Dude, something's really wrong with your abilities.

Chapter 29 The Story of Tie Mei

The piercing siren of the ambulance was particularly loud in the quiet alley. Inside the ambulance, Sun Tiemei's head was slightly leaning against Chen Shi, her eyes closed, and her body trembled involuntarily.

It wasn't because of pain, but because the release of her ice-type power was forcibly interrupted, causing the energy to surge into her meridians. Her fingers curled up, and her fingertips turned white.

Her current appearance is completely different from her usual coldness that is unyielding to any blade, as if the mask formed from years of solid ice has been peeled off her face.

"He called me Xiaomei." Sun Tiemei's voice was very soft, but Chen Shi heard it clearly.

He immediately understood who "he" referred to.

"Team leader, you reacted strongly when Hongjun mentioned Senior Yan earlier."

Sun Tiemei did not answer the question, but continued talking to herself. From the first day Chen Shi met her, he had never heard her say so much.

"When I was seventeen, my dad sacrificed his life. He used to work for the Bureau, and that day he wasn't supposed to be on a mission; he was covering for a colleague who was on sick leave. A superhuman had taken hostages in a residential area. The negotiation team had already arrived, and my dad was in charge of the perimeter. According to regulations, he only needed to wait for orders. But halfway through the negotiations, the man suddenly made his move. It wasn't that the negotiations had broken down; he had never intended to negotiate in the first place. When my dad rushed in, there were still two hostages inside. He pushed both of them out, but he didn't come out himself."

"And then?" Chen Shi was just a loyal listener tonight, but he could tell that Sun Tiemei was very upset.

"He was still caught. During interrogation, he said he never thought he'd get out alive; he just wanted to take a few people down with him."

Sun Tiemei's voice suddenly choked up, "My father followed procedure and waited for orders. He killed people inside. But procedures can't protect innocent people. After that incident, I kept thinking about whether following the rules was right or wrong. My father followed the rules his whole life, and in the end, he died because of following the rules. I can't understand it."

"On the day of the funeral, I didn't cry in front of many people, but after everyone left, I huddled in a corner and cried. At that moment, Uncle Yan came in from outside, patted my shoulder, and said to me, 'Xiao Mei, don't be afraid.'"

"So it was Senior Yan who invited you to join the bureau?"

"He was my dad's best friend. When my dad was alive, he often came to our house for dinner and played chess with him. If he lost, he would stay on the sofa and refuse to leave, saying, 'Let's play another game!' After my dad passed away, he took the initiative to find me and said, 'I'll take you into the bureau.' I said I wasn't old enough for the interview. He said, 'When your dad and I joined the bureau, he wasn't old enough either. I'll take you; no one will stop you.'" Her fingers unconsciously curled on her knee. "On the day of the interview, I didn't say anything. He just stood behind me like a wall. The interviewer asked him about this child's background, and he said, 'This is Old Sun's daughter. No need to ask about her background; I'll take her.'"

"No wonder you have such deep feelings for him."

"He mentored me for three years. From beginning to end. He took me on missions, taught me how to write reports, and once when I made a mistake in an operation, Uncle Yan took full responsibility. He told me not to call him Master, but to call him as before. Later, he disappeared. Perhaps many people think I'm cold-hearted, that such an important person suddenly disappeared from my life and I didn't feel anything."

Chen Shi thought about it and did have some doubts.

"I told Zhuang Wen that day that during the time Uncle Yan was missing, it was as if a part of my memory was stolen. This person became very blurry in my mind. It wasn't until you came to the station that I remembered his past events."

"Team leader, I have a guess: someone has tampered with your memories."

Sun Tiemei did not deny it.

She was silent for a moment, then said something that sent chills down Chen Shi's spine. "The person who can tamper with memories must be someone I know. And that person doesn't want me to remember Uncle Yan." As she said this, her fingers stopped trembling, as if the things that had been turned upside down had finally found a place to be placed.

Chen Shi reached out, wanting to pat Sun Tiemei on the shoulder, but in the end he didn't dare.

He looked into Sun Tiemei's eyes and said something that was probably the most insightful thing he'd ever said in his life. "Team leader, you just told me that your father died following procedures while waiting for orders, but you can't blame Uncle Yan's disappearance on you. The two surviving people your father pushed out are the best proof that he wasn't wrong back then. You've been guarding Team Five all these years, protecting us; you've been doing what your father did. As for Senior Yan, we'll help you find him."

Sun Tiemei looked at him without speaking. Her eyes weren't red. But a hint of icy mist welled up in her eyes, like a refrigerator door being pulled open a crack, letting all the cold air escape.

Su Xiaohe and Fatty were already waiting at the hospital entrance. Fatty's car arrived before the ambulance. He parked his car and stood at the entrance of the emergency room. As soon as he saw the ambulance with its roof lights flashing, it turned into the hospital gate, and he quickly ran over. Su Xiaohe followed behind him.

The ambulance's back door opened, and the accompanying medical staff helped Sun Tiemei out. Her arm was wrapped in bandages, and her face was pale.

Su Xiaohe only glanced at it before tears streamed down her face. She had only been in Group Five for a few days, but she already considered this place her home. Chang Biao taught her how to make mango crepes, Fatty helped her move file boxes, Chen Shi, leaning on his crutch, would bicker with her, and Sun Tiemei was the toughest person she had ever met. Now, this toughest person had become so vulnerable. It felt like a child seeing their incredibly strong father being beaten—that kind of sadness was overwhelming.

"Team leader," she called out, her voice trembling violently, the rest of her words caught in her throat. Sun Tiemei saw her standing beside her with red eyes and whispered that she was alright.

The fat man's face turned ashen. He had been following Sun Tiemei for several years, going on missions with her even before she became the team leader. He had seen her frostbitten someone's finger, seen her single-handedly withstand an attack from three A-level fighters, and had never seen her need help walking.

He turned to Chen Shi: "Who did it?"

"The falcon, with a broken arm, has run away."

The fat man nodded without saying anything else. Su Xiaohe wiped her face with the back of her hand and took two deep breaths to steady her breathing.

Sun Tiemei called her name from the emergency room, and she rushed in. Sun Tiemei was leaning against the hospital bed, her arm wound being re-bandaged. She looked at Su Xiaohe and said, "Call Lao Zheng." Su Xiaohe agreed, dialed the number, and pressed speakerphone.

Old Zheng's voice came through the receiver, with the background noise of keyboards in the operations room; he had clearly been waiting for this call. Sun Tiemei spoke into the phone, her voice much steadyer than it had been in the ambulance, but each word still carried the hoarseness of being squeezed from her throat after the backlash from her supernatural abilities.

"Chief, the falcon has lost an arm and escaped; its identity has been confirmed. I suggest launching a citywide manhunt. It has lost a lot of blood and can't have gone far."

Old Zheng was silent for two seconds. "How's your injury?"

"The backlash from the superpower is not serious."

"I'll have someone replace you."

"No need." She said these two words, her tone returning to its usual firmness.

Old Zheng was silent for two seconds. "I'll start a city-wide manhunt immediately. But you stay in the hospital. I'll prepare the operation briefing tomorrow morning."

Sun Tiemei said yes. Old Zheng hung up the phone.

Su Xiaohe put her phone away and sat down on the chair next to the hospital bed.

The fat man walked in through the door, handed the severed arm from the evidence bag to the accompanying patrol officer, and then leaned against the wall with his arms crossed over his chest.

Sun Tiemei closed her eyes, and her breathing gradually calmed down.