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

"Three, two, one. Stripping complete."

The voice in my head felt like it had been cut off with a knife.

A deathly silence descended. Not even the faintest electrical noise remained.

Lu Jingyan supported himself on his thighs and slowly stood up from the folding metal chair. His knees made a soft clicking sound. A real, aching numbness rose in his calves.

The dark black interstellar combat suit he was wearing, which was originally as light as if he weren't wearing anything, now felt heavy and sluggish, with the weight of the polymer fibers pressing down on his shoulders.

He habitually tried to expand his senses to listen to the sounds coming from the corridor a hundred meters away.

There was nothing there.

The only noise was the whirring of the broken exhaust fan in the archives room, which hurt his ears. The acrid smell of overheated motherboards and dust filled his nostrils, making him want to sneeze.

Without the protection of his rule that his words become law, he is now just a 160-pound carbon-based mortal. He would be punctured by a bullet and carbonized by a laser.

He raised his hand and pressed his index finger knuckle against the edge of the glasses frame.

He opened his eyelids. His deep black gaze remained as sharp as an ice-cold knife, showing no sign of weakness or fatigue.

The airlock slid open.

Zhao Tiezhu was pacing anxiously in the corridor, clutching the antimatter rotary machine gun. His heavy military boots clattered loudly on the iron mesh floor, like the sound of hammering iron.

"Oh my! Chief, you've finally come out!"

As soon as Zhao Tiezhu saw him, he quickly came over. His loud voice echoed down the corridor.

"The C-zone freight transfer station has been robbed again! This is the third time this month. A box of high-purity liquid energy that was just unloaded has disappeared. Old Bu is on site watching, and the suspect has been apprehended, but he's refusing to admit it."

Lu Jingyan didn't say anything. He put his hands in his pockets and strode forward.

"Go." He uttered only one word. His steps were steady and heavy.

The C-zone freight transfer station was as cold as a giant icebox. The temperature control system was blowing out chilly white vapor.

Three alien movers in orange overalls were crouching in the corner. Two were centaurs, and a four-armed silicon-based cyborg was sandwiched between them.

Bruce, wearing an invisibility suit, leaned against the shipping container, holding a pulse gun in his hand.

"Sir," Bruce greeted him, his hoarse voice muffled in the cold air, "the cargo was lost ten minutes ago. These three were the loader workers on duty in this area at the time. The surveillance cameras were interfered with by the geomagnetic storm and didn't capture any footage."

Lu Jingyan stopped in front of the empty space on the shelf.

If it were ten minutes ago, he could have simply called out "system" in his mind, invoked the causal regression, and the murderer would have been immediately marked with a red box.

Now, he can only rely on his own eyes.

He squatted down.

There was a small puddle of nearly transparent liquid on the metal base. He stretched out his index finger, dipped it in, and brought it to his nose to smell.

It had a very faint sulfur smell. It wasn't water.

"What were you three doing ten minutes ago?" Lu Jingyan straightened up and glanced at the three people in the corner.

The centaur on the left quickly raised his hand, his rough hooves pawing nervously at the metal floor.

"I...I had diarrhea at the time! The nutritional paste in the cafeteria had been moldy for the past few days, and I was constantly on the toilet. The cleaning robot can vouch for that."

The silicon-based cyborg in the middle had all four arms crossed over its chest. Its mechanical eyes darted around, and its right hydraulic mechanical leg trembled incessantly.

"Officer, I'm checking the delivery slip here. I haven't left my workstation for even a second."

The centaur on the right is the calmest, holding an electronic barcode scanner in his hand.

"I'm taking inventory of the spare parts in the next aisle. There are shipping logs over there; you can check the timestamps."

Lu Jingyan took out disinfectant wipes from his pocket and slowly and meticulously wiped his fingers, one wipe at a time.

"I've checked, the logs are fine." Zhao Tiezhu chimed in, "These three are so slippery, should I just use stun guns on them? One shock and they're done for."

"No need."

Lu Jingyan threw the dirty wet wipe into the trash can next to him.

He walked up to the silicon-based cyborg shaking his leg. The tip of his leather shoe stopped two centimeters in front of the other's mechanical toes. A sense of oppression washed over him.

"Were you checking the delivery order at the time?" Lu Jingyan stared at him.

"Yes, yes. The delivery slip is on that main control unit." The cyborg stammered, stretching out an arm and pointing to the control panel in the distance.

Lu Jingyan nodded, then suddenly asked a question out of the blue.

"How long has it been since you changed your hydraulic buffer solution?"

The cyborg froze, its mechanical legs trembling even more violently, the track joints creaking and grinding.

"Half...half a month...Officer, what does this have to do with losing things?"

"It's a big deal."

Lu Jingyan turned around and pointed to the spot where he had just squatted.

"The storage tank for high-purity liquid energy is equipped with a temperature-sensing lock at the bottom. It can only be moved using a special temperature-controlled transporter. Forcibly touching it by hand or with a regular robotic arm will cause the condenser on the surface of the tank to release pressure."

He turned around and looked coldly at the cyborg.

"That exhaust gas contains trace amounts of sulfur. It reacts with low-quality hydraulic fluid and condenses into a transparent, acidic viscous liquid."

The lobby was quiet. The only sound was the whirring of the ventilation ducts.

"The hydraulic hose on your second robotic arm from the left is leaking oil. The puddle of water dripping onto the shelf base is solid evidence."

Lu Jingyan's voice wasn't loud, but every word struck like a hammer blow, his logic impeccable.

"Should I have the technical department do a compositional spectral comparison of the hydraulic fluid on your body and the slime at the scene?"

The cyborg's four arms froze. The red light in its mechanical eyes flashed twice rapidly, as if its internal processor had short-circuited.

"besides."

Lu Jingyan took another step closer.

"One box of energy weighs two tons. This is collusion between insiders and outsiders. Where is the channel for disposing of the stolen goods? Tell us, and it will be considered a meritorious service."

He looked down at the other party and gave them his final ultimatum.

"Otherwise, according to the 'Galaxy Security Management Regulations,' stealing a huge amount of military supplies will result in a minimum of twenty years of labor reform in an interstellar mine. You choose."

"Thump."

The cyborg crossed all four arms above his head and slid down to his knees on the metal floor.

"I confess! I confess everything! The goods were hidden in the third spare compartment of the ventilation duct! Sirius smugglers made me do it!"

Zhao Tiezhu chuckled. He strode forward, pulled out interstellar restraint handcuffs, and with a few quick "clicks," cuffed all four of the guy's hands behind his back, linking them together.

"Behave yourself! Trying to play tricks under our director's nose? Your stupid brain is really not up to the task!"

Bruce watched from the side and couldn't help but sigh softly.

"Sir, your higher-dimensional perception of the surrounding environment seems to have become even more acute and terrifying. You can even detect trace chemical reactions instantly."

Lu Jingyan straightened the hem of his suit jacket, which had become wrinkled when he squatted down.

He didn't explain; it was basic criminal investigation knowledge he'd learned in forensic science class at the Earth Police Academy. In the eyes of his subordinates, he remained the omnipotent, law-abiding god who could single-handedly crush Thanos.

There is no system. He is still Lu Jingyan.

"Dismissal. Recover the stolen goods and seal them in the warehouse."

Lu Jingyan turned and walked back.

He paused for a moment as he passed the huge panoramic floor-to-ceiling window of the spaceport.

The vast Milky Way is deep and silent. Countless stars adorn the black curtain.

Zhao Tiezhu and Bruce were completely unaware that their director had lost his superpowers, because the cold, oppressive aura he exuded when dealing with criminals remained like that of an insurmountable god. Lu Jingyan looked up at a hidden shooting star streaking across the night sky.