; he knew that dealing with Cao Yang would displease the soldiers.

However, personal emotions must give way to military discipline. If this trend of open defiance is allowed to spread, future work will be extremely difficult.

Xiaoxue had told him that while the Federation military was strictly disciplined, the development of life inevitably led to some soldiers exhibiting tendencies toward individual heroism, and there were often troublemakers who refused to be disciplined.

Even within the Chishui Legion, there were instances of subordinates rebelling against their superiors.

These people will generally be dealt with seriously.

What an army needs is never a single strongman.

In Lu Zhao's view, the atmosphere in the Ninth Detachment was terrible. He didn't know if it was because the previous leader was negligent in management or because they just disliked him.

Perhaps we can use this opportunity to punish a few people as an example to deter others? This might intimidate everyone, but it won't win people's hearts, and it will be difficult to win their support in the future.

The way to manage people is to have a balance between strictness and leniency.

dong dong dong.

The knocking interrupted his thoughts. The office door was already open, and Li He, the captain of the Second Duty Brigade, was standing in the doorway.

He stood at attention and saluted, saying, "Commander Lu, I would like to report to you on the situation of the Mobile Brigade."

"Please come in and have a seat."

Lu Zhao pointed to the sofa on the right and gestured for Comrade Xiao Wei to go pour some water.

Li sat down properly and got straight to the point: "Captain Lu, I just went to the Mobile Brigade. I'm worried that some hotheads might gather and cause trouble because of Cao Yang's matter."

He deliberately brought up the matter to test Lu Zhao's attitude.

Unlike Yu Fusheng and Cao Yang, Li He could keenly sense the brigade's determination to reduce the number of elderly staff.

In theory, second-tier superhumans can serve in special countermeasures units until retirement, with some serving for more than ten years.

However, the organization of special counter-terrorism units is fixed, and the Federation cannot provide so many life-sustaining drugs indefinitely.

Lu Zhao asked, "Did you make a scene?"

“Not at the moment,” Li He replied, “but someone did make disciplinary infractions. How does the Lu Detachment plan to handle this?”

Upon hearing this, Lu Zhao knew that this person was intelligent.

He said calmly, "As long as they haven't actually formed a force, there's no need to overreact. Just have them copy the military regulations three times."

The Lu Detachment sent me to appease the Mobile Brigade, which means they don't want to make a big fuss and don't intend to deal with it seriously.

Cao Yang, that idiot, only received a warning.

Li He understood immediately and replied, "Yes."

He got up and left, without taking the opportunity to ask Lu Zhao for any promises or benefits.

When asking someone for a favor, the key is in asking.

State your specific requirements, and the nature of the matter changes; it might also displease the Lu Detachment.

Ultimately, they are all administrative officers. The Ninth Detachment is directly under the General Headquarters, and there are no adjutants within the detachment.

No one can stand against him; for Cao Yang to confront him head-on would be like throwing an egg against a rock. If Lu Zhao really wanted to get rid of him, he would soon be packing his bags and leaving the special operations force.

Moreover, the directly subordinate detachments are often the confidants of the brigade commander, so there must be a significant connection between them.

If you can establish connections, leaving the special operations force wouldn't be so bad.

Lu Zhao continued to look down at the documents. The squad leader wasn't busy; there were many things he didn't need to worry about.

But he's just taken office and needs to understand the specifics of the work. At the very least, he needs to understand the situation of each brigade and company.

Ring ring ring!
The landline on the table rang. Lu Zhao picked up the receiver, and a clear female voice came through.

"Ninth Detachment, this is the operations duty room. We just received an urgent report from the Cangwu Criminal Investigation Detachment that a serious supernatural crime has occurred at Pier No. 3 in the South Railway District, involving at least three second-tier supernatural beings. Your unit is ordered to provide immediate support."

"Received. Ninth Detachment will execute immediately."

Lu Zhao put down the phone, turned to Comrade Xiao Wei, and instructed him:
"Xiaowei, go and inform the mobile brigade to have the companies that aren't on duty come with me..."

His first reaction was to lead the team to handle it himself. When he was in Fangshi, he was the one who led the team to handle any requests for support in major cases.

Because small places lack high-level superhumans, thirty points of vitality is already considered a rare skill, and they may not even have supernatural abilities that are useful in actual combat.

But halfway through his sentence, he realized that he was no longer the border platoon leader who needed to do everything himself; the soldiers under his command had become federal elites.

"Xiao Wei, notify Captain Cao of the Mobile Brigade and order him to immediately dispatch a squadron to provide support."

"Yes!"

As Comrade Xiao Wei left the office, he brushed past the head of the logistics department of the Ninth Detachment.

The head of logistics handed Lu Zhao a work document and reported on the logistics work.

According to standard organizational structure, logistics operations should be overseen by the deputy detachment commander, and the detachment commander typically does not directly intervene.

However, the Ninth Detachment is somewhat special, as it is directly under the headquarters and must handle riot control tasks at any time.

Many positions are not staffed, with the aim of efficiently transmitting orders.

The Ninth Detachment is always in a state of war; efficiency and power are more important than orderly and strict organization.

Soon, a special operations team set off to leave the camp.

Inside the dimly lit carriage, the composite bulletproof armor clattered slightly against each other as the car swayed, and heavy breathing echoed from within the heavy, angular, full-coverage tactical helmet.

Each person, fully armed, weighs nearly a ton, with the main weight coming from the special Type II composite heavy armor they wear.

The special composite heavy armor is a type of bulletproof vest specially customized by the Federation for superhumans, and does not use conventional ceramic plates as the main means of defense.

Instead, they use special steel plates that are difficult for bullets to penetrate, only considering whether a bullet can penetrate them.

The other aspects are things that we believe our best soldiers can overcome; if they can't, they won't be able to join the special operations forces.

The model number represents the weight. Model 1 is 300 kg, with special steel plates covering only the chest area. Model 2 is 600 kg, with full torso coverage, leg guards, partial shoulder coverage, and a helmet made of special steel.

Types 1 and 2 were primarily used for internal riot control and were remarkably effective against firearms.

The Type III armor is full-coverage and is manufactured using special federal technology. It is not typically assigned to special counter-terrorism units and is mainly deployed on the front lines for exploration of the Ancient God Circle.

A sound mixed with electrical static rang out in everyone's earpieces, breaking the silence.

"The mission location is Warehouse No. 7 at Pier No. 3 in the South Rail District. Three Tier 2 Superhumans and twenty thugs have been confirmed to be present, all armed with rifles."

"Mission objectives: break in, riot control, completed."

Calm, brief, and somber.

Everyone adjusted their breathing, quickly getting themselves into their best state.

The military truck engine roared, but the interior was eerily silent.

Until one moment, the vehicle stopped, and they jumped off, their one-ton steel bodies shattering the pier's stone bricks.

Within the team, teammates with mental abilities reported their positions, while those with earth-based abilities led the way at the front, advancing into the dock in a triangular formation.

Ta-ta-ta-ta!

In a corner of a warehouse at the dock, the muzzle of a gun, which had been lying in wait, suddenly spat out flames, and the bullets hit the composite heavy armor, sending sparks flying.

The special operations soldier quickly raised his gun, pulled the trigger, and the 12.7mm bullet pierced through the iron plate, tearing one of the criminals apart.

Gunshots rang out one after another, accompanied by screams of agony.

The ordinary thugs were quickly wiped out. Of the three remaining second-tier superhumans, one swooped down from the sky but was riddled with bullets by the crossfire. Another charged forward surrounded by flames, only to have his spine broken by a kick from an earth-type special counter-insurgency warrior.

The last one tried to run, but was found by a psychopathic special agent and had his leg precisely severed by several bullets.

Just fifteen minutes later, the dock returned to calm.

When Zhou Wanhua arrived, only two people were left alive at the scene, and the ground was littered with limbs torn apart by large-caliber bullets.

He had long heard of the ferocity of the Cangwu Special Countermeasures Force. Once, a group of Persians wanted to establish an independent state, and the Special Countermeasures Force only sent 5,000 men to suppress 5 million people.

Street fighting, assassinations, terrorist attacks, and so on are all useless against a special counter-terrorism unit composed entirely of superhumans.

The Federation has accumulated a wealth of experience in counterinsurgency operations over the past decade.

But when he saw it with his own eyes for the first time, Zhou Wanhua was still amazed by the efficiency of the special counter-terrorism unit.

Yan Yan, the captain of the first mobile squadron, walked over with steady steps. He raised his hand in salute, his armored arm clashing against his helmet.

"Comrade, the scene is under control. Twenty-two people have been killed and two have been captured."

"These cases involve extraordinary crimes, and the investigation process requires synchronization with special counter-terrorism units. We will also provide timely assistance."

Special countermeasures units do not have criminal investigation powers, but it is different when it comes to crimes committed by superhumans. They can request the criminal investigation department to investigate, or even take the initiative and request assistance from the special countermeasures unit in the investigation.

As Zhou Wanhua and the others watched the group of tin cans leave, one of the criminal police officers couldn't help but exclaim, "They're so damn cool! I almost made it into the special counter-terrorism unit back then."

His companion laughed, "You're just bragging. Thirty points of vitality is the minimum requirement. Do you even have fifteen? You haven't trained in all these years, look at your big belly."

Soon, the Criminal Investigation Brigade and the Economic Investigation Brigade arrived one after another and sealed off the scene.

The special operations forces quickly returned to their camp, awaiting any possible emergencies.

On average, the special counter-terrorism unit deals with one violent crime incident every three days, often requiring them to go deep into state areas to carry out riot control missions.

This mission was relatively easy, as we hadn't ventured deep into the state, the number of enemies was small, and the situation wasn't too complicated.

--------------

That evening, Zhou Wanhua was interrogating one of the surviving superhumans.

Inside the interrogation room, the two had been locked in a stalemate for quite some time.

The prisoner knew nothing when asked and remained silent throughout.

My colleague said, "This guy is impervious to both soft and hard approaches. We need to find a psychic superhuman to hypnotize him. Anyway, the evidence against him is irrefutable."

Generally, evidence involving psychological intervention cannot be used as evidence, and all of the prisoner's statements will be invalid. However, physical evidence can be used as a reference.

They smuggled life-sustaining supplies, and the life-sustaining supplements of dubious origin do exist, so they can be accepted.

After a moment's thought, Zhou Wanhua said, "I'll go ask the bureau chief later."

The door opened as soon as he finished speaking.

A colleague pushed open the door and said, "Team Leader Zhou, the director wants you to come to his office."

Zhou Wanhua looked puzzled, but he dared not delay when his superior summoned him. He got up and left the interrogation room, and soon arrived at the office of the director of the Public Security Bureau.

After knocking on the door and receiving permission, I entered and met my boss.

"Chief, you called me?"

The head of the Namcheong District Police Chief asked, "I heard you uncovered a life supplement smuggling case this afternoon?"

Upon hearing this, Zhou Wanhua became even more puzzled.

Generally speaking, the head of the public security bureau is not directly responsible for criminal investigations.

Moreover, the case is still under investigation, and the person was only brought back less than two hours ago. The deputy director in charge hasn't even questioned him, so it's strange that the director is inquiring at this time.

"Yes, this afternoon..."

Zhou Wanhua recounted the entire incident.

After listening, the head of the Public Security Bureau said, "Don't worry about this matter for now; the investigation is temporarily suspended."

"what?"

Zhou Wanhua was stunned for a moment, wondering if she had misheard.

"Sir, this is a truckload of life-saving supplements, not just one or two bottles. Based on our estimates, this truck alone contains tens of millions worth of life-saving supplements. This is a truly major case, how can we..."

The head of the public security bureau interrupted, saying, "I told you not to get involved. I'll handle it."

"But……"

"Nothing to worry about."

(End of this chapter)