247: Chapter 247 Mediation or Punishment?

The siren's wail, like two cold awls, pierced through the night market's clamor and instantly jolted heads filled with alcohol and rage awake.

"The police are here!"

"Disperse! Get away, quick!"

The crowd of onlookers scattered like a startled school of fish with a loud buzz, leaving behind a mess on the ground and two people in the middle still tangled together, clutching each other's collars.

Li Fang gripped the other's collar, while the other pulled his hair, both showing a ruthless determination to fight to the death.

The approaching sirens, heavy breathing, and a sense of impending doom welled up in their hearts.

A wave of burning, throbbing pain came from his left eye socket, making him even angrier!

Who the hell did I provoke!

The boy standing right in front of him glared fiercely: "You're finished!"

Li Fang felt a bit guilty; after all, he was the one who started it, but who told this kid to have such a foul mouth!

The Fat Boss hurriedly shouted to his worker: "Quick! Pull them apart!! The police are really here!"

This time, separating them went exceptionally smoothly.

Li Fang and the other person let go almost simultaneously, pulled apart by the worker and several brave diners.

Li Fang's legs felt weak; he slumped onto an overturned plastic chair, clutching his eye and gasping in pain.

The other guy wasn't doing much better; his lip was split and bleeding, his T-shirt collar was stretched out of shape, and his chest heaved violently as he glared at Li Fang, though he didn't strike again.

"Wooo-waaa—wooo-waaa—"

Two police cars with flashing red and blue lights braked precisely at the entrance of the Food Stall.

The blinding light swept across the mess of plates on the ground, spilled alcohol, and the surrounding faces, some tense and some excited.

"What happened? Who's fighting?"

A young police officer got out of the car briskly, his voice carrying an unquestionable authority.

His gaze swept the scene, finally landing on Li Fang and the Man in Black, who were clearly the parties involved.

"I didn't participate, I was pulling them apart!" a burly man explained.

"That's right, we were all trying to stop the fight!"

"Not me, I was just watching the show!"

The policeman frowned; the scene was a bit chaotic.

"Officer! It's nothing, they just had too much to drink, a small misunderstanding..."

The Fat Boss hurried over with a forced smile, his hand offering a cigarette being waved away by the officer.

"How about sitting down for a bite?"

"Misunderstanding?" The young officer ignored the boss and walked straight to Li Fang.

Li Fang's eyes were bleary from drink, and having taken a punch, his vision was blurry.

He only felt that the officer's figure was tall and imposing, full of pressure.

He instinctively tried to stand up, but his legs gave way and he sat back down.

It wasn't fear, just simple dizziness.

Li Fang regretted it now.

"Who started it?" The officer's tone was calm but held a power that saw through everything.

So much pressure!

Li Fang opened his mouth; the alcohol was still numbing his nerves, but his remaining rationality told him that denial was useless.

He pointed to his rapidly swelling, bruised eye socket, speaking with a sob and indignation: "He... he hit me first! Look at what he did to me!"

On the other side, another slightly older officer was questioning the Man in Black.

The man was relatively calmer; he wiped the blood from his lip and pointed at the broken wine bottle on the ground: "Officer, he smashed a bottle over my head. I was acting in self-defense. All these people saw it."

The onlookers immediately played their part, chiming in all at once.

"Yes! It was this drunk guy who started it!"

"He rushed over with a bottle, it was terrifying!"

"The other guy dodged it, and then he fought back..."

"They both fought, they both fought!"

The witnesses' testimonies quickly cleared up the truth!

Both evidence and testimony pointed to Li Fang.

After they investigated the surveillance footage, they understood the cause.

The other party had provoked him, but Li Fang's offense was more serious.

The young officer frowned and said to Li Fang, "Get up, can you walk? You, and you, both come back to the station with us to clear things up."

"I..." Li Fang wanted to say something more, but the officer had already taken out his notebook.

Although the cold handcuffs weren't put on immediately, that invisible sense of restraint already had him firmly bound.

The "courage" brought by alcohol completely vanished, leaving only deep regret and fear.

He looked at his opponent, who was also being taken away with a face full of bad luck, then at his own swollen eye and the chaotic scene; he was filled with intense regret.

For a mere verbal spat, a public brawl, and now having to go to the Police Station...

What the hell is this!

The police lights continued to rotate, casting red and blue patches of light onto everyone's faces.

The farce had ended.

As for Li Fang, he was now completely sober, at the cost of a bruised eye and the upcoming, more troublesome procedures.

Not just going to the station; if the video gets uploaded online later, what will happen to Li Fang...

Sister Zhang, save me!!!

...

The lights in the Police Station were a stark white, illuminating everything so there was nowhere to hide.

Li Fang sat on the hard bench; his left eye had swollen into a thin slit, the area around the socket a clear purple-blue, throbbing with pain.

The police gave the two of them some basic treatment.

The dizziness from the alcohol was completely replaced by a cold fear; his stomach was churning slightly from nervousness and residual alcohol.

He felt nauseous and wanted to vomit.

Not because he drank too much, but because he was nervous!

Sitting one seat away from him was the Man in Black, with a band-aid on his lip and grease stains from the floor on his clothes, his expression dark.

There seemed to be an invisible wall between the two; only when their eyes occasionally met did they show lingering hostility and the gloom of having terrible luck.

An older officer sat behind the desk, a notebook spread open before him.

The young officer from before was reporting the situation to him in a low voice.

The process of making a statement was long and agonizing.

The police asked extremely detailed questions.

Why did the conflict start? Who moved first? What tools were used? Was anyone injured? Who around could testify?

Li Fang stammered, trying to shift the blame to the other party, saying he was just drunk and the other guy provoked him first.

But in the face of witnesses and physical evidence, Li Fang's arrogance completely withered.

The facts were clear, the evidence conclusive.

Li Fang had caused trouble while intoxicated and initiated the attack; although the other party fought back, leading to a mutual brawl, the incident was started by Li Fang.

The older officer closed the notebook, his gaze scanning the two of them sternly.

"The situation is quite clear now, isn't it?" His voice wasn't loud, but it carried weight.

"Li Fang, you attacked another person with a weapon while intoxicated, which is a suspected violation of the 'Public Security Administration Punishment Law.' If the injury assessment of the other party constitutes a minor injury, you might also face criminal responsibility."

He turned to the Man in Black, "As for you, your retaliation while under continuous attack has some defensive nature, but the subsequent scuffle also exceeded the necessary limits."

The officer paused, giving them a moment to digest: "Now, I'm asking for both your opinions: are you willing to accept mediation, or do we follow the legal procedures?

If we follow procedures, there will be detention, fines, and possibly a criminal record. If we mediate, both sides reach an agreement for mutual forgiveness, and we won't issue a punishment."

The crucial choice had arrived: mediation or punishment?