Every second felt unbearably long. After a while, the cabin door was finally yanked open with a heavy “whoosh,” and everyone’s expressions tensed at once.

A young, sharp figure appeared in the doorway—it was Ethan White.

He stood nearly 1.9 meters tall, a travel backpack slung over one shoulder, adorned with boxing gloves and a basketball keychain. He had changed into a shirt, but only the bottom two buttons were fastened, faintly revealing the firm lines of his abdominal muscles.

Beneath his left collarbone, a blood-red S caught everyone’s eye.

“……”

A complete, deathly silence fell over the crowd.

Ethan White’s eyes were naturally sharp in shape, and the blood splattered on the corner of his brow had yet to dry. As he looked down from above, a trace of icy scrutiny clearly flickered in his gaze.

“S-class…” someone in the crowd murmured, drawing in a breath.

The next moment, Ethan White’s expression changed miraculously. He smiled amiably, like a spring breeze, and waved at the many gun barrels pointed his way. “Hello, everyone!”

Then he leapt down.

It was over three meters from the cabin door to the ground, but he landed without a sound. The heavy objects he dragged in each hand, however, hit the ground with a bang! bang!

They were two climbing ropes, each tied around a twisted mass of human limbs, impossible to make out their shapes. On the left were two accomplices in the hijacking, their bones shattered and limbs entangled. On the right, the ringleader David Bolton, his torso gruesomely twisted into a spiral.

In an instant, everyone’s hearts pounded wildly—even the seasoned inspectors nearly lost their composure. Jason Brooks quickly covered his face, refusing to look further, and signaled his subordinates to help escort the criminals.

But before anyone with a gun could step forward, Ethan White stopped them. “Wait, answer a question for me first.”

Jason Brooks gave him a pleading look, urging him to hurry.

“Before the hijackers fired at me, I heard someone on the radio say he never negotiates with criminals. That high-and-mighty bastard was—”

“Me.”

Ethan White turned and met Brian Sullivan’s gaze.

The inspector from Shenhai City always wore the same attire: a well-fitted black suit, white shirt, a face pale and clean, elegant thin lips habitually pressed together.

His black leather gloves were thin and tight, showing off his long, slender fingers. His trigger finger, curled around the gun, didn’t move a fraction.

Even the wind seemed to freeze. No one dared move, or even make a sound. Many gun barrels were visibly unsteady.

“……”

Under everyone’s gaze, Ethan White’s expression shifted in a very complicated way—somewhat disgruntled, yet somewhat relieved. After a moment, he finally sighed and muttered, “Beauty truly is the most persuasive weapon in the world… Now I believe it.”

“I forgive you, Inspector.” Ethan White raised his voice, tilting his chin at Brian Sullivan. “Come make a deal with me!”

There was not a ripple in the darkness of Brian Sullivan’s eyes.

Ethan White gestured at the climbing ropes in his hands. “My hands are full. Come over and button up my shirt. These three hijackers are yours, Shenhai City Inspection Bureau, and our score is settled. How about it?”

That simple?

If you only looked at his face, Ethan White might even seem charming and approachable. But everyone knew that an S-class evolver’s close-combat skills were on par with a human weapon. Even standing there smiling, he exuded a latent sense of oppression.

“……” Brian Sullivan tilted his head and gave Jason Brooks a look, signaling him to go.

“I mean you, Inspector.” Ethan White emphasized.

Then he raised an eyebrow and smiled. “I just like being served by a beauty.”

At that moment, everyone behind instinctively sneaked glances at Brian Sullivan’s back, trying to guess his expression—but they were destined never to know.

“……”

Brian Sullivan stood motionless for several seconds, finally exhaled, handed his gun to Jason Brooks, and walked over calmly to stand in front of Ethan White.

Brian Sullivan was already considered tall, but face-to-face, his gaze only reached Ethan White’s chin. He lowered his eyes in silence and buttoned up Ethan White’s shirt, one button at a time, from the bottom up.

“There’s something I’m really curious about,” Ethan White tilted his head slightly, whispering in Brian Sullivan’s ear. “If I hadn’t been on this flight today, how would you have handled this incident?”

“…In the process of coexistence between humans and evolvers, not a single conflict has ever ended well.” After a moment, Brian Sullivan finally replied.

“All the methods and negotiation tactics for dealing with human kidnappers have proven useless. That’s why every time there’s a superpowered criminal case, countless civilians die, and I must strictly follow Article 1, Section 1 of the operations manual.”

The wind swept across the empty tarmac. From the high airplane windows, the faces of passengers could be seen, terrified and bewildered.

“So,” Brian Sullivan looked up, “the price of sudden evolution falls on every civilian—it’s a catastrophe.”

The two locked eyes at close range. Ethan White could even see his own reflection in Brian Sullivan’s pupils.

“This is why, as a hardline opponent, you’re globally famous for your unfriendly attitude toward evolvers, isn’t it, Inspector Brian Sullivan?” Ethan White’s lips curled.

Brian Sullivan didn’t answer. He fastened the last button beneath Ethan White’s collarbone, stepped back half a pace, and looked up at him calmly: