The Jinghai City Central Precinct was buzzing with the midnight shift, but the moment I stepped through the sliding glass doors, the noise died down.
When you are the sole heir to the Chu Consortium—a company that practically funds the city's infrastructure—people recognize you.
"Mr. Chu!" the desk sergeant scrambled to his feet, nearly spilling his coffee. "What brings you here at this hour? Has something happened to the estate?"
"No," I said smoothly, walking straight past the desk toward the holding cells. "I'm here about a waiter who was brought in twenty minutes ago by Ye Tianxing's men. A lunatic in a wine-stained uniform."
The sergeant swallowed hard. "Ah, the assault suspect. Captain Xia is interrogating him right now in Room 3. But sir, you can't go back there—"
I didn't wait for permission. I pushed through the double doors and walked down the sterile hallway until I reached Interrogation Room 3. I didn't go in immediately. I stood behind the two-way mirror, watching the scene unfold.
Sitting handcuffed to the metal table was Lin Tian. Even covered in dried red wine and dirt, he still wore that insufferable, arrogant smirk.
Standing across from him was Xia Luo.
So this is the second heroine, I thought, my eyes narrowing.
The author of The Ultimate Medical Immortal definitely had a type. Xia Luo was striking. She wore a tailored police uniform that did absolutely nothing to hide her incredible figure. Her dark hair was pulled into a strict ponytail, and her sharp, beautiful face was currently flushed with anger.
"I'll ask you one more time," Xia Luo slammed her hands onto the metal table, leaning in close. "Why did you attack Old Master Ye in that alleyway with lethal needles?"
Lin Tian leaned back, his eyes greedily dropping to her neckline before snapping back up to her face. He gave a soft, confident chuckle.
"Captain Xia, you misunderstand," Lin Tian said, his voice dropping an octave into his 'charming protagonist' register. "I wasn't attacking him. I am a descendant of the Divine Medical Valley. I was saving his life. Those police who brought me in are corrupt."
Xia Luo scoffed, her eyes burning with disgust. "A divine doctor? Working as a part-time waiter at a restaurant? Do you think I'm an idiot?"
"It's the truth," Lin Tian smiled, leaning forward. "In fact, my medical eyes can see that you aren't perfectly healthy either, Captain Xia. You have a fiery temper, which leads to liver stagnation. You probably experience a sharp pain in your chest every night at midnight, right? If you let me massage the meridian points on your chest, I can cure you."
Behind the glass, I almost laughed out loud.
It was the most cliché, trash-tier pick-up line in urban web novel history. And incredibly, in the original plot, this was exactly what made Xia Luo fall for him! Because she did have a hidden illness, she was supposed to be shocked by his accuracy and slowly fall into his harem.
Not tonight.
I pushed the door open and stepped into the interrogation room.
"Actually, Captain Xia," I said, my voice cutting through the heavy tension in the room like a blade. "He's just a pervert trying to cop a feel. Your chest pain isn't a mystical meridian illness. It's costochondritis—inflammation of the cartilage from overworking at the gym. Take some ibuprofen."
Both of them snapped their heads toward me.
"Chu Feng!" Lin Tian roared, the confident smirk instantly vanishing from his face. He thrashed against his handcuffs, the metal chair rattling violently against the floor. "You bastard! You framed me!"
Xia Luo stood up straight, her hand resting instinctively on her utility belt. She glared at me, her sharp eyes taking in my tailored suit and relaxed posture. She hated rich second-generation heirs almost as much as she hated criminals.
"Mr. Chu. This is an active interrogation," she said coldly. "You are interfering with police work. Get out."
I ignored Lin Tian entirely and walked right up to the table, stopping just a few feet from Xia Luo. I looked down at her, meeting her fierce gaze without flinching.
"Interfering? I'm the key witness, Captain," I said calmly. "I was the one who found this lunatic standing over Ye Tianxing with unsterilized needles. If I hadn't had my security pull him off and administered first aid, the old man would be in the morgue right now."
"Liar!" Lin Tian screamed, his face turning purple. "Captain Xia, he's lying! He fed Old Master Ye a poison pill! Take my pulse! Look at my internal energy! I am a martial arts master!"
Xia Luo rubbed her temples, clearly getting a migraine from the screaming waiter. She looked back at me, her suspicion evident. "You administered first aid? The Chu Consortium heir knows trauma care?"
"Enough to know you don't stick dirty needles into an open knife wound," I replied smoothly. I leaned casually against the wall, crossing my arms. "Has he shown you his medical license yet? Or did he just offer to feel you up to cure your 'liver fire'?"
Xia Luo's face flushed slightly as she realized exactly what Lin Tian had been trying to do. She turned back to the protagonist, her disgust now absolute.
"I don't need a license! I have the ancient inheritance!" Lin Tian yelled desperately. He could feel his destined heroine slipping away. The plot armor was shattering. "Chu Feng, you piece of trash! You think your money can protect you from me?!"
Suddenly, a terrifying pressure erupted from Lin Tian's body.
He had lost his mind. His protagonist aura, sensing the complete collapse of his destiny, triggered a forced breakthrough.
Snap!
The heavy steel handcuffs shattered like cheap plastic.
"I'll kill you right now!" Lin Tian roared. He lunged across the metal table, his fist glowing with a faint, deadly internal qi, aiming straight for my throat.
"Look out!" Xia Luo yelled, reaching for her sidearm. But she was too slow.
Lin Tian was fast. In the original novel, this punch would have shattered a concrete pillar.
But earlier tonight, I didn't just get Villain Points. I received the Master-Level Martial Arts Mastery reward. And right now, to my newly enhanced eyes, Lin Tian looked like he was moving in slow motion.
I didn't retreat. I didn't even uncross my arms.
As his fist came within an inch of my face, I simply shifted my weight, raised my right leg, and delivered a devastating, lightning-fast front kick directly into his sternum.
CRACK.
Lin Tian's eyes bulged out of his skull as all the air was violently forced from his lungs. The kinetic force of my kick lifted him entirely off the ground and launched him backward. He crashed through the metal chairs and slammed into the concrete wall of the interrogation room, instantly coughing up a mouthful of blood before slumping to the floor, unconscious.
The room fell deathly silent.
Xia Luo stood frozen, her hand hovering over her holster. She stared at the unconscious 'martial arts master' crushed against the wall, and then slowly turned her wide, disbelieving eyes toward me.
I calmly brushed a speck of dust off my pant leg and adjusted my cuffs.
"Well," I said softly, looking at the stunned police captain. "I suppose that's assault on a witness, property damage, and resisting arrest. Add it to his tab."
[Ding!] [Major Plot Alteration!] [The Protagonist's physical dominance has been utterly crushed in front of a Destined Heroine!] [Destiny Points -500!] [Captain Xia Luo has developed intense curiosity and respect for the Host! Affection +15!] [Congratulations Host! You have triggered a Gold-Tier System Plunder. Would you like to extract the Protagonist's 'Divine Medical Inheritance'?]
I looked down at the pathetic lump of the former protagonist and smiled.
Extract it.