Blazing Armor

Three days after Ren Yi was discharged from the hospital, he received a call from Qiu Yan, hoping that if his health allowed, he could come to the police station to give a statement.ekOJwbVHcpmKEJzjWbbnWcPMGbcYmM

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Daily activities were not a problem, but if Ren Yi wanted to refuse, he could certainly use his health as an excuse. Whether to go or not, he was indeed a bit hesitant. Cooperating with police investigations was the duty of every citizen, especially since he was deeply involved in this case. However, going meant he would have to face Qiu Yan and Gong Yingxian, and inevitably relive everything that had happened during that time.uPQWKDzbjeVxJzaSbftsZFAwfQqxcB

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After thinking it over, he realized that despite saying he didn’t want to know anything, he was still concerned about the progress of the case. This had nothing to do with Gong Yingxian; he certainly wanted to know what would happen to the members of the X cult who had taken away the people he valued, who had put him in danger multiple times, and posed a huge threat to innocent people.yWrNiRrHdwBAusPvjlVVtcApXULoQw

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So Ren Yi decided to go.kOpEBfIEmahJFBtLBKeGjqnPzSNyXO

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The Hongwu Police Station, which he hadn’t visited in a long time, was as busy and tense as ever. He received a lot of concern and greetings from acquaintances.MoKQypdsiLYwFEPjqjwVpJZpHyJswE

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Gong Yingxian came out to greet Ren Yi. Ren Yi didn’t express much, but those around them noticed that the atmosphere between the two was off, and this wasn’t the first time. They whispered among themselves, wondering if they had quarreled again.zlEOooCTBFecLLvjzEjmCQyZDRFVyr

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“I thought you wouldn’t come,” Gong Yingxian said, stealing glances at Ren Yi on the way, as if wanting to say or do something but hesitating to act. If anyone else saw this, they would surely be taken aback; only in front of Ren Yi was Gong Yingxian a completely different person—more human.HaYtcotOtCSmlWZhbOdyouJUwFNvMz

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“I thought I wouldn’t come either.”DxmZbdtBSHcBcyyCijFNokIqDjoAdW

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“Are you feeling better?”BafFdPlYGqNiwyZWyDCmLyMpDFfFPr

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“Not bad.”OYzbqcMvlmCDpkdNopmBvtrAgXiqrn

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Just before entering the room, Gong Yingxian suddenly grabbed Ren Yi’s hand, gently rubbing his palm with his fingers, and said softly, “Aren’t you going to ask about my injury?”LgrZdIRIFcDjDSYHCoYumITAkwUUSB

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Ren Yi glanced at Gong Yingxian’s right arm. He could tell that the arm was in a state of “idleness,” but he held back from asking: “It should be fine, right?”jOOzrPEYlrAbNQAzSCiaiOFyETIQKm

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Gong Yingxian couldn’t hide his disappointment: “I wish it were worse, then you might care a little more.”wrccyZGpgyKdjBrKTlROMcmygCybqf

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“Don’t say such nonsense. Let’s go in.” Ren Yi pulled his hand back.PbkZHIqOvXDxoMdBSMPuNQwtdHAMNg

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Inside were Qiu Yan and Cai Qiang.wsNipUcWJaVoVXIQQfkZCdOILhOwis

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Ren Yi saw that the bandage on Cai Qiang’s head hadn’t been removed: “Officer Cai, is your injury better?”nnDJSFMAwEPNGlDxqeMFMNqgShHPkE

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Cai Qiang joked, “A minor injury won’t keep me off the line; we’re in the same boat.”FHRytkYaAwALUcufXPPeOhCxpHXLlF

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Ren Yi smiled, feeling both helpless and bitter.lTyuBHwPEdwszZhXnSBeXHZBOvfLSC

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Qiu Yan stood up: “Captain Ren, thank you for coming. Please have a seat.”nLVBlxxKgvKoANgaYjqlGazrZjbqXg

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Ren Yi didn’t have a good expression for Qiu Yan either; he merely nodded politely and said, “I thought Officer Cai’s injury was fake too.”uFagAqGPsgpCRgEMMGcfdAefyyiSss

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A hint of embarrassment flashed across Qiu Yan and Gong Yingxian’s faces. Gong Yingxian said, “We didn’t expect Zhang Wen to set a trap at home.”AorZuySIoCWKNyqvDqRvWEMcuYfVyu

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“When did you start suspecting him?”wLGBIrBncTtYVSpIyFGWFFIHfycFMZ

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“During the arson case at Wenhui Mall. At that time, we all agreed that someone within the investigation team was leaking information to Fang Zhixu. After I checked the police, I also looked into the fire investigation team and found that he had participated in several investigations related to the Bright God Cult. Initially, I didn’t suspect him, but after a routine in-depth investigation, I discovered some of his suspicious behaviors.”IylhTpvaXOEDQmLIoNNyKweccsfvPT

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Ren Yi frowned: “I understand why you didn’t arrest him, but what was the purpose of sending him photos of his appearance in the hospital?”TJfBmPrHXwAOWreQaGZQsGKbgBimJe

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“When a person is flustered, it’s easy to reveal flaws. We originally planned to observe him and threaten him into cooperating with us, but before we could contact him, the hotel incident happened, and he took the opportunity to escape.”LBcrqdlvCaTxQMbhSrdTPyCDHUCjuF

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“What about Huang Yan? Where is he now?”iUjTJiqYqQCTgDqCrfabMHHToEyvlf

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“In detention. The investigation isn’t over yet, so we haven’t filed charges yet.” Qiu Yan’s expression turned cold when he mentioned this person, “He worked for Purple Flame purely for money, so under our threats and temptations, he agreed to cooperate with us. He has never met with Huang Yan or any other members of the organization; all contact was through the internet or phone. We used this to find a colleague with a similar background, accent, age, and physical characteristics to go undercover. According to Huang Yan, Bai Yan has frequent contact with Purple Flame, and we hope to deceive Bai Yan to draw out Purple Flame.”pPVHjcddBrlJFDrPnRBxwptwrBMvVj

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“So you already knew about those two pretending to be hostages.”ZyjbCPtDDWXVvwKaHWSKcQhJWcWNkU

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Gong Yingxian nodded: “We knew early on, but Purple Flame sent other assassins, which Huang Yan didn’t know about. At that time, we were worried that Huang Yan might have been exposed, but later we found out that he hadn’t, at least not at that time.”liJlimPKRkWyZFEqbXEWlxoICeTIiI

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“How did you deceive Zheng Pei?” Ren Yi couldn’t imagine how they could fake a police officer’s life or death.vKOoNJIKDvwwhzKELIiuxxeJFdfYcs

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“It was arranged by Captain Zhao.” Qiu Yan couldn’t help but avoid Ren Yi’s gaze, “However, Zheng Pei had long suspected. He mainly doubted two things: first, he didn’t believe that all the assassins at the scene were taken out by Ying Xian. We used different guns, and the positions of the bodies were quite far apart. At that time, two of them were indeed taken out by me and the colleague pretending to be Huang Yan. Second, there was a missing gun, which was my oversight; I took it.”oLFfnVckIoRTQTyaMPOBHDmhDcyUge

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Gong Yingxian continued, “Because of your and the additional assassins sent by Purple Flame, the plan underwent many changes, leading to many loopholes. From a criminal investigation perspective, the scene was full of contradictions and unreasonable aspects. Zheng Pei kept demanding to see Yan Jie or the forensic report from Yan Jie, but all were refused. During that time, he and Captain Zhao were at odds every day. We couldn’t trust anyone and could only… try to conceal as much as possible.”QlLvQgYcyCrZnsMMHhDUrqgDTwXCKQ

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Cai Qiang scratched his head: “Actually, I don’t even know the full scope of this plan. That Zheng Pei is really a headache; I have to say he’s quite capable. In normal cases, there are no issues with the procedures, and you can’t pick out any faults with him. As long as he’s around, the precinct won’t have peace.”SGZTzWlLHblkkHDIURAIRFXiAWtpFB

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Mentioning Zheng Pei, both Gong Yingxian and Qiu Yan’s expressions turned sour.ZsPDIoPvfViElYSxNlIyOeyTFXEBse

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Ren Yi also had a strong aversion to Zheng Pei. Perhaps it was because he had never dealt with the police as a suspect before. He had experienced how sharp, perceptive, and aggressive an experienced, tough old cop could be: “So what about now? Is he still at the precinct?”GbqlAoZUWlxCHwChDGKCwEhIPpoLGr

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“Yes, he’s been provoked and won’t let it go easily.” Qiu Yan picked up a nearby mug and took a sip of coffee, his tone softening, “Captain Ren, I can’t detail the pressure and obstacles we faced during that time. We truly have many difficulties; otherwise, we wouldn’t have taken such risks.”lCpPTxCKWOgpcVLHhrnDOcWItiNkAl

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Ren Yi averted his gaze. He was afraid of softening towards Qiu Yan. He could feel Gong Yingxian looking at him from the corner of his eye, but he pretended not to notice and asked, “Have you started investigating Captain Chen’s case?”xSvWcDUwemtJkTKDeLbzlTulgaqIrR

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“We have investigated, and currently, we haven’t found anything suspicious. The evidence and materials stolen by Zhang Wen have likely been destroyed.”cElrqRvsEZSjWDtwQzkNBNaOUyPEpn

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“So you can’t prove that Captain Chen has any issues.” Ren Yi felt complicated. He certainly hoped that Chen Xiaofei was innocent, but he wanted to prove Chen Xiaofei’s innocence with solid evidence, not just insufficient evidence.gRZPXnOxHOnqbRywQrQWlKDvFGPqNY

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“We haven’t approached him yet, so it’s hard to say.”OEVxqSniXKJVFbVhoyedVjdhPdkSQX

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“What about the nurses?” Ren Yi asked, “They really have female members.”lDpmEmvSTwvHNKQBZaIQkvHDqurvhs

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Gong Yingxian said in a low voice, “We have some leads now, but they haven’t been confirmed, so we need to keep it confidential. If you want…”moNMtmdnZKbkncycOeYTgfVJWzEzVD

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“No need.” Ren Yi interrupted, “If it’s something you can’t say, just tell me you can’t say it. I’m not a child; I won’t throw a tantrum.”UNcLgEnMymNeUkYnDlkUUHBXWUrAgo

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Gong Yingxian opened his mouth, seemingly at a loss for words.PGffGmvQttIipAZohFPledAunFnLmx

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Ren Yi said, “Alright, I’ve asked everything I could think of. Now you can ask me.”LJZPHjNaNWyGHsDEvgOqftwhVOQxkH

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Qiu Yan opened his notebook and camera: “Let’s record your statement.”JWRAuIofRycYDIUXavisoqMbHqAmwu

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Ren Yi blinked, remaining silent for half a minute before saying, “I don’t want to repeat the whole thing again. The doctor told me to avoid getting angry; you can just ask about the parts that are missing.”JatLZBBzOKqnjmhZIUTNLBvVbRMkzx

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Qiu Yan cleared his throat and awkwardly nodded: “Okay.”MWbCbwWwfWkylyhjzMJvPCAHPFNiQn

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After it ended, it was still bright outside. Ren Yi checked the time and decided to go to the nursing home. If he went now, he would just in time to have dinner with his dad.xowZUHEFhqNMyIDzYsLoxxIBAzoNba

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“Ren Yi, where are you going?”EIVYsOpOXzwqmeajPwOJyOOykAvZnM

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“Going to see my dad.” Ren Yi walked down the corridor without looking back.ZYJRhkaeFttuHYXProPThNOkDTWlPv

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“I’ll go with you.”fdtnItRlsaivwSrXfAPRQxsaiRSarb

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Ren Yi stopped in his tracks, frowning at him: “You all look busy; don’t waste time on meaningless things.”txFLXiTLlEjVrGEOFUxcuJPRVhhXHz

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“How could this be meaningless?”ZXNtGsuStCLYgSedxyIbWaiyBEZRwc

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“You don’t really want to visit my dad, so it’s meaningless.”QhdcfAnHJPGavIwpnNZBUbCtcwdSnc

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“I want to be with you; is that meaningless?” Gong Yingxian blocked Ren Yi’s path.klCWcYQJhKXrzVpJTrXuALxMZaOtDJ

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“Move aside.” Ren Yi suppressed the anger rising in his chest. He had just been forced to recall how he had been used and kept in the dark. Just looking at Gong Yingxian made his heart burn with rage, but Gong Yingxian couldn’t fathom this layer. Most of the time, this person wasn’t intentionally ignoring or trampling on others’ feelings; it was just that he lacked empathy and found it hard to understand others. “I don’t want to lose my temper at you, nor do I want to argue. Let’s both cool off for a while.”qRaUypoFxjTCICTFZqTMgcyDlaMVLt

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“What you call cooling off is just avoidance, just like last time.” Gong Yingxian looked into Ren Yi’s eyes, “I made a mistake; do you want to give up on me?”GVkNZDyEgSJzzlFgtoCQHFXROwwGQF

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Ren Yi didn’t know how to answer this question when someone happened to turn into the corridor. Ren Yi’s gaze drifted toward him, and the pressure in the air dropped even lower.nqomJmrgYdGtcPNXzsjfzUIPHcANZb

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The person was Zheng Pei.OmJrplnZBhozAqoDbpXBqkxfYiapDo

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Gong Yingxian glanced back, his eyes suddenly cold, revealing more unmasked hostility than the indifferent and arrogant Gong Yingxian in front of most people.LqnXTXwbWEhwDJZfmwcqrHmdCyXwld

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Zheng Pei approached with an expressionless face: “Captain Ren, how is your injury healing?”WxSCSIckOWWwQoZVvTncprjCddBzaH

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“It seems I won’t die anytime soon.”HDGgGDbFtTyfSbRNvSRSbGfnwMxBWv

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“That’s good.” Zheng Pei glanced at Gong Yingxian, “Officer Gong, I’d like to remind you that your ‘too close’ relationship with Captain Ren may raise doubts about his witness status. At the very least, the lawyer will use this as a machine gun to fire at him in court.”mmQJJNngTeDCdaNWeLKxjqqNnrLLBo

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Gong Yingxian looked directly into Zheng Pei’s eyes without flinching: “So what?”jDKYYlIINsKezdLYawWWhZFdUVFdYb

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Zheng Pei smiled coldly.rjUjAksCClynSdsFsYJIKJljAnazIA

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In front of Zheng Pei, Gong Yingxian took Ren Yi’s hand: “Let’s go, this is bad luck.”IxBmnTHWSFxsmmvFAxeRzeDFarZfpK

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Ren Yi wanted to shake it off but felt that no matter what problems existed between the two, they shouldn’t let Zheng Pei see their issues. So he silently let Gong Yingxian pull him away.vOZCcEaNOlhwNuOmzpfVUxlbCSCcAu

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Gong Yingxian held onto Ren Yi’s hand until a colleague walked by, then reluctantly let go but still followed Ren Yi to the parking lot.FBNZXHJmcJiUnTpzWosscUgrPtffJu

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Ren Yi walked to the car, his face stern as he looked at Gong Yingxian: “Be a little more mature.”PYhkPBokcxmgIezcgoPAgtaaotaUmK

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“I rarely have half a day free; I just want to be with you, doing anything is fine, even if it’s just following you.” At that moment, Gong Yingxian’s eyes were inexplicably pure, like a lost little beast, tightly holding onto Ren Yi’s tail, afraid of losing him.yjeYWXmIpzzYiSoroHJgooaNzuxdAq

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Ren Yi took a deep breath: “If you want to follow, then follow.”cSWXWbrIpIIsoRkXwWoHIxIgQhsDWm

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Gong Yingxian’s face lit up with joy.AWiHHsDZWuijkIQSMHPsxgwXTPwiLO

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