Mastering the Sword Manual, sweeping across the globe

The young man seemed finally satisfied. He stopped looking at him, turned around, and, under the extremely complicated gazes of several passersby, leisurely walked away with the aimless pace of someone idly strolling around at night.

13. The eerie car door

This is utterly lawless!

A strong surge of anger, a mixture of professional instinct and personal emotion, suddenly rose in Zhao Jianguo's chest.

It wasn't just outrage over a violent incident, but a deeper, more instinctive aversion and vigilance—a strong resistance to the abuse of violence, the transgression of the law, and the brutal trampling of the rules he upheld by a more primitive "force."

Using vigilante justice in the street, enforcing the law in a manner that borders on torture, goes far beyond the scope of ordinary violations and touches upon the opposite of the order that his uniform represents.

To put it bluntly, it's the natural anger and vigilance of the court's lackeys after realizing their authority has been disregarded.

He must be brought to justice.

The last trace of casualness on Zhao Jianguo's face vanished, replaced by the cold, hard demeanor typical of a criminal investigator facing a serious case.

He no longer treated this as an ordinary dispute or assault case.

"Xiao Sun, call back to the yamen, no, contact the Criminal Investigation Department and the Scientific Investigation Institute of the branch bureau directly, report the situation here, and request support."

Zhao Jianguo's voice was firm and resolute, each word seemingly squeezed out from between his teeth: "We need physical evidence examination, we need forensic doctors to conduct a formal injury assessment of the victim, and all traces at the scene—water stains, shoe prints, possible biological samples—must be secured."

He paused, his gaze sweeping over the muddy puddle, the shivering Wang Defa, and the several passersby with varying expressions, before continuing to issue instructions: "Notify the Transportation Department to retrieve all public surveillance and camera footage from this bus stop and all related road networks in the surrounding area between 8 and 9 p.m. tonight."

"Focus on screening pedestrians who match the characteristics and vehicles exhibiting abnormal behavior."

"At the same time, we reported to the branch training office and the duty officer. The preliminary assessment is that the suspect has a strong tendency to violence and poses a danger to personal safety. We recommend that the patrol battalion be on standby and intervene to assist in the search and arrest if necessary."

"Contact the yamen's general command center and coordinate with nearby yamen officers and guards to focus their efforts on this area and strengthen checks."

"Also, have the Bureau of Rumors keep an eye on local social media platforms and short videos. These kinds of videos of street violence are the easiest to spread. See if any other footage from the scene is circulating, as that could be an important clue."

Sun Haoran felt a chill run down his spine. This series of transfers far exceeded the handling standards for ordinary assault cases, clearly indicating preparations for a serious violent crime.

But seeing Zhao Jianguo's serious expression, he didn't dare to be negligent and immediately went to the side to make calls one by one.

“You lot,” Zhao Jianguo turned to the stunned passersby who were now vaguely regretting reporting the incident to the authorities, “all of you register your detailed identity information and contact details with Xiao Sun. We’ll go back to the yamen with you later to make a formal statement about what happened.”

This is no longer a mediation process; it's the prelude to filing a case for investigation.

While waiting for reinforcements, Zhao Jianguo began preliminary on-site inquiries and reconstruction.

He focused his questioning on the details of how the driver—the unfortunate and indeed hateful party involved, Wang Defa—was brought here.

"Where did he intercept you?" Zhao Jianguo asked.

Wang Defa, still shaken, rubbed his swollen and stinging eyes and throat, and said in a hoarse voice, "At... at the intersection of Xiangyang Road and Jianhua Street, going from east to west, I'm waiting for the red light."

"The specific process."

“I stopped the car and just put it in neutral when someone knocked on my driver’s side window. I was startled and thought it was a policeman or someone asking for directions, so I rolled the window down a crack…” Wang Defa recalled, his face showing confusion and lingering fear. “I asked him what he wanted, and he… he didn’t say anything, and then… then my car door opened.”

Zhao Jianguo's gaze sharpened: "You opened the door yourself?"

“No! Absolutely not!” Wang Defa shook his head repeatedly, his tone certain. “My hands were still on the steering wheel! The window was only slightly ajar! The door… it just… um… it just opened by itself…”

Zhao Jianguo didn't press further, but his heart sank.

He glanced at the bus stop location recorded by Sun Haoran and the intersection Wang Defa mentioned. The two were only one block apart, with a straight-line distance of no more than one kilometer.

"Come on, take me to that intersection you mentioned." Zhao Jianguo called to Wang Defa and Sun Haoran, leaving another accomplice to wait for the technicians.

This road isn't long.

The old town streets were sparsely lit at night. After walking for a few minutes, the group turned a corner and arrived at a relatively bustling late-night snack shop.

It was nearly 9 p.m., and traffic was sparse at the intersection.

Zhao Jianguo spotted the gray sedan that Wang Defa had described at a glance.

It was stopped in an extremely bizarre posture on the right-turn/straight-ahead lane heading east to west.

The car was still running, the engine was making a low idling sound, and the taillights were on.

It was parked crookedly, not only pressing on the line, but also with a small part of the car body sticking out of the parking line.

Most shockingly, the driver's side door was wide open, hanging like a broken wing on the side of the vehicle.

The turn signal continued to flash stubbornly, emitting a monotonous "tap, tap" sound. Cars behind had to carefully swerve around this strange roadblock, occasionally honking impatiently.

Zhao Jianguo strode forward, first scanning his surroundings warily to make sure there was nothing amiss, then taking out his body camera and recorder from his pocket to document the vehicle's condition.

When he pointed the camera at the open driver's side door, especially at the lock and hinges, he paused, his pupils contracting slightly.

"You said back then," Zhao Jianguo asked Wang Defa behind him in a low voice without turning around, "that he knocked on the window, you opened it a crack, and then the car door opened?"

"Yes, it is."

Zhao Jianguo stepped aside slightly and shone the beam of his flashlight clearly on the car door latch and frame: "Take a look for yourself."

Wang Defa leaned closer, looked at the car door, and froze, his mouth agape.

Under the cold, white beam of the flashlight, the signs of destruction were impossible to hide.

The car door was not unlocked normally, nor was it forcibly pried open with a crowbar or similar tool.

Near the door frame, on the metal plate corresponding to the latch, there is a clearly visible arc-shaped indentation. The paint on the edge is cracked and peeling off, revealing the twisted metal underneath.

The sturdy steel latch itself was unnaturally curved, as if it had been gripped by an invisible giant hand and forcibly "twisted" out of the slot.

The guide rails of the car window glass also showed signs of slight deformation.

This is neither technical unlocking nor conventional vandalism.

This was purely due to unimaginable, instantaneous bursts of brute force, which acted directly on the internal lock mechanism through the steel plate of the car door, forcefully "breaking" it open.

Zhao Jianguo reached out and touched the edge of the dent. Beneath the cold metallic touch was a chillingly deformed curve.

He tried to push or pull the car door, but the smoothness of the door opening and closing was affected, and there was a slight, abnormal friction sound coming from the hinge.

How much power would that require?

How could this be done by a "person" with their hands?

The night wind swept through the empty intersection, carrying a chill.

Zhao Jianguo stood in front of the car door that had been violently opened, the beam of his flashlight fixed on the gruesome metal wound, speechless for a long time.

The anger from before had not dissipated, but it was now mixed with a deeper sense of solemnity and the instinctive unease of humans when facing an unknown force.

Who exactly is this young man with glasses?

14 World Records

The search and rescue vehicle arrived first.

The technicians in uniforms skillfully set up a cordon and took photos, measurements, and extracted images of the area around the bus stop, the muddy puddles, and the traces left by the struggle on the ground.

The forensic doctor arrived and conducted a preliminary examination on Wang Defa, who was still coughing violently and covered in mud and cold sweat from fear. He recorded pressure marks on his face and neck, as well as possible respiratory damage caused by inhaling mud and water, and arranged for him to be sent to a related hospital for detailed identification.

Zhao Jianguo left the scene to the technical team and returned to the yamen with Wang Defa and several passersby.

The police car had just started moving when the branch office called.

"Old Zhao, the Third Squadron of the Patrol Battalion has, as you requested, strengthened vehicle and foot patrols and checks in Xiangyang Village and surrounding key areas, focusing on individuals who fit the description of 'wearing black-rimmed glasses, young male, and traveling alone.' The Rumor Bureau has also begun screening local social networks and short video platforms. So far, no relevant videos have been found circulating, but we will continue to monitor them."

"Received, thank you for your hard work."

Not long after, news came from the yamen's comprehensive command center: "Zhao Ban, we have coordinated with the local yamen runners and hangers-on of the two nearby baojia offices to conduct a preliminary investigation of Xiangyang Village and several adjacent areas with dense migrant populations, based on the 'one standard, three realities' basic information. The focus is on investigating newly moved-in or abnormally behaving young men from outside the area. So far, no clear findings have been found."

Every response was expected, which also means that routine investigations that rely on manpower and basic information may not be effective quickly against an opponent who has deliberately chosen a blind spot in the surveillance, acts swiftly, and seems to have a certain level of counter-surveillance awareness.

Back at the police station, just as they brought Wang Defa and several passersby into the interrogation room and hadn't even begun formally taking statements, the yamen's investigation department called Zhao Jianguo's cell phone.

"Zhao Ban, regarding the 'assault case from the intersection of Xiangyang Road and Jianhua Street to Xiangyang Village bus stop' that you reported, we have preliminarily retrieved and completed the timeline splicing of the surveillance footage from the relevant road sections and some social locations, and synchronized it to your case handling system. The case number is XXXXX. You can take a look."

"Okay, I'll check right away."

Zhao Jianguo turned on his office computer, logged into the system, and found the newly created case folder.

Seven or eight video files have already been uploaded, arranged in chronological order and named according to the camera location.

He clicked on the very first paragraph.

视角一（公交站斜对面，便利店监控，时间戳20:07:15-20:07:22）：

The image clarity is acceptable.

Several blurry figures were waiting for the bus under the bus stop shelter.

A gray sedan sped from east to west across the section of road in front of the platform, its wheels rolling over the puddles, sending up turbid waves that crashed onto the platform.

The figures on the platform were panicked and waved their arms.

The car drove straight out of the frame without stopping.

视角二（距离公交站约150米，东向道路监控，时间戳20:07:25-20:07:35）：

The gray sedan sped past the surveillance camera below, its taillights casting red lines in the night.

Almost at the same moment the car drove by, at the edge of the frame, a figure dressed in dark clothes appeared from the sidewalk across the road.

He was walking normally, but after seeing the car splash water (and perhaps hearing the sound), he immediately turned and walked in the direction the car had left, his pace suddenly increasing and speeding up.

That wasn't a standard running posture—the swing of the arms didn't increase significantly, and the forward lean of the body wasn't obvious—but each step was extremely long, and the stride frequency increased rapidly, as he quickly chased after the opponent along the sidewalk in an efficient and stable "race walking" style.

In the blink of an eye, the young figure disappeared on the east side of the screen.

Upon seeing this, Zhao Jianguo's brows furrowed slightly.

The speed of this start and the decision to track the vehicle don't seem like those of an ordinary passerby acting on a whim.

视角三（前方第一个十字路口，东南角治安摄像头，时间戳20:07:58-20:08:05）：

The gray sedan made a quick right turn, drove onto Jianhua Street, and disappeared from the bottom right corner of the screen.

A short while later, the dark-skinned figure swept across the intersection with the same large strides and high-frequency steps, turned right without hesitation, and chased into Jianhua Street.

This speed… Zhao Jianguo frowned again, almost subconsciously.

视角四（建华街中段，某小区出入口监控，时间戳20:08:20-20:08:35）：

This is a shot taken facing the street; the angle is excellent.

The gray sedan slowed down, preparing to wait for the red light at the Xiangyang Road intersection ahead.

Behind them, a young man appeared in the frame, maintaining his large stride and speed, rapidly approaching the stationary car.

The camera zoomed in a bit, and we could see his attire clearly: dark pants, a black T-shirt, and he was indeed wearing a pair of black-rimmed glasses.

Zhao Jianguo stared intently at his hands, waist, and pockets—there were no visible tools, not even a backpack.

The young man walked straight to the driver's side, raised his hand, and knocked on the car window.

The car window was rolled down a crack.

Then, the young man casually placed his left hand slightly above the car door handle.

The next second, the car door suddenly slammed open!

It wasn't the natural opening that comes after unlocking; instead, it burst open with an abrupt, unnatural force!

Although there was no sound from the surveillance camera, Zhao Jianguo could almost hear the dull thud of metal twisting.

The young man barely used his upper body; there was only a slight inward and outward movement in his arms.

It really was done barehanded!

Zhao Jianguo's breath hitched.

Then, the young man bent down, reached his right hand into the car, and when he came out, he had grabbed the driver's hair and forcibly dragged him out of the driver's seat.

The driver appeared to struggle, but was completely unable to budge the hand.

Then, the young man, still holding onto the driver who was a size bigger than him, turned around and slowly walked back the way he came.

Due to the awkward posture and the pain of having his hair pulled, the driver staggered and looked extremely disheveled.

Seeing the driver's disheveled state and the young man's speed, Zhao Jianguo's brows furrowed again.

This walking speed... he was all too familiar with it.

He and the still-shaken Wang Defa had just walked this stretch of road at almost the same pace.

speed……

A thought flashed through my mind like lightning.