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

The dial tone on the phone hasn't stopped yet.

Lu Jingyan's usually impassive face, which remained calm even in the face of a collapsing mountain, went blank for half a second.

All criminal investigation logic and legal provisions in my mind were completely cleared away at this moment by an emotion called "panic".

"Tiezhu! Car keys!"

He turned around abruptly. His voice was so loud it was distorted, and he didn't even notice the blood seeping through the newly wrapped gauze on the back of his hand.

Zhao Tiezhu was startled. He pulled out his car keys from his waist and threw them over.

The key arced through the air. Lu Jingyan grabbed it, opened the driver's side door of the black bulletproof SUV, and climbed inside.

The engine roared furiously.

The wide off-road tires screeched as they rubbed against the asphalt, and the car shot off like an arrow.

The streets of Jinghai City at 2 a.m.

The traffic lights are still flashing mechanically, alternating between green and red.

The bulletproof car sped along the wide road.

Lu Jingyan gripped the steering wheel tightly with both hands, the veins on the back of his hands bulging.

He stared at the windshield, his lips pressed tightly into a line.

I ran two red lights in a row, and the flashlights of the surveillance cameras at the intersection kept flashing.

"Command center. This is Lu Jingyan."

He pressed the call button on the car radio, his voice unusually urgent.

"License plate number 京A·0001. Heading towards the Municipal Maternal and Child Health Hospital along Jianshe Road. Family member is about to give birth, requesting green channel."

There was a moment of silence on the other end of the radio station.

Immediately afterwards, the traffic management bureau's on-duty dispatcher loudly replied: "Received from the commander! Traffic police at all intersections are in position, and all red lights along the route have turned green! We have forcibly created a green wave for your safety!"

The car traveled smoothly and sped into the hospital gate.

Outside the delivery room on the third floor of the Municipal Maternal and Child Health Hospital.

The incandescent lights in the corridor were blindingly bright. The air was thick with the cold smell of disinfectant and medical alcohol.

Lu Jingyan strode out of the elevator.

His usual measured gait was completely out of control. His military boots clattered on the paving stones, and he even tripped over his own foot.

The delivery room door was tightly closed. A red light above the door read "Operation in Progress".

Three strangely shaped men were squatting on the benches on both sides of the corridor.

On the far left is Liu Biao, wearing an old jacket, clutching a large fruit basket tightly in his arms; the apples are almost crushed by his hand.

In the middle was Young Master Gu, wearing a floral shirt, clutching two extremely expensive boxes of imported bird's nest, his legs trembling.

On the far right is Ye Xiu, the Asura Dragon King, who is two meters tall.

He was shirtless, with two large red plastic basins he had just bought from the night market supermarket tucked under his arms. The basins were printed with the words "May you have a long and happy marriage" in gold.

These three were once powerful underworld figures and ruthless outlaws in Jinghai City, who were known for their ability to kill without blinking an eye.

At this moment, they were like three primary school students waiting outside the administration office, not daring to breathe.

"Commander Lu."

When Liu Biao saw Lu Jingyan approaching, he quickly stood up straight and stammered.

"My sister-in-law was just wheeled in. The doctor said her pelvic condition is good, and she should have no problem with a natural birth. Please, please don't worry too much."

Lu Jingyan didn't respond.

He walked to the door of the delivery room and placed his hands on the cold metal doorframe. His eyes were fixed on the tightly closed white door.

His mind was buzzing.

I recited some articles from the Criminal Law halfway through the car ride, hoping to use them to calm my heart rate. But this trick completely failed for the first time.

Time ticked by, second by second.

The corridor was so quiet that you could hear the ticking of the second hand on the wall clock.

"Wow--!"

A loud and clear baby cry suddenly pierced through the heavy soundproof door.

The crying wasn't pleasant to hear, but to Lu Jingyan, it was more powerful than any beautiful music in the world.

The red light on the door went out. The green light came on.

The nurse, wearing a blue mask, pushed open the door, her eyes curving into two crescent moons.

"Congratulations, Commander Lu! Mother and daughter are safe and sound; it's a lovely little girl weighing 6 pounds 8 ounces!"

Lu Jingyan's shoulders, which had been taut to the extreme, collapsed completely in that instant.

He let out a long breath. Leaning against the wall, a layer of warm tears welled up in his eyes.

Liu Biao and Gu Shao next to them hugged each other excitedly, almost jumping up and down in the corridor.

Ye Xiu was so happy that he held the two big red basins above his head and grinned foolishly.

After changing into sterile clothing, Lu Jingyan quietly entered the ward.

Su Xiaoxiao lay weakly on the white hospital bed. Her hair was soaked with sweat and stuck to her forehead.

Seeing him come in, she forced a tired smile.

In the small cart next to it.

Lying there was a small, red, wrinkled bundle of flesh. Its eyes were closed, and its two little hands were clenched into fists and placed near its mouth.

Lu Jingyan walked to the cart.

He stretched out his large, calloused hands, worn from years of holding guns. His movements were stiff, like those of a rusty machine.

Carefully, almost reverently.

I gently lifted that soft, milky-scented little life and held it in my broad chest.

The little guy felt the warmth and smacked his lips twice.

He spat out a small bubble of saliva.

Lu Jingyan lowered his head. His resolute and hard jawline softened into the most exquisite gentleness in the world at that moment.

He did not possess immortal life, nor did he have the superpower to move mountains and fill seas.

But he had a bond that was more precious than those higher-dimensional rules.

"Let's choose a name," Su Xiaoxiao said softly, turning her head away.

"Let's name her Lu An." He looked at his daughter's sleeping face, his voice gentle and deep. "An as in peace and tranquility. An as in Chang'an."

Three years later. People's Park in Jinghai City on a weekend.

The sun was shining brightly, and a gentle breeze was blowing.

In the park square, middle-aged women are dancing to cheerful music.

Lu Jingyan was wearing an ordinary gray casual sweater.

He was pushing a pink stroller. Inside, little Lu An, with two pigtails, was happily drinking from a bottle.

Su Xiaoxiao linked arms with him. The two walked side by side under the shade of the trees, chatting casually about what to eat for dinner.

Just then.

A skinny man wearing a baseball cap suddenly bumped into a girl carrying a backpack.

His fingers swiftly slipped into the girl's loosely zipped backpack and pulled out a brand-new mobile phone.

"Stop thief! My phone!" the girl screamed as she realized what was happening.

The thief's expression changed, and he took off running towards the park entrance.

Lu Jingyan had just stopped the stroller and hadn't even had a chance to turn around.

At the stall selling candied hawthorns next door.

Standing two meters tall, Ye Xiu threw down the candied hawthorn stick. He then slid over and pounced, pinning the thief down like a mountain of flesh.

Liu Biao, the owner of a barbecue stall not far away, rushed over with a pair of metal tongs for grilling meat. He stepped on the thief's kicking leg.

Even the old lady sweeping the floor nearby (a former gang leader) wielded a large broom and skillfully used the broom handle to choke the thief.

"Don't move! Behave yourself!"

Ye Xiu glared at the thief, twisting his arm behind his back with one hand. "We're the kind-hearted citizens of Chaoyang District!"

The thief was pinned down, struggling to breathe, his face pressed against the rough cement floor, looking utterly bewildered.

What kind of hellish city is this? Even the candied hawthorn vendor can be captured by special forces?

Lu Jingyan pushed the stroller over.

He looked at the thief on the ground with a mournful face, and then at the group of indignant "ordinary people" around him.

A genuine, relaxed smile slowly spread across the man's lips.

He no longer needs to intimidate anyone with his words.

The belief in the rule of law has truly been engraved in the bones and blood of everyone on this land.

(Final scene)

The camera zooms out. The bustling city of Jinghai is ablaze with lights, the night sky serene and deep. Lu Jingyan and Su Xiaoxiao stand hand-in-hand before the floor-to-ceiling window. This man, with his absolute rationality and iron-fisted methods, has spread the light of the rule of law throughout the universe, and ultimately, in the ordinary warmth of everyday life, he has found his own place in the world.

(End of the book)