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

Su Xiaoxiao shoved the overheated tablet screen right in front of his eyes.

The red, human-shaped figure on the screen was sticking its rear end out, waving its arms and legs excitedly towards the green button on the ticket machine. The red light stood out starkly against the black background.

"That bastard stole our number! I even consulted the almanac and calculated the exact time!"

She gritted her teeth, her cheeks puffed out in anger. Her fingers clicked and clacked against the screen casing.

Lu Jingyan stared at the screen for a second.

His brows furrowed deeply. His jaw tightened, forming hard lines, and his expression instantly turned cold.

He didn't touch his lower back. He was wearing a white shirt today for the marriage certificate photo shoot, and he hadn't brought his service pistol with him.

"Take two steps back. Cover your mouth and nose."

He raised his hand and patted Su Xiaoxiao's hand. His palm was warm and dry.

Lu Jingyan released her and strode towards the corner of the hall.

The black leather soles struck the smooth tiles with a steady, crisp sound.

A red fire extinguisher cabinet was embedded in the corner of the wall. The glass door was sealed tightly.

He didn't bother looking for a spare key. He simply clenched his right fist.

With hard knuckles aimed at the glass panel, he slammed it down with tremendous force.

"Splash—"

The tempered glass shattered all over the floor. Shards landed on the cuffs of the trousers and then bounced off onto the floor.

Lu Jingyan stretched out his long arm and pulled out the eight-kilogram dry powder fire extinguisher from inside.

The red tin can was dusty. Its weight pressed down on my hand, pulling me down with each pull.

Hook the lead seal ring with your left index finger and pull it outwards forcefully.

The insurance pin tumbled off with a "ding" and rolled into the potted money tree next to it.

He carried the fire extinguisher in one hand and turned to walk towards the ticket machine.

At the very front of the queue, the pregnant woman was still shrinking back, protecting her belly.

Two frivolous laughs, like the croaking of a duck, echoed from that invisible mass of air.

"What are you yelling about? You fussy country bumpkin. I'm going to be the first one here today, what's wrong with sharing in the auspiciousness of this lucky day?"

The voice floated in mid-air, carrying a strong sense of superiority.

The blond guy is feeling pretty smug right now.

His high-dimensional optical camouflage was a defective product he'd gotten from the black market for 800,000 yuan. Although it was stuffy and hot to wear, it was incredibly effective at putting on a show in front of this group of poor, ordinary-looking people.

He stretched out his unseen hand, his index finger about to press the button on the ticket dispenser.

Lu Jingyan stopped half a meter away.

Without a word, he gripped the black rubber nozzle with his left hand. The muzzle was aimed directly at the cloud of air that still smelled of cheap cologne.

He pressed down hard on the metal duckbill valve with the heel of his right hand, all the way down.

"Sizzle—!"

High-pressure gas, carrying white dry powder, gushed violently from the nozzle like a raging white dragon.

The enormous reaction force caused Lu Jingyan's wrist to jerk slightly backward.

Thick white fog instantly filled the open space in front of the ticket dispenser.

The pungent smell of ammonium phosphate dust assaulted their nostrils, causing several men watching nearby to cover their mouths and cough repeatedly.

The refractive panels of the alien optical invisibility cloak became completely useless in the face of physical dust.

Fine white powder adhered evenly to the alien fabric.

A human-shaped outline was painstakingly drawn out with dry powder. From head to toe, it was completely covered with a thick layer of white plaster.

The arrogant "ghost" from just moments ago has transformed into a cheap, white-faced snowman in the blink of an eye.

The invisibility cloak's temperature control system had its ventilation holes blocked by dust. The motherboard short-circuited, and a burst of blue sparks erupted from the chest area.

A burnt smell wafted out.

"Ah! Holy crap! Cough cough cough!"

The blond-haired man was choked by the dust, his eyes and nose running. He smeared his face haphazardly with his hands.

He jumped around aimlessly like a headless fly, his feet slipping on the dry powder and he almost fell flat on his face.

He ripped off the camouflage hood covering his head.

His face, covered in dyed yellow hair and thick foundation, was revealed. His face was alternating between red and white, smeared with white powder, making him look utterly ridiculous.

As soon as the hood was removed, the cold air in the hall rushed down my neck.

Huang Mao was so cold that his teeth chattered, and his thin legs trembled like cotton balls.

The hall was silent for two seconds.

The curly-haired woman who had turned pale with fright earlier craned her neck to peek inside.

"Oh my! I thought I'd stumbled upon some wandering ghost. Turns out it's just a perfectly normal person playing tricks!"

The woman slapped her thigh and burst into laughter at the top of her lungs.

Everyone in the group finally realized what was happening. They burst into laughter.

"Dressed like this to cut in line? You've got guts."

"That's hilarious. Wrapped up like a mummy in broad daylight, are you out of your mind?"

"Look at him, he's freezing like a little kid."

The whispers and pointing fingers overwhelmed the blond-haired man like a tidal wave.

The blond-haired man wiped the white powder off his face and pointed at Lu Jingyan in a fit of rage.

"You dare spray me with a fire extinguisher! Do you know how much this outfit cost? Can you afford to pay for it if you ruin it?!"

He sniffled, his voice hoarse, and kept shouting.

"My dad owns a mine! Believe me or not, I'll have someone kill him..."

Lu Jingyan slammed the red jar in his hand onto the ground.

The dull thud of the sheet metal hitting the tiles sent the latter half of the blond-haired man's threat flying back down his throat.

He reached into the breast pocket of his white shirt.

Besides the two newly issued marriage certificates, there was also a small black traffic ticket book.

This is an old habit he developed when he was a grassroots police officer; he carries it with him wherever he goes.

Pull out the black pen clipped to the cover.

Lu Jingyan kept his head down. The pen tip pressed against the rough paper, drawing out vigorous characters with a few strokes.

Name. ID number.

He didn't even raise his head, his voice as cold as a piece of frost-covered iron.

The blond-haired guy stuck his neck out, still trying to act like a big shot.

"Why should I tell you? I..."

Lu Jingyan put down his pen and raised his eyelids.

Those dark, deep eyes were utterly devoid of warmth. They were like eyes looking at a pile of scrap metal ready to be sent to a shredder.

That look was forged in countless alien battlefields filled with mountains of corpses and seas of blood.

The blond-haired man felt a chill run down his spine when he was swept by that gaze.

The hairs on the back of my neck stood on end. My knees buckled uncontrollably, and I almost knelt in the white ash.

"Wang, Wang Dabao..." he stammered, obediently rattling off a string of numbers. His voice was so soft it was like a mosquito's buzz.

Lu Jingyan didn't look at him again.

The pen tip flew across the paper. The last stroke was completed.

"Sizzle."

He tore off the page of the ticket. The edges of the paper were a little rough.

Lu Jingyan took a long stride forward. His leather shoes left a clear footprint as they stepped over the dry powder on the ground.

Lu Jingyan slapped the ticket on the rich kid's powder-covered forehead, his tone cold and hard: "Using illegal equipment to cut in line, disrupting public order, and undermining the fairness of queuing. Five days in detention. You can pick your day in jail."