Captured By The Cold Detective (BL)-Chapter 616: One Condition

Li Zhi called for a break and returned to the monitor room. The first thing he received, unsurprisingly, was a stern rebuke from Director Zhang. "You have let your emotions get to your head, Captain Li. What do you have to say about that?"

"I apologize, Director," Li Zhi admitted his mistake readily. "It will never happen again."

The atmosphere in the room was thick with tension, an invisible aura of restlessness churning in the air. The brief interrogation with XIU – if it could even be called that since he was the one manipulating the situation – had provoked quite a reaction from the officers. It should be Li Zhi’s duty to maintain order with a cool head, yet he had let his emotions slip instead. It was indeed a lapse on his part.

"You’d better ensure that," Director Zhang harrumphed.

"What should we do now, Director, Captain?" An uneasy officer inquired. "Are we going to accept his offer?"

"Why should we do that?!" another snapped in anger. "Didn’t you hear him? He admitted that he was the one who had killed our comrades! Twenty six of them, all in a single night! Moreover, he also claimed that we stand no chance against the Boss of Xuanlong and the Manipulator. The sheer audacity of that bastard! From the way I see it, he is the one who doesn’t take us seriously at all!"

"I agree! Asking me to work with the devil of the underworld? Pah, over my dead body!"

"You must not agree with his offer, Captain," Chen Lian offered her opinion seriously. "What if this is yet another trap? It will be extremely stupid of us to fall for it for the second time."

Amidst the voices of opposition, some also expressed their support.

"But don’t you think what he said makes sense? He was a core member of Xuanlong, after all. Having him as our ally would only be beneficial for us."

"It would be like taking down three damn vultures with one stone! Fuck, let’s just go with his plan!"

"Rather than being arrogant, I think he’s merely stating facts," Kang Guanyu added passionately, joining in on the fray. "We have indeed been played around by the impostor for so long. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that has been presented to us, we must not miss it! Who is XIU? Despite his crimes, he is the Uncrowned Hero of Justice! A modern day Robin Hood!"

Regardless of whether it was ten years ago or now, XIU always managed to ignite heated debates. People either despised or adored him – no in between. This time, too, an irreversible crack almost fractured the team until Director Zhang intervened. His firm and composed voice cut through the clamor, bringing an end to the cacophony.

"Silence, everyone. Where do you think we are, a marketplace? Since when did our Bureau’s officers become so crude and uncultured?"

The commotion ceased as if someone had pressed the pause button. Everyone hung their heads low, ashamed.

Feeling satisfied, only then did Director Zhang turn to Li Zhi. "What do you think, Captain Li? Should we go along with his plan? I’d like to hear your opinion."

"I..." Li Zhi opened his mouth to speak, but his words took an unexpected turn when he noticed that someone was missing. "Wait, where is Mu Yuze?"

"Oh, he went to the bathroom earlier..." Kang Guanyu answered awkwardly. "...to calm himself down."

Realizing the hidden implication behind that sentence, Li Zhi could only heave a long-suffering sigh. He raked his fingers through his hair in a show of frustration and gritted out, "Do we have another choice? Cooperate with him, and we will get a chance to close this case once and for all. Oppose him, and we will gain one more terrifying enemy on top of what we already have – and don’t forget he is backed by the Prime Minister herself. Fuck, in the first place, he has no intention of leaving us any leeway! All that bullshit about giving us an offer is only a formality!"

Humiliated? Of course, he did. Yet as much as it pained him to admit, having XIU as an ally was akin to taking a shortcut to all the problems that had been haunting them. The resentment boiling within him right now was just because of how accurate the man was – they might not be able to achieve anything without his assistance.

However, to think that one day he, Li Zhi, would need to cooperate with his former captain’s murderer...

"Fuck," he couldn’t hold back a curse. "How frustrating..."

The whole room turned hushed at his outburst, so quiet that even a pin drop could be heard. Most of the officers echoed his sentiments, their eyes reddening in anger. That’s right, more than humiliation, it was more frustrating to admit that XIU was correct. The man was not to blame here; it was the police who were too weak.

Director Zhang observed their reactions closely before speaking up, "That’s right, remember this feeling you’re having right now. Sear it into your heart and never forget it. Captain Li," he addressed Li Zhi with determination. "Tell XIU that we will accept his offer. Shall anything goes wrong in the process, I will shoulder full responsibility."

At his declaration, a huge uproar erupted among the officers. "Director, how could you—"

"Silence!" Director Zhang bellowed, once again restoring order. "I understand your frustration. I really do. It’s not just you or your Captain; even I am feeling the same. But sometimes, feelings matter little in achieving results. We must set aside our useless pride if it helps us uphold the justice we seek. Captain Li, good job in grasping the bigger picture. I’m glad that you seem to be heeding my advice." He paused for a beat before adding, his tone softer this time. "If the late Captain Yi could see you now, he would definitely be proud. You’re becoming more and more like him."

***

The door swung open the second time, and when Li Zhi strode in with a dark and gloomy expression, He Juan instantly knew that his plan had worked. Without waiting for the captain to speak, he offered a smile, "Happy cooperation, Captain Li. I will make sure you won’t regret your decision today."

"Arrogant bastard..." Li Zhi hissed sharply as he settled into his seat opposite He Juan, glaring at the man as though itching to dissect him to pieces. "Don’t think that you have won. I will definitely make you suffer a fate worse than death."

In response to the threat, He Juan could only give a helpless shrug. Hey, it was not his fault that the man was so easily provoked, alright?

Li Zhi took a deep breath before he could barely regain his bearings, enough to start a civil conversation with the man across from him. "Now that we have come to an agreement, I need you to—"

"Wait a moment," He Juan interrupted him. "I know what you want to ask, Captain Li, and trust me when I say that I have no qualms about telling you everything, but I have a condition."

"You little—!" Li Zhi’s ugly temper reared its head again. "What do you think this place is, a supermarket where you are free to badger as you please?!" However, when He Juan responded with nothing but that enigmatic smile of his, Li Zhi was forced to swallow the curses hanging on the tip of the tongue. He groaned out loud, resigned, "Fine! Tell me your condition first, and we will see if we can fulfill it."

"Oh, you most definitely can." He Juan chuckled, lowering his gaze to obscure the emotions in his silver eyes. "From now on, I want Officer Mu to be in charge of me and no one else. I will not speak unless he’s the one sitting in front of me."