The moonlight finally broke free from the clouds, its pale rays spilling onto the open ground in front of the ancestral hall, intertwining with the still-burning firelight, and gilding the haphazardly laid corpses with an eerie silver-red hue.

Severed limbs, bullet casings, charred wood, and congealed bloodstains were intertwined, and even the wind seemed to howl, making the scene of devastation all the more tragic.

Cheng Muyun stood in this deathly silence and let out a long sigh.

But the tightness in his chest didn't go away; instead, it felt like something was blocking it, making it hard for him to breathe.

He slowly turned around, his lifeless eyes falling on Chen Hede, and then he slowly stretched out his hands.

Chen Hede froze, his brows furrowing as he stared at the outstretched hand, his voice trembling with disbelief: "What...do you mean?"

Cheng Muyun tilted his body slightly, first clenching his fists, then slowly opening them, bringing his hands together, and presenting his wrists to Chen Hede.

His voice was hoarse, as if it had been sanded, yet it carried an undeniable firmness. His previously dim gaze suddenly sharpened like a drawn sword: "I've killed and set fires; I'm an absolute and notorious villain. You're a righteous person, and Zepeng needs you to support him."

Chen Hede's eyes widened suddenly, his pupils contracted sharply—he seemed to have already guessed what was coming next, and a layer of cold sweat instantly seeped out of his back.

“Chen Hede,” Cheng Muyun continued, each word like a blow to a metal plate, “you need to stand in the light and accept everyone’s trust. I am willing to stand in the shadows to build the most solid foundation for what you are going to do.”

There was no hesitation in his eyes, only a resolute determination like a warrior cutting off his own arm, and a touch of indifference from a prisoner awaiting execution.

Standing on the steps of the ancestral hall, Chen Hede looked at Cheng Muyun's tall yet dejected figure, and felt as if a huge rock had been pressed down on his heart, causing him a heavy pain.

"You must stand against me." Cheng Muyun's voice rang out again, clear and cold. "Arrest me, Chen Hede."

Chen Hede's fingers trembled uncontrollably, his fingertips almost digging into his palms.

Looking into Cheng Muyun's calm, almost deathly eyes, he felt as if his heart was being gripped by an invisible hand—this person had clearly sentenced him to death, personally extinguishing even the last shred of hope for self-salvation.

He suddenly remembered Xu Zhuohua, the girl who always quietly followed behind Cheng Muyun.

The most painful thing in the world is probably when two people who love each other deeply are separated by death, and the one who is still alive feels as if half of their soul has been forcibly taken away.

Cheng Muyun looks like he's lost his soul right now.

"I..." Chen Hede opened his mouth, but his throat felt blocked.

He didn't want to arrest Cheng Muyun, but reason was screaming at him.

When he went to Cheng's mansion to rescue people a few days ago, he had already incurred the displeasure of his superiors, and those suspicious eyes felt like needles pricking his back.

When tomorrow's newspapers come out, Cheng Muyun's crimes of murder and arson will be all over the place. It's no wonder he, the policeman who was at the scene, will be considered an accomplice. Zhu

The warning he gave before he took the water still echoed in his ears: "If you keep protecting him, you'll have to take off this police uniform sooner or later."

Xiao Wuxin still needs him; the restoration of order requires someone who can stand firm.

He must be upright and honest, and be someone everyone can trust.

Cheng Muyun, on the other hand, voluntarily stepped into the shadows.

Those shady, dirty things that can't be done in the light of day, those things that require dirty hands to accomplish, are best left to a "big devil".

In any case, the world has already labeled him as a serial killer, a mad dog without a chain.

Who cares what a mad dog did?

Chen Hede closed his eyes briefly, and when he opened them again, all that remained in his eyes was a heavy sense of resolve.

He slowly pulled out the handcuffs from his waist; the soft clinking of the metal chains was particularly jarring in the deathly silence.

The moment the handcuffs clicked onto Cheng Muyun's wrists, a blinding flash suddenly went off, exploding into a white dot in the dim night.

Cheng Muyun subconsciously looked up and saw a man in a trench coat standing not far away, the camera in his hand still warm.

The Dongzhou Army was clearly guarding the perimeter, so how did this person sneak in? Wasn't he afraid of being hit by stray bullets? And how dare he take pictures of the police and the "criminal" at this time?

Just as Chen Hede's doubts were forming in his mind, he saw Cheng Muyun curl the corners of his lips at the reporter.

That smile was very faint, yet it was like a key that instantly unlocked all the knots in Chen Hede's heart—it turned out that he had thought of this long ago.

Yes, this reporter must have been arranged by Cheng Muyun in advance.

A photo of "police arresting a serial killer" published in the newspaper is enough to completely clear his name and allow him to stand in the sunlight as an "executor of justice."

Chen Hede looked at Cheng Muyun, and his throat suddenly tightened.

He had never felt the man's deep scheming so clearly before; hidden within those layers of calculations was a resolute determination to destroy everything.

Heartache and shock washed over him like a tidal wave, and he spoke with difficulty, "Does it have to be this way?"

Guilt gripped his heart like vines, suffocating him.

Cheng Muyun's tone was as light as a breeze across water: "This is the only way. Only by severing ties with you can I act with complete freedom."

"What are you going to do?" Chen Hede's heart tightened suddenly, and he had a bad feeling.

Cheng Muyun smiled, and tears welled up in the corners of his eyes.

He looked up at the moon on the horizon, its light murky by the smoke of battle, and said in a voice as soft as a sigh, “Tomorrow, the newspapers will be filled with reports of our irreconcilable differences. The night after tomorrow, I will break out of prison and burn down the Luo mansion. From then on, the Dongzhou Army will be independent and rule its own territory.”

He turned his head, his gaze meeting Chen Hede's eyes, which were filled with shock, and said, word by word, "From now on, we will rely on the Eastbound Southern Route for communication. Deputy Director Chen, you and I... have different paths and cannot work together."

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