Zhao Qiang replied irritably, "No."
The girl frantically scanned the barcode, occasionally glancing up to observe her surroundings, fearing that war might break out near her and she would be caught in the crossfire.
The sirens of police cars could be clearly heard in the mall. The police had come to reinforce the area. With such a big incident, and one of the parties involved being the younger brother of the municipal party secretary, the matter was definitely not going to be settled so easily. Even if the security guards gave way, Huang Tianxiang would not.
Zhao Qiang swiped his UnionPay card, signed his name, and then handed the bagged goods to Zhao Ling and Chen Xinxin: "You two go wait for me in the car, don't leave me here and make me feel restricted."
Zhao Ling and Chen Xinxin were both terrified. "Zhao Qiang, don't fight them anymore."
Zhao Qiang said, "Do you think I want this to happen? This matter won't be resolved without a fight. Go and wait for me."
Chen Shuxian pulled the two women away. Their presence was only meant to distract Zhao Qiang; he should know how to resolve this matter.
In fact, Zhao Qiang was not really sure, but the events that had happened before were slowly changing his mindset. A person who is ruthless cannot establish authority. Although Zhao Qiang did not have any effective offensive weapons, it would not be easy for the police to hurt him. Now that the three women were not around, Zhao Qiang could go all out and fight.
Police officers rushed into the mall, assuming it was just a minor fight, so they didn't conduct a large-scale evacuation. When people saw the police rushing in, confused customers ran out, and the scene inevitably became chaotic. Fortunately, no major damage was caused; only a few sections of the cosmetics counter near the entrance were knocked over, and some cosmetics were stolen in the chaos.
"It's him, it's him!" Huang Tianxiang shouted at the police, pointing at Zhao Qiang. The police then surrounded Zhao Qiang. Xiao Fang supported Huang Tianxiang. Although she was furious, she didn't dare say a word. What could she do? She was a kept woman, and she couldn't interfere with Huang Tianxiang's affairs with other women.
"Hands behind your head, squat on the ground," the police ordered Zhao Qiang.
Zhao Qiang said, "I'd like to ask your bureau chief to come out and talk to me. Could you please pass on my message to him?" Zhao Qiang could easily foresee the consequences of this situation escalating. He didn't want to cause himself too much trouble, so he wanted to discuss how to resolve the matter with the authorities. This would also make things easier for him in Yihai in the future; otherwise, there would always be some fools provoking him. However, the police only considered him a minor figure, so they refused Zhao Qiang's request outright.
The police officer crouching down, gun in hand, was getting agitated. His finger hovered on the trigger, ready to fire if Zhao Qiang resisted even slightly, as his orders before the mission were to treat troublemakers as serious criminals. Huang Tianxiang had previously called the police chief for help, and the chief was unlikely to refuse him, so the troublemakers had to be dealt with seriously.
Zhao Qiang knew it was impossible to persuade them to calm down and talk things over, so he released his energy and instantly turned the metal material of the pistol in the policeman's hand into powder. The powder fell from the policeman's hand, leaving only the plastic handle still in his grasp. He was dumbfounded, and his stiff fingers, tense with tension, tried to hook the handle but missed. The gun had vanished.
The police officers quickly retreated in fright. Was this magic or sorcery? Huang Tianxiang watched from afar, and the scene astonished him as well. Xiao Fang screamed, startling Huang Tianxiang. Enraged, he kicked her to the ground and yelled, "Get out!" After seeing the alluring and sexy Zhao Ling, Huang Tianxiang felt disgusted that such a woman was with him.
Zhao Qiang repeated his previous statement: "I want to speak with your bureau chief. I'll only give you ten minutes, or I won't wait any longer."
Although they didn't know how the gun disappeared, it was obvious that Zhao Qiang was involved. The police didn't dare to take it lightly and immediately called their chief. Chief Wang Keliang, who had just sat down at the table and hadn't even started the meal, rushed over without stopping. However, Chief Wang wasn't very friendly to Zhao Qiang. In his view, Zhao Qiang was a lawbreaker, while he represented justice. If they bowed to Zhao Qiang, it would give the impression that all the customers in the mall should give him a bad impression.
"Listen to me, surrendering now might still get you lenient treatment, but your actions have seriously endangered public safety, and I have the right to order you to be shot on the spot." Director Wang's words were a threat. He saw that Zhao Qiang was not old and that there were police officers all around, so he could easily subdue him. Why did he have to make him personally intervene? It was making a mountain out of a molehill.
Zhao Qiang sighed. He knew that it wouldn't be fair to have a conversation without teaching them a lesson. Zhao Qiang was partly at fault, since Huang Tianxiang had indeed been swindled out of a lot of money by Zhao Ling. However, Xiao Fang shouldn't have been so rude after being hit with a bottle. Chen Xinxin had already apologized to her. Was it really necessary to make a big deal out of something that happened unintentionally?
Zhao Qiang walked step by step toward the police chief. His composure startled the chief, who took three steps back. Realizing he shouldn't bow down to criminals, the chief stepped forward again. "Stop him and arrest him!" Chief Wang shouted to the police, "It would be foolish not to use soldiers." So the police had no choice but to pounce on Zhao Qiang.
Zhao Qiang used his X-ray glasses to precisely scan the police officers' every move. Just as the police were about to touch Zhao Qiang, he quickly grabbed them and then slammed them in the direction they were rushing towards him. A body weighing nearly 200 pounds flew out. Zhao Qiang's grabs were always timely, and he took advantage of the momentum of the police officers rushing forward. People flew through the air. Of the twenty-odd police officers, more than a dozen were thrown out in a short time, while the rest surrounded Director Wang Keliang, too afraid to move.
Wang Keliang was somewhat alarmed: "What kind of kung fu is that?"
"No, I don't know, the police academy didn't teach that," one of the subordinates replied.
Director Wang yelled, "Hurry up and hit his leg!" Zhao Qiang was getting closer and closer, less than five meters away from Director Wang. However, Zhao Qiang was walking slowly, so Director Wang still had time to react.
Bang, bang! Two armed police officers next to Director Wang fired their shots. Protecting the director was their most important task. Fortunately, there weren't many customers left in the mall at that time, so the gunshots didn't cause much panic.
The bullet flew out of the barrel at high speed, five meters away from the target. It should have hit the target in the blink of an eye. However, the bullet suddenly slowed down after flying less than two meters, and then stopped completely after flying another meter, hovering in the air without moving. The two policemen opened their mouths wide, and Director Wang was also stunned. What was the reason for this? A bullet that had just left the barrel could not be intercepted by a human, let alone Zhao Qiang, who was just standing still and did nothing at all.
The bullets suddenly turned around, startling Director Wang, who recoiled. The two bullets accelerated abruptly, hurtling towards Director Wang's eyes with the speed of a newly fired bullet.
"Ah!" Director Wang cried out when the bullet stopped about a centimeter in front of him. He didn't have time to shout before that; he could only close his eyes tightly and didn't even have a chance to dodge.
It wasn't the excruciating pain he'd imagined, nor the horrific sight of blood splattering everywhere. Director Wang slowly opened his eyes, and there were two bullets right in front of him. He screamed again in fright. What's wrong with being a police chief? He's just an ordinary person, and he hasn't exercised for many years. He just eats and drinks all day. Right now, let alone catching thieves, he'd have trouble even running.
Zhao Qiang continued walking forward, while Director Wang stepped back. However, as he stepped back, two bullets followed him in. Director Wang had no choice but to stand still. Zhao Qiang walked up to him and then reached out and grabbed the two bullets that were hanging in mid-air.
"What should I call you?" Zhao Qiang asked.
"Wang, Wang Keliang, Director of the Yihai City Public Security Bureau." What temper did Director Wang have left? If the bullet had gone in just one centimeter, his eyes would have been ruined. Compared to this young man in front of him, he was nothing. This must be supernatural power, something an ordinary person couldn't handle. Wang Keliang felt there was no need to stubbornly insist on reasoning anymore. Bowing down wasn't that difficult; a true man knows when to yield and when to stand firm.
Volume 2 [463] Magic or Spell
[463] Magic or Spell?
Zhao Qiang waved to Wang Keliang and pointed to a low shelf next to them. The two walked over and sat down. Zhao Qiang put his arm around Wang Keliang's shoulder. To outsiders, they would look like close friends. The other police officers watched from a distance, not daring to come closer.
"Director Wang, my name is Zhao Qiang." Zhao Qiang handed Wang Keliang a cigarette, and the two lit it and started smoking in the mall.
"Oh, Zhao Qiang, hello." Wang Keliang was now powerless to do anything. Even though he had cursed Zhao Qiang eighteen times in his heart, he still had to put on a forced smile.
"Director Wang, you don't need to worry about how to mobilize the armed police for reinforcements. I'm not afraid of them." With that, Zhao Qiang tossed the two bullets in his hand. In an instant, the two bullets turned into powder in front of Wang Keliang and fell to the ground. Then, a cloud of white mist swirled up the powder on the ground and whizzed back into two bullets. Then, with a wave of his hand, the two bullets shot out rapidly, piercing through several rows of shelves and disappearing into the empty mall.
Wang Keliang was stunned, forgetting to even take a drag on his cigarette. "This...this is magic?"
Zhao Qiang chuckled: "No, this is just a matter of arithmetic. There are even more powerful methods. Director Wang, would you like to give it a try?" To eliminate future troubles, we must frighten them now. This is somewhat reminiscent of the style of Zhang Zhiqiao, the former secretary of the Hedian District Committee.
Wang Keliang hurriedly waved his hand: "No, no, I still have a wife and children. Please don't joke around. This is a society governed by law. You should leave yourself a way out, otherwise the country will not let you off the hook."
Zhao Qiang said, "I won't hurt you, and don't try to pressure me with the country. I just want to live a few peaceful days in Yihai. I won't mess with others if they don't bother me, but if you cause me trouble for no reason, don't blame me for being impolite."
Wang Keliang asked, "Really? You won't cause trouble or disturb the peace?"
Zhao Qiang said, "No, if I wanted to cause trouble, I wouldn't stay in a small place like Yihai. What do you say, Director Wang?"
Wang Keliang said, "That's true. With your abilities, joining the army would definitely be a bright future for you."
Zhao Qiang said, "I just want to live an ordinary life. As long as I have money to spend and enough to eat, I don't care about any future prospects. You can't interfere in other places, but in this small area of Yihai, do you think Director Wang will give me a break?"
Wang Keliang asked in a trembling voice, "How can you make an exception? I'm a civil servant; I can't break the law."
Zhao Qiang said, "Don't let anyone cause me trouble. I hate communicating with them." Zhao Qiang pointed to Huang Tianxiang, who was peeking out from a distance.
Wang Keliang said, "His brother is the municipal party secretary, so I'm afraid there are some things I can't decide."
Zhao Qiang smiled and said, "Help me arrange to meet the municipal party secretary. I'll talk to him." Now that things have progressed this far, it's necessary to get the top official of Yihai City under control, otherwise the consequences will be endless. The only solution, of course, is intimidation, since Zhao Qiang has the power to back it up.
Wang Keliang said, "Okay, I'll call him right away and have him come over immediately." Wang Keliang was secretly delighted. This matter had already exceeded his capabilities. It would be best to bring Huang Tianyi into it, otherwise he would be blamed for mishandling the situation. Now there was someone else to take the blame. Besides, he wanted Huang Tianyi to come and see Zhao Qiang's amazing abilities. Otherwise, he was afraid that the Standing Committee members would not believe him if he went back and told them.
The situation was getting out of hand. Huang Tianyi was on his way when he received the call and entered the mall a few minutes later. He was protected by five people, all of whom were government secretaries and security guards. When he saw Zhao Qiang and Wang Keliang chatting together in the mall, Huang Tianyi was furious. At this time, Huang Tianxiang added fuel to the fire, describing how arrogant Zhao Qiang was.
"Wang Keliang!" Huang Tianyi roared, "Are you going to collude with criminals?"
Wang Keliang gave Zhao Qiang a wry smile: "Secretary Huang is here, but he's not very friendly to me. You should negotiate with him yourself."
Zhao Qiang stood up, and Huang Tianyi's secretary and security guards immediately surrounded him. As Zhao Qiang walked forward, the men retreated. Huang Tianyi said to the police officers standing dumbfounded beside him, "Shoot! This criminal is so arrogant. What are you police officers doing? Subdue him immediately!"
One policeman almost cried out, "No, Secretary Huang, he's not afraid of bullets at all, he'll even shoot us with bullets."
Huang Tianyi shouted, "Nonsense! I told you to open fire!"
Zhao Qiang drew closer, putting immense pressure on everyone. Huang Tianyi snatched the gun from the policeman and fired a shot at Zhao Qiang. The bullet stopped a fraction of a second before reaching Zhao Qiang's body, then quickly turned and flew past Huang Tianyi's ear. A piece of skin was torn away, and blood flowed out. Huang Tianyi felt pain in his ear and touched it, finding blood.
Bang, bang, bang. Huang Tianyi was also a ruthless person. He emptied all the bullets in his gun in one go. Now he was known for his bravery in capturing criminals, so he was not afraid of violating discipline by firing his gun. On the contrary, he should be credited.
"Ah, ah, ah!" Huang Tianyi screamed repeatedly as all the bullets he had fired returned, hitting his hands and legs. Huang Tianyi immediately knelt on the ground. The secretaries and bodyguards who were protecting him were stunned. They had clearly protected Secretary Huang from the direction of the criminals, so how did the bullets that hit Secretary Huang pass through them and injure him? They didn't even have time to think about how the bullets were fired.
Zhao Qiang was furious. Wang Keliang, being pragmatic, saw Huang Tianyi as much like his brother, indiscriminate in his actions. So Zhao Qiang went all out, shooting Huang Tianyi in the arm and leg. At this point, no one dared to fire again, because the whole thing was too bizarre. In their eyes, Zhao Qiang wasn't a god, but a demon; his behavior was beyond the comprehension of ordinary people.
The secretary and security guards scattered in fright, leaving Huang Tianyi on the ground. In the face of danger, who could care about anyone else? He could just quit his job; his life was more important.
Zhao Qiang stepped forward and stomped on Huang Tianyi's head with his shoe. "You and your brother are both despicable," Zhao Qiang cursed. He had originally planned to discuss with Secretary Huang the possibility of getting along well in the future, but Huang didn't give him a chance. At this moment, the super biochip took control of Zhao Qiang's brain. Anyone who dared to touch Zhao Qiang's beard at this time would definitely not have a good ending.
"Who...who exactly are you?" Huang Tianyi would be a fool not to realize that Zhao Qiang was extraordinary. He regretted his impulsive actions earlier; it was all his good-for-nothing brother's fault. If his brother hadn't stirred things up, they might have resolved the matter peacefully with Zhao Qiang. Fortunately, there were no customers left in the mall at this point, so few people witnessed Huang Tianyi having his head stepped on.
Zhao Qiang said, "You don't need to know who I am. Killing you is as easy as turning my hand. Don't give me any high-sounding words; I hate them."
Huang Tianyi, who was about to say something like, "You've broken the law, you'll be severely punished by law," fell silent. With his head being trampled underfoot, who knew if he wouldn't be smart enough to die? Even if the state executed Zhao Qiang to avenge him, he would no longer be able to enjoy wealth and glory. And the new municipal party secretary would take office soon, and all of this would be irrelevant to him. So he couldn't die; it wouldn't be worth it.
"I...I'm willing to listen to you." Huang Tianyi compromised. He wasn't stupid; he had just acted impulsively.
Zhao Qiang said, "Okay, have your brother come over."
Huang Tianyi was bleeding and pale, but he didn't dare to say he was going to the hospital. He called out to Huang Tianxiang, who was hiding in the distance, "Come here." Huang Tianxiang didn't dare disobey his older brother and slowly walked up to Zhao Qiang.
Zhao Qiang said, "Zhao Ling is my woman, and I don't want you to harass her anymore."
Huang Tianxiang nodded repeatedly: "Yes, I've got it."
Zhao Qiang added, "I'll pay you back whatever amount she owes you."
Seeing that even his brother, who was the Party Secretary, was being treated unfairly, Huang Tianxiang thought, "No, I don't owe her anything. It's me who owes her." As he spoke, Huang Tianxiang took out some money and tried to stuff it into Zhao Qiang's hand, but Zhao Qiang slapped it away.
Zhao Qiang said, "Tell me what happened just now, so that your brother, the Party Secretary, knows what's going on. Director Wang, you come and listen too." Zhao Qiang beckoned to Wang Keliang, who was standing some distance away. Wang Keliang could only walk over tremblingly. This time, the Yihai City leadership had really lost face, actually being manipulated by a criminal.
Huang Tianxiang recounted what had just happened. In truth, everyone was equally at fault, but since they were currently under Zhao Qiang's control, Wang Keliang and Huang Tianyi could only desperately try to shift the blame onto themselves, hoping that Zhao Qiang would let them go. Huang Tianyi also understood why Wang Keliang had been sitting there talking to Zhao Qiang earlier. He had no choice; he had foolishly rushed in without asking about the situation and acted recklessly, suffering a great loss this time. It was all Zhao Qiang's fault for being alone, unarmed, and so young; otherwise, he would never have underestimated him.
Zhao Qiang handed out cigarettes to everyone again, then lit them one by one. The three men's hands were shaking as they smoked, and they almost couldn't hold the cigarettes. Zhao Qiang said, "Don't be afraid, I'm not a devil."
The three of them thought to themselves, "You're a damn devil."
Zhao Qiang said, "Actually, I want to be friends with everyone."
The three said one thing but meant another: "Yes, yes, yes, let's be friends."
Zhao Qiang said, "I might stay in Yihai for a while longer, so I'll have to rely on everyone to take care of me in the future."
Huang Tianyi said, "I will definitely take care of you, I will definitely take care of you." His voice was very weak.
Zhao Qiang said to Huang Tianxiang, "Take your brother to the hospital. Remember next time, think things through before you do anything, or I won't be responsible if you lose your life."
Huang Tianxiang didn't have time to argue with Zhao Qiang. He picked up Huang Tianyi, who was covered in blood, and rushed out of the mall. The police officers who had been hesitant to come over from a distance also helped, and they rushed to the hospital with sirens blaring.
Wang Keliang wiped the sweat from his brow: "Good man Zhao, this matter has blown up. I'm afraid the higher-ups will come looking for answers, and I don't know how to respond." So many people in the mall witnessed this incident. Although it has been cleared out now, I believe some staff members may still have seen what happened. So, trying to cover it up is futile. Once the higher-ups find out, they will investigate and hold those responsible accountable. Wang Keliang doesn't want to be implicated because of this.
Zhao Qiang said, "Don't call me a hero, just call me Zhao Qiang. When the higher-ups ask questions, just tell them the truth and that I prefer someone as smart as you to be the police chief."
Wang Keliang was taken aback. He sensed something was amiss; it seemed Zhao Qiang wasn't afraid of how his superiors would handle the matter, which meant he had connections there—someone of considerable influence.
In reality, Zhao Qiang didn't have any connections. However, Zhao Qiang had already considered things very thoroughly. Last time, when he modified the steel furnace control program, Zhao Qiang knew that the Chen family must have been involved. Otherwise, Wu Zhiming wouldn't have changed his mind so quickly. Zhao Qiang had absolute confidence in the steel furnace he had modified. He was certain that the Chen family would not oppose him after seeing his achievements. This was Zhao Qiang's confidence.
Zhao Qiang threw away his cigarette butt and left. Wang Keliang didn't dare to utter a word, and the other police officers naturally didn't say anything either, silently handling the scene.
Inside the hospital operating room, Huang Keyi was cursing loudly: "That damned beast, I will never let him get away with this!"
After quickly finishing dealing with the scene, Wang Keliang rushed to the hospital. In addition to visiting the injured Huang Keyi, he also needed to receive instructions from Huang Keyi on the next steps. Such a heinous case had occurred in Yihai, and it involved supernatural abilities. This matter had to be reported, but how to report it and who should report it were up to Huang Keyi to decide.
The main leaders of the municipal party committee and government all came. Huang Keyi's injuries were not serious, just flesh wounds. Zhao Qiang had considered this when he hit him. If he had really killed him, Zhao Qiang would probably not be able to escape legal accountability given his current influence over the Chen family. But if it was just flesh wounds, Zhao Qiang believed that he would be fine.
The wound had been treated, and Huang Keyi lay pale on the hospital bed, surrounded by a circle of municipal party committee and government leaders.
"Have you found out his identity?" Huang Keyi asked.
Wang Keliang said, "We checked the name he mentioned in the household registration system. The photos of people with the name Yi Hai don't match his at all. If we were to search for his name nationwide, it would probably take one or two days just to compare the photos."
Huang Keyi said, "Then we should report the details of the case and request the provincial armed police force for assistance. Our local police force is no match for him. It would be best to ask the special forces to arrest him. The sooner this criminal who endangers social security is brought to justice, the sooner we can have peace of mind."
The mayor said, "It would be best if Secretary Huang himself reported it. After all, you were there in person and know the situation best. You can also give a comprehensive answer if the province asks. What do you say, Secretary Huang?"
Huang Keyi cursed "old fox" in his heart, but as the top leader, it was only right for him to report this matter. The secretary handed it over tremblingly. At this moment, he was terrified because he had just abandoned Huang Keyi and run away. He was afraid that once this matter settled down, his position would be in jeopardy.
"...Yes, that's the situation. Please give instructions from the province." Huang Keyi spent twenty minutes recounting the events. He told the truth, but simplified his actions, only saying that he was injured and hospitalized, but was still leading the Yihai Municipal Party Committee and Government in the fight against criminals.