Chapter 34: Becoming a Hero (Part 2)

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"You knocked them down?" Captain Yan asked in disbelief, staring at the two unconscious thugs on the ground.

His shock wasn't unreasonable—those guys had sticks. And Ji Feng? He didn't even have a scratch on him.

Ji Feng raised an eyebrow. "Is that so hard to believe?"

Captain Yan didn't answer right away. He squatted next to the thugs, inspecting them. Then he looked up again. "Ji Feng, be honest—have you trained in martial arts before?"

"Nope," Ji Feng replied casually, shaking his head.

Captain Yan leaned closer, sniffed—no alcohol. He frowned even harder.

"I mean… how did you even do it? Don't tell me they slipped and landed on your fists," he said, half-sarcastic, half-serious. "Or that you got lucky again like with Bald Chao—swinging blindly in panic and magically knocking someone out?"

Ji Feng rubbed the back of his neck, smiling awkwardly. He knew Captain Yan wasn't buying it. One lucky punch might be brushed off—but this? Two guys down without even a real scuffle?

Captain Yan wasn't a fool. He was starting to see through the cracks.

So Ji Feng decided to give him just enough to chew on without revealing too much. "Honestly? We've got PE classes at school. The teacher teaches some basic self-defense stuff. I've always had decent reflexes and stamina, so I acted first. That's all."

Captain Yan narrowed his eyes. "You're not fooling me, kid."

Then he chuckled and stood up. "But I'll let it go for now. Someday, we'll spar and see what you've really got."

He laughed loudly and turned to his team. "Get these two morons out of here. Imagine—armed with sticks and still got wiped out by a high school student!"

Ji Feng blinked. Wait… So if I were weaker, that'd make me a valid target?

Still, he kept quiet. No point arguing with logic like that.

A couple of officers moved in and dragged the unconscious thugs into the patrol vehicle. As the car headlights swept over their faces, Captain Yan's expression suddenly changed.

"…It's them?!" he muttered.

Ji Feng turned sharply. "You know them?"

Captain Yan's brows furrowed. "Yeah. I arrested these two last year. They got four years for robbery. They should still be in prison!"

"What?!"

Ji Feng's voice shot up in disbelief. "You're sure?"

"I never forget a face—especially ones I cuffed myself," Captain Yan said grimly. "Something's wrong here."

He looked around, then lowered his voice. "Ji Feng, keep this under wraps for now. Don't talk about it at school, and definitely not with outsiders. I'll dig into this."

Ji Feng nodded immediately. "Understood. Don't worry, I won't say a word."

"Good." Captain Yan's face eased a little, then turned to Tong Lei. "It's late. I'll drive you two back. Safer that way."

Before Ji Feng could answer, Tong Lei stepped forward. "No! Please don't."

Captain Yan looked confused. "Why?"

"If my dad sees a police car dropping me off at home, he'll have a heart attack!" she said quickly, then added with a pleading look, "And please, don't tell him what happened!"

Captain Yan hesitated. "I don't know…"

"Brother Yan," she said sweetly, stepping closer, "you wouldn't want me to tell your sister-in-law that I saw you sneaking into a sauna last week, right? She's still mad about the last time…"

Captain Yan froze. "…You little brat."

"Please?" she said with a grin.

He sighed and raised both hands. "Fine, fine! I'm afraid of you. Just get home safe."

"Thank you, Brother Yan!" Tong Lei beamed. Then she turned to Ji Feng. "Let's go."

Ji Feng smiled and nodded. As they walked away, Captain Yan pulled her back for a moment.

"Hey, little girl," he whispered, glancing toward Ji Feng's back. "Be honest. You don't want me telling your dad because of him, right?"

Tong Lei's cheeks immediately turned red. "W-what are you saying?! We're just classmates! Nothing more!"

Captain Yan raised a brow. "Sure. Just classmates."

He chuckled as she huffed and ran to catch up with Ji Feng.

Watching their retreating figures disappear down the dimly lit path, Captain Yan crossed his arms and muttered to himself, "Just classmates, huh? That little girl forgot I'm a cop. You can't lie to these eyes."

He paused, his face turning serious. "But more importantly… how did those two convicts get out? And why did they target them? Was it just random?"

His gut told him no.

"I need to look deeper into this," he said under his breath. "And I have to let Secretary Tong know—whether they like it or not."

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Meanwhile, under the faint moonlight, Ji Feng and Tong Lei continued their walk.

Ji Feng still held the flashlight, quietly guiding the way, step by step. He didn't notice the way Tong Lei kept glancing at him from the side, the small smile forming on her lips.

In her mind, the scene from earlier replayed again and again—the moment he stood in front of her, shielding her from danger, not hesitating for even a second.

His back might not have been broad, but in that moment, it had felt tall, strong, unwavering.

And as she walked beside him now, her heart calm and steady, one thing was clear:

As long as Ji Feng was there…

She had nothing to fear.

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