Without hesitation, seven or eight automatic rifles burst forth with dazzling muzzle flashes, illuminating the alley like daylight in an instant.
At such close range, rifle bullets were enough to tear through the skin of a Qi Refinement Stage Cultivator, and with enough of them, they could still take down Zhang Youcai.
However, a jade pendant at Zhang Youcai's waist suddenly lit up, and the bullets erupting from the muzzles flew wildly in front of him with a clatter, seemingly hitting a solid surface and bouncing off.
"He really has some tricks... If an ordinary Qi Refinement Cultivator encountered this, he would most likely not survive."
Zhang Youcai clicked his tongue in admiration, pulled a Talisman from his In arms, took one last look at the team of Martial Police in front of him, then directed his gaze towards another team of Martial Police rushing into the alley entrance in the distance, and let out a whistle.
"Goodbye."
The Talisman instantly burned, and at the same time, Zhang Youcai's body disappeared from its original spot.
The bullets that had been fired, now unobstructed, all pelted the wall behind Zhang Youcai with a crackling sound.
"Stop firing!"
The squad leader in charge shouted, and the Martial Police who were firing released their index fingers from the triggers; some changed magazines, while others continued to aim their guns at Zhang Youcai's former position.
But the spot was empty, with nothing there, not even the slightest sound.
The squad leader had already realized something, took out his gun and fired a few shots in front of him; the bullets all hit the wall without deflecting.
He then stretched out his hand and waved it a few times, but touched nothing.
"Where is he?!"
A man who looked like an officer rushed over from behind, shouting the question without even having time to straighten his helmet.
The strong wind in the alley had only just stopped, leaving most of the Martial Police present with disheveled clothing.
"He's gone."
The squad leader lowered his head.
"He was just here, and while we were continuously firing at him, he suddenly disappeared."
The officer frowned but did not scold him.
After all, this was not the squad leader's fault, and scolding would not solve any problems.
"Search the scene, cordon off the area!"
"Yes!"
At this very moment, above their heads, on the rooftop of the residential building, Zhang Youcai, having donned his Hidden Spirit Clothes again, silently watched the scene unfold.
He did not linger, and soon got up and left.
...
"Who was the caller?"
After listening to a long report, Yuan Lihuan raised his right hand, stopping his subordinate.
"It was a seventeen-year-old boy named An Chen. According to him, he saw a person who could make an excavator disappear into thin air and could himself appear out of nowhere, run into an alley, so he called the police. He said this was very similar to the Hanzi (Man) who caused trouble on Yong'an Road yesterday, so we immediately suspected he was a Cultivator..."
"An Chen?"
Yuan Lihuan sat up straight, tapping his knuckles on the table.
"Get the car ready."
"Is there something wrong with this boy? He seems to be a high school senior..."
Yuan Lihuan did not answer his subordinate's question, but walked straight out of the office, heading towards the parking lot.
...
An Chen tore open the instant noodle lid, used a plastic fork to stir it twice, then blew on the hot instant noodles in large gulps.
This late-night extra meal was the most comfortable.
The main point wasn't how delicious the instant noodles were, but that the boss allowed him to get a free bucket of instant noodles and a hot dog.
Free things always tasted exceptionally good.
However, just then, before An Chen could even fork up the first mouthful of noodles, a group of people walked in from outside the internet cafe, their leather shoes tapping crisply on the ground, which quickly caught An Chen's attention.
An Chen immediately noticed Yuan Lihuan walking at the very front; some of the people behind him he remembered, while others were unfamiliar faces.
Compared to yesterday, there seemed to be fewer high-ranking official-looking individuals among those following today, replaced by very capable-looking characters, like bodyguards.
Their walking postures were very similar to Yuan Lihuan's, especially the arm swing where one arm was almost glued to the waist and barely moved was exactly the same.
"The main hall is eight yuan an hour, overnight stay is thirty-eight, double private room is twenty yuan an hour, overnight stay is eighty-eight, membership card gets twenty percent off."
Knowing that these people weren't here to use the internet, An Chen still went through the motions, reciting his standard lines as an internet cafe attendant.
He withdrew his gaze, forked noodles into his mouth, slurped a large mouthful, as if he didn't care about the group of people.
"The police call tonight, was it you who made it?"
A man with a short buzz cut behind Yuan Lihuan stepped forward and asked expressionlessly.
An Chen paused for a moment, then nodded.
"Yes..."
This man with the short buzz cut also looked relatively young, probably in his early twenties, and clearly looked like someone from the military.
He seemed to be seriously maintaining a straight face, pretending to be very stern, but An Chen could tell that he wasn't actually that serious.
"What's wrong? Was that person caught?"
Before the other party could continue to ask, An Chen proactively questioned him.
An Chen knew that at such a time, he couldn't let the other party gain the upper hand, otherwise the subsequent conversation would turn into an "interrogation."
In that case, he would unknowingly become the "interrogated."
"That person could make an excavator disappear out of thin air, it's simply too terrifying, and he seems to be able to turn invisible. I saw him suddenly appear with my own eyes. Is this a super-powered person?"
"No..."
The man with the short buzz cut seemed a bit bewildered by An Chen's barrage of questions, only managing to squeeze out these two words.
"That criminal, we didn't catch him. He escaped from our hands, and we are currently pursuing him. We hope you can provide some effective clues."
Eventually, it was Yuan Lihuan who spoke. His eyes were fixed on An Chen, as if he wanted to dig something out of his eyes.
An Chen was not intimidated and boldly shifted his gaze, meeting Yuan Lihuan's eyes.
He put on a harmless expression, his face full of surprise.
"Didn't catch him? How could that be! I heard a lot of gunshots more than ten minutes ago, didn't you kill him?"
Before Yuan Lihuan could speak, An Chen showed a hint of fear.
"If that criminal knows I called the police, will he come back for revenge?!"
"Don't worry, we will protect your safety. We just need some clues now. I wonder if you..."
The man with the short buzz cut beside Yuan Lihuan spoke.
"Everything I know I already said on the phone. After that, I ran back to the internet cafe to continue my shift. I don't know anything more."
An Chen shook his head, indicating that he knew nothing.
"This is my business card. If you need anything, contact me."
Yuan Lihuan suddenly patted the short buzz cut man's shoulder, cutting him off, then took out a business card from his outer coat pocket and handed it to An Chen.
Most people don't keep business cards in their pockets; this business card he had prepared in advance.
An Chen's eyes narrowed, then quickly brightened with a smile.
"Thank you!" "This puts my mind at ease!"
He put away the business card.
"Is there anything else?"
"No, stay home more often recently, and be careful."
Yuan Lihuan shook his head, made a gesture behind his back, and the man with the short buzz cut led a few people and turned to leave.
Then, Yuan Lihuan also turned, seemingly ready to leave, but then looked back at the last moment, leaving a remark:
"Don't forget to remind your boss to fix the cameras in the store soon."