When Sam Li returned to Hare's House...
That same night, on the other side of New Eridu, in the Janus District Security Bureau, Zhu Yuan, Qingyi, and Seth, with the support of numerous security personnel, successfully escorted more than twenty Mountain Lion Gang criminals back to the bureau.
Among them was Jane, a supposed former member of the Mountain Lion Gang.
In truth, she wasn't a real gang member but a criminal expert hired by the Security Bureau to go undercover within the Mountain Lion Gang and assist in their takedown from the inside.
That had been the plan.
However, Sam Li's unexpected involvement turned the complicated operation into mere scrap paper. He single-handedly dismantled the entire Mountain Lion Gang with ease.
Even so, Zhu Yuan still expressed her thanks to Jane.
Off to the side, Seth glanced at Captain Zhu Yuan, then at Jane, a bit embarrassed.
Just an hour earlier, in the gang's hideout at the old construction site's Hollows, Seth had seen Jane for the first time and assumed she was a Mountain Lion Gang member who had slipped through their net. He tried to arrest her on the spot—only to be completely played by her.
It wasn't until later that he learned Jane was actually an undercover agent sent by the Security Bureau.
That twist made Seth feel more than a little awkward.
Scratching his head, Seth said awkwardly, "Um... Miss Jane, I'm sorry. I acted too hastily without understanding the situation and almost hurt you…"
Jane flashed a sly smile, then straightened her expression. "Oh? Since you've apologized, I'll ask for a bit less in medical compensation."
Seth blinked. "Medical compensation? Uh... how much do you want? I'll pay it."
Jane toyed with her fingers, putting on a mock-serious expression. "One million, two million, three million… Considering you're an officer, I'll settle for five million Dennies."
Seth's eyes widened. "Five million?!"
His monthly salary was only 200,000.
Five million Dennies was more than two years of income. As a rookie, there was no way he had that kind of money.
He couldn't even scrape together a million, let alone five.
Still, Seth didn't consider dodging the debt.
Clenching his teeth, he said seriously, "I'm sorry, Miss Jane. I'll pay you back slowly…"
Seeing how earnest he was, Qingyi finally stepped in, unable to hold back. "Seth, she's messing with you. Instead of giving her money, you might as well treat me to some tea."
Seth paused. "Wait—Miss Jane was joking?"
Jane smiled. "If there's tea involved, count me in."
Seth fell silent, full of regret. "…"
Tea in New Eridu was ridiculously expensive.
Treating the two of them would easily cost him a month or two's salary.
The group chatted as they walked into the Security Bureau.
In the meeting room, they reported the details of the operation to their superior.
Although the actual events strayed far from the original plan, the results were indisputably a major success.
After hearing the report, the commander turned to Jane. "What exactly happened before Zhu Yuan and Qingyi arrived? How did you and Mr. Sam Li manage to take down the entire Mountain Lion Gang?"
There had only been two of them—Sam Li and Jane.
The gang had over twenty members, plus their notoriously difficult boss, Razor.
In a situation like that, if the gang lost, they would usually scatter. It was almost guaranteed some would escape.
Yet somehow, every single one was captured by Sam Li and Jane.
Not a single one got away.
Jane took a deep breath. "To be precise, it was Sam Li alone who took down the entire Mountain Lion Gang."
The commander raised an eyebrow. "Oh? What, does he have three heads and six arms?"
Jane laughed. "He's still human, of course not. But he can create clones. He controlled rocks and made dozens of stone clones that surrounded the entire gang…"
Thinking back on it, Jane couldn't help but chuckle.
Originally, it had been the Mountain Lion Gang ganging up on Sam Li. But the moment those rock giants appeared, the situation flipped instantly.
She continued slowly, "I know it sounds unbelievable—even I couldn't believe it was real—but it happened. I think his ability to control rocks comes from his attribute. His attribute is Geo!"
Everyone's first reaction was disbelief.
But then, they remembered the Hollows Special Operations Department's recent investigations. For the past two months, they'd been searching for a new attribute—one they'd named "Geo."
Could it be…
Was Sam Li the person the Special Operations Department had been looking for all along?
At that realization, Zhu Yuan's eyes widened in shock.
"It was Sam Li..."
The one Hoshimi Miyabi couldn't find—Zhu Yuan had.
Everything made sense now. No wonder Sam Li was so powerful. In all of Old and New Eridu's history, every pioneer of a new attribute had become one of the strongest.
Like the founder of the Xingjian family…
Or the creator of the Hollows Special Operations Department...
These were the people who stood firm against the final waves of Hollow erosion and built the last human city.
Zhu Yuan was stunned. "So he's that powerful!"
Qingyi took a sip of tea and smiled. "Maybe those students were right—maybe he really is the savior sent to New Eridu from the heavens."
Savior?
That was definitely over the top.
Everyone but Qingyi took it as a joke. "Savior" was just a movie trope, nothing more.
Still, they all recognized how important Sam Li was.
Based on what they knew, Sam Li was very likely the first person with the Geo attribute—and he was bound to become one of the strongest in all of New Eridu.
Recruiting him to the Security Bureau would be ideal.
After a brief silence, the commander finally said, "I think we've already given Sam Li two medals, haven't we? What should we do to reward him this time?"
A bigger medal? More Dennies?
Sam Li probably wouldn't care about either.
Qingyi smiled. "I suggest that, in addition to the usual rewards, we grant him the honorary title of Security Officer."
She had tried inviting Sam Li to join the Security Bureau before.
But the owner of Hare's House wouldn't let him go, and Sam Li himself wasn't planning to quit. There was no way to poach him.
So this time, Qingyi came up with a new idea—no need for him to resign. Just award him an honorary title instead.