Villain? No, I'll catch up with the protagonist after passing the civil service exam.

The atmosphere in the special investigation team's office had plummeted to freezing point.

Su Xiaoxiao's baby face, which always wore a sweet smile, was now covered with a layer of frost. She pushed the tablet to the center of the conference table; on the screen were several unsightly screenshots.

"Captain Lu, they've gone mad."

Su Xiaoxiao's voice was trembling, not from fear, but from extreme anger.

"Xiao Huohuo and Bai Lu's extreme fans have created an 'Anti-China Alliance' on overseas social media platforms, which is dedicated to doxxing and attacking us."

One screenshot shows Lu Jingyan's ID photo in his police uniform, which has been crossed out with a large red X, and a blood-dripping butcher's knife has been photoshopped next to it.

[That damned cop deserves to die! He dared to touch my brother; I'll make his whole family pay!]

Another screenshot shows Lu Mingze's company address and daily whereabouts, even clearly indicating which coffee shop he buys coffee at every morning.

This is that damn cop's brother. Guys, you know what I mean. Let's give him a 'surprise'.

What Su Xiaoxiao found most unbearable was the last one.

Those were her own personal photos, unearthed from some social media platform. In the photo, she's smiling brightly, holding a cat in her arms. But the comments below are filled with the filthiest and most vicious language.

[Is this policewoman Lu Jingyan's henchman? She looks quite innocent; I wonder what she's like in bed?]

[I've found the address, it's in XX neighborhood. Guys, anyone want to go check the water meter?]

[I've already ordered burlap sacks and stun guns. Looking forward to the live stream.]

"Bang!"

Zhao Tiezhu slammed his fist on the table, the tempered glass surface making a dull thud. "These bastards! They think they're gods just because they're hiding behind their keyboards? Captain Lu, give me three hours, and I guarantee I'll drag these scum out of the internet cable one by one!"

"Three hours?"

Lu Jingyan leaned back in his chair, his expression calm, but a terrifying storm was churning in his eyes hidden behind his glasses.

"Too slow."

He picked up the red encrypted phone on the table and dialed the number of the head of the city's cyber police detachment.

"Old Li, it's me, Lu Jingyan."

"We've got work, and it's pretty big."

"I need you to immediately assign the branch's top technicians to work with our special investigation team to accurately locate a batch of overseas server IPs."

Old Li on the other end of the phone was clearly hesitant: "Xiao Lu, it's not that I don't want to help you, but overseas servers, cross-border tracing, the process..."

There is no procedure.

Lu Jingyan interrupted him, her voice as cold as ice, "I'm not discussing this with you, I'm informing you."

"This group not only issued death threats against me, but also doxxed and harassed my family and colleagues. This is not ordinary cyberbullying; it is an organized terrorist attack against a public official."

"I am now activating the Level 1 Emergency Response Plan in my capacity as the head of the Special Investigations Unit."

Lu Jingyan's voice wasn't loud, but every word was as heavy as a mountain.

"You have half an hour to send me the physical addresses of all targets, down to the house number, to my mobile phone."

"In half an hour, I'm going to show these keyboard warriors what it means to be a monster—"

"No matter how far away they are, they will be punished."

……

Half an hour later.

A nationwide arrest list was sent to Lu Jingyan's mobile phone.

From Beijing and Haikou, to Mohe, thousands of miles away, and then to the southern islands.

Dozens of red location points flashed on the electronic map, like a net waiting to be harvested.

Lu Jingyan looked at the list, a cold smile curving his lips.

He stood up, walked to the whiteboard, and picked up a marker.

"Zhao Tiezhu".

"arrive!"

"These five targets in Jinghai City are yours. Take a body camera and record the entire incident. Remember, enforce the law civilly, don't hit anyone... If you injure them, they'll have to go to the hospital, wasting taxpayers' money."

"Su Xiaoxiao".

"arrive!"

"You will be responsible for providing remote technical support and coordinating with police forces in various locations to launch a synchronized operation."

"As for me..."

Lu Jingyan's gaze fell on the top of the list, on the account with the ID "Protecting the Best Brother," which had the most extreme views and was clamoring to "send wreaths" to his entire family.

IP address display: Jinghai City, No.1 Middle School, Grade 11 Class 3.

"I'll go and meet this 'leader'."

Lu Jingyan put on his police cap and straightened his collar.

"I want to see which 'child' is so insensible."

……

Jinghai No.1 Middle School, the last self-study period in the afternoon.

The classroom was quiet, with only the scratching sound of pens slicing across paper.

Suddenly, the back door of the classroom was gently pushed open.

The homeroom teacher, Mr. Wang, poked half his head in and waved to a chubby boy in the corner who was engrossed in playing on his phone.

"Wang Xiaohu, come out here for a moment."

Wang Xiaohu looked up, his face filled with the excitement of being immersed in the online world. He had just been in that "Anti-Lu Alliance" group, directing his "comrades" to carry out a new round of photoshopping and insulting Su Xiaoxiao's photos.

"What's wrong, Lao Wang? Can't you see I'm busy?" he muttered impatiently.

"Stop talking nonsense, the principal wants to see you."

Wang Xiaohu pursed his lips, reluctantly stuffed his phone into his pocket, and sauntered out of the classroom.

"What's going on? Why are you being so mysterious..."

However, when he reached the end of the corridor, he saw the cold-faced figure in a police uniform standing next to the principal.

His impatience froze instantly.

He knew that face all too well.

In the past 24 hours, he photoshopped no fewer than a hundred different portraits of this face.

"Lu...Lu..."

Wang Xiaohu's tongue felt like it was tied in a knot, and all the blood in his body seemed to have been drained in an instant, leaving his hands and feet ice cold.

"Wang Xiaohu, right?"

Lu Jingyan stepped forward, but instead of flying into a rage as he had imagined, he didn't even raise his voice.

He simply took out his phone, opened a screenshot, and handed it to Wang Xiaohu.

That was the chat history of Wang Xiaohu's account "Protecting the Best Brother," which was filled with all sorts of vile insults and bloody threats.

"Did you send this?"

Lu Jingyan's voice was soft, yet it struck Wang Xiaohu's heart like a heavy hammer.

"I...I didn't...I didn't..."

Wang Xiaohu was so frightened that he trembled all over, his face turned ashen, and he couldn't even utter a complete sentence.

"take it easy."

Lu Jingyan patted his shoulder lightly, but it felt like a mountain was pressing down on Wang Xiaohu.

"I'm not here to arrest you."

Lu Jingyan smiled, a smile that Wang Xiaohu found more terrifying than the devil.

"I'm just here to let you know."

"You are suspected of provoking trouble and insulting and defaming others. We need you to talk to your parents."

"Let's go, 'child'."

Lu Jingyan turned around and nodded to the principal and homeroom teacher who were already stunned.

"Excuse me, I'm sorry to interrupt your class."

"My colleague is already waiting for you downstairs."