You went on a blind date and presented an A-level wanted criminal as a meeting gift?

That familiar electronic notification sound came to mind.

【Ding! 】

The "Cleanse the Ghosts" questline is now complete!

[Mission Rating: SSS!]

[Rewards being distributed...]

[Cash: 10,000,000,000 yuan (already received, please check account ending in 3721).]

Lin Chen leaned back in the chair in the director's office, looking at the number.

10 billion.

No, you misread it.

How many zeros are after the 1?

One, ten, hundred, thousand, ten thousand, hundred thousand, million, ten million, one hundred million, one billion.

One billion.

He closed his eyes and opened them again; the numbers hadn't changed.

One billion.

Last year, when he was a planner at an internet company, his monthly salary was 8,500 yuan.

My year-end bonus included a thermos and a handwritten thank-you note.

One billion.

He took a deep breath, trying to get his heartbeat back to normal.

The system prompts haven't ended yet.

[Skill Reward: God-level Meteorology Mastery!]

[Explanation: You have mastered all the laws governing atmospheric movement and can predict and utilize all microclimate changes with extreme precision!]

[All attributes +50!]

[Remember the fastest online novel website: 1 ...

Lin Chen felt a surge of heat rising from the base of his spine and quickly spreading throughout his limbs and bones.

Muscle fibers have undergone another round of strengthening at the microscopic level, bone density has increased, and sensory sensitivity has reached a new level.

The whole process lasted about ten seconds.

After the heat subsided, he flexed his fingers.

My physical condition is much better than before.

Proficient in meteorology.

This skill may not seem as direct as martial arts or hacking at first glance, but Lin Chen immediately thought of at least three scenarios in which it could be used in actual combat.

During pursuits, wind direction is used to predict the suspect's escape route; during outdoor standoffs, impending downpours are used to create blind spots; and even in environments like chemical plants, precise calculations of air pressure changes are used to determine the extent of toxic gas diffusion.

Tools themselves are neither strong nor weak; it depends on who uses them.

He put his phone back in his pocket, got up, and walked out.

The sunlight in the courtyard had shifted from midday to the west.

Zhao Deshun was handed over to the special task force of the provincial department, and Su Jianguo personally supervised the case.

After a day of oppressive tension, the atmosphere in the municipal bureau compound began to slowly return to normal.

Zhang ran into Lin Chen in the corridor and offered him a cigarette.

"Kobayashi, well done!"

Lin Chen accepted the call but didn't place an order.

"Team Leader Zhang, what do the older colleagues in the bureau think about Zhao Deshun's matter?"

Zhang Zheng sighed.

"How can you look at it? A buddy who's been with you for over thirty years has suddenly become a mole. Some are cursing him, some are feeling sorry for him, and some are terrified."

He patted Lin Chen's arm.

"But nobody disagrees with you."

Lin Chen hummed in agreement and didn't say anything more.

He walked down the corridor and almost bumped into someone at the corner.

Li Mingyu.

There was a white gauze pad on the back of his head, and his face was a little bluish, but he seemed to be in good spirits.

The two stopped facing each other.

Li Mingyu's lips moved a few times, as if he was organizing his thoughts. His eyes were complex, showing embarrassment, awkwardness, and something else he couldn't quite put his finger on.

"Lin Chen."

"Um."

"Last night... the time Old Zhao hit me, it hurt all day."

Have you gone to the hospital?

"They examined it and said it's nothing serious, just a soft tissue contusion."

Li Mingyu's gaze darted away for a moment, then returned.

"When you saw Lao Zhao hitting me in the ventilation duct last night, did you ever think about rushing out?"

Lin Chen glanced at him.

"No."

Li Mingyu's lips twitched.

"If I had rushed out, Old Zhao would have gotten away, and that blow you took wouldn't have been for nothing."

Li Mingyu opened his mouth, but swallowed the words that were about to come out.

He remained silent for three seconds.

"Next time, could you... give me a heads-up? So I can be prepared?"

"Notify you? If I told you, could you have held back your screams?"

"..."

Li Mingyu didn't say anything more.

He stepped aside to make way, watching Lin Chen's figure disappear into the distance.

After standing there for a while, he touched the gauze on the back of his head and muttered something under his breath.

"At least tell me, I could wear a helmet."

Nobody heard it.

The main entrance to the municipal bureau compound.

When Lin Chen pushed open the door and came out, the sun was already setting in the west, and the golden light stretched the shadows on the steps very long.

Su Qingge stood at the bottom of the steps.

She changed back into her police uniform, tied her hair up again, and resumed her image as the capable and sharp-looking head of the serious crimes unit.

But there was an expression on her face that Lin Chen rarely saw.

It's not aloofness, nor is it pretentiousness.

It's the tension a woman feels before making a major decision.

Lin Chen walked down the steps.

"Still not gone?"

Su Qingge looked at him.

There were more than a dozen police officers coming and going in the courtyard. Some were moving things, some were making phone calls, and some were chatting by a car not far away.

Su Qingge stepped forward and grabbed Lin Chen's collar with both hands.

Lin Chen paused slightly.

Then he saw Su Qingge's eyes.

There was no hesitation in those eyes.

Su Qingge stood on tiptoe and, in front of the main gate of the Municipal Bureau compound, under the gaze of more than a dozen witnesses, pressed her lips against Lin Chen's lips.

It's not just a fleeting glance.

It was a solid, forceful kiss that seemed to cramm all the unspoken words of the past few days into the kiss.

The courtyard fell silent instantly.

The police officer carrying the items nearly dropped the box he was carrying.

The person on the phone simply said, "Mom, I'll call back later," and hung up.

The two people chatting by the car stood frozen in place, their mouths agape in an "O" shape.

The kiss lasted for four or five seconds.

Su Qingge released her grip.

Her face was already noticeably red, but her eyes did not dart away.

"This is not a reward."

Her voice was very low, and only Lin Chen could hear it.

"This is what I wanted to do."

Lin Chen looked at her.

He didn't speak, but he raised his hand and gently brushed away the strands of her hair that had been blown about by the wind.

Su Qingge's ears turned bright red, but she did not back down.

The two stared at each other for two seconds.

Then Su Qingge turned and left, her steps so fast it was as if she were running away, the sound of her high heels clicking on the steps twice as urgent as usual.

She took five steps, then suddenly stopped and turned around.

"If you're late for the case summary meeting tomorrow morning, I'll dock your pay."

After saying that, he ran away without looking back.

Lin Chen stood on the steps, watching her figure disappear around the corner.

A breeze blew in from Emerald Lake, carrying the coolness of the evening.

He looked down at his hands, the touch of her hair still lingering on his fingers.