On a standard sheet of A4 paper, a neatly written message made Captain Wang frown.

【The Superpower Management Bureau seems to be planning to spare Zheng Chengjie’s life.】

It was only one simple sentence, but after reading it, Captain Wang took a deep breath. His fist clenched on its own, as if he were holding back his anger.

After hesitating for a moment, he took out his radio and switched it off right in front of Jiang Yuan.

“Just now, three of my comrades died at Zheng Chengjie’s hands.”

Captain Wang said that, then raised his head and looked toward the building. His eyes held an indescribable expression. He even smiled—a somewhat ferocious smile.

“I don’t believe the tactical police could fail to take down Zheng Chengjie. I’m more inclined to think the Superpower Management Bureau forcibly stepped in.”

Captain Wang had a point. There was no way conventional counterterrorism methods couldn’t handle Zheng Chengjie. That was just an excuse, a way to quickly bring the situation under control so they could take him away.

“So… what are you thinking?”

Captain Wang was curious. He didn’t understand why Jiang Yuan had told him all this.

“I get the feeling that, honestly, the Superpower Management Bureau’s position doesn’t exactly favor the public.”

Although Jiang Yuan was under the Superpower Management Bureau’s protection, he understood one thing: what he needed most was the public’s approval. The power struggle at the top ultimately revolved around whether Espers should be considered superior to everyone else.

In other words, the people who wanted to kill him were on the public’s side.

Jiang Yuan decided to win over both sides at once!!

Besides, if they mishandled the Zheng Chengjie situation, the fallout would be disastrous. It would directly affect how the public viewed Espers.

“Then how do you think Zheng Chengjie should be dealt with?”

“Execute him on the spot! There’s no other choice.”

The whole world was watching. An execution on the spot was unquestionably the most satisfying outcome, and the one the public would find easiest to accept. If the idea that Espers were superior took root among ordinary people, they’d surely start targeting Espers in all sorts of ways.

And Espers were a group of people with incredible powers. If you pushed an unarmed person too far, the worst they could do was beat you up—and you could still fight back. It was hard for things to end in a fatality.

But when an Esper struck back…

One slip could drag nearby innocent bystanders into it, too.

Society couldn’t be allowed to head in that direction. Espers and the public couldn’t be allowed to split apart. Espers and ordinary people should be able to trust each other!

“Is that really the only way…?”

Captain Wang watched Jiang Yuan and saw the conviction in his eyes. He couldn’t help admiring him. He wasn’t a rigid man. On the contrary, after spending so much time on the front lines of counterterrorism, he’d learned to be flexible and adapt quickly.

An Esper who cares about the people is a good Esper.

“Do you want to hear why Zheng Chengjie committed his crimes?”

“Yeah…”

Jiang Yuan nodded. He could already guess most of what had happened.

“Zheng Chengjie’s too honest for his own good. He was often bullied at work. We heard from his coworkers that his supervisor regularly docked his pay. Zheng had no other source of income, and if he lost that job, he’d go hungry. On top of that, he had to earn money to put his younger brother through school.”

“Huh? Isn’t education compulsory?”

“Heh. It’s normal for young people not to understand. The government can waive tuition and provide living assistance, but that only covers the bare necessities. Dignity… they can’t provide that.”

“Zheng Chengjie was bullied at school. He was so poor he couldn’t hold his head up, so he dropped out and went to work. Do you think he’d want his younger brother to end up the same way?”

“He’d go hungry himself if it meant his younger brother could hold his head high at school. He couldn’t do it for himself anymore, so of course he placed all his hopes on his brother. That’s why he was so desperate for money.”

Captain Wang had clearly sent people to investigate Zheng Chengjie’s family and personal connections thoroughly. As he spoke, he kept sighing.

“The night the East Star Building caught fire, we questioned his coworkers and learned that he’d argued with his supervisor about his pay again that afternoon. Afterward, the supervisor called him into the restroom and said he was going to teach him a lesson. You know what happened after that. His supervisor’s carbonized remains were found in the fifth-floor restroom.”

Captain Wang briefly explained what had happened to Jiang Yuan. Hearing it, Jiang Yuan felt genuinely conflicted.

“Later, we found out he’d been in contact with certain people. We don’t know what ideas they fed him to turn him into what he is now. He may be pitiful, but there’s no saving him.”

Captain Wang shook his head as he spoke. Jiang Yuan could understand how Zheng Chengjie’s mindset had changed. After his Esper powers ran wild and he impulsively killed someone, he realized he’d dragged innocent people into it. Overcome by grief and guilt, he fled. Then, when he knew there was no going back, terrorists found him and made contact.

Those terrorists had probably told him, “You’re an Esper. You’re superior to everyone else. You can kill people without breaking the law,” while filling his head with hatred.

Then they taught him how to escape and take an entire building full of people hostage.

If Zheng Chengjie really managed to escape, he’d probably become an extremist terrorist, carrying out attacks wherever he went and convincing himself they were righteous.

He really was beyond saving.

Even if a prodigal son repented, he’d still committed a crime.

After a fire goes out, all that remains is a pile of ash. Whatever was burned has already vanished in the flames.

So the only mercy they could give him was a quick death.

“Maybe he could make amends for his crimes in the future, but considering what’s happened and the impact it’ll have going forward…”

Jiang Yuan didn’t finish the sentence. His meaning was already clear, and Captain Wang agreed.

Just then, a fierce burst of flames erupted from the building’s third floor. Tongues of fire curled and surged upward, beginning to spread to the floors above. Screams and cries rang through the streets.

“You’re the suspect known as Codename Jiang, and Codename Jiang believes Espers are superior to ordinary people—and has acted that way. If his mental state really has become extreme, then…”

As Captain Wang spoke, he took something from his waist and slapped it down on the table with a sharp smack.

Jiang Yuan took a closer look. It was a handgun.

“Apart from the terrorists, he’ll trust me without question.”

Jiang Yuan reached out and took the handgun from the table. That meant he’d accepted the task, too. This was his chance to prove himself!

“Attaboy! You know how to take the safety off, right?”

“Uh…”

Jiang Yuan froze, then immediately handed the handgun back. Captain Wang took it, showed him how to release the safety, then handed it back.

“How’s your aim?”

“I used to play with toy guns as a kid. I was pretty good at hitting cans from within ten meters.”

“Remember to aim for the head.”

“Got it…”

Jiang Yuan nodded firmly. He was about to kill someone, but there was no helping it. He had to carve out a path for himself. He wasn’t willing to put all his eggs in one basket, or just sit back and wait for things to happen.