Chapter 47: Captured

“Don’t make any sudden moves. You’re surrounded!” A hoarse man’s voice sounded in Wu Ming’s ear, and the cold muzzle of a gun jabbed at his head once again.

“You must be that cross-eyed man’s accomplices, aren’t you?” The man’s voice grew even heavier, devoid of the slightest trace of human emotion. To Wu Ming, this fellow felt more like a rock or a tree than a person.

“No, no, we’re not with him at all!” Wu Ming hurriedly waved his hands, having already noticed that these people were all dressed in police uniforms. If they mistook him for that cross-eyed man’s companion, he would be in serious trouble.

“Don’t move. Don’t try any tricks! Move again and you’ll be shot on the spot!”

Wu Ming was so frightened he dared not even twitch, barely allowing himself to blink. If he died here for some inexplicable reason, it would be a truly bitter end.

Soon, he saw the policemen approach with black hoods. In an instant, everything went dark—he’d been hooded and cuffed. Though he possessed night vision, it was not x-ray vision, so all he could do was cooperate as he was shoved along by the police. At least, with the hood on, no one would see him in this humiliating state, hands cuffed behind his back.

He felt himself being bundled into a vehicle of some kind, its suspension not particularly good. They turned seven or eight corners, then hit a rough patch of road that jolted him violently. Wu Ming guessed they’d left the small town. Just outside town was an unpaved gravel road—it was likely they were heading into the city, and these people were probably city police.

“Get out!” When the hood was finally yanked off, Wu Ming found himself in an underground parking garage. The surrounding walls were fashioned from some unknown silvery metal.

Ling Mei, Yin Yue, and the others were one by one pushed out of the vehicle as well.

“Senior Sister Ling Mei, Brother Wu Ming, I’m scared. Where are we?” Yin Yue glanced nervously around, clearly frightened.

“You’re not afraid of terrifying monsters, yet you’re scared of a place like this? What a strange girl you are!” Director Baolong stepped forward to shield her.

“Who’s in charge here? This has nothing to do with her. Let the girl go first,” he demanded.

“Follow me,” the stern-faced leader said, his expression grave as he led them toward an elevator.

The elevator, rather than ascending as one might expect, steadily descended into the depths. No one knew how long the descent lasted, but eventually it came to a halt. Wu Ming estimated they must be at least a hundred meters underground—surely this wasn’t just a police headquarters. For the first time, dread crept into his heart. Could this be the base of some sinister organization?

They stepped out into a long corridor. Under the scrutiny of a police officer who scanned retinas, verified fingerprints, and performed a series of complex security checks, they passed through no fewer than five massive metal doors. Wu Ming had no idea what he should do, so he simply followed along, perhaps the only reasonable response in such an oppressive silence.

“From here, you’re on your own. The captain is waiting for you inside.” The lead officer gestured toward the passage ahead, then departed with the rest of his squad.

“Brother Li, aren’t you afraid they’ll make trouble for you later?” a female officer caught up to him.

“Afraid of what? We won’t even be in the same division in the future. We, the gifted, aren’t scared of those charlatans!” he replied.

“Watch your tongue. All of you, be quiet. Don’t forget, our own chief is also a practitioner!” the leader warned.

“Forget it, let’s go.” The group quickly left the underground base.

Back at their vehicle, the police officers stripped off their uniforms, grumbling about how uncomfortable and restrictive they were.

Meanwhile, Wu Ming and his companions followed the direction indicated by the officer. The metal corridor was lit only by the lamps installed along its length; otherwise, it was featureless. After several minutes, the passage widened. Suddenly, they saw rows of heavily armed soldiers flanking both sides, weapons at the ready.

“Stop! Who are you? Kneel by the wall for inspection. Anyone who moves without permission will be shot!” barked a young officer with a headset, who appeared to be in charge. In an instant, a group of soldiers surrounded them, all guns aimed.

Wu Ming, terrified, immediately crouched down with his hands over his head.

“Twice in one day, I’ve had a gun pointed at my head. What kind of day is this?” Director Baolong muttered as he crouched down as well.

“Hey there, handsome, why not chat with your big sister…” Ling Mei began to work her charms on the young officer, hoping to seduce him. Instead, the lead soldier jabbed her with his gun.

“Kneel down with your hands on your head, or I’ll shoot!” The young officer, snapping out of his daze, gripped his weapon and glared at Ling Mei, humiliated that he’d almost been caught off guard—especially by a common soldier, whom he normally looked down upon.

“Don’t mind her—she’s always like that,” muttered Lord Dog, who was lying on the ground. No one had noticed when he’d slipped in.

“Shut up, you stupid mutt, or I’ll put a bullet in your head!” the lead soldier threatened, giving Lord Dog a kick.

“What is going on here? Release them immediately! So this is the commotion I was hearing!” At that moment, an elderly man with snow-white hair appeared. Though his hair was white, his face was ruddy and smooth, without a single wrinkle. He resembled a young man disguised as an old man, an oddly harmonious and mysterious figure.

“Yes, Captain!” The young officer and his soldiers quickly released Wu Ming and the others, returning to their posts with expressionless faces, as still as statues.

“Come with me. My name is Lu Renjia—not the ‘passerby’ you’re thinking of, but ‘Lu’ as in ‘land,’ ‘Ren’ as in ‘benevolence,’ and ‘Jia’ as in ‘alpha.’ I’m the one in charge here,” Lu Renjia quipped, clearly trying to lighten the mood.

But after having guns pointed at their heads twice in one day, no one was in any mood for laughter.

Seeing that his joke had fallen flat, Lu Renjia awkwardly scratched his nose and forced a smile.

“My deepest apologies to all of you. I sent Xiao Li to bring you here, never expecting him to make things so difficult for you. It was my oversight—I forgot that practitioners and the gifted seldom get along. I sincerely apologize for any trouble you’ve encountered.” The old man bowed deeply to Wu Ming and his companions, his sincerity evident.

But Wu Ming was not so easily placated. It was clear the old man had deliberately sent Xiao Li to pick them up, predicting exactly what would happen. In other words, he’d used Xiao Li and his police car to give them a taste of hardship—a show of force, a warning to rein in their pride before any real discussion could begin.