"Strange, why haven't Qiangu Dongfeng and Qiangu Dieting taken this opportunity to beat a drowning dog? This is beyond my expectations. What exactly are they planning?"
Inside the Spirit Pagoda, Leng Yaozhu gazed out the window at the sky, her beautiful eyes filled with murderous intent. "No matter what others think, they have repeatedly targeted my man! Light and Darkness Douluo, huh? I want to see where you can hide next. As for the Sun-Moon Federation Government, you pretend to be blind, but I will not let you have your way."
Leng Yaozhu had already suspected that Long Yeyue and Chen Xinjie were together, but she had no evidence.
In fact, it wasn't just Leng Yaozhu who had guessed it.
Many high-ranking officials within the Federation had already figured it out.
They even suspected that Yali sending Yun Ming to lead the pursuit of Long Yeyue was merely for show.
As long as Long Yeyue stayed hidden, refrained from appearing or causing trouble, the Sun-Moon Federation could simply act as if nothing had happened.
The reason the Federation made a grand show of searching Shrek Academy and the Tang Sect was also just a performance for the public—they never actually intended to do anything to Long Yeyue.
They had no real intention of capturing her.
After all, Long Yeyue was an Ultimate Douluo. Not capturing her was fine, but if they did capture her, she would become a hot potato.
If captured, not killing her would be insufficient to appease public anger, but if they did kill her—well, she was an Ultimate Douluo.
And a Shrek Academy Ultimate Douluo at that.
Who would give the order to kill her? Who would carry it out?
These were all problems.
No matter whether they opposed or supported Shrek Academy, no one in the Sun-Moon Federation Government would be willing to take this risk.
They didn't want to completely antagonize Shrek.
Nor did they want to alert them prematurely.
To cause Shrek Academy to notice something was off just for a disgraced and now harmless Long Yeyue would be too great a loss.
So, when Chen Xinjie secretly brought Long Yeyue to Mingdu, the Federation's top brass turned a blind eye.
As long as the public remained unaware, it was fine.
However, Leng Yaozhu had no intention of letting them feign ignorance.
The moment Chen Xinjie heard that Leng Yaozhu was about to tear off the pretense, he immediately prepared to take Long Yeyue and leave Mingdu.
If Leng Yaozhu really produced evidence proving Long Yeyue was with him,
then it wouldn't just be him—his family, the Poseidon Legion, and even the War God Hall would all be implicated.
Not to mention, Mingdu was the capital of the Sun-Moon Federation.
If the public found out about Long Yeyue's presence, the government would have no choice but to send people to capture her.
Back then, Yun Ming had made a grand display of escorting Yali out of Mingdu. If Chen Xinjie now made a grand display of taking Long Yeyue out, the Sun-Moon Federation would lose all face.
This was something the Federation would never allow.
Chen Xinjie fully understood the severity of the situation, so he immediately prepared to get Long Yeyue out of Mingdu ahead of time, not giving Leng Yaozhu the chance to strike.
What he didn't know was that at the Sun-Moon Royal Soul Master Academy, Xia Hong had just changed into her police uniform and was about to depart when she was stopped by the Academy's principal, Xu Cangyu.
"Where are you going?" Xu Cangyu asked.
"To arrest a fugitive!" Xia Hong replied righteously.
"You've figured out that Light and Darkness Douluo is hiding at Vast Sea Douluo's residence, haven't you?" Xu Cangyu glared at her. "As long as the public doesn't know, let them leave. It's better for everyone that way. Even Heaven's Judgment Douluo isn't interfering, so why should a small police officer like you? Do you think Chen Xinjie and Long Yeyue are good people? If you really stumble upon them, they might just silence you."
"As a police officer in Mingdu, it is my duty to arrest any fugitive who enters the city's jurisdiction. Long Yeyue is the Federation's most wanted criminal. Her arrest warrant was personally signed by Heaven's Judgment Douluo, yet she is openly living in an estate just north of the Sun-Moon Royal Soul Master Academy. If we let her escape, what right do I have to wear this uniform?" Xia Hong's youthful face was filled with determination, though her baby-fat cheeks made her attempt at sternness seem more adorable than imposing.
"Sigh. I know you're full of passion, but in today's Sun-Moon Federation, passion alone is useless. What matters more is knowing how to assess the situation," Xu Cangyu tried to persuade her.
"My squad leader taught me that no matter where I am, my first duty is to be worthy of my profession," Xia Hong retorted.
"Perhaps your squad leader wasn't wrong, but that kind of thinking is too idealistic. Reality is never as simple as ideals."
"Then I'll start by changing reality to match my ideals," Xia Hong declared earnestly.
"Forget it, I can't argue with you. But you are not going!" Xu Cangyu shook his head.
"I must go," Xia Hong said firmly. "This is the standard my squad leader taught me to follow."
"Do you even know what level of strength Vast Sea Douluo and Light and Darkness Douluo possess? Aren't you afraid they'll crush you like an ant?" Xu Cangyu asked in frustration.
"I have the ability to protect myself. Even if I can't capture Long Yeyue, I can retreat safely," Xia Hong said confidently.
"Where does your confidence come from?"
"Anyway, I'm going. I've already informed my subordinates. They're assembling now at the secret estate north of the Academy."
Xu Cangyu tried everything, but Xia Hong refused to back down.
At that moment, her radio crackled.
"Captain, we're ready. Those who were willing to come have arrived."
"Wait for me, I'm on my way."
By the time she reached the academy entrance, nine police cars were already lined up.
"Only nine?" Xia Hong raised an eyebrow.
A middle-aged officer stepped out of the first car, saluted, and said, "Captain, we requested reinforcements, but as soon as the police station heard we were going after Long Yeyue, almost everyone took leave. Even our squad lost half its members. To make our force look larger, we each took a separate car."
"Since you're here, I won't talk about fear. Let's move out!" Xia Hong got into the first police car.
As sirens blared, nine police cars with only ten officers in total sped toward Chen Xinjie and Long Yeyue's hideout.
News of Xia Hong's operation spread quickly among the Federation's top officials.
Upon hearing that Xu Cangyu hadn't stopped her, both Yun Ming and Chen Xinjie panicked.
Not because they feared Xia Hong,
but because she was a Federation officer leading low-ranking personnel, some even ordinary humans.
If they attacked Federation police now, it would cause a huge scandal.
"Are you ready? We need to leave!" Chen Xinjie urged.
He planned to leave immediately, making Xia Hong's effort futile.
"If you're leaving, go ahead. I'll meet you outside Mingdu," Long Yeyue said coldly, looking toward the academy.
A mere five-ringed Soul King dared to try capturing her?
Did they really think she was a tiger fallen to the plains, to be bullied by dogs?
"What are you planning?" Chen Xinjie asked.
"I'm already beyond redemption in reputation. I'm no longer a part of Shrek Academy. What do I have to fear?" Long Yeyue sneered.
She had been holding in her anger.
And Xia Hong just happened to be the perfect outlet.
She had originally planned to take out her anger on the Demon Soul Great White Shark King after finding it.
But Xia Hong had just happened to crash into her powder keg.
She didn't mind venting a little earlier than planned.
"Are you really going to let yourself fall apart like this?" Chen Xinjie asked in a deep voice.
"Chen Xinjie, stop pretending to be ignorant. Don't tell me you don't know that Xia Hong is just a pawn used by certain people to test us. If I choose to evade this, they'll only push further. If that happens, we might not even make it to the ocean," Long Yeyue glanced at Chen Xinjie and continued, "You should leave first. You're the Temple of War's Hall Master. You can't be present for something like this."
Looking into Long Yeyue's resolute gaze, Chen Xinjie ultimately chose to let her have her way. He said, "Do as you please, but be quick. I'll be waiting for you outside Mingdu."
With that, Chen Xinjie vanished from the spot, taking Lan Muzi with him.
Long Yeyue let out a cold laugh, and a pair of pure black dragon wings unfurled behind her.
"Yali, I'd like to see how you plan to be so heartless toward me," Long Yeyue snorted, and with a gentle flap of her wings, she appeared above the nine police cars still driving along the road in the very next moment.
"I heard you wanted to capture me, so I've come to you myself. Now, let's see how you plan to do it."
The instant her icy voice rang out, the nine police cars were directly dragged into the darkness.
Chen Xinjie had anticipated this outcome and had already left Mingdu ahead of time.
At that moment, atop a distant high-rise building, a young man in white silently observed everything unfolding before him.
He was dressed in pure white, his face concealed by a white cloth, and he held a wooden staff in his hands.
"Yun Ming, Shrek Academy will meet its doom in your hands. If anything happens to Xia Hong, don't blame me for using the same methods against your students in return." A barely perceptible voice echoed in the air, but the people around him neither heard it nor saw him.
"Who are you calling Yun Ming? I don't understand what you're talking about. I'm just here to spar with the renowned Spirit Eyes Douluo," the young man in white said. With a light tap of his wooden staff, Spirit Eyes Douluo Xu Cangyu was completely trapped within his spiritual domain.
No matter how much Xu Cangyu struggled, he couldn't break free.
Just as Yun Ming and Xu Cangyu thought that Xia Hong and his group were doomed, Xia Hong's voice suddenly rang out, "If this is all you've got, you might as well come with me to the Federal Police Bureau and cooperate with the investigation. If you continue to resist, don't blame me for treating this as an assault on law enforcement."
Bang! A wooden staff shattered the darkness, sending Long Yeyue crashing to the ground.
"Impossible! The Divine Realm is gone—why do you still have divine power in your body? This is impossible!" Long Yeyue roared unwillingly.
In the next second, the nine police cars reappeared intact on the road.
Standing atop one of the cars, Xia Hong flicked the wooden staff in his hand. The staff swiftly expanded in the air, rapidly growing in size until it reached Yun Ming.
Yun Ming focused his gaze and was shocked to see cracks running along the length of the rapidly expanding staff.
He had no time to think further. The wooden staff in his hands instantly sharpened like a spear, and he thrust it toward the cracked section of Xia Hong's staff.
Crack! Xia Hong's staff broke apart in an instant.
But at the moment it shattered, Yun Ming and Long Yeyue were utterly dumbfounded.
The enormous staff, which had stretched hundreds, even thousands of meters in length just moments ago, had now transformed into two broken disposable chopsticks in midair.
"The team leader was right. The Sea-Settling Staff Technique really doesn't suit me," Xia Hong muttered under his breath. Casually, he tossed the two broken disposable chopsticks forcefully into a nearby trash bin.
(End of chapter)