This was the first time Li Hao had heard someone talk so seriously and freely about the Night Patrollers.
Li Hao couldn’t help his curiosity. “Aren’t there a lot of them?” he asked.
“Not really,” said Liu Long. “Their numbers have been declining. Besides, they are governed by the Inspection Division and are used only as a last resort. They don’t even have many Supers among them.”
Li Hao asked what he had wanted to know all along. “Captain… are Supers naturally trained or do they acquire their power?”
“Both,” said Liu Long. “You wish to be one too?”
“Of course not!”
“Lies, again!” Liu Long snorted. “Anyone who has had a taste of the mystical will yearn for it. They usually are ignorant about the dangers and secrets that come with it. All they see is the flashy momentary power they enjoy. When you go deep, you understand the dangers associated with it. Everyone yearns for something like that in the beginning, regrets follow only later.”
Li Hao could only nod in agreement. He was also enticed by the possibility of the mysterious power and yearned for it.
“But you know nothing about it for now. So, do not dabble in it rashly. It is always dangerous to barge in on something without any knowledge,” warned the captain.
“I know a lot about Night Patrollers. If you join my team, I can tell you more,” said the captain and laughed heartily.
Li Hao hesitated. “Captain, if I may ask, why is it that you want to persuade me so strongly to join the law enforcement team? I am just a Level 3 Patrol Officer without any significant talent or experience who had only served in the Inspection Office for a year at most. I don’t understand what I can even offer to the team of extraordinary people. I don’t understand why you would be so willing to take me in, even going to the extent of giving me so much information about the Night Patrollers and the Supers and the field of superpowers, which are all forbidden topics.”
“Don’t underestimate yourself,” said the captain sagely. “It’s not that simple. Ordinary doesn’t mean powerless. Look at your professor. Yuan Shuo is the most ordinary man I know. And yet, he is able to bend the Silver City, the Night Patrollers and even the law enforcement team to his will. They rely on him to solve their problems!”
“But I have my own reasons. The law enforcement team is looking for new recruits. You are a good choice. You know what to prioritize even if it means dropping out of a prestigious school. What I value most is loyalty, which I see is abundant in you. You are loyal to your friend to an extent that you are willing to risk your own life. With that kind of loyalty, I can trust you with my back.”
“You are meticulous and clever. With some training, you could even be my assistant!”
Li Hao looked at the captain. “So, what do you think?” asked Liu Long with a smile. “Is that enough to convince you or do I need to go on?”
Li Hao felt that everything the captain had said made sense. It was sufficient if he was someone looking for a job. But it wasn’t enough for Li Hao. He wanted the truth. He looked at Liu Long carefully.
But Liu Long was gazing at the sky. Perhaps sensing Li Hao’s eyes on him, he turned to him and laughed again. “Li Hao, it is not always a good thing to know too much. Think of it this way, I help you solve the case and you help me in return. Why do you need to get to the bottom of it?”
Li Hao was silent for a moment. “I do want to avenge my friend,” he said. “But I also want to know what I am getting myself into. I can understand and accept whatever you have told me but without actually knowing why you need me; I might just be heading into everything as a sacrificial lamb.”
Liu Long chuckled. “You really analyze everything to death. Okay then, truth for a truth. Tell me, did you take anything from the Zhang family residence?”
“I didn’t,” said Li Hao.
“Ha! Lies again,” Liu Long smirked. “The chimney was tampered with. I have been on the law enforcement team for ten years. Do you know where I was before that? I worked as a Patrol Officer for twenty years. You can think me incompetent, but you can’t assume I am blind. The traces are fresh and you were the only one at the scene before we got there.”
Li Hao froze on the spot. “I don’t understand… I didn’t do anything.”
“It doesn’t matter,” said Liu Long. “Don’t worry. It doesn’t matter even if you found a magical item. I don’t care about that.”
Li Hao was surprised. He couldn’t understand Captain Liu at all. ‘Did he really not care or is he testing me again?’
Liu Long sighed. “I can’t force you to join us. Not when you have a backer as eminent as Yuan Shuo.” Liu Long looked at Li Hao indifferently, back to his domineering self. “Your professor still has some status so I can’t really force you to do anything. I have already said too much. It might put you in danger. You might end up being the next victim of the self-immolation case.”
Li Hao’s heart pounded. He was all shades of shocked and terrified. ‘Did he know about the red shadow?’ wondered Li Hao.
“Don’t think too much about it. Just a speculation. It could happen to anybody,” said Liu Long, turning grave. “But the self-immolation case is far from over, especially if Supers are involved. If the cases are to be taken into account, they have been in Silver City for ten years, even more! These are targeted murders.”
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