"Ranked first? Impressive! Wonder what the reward is?" everyone said enviously.

Ever since Sang Liwu learned that scores could be exchanged for secret manuals, he had spread the news. As a result, everyone had been more enthusiastic lately, scrambling for tasks posted in the main hall.

Amidst the constant announcements, Shao Qi laughed and said to Zhou You, "Hearing this makes it sound like I've cunningly taken all the credit from you. You're not mad, are you?"

Zhou You gave him a nudge with his foot, "Get up! Didn't the ginseng disappear after you handed in the mission? I want to see its features. You were quick on your feet!"

"I had no choice; it was surprisingly strong and slippery. It's not a mutated beast we could just kill. What if it escaped? It would've been a total loss."

"Alright, alright. Let's get moving. We should log off now. Those guys below are getting restless. They'll probably surround you soon. Do you want to be gawked at like a circus monkey?"

Both hurriedly got into the car and sped off, logging out halfway through. When they exited the game room, they heard a commotion outside. They exchanged glances before venturing out.

"What's all the noise about?" Shao Qi coldly inquired. The surrounding air seemed to freeze, and the clamor abruptly ceased.

"You two are finally out." Su Ting'er said with a headache, pointing outside, "The Zhu family has arrived, and they're well-prepared this time. They've hired a group of thugs, claiming they've come to demand someone from us."

"Demand someone? Me?" Shao Qi stepped out into the courtyard, observing the noisy crowd outside. Instead of the previous ceremonial lamentations, this time they were digging around the mansion.

"No, they're claiming two people from their family have gone missing and accuse our villa of holding them captive. Even the city defense team has come, claiming they want to search the place." Su Ting'er thought about the two people they had locked in the basement. Since their identities hadn’t been verified, they were kept detained.

He whispered to Shao Qi, "It must be the two we caught a few days ago. Should we hand them over?"

Shao Qi raised an eyebrow, responding indifferently, "Hand over who? Since when have we detained anyone here? Go inside; I'll handle this."

From his words, Su Ting'er could tell things would not end well for the Zhu family. So, he cheerfully retreated indoors, leaving just Shao Qi, Zhou You, and Miao Miao in the courtyard.

"Which member of the city defense team is here?" Shao Qi called out loudly.

A bald man emerged from the back of the crowd, squeezing out a smile through the iron gate, "Mr. Shao, I am Ge Yong, captain of the third squad of the city defense team."

"Captain Ge, since they're causing a scene at my mansion without any evidence, can I deal with them as I see fit?"

Qin Lifen placed a chair behind Shao Qi. Pulling Zhou You to sit, Shao Qi continued, "If there's no evidence, who authorized this search?"

Captain Ge initially didn't want to come, but the Zhu family offered significant incentives. Considering the residents here were outsiders, he mustered the courage. But facing Shao Qi's formidable presence, he couldn't even lift his head. It was no wonder Shao Qi dared to act against the Zhu family.

"We... we don't have a search warrant. However, there were witnesses who saw the two individuals enter Litchi Villa, but they never left, so..."

"This is news to me. Since when can one search a citizen's residence without evidence or a warrant? Is this how Yang City Base operates?"

Ge Yong remained silent, but the Zhu family members grew incensed, "You openly killed in the base, incurring a death penalty regardless of your status. If you don't open the gate today, we have ways to get in!"

Shao Qi took a step closer, recognizing him as Zhu Rongwei's elder brother, Zhu Shikun's father. Surveying the dozen or so menacing thugs outside, he turned to Zhou You and asked, "Would you mind committing murder at our doorstep?"

Zhou You shook his head, "We're not vegetarian monks bound by vows against taking life. Who among us hasn't killed?"

Shao Qi nodded with satisfaction, "True. I thought one death from the Zhu family was enough, but it seems they're quite considerate, coming right to our doorstep."

He glanced at Qin Lifen, who took out a folder and began reading out the Zhu family's numerous crimes. Besides Zhu Shikun, many others in the family were implicated.

"Stop reading! That's defamation! Slander! We'll sue you!" shouted Zhu Shikun's parents anxiously.

As Zhou You listened to each misdeed, he could only murmur to himself, "Good riddance." The public had only seen the tip of the iceberg. The Zhu family had been kidnapping and training children for years—some as assassins, others as spies. Countless had died in the process.

"How could the criminal investigation team and the city defense not know of such a huge scandal?" Zhou You wondered aloud. Unlike Jiangnan Base's underground lab where people were forcibly brought from outside, making them harder to trace, these were ordinary folks. Surely the large-scale disappearances would've raised suspicions?

"Are they all orphans?"

"In a way, yes. The Zhu family has set up an orphanage, mainly for children without parents. There are also children who are abandoned due to birth defects. This orphanage is the Zhu family's den of iniquities. You'd be surprised at what they can do, and a lot of people are aware of this." Shao Qi glanced over the crowd and said, "Those of you who wish to leave now may do so without consequence. But if you choose to stay, I won't be lenient afterward."

"You... you dare to murder in the face of law enforcement?"

"Murder? Hardly. It's more like exterminating vermin. Do you wonder why Xu Yintian doesn't care about your lives? He's already aware and deeply remorseful. If you weren't somewhat useful, you would have been arrested days ago."