Era of Magic and Martial Arts-Chapter 306 - 290: Mask Is Not Fighting Alone

In the shade of a tree not far away, Captain Liu Xie was dressed in a clean uniform of the Arresting Bureau, leaning against the trunk with her eyes closed, resting.

Suddenly, her ears twitched slightly, as if she had caught a trace of an unusual sound. Then, she slowly opened her eyes and glanced casually at Li Shang and Chang Erbing.

Did she just hear those two talking about the [Mask]?

Liu Xie’s expression remained unchanged. She walked up behind the two of them with her hands in her pockets and casually asked:

"Your heart rates are racing. Have you sensed some kind of danger?"

Chang Erbing kept silent. Li Shang turned to look at Liu Xie, his eyes flickering a few times, hesitating to speak. Finally, he gritted his teeth and said in a low voice,

"Captain Liu, I have to be honest with you. It’s not that I sense danger; it’s that I feel like we’re sitting on a powder keg, and it’s one that’s being broadcasted on live television."

At this moment, Li Shang couldn’t care less about the "gag order" issued by the special agent, because this quagmire is even more perilous than the previous whirlpool.

In the last whirlpool, they needed to identify the one true [Mask] from 50 impostors. In essence, it was a battle with them on the offensive and the [Mask] on the defensive.

This time, however, the quagmire... they are on the defensive, and the [Mask] is on the offensive.

Everyone knows defense is ten times harder than offense.

Especially those cameras—whether they can catch the Mask is uncertain, but it’s a given that their surveillance will undoubtedly hinder the Patrol Office, limiting the means they can employ.

In a sense, these cameras aren’t on their side and are more likely to become accomplices to the [Mask].

This time, the [Mask] is not fighting alone!

Therefore, Li Shang must drag more people into the situation, not just to keep watch on the [Mask], but so that when things go wrong, there are more "companions" to share the responsibility. 𝒻𝑟ℯℯ𝑤𝑒𝑏𝑛𝘰𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝒸𝑜𝘮

Liu Xie’s pupils narrowed slightly, and she cooperatively asked, "What exactly do you mean by that?"

Li Shang deliberated for a moment, then slowly replied:

"You’re aware that a few students from the Eighth Academy were killed recently, right? Back then, the Arresting Bureau also sent someone over to assist. The one who came was Captain Gou Xin from the second team of the Bureau."

Liu Xie slightly raised an eyebrow, her tone flat:

"I have indeed heard about it. So, has the Patrol Office not solved the case yet?"

Li Shang rubbed his cheeks tightly, exhaling a long breath, saying with a gloomy expression,

"No, the case remains unsolved. The perpetrator is still hiding within the Eighth Academy. Due to confidentiality, I can’t reveal too much to you. I can only tell you that this culprit is not a murderer in the ordinary sense. He might be a cannibalistic... monster."

He paused slightly, his gaze locking onto Liu Xie’s, emphasizing deliberately:

"I have a premonition he will emerge during this period to hunt for prey, and it will be right in front of those cameras. So, Captain Liu, I urgently need your help."

Liu Xie gave a deep look at Li Shang, an expression he couldn’t decipher, but thankfully, Liu Xie seemed convinced, aware of the severity of the situation, and agreed to his request.

She said to him, "Alright, I’ll help you!"

In stark contrast to Li Shang’s anxiety, Feng Ju strolled through the campus, his eyes gliding over the hanging banners and flashing cameras, yet his heart remained tranquil.

He couldn’t care less whether the [Mask] would continue committing crimes. He rather hoped the [Mask] would hurry up and commit one.

After all, Feng Ju wasn’t responsible for security; his team was only responsible for apprehending the [Mask]. They weren’t accountable to any Members of Parliament or guests; they only had to answer to the special agent.

As for whether the cameras, now turned from a jar to a barrel, would increase their difficulty in capturing the [Mask]?

Feng Ju’s answer is no. On the contrary, he believes the current situation will help them more smoothly apprehend the [Mask].

Because the methods they are going to employ for solving the case will be absolutely different from the traditional methods.

Although it might cause a bit of turmoil, it will surely be efficient and precise.

Feng Ju sauntered about, casually scanning around, occasionally glimpsing the bright banners.

——Warm congratulations on the successful commencement of Zone 9’s first Intercollegiate Martial Arts Tournament.

——Congratulations to freshmen xxx, xxx, and Feng Yuhuai from our school for breaking through from the lower grade group, earning themselves the chance to compete in the higher level matches.

——A warm welcome to the famous scientist Mr. Zuo Bai for visiting our school...

Feng Ju’s gaze almost immediately captured his daughter’s name on the banner, and he couldn’t help but smile.

Dong Ping, standing nearby, sensibly complimented,

"Captain Feng, is this your daughter? How impressive, truly remarkable, getting into the higher-level tournaments definitely means she can appear on television, with a bright and promising future ahead."

Feng Ju smiled and humbly waved a black hand, saying,

"Not at all, she’s still far from it. She’s merely achieved some insignificant success among students, but on a larger stage, it appears insignificant.

She will only live up to all that I’ve done for her and the investment I’ve made when she can have a name recognized and respected independently like that scientist Zuo Bai."

Dong Ping and the other team members fell silent, shaken by the captain’s broad vision.

They couldn’t help but reflect on why their children seemed so average; perhaps their expectations and demands were too low compared to the captain’s for his daughter.

Noticing the team’s silence, Feng Ju felt a bit awkward, softly cleared his throat, and skillfully shifted the topic:

"By the way, do any of you know of Zuo Bai?"

Dong Ping and the team members all shook their heads, indicating they were unaware.

Truth be told, Feng Ju didn’t know much about Zuo Bai before either, being just a chief constable, not very concerned about the field of technology.

But since he had an advanced mechanical arm fitted, he has developed a keen interest in "implants and enhancements" in this field of science.

Like when gifted a car, even if previously uninterested, you’d start exploring various knowledge about vehicles and quickly understand them quite deeply.

Zuo Bai, in recent years, is just such a renowned scientist within Lower City, in this emerging field of science.

Feng Ju promptly gave the team a simple explanation of who Zuo Bai is,

Overall describing him as an outstanding young individual from Zone 6, a star scientist, a leading figure in new scientific fields, everything impressive that Feng Ju had seen online.

Subsequently, Feng Ju gently sighed, his eyes brimming with deep hopes,

"...If my daughter can emerge successfully in the competitions and earn Zuo Bai’s favor, even a little guidance from him would mean she truly glimpses a bright future."

Of course, when Feng Ju spoke of "Zuo Bai," he didn’t necessarily mean Zuo Bai specifically but rather anyone with "Zuo Bai" like excellent characteristics.

Deep down, Feng Ju yearns for someone like "Zuo Bai" to become his daughter’s mentor or guide someday in the future.

And if that person truly turned out to be Zuo Bai himself, it would be nothing short of ideal.

After all, Zuo Bai is not only excellent but also very young, and according to online photos, quite handsome. If he were to stand next to his daughter, they’d indeed look quite fitting together.

Feng Ju can only dream, yet unbeknownst to him, Destiny may soon weave this dream into reality to reward his great fatherly love in the not-so-distant future.

But when dreams come true, will Feng Ju really beam with joy, or...?