The most shameless alchemist in history

If this were in an open area, they wouldn't be afraid, but the prison is cramped, and they are in a very disadvantageous position inside their cells. If these officers were to pull the trigger at this moment, wouldn't they be riddled with bullets in an instant?

"You ask us what we're doing? Invading the police station's jail and acting so arrogantly is blatant contempt for the law!" The young police officer in charge, Du Lei, was a familiar face, as he was the one who had arrested them earlier. He adjusted his hat and rebuked them righteously.

"Hey, didn't your superior give you orders to cooperate with us?" The masked man realized that this young police officer was a tough nut to crack, and that his side was indeed in a disadvantageous position, so he spoke some conciliatory words and had no intention of confronting him directly.

“I don’t understand what you’re talking about at all. No matter how many people you’ve bribed, the law doesn’t allow you lawless criminals to trample on it. I’m warning you all to put down your weapons, or else…” The young officer waved his hand, and the muzzles of more than a dozen dark guns could shoot flames at any moment.

"Wait a minute, wait a minute, Officer Ryan, this is all a misunderstanding, this is all a misunderstanding." Just then, an old prison guard, panting heavily, rushed over. When he saw the young officer leading people in, he sensed something was wrong, and things were indeed taking a turn for the worse.

"What misunderstanding?" The young officer, known as Ryan, frowned and turned to ask the older prison guard.

“Well… these people are here to visit me in prison. They’ve been given special permission by the higher-ups. You should have heard about it too…” the old prison guard said, rubbing his hands together, hoping to persuade the officer.

"Visiting a prison? Who would dress like that in the middle of the night, carrying a knife? Besides, I don't know them at all." Du Lei, with his arms crossed and a look of amusement, chimed in at the opportune moment to prove that they had absolutely no connection with these assassins.

“Yeah, yeah, I don’t know these guys, and they look like assassins no matter how you look at them. Hey, you’re actually speaking up for them, did you take some bribes?” Leopard Tail chimed in sarcastically, making the old prison guard’s face turn pale and then red.

"Anyway... there must be some misunderstanding here, Officer Ryan. Why don't you go back and rest first? We'll handle things properly here, and I believe the supporting documents will be delivered to you soon..." The old prison guard had heard some rumors about Ryan before.

Because this young police officer was recently transferred to Storm City, everyone said that Officer Ryan had a very strong background, was unyielding, and was an extremely principled person. At first, the old prison guard did not believe it, no matter how much he tried to portray himself as powerful and noble.

Isn't this all just an attempt to elevate one's own status? He's seen countless so-called "pure" individuals over the years.

To be honest, this was his first time dealing with Ryan, but just from Ryan's eyes, he could tell that Ryan was indeed a difficult opponent.

“Misunderstanding? I don’t think this is a misunderstanding. You’re only responsible for the daily management of the prison. Now that the prison has been invaded, it falls under my responsibility. Didn’t you hear what I just said?” Ryan raised his voice. He wasn’t buying the old guard’s act.

"Wait, wait, oh dear, wait a minute." Just as the old prison guard couldn't hold on any longer, someone else rushed over from behind. Du Lei, who was determined to watch the show, turned around and saw a middle-aged man who was somewhat overweight with a large belly.

Two police officers in the same uniform followed behind him. He kept wiping the sweat from his forehead, showing that he had run all the way here.

"Chief Rom, you've finally arrived!" The old prison guard was overjoyed to see the man and breathed a sigh of relief. He knew he was of low rank and couldn't control Ryan, but this man was different. He was Ryan's superior, the chief of the Storm City Police Department.

“Director Rom? You came all this way in person… to support me?” Ryan turned around and asked Rom what his purpose was.

503 Who's in charge?

The already cramped cell was suddenly filled with so many people, making it feel completely packed. Inside and outside the cell, a dozen or so assassins confronted a dozen or so police officers, but the police officers clearly had the upper hand, not just because they were armed with gunpowder guns.

Also, because they had a geographical advantage, it seemed that the assassin was about to be forced to submit. But at this moment, Chief Rom, Officer Ryan's direct superior, arrived. Dure, who was determined to watch the show, realized that the situation had subtly changed.

"Support? Hahaha, Ryan, you're really joking. Actually, I came here to explain that these people are all my subordinates. I sent them to the prison on a mission." Rom didn't know his new subordinate very well.

But he knew that Ryan had only been in Lan City for a few days and had already overturned many cases that had been settled before. This made him lose face as the leader, because he had personally handled those cases. Not only that, Ryan had also arrested a lot of people.

These people were all regular guests at Rom's house, and Rom had subtly hinted many times that he hoped Ryan would restrain himself. If other factors were disregarded, Rom still admired Ryan's personal talent; he was a very capable and outstanding young man.

Ryan's personality is just like his always cold face, which is a particular headache for Rom. Today, after receiving a message from a certain young master asking him to cooperate in killing someone, he originally thought it would be an easy task and that he wouldn't even need to lift a finger.

But when someone told him that Ryan was heading to the prison, he had to change his clothes and come out, even though he was already asleep. He knew Ryan's style of doing things and didn't want Ryan to ruin things. He could ignore other people, but he had to save face for that young master.

"Your subordinates? So... they're all part of the police department?" Ryan frowned when he heard Rom say that. He knew the police department's organization very well, and he didn't remember such a group of people existing. His subordinates looked at each other, looking somewhat confused.

"They haven't officially started working yet, but they're considered police officers, so I'm telling you to get out of the way immediately," Rom shouted. He knew where these people came from and what their purpose was; their target was standing right next to him.

If Ryan hadn't been there, he certainly wouldn't have minded taking care of that kid himself. But with Ryan around, he knew that with Ryan's temper, it was absolutely impossible for him to kill someone here; that would only cause a huge headache.

Therefore, he had no choice but to let these people leave first. As for their mission, he could only declare it a failure for the time being and reconsider it later.

“I need to verify their identities.” Ryan was insistent on this point, and he stepped forward to try to check the people’s identification documents.

"Ryan, are you ignoring my orders? You need to understand, I am your superior, I am the chief of the Storm City Police Department, and you should obey my orders!" Rom's face was ashen; he would not allow Ryan to publicly question him.

“I did not mean to disobey your orders, I was just following the necessary legal procedures, is there a problem with that?” Ryan’s face was a little stiff. He was not stupid, and he naturally knew the situation in Storm City and the real purpose of those people’s intrusion into the prison.

“I don’t want to repeat myself a third time. I told you to open the cell door and let them out. Hey, what are you all standing there for? Is Ryan the boss here, or am I? Put your guns down right now!” Seeing that scolding Ryan wasn’t having much effect, Rom turned his attention to Ryan’s men.

“This…” Ryan’s subordinates looked at each other. They were all young men in their twenties, full of passion, fearless and dream-filled. Although Ryan had not been there for long, they got along very well with him and were very supportive of his actions.

Even so, they were powerless to resist Rom's forceful orders, as there was no doubt that Rom was their superior. Ryan clenched his fists but remained silent for the same reason.

Rom is the chief, he's the boss. No matter how right they think they are, they can't disobey orders from their superiors. That's written into the law, and Ryan has always been a person who respects the law.

“Open it.” Although Ryan was very unwilling, he could only wave his hand. With his consent, his subordinates, who were under pressure from Rom, had no choice but to lower their guns and go forward to open the cell door and let the people inside out.

“I told you you’d release us without hesitation, didn’t I? So, Chief Rom, that kid…” The masked leader walked out of the cell and gave Ryan a provocative look as he passed by, causing Ryan to clench his fists and crack them.

"You guys should go, go. It's so late, what mission are you still carrying out? Whatever mission you have, we can talk about it tomorrow." Rom waved his hand. He knew that although Ryan was no longer blocking him, and it seemed that he had won a round, he was sure that Ryan was trying his best to control his emotions.

He had vaguely heard some things about Ryan, and unless absolutely necessary, he didn't want to fall out with Ryan. He could only urge the masked men to leave hastily, not wanting to cause any further trouble.

"Well... Chief Rom, it'll be hard for us to explain this to the young master when we get back." The masked man looked troubled. His orders were to kill that guy, but if he returned without completing the mission, knowing the young master as he did, he knew he would be in big trouble.

"I will give the young master an explanation tomorrow. You may leave." Rom waved his hand. The masked men wanted to say something more, but urged by Rom, they hurriedly left, their figures quickly disappearing into the prison area.

"So, Director Rom, you're letting them all go?" Ryan's voice was very heavy, and it was clear that he was very angry.

"I'll make the decisions. Just follow orders," Director Rom replied sternly.

"Um, although it's impolite to interrupt your conversation, I'd like to ask if we can leave now?" Du Lei had been watching this drama as an observer from beginning to end, and only after the masked group had gone far away did he cautiously ask.

“Your behavior is suspicious. You can’t leave. You have to go back to your cells.” Chief Rom shook his head decisively.

"What? Suspicious behavior? The more suspicious people left just now, right? The suspicious ones ran away, but we, who are actually not suspicious, have to stay. That's not right. By the way, this is... Officer Ryan, right? You're the one who arrested us. But now you see, it's all a trap, a frame-up. We are the victims. If you hadn't arrived, we might have already been killed."

Dure immediately refuted Director Rom's statement.

"Kid, how dare you talk like that? What do you mean by that? Do you think I'm a murderer?" Rom glared at Dure. He had been scolded by that young master because of this kid, and now the problem wasn't solved, and he still had to see his face. This made Rom furious.

“I didn’t mean that, but if Mr. Rom insists on taking it personally, there’s nothing I can do.” Dure had already spent time in jail and had rested enough, so he wasn’t afraid of Rom and spoke with a hint of sarcasm.

"You!" Rom was so angry at Dure's words that he pointed at Dure and couldn't say a word.

“Since you are also victims, then you can leave.” Ryan spoke up as Rom and Durree were locked in a heated argument.

“Ryan, are you openly contradicting me? I said they can’t leave, but you say they can. Who’s the boss here? Who has the higher position?” Rom shouted back at Ryan. His dissatisfaction with Ryan was nothing new.

“Chief Rom, this case is under my jurisdiction. Their suspicion has been cleared, so there is no reason for them to stay here. Therefore, I have the authority to let them leave. You may go, but be careful when you leave.” Ryan was no fool; in fact, he was very meticulous in his thinking.

He knew what kind of place it was from the very first day he arrived in Storm City. He also knew what kind of person Rom was, what he had done in secret, and who he associated with. Even now, even if Rom tried to pressure him with an official position, he would stick to his own way.

"Fine, fine, since you've said that, then you can do whatever you want. But... you lot, don't think this is the end of it. This is Storm City, Storm City!" Rom was furious after being repeatedly contradicted by Ryan. He shouted angrily.

After pointing at Dure and saying a few words, he turned and left with his men, his beard bristling and eyes wide with rage.

“It seems we’ve been targeted by Director Rom. Um, may I ask if we can really leave?” Durley asked Ryan cautiously, watching Rom’s departing figure with some trepidation.

“You can leave now, and I’ll send someone to escort you back. You’ll probably encounter those assassins again on the way,” Ryan suggested after thinking for a moment.

"No need, we're already very grateful for your help. We'll take our leave now." Du Lei waved his hand and immediately prepared to leave.

He had already noticed the deep conflict between Ryan and Rom, and he didn't want to get involved; all he wanted to do now was leave.

504 New and Old Forces

Du Lei and his three companions did not leave the prison through the main gate. They left quietly through the back gate under the cover of night. Moreover, compared to the clothes they wore when they were arrested and brought to prison, they had changed into police uniforms, making them unrecognizable unless one looked closely.

"What's wrong with that guy named Ryan? He inexplicably arrested us and now he's released us. Is he crazy?" Leopard Tail couldn't understand Ryan's actions and harbored a great prejudice against him, complaining incessantly.

"His actions seem strange at first glance, but they are actually easy to understand. In the end, it all comes down to two words." Du Lei had seen through the mystery early on. The four of them turned the corner of the alley and headed towards the hotel. They encountered no obstacles along the way and had a smooth journey.

"Which two words?" Leopard Tail had no idea of ​​the mystery behind it, otherwise he wouldn't be complaining here.

"Struggle," Du Lei said casually, as the pale moonlight illuminated the hurried shadows of the four men.

"Struggle? What does that mean?" Leopard Tail didn't quite understand the deeper meaning behind it and asked in confusion.

“It’s a struggle between him and that Rom. You’ve seen it yourself. Rom, as the local police chief, has been operating in Storm City for many years. He’s deeply entrenched and has connections with all sides. As for Ryan, he’s an outsider who hasn’t been in Storm City for long, right?” Dure explained from the side.

"Yes, that's what they were talking about. Ryan arrested a lot of people as soon as he was transferred to Storm City, and it seems that many of them have connections with Rom." Leopard Tail recalled the conversation between Rom and Ryan and roughly figured out what was going on.

“That’s right. You can think of it this way: Rom represents the old forces and belongs to the interest faction, while Ryan represents the younger generation of the new forces. The clash between the old and new forces in Storm City is a result of the powerful Ryan trying to eliminate the old forces, but Rom is the biggest obstacle in his path.”

Although it was only his first day in Lan City, Du Lei had already figured out the distribution of power in Lan City.

"So there is an irreconcilable conflict between the two of them, and our experience is just a part of their conflict, right?" Kotetsu chimed in from the side. He had lived for more than twenty years and had participated in countless battles during missions, so he was very experienced.

“That’s pretty much it. Ryan came to the train station to arrest us because someone reported us, possibly implicated in a crime or something, which is understandable. But after arresting us, he discovered something fishy was going on. Someone was trying to kill us. And if I’m not mistaken, Chief Rom was definitely a key figure in this. Officer Ryan came over in the middle of the night with his men to try and take down Chief Rom. Otherwise, how can we explain his timing, even arriving before Chief Rom?” Dure continued to explain further.

"No wonder, no wonder, so that's how it is. But he wanted to attack Rom or something, but wasn't he just being suppressed by Rom?" Leopard Tail suddenly realized and said "no wonder" twice, but even so, there were still things he didn't understand.

“You think Ryan was being suppressed just now? I don’t think so.” Hu Che shook his head and offered the opposite view.

"What do you mean 'maybe'? Didn't Ryan slink away?" Leopard Tail remembered what had just happened. Ryan had insisted on arresting all the assassins, but Rom insisted on releasing them, and the assassins did indeed walk out of the prison safely.

It was clearly a victory for Rom, and he still vividly remembered Ryan's ashen face.

“Things can’t be judged by appearances alone. Rom is Ryan’s superior, but he repeatedly used his position to pressure Ryan into backing down. And haven’t you noticed that Ryan’s subordinates no longer obey Rom’s orders, but only Ryan’s? Ryan has only been in Storm City for a short time.”

Kotetsu pointed out some details; although he looked burly, he always had a keen eye for detail.

“Right, Ryan has only been in Lan City for a few days, while those young police officers have been working in the police station for a long time. It’s only been a few days and it’s already like this. If a few more months pass, how many people in the police station will still listen to Rom?” Leopard Tail slapped his forehead and suddenly realized.

"So Rom's control is weakening. Although the struggle between the old and new forces will continue for some time, I think the result will definitely be the victory of the new forces. Rom will definitely be defeated by Ryan. It's just that we won't have time to see that scene." Dure made a direct assertion.

"How can you be so sure? What if it's Ryan who gets knocked down?" Leopard Tail was a little skeptical of Dure's words.

"The 'Ryan' I mentioned is just a synonym for a new force. If Ryan were to escape an accident, another representative would be brought in to rise again. We are currently in a turbulent period of change, and this is happening not only in Lan City but in all cities across the continent. The replacement of the old by the new is an inevitable choice of the times, until one day the current new force becomes the old force in the future, and is replaced by another force."

Dure continued, saying that although he was still young, he always had a knack for finding the crux of a problem.

"You've made it sound so complicated, I still don't quite understand. By the way, why did Ryan make us wear these clothes? What is he going to do with them?" Leopard Tail felt a headache coming on and didn't want to think about anything deeper. His last question was about the clothes.

When they left the prison, they changed into police uniforms, not because their previous clothes were dirty and Ryan was being polite by offering to wash them and return them, but because Ryan insisted on it. Leopard Tail found this incomprehensible.

"Actually, the answer is very simple. If we hadn't changed our clothes, do you think things would still be this peaceful by now?" Du Lei retorted with a question to Leopard Tail.

"What do you mean by that?" Leopard Tail frowned.

"Don't you understand? If you were an assassin, would you let your target go so easily?" Kotetsu sneered.

"Boss, you mean... those assassins didn't go far, they're lying in ambush at the door, planning to kill us after we leave the prison?" Leopard Tail suddenly realized this.

“There is no doubt about that.” Dure nodded in affirmation.

"Then let's hurry up and go." Leopard Tail was getting anxious and grabbed Du Lei, intending to turn back.

"Go? Go where? Are you out of your mind?" Kotetsu glared at Leopard Tail.

"No, no, boss, we were bullied like that just now. Since those assassins are waiting for us at the door, we have to go back and teach them a lesson to vent our anger. We also need to find out who sent them to kill us, right?" Leopard Tail's words made a lot of sense.

"What do you think Ryan wants our clothes for?" Kotetsu sighed and continued to ask.

"Isn't it to protect us, to keep us from being targeted by assassins?" Leopard Tail finally understood why they were allowed to use the back door.