"Director Zhao, hello, hello." Shen Haobing put on a respectful and obsequious smile, but knowing his place, he didn't dare to extend his hand to shake hands with Director Zhao. Shen Haobing then put on a wronged look and said, "Look, I got beaten up by these two thugs..."
"I didn't ask you a question!" Zhao Qing coldly interrupted Shen Haobing.
Shen Haobing looked embarrassed, but dared not say anything.
Seeing Zhao Qing's slightly displeased look, Xu Zhengyang could only smile somewhat embarrassedly, then narrowed his eyes and said calmly, "He struck first..."
"The reason," Zhao Qing said with a stern face.
“He’s Guo Tian’s cousin. You’ve heard Uncle Zhongshan mention Guo Tian, right?” Xu Zhengyang said casually, as if chatting about family matters. “Well, we met at a newly opened dog meat hot pot restaurant near the grain station. He tried to beat me up to vent his anger because he had a few police officers from the police station with him. Oh, and this friend of mine, Chen Chaojiang, you should have heard of him too.”
Zhao Qing certainly knew who Guo Tian was, and he also knew who Chen Chaojiang was.
For more than two months, Zhong Shan had approached him repeatedly about the two cases that followed, pressuring him to report the situation to the Municipal Bureau.
Zhao Qing turned his head to look at Tian Baotun with a sullen face.
If Tian Baotun still couldn't tell that Zhao Qing and Xu Zhengyang knew each other by this point, and couldn't sense the familiarity between them from Xu Zhengyang's tone, then he might as well just kill himself. So, Tian Baotun cursed inwardly at his bad luck today. He'd gotten himself into this mess; he should have done Wu Feng a favor. Now he was doomed; he wouldn't have gained any favor with Deputy Director Liao, and he'd angered that stern-faced director.
Tian Baotun gave a bitter and embarrassed smile and hurriedly said, "Director Zhao, I don't know much about this. My men just arrested him."
"So you're just going to watch them get handcuffed here? Watch these two who were also involved in the fight just stand there? They seem pretty arrogant and cocky. Not to mention retaliation, they're even putting on an act of retaliatory behavior right here in the police station..." Zhao Qing sneered, glancing outside the door. "You guys have great benefits here, huh? Those two police officers standing outside look ruddy-faced, they must have just been drinking, right?"
"I don't really know, I really don't know." Tian Baotun was so anxious that sweat beaded on his forehead.
"Come in!" Zhao Qing shouted towards the door.
Two police officers who had previously dined with Shen Haobing walked in, looking terrified and extremely nervous.
"Were you there at the time?" Zhao Qing asked coldly.
The two policemen hung their heads, not daring to look at Zhao Qing, and only nodded hesitantly.
"You were there. How did this fight start? Huh?" Zhao Qing's temper flared, and his voice grew increasingly harsh, almost shouting.
The two policemen kept their heads down, not daring to utter a sound. They could have easily stopped it at the restaurant earlier, but they hadn't expected Shen Haobing to be beaten bloody by two young men in their early twenties. By the time they thought to intervene, it was too late. The course of a fight is usually not as complicated or lengthy as it's made out to be; it's generally resolved in a few dozen seconds, unless it's a chaotic brawl.
"Release them!" Zhao Qing waved his hand and said in a cold voice.
Without hesitation, the two police officers stepped forward and unlocked the handcuffs of Xu Zhengyang and Chen Chaojiang.
Chen Chaojiang's previously cold and lifeless eyes finally revealed a hint of doubt as he looked at Xu Zhengyang. Xu Zhengyang, rubbing his wrist, simply smiled at Chen Chaojiang before turning to Zhao Qing with a calm expression and saying, "Director Zhao, there's something I must report to you. After the argument at the restaurant, these two officers, knowing the reason, handcuffed us and dragged us into the car. They beat us after taking us to the police station, which goes without saying. But before you arrived, they actually allowed Shen Haobing and this guy, Biaozi, to come in and beat people… And this Chief Tian, instead of investigating, he indiscriminately said he'd fine us both five thousand yuan, and told Shen Haobing and Biaozi not to beat us too badly, just enough…"
Zhao Qing's expression grew increasingly grim. He waved to stop Xu Zhengyang from continuing, then asked the two policemen, "Is what he said true?"
The two policemen stammered, but dared not lie or try to defend themselves.
Zhao Qing snorted and said coldly, "Tian Baotun, you've done a very good job as the station chief!"
"Director Zhao, I apologize. I failed to conduct a thorough investigation, my work was inadequate, and my management was flawed..." Tian Baotun hurriedly and sincerely admitted his mistakes.
Zhao Qing didn't give him a chance to finish speaking, and interrupted Tian Baotun with another snort. Then, with a stern face, he walked over to the two policemen, took off their hats, and threw them to Tian Baotun.
Tian Baotun caught it in a panic, looking puzzled.
That wasn't all. Zhao Qing then reached out and tore off the shoulder patches from the two dumbfounded policemen, throwing them to the ground. He then said coldly with a stern face, "From now on, you two are no longer policemen. You are not worthy of being policemen! You have disgraced the public security police!"
"Cuff these two! What are you standing there for?" Zhao Qing roared at Tian Baotun.
"Ah? Yes, yes." Tian Baotun quickly snatched the two pairs of handcuffs from his two subordinates, whose police hats had been removed and whose shoulder insignia had been torn off, and neatly handcuffed Shen Haobing and Biaozi.
"The Ten Tigers of Cizhou! The Ten Tigers of Cizhou! A menace, a cancer on society! Send him to the county bureau!" Zhao Qing angrily threw down these words and strode out, determined that no one could plead for him this time. If Liao Yongxian from the Transportation Bureau dared to plead, he would report it directly to his superiors! The county public security bureau had just cracked a major drug trafficking case and was receiving praise from all sides. Now, this incident had occurred, and the one wronged was Xu Zhengyang, who had made a great contribution. If this got out, wouldn't it tarnish the county bureau's reputation? Zhao Qing was furious. Moreover… Zhao Qing now seriously suspected that Zhong Shan had concealed something when introducing Xu Zhengyang's situation. Zhong Shan had said on the phone today that there were some things he couldn't say. What did that mean? When Zhong Shan first mentioned Xu Zhengyang, he described him as just a poor rural boy from a poor family. How could he have accomplished so many things that even the police couldn't? And how did he suddenly open an antique shop in Fuhe City?
Are you kidding me?! This kid probably has some impressive background. Judging from his usually calm and collected demeanor, he seems indifferent and unconcerned about everything. Besides simply looking down on ordinary people and things, what other reason could there be for someone like that?
After Zhao Qing and the others walked outside, he turned back, frowned, and said into the room, "Zhengyang, you two come with me to the bureau!"
Xu Zhengyang patted Chen Chaojiang, who was lost in thought, and reminded him to walk outside.
As Xu Zhengyang walked past the stunned group, he stopped, first looking at Tian Baotun, then squinting and speaking softly as if chatting casually, "Chief Tian, you probably don't know, but who sent Shen Qun, the former chief of the Futou Town Police Station, to prison..." Then, ignoring Tian Baotun's astonished gaze, Xu Zhengyang looked at Shen Haobing, whose head was wrapped in gauze, his face a mixture of resentment, helplessness, and confusion. Xu Zhengyang smiled and said, "You said you wanted to remember me, so let me remind you again. My name is Xu Zhengyang. Shen Qun, Guo Tian, and his father Guo Haigang's crimes a few days ago are all related to me. What... can you do about it?"
What an arrogant tone!
Everyone in the room was stunned, their eyes filled with doubt and a hint of...fear as they looked at Xu Zhengyang.
No one expected that this young man, who looked ordinary, with an ordinary appearance and even a somewhat simple and honest expression, and who didn't seem particularly special or arrogant, would say such arrogant and domineering things in front of the county public security bureau chief.
Actually, Xu Zhengyang didn't say those words intentionally to show off or flaunt his power. It was because he had already mentally investigated Shen Haobing's background... he was very wicked and powerful. The Ten Tigers of Cizhou were indeed, as Director Zhao Qing had said, a veritable menace! Moreover, he had always intended to punish them, but he had been held back by the fact that Jiang Shiqing, who was currently under his care and was the eighth-ranking member of the Ten Tigers of Cizhou, was someone he needed to look after.
Are you arrogant, domineering, and aggressive, bullying others with your power?
Xu Zhengyang had already reached the door when he turned back and glanced at the group with disdain and contempt before turning and walking out.
Chen Chaojiang, who had been expressionless and strangely indifferent, turned back to stand at the doorway as Xu Zhengyang walked out. His long, cold eyes looked at Shen Haobing, and his thin lips parted slightly as he spoke in a cold voice: "I remember you clearly. Your name is Shen Haobing, the Tiger among the Ten Tigers of Cizhou. And you, your name is Biaozi..." Then, his indifferent gaze turned to the two policemen who were still in a daze, and he said indifferently: "You're lucky. You lost your hats but kept your lives."
After saying that, Chen Chaojiang turned around coldly and walked out.
His figure inexplicably made the people in the room feel so lonely, so...feminine.
Xu Zhengyang squinted as he walked outside the door, his face calm, but his heart was churning... No matter how much he tried to act tough, he couldn't just casually say a few words like Chen Chaojiang and appear more impressive.
Police Chief Zhao Qing, already seated in the car, snapped at the scene outside the window, "Nonsense!" He then added, "Take a car to the county bureau to see me!"
The police car started, made a turn in the police station's courtyard, and then drove away.
Xu Zhengyang shook his head with a wry smile, took the cigarette Chen Chaojiang offered, lit it, and then walked out of the Nancheng Township Police Station side by side with Chen Chaojiang.
The two took a car back to "New Moon Dog Meat Hot Pot Restaurant," intending to return by motorcycle. However, Xu Zhengyang still felt bad, so he took out two hundred yuan and gave it to the proprietress as compensation for the damage caused by the fight in the restaurant earlier that day.
The two then drove their motorcycle to the county public security bureau.
Xu Zhengyang originally intended to provide Director Zhao with some clues about Shen Haobing's crimes, as well as methods for finding victims, witnesses, and evidence.
However, what he didn't expect was that after Zhao Qing returned to the police station, he regretted some of his actions that day.
Especially since the Nancheng Township Police Station handcuffed Shen Haobing and took him to the county public security bureau, what good would it do? Transfer him to the criminal investigation team? That's making a mountain out of a molehill. At most, it's just a common brawl. Regardless of who's at fault, at most he'll be detained for a few days and fined.
What else can we do?
So after Zhao Qing and Xu Zhengyang had a brief chat, without letting Xu Zhengyang say anything, he had someone take Xu Zhengyang and Chen Chaojiang to give a statement.
And so the matter was considered closed, a major issue turned into a minor one, and a minor one resolved.
This incident was, in essence, just an accident, one of the many minor incidents that inevitably occur in life. However, none of those involved realized that often, major events are triggered by minor ones. There are coincidences, there is inevitability; many factors are at play, propelling the situation towards a series of climaxes until, in the end, everyone forgets the cause and considers it merely a minor, coincidental event.
Xu Zhengyang, like a mud crab that crawled out of the ditch, once again waved his pincers, touched a mundane corner, and then triggered a "butterfly effect".
Volume Two, Gong Cao, Chapter 85: The Great Wind Rises
Actually, after the conflict with Shen Haobing, Xu Zhengyang didn't really think about how to retaliate or punish Shen Haobing. He had fought, beaten Shen Haobing until his head was bleeding, and acted extremely arrogantly at the police station, taking full advantage of the situation. What more could he want?
The one who should be angry and upset is Shen Haobing.
Of course, once Zhan Xiaohui has fully recovered, it's still necessary to take advantage of the situation when dealing with Jiang Shiqing, and also include Shen Haobing and those so-called "Ten Tigers of Cizhou" in the process.
So the county public security bureau didn't do much to Shen Haobing, just detained him for a few days and fined him, which Xu Zhengyang didn't take seriously. Ultimately, this kind of fight wasn't a big deal, and there was no need to make a fuss about it. If he really wanted to rid the people of these scoundrels and thugs, wouldn't he be working himself to death as the clerk Xu Zhengyang? There were far too many of these kinds of people in all nine towns and ten townships of the county, and in the county seat; could he possibly manage them all?
Once the incident passed, Xu Zhengyang almost forgot about it and continued to stay at home reading and studying theology. Occasionally, he would take a trip to Fuhe City, visit his new family homestead, and have a few drinks with his brothers in the evenings to chat and reminisce. He was living a fulfilling life.
Whenever Xu Zhengyang sat alone under the grape trellis in the courtyard, reading books and drinking tea, he would ponder many questions, especially how he should conduct himself as a person and as a god in the future.
Li Bingjie once relayed a quote from her grandfather: "Freedom of religious belief, but superstition is illegal." His words were powerful and startling, leaving Xu Zhengyang with lingering fear even now.
Although he wasn't exceptionally intelligent or possessed admirable wisdom, he wasn't a fool either.
How many times in history have cults misled and bewitched the people, disrupting the government? They were all resolutely and ruthlessly suppressed by the imperial court.
Although Xu Zhengyang knew that he was not superstitious, much less a cult, because he did not accept followers, he was just secretly and smugly enjoying the tangible benefits that the position of priest brought him, such as wealth, prestige, and the exhilarating feeling of arrogantly and domineeringly suppressing and lecturing others...
However, if you act too outrageously, it could be dangerous.
Clearly, since assuming a divine position and acquiring supernatural powers, he has gone too far in some things, easily attracting attention. Although every action is necessary, the abruptness, unrealistic nature, and absurdity of his actions are not good.
However, in some situations, one has no choice but to resort to supernatural means to solve the problem.
This presents a contradiction.
Moreover, both his mother and father raised a small question that day, saying that Xu Zhengyang had changed. Although it seemed like a minor issue, upon closer examination, it made Xu Zhengyang increasingly suspicious. Was it because he had been pretending to be more mature and composed since acquiring his divine authority? Or was it an unintentional change brought about by his supernatural powers? His mother said that his eyes had a kind of inexplicable quality; did others feel the same way?
If everything is true, will the changes continue as the divine power increases?
That would be terrifying!
No matter what, Xu Zhengyang didn't want to become a non-human! He needed to hold a divine position and possess supernatural powers, but he also needed to live a normal human life. He had family, friends, and a vibrant worldly life waiting for him to cherish and enjoy; and... he was twenty-one years old and still a virgin. He hadn't yet experienced the countless fantasies of intimacy between a man and a woman. If he became a non-human... what a pity!
Therefore, Xu Zhengyang believed that he needed to be more cautious in the future. It wasn't that he had to be overly careful and afraid to do anything, but rather... to try to handle things like a normal person. Wanting to be cool, arrogant, and prestigious doesn't necessarily require supernatural powers.
Look at Chen Chaojiang, how come he's so amazing that people admire him?
Chen Chaojiang has no divine authority or supernatural powers; he is just a slightly abnormal and unusual person.
Xu Zhengyang was unaware that in the days since his conflict with Shen Haobing, Chen Chaojiang had been silently and coldly investigating Shen Haobing's background, rarely visiting the police station and frequently taking leave. Of course, Chen Chaojiang wasn't the type to act without considering other factors in his pursuit of revenge. While investigating these matters, he was also researching how the so-called "Ten Tigers of Cizhou" made their money.
While Chen Chaojiang was coldly doing these things, there were also some people secretly investigating his and Xu Zhengyang's backgrounds.
We really need to investigate and find out who Xu Zhengyang and Chen Chaojiang are. What gives them the right to be so arrogant and fearless?
The results of the investigation left these people both amused and exasperated.
Damn it, it turns out they weren't dragons pretending to be pigs to prey on tigers; they were just two mud crabs hiding in a rural ditch, stupidly crawling ashore, unaware of their own limitations, brandishing their pincers and hurting people, thinking that their big pincers and hard shells made them fearless.
Xu Zhengyang had indeed made some contributions in the recent major drug trafficking case that shocked the entire country, and had become acquainted with Zhong Shan, the captain of the criminal investigation team, and Zhao Qing, the county public security bureau chief. Their relationship even seemed quite good. But so what? Once Zhao Qing and Zhong Shan were brought down, who was Xu Zhengyang? Just a mud crab waiting to be cooked.
After that fight, Zhao Qing returned to the county police station and flew into a rage, severely criticizing the bad habits and misconduct of some police officers in the subordinate police stations, etc.
The two policemen had their hats ripped off and were sent home to continue being farmers.
Tian Baotun, on the other hand, received a demerit and was demoted from the position of police station chief to a regular police officer.
A few days later, when Zhao Qing, Zhong Shan, and Xu Zhengyang all thought that Shen Haobing had been released from the detention center and paid the fine, the matter was completely over, and Zhao Qing and Zhong Shan had almost forgotten about it, several letters of complaint were sent to the Municipal Commission for Discipline Inspection and the Office for Correcting Unhealthy Tendencies.
The report alleges that Zhao Qing, director of the Cixian County Public Security Bureau, and Zhong Shan, head of the county's criminal investigation team, used excessive force during investigations, tortured suspects to extract confessions, fabricated wrongful convictions, abused their power for personal gain, retaliated against others, and shielded criminals without distinguishing right from wrong...
During the initial investigation of the major drug trafficking case, especially in the later stages of the interrogation of Tian Qing and Xing Yufen, the county public security bureau encountered significant difficulties and resistance. This was partly due to minor pressure exerted by certain individuals at higher levels, which Zhao Qing and Zhong Shan dismissed with disdain. At the same time, some people from the municipal bureau attempted to take over the entire drug trafficking case, not only to claim a share of the credit, but also, and perhaps more importantly, to extricate Tian Qing and Xing Yufen from this thoroughly corrupt and murky situation.
However, Zhao Qing and Zhong Shan strongly resisted and refused. With the trust and support of the Provincial Public Security Department, and with the Provincial Public Security Department personnel in charge of the case stationed at the county bureau, Zhao Qing and Zhong Shan withstood the pressure and finally asked Xu Zhengyang to intervene, breaking down Tian Qing and Xing Yufen's psychological defenses and causing them to confess their crimes.
However, although Xu Zhengyang made a contribution and finally resolved the last loose end of the case, it also brought trouble.
Because... Xing Yufen went insane half a month after confessing her crimes.
What baffled and astonished everyone most was that, in the eyes of normal people, all five members of Hao Peng's drug trafficking gang in Cixian County seemed to have mental problems. After confessing their crimes, they frequently rambled on and on, weeping and uttering words of repentance, saying things like, "If you have a clear conscience, you have nothing to fear; if you have a clear conscience, you will be punished by heaven and earth, and the gods and spirits will be angry and you will go to hell and suffer all kinds of punishments in the eighteen levels of hell." They prayed to this god or that Buddha for forgiveness for their sins, and so on.
Even when questioned by the police, he would inexplicably utter a few neurotic remarks.
This is a question that is easy to raise doubts.
No matter how much a criminal suspect repents and confesses, it shouldn't lead to this level of neuroticism. To a normal person, the suspect clearly suffered some severe psychological and physical trauma, which is why he developed this mental state of fear and hysteria.