Tang Ziyi, Yang Qingyue, and Cai Ning were promptly informed of the mission's progress. The arrested mercenaries were escorted to Ling Qingy's residence for interrogation.

Tang Ziyi stayed with Yang Qingyue and Cai Ning, leaving such matters to Su Ruomei and Jiang Yu. She couldn't afford to gamble with such secrets of retrieving information via truth serum.

It was better for the two upright police chiefs to misunderstand Spirit Fox's methods—better to be seen as villains than reveal their talent. Given their stigmatized treatment of gangsters, the mercenaries wouldn't be spared either.

Naturally, Yang Qingyue and Cai Ning were overthinking, but certain aspects of torture would indeed be used to mask the real method—not just from outsiders but from the targets themselves.

The arrested targets went through a harsh ordeal. Since Spirit Fox knew acupuncture techniques that induced extreme pain, the poor souls nearly lost consciousness, hovering on the edge so they couldn't distinguish reality.

Then Su Ruomei and Jiang Yu administered the serum and asked their questions. Regardless of instinctive resistance, the captives spilled everything. Even their underwear color and most embarrassing childhood moments weren't safe.

Nevertheless, no matter what they confessed, everything would later be attributed to their weakest psychological state, deliberately exploited by Spirit Fox's torture—never the serum.

As more clues emerged, the missing pieces began to make sense. With each testimony, Athena quickly wove an interlinked web revealing the villains' true intentions and their next likely moves.

Obviously, the main goal was to rescue the Tiger Gang boss. If tonight's storm was an appetizer and a test, the next step was a major distraction to overwhelm the government's apparatus and execute a prison break. Unfortunately for them, they had never accounted for Spirit Fox's fierce response and tricks, particularly the serum and Athena's existence.

Two hours later, after reading Athena's complete report, Tang Ziyi ordered the girls to strike the main culprits' hideouts. Hiding was no longer possible; everyone had confessed their respective safe houses. Physical mail or couriers were no longer viable once credible in-person testimony appeared.

Because of Spirit Fox's swift actions, not even the communication codes were connected. The opponents remained completely unaware. Everyone involved was arrested with solid evidence.

The ringleader was apprehended along with his second-in-command. This time, Spirit Fox operators simply shot anyone who showed the slightest resistance, no longer bothering with live capture.

Only later, everyone discovered the real plan of those disgusting mercenaries matching Athena's guess—distraction by staging hostage events like bank heist and bus kidnapping to paralyze Province N's law enforcement system.

Tonight's action had saved Province N's resurging reputation and countless lives unknowingly.

Perhaps Spirit Fox's immediate retaliation didn't align with laws and regulations, but since when had they ever abided by them?

Illegal firearms were seized, many known black-market sites were eliminated, dealers arrested, and weapons plants destroyed. Thanks to everyone's efforts, a future crisis was unknowingly prevented.

In fact, neither Spirit Fox nor the Province N Police led by Yang Qingyue would tolerate any weapon cache slipping through, and they couldn't afford the risk. While Spirit Fox might have missed a few areas during the initial sweep, the Province N Police Force was not powerless in dealing with the remaining threats.

In addition, with Ms. Murong's earlier confession, all suspicious locations were targeted after the successful raid on the four-story building, even if they weren't directly related to the enemies who attacked Spirit Fox.

Thus, during the most vulnerable hours between midnight and early morning, certain "residents" with questionable identities received the most "polite knock" and "warm greeting" from Spirit Fox.

They were bundled into vans and escorted to police stations, facing harsh questioning before being released. Bitter and adamant to complain and sue, yet they only dared to do so in their minds.

They lost their courage once Spirit Fox instantly pinpointed their identities. Although they weren't involved, most were problematic—some even bounty hunters. From their mouths, word spread—Province N had become another forbidden area for operating an underground network.

Some even concluded, perhaps too far, that if a border province was so meticulous and strict in its security measures, the Capitol must be absolute, further engraving the past myth that had deterred foreign spies.

Such was the incredible speed with which Spirit Fox managed to deter and prevent the crisis—and, in the case of Athena, without even going full-throttle. Speaking of which, Tang Ziyi reckoned no party could withstand Athena's absolute power. She had envisioned the scene and realized she had actually underestimated her niece.

If human intelligence were added to the equation, who could stop them? That night, Province N's criminals tasted the first wonder of what it meant to fight against the entire country's apparatus.

The detestable mercenaries learned the hard way, receiving a dimension-reduced slaughter and becoming stepping stones.

At the City N Police Station, after transferring prisoners, the two police chiefs, relaxed and fulfilled, had a deep dialogue, lamenting the night's events.

Yang Qingyue commented to her childhood friend: "I feel like the role and actions played by Spirit Fox exceed many nations' intelligence services. How about your old MSS? Can they lock down suspects' locations so accurately and quickly?"

"Are you kidding me?" Cai Ning rolled her eyes, recalling her former work. "Even the entire MSS can't achieve what Spirit Fox just did. We could complete the same task, but not nearly as fast. This is just outrageous."

"Not even your past organization?" Yang Qingyue expressed her doubt.

"Nope, impossible to achieve Spirit Fox's speed. Qingyue, are you sure Sister Ling's background is what we've estimated?" Cai Ning asked, doubtful.

"Why are you questioning her? Don't you trust her?" said Yang Qingyue.

Naturally, you've slept with her, so your elbows are turning outward, Cai Ning mused. "We might have really underestimated her."

"Regardless, what she brings helps me in my ideals," Yang Qingyue said with a smile, comforting her friend.

"I hope so," said Cai Ning. "I feel like I just tasted how the CIA, FBI, NSA, Secret Service, and Defense Intelligence of Country A work when the entire machine moves under one command. The déjà vu is hard to ignore."

"Then we'd better not make Sister Ling our enemy."

"Indeed. But Qingyue, ask her clearly if you can. Confront her, please. As much as I trust her, I can't place hopes solely on a person's kindness," Cai Ning advised.

Yang Qingyue didn't speak. Before, she might have agreed with Cai Ning, but after spending so much time together and knowing Ling Qingyu's ambition thoroughly, Yang Qingyue understood more about the ancient phrase:

Keep your friends close. Keep your enemies closer.

Although the interpretation didn't apply to her case, as Ling Qingyu wasn't her enemy, it could still be concluded that having Ling Qingyu as a comrade and companion outweighed going against her.

She admitted she was lucky to meet Ling Qingyu when things were far from today's stage. Otherwise, she wouldn't have obtained such a rare opportunity and connection—an even deeper bond at that. Maybe she wouldn't have entered Ling Qingyu's eyes at all.

If Ling Qingyu heard her inner doubt, she'd sprawl out of the void and comfort her lover. As a uniform kinker, there was no way she'd have missed Yang Qingyue's existence—excellent background, status, and skills. Not to mention, her lover was a policewoman.

The most beautiful moment of Yang Qingyue was her chief uniform, a taste Ling Qingyu would never forget and always savor.