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

The civilian Starliner jolted violently.

The landing gear slammed heavily onto the concrete runway of Jinghai International Airport, the tires screeching against the ground and emitting a pungent smell of burning rubber.

As the roar of the thrust reversers subsided, the lingering smell of the high-dimensional nutrient solution that had been circulating in the cabin for years finally dissipated.

The cabin doors slid open to both sides.

A gust of early autumn night wind swept in, carrying the dryness characteristic of the North, along with the acrid smell of car exhaust from the distant overpass.

Lu Jingyan took a deep breath of the rough air.

The taste isn't fancy. It can't compare to the pure oxygen circulation system of an alien headquarters, but once it enters your lungs, it makes you feel comfortable even to the bone.

He was wearing his faded old police uniform, and his black leather shoes were on the non-slip steel plate of the gangway.

The soles of the shoes conveyed a solid, dragging sensation, a feeling of being pulled by the Earth's gravity.

Su Xiaoxiao followed behind him, clutching a canvas bag in her hand. She craned her neck to look down, her eyes almost popping out of their sockets.

"Oh my god..." she whispered, nudging Lu Jingyan's lower back with her elbow. "Boss, didn't you say we were coming back quietly? Why does it look like a New Year's movie is being filmed down here?"

Below the gangway, the spacious VIP parking area was packed with people.

Dozens of armored Hongqi limousines, their hazard lights flashing, were lined up in two long rows. Three layers of heavily armed federal agents stood guard around the perimeter, a dark mass of them.

A red carpet was laid out in the very center. An elderly foreign man with gray hair, wearing a bespoke suit, was frantically wiping the sweat from his balding forehead with a white handkerchief.

That is Pierre, the current Secretary General of the United Nations Interstellar Federation.

Lu Jingyan didn't speak. He walked steadily up the last step, his leather shoes landing on the red carpet.

"Director Lu!"

Pierre, as if seeing a lifeline, rushed forward. He ran so fast that his leather shoes tripped on the red carpet, nearly causing him to fall flat on his face.

He grabbed Lu Jingyan's arm, gasping for breath, the veins on the back of his hand throbbing.

"Your resignation letter...we held three closed-door meetings overnight, and it was unanimously rejected!"

Pierre swallowed hard, his native tongue almost spilling out of his mouth from his anxiety.

"You can't resign! Those war criminals from Sirius have just been sentenced, and the Andromeda trade route is still in its trial phase. If you, the pillar of stability, are removed, the Milky Way will be in complete chaos again!"

Lu Jingyan stood still.

He glanced down at the sleeve that Pierre was clutching. A dark, damp ring had formed there from the sweat of Pierre's palm.

"Mr. Pierre, let go." He said in a very indifferent tone.

Pierre reacted as if he'd been electrocuted, quickly pulling his hand back and awkwardly wiping it on his suit trousers.

"The underlying logic of the law enforcement system has been written into Skynet. Bruce will strictly follow the regulations."

Lu Jingyan straightened his cuffs and looked up at the secretary-general who was pacing anxiously.

"If the peace of a galaxy must be maintained by the power of my name alone, then your rule of law is just a shell, easily punctured."

"No, no, no, that's not what I meant." Pierre hurriedly waved his hand and snatched a thick, gold-trimmed document from his assistant.

"We know you find the endless meetings and paperwork too troublesome. The conference has already revised the draft charter."

He held the document in both hands and handed it to Lu Jingyan, his voice carrying a desperate, alluring tone.

"If you choose to remain in your post, all administrative procedures will be waived. We can even create a supreme title just for you... 'President of Earth' and Grand Marshal of the Milky Way! You will have complete control over the resources of the entire solar system, and you will possess absolute veto power!"

The dignitaries and generals from the surrounding countries gasped in unison upon hearing this condition.

This is handing over control of the entire human civilization with both hands.

Su Xiaoxiao, listening from behind, kept clicking her tongue.

"Ball Captain? Who came up with that name? It sounds like a basketball coach. How corny!" she muttered to herself, her hand gripping the canvas bag strap tighter involuntarily.

Lu Jingyan didn't even glance at the gleaming gold document.

He turned his gaze to the barbed wire fence outside the tarmac. Beyond the fence was an old road, dimly lit by streetlights, where several middle-aged women were selling grilled cold noodles from carts.

"The veto power is the privilege of dictators."

He withdrew his gaze, his eyelids drooping slightly, his tone revealing an undeniable coldness.

"I've been doing this job for so long just to put those privileged alien warlords in jail. Now you want me to sit in that position myself?"

Pierre froze, his hand holding the document hanging in mid-air, trembling slightly.

"I'm just a policeman."

Lu Jingyan walked past him and strode toward the exit of the helipad.

"My case is now closed. I need to go back to the city police station to report and investigate the thief who stole the electric bicycle."

His leather shoes clattered on the cement floor, his steps slow, leaving no room for anyone to stop him.

Pierre and the group of high-ranking officials stood frozen in the night wind. Looking at that tall, imposing figure, no one dared to step forward to stop him.

They knew that once this man made a decision, even the laws of the universe couldn't change it, let alone their words.

As I stepped out of the airport security gate, the noise outside surged towards me like a tide.

The sounds of taxi drivers soliciting passengers and the clatter of luggage wheels rolling over speed bumps blended together.

Several federal agents in black suits quickly pulled a stretched, armored Hongqi limousine to the side of the road. The rear door was open, and the driver bowed respectfully.

Lu Jingyan did not walk towards the car.

He stopped at a non-motorized vehicle parking area by the roadside. He took out his old phone, whose screen had a slightly cracked corner, and opened the QR code scanning app.

"drop--"

A crisp electronic sound. The lock on a yellow shared bicycle with peeling paint popped open with a click.

Su Xiaoxiao ran over with a canvas bag on her back, looked at the bulletproof luxury car worth tens of millions next to her, and then looked at the bicycle with a leaky basket.

"Boss, why aren't we riding in this luxury car? Let's ride this thing back instead?" She winked.

"The municipal police department stipulates that grassroots police officers are not allowed to ride in vehicles that exceed the standard."

Lu Jingyan put his phone back in his pocket. He strode confidently onto the seat. Gripping the rusty handlebars, he turned to look at her.

"Besides, it's rush hour now. The cars will be stuck in traffic before they can even get past two intersections."

He shifted back a bit and patted the back seat, which was a little uncomfortable on his backside.

"Come up."

Su Xiaoxiao was amused.

Without any hesitation, she plopped down on the back seat, her arms expertly wrapping around the man's lean waist. Her cheek pressed against the soft, washed back of his old police uniform, inhaling the faint scent of lemon laundry detergent.

"Let's go! Back to the hideout!" she shouted.

Lu Jingyan pushed off hard with his foot. The chain made a creaking sound as if it was running out of oil.

Holding Su Xiaoxiao's hand, Lu Jingyan politely declined all the offers of luxury cars from political figures. The two scanned a shared bicycle and slowly rode into the bustling streets of Jinghai City.