Arrest

“Since this was the idea of you few, you'll be coming back with me first, and the church will be disbanded.” Wang Pingcheng looked at Liu Zhian.

Before setting off, Zhang Yi had already issued orders to him.

As he spoke, his eyes remained locked on the other man, wanting to see how Liu Zhian would react.

However, Liu Zhian replied expressionlessly, “No problem. Since it is Chief Wang's order, a nobody like me naturally has to obey. You can take me away directly, though I'm afraid the followers might not agree.”

The man's reaction made Wang Pingcheng's eyes narrow slightly. Smooth. It's too smooth. Compared to every previous operation, this time was simply going too smoothly.

It rendered all his backup plans useless. He could only wave his hand. “Take him away. Leave a team behind to disperse these followers. Let's see if they dare refuse to disperse!”

Two inspectors immediately stepped forward, grabbing Liu Zhian's shoulders to lead him out.

“Chief, this is bad!” Just then, the middle-aged female inspector who had accompanied him ran inside, her face pale.

Her words made Wang Pingcheng's expression stiffen slightly. “What's wrong?”

“Outside... there are so many people outside!” The female inspector's face was incredibly grim.

She had thought that bringing over a thousand inspectors for this operation would make it foolproof.

Hearing this, Wang Pingcheng quickly ran to the gate of the church courtyard and looked out.

His face fell instantly. Out on the street, a massive crowd of civilians was marching toward them under a sea of umbrellas.

Even through the heavy curtain of rain, he could see the street turning black—a dark mass formed by the sheer number of people.

There were young and old alike, stretching as far as the eye could see.

A portion of them had crazed expressions. If anything happened to the church, they would truly dare to clash with the inspectors.

The inspectors surrounding the church looked grim. They quickly stepped forward, forming a human wall to block the entrance.

“Chief Wang, I told you, the followers won't agree.” Behind him, Liu Zhian walked out, a faint smile still playing on his lips.

These cultists hadn't just come out themselves; they had also brought their families. Thousands of cultists meant thousands of households.

At this moment, cultists flooded the streets in all four directions of the Church of the Earth Mother, a dense crowd packing the thoroughfares.

Looking at this scene, even Wang Pingcheng, who wouldn't flinch in the face of monsters, found the situation incredibly thorny.

Wang Pingcheng turned to glare at Liu Zhian, his expression dark. “Did your Liu family instigate these people? Do you know the consequences of doing this? Do you think the Liu family is powerful enough to oppose the government?”

“Chief Wang, those words are uncalled for. I've already cooperated with you, so how is this my doing? This is the followers acting spontaneously because they can't stand your behavior. It has absolutely nothing to do with my Liu family.” A fake smile appeared on Liu Zhian's face, though his eyes brimmed with mockery.

With so many people blocking the way, he wanted to see just how this Chief planned to take him away.

However, a cold smile suddenly played on Wang Pingcheng's lips. “Liu Zhian, you have a bit of cleverness, but not much. I think you also understand what lies behind the Church of the Earth Mother. Since I've mobilized every inspector in the city, I won't be stopped by a minor issue like this.”

As he spoke, the roar of helicopters echoed from the sky.

Hearing the sound, the fake smile on Liu Zhian's face vanished. He looked up at the sky.

Dozens of military helicopters were flying toward them. This was almost the entire helicopter fleet of the garrison outside the city.

The helicopters hovered a dozen meters above the area outside the church.

Ropes were thrown down, and soldiers slid down from the sky one after another.

Soon, several hundred fully armed soldiers surrounded the church. Expressionless, they raised their weapons and aimed them at the approaching cultists.

One of the helicopters flew directly overhead and began to descend.

Peng Fei was the only one in the back of the helicopter. When it hovered about three or four meters off the ground, he jumped straight down.

Staring at Liu Zhian with his pitch-black eyes, he suddenly kicked out at him.

Seeing this, Liu Zhian quickly took a step back to dodge. His expression soured. “What do you think you're doing? I've already cooperated with you, yet you keep putting your hands on me!”

Peng Fei sneered, “I thought you were so tough that you feared nothing. Turns out you still care about your reputation.”

Pointing to the helicopter behind him, Peng Fei added, “Get in yourself. Don't make me force you.”

Liu Zhian remained silent, walking toward the helicopter with a dark expression.

Peng Fei looked at Wang Pingcheng and said in a low voice, “The boss was right. Relying on the inspectors alone to take people away is too difficult. If the garrison hadn't deployed, you guys would probably be stuck standing in the rain much longer.”

In public, he wouldn't mention Zhang Yi's name, referring to him only as "the boss."

“Indeed, everything is going exactly as he predicted. Hurry up and take him away,” Wang Pingcheng replied.

“Will do!” Peng Fei nodded and immediately walked toward the helicopter.

The helicopter rose into the air, flying directly over the crowd of cultists toward the military camp.

With the lesson of the Inspector Bureau's bloodbath still fresh in their minds, once they captured the suspect, they chose to lock him up directly in the much more heavily fortified military camp.

The tactical captain walked over to Wang Pingcheng. “Chief, do we still need to disperse the people inside the church?”

“Withdraw for now. Leave a small team to monitor this place. Let's head back and use Liu Zhian as our breakthrough,” Wang Pingcheng ordered, glancing at the crowd outside.

Zhang Yi had already mobilized armored units. Once night fell and the crowd thinned, they would flatten the church once and for all.

They couldn't afford to gamble with this Earth Mother entity. If she truly descended, there was no telling how many lives would be lost.

“Yes, sir!” the tactical captain replied immediately.

He turned to rally his men, while Wang Pingcheng took one last look at the church before departing.

Outside, the inspectors got into their vehicles. Sirens wailed as the soldiers marched ahead to clear a path.

Seeing this, the cultists suddenly parted to both sides as if acting on orders, letting the convoy pass.

Inside a fifth-floor room overlooking the street of the church's main entrance.

Liu Wen watched the movements of the inspectors and the military outside, a faint smile on his lips. “Even with the entire city's inspectors mobilized, they still faced such immense resistance. They must think Zhian is a key figure. Their attention will likely be occupied by that boy for a while.”

He turned his head toward the back of the room, looking at Zhao Jin, who was sitting in a chair reading some notes. “What do you think of my arrangement?”

Hearing this, Zhao Jin looked up, his expression blank. “Our opponents aren't fools. Now that they know what lies behind the Church of the Earth Mother, they won't let it stand for long.”

The smile on Liu Wen's face didn't fade. “I agree. We'll just have to see whose methods are superior tonight!”