Chapter Twenty: Encountering Danger

Oh my god! Ma Wu’s heart jolted with shock. It turned out that his escape from the interrogation room this time was thanks to that infamous killer being within a ten-kilometer radius—otherwise, even if he used the substitute puppet, it wouldn’t have worked and he’d never have gotten out!

For the first time in his life, Ma Wu found the system unbearable. Wasn’t it just a trap? It didn’t tell you the exact effects of the item before purchase, only revealing them after you’d already used it and spent achievement points to actively search for its function.

But then again, it made sense. The substitute puppet’s miraculous effects had to come with such harsh limitations. If it could be used freely, Ma Wu could become a notorious criminal, committing crimes without fear—someone else would take the blame, what would he have to worry about?

Understanding this, Ma Wu felt immensely relieved. He had just teleported a ruthless murderer directly into the police station—what a good deed! His spirits soared, and he secretly wished the police would immediately award him a banner in recognition.

With nothing else to do, he decided to head home and savor the breakfast Li Mida had personally prepared for him. He’d been preoccupied and hadn’t properly tasted the beauty’s cooking—a real pity.

As he was walking back, his peripheral vision caught an old Santana approaching. He didn’t pay much attention at first—Santanas weren’t uncommon, and age was no fault.

But the trajectory of this Santana was clearly off; it was no longer driving normally, as if out of control.

After veering off its path, the Santana didn’t slow down; in a flash, it was speeding straight toward Ma Wu.

At that exact moment, the system’s voice rang in his mind:

Ding! Emergency event: Subdue the person in the Santana. Reward: One hundred million Goldfish Coins.

Ma Wu didn’t have time to care about the reward—the Santana was already upon him. He had previously exchanged for basic combat skills, and his physical abilities had improved, but faced with this scene, he wasn’t sure if he could escape unscathed.

He didn’t waste time thinking. With a low shout, he pushed off powerfully with his legs, leaping to the right to evade the rampaging car.

What he hadn’t anticipated was that the Santana’s left tire was slashed by something during its run, instantly causing the car to spin uncontrollably to the right.

Ma Wu’s heart tightened, cursing aloud. He was already airborne, unable to leverage anything—the collision seemed inevitable.

Yet he refused to resign himself. He summoned his strength from his waist, using the enhanced core muscles gained from basic combat training to forcibly twist his body midair, just enough that the Santana’s right side mirror merely brushed his clothes as it sped by.

The Santana missed him and continued forward, soon crashing onto the sidewalk with a thunderous bang. The airbags deployed, the bumper detached, and thick black smoke billowed out.

Ma Wu escaped unscathed, looking impressively heroic, though inwardly he was shaken.

A Santana at such high speed—if it so much as grazed him, he’d be half dead. He’d just acquired this miraculous system, barely used it for a few days, hadn’t even gotten close to Lin Erke, and he was about to die? Absolutely unacceptable.

He took a few deep breaths to calm down, suddenly recalling the emergency event: he had to apprehend the person inside the Santana. He hurriedly pressed down his fear and strode forward.

At that moment, a woman’s voice called from behind: "Help me! He stole my things—please, stop him!"

Ma Wu didn’t need to turn around; he guessed what had happened. A man in the Santana had snatched something from a passerby, was fleeing, and almost crashed into him.

Fuming, Ma Wu quickened his pace. As he reached the Santana and tried to open the door, a knife suddenly thrust out, aiming straight for his throat.

Startled but not panicking, Ma Wu’s basic combat skills had not only improved his physique but sharpened his instincts. He swiftly raised his right hand, striking the man’s wrist hard—the knife clattered to the ground.

Without pausing, Ma Wu took advantage of the man’s pain, yanked open the driver’s door, delivered two quick punches, then dragged the stunned man out.

The man, half beaten and now forcibly pulled out, had no strength left to resist, slumping on the ground and clutching his head in silence.

Ma Wu waited a moment as the woman who had called for help finally caught up, panting.

He glanced at her: petite, almost like a high schooler, with a pure, delicate face—a porcelain doll.

Ma Wu immediately despised the robber. To rob such an adorable girl—what could she possibly have worth stealing? He must have been desperate and thoughtless.

The girl braced her hands on her knees, catching her breath, then thanked Ma Wu, "Thank you, thank you so much for catching this thief. Are you hurt?"

Ma Wu shook his head, "No, but what about you? You’re a high school student, encountering something like this—weren’t you frightened?"

Hearing his words, the girl’s breathing paused, and Ma Wu could almost see a red symbol of anger appear on her forehead. She snapped, "What are you talking about? Who’s a high school student? I’m an adult!"

"You’re an adult?" Ma Wu was shocked. She looked like a budding beauty—not fully grown. How could she already be an adult?

He assumed she was pretending to be mature, not wanting to lose face, and eyed her skeptically.

The girl saw his expression and understood he didn’t believe her. After a moment’s thought, she silently pulled out her ID card from her handbag and handed it to him, annoyed, "Look, see? You all don’t believe I’m an adult—an ID can’t be faked, right?"

Ma Wu took the ID and examined it: Wu Ting, 22 years old.

He stared at it for a while, unable to find any sign of forgery, and reluctantly accepted her claim. He returned the ID to Wu Ting, glanced at the thief glaring at him with hatred, and said to Wu Ting, "Alright, though it’s surprising, I believe you now. So, what should we do with this thief?"

Wu Ting glared back at the thief, but with her cute and somewhat youthful face, the expression only made her look more adorable, almost inviting a gentle pinch.

She said angrily, "I’ve already called the police—they should be here soon. I want to see where this person who stole my father’s herbal medicine is from!"

Herbal medicine? Ma Wu was stunned. He’d assumed the thief would go after valuables—not herbal remedies. Such an unusual choice.

As he pondered, the sound of police sirens grew nearer. Hearing them, Ma Wu felt a twinge of anxiety; he’d just killed those thugs—not that the police were after him, but he couldn’t help but worry.

The police car quickly stopped next to Ma Wu and Wu Ting. Three or four SWAT officers emerged, shields and riot batons in hand, eyeing the bloodied thief by the Santana warily.

Ma Wu was startled by their arrival; he’d expected just a few regular officers, not a full SWAT team. One officer approached Ma Wu, asking, "Hello, did you apprehend this thief?"

Ma Wu sized him up and nodded, "Yes." He pointed to the knife on the ground beside the Santana.

The officer nodded, signaled to his colleagues, and immediately someone bagged the knife for evidence, while others efficiently handcuffed the thief and loaded him into a special police vehicle.

The officer then said to Ma Wu, "Thank you. Would you and Ms. Wu please come to the nearby police station to make a statement?"