Chapter 61: Luo's Past

A death certificate?

Chu Cheng's eyes widened as he stared at the clear photo, double-checking again and again. Yes, this was definitely the Agent Luo Yajun he knew. And yes, the "death certificate" looked genuine. He couldn't help but feel dazed.

If this guy was dead, then who was that tough guy he'd been working with? A talking corpse?

But then he noticed something odd—the name on the death certificate wasn't Luo Yajun. It was Luo Shiyuan.

Chu Cheng quickly thought it might be Agent Luo's twin brother. But after checking some other documents, he found out that wasn't the case.

This *was* Agent Luo, or at least who he used to be. Back when he was a sheriff, his name was Luo Shiyuan. But that identity died a while ago. Now, he has been reborn as Luo Yajun, a special agent for Secret Service Nine.

The whole process was recorded in detail and sealed up in a file that only insiders with the right clearance could view.

Of course, that didn't stop Batman.

He easily cracked the encryption, and all the electronic files popped up one by one, like a virtual storybook, silently revealing a long-buried tale.

…

**A Sheriff's Story**

When Luo Shiyuan was first transferred to the city, he was full of ambition and ready to make a big impact. He dreamed of taking down dangerous criminals and busting big-time drug lords, just like in the movies.

But real life isn't a movie. In movies, the hero always wins before the credits roll, and the bad guys get what's coming to them. Light always triumphs over darkness.

At first, Luo Shiyuan really believed that. He had high hopes for his future. But his partner didn't share his enthusiasm.

His partner, Brooke, was an old sheriff who had been in the job for twenty years—a real veteran. When they first met, Brooke's favorite piece of advice was "mind your own business."

But in Luo Shiyuan's opinion, Brooke didn't even do that well. The old sheriff turned a blind eye to just about everything. He wasn't interested in promotions or achievements. His biggest goal in life was to make it to retirement without any trouble.

This clashed with Luo Shiyuan's ideals, and the two butted heads on almost everything.

Luo Shiyuan thought they would eventually get used to each other and maybe even become friends over time. But that didn't happen. Even after years of working together, they still couldn't see eye-to-eye.

Brooke would often give Luo Shiyuan the dull, pointless tasks that no one else wanted. Deep down, Luo Shiyuan looked down on him, thinking Brooke wasn't the brave, noble sheriff he had imagined. He saw Brooke as someone who was too scared to stand up for what was right.

Then came the final month before Brooke's retirement. That's when everything changed.

If there is an important turning point in Luo Shiyuan's life, it is undoubtedly the first one.

An eight-year-old girl went missing, and her parents reported it to the Sheriff's Department. The case was originally assigned to a sheriff named Tengu, but his investigation wasn't going anywhere.

Luo Shiyuan saw Tengu as incompetent and thought every minute wasted was a minute the girl and her parents couldn't afford.

He couldn't just stand by, so he pushed Brooke to get involved, promising they'd save the child.

At first, Old Brooke didn't want any part of it. With just one month until retirement, he wasn't about to stir up trouble.

But Luo Shiyuan looked him in the eye and said, "That child is only eight years old. Imagine if that was your daughter. Would you still plan to do nothing?"

Brooke was persuaded.

Their investigation went surprisingly well, and they quickly found the girl and tracked down the kidnapper.

But something went wrong. They were ambushed.

Somehow, the kidnappers knew their every move and turned the tables on them.

With the help of reinforcements, the criminal was finally caught, and the girl was rescued, but one person was lost in the process.

It was the old sheriff, who only had one month left before retirement.

When the scene was being cleared, Luo Shiyuan was surprisingly calm. He didn't show any anger or sadness, so much so that even those who tried to comfort him felt uneasy.

He turned down the chief's offer for time off to recover and made only one request: he wanted to question the kidnapper.

The chief agreed. Luo had earned that right.

But no one expected that Luo Shiyuan would break the kidnapper's neck in the interrogation room.

That move cost him his badge and his job, though the chief managed to spin the story as a criminal attack on an officer to avoid an even bigger scandal.

Luo Shiyuan's reaction was also calm, as if he didn't care about the consequences.

A few days later, he found himself in a speakeasy.

When Luo Shiyuan found Sheriff Teng Gu at the bar, the old man was playing dice with a couple of bunny girls. He looked surprised when he saw Luo.

"Hey, what brings you here?"

But Teng Gu quickly shook it off, got up, and gave Luo a friendly shoulder hug, acting like they were old buddies.

"Ha, since you're here, you've got to have some fun. This place is like heaven. If it's your first time, you picked the right guide. I can show you around."

But Luo wasn't interested in small talk. He cut straight to the point: "On the day Brooke and I made our move, someone leaked the plan. It had to be someone inside the department."

Teng Gu paused.

"So what?"

"It was you, wasn't it?"

Luo's gaze was sharp, like a knife.

He thought Teng Gu might try to deny it, but he didn't.

The old sheriff just laughed: "Yeah, so what?"

"Why?" Luo asked calmly.

"No reason."

Teng Gu leaned back, took a slow sip of his drink, and wrapped his arm around one of the bunny girls.

"Because nobody dares to mess with me," he sneered. "I just don't like you, Mr. Top Graduate. What're you trying to prove? You're better than me? Ha! I'm just showing you that you're nothing but a joke.

You got lucky when that old man took the bullet for you this time. Take it as a warning—if you mess with me again, you won't be so lucky."

Luo was silent for a couple of seconds.

"Why don't I just go talk to the chief about this?"

"The chief? Ha, why don't you have a drink and relax?" Teng Gu laughed. "We just talked on the phone, and he's on his way here to join me. I've already reserved all the bunny girls for him.

Want to try one?"

"That's... fine." Luo closed his eyes for a moment. "You know, you're right. I'm just a joke. Brooke's been telling me that. He's been trying to teach me, but I just didn't listen."

"It's okay; young people make mistakes." Teng Gu switched to a patronizing tone, like an elder. "You youngsters always try to make things too simple."

"Really? I think sometimes you make things too complicated."

Luo opened his eyes, and an eerie smile crept across his face.

"Now, I'm going to make things simple again."

He pulled out his gun and pointed it right at Teng Gu's head.

Teng Gu was shocked: "But didn't you lose your...?!"

The commotion started to draw attention from others in the bar. Security in black suits began moving closer.

"Are you insane?" Teng Gu's voice was serious, and he was starting to panic. "Do you even know where you are? Do you realize what'll happen if you fire that gun here?"

"I don't know."

Luo smiled, speaking in the calmest voice.

"But we're about to find out."

The gun fired.