They hadn't even reached their destination when one of the thugs, eager to "teach Ye Mo a lesson," triggered Ye Mo's "educational response" a bit early. Including the driver, there were only five men in the Land Rover. They were no match for Ye Mo's fists and kicks. In just a few moments, all of them—except the driver, who only received a couple of slaps—were lying on the floor of the vehicle, groaning in pain with broken limbs.
Ye Mo had held back only because he knew killing people here wasn't something to be done lightly. Otherwise, even he wasn't sure whether he might have killed them.
What surprised him was that none of the thugs had the chance to make a phone call, yet the police showed up so quickly. He certainly didn't believe that Zheng Wenqiao would be kind enough to call the cops. So who was the meddlesome one that called them? The interruption annoyed him deeply.
Clearly, the caller had given detailed information, as the police quickly located and stopped the Land Rover.
Ye Mo glanced at the groaning thugs sprawled across the car and said coldly, "Go back and tell that Zheng guy—I'll come looking for him." With that, he stepped out of the SUV.
"What's going on here? Were you the one who called the police?" asked one of the two officers who stepped out of the police car. The one speaking was a middle-aged cop with a face darkened by cigarette smoke and an impatient expression.
"No, it wasn't me," Ye Mo replied calmly. "These guys tried to kidnap me, and I resisted. That's how things ended up like this. My guess is that some kind-hearted citizen called it in."
The only one who could still walk—the driver—rushed over as if seeing his long-lost father. Pointing at Ye Mo, he exclaimed, "Officer Yu, this is the guy who hijacked my car and forced me to drive out here. Then he started beating all of us up!"
Officer Yu glanced back at the blonde-haired driver and nodded slightly—clearly, he recognized him.
Ye Mo sneered internally. Just by hearing the driver call him "Officer Yu," he could tell there was some shady connection between the cop and these thugs.
As expected, before Ye Mo even finished that thought, Officer Yu turned around and gave him a cold stare. Then he addressed the driver again. "You're saying he hijacked your car and assaulted you? In broad daylight? Was he planning to rob the vehicle?"
"Yes, yes!" the driver said quickly. "He wanted to steal my Land Rover! If we hadn't stopped him, he would've thrown us out and driven away with it."
Ye Mo stayed silent. A part of him wanted to kill them all and flee on the spot, but he knew that with his current level of cultivation, escaping the government's grasp was pure fantasy. Still, he was furious at whoever made that unnecessary police call.
"You're suspected of robbery and causing bodily harm," Officer Yu said, placing his hand on his pistol. "You'll need to come with us to the station." He had already assessed that Ye Mo was not ordinary—anyone who could single-handedly beat down a group like that had to be dangerous.
The younger officer frowned and seemed like he wanted to say something but eventually sighed and stayed quiet.
Since Ye Mo didn't want to kill and escape—not yet—he could only comply and got into the police car. Still, his mind was racing: if anything suspicious happened at the station, he would escape immediately. He just needed to dig up the Silver Heart Grass and flee. One day, he would return and settle the score.
Watching through binoculars from a distance, Su Jingwen found the whole situation baffling. The police arrived and ended up taking the student-looking guy away—while the Land Rover drove off freely. That was ridiculous. She had clearly stated in her call that the thugs in the SUV were attempting a kidnapping. How could things have turned out like this?
Then it hit her—the silhouette of that young man seemed incredibly familiar. She suddenly remembered where she had seen it before. It was the same as the man who sold her the talisman. Though he had worn sunglasses and a low-brimmed cap, his build and aura were unmistakable.
Could it really be him? Whether it was or not, Su Jingwen decided she had to find out. She started driving toward the police station.
Back at the precinct, Officer Yu signaled to two younger cops and said, "Let him rest for a bit—we'll take his statement later."
Ye Mo narrowed his eyes but said nothing. He knew full well this officer had no good intentions. After all, the charges pinned on him were robbery and aggravated assault.
As expected, instead of being led to a resting area, he was shoved into a large holding cell used for temporary detentions.
When Ye Mo entered, there were already seven or eight people inside. Four of them—burly, tattooed men—were grouped together in the center. From their muscular builds and inked limbs, it was clear these were no strangers to violence. The others huddled in corners and only gave Ye Mo a cautious glance before quickly looking away.
Ye Mo quickly concluded that this wasn't a formal prison cell but a temporary holding room. Once charges were confirmed, inmates would likely be moved to a more secure facility. One look at the four muscle-bound guys and Ye Mo understood what Officer Yu was trying to do—he wanted someone else to teach Ye Mo a lesson.
As soon as Ye Mo entered, the four burly men turned their eyes to him. The one with a scar on his chin was clearly their leader. However, much to Ye Mo's surprise, after a few moments of watching him, the group looked away and resumed chatting amongst themselves.
Ye Mo swept his gaze across them once and lost interest. What he was really inspecting was the cell—specifically, how to break out if needed.
But his hearing was exceptional. Even though the group spoke in low tones, Ye Mo still caught one of them whispering:
"Scar Bro, why don't we rough up that pretty boy a bit? Maybe get him to pay some respect?"
"Don't," said Scar Bro, the man with the chin scar. "This guy's no pushover. We're getting out in a few days—no point in causing trouble now. It's obvious the cops want us to beat him up, but I'm not falling for it. Didn't you see? He walked in without a hint of fear. His eyes are cold. This guy's dangerous. Stay away from him."
Feeling somewhat reassured, Ye Mo relaxed. Judging from the cell's layout, he could break out if things turned ugly. For now, he decided to get some sleep.
Scanning the room, he noticed that the cleanest bed was the one Scar Bro was sitting on—near a window, with fresh air.
"Move. I want to sleep," Ye Mo said, walking up to Scar Bro and making a statement that left everyone in shock.
"What did you say?" Scar Bro stood up, stunned. He hadn't picked a fight with Ye Mo, yet this kid dared to challenge him?
Ye Mo's tone turned cold. "I said move. I want to sleep. Didn't you hear me?"