"Hmph…" (Dojou Kazuaki)
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Perhaps he was taken aback by Bai Yaxin's pretentiousness.
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Or maybe he scorned Bai Yaxin's tricks.
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Dojou Kazuaki let out a cold chuckle, his gaze as devoid of warmth as his laughter.
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With a look of pity and contempt, his eyes fixated on Bai Yaxin, perhaps even with a purifying effect to cleanse the sins from him.
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After a moment of contemplation, Dojou Kazuaki ran his hand through his hair, making the once neat hair a bit disheveled, adding a touch of world-weariness.
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It was his habit, not because his hair was itchy, but rather when he decided on something, he would run his hand through his hair.
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The sensation of the strands sliding between his fingertips made Dojou Kazuaki feel good.
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"No problem, let's make a bet." (Dojou Kazuaki)
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Dojou Kazuaki's response was unexpected to Bai Yaxin, but for the others present, it was no surprise.
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As insiders, Kusakura Rei and Mizukawa Linfan knew the situation, and in their eyes, it made sense for Dojou Kazuaki to decide to gamble with Bai Yaxin.
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Both Kurokawa and Shiraishi were here to fight Bai Yaxin to the bitter end, so there was no reason for anyone to back down at this crucial moment.
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If Dojou Kazuaki wavered here, Kurokawa and Shiraishi would be the first to pounce on him.
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Yes, the only one taken aback was Bai Yaxin.
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He never imagined that these soft-hearted police officers would have such strong backbones one day.
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The two locked eyes, refusing to back down.
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If looks could kill, there would surely be sparks flying between them at this moment.
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Dojou Kazuaki's firm actions and his confidence in victory made Bai Yaxin, who rarely showed any signs of wavering, hesitate and remain silent.
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"Go ahead, open these two boxes yourself. We'll all watch." (Dojou Kazuaki)
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Thus, Dojou Kazuaki further pressured Bai Yaxin into action.
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After being a police officer for over a decade, Dojou Kazuaki was adept at observing people, and he noticed every little flaw in Bai Yaxin under this intense scrutiny.
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Under Dojou Kazuaki's guidance, all eyes focused on the two small black boxes on the table and on Bai Yaxin.
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A person's honesty was most apparent in such a scene.
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Under this intense pressure, many people would break down and confess, but Bai Yaxin remained calm.
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Even his breathing was as steady as during meditation.
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This man had an unfathomable psychological resilience.
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In the gaze of everyone present, Bai Yaxin slowly picked up one of the black boxes, ready to open it.
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Everyone held their breath, waiting to see if the box contained the divine punishment that would damn Bai Yaxin or the lifeline that would save him.
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Raising the box for a moment, Bai Yaxin suddenly smiled, held it up high, rotating it back and forth leisurely as if he were a magician showcasing a prop, ensuring everyone could see there were no tricks.
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"Officer Tsuchi, is the video recording on?" (Bai Yaxin)
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"It's recording! Stop dawdling." (Dojou Kazuaki)
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Dojou Kazuaki turned to look at Officer Shiraishi's shoulder.
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Following his gaze, everyone saw a miniature video recorder attached to Officer Shiraishi's shoulder, its green signal light flashing intermittently.
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"Great, make sure to behave later." (Bai Yaxin)
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"Oh, by the way, Miss Kusakura, Miss Mizukawa." (Bai Yaxin)
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Bai Yaxin suddenly shifted his focus to Kusakura Rei and Mizukawa Linfan.
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Until just now, he seemed to have intentionally ignored these two.
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Even though these two had just betrayed him in an unexpected manner.
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He seemed unfazed.
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This was not Bai Yaxin's style.
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Those who betrayed him would usually face severe consequences, how could they stand around so carefree.
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"I can't help but feel sorry for you." (Bai Yaxin)
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However, when Bai Yaxin spoke, there was no hint of anger.
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"You gave up a bright future just to collude with the police." (Bai Yaxin)
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He even sounded regretful.
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"Such a waste of two talented individuals." (Bai Yaxin)
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Bai Yaxin's voice trembled slightly, seemingly genuine regret rather than an act.
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"Alas… what a shame." (Bai Yaxin)
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After that, Bai Yaxin kept shaking his head and sighing, appearing deeply saddened, like a connoisseur seeing a fine horse being burnt and cooked, or a blacksmith seeing ancient metal forged into farming tools… Bai Yaxin was deeply distressed.
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Kusakura Rei and Mizukawa Linfan silently watched Bai Yaxin's performance without speaking.
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Perhaps this man truly lamented the loss of talent.
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But the devil's cunning was nothing worth admiring.
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"Hurry up and open it, stop dragging your feet!" (Dojou Kazuaki)
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Dojou Kazuaki, waiting on the side, grew impatient.
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Though he didn't move, his strong and forceful voice cut through Bai Yaxin's rhythm and tempo.
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Dojou Kazuaki was concerned that Bai Yaxin might be planning some tricks, deliberately stalling for time to call for backup.
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"Alright, alright." (Bai Yaxin)
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Bai Yaxin turned his head, giving a disdainful smile to Dojou Kazuaki, feeling nothing but disdain for this incomprehensible person.
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—Just open two boxes, what's the big deal?
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—Do you really think there's something special inside?
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—You think I don't know the little schemes you're plotting?
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In a sudden turn of events, Bai Yaxin opened the box instantly.
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The speed caught everyone off guard.
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Suddenly, all eyes were on the contents of the box.
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Inside, there lay only a colorful postage stamp with a floral design.
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"See, it's just a stamp." (Bai Yaxin)
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Bai Yaxin smiled pleasantly, looking very relaxed.
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He gazed at Dojou Kazuaki, seemingly anticipating a sense of defeat in his expression.
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But to Bai Yaxin's surprise, Dojou Kazuaki also wore a smile.
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To the normal folk, the stamp might seem ordinary, but to every police officer present, Bai Yaxin, Kusakura Rei, and Mizukawa Linfan, it was far from ordinary.
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It was a demon's playing card.
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"Well, this is no ordinary stamp." (Dojou Kazuaki)
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Inside Dojou Kazuaki, a deep anger churned, but he suppressed his emotions and spoke calmly, his words carrying just a hint of intensity.
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In moments of extreme fury, a person may become eerily calm.
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But sometimes, calm anger is far more terrifying than a raging outburst.
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"What do you mean, not ordinary?" (Bai Yaxin)
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Bai Yaxin raised his eyebrows, slightly widened his eyes, and gaped slightly, looking puzzled.
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"Wait a minute, you’re not going to claim this stamp is a globally unique limited edition piece, or that it's an antique, right?" (Bai Yaxin)
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"Are you playing dumb on purpose, Bai Yaxin? What you have there is lysergic acid diethylamide, a stamp impregnated with drugs." (Dojou Kazuaki)
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Dojou Kazuaki's tone remained flat, but his hand started to tremble.
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The instinct of anger always points toward violence, yet reason restrains one from succumbing to primal impulses.
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"What? Lysergic what something? Drugs??" (Bai Yaxin)
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Feigning terror, Bai Yaxin accidentally dropped the box on the table. It made a clatter and closed shut, concealing the stamp inside once again.
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"It's just a regular stamp, I have absolutely no idea about what you’re talking about, Officer Tsuchi." (Bai Yaxin)
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Bai Yaxin spread his hands, putting on an innocent and pitiful look, blinking his eyes at Dojou Kazuaki.
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"If it's just a regular stamp, a simple analysis will reveal the truth." (Dojou Kazuaki)
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Saying this, Dojou Kazuaki signaled to Kurokawa, who promptly fetched a device from his backpack.
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"This is a portable chemical composition analyzer. What you call a 'regular stamp,' we'll find out exactly what it is by running a test." (Dojou Kazuaki)
When it came to this point, Bai Yaxin remained calm.
He even nudged the two black boxes a bit towards Dojou Kazuaki, using his eyes to signal Kazuaki to take them himself.
"Officer Dojo, you must inspect carefully, don't make any mistakes." (Bai Yaxin)
"Don't falsely accuse innocent people, okay?" (Bai Yaxin)
Dojou Kazuaki was not in the mood for small talk with Bai Yaxin. He reached out and took the two boxes, handing them to Kurokawa.
"Hey, don't stand too far away, I want to keep an eye on them." (Bai Yaxin)
"Don't swap out my stamps." (Bai Yaxin)
Hearing Bai Yaxin's words, Kurokawa deliberately placed the two black boxes back on the table. Then, he sat on the table himself and placed the detection device on the table, all exposed in front of everyone.
"Don't worry, you can oversee it yourself." (Kurokawa)
Kurokawa gave Bai Yaxin a disdainful look, then intentionally started the detection process slowly.
The scene quieted down.
Only the sound of Kurokawa's clothes rubbing together could be heard as he moved.
Everyone eagerly awaited the results of Kurokawa's detection, except for Bai Yaxin, who lazily watched Kurokawa, seemingly more concerned about the possibility of any tricks than the actual results of the detection.
In reality, Bai Yaxin had been acting all along.
Inside Bai Yaxin's ear, there was actually a mini wireless earpiece implanted.
This earpiece was connected wirelessly via Bluetooth to Bai Yaxin's phone and could be charged wirelessly.
The reason this is mentioned is because during a meal with Kusakura Megumi and Mizukawa Rinfan, Bai Yaxin received a report through the wireless earpiece.
This information was relayed by Ku Mo.
An internal source at the police station sent an urgent notice, informing that the police force was about to deploy to Nijo Castle for a search.
Upon hearing this news, Bai Yaxin did not panic.
He had considered the possibility of such a situation long ago, as well as how to deal with it once it occurred.
The overly confident Bai Yaxin chose not to evacuate immediately but instead decided to confront the police head-on.
First, he had Ku Mo contact the forces of Bai Yaxin's organization in the police station to try to delay Dojou Kazuaki as much as possible.
Second, the genuine stamps, which were originally planned to be sold by Kusakura Megumi and Mizukawa Rinfan, were temporarily replaced with fake ones.
Lastly, Bai Yaxin deployed armed forces hidden in Nijo Castle.
He wanted these policemen to have a good "experience."
