But his forehead was covered in blisters from the scorching heatwave. If he were to wipe away his sweat, he would inevitably touch them, so he had no choice but to lower the hand he had just raised.

"When I saw that Prison Director attack us with his Superpower, I really thought we were dead for sure!

I never expected you two to have such an incredible ace up your sleeves, allowing us to escape that Prison Director’s Superpower attack with our lives," said Tie Qiu Heng, his voice still trembling with fear from the close call.

"This life-saving Spiritual Artifact was given to us by Steward Zhang. I didn’t think we’d have to use it, but in the end, our hand was forced..." said Liu Ke.

A weaselly-looking young man to the side opened a medical kit, took out a tube of healing ointment, and after assessing the three men’s injuries, began treating Wang Tao, who was hurt the worst.

"Hiss..." As the young man applied the ointment, Wang Tao broke out in a cold sweat. "Agh... Go easier, it’s killing me..."

Seeing Wang Tao grit his teeth and cry out in pain, the young man hurriedly said, "Mr. Wang, I’m not even pressing hard!"

"Agh..."

"Ugh..."

From time to time, a suppressed roar of pain echoed through the dim basement.

Fortunately, the old residential complex was in a remote location, and there were few residents living in the immediate vicinity of the basement.

Otherwise, any normal person hearing cries of pain coming from a basement late at night would have been frightened enough to call the police.

After a round of treatment from the young man, the external injuries on Liu Ke, Wang Tao, and Tie Qiu Heng were greatly alleviated. In a day or two, their wounds would likely heal completely.

However, while their external wounds were treated and would heal soon, their internal injuries were not so easily cured. It would be impossible for them to make a full recovery in a short amount of time.

If they were at a Canglan Society branch, their current injuries wouldn’t be a big deal. They could simply call for professional medical staff and be fully healed within a day.

But in their current city, the Canglan Society’s resources were severely limited, so they could only receive basic treatment for their injuries.

"Once that Prison Director realizes we’ve escaped, he’ll definitely contact the Superpower Administration Bureau to start a manhunt for us," Liu Ke said.

"Our injuries are seriously hampering our strength right now. If we choose to leave the city and run into the Investigators searching for us, we’ll have a hard time escaping," said Wang Tao.

"Given the situation, our only option is to recuperate first and plan our next move later," Tie Qiu Heng suggested after a moment’s thought.

The weaselly-looking young man, who had finished packing up the medical kit, enthusiastically said to the three of them,

"Gentlemen, are you hungry? There are some late-night snack stalls outside the complex. If you’d like, I can go get some for you."

To rescue Tie Qiu Heng, Liu Ke and Wang Tao had skipped dinner to lie in wait outside the prison, looking for an opportunity to get inside.

Now that the young man had brought it up, they suddenly realized they were quite hungry.

"Go get us some snacks. We appreciate your help. Once this whole affair is over, I’ll speak to the higher-ups about getting you transferred back," Liu Ke said to the young man.

When he heard Liu Ke say he could be transferred back to a Canglan Society branch after this, the young man’s face lit up with excitement. He hurriedly thanked him, "Thank you, thank you, Mr. Liu!"

Liu Ke waved his hand, indicating it was a small matter.

After expressing his thanks, the young man cheerfully turned and left the dim basement, striding quickly toward the late-night snack stalls outside the complex.

...

「The next morning.」

A silver minivan pulled up to the entrance of the Superpower Administration Bureau.

Lin Li opened the door and got out.

"Phew..."

Gazing at the Superpower Administration Bureau before him, Lin Li took a deep breath to calm his nerves.

’I haven’t stolen anything or robbed anyone. I’m just here to collect my reward money, fair and square. What’s there to be nervous about?’

After giving himself a mental pep talk, Lin Li headed into the Superpower Administration Bureau.

"Hello, excuse me. I’m here to collect a reward. Could you tell me which building I need to go to?"

Having entered the Superpower Administration Bureau, Lin Li walked up to an Investigator on guard duty and asked with a smile.

"Here for a reward?" The Investigator on duty pointed. "Head straight that way. It’s in Building Three," he told Lin Li.

"Thank you." Lin Li glanced in the direction he indicated, then thanked the Investigator.

「A moment later.」

Lin Li arrived at the lobby of Building Three inside the Superpower Administration Bureau.

The lobby was nearly empty and felt deserted.

’That makes sense, though. This is where you collect rewards, and it’s not every day someone gets a reward from the Superpower Administration Bureau.’

After all, the Superpower Administration Bureau deals with matters involving law-breaking Cultivators. Getting mixed up in a case like that is far more dangerous than any regular criminal investigation.

For an ordinary citizen to help an Investigator solve a case involving Cultivators, the danger and difficulty are immense. Naturally, very few people end up qualifying for a reward.

But even though the rewards lobby was deserted, the staff behind the service windows were by no means idle.

Lin Li could see the staff members behind the windows, their fingers clattering away on their keyboards. It looked like they had plenty of work to do.

He looked around, picked a window, and walked up to it. "Hello, sorry to bother you," he said to the busy female Investigator on the other side.

The female Investigator, who had been busy typing data into her computer, heard his voice and paused, her hands hovering over the keyboard as she looked up.

Seeing a young man who looked several years her junior, the Investigator felt a bit puzzled. ’What’s he doing at the rewards desk? Did he get lost?’

"Hello, sir. How can I help you?" the Investigator asked with a polite smile, a hint of confusion in her eyes.

"Yes, I got a call yesterday telling me to come to the Superpower Administration Bureau to collect a reward. Here’s my ID," Lin Li explained, pulling his identification card from his pocket and sliding it through the opening in the window.

The Investigator took the ID Lin Li passed her and scanned it with a device on her desk. A moment later, his information popped up on her computer screen.

"Oh!"

The Investigator stared at the information on her screen, then looked back at Lin Li in astonishment.

’You really can’t judge a book by its cover! He’s so young, but he’s already a Cultivator. And he even helped our colleagues capture a thug at the Second Order Middle Stage.’

The process was very smooth. After confirming Lin Li’s identity, the Investigator handling the transaction immediately transferred the reward money to his bank account.

"DING."

His phone chimed. Lin Li pulled it out and saw it was a notification from his bank confirming the deposit.

"Mr. Lin, could you please sign here?" The Investigator passed a form through the window, tapping her finger on the signature line.

Lin Li nodded, picked up the black pen in front of him, and signed his name. The Investigator then took the form back and gave him a receipt.

...