147: Chapter 147 Li Sanqiang is injured

Inside the Passat, Deputy Police Chief Li Sanqiang looked through the windshield, his cold eyes watching the crowd slowly closing in outside.

A dozen or so sturdy men, holding pickaxe handles and shovels in their hands, were pressing in step by step under the cover of night.

He did not rush to push open the door and get out.

He turned and reached down, dragging a canvas bag out from the storage compartment under the front seat.

He pulled the zipper open, and inside, a crisp, standard-issue police uniform and police equipment were folded.

San Qiang calmly put on the police uniform, buttoned up the collar one by one, and then pulled out a portable flashing police light.

He pushed open the car door and firmly attached the base of the police light to the roof.

The alternating red and blue light instantly pierced the darkness at the village entrance.

The high-frequency flashing halo illuminated those dozen or so stunned, vicious faces, making them look deathly pale.

The crowd, previously aggressive, stopped in their tracks.

Deputy Police Chief Li Sanqiang adjusted his police equipment, strode around the front of the car, and stood in the center of the headlights' beam.

He pressed the switch on the body-worn camera on his chest; with a soft "beep," the red light began to flash.

"I am Deputy Director of the Heishi Town Police Station, Deputy Police Chief Li Sanqiang." He didn't waste any words. "Gathering people in the middle of the night to set up a blockade and intercept police personnel and official vehicles—are you planning to violently resist the law?"

The clan members usually ran rampant in the village, but facing the police uniform directly, they felt a deep-seated fear.

Zhang Xing, who was leading them, felt his heart skip a beat.

He had originally thought the other party was just a stranger meddling in something that didn't concern him; who would have thought he had actually provoked the Police Station.

But things had reached this point; if Old Man Li and his family were taken away by the police and his dirty deeds were thoroughly investigated, he would be finished.

Zhang Xing gritted his teeth and steeled his heart.

In this remote area, the law does not punish the masses; that had always been the case.

As long as everyone attacked together, the Town Government wouldn't dare to investigate deeply afterwards.

"Don't listen to his nonsense! This guy is a fake cop!" Zhang Xing made a false counter-accusation, pointing at the Passat and roaring. "Old Man Li and his family are in the car. This bastard is a trafficker trying to sell our villagers! The injury on my hand is from when he sneak-attacked me just now!"

This reversal of right and wrong, this smearing of mud, gave those villagers who were already itching for action a perfect excuse.

Zhang Xing turned back and pointed at two childhood friends he grew up with: "Zhang Shun, Zhang Hu, attack! Take down this fake cop!"

With someone leading the charge, the remaining men also turned red-eyed; relying on their superior numbers, they swarmed forward with their weapons.

"Second warning, stand back!"

Deputy Police Chief Li Sanqiang shouted sternly.

Seeing that the crowd had no intention of retreating, he pulled his standard-issue telescopic baton from his lower back, flicked his wrist sharply, and with a "snap," the steel baton extended straight.

With his solid foundation from the police academy and years of grinding in grassroots work, San Qiang's fighting skills were extremely seasoned and ruthless.

He sidestepped the pickaxe handle Zhang Shun smashed down at his head, and following the momentum, he whipped the baton back against the ulna of the other man's forearm.

With a dull thud, Zhang Shun screamed and dropped the wooden stick.

San Qiang stood his ground and delivered a side kick straight to Zhang Hu's abdomen, kicking the burly man weighing over a hundred jin directly into the mud.

The baton shadows flew, and his footwork was unpredictable.

In just two or three exchanges, three or five men were already clutching their arms and thighs, rolling on the ground in agony.

Seeing this, the remaining villagers lost their nerve, and for a moment, no one dared to advance further.

Just as San Qiang relaxed for a split second, a shovel covered in hardened mud swept across from his visual blind spot.

Another of Zhang Xing's cronies, using the cover of night, had silently snuck behind him to land a sneak attack.

A dull sound of impact exploded.

The thick wooden shovel handle smashed heavily into the back of San Qiang's head.

The immense impact made his vision go black; he stumbled a few steps, and the telescopic baton in his hand flew out of his grasp.

Crimson liquid instantly streamed down his forehead, obscuring half his field of vision.

"He's done for! Go up and tie him up with rope!" Seeing this, Zhang Xing was overjoyed and called for the people behind him to take advantage of the situation.

The crowd regained their confidence and pressed forward again, brandishing their sticks and clubs.

"Bang!"

A gunshot suddenly pierced the dead silence of the night in Heishui Village.

Deputy Police Chief Li Sanqiang pressed his back firmly against the front of the Passat, holding a pitch-black Type 92 police pistol level in his hands.

The muzzle pointed diagonally into the night sky, still emitting faint blue smoke.

"Stand back."

San Qiang spat out a mouthful of blood, leveled the muzzle, and slowly scanned the crowd before him.

"Everyone get back. If anyone dares to take another step forward, the next bullet won't be so discerning."

With the real weapon drawn, all their reckless courage instantly dissipated.

Zhang Xing and the others froze in place, the wooden sticks they held feeling as hot as branding irons.

The car door opened, and Li Maisui jumped out.

Although the little girl's legs were shaking, she gritted her teeth and ran to San Qiang's side.

She pulled an old, washed-out towel from her pocket and, with trembling hands, covered the wound on San Qiang's head that was bleeding profusely.

"Everyone, don't listen to Zhang Xing's nonsense!" Li Maisui shouted at the crowd. "This police officer is a good person! It was Zhang Xing who wanted to bully me, and the police officer stepped in to save us. Zhang Xing is the villain in the village!"

Deputy Police Chief Li Sanqiang fought through the dizziness, used his left hand to pull out his phone, and skillfully entered the unlock code.

"Girl, call Director Zhao." He handed her the phone. "Tell him I need backup and ask where they are."

Li Maisui took the phone, suppressed the fear in her heart, and dialed Police Chief Zhao Gang's number.

The call connected, and she incoherently spilled out the situation: the car being surrounded, and San Qiang being injured and firing his weapon.

On the other end of the line, Police Chief Zhao Gang's voice was steady: "Girl, tell San Qiang not to worry, and make sure he holds the situation. We'll be there in twenty minutes."

As he spoke, the background noise carried the sound of Police Chief Zhao Gang roaring at the driver: "Turn on the siren! Speed up! Floor the gas pedal!"

Li Maisui put down the phone and turned to shout: "Big Brother, Director Zhao says they will be here in twenty minutes!"

Hearing that the main force from the Town Police Station was about to arrive, the surrounding villagers completely panicked this time.

Gathering a mob to attack the police, seizing police equipment, and forcing a police officer to fire a warning shot—no one could bear the weight of these charges.

A few people on the edge of the crowd began to quietly retreat, intending to slip away.

"No one is allowed to run!" Deputy Police Chief Li Sanqiang's gaze was like a torch; he raised a hand and pointed at the body-worn camera on his chest.

"This thing is on, and everyone's face is clearly recorded. Whoever dares to run now will be dealt with severely for fleeing from justice!"

He shifted his tone: "If you stay honestly and hand over the ringleader, you will be considered coerced accomplices. Your future sentencing might be lighter."

This sentence precisely struck the core of human nature: seeking advantages and avoiding harm.

The villagers who were just about to slip away immediately froze in place; not only did they not dare to run, but they actually retreated a step or two, distancing themselves from Zhang Xing.

Seeing the crowd's morale collapse, Zhang Xing knew that he was completely doomed today.

If the main force from the Police Station really arrived, he would definitely be in deep trouble.

The hostility he had cultivated from years of acting like a local tyrant in the countryside led him to make the most insane judgment in this desperate situation.

As long as he grabbed that glowing black box and smashed it, there would be no ironclad video evidence, and then the whole village could agree on a story—the law doesn't punish the masses.

"Don't listen to the cop's bluff! Without evidence, the police won't dare to do anything to us!" Zhang Xing roared. "Everyone attack together and grab that body camera!"

Before he even finished speaking, Zhang Xing lunged from the side, charging straight at Deputy Police Chief Li Sanqiang's chest like a mad dog.