Era of Magic and Martial Arts-Chapter 371 - 355: Driving Me Mad

"??? "

Feng Ju’s face was dark as ink, his eyes filled with uncertainty. The brain that usually worked like a well-oiled machine now felt like it was clogged with mud, unable to process anything.

Li Shang was his biggest rival for the chief position at the Patrol Office. To call him a sworn enemy would not be an exaggeration. Why would he come to save Feng Mu?

A terrifying thought exploded in Feng Ju’s mind, shaking him like a thunderbolt:

"Could it be... this rebellious son has long been colluding with Li Shang?!"

He stared intently at the scene behind the one-way glass—Chen Yang sat in the corner with a swollen face, looking nothing like someone associated with Li Shang. Instead, it was his own rebellious son...

Feng Ju watched as the rebellious son sat calmly in the interrogation chair, a faintly mocking smile playing on his blood-stained lips, while Li Shang stood beside him, not in the posture of interrogating a suspect, but rather, as if protecting someone important.

"The reason this rebellious son is fearless at the Patrol Office,"

Feng Ju’s temples throbbed,

"is not because I’m his father, but because... my arch-enemy Li Shang?"

His left hand unconsciously clawed into his palm, leaving deep crescent marks on his skin, while his right hand clenched so tightly his knuckles cracked.

He forced the words through clenched teeth, his voice hoarse and frightening:

"This rebellious son doesn’t want to ruin my career with his life; he wants to infuriate me to death!"

Feng Ju suddenly realized the truth. Last night, when his rebellious son hung up the phone, he had agreed to meet him at the Patrol Office today, not to beg for rescue, but to foresee this encounter.

Feng Ju gritted his molars so hard, they ground against each other as he watched through the glass wall, Feng Mu slowly turn his head, a meaningful smile curling at his lips as he stared toward the wall.

The gazes of father and son seemed to penetrate the one-way glass, converging in a void.

There was no plea or anger in those eyes, only an unspoken filial piety.

Feng Ju stood unsteadily, with a sweet sensation rising in his throat, as a stream of warm blood surged up to the root of his tongue.

He bit down hard, forcefully swallowing the blood back, laughing in anger:

"Good... very good... well played, rebellious son, well played, Li Shang..."

Dong Ping was startled by this laugh, instinctively inching closer to the door.

He sneakily glanced at Feng Ju’s face, seeing the usually dignified face now twisted terrifyingly, the wrinkles at the corners of his eyes deep enough to crush a fly.

He stood to the side, not daring to breathe, his mind equally as muddled, repeatedly swallowing back the words he wanted to say.

Dong Ping stood aside, cold sweat trickling down his back.

Though unable to untangle the convoluted situation, his years of experience finally allowed him to taste what was happening:

"The relationship between Captain Feng and his son..."

He sneaked a glance at Feng Ju’s twisted, grim expression,

"seems a little different from what I thought..."

Dong Ping’s gaze shifted between Feng Ju and Feng Mu, occasionally glancing at Li Shang, his mind in chaos:

"What should I do? Captain Feng doesn’t seem to be a good father... has his son defected?"

Suddenly, Dong Ping’s loyalty to Feng Ju wavered strongly:

"Even Captain Feng’s son doesn’t choose his father. Should I continue with Captain Feng, or would joining Captain Li Shang promise a better future?"

In the interrogation room, Feng Mu watched Li Shang’s warm face, understanding clearly—Li Shang didn’t recognize him, but because of Ma Bin, Li Shang was already an "old acquaintance" to him.

Li Shang took out a key, leaned over to unlock Feng Mu’s handcuffs, while explaining briefly and quietly in Feng Mu’s ear:

"Don’t worry, we’re on the same side. Secretary Hou sent me."

With a "click," the handcuffs were released.

Feng Mu gently moved his wrist, the cold metal sensation still lingering on his skin, and winked knowingly at Li Shang.

He accepted the clean handkerchief Li Shang offered, leisurely wiping the bloodstains from his face, his movements indescribably elegant and composed.

The handkerchief quickly became blotched with red; Feng Mu folded it twice, forming a neat square, and gently pressed it to the wound on his forehead.

"Thank you, Captain Li."

Feng Mu gave a perfectly timed smile, understandingly saying:

"Just a minor injury, no big deal. Captain Li shouldn’t blame himself too much."

His gaze swept across the corner where Chen Yang sat,

"The Patrol Office is big; inevitably, there will be some bad apples, and some management lapses, which I can understand."

Feng Mu paused, lowering his voice slightly:

"I just hope Captain Li can clear my name as quickly as possible."

His mouth curved into a meaningful smile,

"There’s a lot of work and many people awaiting my attention over at the Second Prison."

As he spoke, Feng Mu stood up calmly, stretching his muscles.

According to the Patrol Office’s interrogation procedures, this would usually not be allowed, but since when had the surveillance been turned off?

He cast a sidelong glance at Chen Yang leaning against the wall, holding no grudge in his heart, even a hint of pity flashing in his eyes.

To the dead, Feng Mu always had compassion.

"It seems..." Feng Mu said softly to Chen Yang, "it’s not that I don’t understand my situation, but that you don’t understand what whirlpool you’re caught in."

Chen Yang’s Adam’s apple bobbed violently, cold sweat trickling down his temple.

He didn’t look at Feng Mu, but stared intently at Li Shang, his voice trembling:

"Captain Li, this is the murderer from the Gong Lao case! I have evidence to prove Gong Lao was killed by him!" 𝙧𝙚𝙚𝔀𝒆𝓫𝓷𝙤𝓿𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝙤𝓶

His voice suddenly rose,

"Public opinion online is boiling; we can’t let him go freely!"

Li Shang, however, didn’t even glance at Chen Yang, his voice tinged with mockery:

"Evidence? Ha—, are you referring to the fabricated evidence, or the evidence of you taking large bribes?"

Chen Yang’s pupils contracted sharply; he could understand the first half of Li Shang’s sentence—all that so-called evidence was indeed carefully fabricated by him, but the second half left him baffled.

"Captain Li, I..." his voice trembled, "I’ve never taken any bribes..."

Li Shang’s mouth curled into a meaningful smile: "Really?"

He leisurely pulled out a stack of documents from his pocket, casually tossing them onto the interrogation table. The papers spread out, revealing a long trail of bank transactions and transfer records.

"Then what about these..."

Li Shang’s fingers gently tapped on the table,

"The two million transferred from an account under the name Ma Xuan to your father’s account—how do you explain that?"

Chen Yang’s mouth opened wide enough to fit a light bulb, his eyes bulging, staring at Li Shang, wishing he could burn holes in him.

"Framed!" he shouted like a pig being slaughtered, "I had no idea about this money! It was... it was someone framing me!"

But Li Shang shrugged nonchalantly, wearing that detective smile that seemed to invite a punch:

"As chief constables, we can’t act on assumptions; whether it’s a frame-up depends on the evidence."

Chen Yang’s eyes filled with blood, his gaze darting between Li Shang and Feng Mu, suddenly realizing something.

"You..." his voice trembled, "you all..."

But Li Shang had already turned his back, waving at Chang Erbing:

"Until the truth is clarified, suspend Chen Yang from duty. You’ll have to take over his cases."

Chang Erbing immediately straightened up: "Yes, Captain Li!"

With just one round, Li Shang swiftly and decisively cut through, knocking out a shining "detective rising star" to the brink of irrelevance.

Feng Mu glanced at the scattered documents on the table, his gaze pausing on the bank transaction list, before squinting at the opened autopsy report.

His mouth curled into an intriguing smile:

"Quite professional, haha—, quite a decent way to die!"