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

Inside the solemn courtroom, the heavy, dull sound of the gavel fell.

The echoes reverberated in the empty courtroom, marking the end of Jinghai City's largest transnational crime syndicate.

The defendant, Su Man, was convicted of organizing and leading a criminal organization, money laundering, smuggling, and other crimes, and was sentenced to multiple sentences concurrently. However, given her significant meritorious service, her voluntary surrender and confession of all her crimes, and her assistance in the arrest of several fugitives overseas, she was granted a reprieve.

The verdict is as follows: life imprisonment, deprivation of political rights for life, and confiscation of all personal property.

After hearing the verdict, the crowd and media in the gallery erupted in uproar.

Some people felt it was too lenient, while others felt it was very satisfying.

Only Su Man, standing in the dock, showed no sign of despair.

She wore a gray uniform, her hair was cut short, and she no longer had her usual fiery red lips and luxurious jewelry, but she still stood tall, like a proud black swan.

She turned her head, her gaze passing over the layers of guards, and landed precisely on Lu Jingyan in the first row of the audience seats.

There was a strange, unsettling joy in those eyes, as if they had just won a high-stakes gamble.

Alive.

As long as you're alive, there's hope.

As long as we live, this play titled "Redemption and Love" will never truly end.

The court hearing has ended, and the escort route has begun.

Lu Jingyan, as the person in charge of the case, is completing the final handover and signing with the prison guards responsible for escorting him.

Suman was being held by two policewomen, the shackles dragging on the ground with a screeching metallic sound.

As she passed by Lu Jingyan, she suddenly stopped.

"Wait a moment."

The policewoman wanted to urge him on, but Lu Jingyan raised his hand, indicating that he should give him some time.

He closed the folder and looked indifferently at the once-powerful female drug lord in front of him.

"Is there anything else you need to explain? Regarding the remaining funds in the overseas account?"

Su Man smiled.

She didn't answer the question about money, but instead took a half step forward, despite being held back by the policewoman behind her.

"Lu Jingyan".

She called his name, her tone as gentle as if she were calling her new husband, "Look, I did it. I gave everything away, I cleared my name."

"Although it's life imprisonment, I've consulted a lawyer. If I reform myself well, behave actively, and try to get a reduced sentence, maybe I can get out in twenty years... no, fifteen years."

Su Man's eyes sparkled, filled with anticipation for the future.

"Fifteen years isn't a long time. I was not even fifty years old then, and if I took good care of myself, I would still be very beautiful."

She took a deep breath, as if gathering all her courage, and asked the question that had lingered in her mind countless times:

Will you wait for me?

"When I come out, I'll stand before you clean and tidy. Then you won't have any reason to refuse me anymore, right?"

The corridor was deathly silent.

The prison guards and clerks nearby were dumbfounded.

What the hell is this brain circuit?

Treating a life sentence in prison as a "long-distance relationship"? Treating a life sentence as a "pre-marital test"?

Has this woman's romantic mind been mutated by nuclear radiation?

Lu Jingyan looked at her, his expression completely unchanged.

I felt neither moved by their kindness nor disgusted by their persistent harassment.

There is only a kind of businesslike, almost mechanical coldness.

He raised his wrist and glanced at his watch.

"Suman, you may have misunderstood something."

Lu Jingyan's voice was calm and even, without any inflection, "Prison is a place for the state to reform criminals, not a bathhouse for you to gild your resume or whitewash your image."

"As for waiting for you..."

He pushed up his gold-rimmed glasses, a rational glint flashing behind the lenses.

"The country will wait for you, because it is its responsibility."

"The law will wait for you, because that's its procedure."

"The prison walls will be waiting for you, because that's where you'll be home for the next few decades."

Lu Jingyan put away his pen, tucked it back into his shirt pocket, and spoke in a detached tone as if he were discussing tomorrow's weather.

"As for me?"

"Sorry, I'm very busy."

"There are still millions of people in Jinghai City who need to be protected, and countless potential criminals waiting for me to catch."

"There is no place for criminals on my schedule."

After saying that, he stepped aside to make way for the escort team.

"Take him away. Don't make him late for his jail time."

Su Man's smile froze on her face.

She had considered countless possible answers.

He might be moved, he might sigh, or even if he were to call her a "silly woman," she could conjure up countless expressions of deep affection in his mind.

I never expected him to be so...bored.

Yes, it's boring.

In his eyes, her earth-shattering sacrifice was not even as important as a case report that was not yet finished.

"Lu Jingyan! You...you have no heart!"

As the policewoman dragged her forward, Su Man turned back, tears finally streaming down her face. Her voice was filled with resentment and bitterness. "But I won't give up! I'll earn points! I'll get a reduced sentence! I'll show you my determination!"

"You can't escape!"

The piercing shouts echoed in the corridor, gradually fading into the distance.

Lu Jingyan stood there, picking at his ear.

"Noise pollution."

He shook his head and said to Zhao Tiezhu beside him, "Tell the detention center to give her more sewing machine training. With such boundless energy, it's obvious that the intensity of her labor reform isn't enough."

"Yes, Captain Lu!"

Zhao Tiezhu suppressed a laugh and saluted.

With Su Man's imprisonment, the half-meter-thick file was finally sealed in an archive bag.

The second storm in Jinghai City, the massive drug network interwoven by the entertainment and capital circles, was completely wiped out by the special investigation team's iron fist.

Lu Jingyan walked out of the courthouse.

It was dusk.

The setting sun dyed the entire city of Jinghai a blood red, and the clouds on the horizon hung low, exuding an indescribable eeriness.

He stood on the steps and let out a long sigh of relief.

The wealthy families have been cleaned up, the entertainment industry has been purged, and even transnational criminal groups have been eradicated.

He has completely altered the "plot" of this world.

Logically speaking, what should have followed was a peaceful retirement life with promotions and raises, right?

However, just as he was about to step down the steps...

"boom--"

A deep rumble of thunder came from the heavens without warning.

This was no ordinary thunder.

The sound seemed to explode directly into the depths of one's soul, carrying an ancient, vast, and terrifying pressure.

Lu Jingyan suddenly looked up.

Suddenly, a huge crack appeared in the sky that had been dyed red by the setting sun.

That wasn't a dark cloud, nor was it lightning.

Instead, a purple, aurora-like curtain of light cascaded down from the sky like a waterfall, instantly covering the entire sky above Jinghai City.

The temperature in the air suddenly dropped.

An unprecedented, refreshing scent, so invigorating it made one's pores open, quickly filled the entire world as the light curtain descended.

The withered trees by the roadside were sprouting new buds at a speed visible to the naked eye.

The fountain in the square suddenly defied the laws of gravity, its water jets twisting into the shapes of dragons and snakes.

Even Lu Jingyan himself felt a surge of heat coursing through his body, his limbs and bones filled with explosive power.

Pedestrians on the street stopped in their tracks, staring in horror and bewilderment at this supernatural scene.

"What...what is this? The aurora borealis?"

Why do I feel so lightheaded?

"Look! That stray dog... why are its eyes red?!"

Lu Jingyan squinted, watching the increasingly bright purple light in the sky, and the intense unease in his heart reached its peak.

[Alert! Alert!]

The long-silent system notification suddenly rang in his mind, the sound urgent like an air raid siren.

[High-dimensional energy leakage detected! The world's barrier has been breached!]

[Spiritual energy recovery index soars: 100%...200%...500%!]

[WARNING! This world is forcibly transitioning from a "low-martial arts city" to a "high-martial arts cultivation" plane!]

[Main Quest Update: Volume 3 [Ancient Martial Arts Cultivation Chapter] Officially Launched!]

A new wave of "protagonists" is about to be introduced: the Dragon Group returns, ancient martial arts families emerge, cultivators descend from the mountains, and demonic beasts awaken...

[Host, please prepare to welcome the era of universal cultivation!]

Lu Jingyan's hand instinctively rested on the pistol at his waist.

He looked at the eerie sky, a helpless yet insane smile slowly creeping onto his lips.

"Cultivating immortality?"

"Flying on a sword? Ascending to immortality through tribulation?"

He pushed up his glasses, the lenses reflecting a cold, icy light under the purple glow.

"Okay."

"Then let's see if your flying swords are faster, or my bullets are faster."

"No matter what kind of deity you are, if you dare to fly without a license or illegally undergo tribulation within my jurisdiction..."

Lu Jingyan straightened his collar, which had been ruffled by the wind, and strode into the purple light curtain.

"Everyone get down, squat down, and put your hands behind your heads!"

"Identity card, temporary residence permit, flight permit—show them all for inspection!"