"Director Long, good evening."
Lu Lin saw that Long Qianli was currently in his office at Hua Qing Water Yard.
"Um, good evening, Lu Lin. Do you have time now?"
"Alright, I’ll make it short."
"Today, a serious crime occurred in Feibei City. Three Star Core Warriors with Third Level strength robbed a shipment of Star Power Potions from Zhonghe Pharmaceutical Company. The Feibei City Investigation Bureau hopes we can assist them in apprehending these three criminal Star Core Warriors."
"Now, I officially inform you that the task is being assigned."
Lu Lin immediately stood up straight. This was the necessary etiquette when receiving a task in the Star Investigation Office.
"Head to Feibei City as quickly as possible and intercept these three criminals to prevent their escape."
"The real-time location and strength intelligence of the criminals will be sent to your Personal Terminal. Please check it."
"In addition, go downstairs now. Your vehicle will arrive in 75 seconds."
"Received. I promise to complete the task."
Lu Lin ended the communication and quickly grabbed his broken knife and two Star Power Recovery Potions from near the entrance. "Mr. Zhou, Xiao Ru, I have a mission," he announced. "My return time is undecided. I’ll send the electronic key to the room to you both later. I’m leaving now."
Zhou Ziqiang and Xiao Ru had also seen Lu Lin’s communication with Director Long, so they didn’t dare to delay him and let Lu Lin leave first.
Lu Lin took the broken knife, stuffed the Star Power Potions into his pocket, and jumped directly from the stairwell window. It was much faster than taking the elevator.
After straightening up, Lu Lin saw a black Magnetic Levitation Car entering the residential area from the main gate.
"Authentication successful. Elite Investigator Lu Lin, please get in."
The car door opened, and Lu Lin jumped in. At that moment, his Personal Terminal also received a folder sent by Chen Shanshan.
Criminal One: Bai Lang.
Star Power Level: 3. Element: Fire System. Proficient in Star Skills: Burning, Fire Wall, Fire Shield, and Fire Snake.
Skilled with knives, cultivates the Star Martial "Thirty-six Roads Flame Knife," known for its fierce combat style.
Distinguishing Features: A red dot between his eyebrows.
Criminal Two: Jin Dun.
Star Power Level: 3. Element: Gold System. Proficient in Star Skills: Tearing, Hardening, Iron Fist, and Knife Leg.
Skilled in hand-to-hand combat, cultivates the Star Martial "Earthshattering Fist" and "Fatal Leg Chains"; agile and elusive.
Distinguishing Features: Red hair, a star-shaped earring in his left ear.
Criminal Three: Mi Yan.
Star Power Level: 3. Element: Mutant Sand Class. Proficient in Star Skills: Yellow Sand, Sandstorm, and Sand Erosion.
Weapon and Star Martial cultivation: Unknown. Team leader; cunning and treacherous.
Distinguishing Features: Bald, Green Dragon tattoos on his arms.
At 17:24 today, the three men hijacked a Zhonghe Pharmaceutical Company Drug Transportation Vehicle, stole 30 million yuan worth of drugs, and killed four security personnel and one driver.
During their escape, they killed one member of the Feibei City Investigation Bureau and severely injured six others. The criminals are repeat offenders, possess powerful strength, are extremely violent, and are exceptionally skilled at concealing themselves.
The objective of this mission is interception. Success is achieved if the interception lasts for 35 minutes.
Appended to the mission introduction was a satellite location map displaying three constantly flashing light points.
Lu Lin’s vehicle had its destination preset, so he didn’t need to worry about navigation.
In the car, Lu Lin quickly memorized the various features of the three criminals, especially their combat abilities.
It was true that Long Qianli had placed great trust in Lu Lin this time. He knew Lu Lin’s strength was only at the peak of Level 2, yet he was asking him to intercept three Third Level criminals. This not only tested his combat abilities but also his adaptability. However, Long Qianli at least knew that Lu Lin was of the Earth Element, and the first two Star Skills he had grasped were Stone Skin and War Cry. He might not be able to defeat and capture the three criminals, but he could at least protect himself.
This mission was a sudden decision by Long Qianli. Normally, Long Qianli would send a single intermediate investigator to handle a similar task easily.
That morning, Director Long happened to overhear Long Qiansu talking about Lu Lin Guiding Star Skills for the Gao Brothers, which gave him an idea. Not many investigators had awakened in Chongnuo City this year. Instead of painstakingly conducting combat tests, it was better to test them in actual combat.
Three criminals: one skilled in knife fighting, one skilled in hand-to-hand combat, and the last one, Mi Yan, was a sand class Martial Artist. His weapon and Star Martial were unknown. This would be a significant test for Lu Lin. In terms of actual combat experience, Lu Lin’s only real fight had been against the artist. However, in that fight, Lu Lin was constantly pressured by the artist from start to finish. In the end, he only managed to win by taking a desperate gamble, using his Star Power Domain for Sealing the artist. It was uncertain if Lu Lin could have held on until Zhao Lei and the others arrived. Strictly speaking, this mission would be Lu Lin’s first true combat experience. His opponents were Third-level Martial Artists, whose strength was not vastly different from his own.
Indeed, although Lu Lin perceived himself to still be at the Level 2 Peak, his combat power was in no way inferior to that of a Third Level Star-Core Fighter. Moreover, Lu Lin’s cultivation of the Golden Body Sutra and Inch Step gave him more options in battle. The Golden Body Sutra was a Body Refining Skill, a type of Cultivation Method that Martial Artists within the Federation generally didn’t practice. The Inch Step, acquired by Guan Pingchao’s father from the Exotic Battlefield, was even rarer. Ordinary Third-level Martial Artists might not even be able to react when Lu Lin used it against them. With these two Star Martial, Lu Lin was confident he could defend himself. Combined with his Earth Element and Eye-based Star Skill, Lu Lin felt very confident about this battle.
「Outside Feibei City.」
"Brother Mi Yan," asked Bai Lang, who had a red dot between his eyebrows, "have we shaken off those guys from the Detective Department yet?"
"Shit, I suddenly need to piss."
Jin Dun, the red-haired driver, laughed. "Bai Lang, are your kidneys failing you? Weren’t you in the washroom three times this afternoon?"
"Bullshit! You know this is an old problem of mine."
"Every time I’m involved in something big, my adrenaline spikes. When I get excited, the urge to pee just overwhelms me."
Bai Lang turned to Mi Yan, who was in the copilot seat checking the elixir. "Brother Mi Yan, we should be safe now, right? Let me go pee. I’ll be quick."
Jin Dun smiled but didn’t say anything.
Mi Yan nodded, his eyes narrowing. "Make it quick."
"The Detective Department members may have stopped chasing us, but there’s no guarantee they won’t report this."
"We’ve hit up almost every city nearby. Let’s head back to the Exotic Battlefield and rest for a while."
"Alright, alright, alright!" Bai Lang agreed excitedly. "Brother Mi Yan, this time, let’s find a few women from the Firefox Clan to have some fun!"
"Damn, that time before the New Year was awesome!"
"Alright, less talk. Go take your piss," Mi Yan scolded, signaling Jin Dun to stop the car.
Once the car stopped, Bai Lang practically leaped out. The area was desolate, so he boldly unzipped his pants and relieved himself, facing the wind.
Suddenly, from a distance, two bright white headlights shone directly on Bai Lang as he was urinating.
Bai Lang shivered, startled. "Who the hell is so bored they’d come out here in the middle of the night?"
He tried to continue, but the urge to pee was gone. So, he simply zipped up and started walking towards Lu Lin’s car.
"Bai Lang, come back!" Mi Yan shouted from their car. This was a critical moment to escape, and he didn’t want any complications.
"Okay," Bai Lang replied, shaking his head, deciding against looking for trouble.
However, just as he was about to turn around, he saw Lu Lin jump out of the car.
"Big Brother," Lu Lin said, "sorry to bother you with a question. Your... mother... what’s her esteemed surname?"