Biochemical Martial Arts: Supreme Heavenly Venerate

Lin Rui looked at Yuan Chengkai with an indifferent gaze, "What is it? It seems Sir Yuan has something to say to me?"

"Indeed, I have words that cannot rest until spoken." Yuan Chengkai was in poor condition; he had been tortured yesterday and was covered in blood, his clothes barely clinging to his body.

He seemed indifferent to his injuries, smiling sarcastically, "Lin Rui, you are so arrogantly pleased with yourself, but you are unaware that the signs of your demise are already apparent. I bet that within a month, you will die without a place to bury your body."

Upon hearing this, Lin Rui's eyebrows lifted, and he let out a snort of laughter, "Oh? I had no idea Sir Yuan was also skilled in fortune-telling. Can you perhaps calculate your own future as well?"

Yuan Chengkai furrowed his brows, not understanding Lin Rui's intentions, but he still responded coldly, "You have no substantial evidence proving my association with the Heavenly Demon. Eventually, the emperor and his loyal ministers will not overlook your tyranny and reckless actions!"

Yuan Chengkai raised his head, glaring at Lin Rui, "Lin Rui, you wish to see me dead, but it won't be so easy!"

He believed he had made his point clear.

If Lin Rui was bent on a fight to the death with him, then he would not hesitate to fight by any means necessary!

There was more than just the Yuan family behind Yuan Chengkai; the emperor would not ignore this situation.

Although he was in prison, it didn't stop him from using every method and power at his disposal to ensure Lin Rui would meet his doom!

Lin Rui, however, shook his head, "That's too bad. It seems a soothsayer truly cannot read his own fortune. I think whether I die remains uncertain, but your end, Sir Yuan, is approaching, and today we shall see."

Yuan Chengkai was momentarily stunned, giving Lin Rui a suspicious look.

This man, he must be trying to bluff, right? His end today? On what basis could he say such a thing?

Yuan Chengkai scoffed softly.

He had made up his mind; it was going to be a fight to the death! At any cost, he must remove Lin Rui as soon as possible.

Yuan Chengkai realized that as long as this man lived, he might never escape from the Imperial Prison.

Lin Rui laughed heartily as he walked out of the prison. As he emerged from the Imperial Prison, he instructed Yan Zhe, the guard following him, "Notify the Seventh, the Eighth, and the Twentieth guards to gather all the brothers you trust outside my hall for a mission. Tell them to bring all the necessary tools!"

Two days later, the fish that had been let loose was ready to be netted. If they delayed any longer, the big fish might slip through the net.

Yan Zhe was momentarily puzzled, thinking, what kind of major action could Lin Rui have in mind just after taking office?

The case at the Imperial Censorate today was already significant enough to shake the entire court.

He immediately bowed, "Understood, my lord!"

Yan Zhe actually harbored a slight disdain for this southerner, Lin Rui.

Both were Martial Cultivators around twenty years of age; what made Lin Rui deserving to become a disciple of the Third Divine Envoy and take command of the Bureau of Investigation?

Yan Zhe felt he was simply unlucky compared to Lin Rui, who had managed to avert a loss worth millions in demon silver for the Third Divine Envoy and also retrieved a crucial divine pill, thereby gaining favor from the Third Divine Envoy.

He thought he could have handled these achievements as well.

Unfortunately, Lin Rui was the defense envoy in Wang City at the time.

The incident at the Imperial Censorate today had only deepened Yan Zhe's impression of Lin Rui.

This new defense envoy was indeed capable, but his fortune was truly formidable.

This man had done nothing yet a Heavenly Demon had thrown himself into his path; not only had he resolved a major Heavenly Demon case but had also gained favor from the Deputy Imperial Censor.

However, Yan Zhe was very careful not to let his true feelings show.

The Third Divine Envoy had always held this commander in high regard, placing great expectations on him; it was said that he had even dispatched his eight-realm imperial disciple to escort Lin Rui to the capital.

Now there was no need to say more; from the grand, immensely solemn ceremony of allegiance yesterday, it was clear the Third Divine Envoy was very pleased with Lin Rui.

Now that he also had connections within the bureaucracy, this commander of the Bureau of Investigation was clearly here to stay.

Yan Zhe, astute and efficient, a cautious official, would never be foolish enough to offend his superior.

Lin Rui then proceeded to his office within the Imperial Bureau—the imposing grand hall of the Bureau of Investigation.

His senior brother, Li Li, had already arrived earlier to work there, his office being situated next to the grand hall in a study.

The reason Li Li had to conduct the "Heavenly Demon Test" was because as a secretary to Lin Rui, although not an official of the Imperial Bureau system, he worked in the central office of the Imperial Bureau and had access to its core secrets.

Following the upheaval at the Imperial Censorate, Lin Rui had ordered Li Li to draft a memorial to report on the case involving Yu Wendan and Zhao Yang, detailing the sequence of events and asking the emperor and the Divine Envoy to make a judgment.

Li Li studied under Professor Han and had a profound foundation in Tianji Star Literature, handling it with ease.

When Lin Rui arrived, Li Li had almost finished writing and only made Lin Rui wait for a little over three minutes before he handed over the draft for his review.

Lin Rui actually couldn't see what was so special about it. He glanced over it and nodded, "Not bad, it clearly states the matter; let's go with this version, no need for changes."

He trusted Li Li's writing very much, simply because this senior brother had already ghostwritten more than a dozen papers for him.

Three of these papers were even published in specialized four-star journals, gathering 230 citations, which earned him a small reputation in the field of humanities and history.

This left Lin Rui feeling incredibly guilty.

Now, killing people and setting fires did not faze him at all, yet he felt reluctant and fearful about these activities. Lin Rui knew this was not a good sign; it was an act of academic fraud.

He couldn't help but blame Heavenly Demon No. 1. Lin Rui felt that the reason he had strayed further and further down the path of illegal crime stemmed from that incident in the basement.

Although Lin Rui realized that his true nature was far from good, he still firmly believed that it was Xue Bogao's obsession that had completely unleashed his darker human instincts.

He copied the essay written by Li Li, then took out his own command seal, took a deep breath, and stamped a vermilion seal on the report.

Watching this, Li Li lamented the scenario as a case of "casting pearls before swine."

His writing was elaborate and magnificent, yet it only earned a simple commendation from Lin Rui.

But why are his junior brother's characters still so ugly?

Li Li secretly admired him, thinking how convincing Lin Rui's act was.

Although he had an A+ in Tianji Star Literature at Alien Body College, he could convincingly pretend to be illiterate.

"I still have to lead a major operation next, so I won't have any free time. I must trouble senior brother to submit this report to the Tongzheng Division."

While Lin Rui was copying the report, Luo Renxi, Mo Daoquan, Yan Zhe, and Luo Tianman, the officers from the seventh, eighth, sixteenth, and twentieth divisions, had already arrived with their subordinates waiting below.

When Lin Rui walked out of the hall, all four officers and their followers bowed and saluted, "By your command, everyone from the seventh, eighth, sixteenth, and twentieth divisions is present and awaiting your orders!"

The officers looked at Lin Rui curiously, wondering what kind of operation required the mobilization of forces from four divisions.

Lin Rui surveyed the assembled team of Imperial Guards.

There were a total of four hundred sixty-three men, all clothed in the uniform of sixth-rank Imperial Guards captains.

A sixth-rank Imperial Guards captain could be in charge of defense in a locality, but in the Imperial Espionage Bureau, they were just ordinary 'espionage officers,' equivalent to detectives in modern police forces, indicating the high status of the bureau.

These men were clad in simplified Heavenly Demon armor, fully armed to the teeth, standing solemnly and with imposing presence below the hall.

These were the forces Lin Rui could rely on, cultivated by the third Divine Envoy over decades within the Imperial Espionage Bureau.

"Very good!"

Lin Rui was very satisfied with the obedience shown by these four officers.

All four had apparently brought all the available forces from their respective divisions.

It is known that in the bureau's structure, the combat personnel of a division could at most total 120, the rest being clerks and those responsible for miscellaneous logistics.

"All personnel must hand their waist tokens to the sorcerer for sealing. Luo Renxi and Mo Daoquan, take my decree now and go to the armory to retrieve 465 Absolute Element Stone bracelets, thirty sixth-environment 'Eight-Armed Heavenly Tiger Crossbows', three seventh-environment 'Twelve-Armed Dragon Slaying Crossbows', and two hundred sixth-environment 'Divine Shot Crossbows'."

Upon hearing this, the crowd below buzzed, all exchanging surprised glances.

The Absolute Element Stone bracelets could suppress the communication methods of extraterritorial Heavenly Demons, while sealing their waist tokens ensured they could only send messages within the operation group and couldn't contact the outside world.

This was to prevent any among them from being informants and leaking information.

As for the sixth-environment 'Eight-Armed Heavenly Tiger Crossbows' and seventh-environment 'Twelve-Armed Dragon Slaying Crossbows,' they were heavy-duty crossbows with extremely powerful destructive capabilities that could kill battle dragons.

'Divine Shot Crossbows' were handheld crossbow guns, also quite powerful.

Mo Daoquan frowned slightly, about to inquire further, when Lin Rui, with his hands behind his back, added, "This operation is to capture two seventh-environment Martial Cultivators, one eighth-environment, and possibly some extraterritorial Heavenly Demons. The specific plan will be discussed later."

The four officers' pupils dilated upon hearing this.

Involving so many high-level Martial Cultivators, this was truly a major case!