173: Chapter 172 How to Explain

Seeing Cao Xiao's furious face through the scope, Li Quanshuo belatedly realized he had done something foolish. He had assumed his marksmanship was precise enough not to harm Cao Xiao's family, but this lazy and risky behavior implied a lack of respect for his boss's family. Breaking the floor tiles was a minor matter; Cao Xiao was merely subtly expressing his dissatisfaction. Li Quanshuo couldn't offer a single word of defense and chose to remain silent. This matter could be seen as large or small; if he tried to make excuses, Cao Xiao might truly develop a negative opinion of him.

Regardless of whether Li Quanshuo responded, Cao Xiao took out his phone and called Liao Kai to explain the situation. Although Cao Xiao had every reason to fight back against these armed home invaders, he had no authority in any capacity to arrest or judge ordinary people; in the end, it had to be handled by the police. Liao Kai said he would come over immediately, though Cao Xiao could hear the helplessness in his voice.

"Girls, come over here!" Cao Xiao finished the call and shouted to the girls who were still whispering in the corner.

"Brother, I'm scared!" An Ni ran over in terror and hugged Cao Xiao's arm.

Cao Xiao lovingly stroked An Ni's head and said, "Don't be afraid, An Ni. I'm hungry. Can you help me make something to eat? There are crawfish in the kitchen. Make some spicy crawfish. Everyone is probably hungry, so cook a lot. Xiao Fan, you go help An Ni."

"Bang~"

"Ah~ My hand!"

Another gunshot rang out, accompanied by a piercing scream. Cao Xiao looked back in surprise to see Brother Hao clutching his bleeding wrist and wailing in pain. A pistol lay on the ground beside him. Needless to say, the man had tried to sneak a shot at Cao Xiao while he was distracted, only for the bodyguards to shoot him in the wrist.

Li Fengmei asked Cao Xiao in shock and anxiety, "Xiao Xiao! What on earth is going on?!"

Cao Xiao gave a reassuring smile and said to his parents and the others, "Dad, Mom, Second Aunt, Eldest Uncle, don't worry. My bodyguards fired the shots. They are thugs who broke in with guns; they deserve what they got. I've already called the police, and they'll be here soon to handle it. I'll take care of everything. You've had a long day, go rest first!"

Just as Cao Xiao finished speaking, his phone rang. He saw it was a call from Commissioner Zhang. Knowing he couldn't avoid it, Cao Xiao sighed and answered.

Once the call connected, Commissioner Zhang's angry roar came through: "Cao Xiao, what is wrong with you! How many years has it been since we had a shooting in Huanghe City, and you've caused two in a single day? If someone invades, can't you call the police and let them handle it? You are a public official! You open fire at the drop of a hat—don't you know the rules? Using public resources for private matters, how scandalous!"

Cao Xiao could understand Commissioner Zhang's thoughts and mood. He had been overwhelmed by the Bombing Case recently, and now Cao Xiao had caused two more violent incidents. Regardless of the cause, these events were disrupting the social order of Huanghe City. As Cao Xiao's direct superior, Commissioner Zhang had to bear a great deal of responsibility for his subordinate's actions. As a local administrative leader, he also had to provide an explanation to society. Moreover, from Commissioner Zhang's perspective, Cao Xiao was causing trouble right after starting the job. No leader likes a subordinate who attracts trouble, so it was only natural for him to lose confidence and patience and lash out in anger.

But while Cao Xiao could understand, from his own perspective, he hadn't initiated any of these events. Furthermore, if he hadn't opened fire today, the outcome would have been the exact opposite. If the bodyguards at Tianxing Garden hadn't fired decisively when the Linghu Family tried to force their way in, the bodyguards would have resisted with all their might, and since the other side was there for revenge, the bodyguards would have become the targets of their wrath. Facing several martial artists, the consequences were obvious. If they hadn't fired just now against armed thugs, even if the bodyguards were elite former special forces with extraordinary skills, they couldn't have beaten a shotgun with a massive spread. In the end, not only would his family have been harmed, but he would have had to compromise for their safety, risking his own life!

Cao Xiao was no fool. Seeing the behavior of Li Long and Brother Hao, he knew things were not as simple as they appeared. A common thug like Li Long wouldn't have such influence, and Brother Hao, whoever he was, wouldn't do something so lawless unless he was brain-dead. If there wasn't a powerful figure supporting Brother Hao, doing this would be treating the police and the law as mere decorations—no different from seeking death. Li Long was just a fool being used. Even if they succeeded, Li Long wouldn't get anything; once things went south, Brother Hao and the others would ruthlessly discard him as a scapegoat. Laughably, Li Long was still oblivious, thinking he could get his hands on Cao Xiao's vast wealth, not knowing he was doomed either way. Since the person behind Brother Hao dared to target Cao Xiao, it meant they had enough confidence to deal with the police, or they were officials themselves. If Cao Xiao guessed correctly, Brother Hao and his group were likely just pawns; perhaps the heavy hitters would make an appearance later.

The situation was urgent, leaving him no choice but to be ruthless; otherwise, the result would be unacceptable. He was already furious about the incident, and Commissioner Zhang's indiscriminate scolding only added to his resentment. To Cao Xiao, his job was nothing compared to his family's safety, so he naturally pushed back against his superior's condemnation. He interrupted Commissioner Zhang calmly but firmly: "Commissioner Zhang, may I ask, when faced with dozens of home invaders carrying firearms, if the police cannot rescue us in time and something happens to my family, who can give me an explanation? In such a vicious armed home invasion, I was already very restrained by not killing anyone! The police should give me an explanation. Why are large groups of organized criminals brazenly invading homes to rob people? Why are there so many thugs under your governance? Why do they carry so many prohibited firearms? Why do they dare to open fire so fearlessly? Never mind wounding them; even if I killed them all, which law would I be breaking? I was acting in self-defense to protect my property and my family's lives—who can touch me? If you think I'm undisciplined or unfit, please ask your superiors to revoke all my positions; I won't have the slightest objection!"

There was a long silence on the other end. Cao Xiao heard Commissioner Zhang's breathing grow heavy, accompanied by the rapid tapping of fingers on a desk. After a moment, Commissioner Zhang's tired voice came through: "I'll have Director Liao of the Municipal Bureau head over personally to handle it. Leave the follow-up to him. No matter who is involved, we will investigate to the end! Don't take it personally; I lost my composure. That's all."

Cao Xiao listened to the dial tone, feeling a bit dazed. He hadn't expected Commissioner Zhang to say that, but on second thought, it made sense. A person with such high character as Commissioner Zhang wouldn't lack this much accountability.

Looking back at the mess on the floor and hearing the noise, Cao Xiao felt a bit of pity. Even if they were wicked people who got what they deserved, Cao Xiao wasn't cold-blooded. The police would arrive soon, and these people would receive their due punishment; torturing them further was inhumane. He had the bodyguards confiscate the weapons on the ground and provide basic first aid to those with serious injuries. Faced with several automatic rifles, those who weren't badly injured and could still move didn't dare to make any aggressive moves, silently huddling together.