The whole office had erupted into a great uproar once the news spread.

What were the odds that Mr. He, who was once implicated in Zhao Xinya’s case and also Wu Yuan’s teacher, turned out to be the core member of Xuanlong?! The year following Xuanlong’s ruin, all of the members had vanished into thin air and the police could not track even one of them down. But now, they appeared one after another like mushrooms growing under the damp rain!

Putting this matter aside, everyone was more surprised by the fact that Mu Yuze could be so callous as to report his own Alpha! Exactly what had happened between them?!

"Are you sure?" Li Zhi had asked with a frown. Less for the credibility of Mu Yuze’s information, but more for this grave decision he had made.

He could still recall the time when he asked Mu Yuze about He Juan. At that time, Mu Yuze had frankly admitted that he knew He Juan in the past, and he had also claimed that He Juan was a very kind person. It made Li Zhi worried whether Mu Yuze would be muddled by emotions when it came to the Alpha.

But in the end, Li Zhi’s concern ended up for naught. Not only did Mu Yuze not take his Alpha’s side, he also made this kind of move against him!

There was no hesitation in Mu Yuze’s eyes as he nodded, "I’m sure." On the contrary, his dark eyes blazed even brighter and Li Zhi could see nothing but steel-like resolution and fervor within them.

Li Zhi was not the only one who was puzzled over this matter. Everyone, especially the members of the Violent Crime Division who had more or less perceived Mu Yuze and He Juan’s relationship, was taken by surprise when they caught wind of this news.

They couldn’t help but wonder what had brought forth his cruel decision. How could Mu Yuze betray his lover in such a clean-cut and decisive manner? Had the Alpha broken his heart so wretchedly that Mu Yuze was compelled to retaliate against him in this way?

Countless conjectures formed in their mind, one was more tragic and tear-jerking than the other. Everyone assumed that Mu Yuze had just discovered the truth, recalling how he had acted out of sorts these past few days. If that was the case, then they really had to commend his resolve and firmness. If they had been in his position, they wouldn’t dare to claim that they could be as steadfast and callous as he was!

.

Inside the command car, it was absolutely quiet save from the occasional report that came in through the walkie-talkie by the other teams who had settled down in their respective positions.

Mu Yuze closed his eyes and leaned back on the seat, pretending not to notice the complex and scrutinizing gazes that fell on him once in a while. He knew what was running through everyone’s minds but he just could not bring himself to care.

His mind kept echoing the voice note He Juan had left him, which was handed over by Su Xieren as soon as his condition had stabilized. In it, He Juan spoke in a gentle and coaxing tone, telling him, "Xiao Ze... be good. Gege will only be gone for a while. You have to recuperate well in the hospital, okay? Listen to Doctor Tang and Xieren, they will take good care of you. And..." his breathing snagged on his throat and his voice grew hoarse. "Don’t cry... Gege’s heart aches so much when you do. Don’t worry, Gege will not leave you behind. I will come back... My precious, I will definitely come back to you. And when that time comes..."

Mu Yuze’s throat constricted and his eyes burned with the remnants of tears whenever he recalled what He Juan had said. Right then and there, he made up his mind.

He would not wait. He no longer wanted to wait for He Juan to return just like he did seven years ago.

Instead of having He Juan disappear on him again... instead of being left behind for the second time, Mu Yuze would rather capture him and throw him behind the bars with his own hands. If it meant he could keep He Juan close by his side, if it meant he could prevent He Juan from disappearing again, then so be it. He was willing to harden his heart and be dubbed as cold-hearted.

Last time, He Juan had vanished for seven long years. How about this time? Ten years? Twenty years or... forever? No. Mu Yuze couldn’t bear it. He did not want to. He would rather die than to go through those bleak days filled with regrets and longing for the second time. That’s why this time, he decided to be selfish for once.

’Blame me’, he whispered to the smiling He Juan in his mind. ’Blame me for this. It’s even okay if you grow to hate me for this. But I can’t lose you again. I just can’t...’

Director Zhang cleared his throat and addressed the people in the car, "Everyone is ready in their position. This time, I think that we should hand the command over to Mr. Tak. How about it?" Director Zhang’s suggestion was reasonable. After all, the one with the most experience when dealing with Xuanlong and this kind of high-risk operation was none other than Tak Jung-Hwa. Yet much to everyone’s surprise, the Interpol agent actually refused!

"I have seen Captain Li’s ability to lead, and I think he’s the best choice to command the whole operation," he said with an apologetic grimace. "Pardon me, but I believe that my skills will be more useful in the field. When the operation starts, please let me join the troops and fight against Xuanlong." The person who held the command had to stay in the car, weighed the whole situation and made decisions on the spot. How could one expect Tak Jung-Hwa to stay still when he had been waiting for this exact moment for the past seven years? Even now, he was already vibrating in his seat out of thrill and restlessness.

Director Zhang turned to Li Zhi and Rong Simo, "What do you think?"

Rong Simo gave a shrug to indicate that he had no problems with handing over control to Li Zhi, whereas Li Zhi appeared deep in thought, his brows creasing deeply. "I have something to ask..." he started to say. "I implore Director Zhang to clear my doubts. I don’t mean to doubt the higher-ups but how are we certain that this is not a trap? Seven years ago, didn’t we have a similar operation? But in the end..."

Tak Jung-Hwa inquired curiously, "Seven years ago?" On the corner, Mu Yuze quietly opened his eyes and gazed at Li Zhi.

Li Zhi had a pinched look on his face. He looked reluctant to say further. In the end, it was Director Zhang who let out a sigh and explained in a few concise sentences, "Seven years ago, after XIU was officially added to our wanted criminal list, an informant leaked the news saying that they had discovered XIU’s whereabouts. The news had come in the middle of the night and there was no time for preparation. For fear that XIU would flee and disappear again, the former Director – the one who used to occupy my position – had taken the ex-captain of Violent Crimes and a few officers to intercept XIU..." he trailed off, his expression turning ugly.

"And then?" Tak Jung-Hwa inquired.

"Then all of them died." Li Zhi continued in a grave voice. "And the informant who leaked the news was nowhere to be found after that. Whether they’re dead or alive, we are still not clear until now. We strongly suspected that they had betrayed us."

Director Zhang sighed again. "I know your concerns, Li Zhi. You’re afraid that the same thing will happen again and this operation is also another trap. But I can assure you that—" He had not finished his sentence yet when Li Zhi’s phone rang, cutting him off mid-sentence.

Frowning, Li Zhi glanced at the screen and saw that it was a string of unknown numbers. After receiving Director Tang’s nod, he answered the call and put it on speaker, "Li Zhi of Violent Crimes speaking, who’s this?"

"Captain Li, this is Team Z!" A flustered voice traveled through, causing Li Zhi’s expression to sink. It was the team that was stationed in the Yuyang Hospital Center to watch over Wu Yuan.

And sure enough, what came thereafter was another piece of bad news. "Captain Li, it’s bad! Wu Yuan has escaped from the hospital!"