Shan Xingteng still wanted to say something. His mouth hung open for a long time, yet not a single word came out.
He looked at the burly men rolling on the ground, then at Li Fan, who stood there with a calm expression. It felt as if his entire worldview was being crushed back and forth by a steamroller.
This kid… is he really just an intern? Not some special forces king from a military district here to “experience life”?
Just then, Shan Xingteng noticed Li Fan’s expression suddenly shift slightly. His eyes grew sharper than before, like a hawk spotting new prey.
[Ding! Detected 7 criminal suspects involved in organized crime on the second floor!]
[Ding! Detected 15 individuals on the second floor suspected of prostitution-related offenses. Host, please arrest them as soon as possible and wipe them out in one sweep!]
In his mind, the system’s alarms rang out one after another, even more urgent than before.
There were still people upstairs, and in even greater numbers.
Li Fan’s heart tightened.
With such a commotion downstairs, the people above must already be on alert. They could destroy evidence or flee at any moment.
There was no more time to wait.
“Brother Teng!” Li Fan’s voice was urgent and low. “Keep an eye on these guys! Call the command center for backup immediately! Tell them Yushui Club on Andou Street is involved in organized crime and we need emergency reinforcement!”
Shan Xingteng was jolted by the sudden command and instinctively asked, “What about you? Xiao Li, what are you going to do?”
“No time to explain!”
Throwing out those words, Li Fan moved like an arrow released from a bow. In an instant, he changed direction and charged straight into the resplendent, gold-plated entrance of “Yushui Club”!
“Hey! Li Fan! Get back here!”
Shan Xingteng stomped his feet anxiously, but Li Fan’s figure had already vanished beyond the doors.
Looking at the now empty entrance and then at the groaning burly men on the ground, Shan Xingteng felt like he was about to split apart.
Excitement, worry, confusion, and even a trace of uncontrollable admiration churned violently in his chest.
Damn it! Did I bring along an intern, or did I bring a god of calamity?
He did not dare delay. Fumbling in a panic, he grabbed the walkie-talkie from his waist, pressed the transmit button, and spoke in a trembling voice, “Calling… calling command center! This is Shan Xingteng! Requesting emergency backup! Repeat, requesting emergency backup!”
…
At the same time, Huli Police Station, Command Center.
Gu Yongjun and Instructor Xu Yangming were staring at the large screen displaying real-time surveillance of their jurisdiction, brows tightly furrowed.
The vast district looked calm and peaceful at the moment, but both men knew very well that beneath that calm surface, monstrous waves could be hidden.
“They’ve been out for almost an hour and there’s no movement at all,” Gu Yongjun muttered irritably, rubbing his temples. “That Wang Boda is as slippery as an eel.”
Xu Yangming held his teacup and blew on the steam. “No news is good news. I just hope nothing big suddenly blows up. With our bunch of old, weak, and worn-out guys, we won’t be able to handle it.”
The moment he finished speaking, the communication channel in the command center crackled with urgent static. Then Shan Xingteng’s panicked voice burst through.
“…At the entrance of Yushui Club on Andou Street… requesting emergency backup!”
The officer on duty immediately reported the situation upward.
Gu Yongjun snatched the microphone from the walkie-talkie, his face instantly darkening. “Shan Xingteng, what’s going on?! Speak clearly!”
On the other end came Shan Xingteng’s hurried breathing and chaotic background noise.
“Chief! It’s Li Fan! That intern, Li Fan!”
“He…”
“We’ve subdued seven or eight people, all carrying controlled knives! He… he rushed upstairs alone! The situation is urgent! Requesting backup!”
“What?!”
Bang!
Gu Yongjun slammed his palm onto the table and shot to his feet, eyes wide as copper bells.
Yushui Club?!
That notorious money pit with complicated backing, a tough bone they normally avoided touching!
Li Fan? An intern?
And he charged upstairs alone?!
Gu Yongjun felt his blood pressure surge straight to his head. Roaring into the microphone, he shouted, “Good! Hold the scene and maintain control! I’ll bring people over immediately!”
He tossed the microphone aside and turned to the equally stunned Xu Yangming. His square face showed shock, anger, and a barely suppressed thrill.
“Old Xu! Grab your gear! Everyone in the station who can move, come with me!”
Gu Yongjun snatched his jacket from the back of his chair and strode out in large steps, cursing under his breath.
“Damn it! That new brat is trying to tear a hole in the sky for me!”
…
Yushui Club, second floor.
Li Fan’s figure appeared at the stairway entrance like a ghost.
Unlike the luxurious lobby on the first floor, the second-floor corridor was dimly lit. Thick dark-red carpet covered the ground, absorbing every footstep sound.
The air was filled with a strange mixture of cheap perfume, alcohol, and sweat.
On both sides of the corridor stood tightly closed private room doors, each bearing suggestive room numbers.
Faint, indecent sounds could be heard seeping through the cracks.
Li Fan’s identity-recognition radar was fully activated. In his field of vision, red light dots representing criminals flashed clearly along the corridor and inside several rooms.
At the corner of the corridor, two burly men in black tight-fitting T-shirts leaned against the wall smoking. They were obviously the guards here.
[Name: Qi Kangning]
[Age: 22]
[Position: Security staff at Yushui Club]
[Criminal record: Suspected of assisting organized prostitution; picking quarrels and provoking trouble…]
[Name: Xiang Mingzhi]
[Age: 24]
[Position: Security staff at Yushui Club]
[Criminal record: Suspected of intentional injury causing minor harm…]
The two had clearly heard the disturbance downstairs and were talking in low, impatient voices. When they looked up, they saw Li Fan in police uniform.
“Hey! Who are you?” Qi Kangning frowned, flicked his cigarette butt onto the carpet, and stepped forward to block the way. “What’s a cop doing here? Got a search warrant?”
The other one, Xiang Mingzhi, quietly moved his hand toward the back of his waist.
The snake had been alerted.
A thought flashed through Li Fan’s mind. To save time, he did not bother with any nonsense.
The moment Qi Kangning opened his mouth, Li Fan moved.
Whoosh!
Under the dim lights, Li Fan’s figure turned into a blur, so fast that both burly men’s pupils shrank violently.
He appeared to rush toward Qi Kangning, but at the instant the man raised his arm to block, Li Fan’s right leg shot out like a venomous snake striking from its hole. In a strange low sweep, he hooked precisely onto Xiang Mingzhi’s ankle behind him.
Xiang Mingzhi had no time to react. He felt his footing vanish and instantly lost his balance, falling backward.
In the instant he fell, Li Fan had already closed in. A cold elbow strike smashed heavily onto the back of his neck.
“Ugh!”
Xiang Mingzhi did not even have time to groan. His eyes rolled back and he fainted on the spot.
Everything happened like lightning. Qi Kangning had not even clearly seen how his companion fell when a fierce gust of wind was already upon him.
Startled, he instinctively threw a punch.
Li Fan easily ducked under the punch, his body sliding into the man’s chest like a swimming fish. A set of rapid, unmatched combination punches, so fast they left only afterimages, slammed solidly into his chest and abdomen.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Three dull impacts merged almost into one.
Qi Kangning felt as if he had been struck by a high-speed charging bull. His organs seemed displaced, and the immense pain made him double over like a shrimp, unable even to scream.
Li Fan gave him no chance. With a backhand chop, he struck precisely at the carotid artery in his neck.
Qi Kangning’s body went limp, following his companion as he collapsed to the ground.
In less than five seconds, the fight was over.
Expressionless, Li Fan stepped over the two unconscious bodies. His cold gaze swept toward the tightly closed doors deeper in the corridor.