I Have Infinite Skill Points

Wang Lan couldn't say that Chen Bing was a bad person, but he was certainly someone people found annoying. He was the type to arbitrarily vent his anger on others, quick-tempered and inconsiderate of their feelings.

Frankly, Wang Lan had never been yelled at like this in his entire life, not by a single person!

If it were any other senior high school student, Chen Bing's yelling might have been effective, but with Wang Lan's temperament, how could he tolerate it?

"You're right, a Star Martial Warrior isn't anything special and can't just snatch your case. But I can!"

As he spoke, he took out his Tianjian Bureau credentials from inside his coat.

"I suspect that the robbers are backed by a Star Martial Warrior, so this case falls under the jurisdiction of the Tianjian Bureau. You ask how I got here? Let me tell you now, I requested the cooperation of the Suzhou City Police Department for the Tianjian Bureau's operation—specifically, the Criminal Investigation Department, not your Management Section. Are you satisfied with this answer?"

"You!" Chen Bing glared furiously at Wang Lan. "The Tianjian Bureau... The Tianjian Bureau can forget about snatching my case!"

"Director Wang, is Officer Chen speaking on behalf of the Police Department?" Wang Lan asked, a smile playing on his lips as he looked at the grim-faced Director Wang beside him.

"Chen Bing, watch your language! The Tianjian Bureau has the right to request cooperation from local police forces. Hu Qing and the Tianjian Bureau will take over this case; they've collaborated more than once."

"Director Wang, if you do this, how can I possibly face my men? How can I explain this to my brothers? If you insist, I'll resign!"

"Fine! Submit your resignation letter by noon! What are you all still doing here? Dismissed! Liu, gather all the information Hu Qing needs and hand it over to Team Leader Hu."

"Yes, sir!"

The surrounding crowd dispersed, and personnel from the Management Section quickly began searching high and low, organizing the files. Chen Bing, formerly so arrogant and overbearing, now stood stunned, his face a mask of disbelief.

Wang Lan no longer found the man annoying; instead, he felt Chen Bing was both pitiful and pathetic. He hadn't even realized that, from beginning to end, he had been the only one loudly arguing, without a single subordinate speaking up for him.

Perhaps even within the Management Section, he wasn't popular.

Hu Qing and his fellow officers from the Criminal Investigation Department took Hei's information and returned to their unit. The comprehensive data collected by the Management Section over half a year had indeed saved Hu Qing a lot of trouble.

Flower Street and Willow Alley—the brothel district—was, during the imperial and wartime eras, Suzhou City's notoriously famous... street. This gave rise to the euphemism "seeking flowers and asking about willows," meaning to frequent brothels.

After the war ended, Jade Country vigorously reformed its internal affairs. Although no one dared to openly operate a Phoenix Building anymore, the area remained a well-known spot in Suzhou City for seeking such pleasures.

Flower Street and Willow Alley. The main thoroughfare was called Flower Street; it was five meters wide, and its sides were lined with establishments catering to all needs: clothing, food, lodging, and transport. Of course, unlike ordinary streets, here the KTVs, bars, saunas, and bathhouses were packed tightly together, one after another, from one end of the street to the other.

Willow Alley didn't refer to a single alley but to the slender lanes branching off from both sides of Flower Street, like the delicate limbs of a willow tree. These alleys were long, narrow, and labyrinthine, a veritable treasure trove inviting exploration.

Many experienced patrons would ignore the conspicuous establishments along Flower Street, preferring to delve into Willow Alley for their own discoveries.

The brothel district featured ancient city architecture, and the labyrinthine complexity of its alleys made it very difficult to apprehend the shady characters who resided there. At the first sign of trouble, they would dart into the alleys, and no one knew where they had vanished.

If not for the detailed information gathered by the Management Section, Hu Qing wouldn't have been confident about locating Hei, let alone capturing him.

Hei ostensibly ran twenty-seven entertainment venues, but in reality, he controlled the lifeline of all the hidden Phoenix Buildings in the brothel district. This most ancient and profitable of trades had brought Hei countless riches.

Hei had no fixed residence; apart from a few trusted confidants, no one knew where he would spend any given night. Moreover, Hei had numerous mistresses; the more renowned courtesans from the Phoenix Buildings were, by and large, his lovers.

Hei wasn't particularly possessive. Not only did he not restrict his lovers' activities, but he even encouraged them to start their own ventures.

If one of Hei's trusted subordinates hadn't been a police informant, Hu Qing would never have been able to confirm Hei's whereabouts.

As dusk settled, Hu Qing positioned his team outside a building at the end of a small alley. No one would have guessed that this dilapidated old structure, which looked for all the world like a condemned building, was Hei's hideout.

"All units, report status!"

"In position!"

"In position!"

"Good! Commence operation!"

The words had barely left his lips when Hu Qing emerged from a concealed flowerbed with Wang Lan, charging straight for the entrance of the small building.

Hei's stronghold was on the third floor. The old building's staircase was wooden. By the time they charged up to the third floor, the rest of their team had just reached the ground-floor entrance.

BANG—

Hu Qing kicked open the door and burst into the room. The air inside was thick with smoke. Four men were playing cards in the living room, and several disheveled women were sprawled on the sofas. On the coffee table before them lay drug paraphernalia.

In stark contrast to the building's dilapidated exterior, the interior decoration was no less luxurious than that of an upscale apartment, featuring marble and hardwood floors. The walls were pristine white, and colorful lights were set into the dropped ceiling. For a moment, Wang Lan forgot the building's rundown facade.

Huh? An unexpected bonus?

"Motherfuckers, grab your weapons—!"

"Police! Don't move!" Hu Qing instantly drew his gun, aiming it at the four men who had leaped up from the card table.

A gun was a far greater deterrent to ordinary people than a Star Martial Warrior. An encounter with a Star Martial Warrior wasn't necessarily fatal, but a gunshot at this close range definitely was.

"Officer, what's all this? Is playing cards illegal now...?" one of the men whined.

"What's that on the table? Think I don't recognize it? Where's Hei?" Hu Qing snorted coldly.

"What Hei? Never heard of him."

"Don't know him? Don't know what you're talking about..."

CLICK—

With the faint sound, Wang Lan's ears twitched. He instantly flashed into the adjacent room. The back window was open, curtains fluttering gently in the breeze.

Just as Wang Lan was about to inspect the window, he suddenly heard a heartbeat.

Heh. Trying to pull a misdirection tactic on me? Wang Lan scoffed, looking at the tightly closed wardrobe. "Next time you try this, try to keep your heart from racing so much. Come on out. Don't make me drag you out."

As he spoke, the Flame Sword ignited in Wang Lan's hand.

Perhaps it was Wang Lan's status as a Star Martial Warrior that made the person inside the wardrobe abandon any hope of a lucky escape. The wardrobe door slowly creaked open, and a burly, bald man stepped out.

"Sir... I... I..."

"You're Hei?"

"Yes... Yes!"

Just then, Hu Qing also entered the room, his gun trained on Hei. "What are you doing with your hands? Raise them!"

Instantly, Hei whipped out a handgun from behind his back.

BANG—!

A gunshot cracked, followed by a CLANG as the handgun hit the floor. Hei clutched his arm, his body immediately slumping.

"Trying to pull a gun in front of me?" Hu Qing sneered. "When I was winning rapid-fire championships, you were just a brat who'd never even touched a firearm!"

That single shot completely shattered Hei's will to resist. His only lingering resentment was how the police had discovered his hideout. Hardly anyone knew about this place.

Suddenly, Wang Lan's ears twitched again. This time, there *was* a faint sound from outside the window.

Instantly, Hu Qing raised his hand and fired at the wall beside the window.

It was an old-fashioned wall, its exterior not entirely made of reinforced concrete. The bullet pierced straight through. In that same instant, a figure flashed past the window in front of Wang Lan.

"A Star Martial Warrior!" Wang Lan's expression changed drastically; he hadn't expected another Star Martial Warrior to be in Hei's room.

Without hesitation, Wang Lan leaped out the window.

For a Star Martial Warrior, jumping from the third floor was as easy as a simple hop.

Wang Lan followed, plunging into the night. He could only see a dark shadow flitting past him.

Instantly, the shadow fired a grappling line from its arm, which latched onto the rooftop of an opposite building. Grabbing the line, the figure zipped towards the other rooftop with lightning speed.

Damn it, think you're Spider-Man?

Without a second thought, Wang Lan loosed a Crescent Arrow with a SWISH, severing the line in mid-air. Its support gone, the figure had no choice but to plummet from the sky once more.

Tumbling through the air, Wang Lan, with his quick reflexes, grabbed a tree branch protruding from the building's exterior to break his fall. After a few more tumbles, he twisted his body and landed solidly on both feet.

The shadowy figure wasn't so fortunate. With nothing to slow its descent, it crashed directly into the bushes below, rolling several times before coming to a stop.

Wang Lan instantly closed the distance. The opponent scrambled to his feet, his eyes darting towards a black suitcase nearby.

"I never expected the police department of a mere Suzhou City to have two Star Martial Warriors," the figure said.

"I also didn't expect to snag a Star Martial Warrior while just trying to catch a minor gang leader," Wang Lan retorted. "I advise you not to resist. I don't tend to hold back."

"Young, yet you talk so big," the figure sneered, then charged at Wang Lan.

His strength... merely the peak of the Star Shine Stage.

The opponent opened his mouth, blasting a fierce gust of wind at Wang Lan, riddled with countless tiny wind blades. The Flame Sword flared, transforming into a defensive screen of fiery light that instantly melted the incoming wind blades.

Wang Lan pressed his advantage, his Flame Sword a blur of motion, like a stream of light brushing past his opponent.

"AAARGH—!"

The figure shrieked as blood erupted from the joints of his arms and legs. He collapsed to the ground, wailing in agony.

He hadn't intended to run. He'd been lying in ambush outside the window, waiting for Wang Lan to stick his head out so he could decapitate him with a single wind blade. But who would have thought Wang Lan would be so alert? And then Wang Lan had even discovered Hei hiding in the wardrobe! Left with no choice, he had to make a sound to try and lure Wang Lan out. But who knew Hu Qing would fire a shot just like that, without warning? His plan to lure the snake from its hole had failed, so fleeing was his only option. With his crossbow and grappling line, escape shouldn't have been too difficult. But how did he end up facing an opponent capable of long-range attacks? Aren't ranged Star Martial Skills supposed to be incredibly rare? How could he be so unlucky as to encounter one? Intercepted, he had no choice but to fight with his back against the wall. Unfortunately, his wind-attribute abilities were completely suppressed by fire, and he was utterly defeated in a single exchange.

"Over here! Quickly, quickly—!"

Officers from the Criminal Investigation Department rushed over, four or five guns aimed at the Star Martial Warrior wailing on the ground, swiftly subduing him.

The mysterious Star Martial Warrior's face was a mask of indignation. In my current state, do you lot still think I can put up any resistance?

"Lanzi, how are you? Are you hurt?" Hu Qing asked.

"I'm fine! But this guy's a Star Martial Warrior. I'm afraid the Tianjian Bureau will really have to take this one. Also, be careful when you open his suitcase. Let's see what's inside."

Hu Qing personally and carefully opened the suitcase...

"A Star Martial Warrior, stooping to this kind of work? What an honor," Hu Qing muttered sarcastically. "He's definitely getting the firing squad for this."