Ding...
The sound of the Soul-Sealing Handcuffs and the Spirit-Sealing Helmet colliding with the floor rang crisply in front of Wu Zhangkong.
Wu Zhangkong was momentarily stunned, but in the next instant, his eyes were filled with limitless killing intent.
With his personality, he would rather break than bend. Forget about Xia Hong being just a minor police officer from Mingdu—even if it were the Federation's military and mecha division standing before him, he would still fight his way through.
Yet, this mere four-ring Soul Ancestor dared to demand that he restrain both his soul power and spiritual power.
And she even wanted him to squat while speaking to her.
Even if she were a Title Douluo with nine rings, he would never submit.
To him, this humiliation was worse than death.
"You have the guts, then just kill us! Don't even think about using us to threaten Teacher Wu! Teacher Wu, don't listen to her!" Tang Wulin struggled fiercely, trying to break free from the handcuffs restraining his wrists.
Tang Wulin knew Wu Zhangkong well. He understood his teacher's pride—aside from the instructors at Shrek Academy, he would never bow to anyone.
If Wu Zhangkong truly yielded to Xia Hong today, it would deal him a devastating blow.
Tang Wulin was somewhat aware of Wu Zhangkong and Long Bing's past. Shen Yi had even told him before that Wu Zhangkong had been trapped in his own grief over Long Bing's death, which had slowed down his cultivation.
Otherwise, he would have at least reached the Soul Douluo level by now.
Shen Yi had also mentioned that Wu Zhangkong was actually very fragile inside, and his cold demeanor was merely a front to conceal his inner pain.
She had shared this with Tang Wulin in hopes that he could help Wu Zhangkong overcome his emotional barriers.
Right now, Tang Wulin was the student Wu Zhangkong cared about the most, and only he had the ability to reach him.
Because he understood Wu Zhangkong, Tang Wulin knew that under no circumstances could he let Xia Hong succeed.
If she shattered Wu Zhangkong's façade, he might never recover.
He struggled with all his might, trying to break free from the Soul-Sealing Handcuffs using his raw strength.
However, if even Xia Yidou couldn't escape from these handcuffs, how could he?
No matter how great his physical strength was, it was impossible for a mere three-ring Soul Elder to break free from a pair of Soul-Sealing Handcuffs specifically designed to restrain Soul Masters.
Furthermore, Xia Hong's handcuffs seemed to have been modified by her.
They were utterly unbreakable.
Tang Wulin's wrists were already bleeding from his struggle, yet he still couldn't get free.
"Brother!" Seeing Tang Wulin injured, Na'er's eyes instantly reddened. She pushed herself up from the ground, her gaze ice-cold as she stared at Xia Hong.
"I know who you are. Don't think that just because you're wearing a police uniform, I'll be afraid of you. I advise you to let us go immediately, or don't blame me for being rude." Na'er's voice was chilling.
She had already sensed Xia Hong's bloodline aura just now.
It was unmistakably that of the Silver Dragon.
There was no way a Dragon Girl could exist as a martial soul.
The only possibility was that Xia Hong was a transformed soul beast.
"Teasing you isn't even fun, not nearly as fun as teasing Gu Yue," Xia Hong murmured inwardly. If it weren't for the fact that Xia Yi and Gu Yue were secretly observing, trying to confirm her martial soul and "identity," she wouldn't have even needed to reveal her martial soul to deal with Tang Wulin and his group.
"I didn't expect Sister Yinxue's bloodline to be this useful. Just casually evolving a martial soul has caused such a commotion, heehee." Xia Hong chuckled in her heart. Then, she pulled out a baton from her motorcycle, walked up to Tang Wulin and Na'er, and struck them both on the back of their heads.
"You dare?!" Wu Zhangkong shouted, but Xia Hong completely ignored him.
Pa! Pa!
Two crisp smacks later, Tang Wulin and Na'er were both knocked out cold.
Xie Xie and the others wanted to get up, but after seeing the large bumps swelling on Tang Wulin and Na'er's heads, they immediately backed down.
Right now, their soul power was sealed, and standing up wouldn't make a difference.
More importantly, Xia Hong showed absolutely no regard for their identities as students of Shrek Academy.
She acted the moment she said she would.
"Anyone who resists again will be treated as refusing to comply with law enforcement," Xia Hong said as she holstered her baton. She turned to look at Wu Zhangkong, whose eyes were burning with fury, and asked coldly, "What, you're still not convinced?"
"Hmph!" Wu Zhangkong snorted. If Tang Wulin and the others weren't in Xia Hong's hands, he wouldn't have cared even if this was Mingdu and Xia Hong was a police officer. He would have made her pay.
Shrek Academy had never placed any importance on Federation police.
Tang Wulin's team had clashed with Federation police and even the Mecha Corps multiple times before.
But as soon as those officers realized they were students from Shrek Academy, they would simply put on an act, pretend to chase them, and then let them go.
Just like how that female officer didn't want to offend Xia Yidou.
Ordinary police officers had no desire to provoke Shrek Academy students.
But this time, they had run into Xia Hong.
Boom!
"You're not convinced?" Seeing Wu Zhangkong's cold snort, Xia Hong fired a shot at the ground beside Tang Wulin and the others. A compressed soul power energy bullet exploded, leaving a crater over two meters wide.
"This is my final warning. Put them on, come over here, and squat. Comply with law enforcement, or don't blame me for what happens next." Xia Hong pointed at the Soul-Sealing Handcuffs and Spirit-Sealing Helmet on the ground, then pressed the muzzle of her gun against Tang Wulin's forehead.
"You..." Wu Zhangkong gritted his teeth, his face twisted in frustration.
To squat in the dirt like a criminal, at Xia Hong's mercy, was more painful than death for him.
But Xia Hong was absolutely willing to pull the trigger.
Yet, he also couldn't just watch Tang Wulin and the others suffer.
Seeing Xia Hong's finger ready to squeeze the trigger at any moment, Wu Zhangkong, despite his rage, had no choice but to slowly pick up the handcuffs and helmet, putting them on himself.
Then, step by step, he walked over to Xia Hong.
If looks could kill, Xia Hong would have been torn apart by now.
"What, still not satisfied? You're an adult. Not only did you fail to stop them, you even joined in their nonsense. Do you have any idea how many laws your students have broken in this so-called 'final exam'? Today, you're lucky you ran into me. If it had been any other officer, resisting arrest would have gotten you all killed," Xia Hong sneered.
She placed a hand on Wu Zhangkong's shoulder and pressed down.
Thud!
Wu Zhangkong's knees hit the ground.
His heart pounded in shock—he had been a Soul Sage for years. Even with his soul power sealed, his physical strength was formidable.
Yet, he couldn't even resist this four-ring Xia Hong.
Even if she had used soul power, this still shouldn't have happened!
"I told you to squat, but you wouldn't listen, so I had to make you," Xia Hong clapped her baby-soft hands together and said indifferently, "In Shrek City, I don't care how you act. But here in Mingdu, in my jurisdiction, I don't care who you are. Even if you were a Sea God Pavilion elder, if you break the law, I will arrest you and hand you over to the Federation's justice system."
Wu Zhangkong was so enraged that he almost coughed up blood.
But he swallowed it back down.
Xia Hong ignored him. She picked up her radio and said, "Captain, I've arrested seven suspects in front of Sun-Moon Royal Soul Master Academy. Send a team to bring them to the station."
After ending the transmission, she turned to the teacher of Sun-Moon Royal Soul Master Academy, who was still staring in stunned silence. She raised her hand in a standard federal police salute and said, "Apologies, teacher. Due to our police department's negligence, these criminals managed to cause a disturbance at your academy's entrance. I hope this has not inconvenienced you."
"Oh, no, not at all!" The teacher quickly shook his head. Since Xia Hong was relatively new to the academy, he didn't recognize her.
"By the way, could you help fill in this hole? Once it's repaired, report the cost to our police station, and we'll cover the expenses." Xia Hong pointed at the pit she had blasted open with her gun.
"No problem." The teacher agreed without hesitation.
Getting to see Shrek Academy humiliated? Forget one pit—he'd be willing to fill ten, a hundred, even if it came out of his own pocket!
"If that's the case, I appreciate it, teacher." Xia Hong saluted again, this time with a kind and friendly smile.
It was a stark contrast to the attitude she had shown toward the Shrek Academy students earlier.
Before long, a convoy of police cars arrived. Leading the team was none other than the female officer who had accompanied Xia Hong during the previous raid on Xia Yi's hotel.
She had barely stepped out of the car when she heard the crowd murmuring.
It didn't take long for her to figure out what had happened.
"Good grief, you really know how to stir up trouble," the female officer muttered, feeling the urge to cry.
First, it was Xia Yi. Now, it was the top geniuses of Shrek Academy.
"Take them away!" she ordered.
At her command, the officers immediately moved forward, forcing Wu Zhangkong and the six students into the police vehicles.
She truly didn't want to offend people from Shrek Academy.
But with so many onlookers watching, she couldn't just let them go.
Her only option was to take them back to the station first and figure things out from there.