Arrest Warrant  

The man exuded an aura of authority that made it difficult for Wenjay to resist his commands. After a moment of hesitation, Wenjay followed him out of the forest.

A top-of-the-line Mercedes Super AMG, with a custom magnesium green paint job, was parked on the path at the edge of the woods. Its extravagant appearance suggested a conservative worth of no less than a million US dollars.

Such luxury... Wenjay was increasingly convinced that this man must be Mingyoo Jow. Who else in this remote wilderness could afford such a vehicle?

However, the man didn't give him a chance to ask. He climbed into the driver's seat, adjusted the brace on his right leg to operate the clutch, and ordered Wenjay, "Get in!"

His hair was cut short. Under the dim moonlight, Wenjay noticed a red vine tattoo trailing from behind his ear to his hairline. The tattoo, coupled with the sweat glistening on his stubble, gave him an exotic allure.

It was a strange harmony with his flamboyant car.

"What are you waiting for?" the man snapped impatiently.

"Oh, right." Wenjay quickly got in the car, taking the passenger seat. The man floored the accelerator, heading towards Maplewood Farm.

A five-minute walk turned into a less than a minute drive. The man parked the car at the entrance and said, "Go open the gate."

Wenjay got out of the car and was about to climb the steps when the man said, "Wait."

Wenjay turned around, "What?"

The man adjusted his brace, got out of the car, and walked over to the gate to inspect it. He asked, "Did you leave the gate open when you left?"

Wenjay thought for a moment. He had indeed left the gate open, so he nodded.

"…Stay behind me." The man seemed exasperated with Wenjay's carelessness. He slipped through the half-open gate into the courtyard.

The courtyard was as quiet as when they left. The only sounds were the rustling of the leaves in the wind and the creaking of the swing under the osmanthus tree.

Wait, something was off. The wind wasn't strong enough to cause the swing to sway that much... Wenjay took a few steps towards the swing and found a small piece of mushroom missing, as if someone had stepped on it.

"What's wrong?" the man followed him and asked in a low voice.

Wenjay pointed at the swing and whispered, "Footprints. Someone tied their shoelaces here!"

The man looked at him with a hint of surprise, gestured for him to be quiet, and quietly walked towards the living room. Wenjay tiptoed after him, realizing he was still holding the golf club. He gripped it tightly in both hands. The man glanced back at the club in his hand, his expression somewhat indescribable.

Wenjay suddenly realized that the club might be expensive...

"Hush!" The man suddenly heard something. He grabbed Wenjay and pulled him into the shadows of the corner. Almost at the same moment, a burly bald man emerged from the door leading to the dining room, holding a machete, and asked, "Did you find anything?"

A short, chubby man came down from the stairs and said, "No, the rooms on the second floor are all empty. The door to the third floor is locked, and we can't get in. I'll try to find a way in from the outside window."

Wenjay, standing next to the man against the wall, felt a wave of guilt. He had been careless, leaving the door unlocked and practically inviting thieves into the house.

"Brother Wong! Something's not right!" Another voice came from outside the window. A skinny man poked his head in, his face filled with panic. "There's a pit outside, about two meters long! Did they dig it to dispose of a body?"

Wenjay was speechless. Patton had really messed things up. If he had known, he would have filled in the pit in the afternoon. He turned to look at the man next to him, who was also looking at him expressionlessly. Their eyes met, and they both narrowed their eyes slightly.

"There's no one in the pit, the rat should still be alive," the skinny man continued. "I'll go look around the back, Brother Wong, you guys try to get the third floor open."

"Maybe we can lower a rope from the roof, I saw a window open on the third floor," the chubby man suggested.

The three intruders cheerfully discussed their plans for the burglary.

Wenjay was at a loss, considering whether to call the police or go out and explain the situation, when the man suddenly commanded in a deep voice, "Stop!"

Instant silence. Everyone was startled, including Wenjay. All the eyes turned to look at him. The man slowly walked to the center of the living room, his cold gaze sweeping over everyone. His voice wasn't loud, but it carried an undeniable authority, "You have one minute to leave."

After a moment of stunned silence, the bald man was the first to react, demanding, "Who are you?"

"I am the owner of this house," the man replied succinctly, "Get out."

So he really was Mingyoo Jow... Wenjay breathed a sigh of relief, but his worry deepened. They were outnumbered, three to two, and one of them was a cripple... Patton could help, but he had just been neutered and could barely walk.

If a fight broke out, their chances didn't look good...

The three intruders exchanged glances. The bald man, clearly their leader, scoffed, "Just because you say so? I could say the same."

The chubby man chimed in, "What nonsense are you talking about? This place is abandoned. I came here in the spring and no one was living here. Who are you trying to fool?"

The skinny man added, "Are you a fugitive? We've already called the police. Hand over my cousin, or you'll pay!"

The tension was palpable. Wenjay felt that as the one who had inadvertently caused this mess, he had a responsibility to step forward and help explain the situation. So, he slowly emerged from the shadows and said, "Wait, wait, is there some kind of misunderstanding? I haven't seen your cousin. The pit in the yard was dug by a dog... no, I dug it, but it was the dog who buried things in it. It buried all the slippers from the house. I dug them out to clean them. If you don't believe me, go look. There are more than twenty pairs drying on the steps."

Everyone looked at him as if he were an idiot, including Mingyoo. Wenjay swallowed hard and continued, "I'm telling the truth. If you really lost someone, you should go look for them instead of wasting time here. There's really no one else here."

Just as he finished speaking, a young man suddenly ran out from the door leading to the laundry room. As he ran, he cried out in horror, "Brother Wong, it's bad! There's so much blood, and this..." Seeing the situation in the living room, he abruptly stopped, choking on his words.

Everyone's gaze was drawn to the object in his right hand. He was holding a pair of battered handcuffs, or more accurately, novelty handcuffs, stained with Patton's blood. If you looked closely, you might even see some dog hair stuck to them.

Wenjay had tried his best, but his first time neutering a dog had been a bit messy, with a bit too much blood splattered around.

Mingyoo opened and closed his mouth, looking at Wenjay with an indescribable expression.

The bald man, stunned for a moment, suddenly exploded with rage. Wielding his machete, he roared, "You! What did you do to my son? I'll kill you!" As he shouted, he charged forward.

Wenjay had never encountered such a ridiculous misunderstanding in his life. It felt like he had been setting himself up for disaster all day. Seeing the bald man charging at him with a machete, he quickly stepped in front of Mingyoo. As the only able-bodied man in the house, it was his duty to protect the crippled homeowner and the recently neutered Patton!

But before the bald man could reach him, a strange stillness fell over the room. It was as if the world had been paused by an invisible hand, freezing everyone in place. Even the air seemed to stop moving.

In the blink of an eye, time resumed. Wenjay's vision blurred, and for some unknown reason, the bald man's large body was sent flying, crashing onto the steps at the entrance with a thud.

At the same time, Mingyoo drew a gun. His black Glock was aimed at the chubby man who had tried to attack him. In a stern voice, he commanded, "Stop!"

The room fell silent. No one had expected him to be armed. The chubby man was dumbstruck, the skinny man backed away in fear, and the man holding the "evidence" dropped the novelty handcuffs with a clatter.

With the bald man unconscious at the entrance, an eerie quiet fell over the living room. The only sound was the nervous breathing of those present.

After an oppressive standoff, the rumble of an engine followed by the blaring of a siren broke the silence from outside.

"Everyone inside, listen up. We are criminal police from the Maplewood Town Police Station. Don't move and drop your weapons!"

After the warning, two police officers entered the room. Seeing Mingyoo holding a gun, they were startled and quickly drew their own weapons, aiming at him. "Don't move! Drop the gun! Raise your hands!"

Mingyoo slowly lowered his gun, his dark eyes sweeping over the police officers. "Maplewood Town Police Station? Hmm, where is Highyang Chan? Tell him to come see me."

The police officers exchanged glances. One of them said, "Officer Chan is out on a mission. Who are you?"

Mingyoo pulled a dark red wallet from his pocket and opened it with one hand. "Criminal Investigation Bureau, Supernatural Case Division. My surname is Jow."

Inside the wallet was a metal badge. At first glance, it looked like a regular police badge, but there were subtle differences. One of the officers took the wallet and examined it, his expression becoming more respectful. "Hello, Officer Jow. Sorry for the disturbance."

Mingyoo took back his badge and stuffed it into his pocket. "It's fine. Get them out of here."

"Wait!" The bald man, who had been lying at the entrance, had somehow regained consciousness. He suddenly got up and shouted, "Officers, my son is missing. He's been gone for several hours. Someone said they saw him heading towards Chicken Frame Village, then being taken towards Maplewood Farm. We found blood and a weapon in the house next door!" He picked up the tattered novelty handcuffs and threw them in front of the police, his emotions collapsing. "Officers, you can't cover for each other!"

The police officers looked at the torn novelty handcuffs, then at Mingyoo and Wenjay. Their expressions were somewhat awkward. One of them went to calm the bald man, "Don't get excited! You're Jian Wong, right? You're the one who called the police?"

Mingyoo's eyebrows twitched, "Jian Wong? Your name is Jian Wong?"

"Huh?" The bald man was taken aback.

Mingyoo asked again, "Is your son named Zeeshow Wong? Is he 21 years old and a senior at University of Science and Technology?"

"Huh?" A glimmer of hope flashed in Jian Wong's eyes, "Have you seen him?"

Mingyoo nodded, pulling a crumpled piece of paper from his pocket. He smoothed it out on his thigh and said, "Your son, Zeeshow Wong, is suspected of a series of violent murders. He has been arrested. This is the arrest warrant."