Chapter 132: The Jinx Strikes Again

Once Li Sichen was seated, Officer Liu started the police car and drove toward the station.

Glancing through the rearview mirror, Liu stole occasional looks at Li Sichen in the back seat. The young man sat with his legs crossed, looking relaxed and comfortable, showing no signs of nervousness or anxiety.

"Is this kid just too calm? Does he not know what he’s about to face, or is he so confident that he doesn't care at all?" Liu couldn't help but wonder to himself.

However, speculation was just that; he wasn't going to lose sleep over it. After all, he was just a low-ranking officer; those concerns were for Wang Guotao to manage.

Ten minutes later, the patrol car pulled into the station.

Liu parked, killed the engine, and left the windows down. He hopped out and opened the door for Li Sichen. Even though they were already at the station, Liu dared not be negligent toward Li, for his nerves had already been shattered by earlier events.

This scene was witnessed by a petty thief who had just been brought in. After a moment of stunned silence, the thief called out to a nearby officer, "Officer, when did you guys start offering this kind of 'smile service'? I want that kind of treatment too!"

"Smile your head!" The officer shoved him on the shoulder and barked, "Get inside and start being honest with your statement, no more nonsense!"

The thief looked at Li Sichen, then back at himself, muttering indignantly, "We’re both suspects brought in—why is the treatment so different?"

It wasn't just the thief who was puzzled; the other officers at the station were equally confused. They were all colleagues in the same unit and knew Liu well. Counting on his status as Wang Guotao’s confidant, Liu had always been arrogant, never looking anyone in the eye, let alone being as sycophantic as he was now.

Who exactly was this young man? Was he a relative of Director Wang? Otherwise, why would Liu be so polite to him? The officers remaining at the station were unaware of what had happened at the fire scene, which made Liu’s attitude all the more shocking and baffling to them.

After getting out of the car, Li Sichen followed Liu and asked, "Aren't you going to roll up the windows? Aren't you afraid someone might steal the car?"

"Steal it?" Liu couldn't help but laugh. Had anyone else asked, he would have responded with sarcasm. But after a few laughs, he answered honestly, "Where do you think we are? A police station! What petty thief would dare come here to steal? Forget the windows—even if I left the car unlocked, it wouldn't go anywhere."

"Is that so?" Li Sichen smiled as well, shaking his head. "In this world, nothing is certain."

Liu didn't take his words to heart, nor did he notice that as Li Sichen walked, he was tracing patterns on the ground with his feet.

If Liu understood Feng Shui or the metaphysical arts, he would have realized that Li Sichen was sketching a Feng Shui formation with his feet. Though this array was only temporary, it was enough to shift the local flow of energy and luck in the short term.

Just as they reached the office building, a middle-aged officer came out to meet them, frowning. "Liu, who is this?"

Liu replied, "Deputy Director Ma, this person was brought in at Director Wang’s request to assist with the investigation. It’s said he’s linked to the fire that just broke out at the KTV."

Although the man held a higher rank, there was no hint of respect in Liu’s tone, as Deputy Director Ma was Wang Guotao’s rival.

Upon hearing this, the word 'arsonist' immediately flashed through Deputy Director Ma's mind. But he was quickly confused. On one hand, Li Sichen’s age, temperament, and demeanor didn't match those of a criminal. On the other hand, there was Liu’s attitude—it was far too deferential. It didn't look like he was treating a suspect; it was more like he was serving an ancestor.

Before Deputy Director Ma could ask another question, the roar of an engine erupted from the parking lot. Everyone instinctively turned their heads. They saw a police car screeching out of the station like a wild horse.

"What’s going on? Is there a major emergency? Why wasn't I informed?" Deputy Director Ma asked the surrounding officers, bewildered.

"We didn't receive any emergency calls," the officers shook their heads in unison, looking equally baffled.

"Ah! That car..." Liu suddenly shouted in shock.

"What?" Deputy Director Ma was startled by his intense reaction.

Liu yelled, "That’s the car I just drove back! The keys are still in my pocket!"

"What?"

"That's impossible!"

"Damn, how could something like this happen?"

The scene descended into chaos. The reason was simple: since the keys were still in Liu’s possession, it meant the car hadn't been taken by any conventional means. Someone had actually come to the police station to steal a car!

"Chase him! What are you all standing around for? Go!" Deputy Director Ma was the first to regain his composure, roaring as he directed the officers to pursue the thief.

This was a humiliation that would haunt them for life if it got out. To salvage the situation, they had to catch that brazen thief immediately.

Liu suddenly realized something. He turned to look at Li Sichen, his face pale with fear. "The jinx... the jinx has come true again!"

"Jinx? What jinx?" Deputy Director Ma asked, puzzled.

Liu hurriedly recounted the earlier events, adding his own flair, and mentioned what Li Sichen had said when he got out of the car.

"These are just coincidences, right?" Deputy Director Ma’s mouth hung open, struggling to believe such bizarre events could be real.

"How can there be so many coincidences?" Liu said with a bitter smile. He felt a deep, instinctive fear of Li Sichen. If not for his fear of Wang Guotao’s wrath, he would have let Li Sichen go right then and there. Keeping such a jinx around was just too terrifying.

In the end, Liu followed Wang Guotao’s earlier instructions and led Li Sichen to the interrogation room. As they passed Deputy Director Ma, Li Sichen suddenly smiled at him and said, "Believe this: in this world, those who are righteous will eventually be rewarded, and those who climb to power through crooked paths will surely be punished."

To others, the remark seemed nonsensical, but to Deputy Director Ma, it struck like a bolt of lightning.