Chapter 26: A Dilemma: I Choose to Be Loyal to You Even if It Takes the Whole World...
When Gu Yifeng stepped into the office, Deputy Director Lu Tao was reviewing documents with his head down.
On the heavy solid wood table, a pistol and an ID were placed side by side, shining coldly under the incandescent light.
"Sit down." Lu Tao said without raising his head.
After Gu Yifeng sat down, Lu Tao pushed a file in front of him.
"To cut a long story short, late last night, Wen Yi lost control of her abilities in the Bureau's underground laboratory, causing a structural collapse. Thirteen staff members were injured to varying degrees, including five core researchers. She subsequently fled and disappeared." Lu Tao's voice was calm, almost cold. "And you, Gu Yifeng, are her supervisor."
Gu Yifeng's eyes fell on the file, his knuckles tightening slightly. He sneered inwardly. Everyone knew how Wen Yi had gotten into the lab. He knew the report was just a script written by the higher-ups to cover up the truth, but he couldn't reveal it.
"I was negligent in my oversight, and I am willing to bear all consequences."
"You'll take responsibility?" Lu Tao put down his pen and gently pushed up his glasses, a cold light reflecting off the lenses. "How will you bear the consequences?"
Gu Yifeng slowly raised his head: "Demotion, dismissal, investigation, whatever the case may be, I will accept it."
"Xiao Gu," Lu Tao tapped the table. "I personally promoted you. I trust your abilities, but you're still too emotional."
Gu Yifeng didn't say anything.
"Wen Yi's actions unilaterally violated the 'Supernatural Power Supervision Agreement' with the Investigation Bureau. You should be aware of what this means."
Gu Yifeng raised his eyes and said in a low voice, "What does Deputy Director Lu need me to do?"
"The bureau has issued a wanted order for Wen Yi." Lu Tao paused and continued, "Considering your relationship with her, the higher-ups are willing to give you a chance—you have to personally apprehend her."
Gu Yifeng frowned and said slowly: "Do I have the right to say no?"
"You have two choices." Lu Tao slowly pushed Gu Yifeng's gun and ID in front of him, and the friction between metal and wood made a harsh sound.
"Your position will be restored on the condition that she is brought to justice alive within 72 hours. Or..." He took out a "Resignation Application" with the Investigation Bureau's seal already stamped on the signature.
"If you choose the former, you'll remain the director of the Special Case Investigations Division. Your previous dereliction of duty will not be pursued. All the bureau's resources are at your disposal," Lu Tao continued, looking out the window at the thick darkness. "If you choose the latter... you'll lose all power and resources."
This is not giving him a choice, but forcing him to make a sacrifice.
"I know you have feelings for her," Lu Tao continued, "but she's completely against you now. If you want to get her, without the support of the Investigation Bureau, you can't even get through the Wen family's door."
Gu Yifeng glanced at the pistol on the table and said coldly, "Deputy Director Lu trusts me too much. If she wants, she can kill me in an instant. Why should I bring her back? With this gun?"
Lu Tao said meaningfully, "Others can't do it, but you can, because she trusts you. Using the relationship between you to solve the problem without bloodshed is the best solution."
Gu Yifeng looked out the window silently, the night was dark.
Holding a gun means he has to stand against her; but if he puts down the gun, how can he protect her in the storm?
He originally thought that the reunion after fifteen years was a redemption and a gift from fate.
Now I understand that this is the beginning of another test.
"Choose, Gu Yifeng." Lu Tao leaned back in his chair. "Will you stand on our side, or give up everything for someone who will never belong to you?"
Gu Yifeng raised his eyes, his gaze clear. He reached out and took his ID and gun.
"I will find her." He stood up, his voice calm, "But I have one request. No one else is allowed to interfere with my team's work."
After leaving the deputy director's office, he did not go home or return to the special operations team, but went straight to the new forensic room.
When Gu Yifeng pushed the door open, Dai Yiming was standing on tiptoe, filing a box of documents.
"You're just in time." He turned around upon hearing the noise and pointed to the pile of files at the door. "Give me that box."
Gu Yifeng handed the box over and asked in a low voice, "Has Wen Yi been here?"
Dai Yiming paused, a complex expression flashing across his eyes. He quickly walked to the door, gently closed it, and said in a low voice, "She didn't show up. Two men came instead. One of them is older... he should be her father."
Gu Yifeng nodded: "How is your recovery?"
"It should be fine! We'll do another set of tests tomorrow." Dai Yiming said, unable to conceal his excitement. "I've also seen people with superpowers."
Gu Yifeng felt a tightness in his chest and whispered, "They took Wen Yi away."
"Huh?! Why?" Dai Yiming was stunned, then suddenly seemed to realize something, "I heard... the Investigation Bureau has issued a warrant for her."
Gu Yifeng lowered his eyelids, a dark current surging in his eyes, and said in a low voice: "The higher-ups have designated me to arrest her personally."
"What?!" Dai Yiming could hardly believe his ears. "You said you were going to capture Wen Yi? Do you really know what you're doing?"
"She left with her father and brother, and you are the last person to see them. The investigation starts with you." The shadow under his brow blurred his expression, just like his unclear position at the moment.
Dai Yiming frowned, his expression shifting from shock to resistance. "I've never met Wen Yi's father or brother. You'd better give up on this idea." He turned around and continued to sort through the documents, saying impatiently, "Go, go, go! We're blocking the light."
Gu Yifeng stood there, looked at him for a moment, and finally turned and walked towards the door.
"Wait!" Dai Yiming called out to him, "Take this!"
A case file was handed to Gu Yifeng.
"This is the latest investigative report on Geng Jun, the first victim in the Miaopu Triple Corpse Case," Dai Yiming explained. "His DNA matches that of suspects in several unsolved rape cases. This bastard is a serial rapist, and he's been at large due to lack of evidence... Does Guo Qingyu consider killing him as a way of eliminating harm to the people?"
"What exactly do you want to say?" Gu Yifeng opened the case file, and the papers rustled.
"The unidentified body died from human experiments, and Guo Qingyu has nothing to do with it." Dai Yiming continued, his tone tinged with anger and confusion. "Geng Jun is an unforgivable criminal, and Guo Qingyu simply did what the law doesn't. Lu Chen participated in Project Zero, and Guo Qingyu acted to protect himself. Wen Yi saved me...but now they're wanted criminals."
The sound of sirens outside the window came closer and closer, and red and blue lights flashed alternately on the two people's faces through the window.
"Gu Yifeng," Dai Yiming suddenly said seriously, "I don't know if you really want to arrest Wen Yi, or if you're just playing coy with the higher-ups at the Bureau of Investigation. But no matter what, from my selfish perspective, I hope you never find her."
"Then give it a try." Gu Yifeng closed the case file, turned around and walked towards the door.
"Gu Yifeng!" Dai Yiming asked from behind him, "As the head of the Investigation Bureau, are you loyal to your oath or to your heart?"
He paused and did not answer.
"Don't pretend you don't understand." Dai Yiming's voice was filled with anxiety. "Do you want to be a 'good person', or do you want her?"
"You misunderstood," Gu Yifeng said word by word, still with his back to him, "I never came to the Investigation Bureau to be a 'good guy'."
*
Wen Yi looked at the changeable sky outside the car window, which was exactly like her mood at the moment.
It had been a day and a night since she left Gu Yifeng, and every second felt like a blunt knife cutting into her flesh. She looked down at her empty left hand, where she once wore the ring he had given her.
That was also the moment when she thought she was closest to happiness.
The air around her was faintly distorted and fluctuating, a manifestation of her unstable emotions and out-of-control strength.
An invisible barrier unfolded from behind, instantly enveloping her. The raging energy was suppressed, and Wen Yi turned around to see Wen Chi walking towards her.
"After we finish our work here, we will leave Yunhu City."
"So soon?" Wen Yi was stunned. Was there any chance for her and Gu Yifeng to meet again?
Once she returned to the mountain, according to the secret agreement, no one without permission was allowed to approach Yuexi Mountain, and then she and Gu Yifeng might no longer have a chance. The Wen family and secular society have always been clearly separated.
"Time is running out. We need to act quickly to protect those persecuted members of the branch tribe. It's only a matter of time before we fall out with the Investigation Bureau." Wen Chi looked at her pale face and asked, "Are you thinking about him again?"
"Brother, I'm wondering if I might have seen it wrong." Her voice was soft, with a hint of uncertainty. "The ending I saw wasn't with him, but that might just be one of countless possibilities. Why can't I change the future? I clearly had the opportunity to rewrite the ending myself..."
"The first rule of the Wen family motto," Wen Chi interrupted her, "is to follow the current situation and avoid unnecessary arguments."
"There's no deep blood feud between us." Her tone was filled with resentment. "Maybe there's just some misunderstanding. I can go find him and ask..."
Before she finished speaking, Wen Chi's phone lit up and an urgent news channel about the Investigation Bureau popped up, interrupting her.
"...Now inserting the live broadcast of the National Security Bureau's special press conference."
They both looked at the screen at the same time.
In the picture, Gu Yifeng walked onto the podium wearing the standard suit of the Investigation Bureau commander.
It's him!
Wen Yi's heart began to beat faster.
Although they had only not seen each other for one day, he looked much more haggard, with the fine lines between his eyebrows deeper and his eyes so cold that they made her feel unfamiliar.
"Everyone," Gu Yifeng's voice came through the microphone, and every word hit her heart. "At 11:17 PM the day before yesterday, someone broke into our bureau's seventh laboratory, causing a structural collapse in the experimental area. The accident caused varying degrees of injuries to thirteen people, including five core researchers."
Wen Yi trembled all over and pinched her fingers tightly into her palms.
He paused for a moment, his eyes fixed on the camera, as if looking through it at her. "Investigation has confirmed that the incident was caused by Wen Yi, a person with special abilities, losing control of her abilities.
There was dead silence in the car.
"Given that his actions caused serious damage to national security facilities, and that he chose to flee afterward, our bureau is now officially issuing a Level 1 wanted warrant for Wen Yi."
Gu Yifeng pressed a button, and a photo of Wen Yi appeared on the big screen. "Any act of shielding will be considered complicity."
Wen Yi leaned back unconsciously, her breathing stagnant.
Two days ago, this man had held her in his arms, expressing his love deep within her body. Now, he stood on a cold podium, issuing a wanted order for her, as if she were the most dangerous person with special abilities.
"Finally, I want to say a few words to Wen Yi herself." Gu Yifeng looked directly into the camera. "I know exactly what you did."
His voice was low and cold, but every word was clear.
She held her breath. Yes, you know everything.
"I will find you."
Is this a threat or a promise?
"Catch you with my own hands." His eyes suppressed a certain madness, as if he wanted to grab her soul directly through the screen.
What is he implying?
"Then I will place you under my supervision—"
He paused for a second, his eyes softening slightly.
"—for the rest of my life."
Wen Yi's tears rolled down instantly.
"Spend the rest of your life"
Not paying a price, not standing trial, but “living the rest of your life.”
The news footage was cut off, and the car fell into silence, with only Wen Yi's sobbing remaining.
He put on a show in front of everyone, telling her with every word:
"Wait for me, I will find you, and then..."
"...I will guard you for the rest of my life."
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