Woo—woo—woo—woo...
A series of urgent police sirens blared, followed by a crisp voice.
"Fugitives inside, listen up! I am Xia Hong from the Mingdu Police. You are suspected of escaping prison and are now completely surrounded. Immediately drop your weapons and surrender, or you will bear full responsibility for the consequences!"
The sudden voice startled Yali and Lang Tian. They had been extremely discreet—how had Xia Hong managed to find them?
Before they could figure it out, Xia Hong had already appeared at the entrance of the alley, riding a police motorcycle.
"Hands on your heads, squat down, and comply with law enforcement!" Xia Hong drew her gun and aimed it at them.
Lang Tian and Yali's mouths twitched violently.
Such a nice little girl.
But should they call her reckless?
Or simply ignorant?
Did she really think that a mere fourth-grade soul device pistol was even worth a damn in the eyes of a Hyper Douluo?
And she dared to point it at them?
Lang Tian's eyes flashed with a sharp glint. He could not allow anyone to discover that he had secretly released a prisoner. If word got out, his lifetime reputation—earned through tireless effort—would be utterly destroyed.
He had spent his whole life being "righteous and incorruptible." He absolutely refused to let his integrity be tarnished in his old age.
Just as the Heavenly Judgement Douluo prepared to act, a calm yet imposing voice rang in his mind.
"Lang Tian, think carefully before you act. I can pretend I didn't see anything today. You just need to find a way to cover it up—but that is only if you do not harm Xia Hong."
"Spirit Eyes Prince!" Lang Tian shuddered in fear. Spirit Eyes Douluo Xu Cangyu might be the headmaster of the Sun Moon Royal Soul Master Academy, but he was also a true prince of the royal family.
And an Ultimate Douluo at that.
His Spirit Eye Martial Soul gave him unparalleled spiritual power.
He possessed the same martial soul as the Spirit Ice Douluo Huo Yuhao from ten thousand years ago.
If they really fought, even if he and Yali joined forces, they might still not be a match for Xu Cangyu.
Besides, this was Mingdu.
If he dared to attack a member of the royal family while collaborating with Shrek Academy, the consequences would be something he could never bear.
"You little troublemaker..." Seeing Yali, Lang Tian, and Wu Zhangkong among them, Xu Cangyu could only shake his head with a bitter smile.
In truth, it was just Wu Zhangkong. If he escaped, so be it.
It wouldn't have made much of a difference.
As long as Shrek Academy didn't publicly challenge the Federation's decision and allowed the government to save face, both the Federation and the royal family could turn a blind eye.
But that was only if no one harmed Xia Hong.
Even if the people standing here today were the Sea God Douluo Chen Xinjie and the Light-Dark Douluo Long Yeyue, Xu Cangyu would never allow them to touch Xia Hong.
"Wu Zhangkong must stay as well," Xu Cangyu added after some thought.
Xia Hong's passionate commitment to justice was rare.
He didn't want to extinguish her fire too soon.
Lang Tian's gaze wavered with hesitation.
Between Yali and Xu Cangyu, who should he choose?
But before Lang Tian could decide, Tang Wulin had already spoken. He pointed at Xia Hong and sneered, "Xia Hong, open your damn eyes and take a good look at who is standing here. This is the Minister of the Federal Police Department! Forget about a lowly officer like you—even if the chief of the Mingdu Police Department were here, he would have to obey! Now get lost!"
As soon as Tang Wulin said this, Lang Tian and Yali's expressions immediately changed.
Previously, Xia Hong had just been a minor police officer—there was a chance she didn't recognize Lang Tian.
But with Tang Wulin's words, he had directly exposed Lang Tian's identity to her.
He was forcing Lang Tian's hand.
Tang Wulin's intentions were simple—if he dragged Lang Tian into this, the latter would have no choice but to stop Xia Hong from taking Wu Zhangkong away.
And to preserve his reputation, Lang Tian might even kill Xia Hong himself to eliminate the threat.
Tang Wulin was pushing Lang Tian into a corner.
Lang Tian had never imagined that after risking his entire reputation to help Shrek Academy, he would be betrayed by them so quickly.
Gritting his teeth, Lang Tian pulled out a soul-sealing handcuff and clamped it back onto Wu Zhangkong.
He then picked Wu Zhangkong up and tossed him at Xia Hong's feet, producing his credentials and declaring, "I am Lang Tian, Minister of the Federal Police Department and the Heavenly Judgement Douluo. Wu Zhangkong of Shrek Academy has escaped prison. I have pursued him relentlessly and successfully recaptured him. He is now in your custody—escort him back to the police station for sentencing."
Tang Wulin's plan was sound.
Under normal circumstances, if Lang Tian's identity was exposed, he would have no choice but to kill Xia Hong to protect his reputation.
But what Tang Wulin didn't know was that Xia Hong had an Ultimate Douluo backing her from the shadows.
Even if Lang Tian had two lives, he wouldn't dare touch her.
His only option was to distance himself from the matter as much as possible.
At first, he had felt a little guilty about arresting Wu Zhangkong again.
But after Tang Wulin's words, that guilt vanished completely.
"Yes, sir!" Xia Hong saluted before smirking, "It's quite something to see a minister personally handling such a small matter. Truly an inspiration to us ordinary officers."
Even though she was mocking him, Lang Tian suppressed his anger and instead replied humbly, "We are all police officers serving the Federation. There is no distinction between big and small matters."
"The Minister is right. I was being narrow-minded," Xia Hong said with a smirk before turning to Yali and the others. "Minister, what about them?"
"I have verified their involvement. Wu Zhangkong sought them out after escaping, but they did not assist in his jailbreak," Lang Tian said solemnly.
Even after being betrayed by Shrek Academy, he still couldn't bring himself to drag Yali down with him.
"I see." Xia Hong nodded, not exposing his lie. Instead, she simply stated, "Even so, they still need to come with me to the station for questioning."
"How dare you...!" Na'er protested. A mere police officer demanding Yali to go with her for questioning?
Not just Xia Hong—even Lang Tian didn't have that authority.
"Fine, we'll go." Yali pulled Na'er back, preventing her from speaking further.
She had already sensed Xu Cangyu's presence.
If this continued, the situation would only escalate further.
It was just a statement—no harm in giving one.
Seeing Lang Tian's worried expression, Yali quickly reassured him through voice transmission, "Brother Tian, don't worry. I will instruct my students not to say anything unnecessary."
Lang Tian's eyelid twitched violently. He was truly terrified that Shrek Academy would betray him again during questioning.
But with Xu Cangyu watching, he had no choice but to let Xia Hong take them all away.
As he watched them leave, he quickly dialed a number on his soul communicator.
The moment Xu Cangyu had revealed his spiritual power, Lang Tian had been startled.
To him, Xia Hong was merely a pawn—the real player behind the scenes was Xu Cangyu.
Without Xu Cangyu, Xia Hong never would have found them.
At first, he thought Xu Cangyu was targeting him.
But after hearing his words, he realized that Xu Cangyu's true target was Shrek Academy.
If Xu Cangyu wasn't after him, then he still had room to maneuver.
"Later, you must insist that your teacher, Wu Zhangkong, escaped on his own. You absolutely cannot implicate Heavenly Judgement Douluo. If it's just Wu Zhangkong breaking out, then it's a simple case of prison escape. But if Heaven's Judgement Douluo is involved, it becomes a case of organized crime, involving bribery of government officials. Do you all understand?" On the way to the police station, Yali immediately transmitted this warning to Tang Wulin and the others.
Tang Wulin and his group discreetly nodded without showing any obvious reaction.
As soon as Xia Hong escorted them to the police station, a group of men in black was already waiting for her.
"Hello, we are the Special Police Unit of the Federal Police Department. Please hand over the criminals from Shrek Academy to us. This is an order from the Police Department." One of the men in black presented his credentials for Xia Hong to verify, then handed her a document stamped with the official seal of the Federal Police Department.
"Fine, take them away. But let me remind you, none of these people are ordinary. Especially this one called Wu Zhangkong—he's already broken out once. If he escapes again, your Special Police Unit should just resign altogether." Xia Hong snorted coldly. She knew these people were under Lang Tian's command.
However, she still cooperated fully and handed the detainees over to these so-called special police officers.
Watching as the members of Shrek Academy were taken into the police vehicle, Xia Hong didn't seem to care at all. She simply shrugged and grinned.
"Ending it in one go wouldn't be any fun. Let's do this again next time." Xia Hong giggled mischievously.
…
Shortly after, the Federation Police Department issued an official statement.
"Wu Zhangkong of Shrek Academy escaped prison but was swiftly recaptured by Minister Lang Tian, the Heavenly Judgement Douluo. His sentence has been extended to ten years."
"Xia Hong has been promoted to Squad Leader for her contributions to the arrest."
Not a single word was mentioned about Yali and the others.
(End of Chapter)