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

Several figures in black suits quickly blended into the bustling crowd at the night market.

Liu Biao stood frozen behind the oven.

He lowered his head, staring intently at the greasy folding table.

On the table lay a transparent resealable bag, about half the size of a palm.

The blue powder inside glowed eerily under the dim streetlights.

The light that fell on Liu Biao's eyes was even more dazzling than the sharpened machete in the hands of the rival gang back then.

"Sizzle—"

A burnt smell suddenly rushed into my nostrils.

Liu Biao's hand, which was holding the bamboo skewer, suddenly trembled.

Half a piece of grilled cold noodles, not flipped over, slipped from my hand and fell with a thud onto the glowing red-hot charcoal.

The flames instantly flared up.

The black smoke mixed with the smell of burnt sauce made people cough.

"Ouch! My noodles!"

A plump woman waiting for her skewers slapped her thigh. "Boss, why are your hands shaking? The noodles are practically charcoal!"

Liu Biao suddenly came to his senses.

He swallowed hard, his Adam's apple bobbing up and down.

"I'm so sorry, big sister." He stammered, then quickly used tongs to remove the clump of charcoal and threw it into the swill bucket below.

"The fire in this oven is too strong. I'll bake you another one, no charge."

He forced a smile, his face contorted into a grimace.

Turning my head, my gaze involuntarily drifted back to the small blue bag.

This is no business to make money; it's a death warrant!

Liu Biao had spent half his life in the underworld.

He knew all too well about the forbidden substances like flour and rock sugar when he was a triad boss. The drugs these guys pulled out were definitely even more dangerous.

The man's face involuntarily appeared in my mind.

He wore a faded, old police uniform and carried a thermos with peeling paint. His gaze was as cold as a frost-covered guillotine.

Lu Jingyan.

The moment those three words crossed Liu Biao's mind, he felt a chill run down his spine.

That's a living Yama! He's the ancestor who literally dismantled an alien spaceship!

Having finally been released from prison, I slept incredibly soundly every day, surrounded by the aroma of cooking.

Now you want him to help these suit-wearing thugs distribute their goods?

If that Director Lu catches him doing this, forget about running a sewing machine; his ashes will probably be scattered and used as fertilizer.

"Qiangzi!"

Liu Biao suddenly roared at the top of his lungs. His voice was so loud it was split open.

The waiter who was cutting mutton nearby was startled and almost chopped his hand with the cleaver.

"What's wrong, Brother Biao?"

"Watch the stall!"

Liu Biao ripped the blackened white towel off his neck. He then quickly untied the tattered canvas apron around his waist.

He grabbed the towel, wrapping it up like a quilled hedgehog.

The blue resealable bag was tightly wrapped in thick fabric. Not a single bit of skin was touched.

"If anyone asks, just say I have diarrhea!"

He stuffed the towel into his pocket, clutching it tightly with both hands. He pushed through the crowd of people buying kebabs and ran into the depths of the alley.

At the end of the night market is a public toilet.

It's been in disrepair for years. The exhaust fan has been broken for ages, and it smells strongly of ammonia mixed with the pungent odor of cheap toilet cleaner.

Liu Biao rushed into the men's restroom with his head down.

The floor tiles were covered in yellowish-brown water stains. He slipped and had to grab onto the tiled sink against the wall to steady himself.

"vomit--"

In the next cubicle, a drunk man was vomiting profusely, making a loud, gurgling sound.

Liu Biao didn't care about the nauseating environment at all.

He plunged into the innermost cubicle. With a "click," he locked the rusty metal latch tightly.

In the cramped space, the energy-saving light bulbs overhead flickered incessantly.

He slid down the plastic partition filled with guys who were getting their documents processed, and plopped down on the toilet seat.

His chest heaved violently as he gasped for breath.

Sweat dripped from his forehead down his eyebrows, splattering onto the greasy leather shoes.

"These bastards, do they really think I'm still the same ignorant person I used to be?"

Liu Biao gritted his teeth and muttered curses under his breath.

He reached his hand into his greasy trouser pocket.

I pulled out my old smartphone, which reeked of cumin. A piece of glass was broken in the upper right corner of the screen, the cracks resembling a spiderweb.

I swiped my thumb across the screen twice. My fingertips were sweaty, but I couldn't unlock the password.

He rubbed his palms vigorously on his trouser leg twice before unlocking the screen.

Open the Contacts app.

The finger stopped on a number that read "Lu Yanwang (Never mess with him)".

He hesitated for half a second.

Back in the day, the biggest taboo in the underworld was being an informant or a tattletale. That was considered breaking the rules of the underworld and would make you a target of gossip.

But as soon as the thought popped into his head, he slapped it away.

"Rules my ass! The biggest rule these days is the criminal law! I still want to see my grandson start elementary school!"

Liu Biao took a deep breath and closed his eyes. He pressed his thumb down hard.

The sound of a phone call connecting echoed in the public restroom.

"Beep—beep—"

With each sound, Liu Biao's heart clenched painfully.

He held the phone in both hands, his body trembling like a broken, leaky fan.

at the same time.

At the other end of Jinghai City, in the Municipal Bureau's residential compound.

This is an old, small, two-bedroom apartment. The main light in the living room wasn't on.

Only a floor lamp next to the sofa shone with a warm yellow light, casting long shadows.

Lu Jingyan was wearing light gray cotton loungewear.

He leaned back on the fabric sofa. His long legs were casually crossed, and he was wearing a pair of plastic slippers.

He was holding a transparent glass baby bottle in his left hand.

Holding a wrist thermometer in my right hand, I shone an infrared beam onto the bottle to measure the water temperature.

"drop."

"Thirty-eight degrees. Perfect."

He muttered something under his breath and placed the bottle on the temperature-controlled mat on the coffee table.

Beside it lay a thick, well-worn copy of the Criminal Law Interpretation. Tucked neatly between the pages was a black-and-white ultrasound report of the fetus.

The sound of water coming from the kitchen.

Su Xiaoxiao was washing strawberries. The water was rushing into the plastic basin, making a splashing sound.

"Old Lu! These strawberries are still a bit green. Can a pregnant woman eat sour things?" she called out through the frosted glass door.

"Eat less." Lu Jingyan turned around. "Excessive stimulation of stomach acid secretion can easily worsen morning sickness."

His tone was flat and indifferent, like reciting a dry doctor's order.

The phone, which was placed on the edge of the coffee table, suddenly vibrated.

The buzzing sound was jarring in the quiet living room. The screen lit up, displaying an unfamiliar, unaddressed number.

This was his work-specific number. It was only ever given to a few special grassroots non-staff members.

Lu Jingyan picked up her phone.

My finger swiped across the screen. I held the phone to my ear.

"Feed".

Just one word. His voice was deep and cold, instantly switching back to the chilling demeanor of the police chief.

Inside the public toilet stall.

Upon hearing this sound, Liu Biao suddenly jumped up from the toilet seat.

The movement was too big, and his head hit the plastic partition door with a "thud".

He was in so much pain that he was wincing, but he didn't even bother to rub it.

His heels instinctively tapped together, forming a crooked military posture in the cramped space.

As soon as the call connected, Liu Biao, filled with resentment and indignation, shouted into the phone, "Commander Lu, help me! These damned bastards actually tricked me, a law-abiding citizen, into committing a crime!"