Chapter 19 - Perfect Coordination
At that time, Ji Yin patted Lu Yuan on the shoulder, using a hidden force to remind him to pay attention to what he was saying.
He told Lu Yuan: cultists can’t be recognized in a crowd.
It sounded like he was explaining that cultists are hard to distinguish.
But the real meaning of that sentence was: among the Internal Affairs Bureau personnel present, there might also be cultists.
Otherwise, Ji Yin could have just said it outright instead of using such a subtle way to warn him.
In fact, everything Ji Yin did at that moment was just a gamble—like trying to save a hopeless situation.
If Lu Yuan had been startled by the hidden force and asked about it, Ji Yin would have laughed and said, “Kid, you’ve got a solid body—good material for cultivation.”
But what Ji Yin didn’t expect was how fast Lu Yuan would react!
Not only did he instantly understand Ji Yin’s intention, but in the very next second, he threw out bait.
What Lu Yuan said back then—that Xiaobing had something on her that could be tracked—wasn’t meant for Ji Yin. Both of them knew that such a thing didn’t exist.
That sentence was meant for the mole among the cultists present.
Zhang Baocheng indeed took the bait, abducting Lu Yuan outside, only to be tailed the entire way by Ji Yin.
As for Ji Yin pretending to be angry and slapping Lu Yuan flying, and Lu Yuan cursing loudly outside the Internal Affairs Bureau, those were just embellishments to complete the act.
The brilliance of the plan lay in the fact that it was entirely improvised. Ji Yin and Lu Yuan, right in front of Zhang Baocheng, dug a huge pit—and he really jumped into it.
Zhang Baocheng was an old fox. He had been deeply hidden within the Internal Affairs Bureau, and even Ji Yin hadn’t expected it to be him.
But Zhang Baocheng could never have suspected Lu Yuan. When he received him earlier, Lu Yuan’s despair, anxiety, and anger had all been real.
“Lu Yuan… very good!”
After figuring everything out, Zhang Baocheng’s voice carried bone-deep hatred. He had never imagined he would fall into the hands of a high school student.
“Zhang Baocheng, surrender! Honestly tell us who the Protector above you is, and I’ll guarantee your life!”
“Keep dreaming!” Zhang Baocheng twisted his face into a grin.
“The Holy Cult endures, and so do I!”
Hearing this, Ji Yin’s expression changed. Spiritual light surged from his body, and with a flash, he appeared instantly in front of Zhang Baocheng.
But it was too late. Before Ji Yin could touch him, Zhang Baocheng’s head suddenly exploded like a watermelon.
Lu Yuan covered Xiaobing’s eyes, not letting her see the bloody scene.
With Zhang Baocheng dead, the remaining cultists were no match at all. They were quickly subdued by the Internal Affairs Bureau.
But there were few survivors. Knowing they couldn’t win, the cultists shouted slogans of the cult and committed suicide.
Only five or six were left alive, knocked unconscious before they could succeed.
The cult’s methods of bewitching people’s minds were indeed terrifying.
Cleaning up the battlefield took even longer. Besides the captives, there were also documents and records at the base—valuable intelligence that had to be collected and taken away.
Of course, these finishing tasks didn’t require Ji Yin’s involvement. He drove a large SUV himself, personally sending Lu Yuan and his sister home.
Along the way, the cultivator kept complaining.
“I say, Lu Yuan, why didn’t you just agree to him?”
Ji Yin was referring to when Zhang Baocheng had asked Lu Yuan to confess. If Lu Yuan had played along, Zhang Baocheng might have let him go and even brought him into the cult.
That way, Ji Yin could have continued lying in wait until the Sacred Descent ceremony the next day.
“Is the Sacred Descent that important?” Lu Yuan asked.
“Of course it’s important. During the Sacred Descent, at least one Protector will show up. Catching one of them—that’s a big fish!”
“What could I confess? There’s nothing on my sister. You know that.”
“Couldn’t you just make something up? You’re smart—just invent something, like some kind of sibling telepathy or whatever.”
Ji Yin couldn’t get over losing such a big catch.
Lu Yuan didn’t bother responding. At first, this cultivator had seemed aloof, but after getting familiar, he just felt noisy.
Seeing him silent, Ji Yin lost interest and continued driving.
As they neared the Internal Affairs Bureau, he suddenly asked again:
“Lu Yuan, weren’t you worried back then? What if I had chosen to sacrifice you just to wait for the Protector to appear?”
“You wouldn’t.”
“Why not?”
“Because you’re a good person.”
Lu Yuan didn’t explain further.
A man in a high position who would personally go to a school to remind students to stay safe, and who still remembered his middle school homeroom teacher after achieving success, wouldn’t be someone who abandoned morals for profit. Besides, Lu Yuan had no other choice but to trust him.
Ji Yin drove into the Internal Affairs Bureau compound. As soon as he got out, he headed straight for his office. Tonight, he wouldn’t have a moment’s rest—he had to report to his superiors and interrogate the captured cultists as soon as possible.
Lu Yuan hesitated for a moment, then called out to him.
“Can you arrange a car to take us home? My sister… doesn’t have shoes.”
Xiaobing had been abducted from home and was now standing barefoot on the ground, looking pitiful.
Ji Yin turned back and burst into laughter.
“Nope!” he said. “Walk back yourself.”
He was clearly getting back at Lu Yuan for not cooperating and costing him a big catch.
And that “good person” comment—did Lu Yuan think he wouldn’t understand it?
Lu Yuan was dumbfounded.
“Hey! How can you be like this!”
“How can’t I?” Ji Yin waved over a subordinate. “Xiao Zhou, this kid wants the Internal Affairs Bureau to send a car to take him home. Go explain things to him. I’ve got work to do.”
The one who came over was the same Zhou-surnamed woman who had received Lu Yuan earlier that day. She raised her eyebrows, put her hands on her hips, and scolded loudly:
“Kid!
You say we send a car, so we send a car?
You say dispatch one, and we dispatch one?
What do you think the Internal Affairs Bureau is?”
Lu Yuan…
Damn it!
```
You can’t fight power head-on. Looking at the chaotic Internal Affairs Bureau even late at night, Lu Yuan decided it was better to leave first.
Xiaobing had no shoes, so he planned to carry her home on his back.
“Brother, it’s a long way. You won’t be able to carry me the whole time. Maybe I should walk for a bit.”
Xiaobing felt sorry for him. When they were younger, he often carried her, but now she had grown up—over eighty jin—no longer the same as before.
“I’ll carry you for now. Let’s see if we can flag down a taxi on the way. If I get tired, I’ll put you down.”
“Alright.”
So Lu Yuan carried his sister along the road, while Xiaobing looked around from his back, hoping to spot an approaching taxi.
But taxis are like that—the more you need one, the less likely you are to find one. When you don’t need one, they’re everywhere.
After walking for more than half an hour, Xiaobing urged, “Brother, put me down.”
“It’s fine, I’m really not tired.”
Lu Yuan wasn’t trying to act tough. He found it strange himself. Logically, carrying over eighty jin for half an hour should have left him needing a break.
But he wasn’t even out of breath.
After thinking about it, could it be the system’s doing?
He shifted his gaze to the edge of his vision to check the system, and sure enough, he noticed some changes.
Merit Points: 1499
True Essence: 110/120+
Spiritual Pressure: 12 seals
Divine Sense: 20 units
Return Progress: 11.17%
As expected, his True Essence had changed.
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