Li Gang hadn’t expected things to escalate like this. If these villagers charged in and started beating everyone indiscriminately, not only might the guy they’d caught escape, but they themselves could end up getting beaten to a pulp—or even lose their lives.
They knew full well that once these villagers started fighting, they wouldn’t hold back.
And with so many people present, if someone were actually beaten to death, they wouldn’t even know who to hold accountable!
Without hesitation, he bellowed, “Everyone, stop! We’re from the County Public Security Bureau and are currently investigating a case. Bystanders, step back immediately!”
As he spoke, Li Gang drew his service weapon and pointed the barrel into the air!
Seeing him draw his gun, all the villagers froze in shock.
Although they couldn’t tell if the gun was real or fake, no one dared to make a move—after all, their lives were at stake!
Besides, he had just said they were from the Public Security Bureau. If that was true, wouldn’t any attempt to resist amount to assaulting a police officer?
For a moment, everyone hesitated, frozen in place!
Meanwhile, Tang Xue, standing nearby, was completely stunned!
She had been standing there in a daze, originally assuming that Xu Hong was the mastermind behind the poisoning incident. But she never could have imagined that the one ultimately caught would be Liang Jianhui.
After all, she had no past grievances or recent conflicts with Liang Jianhui—why would he want to harm her?
But just as she was struggling to make sense of it all, she heard Xu Hong publicly accuse her of adultery right in front of everyone—leaving Tang Xue completely speechless.
Instantly, the memory of being cornered on the kang not long ago flashed through her mind, and her body began to tremble slightly.
Just then, someone in the crowd suddenly shouted, “So you claim to be a police officer? Who are you trying to scare with that crappy gun—who knows if it’s even real?”
Immediately, others chimed in: “That’s right! Are you trying to bully us because the Nianzi Mountain Brigade has no one to stand up for us?”
“No way. You’ve got to give us an explanation today, or don’t even think about leaving this village…”
Just as the crowd’s emotions were being stirred up again, a commanding voice suddenly rang out from the periphery: “Everyone, stop!”
Hearing the voice, everyone turned to look and discovered it was none other than Feng Kai, the village Party branch secretary.
Feng Kai enjoyed considerable prestige throughout the Nianzishan Brigade. After all, in his youth he had served in a frontline combat unit and was a decorated hero; even at the commune and county levels, high-ranking officials had to show him a certain amount of respect.
Instantly, everyone fell silent, fixing their gaze on him.
Feng Kai stepped forward and first gave a slight nod to Li Gang and the others, then said, “I can vouch for them—they’re public security officers from our county, here in Nianzishan Village to oversee the investigation of a serious poisoning case!”
At that moment, someone in the crowd shouted, “Then what about the situation with the educated youth Tang? Someone saw a strange man in the female educated youth dormitory!”
Feng Kai spoke again: “The educated youth led by Tang are merely cooperating with the investigation. I was informed of this beforehand—there’s absolutely no question of them secretly meeting men!”
He continued, “Young Intellectual Tang and Yiwa have a very good relationship. If I hear anyone spreading rumors about this again, don’t blame me for being blunt!”
Seeing that the situation was under control, Li Gang holstered his gun and stepped forward to address the crowd: “Fellow villagers, our county bureau received a report of intentional poisoning, so we’ve come to investigate.”
“After a night of surveillance, we’ve finally apprehended the suspect. If there’s been any misunderstanding, I sincerely apologize.”
The villagers were stunned to hear that Liang Jianhui was the suspect in the poisoning case.
Only the faces of those male educated youths turned pale, each one filled with dread.
Seeing that no one was speaking, Feng Kai immediately turned to Li Gang and said, “Captain Li, now that the suspect has been apprehended, are you planning to leave?”
Li Gang shook his head and said, “Wait a moment. We’ll take him to the brigade headquarters first and question him.”
“Alright, then come with me!”
Li Gang and his team then escorted Liang Jianhui, following Feng Kai to the village headquarters.
The villagers all followed behind, eager to catch a glimpse of the commotion!
Meanwhile, the male educated youths all looked ashen-faced; not a single one followed them, but instead hurried back to their dormitory.
As soon as they entered, Yang Yi, the most timid of the group, said with a look of terror on his face, “H-how… how could this happen? How did he get caught?”
“Brother Zhou, what are we going to do now? Is Liang Jianhui going to rat us out?”
“Yeah, he’s so timid—he definitely won’t be able to keep a secret…”
Zhou Guangya, the leader of the educated youth group, was also deathly pale. They had only intended to teach Li Yi, that good-for-nothing, a lesson, but never expected it to turn into a poisoning case—this was completely beyond their expectations.
For a moment, he had no idea what to do.
Just then, Xu Hong, who had remained silent until now, suddenly spoke up: “We have only one way out now!”
“What way out?” everyone asked immediately.
“Run!”
“Run?”
“That’s right. Didn’t you hear that the police have already classified this as a poisoning case? That means that good-for-nothing has bribed these officers. If we get caught, we’ll definitely be sentenced. Rather than face that, we’d be better off running!” Xu Hong said.
“But… but we don’t even have letters of introduction. Where are we supposed to run to?”
“That’s right. We don’t have any money either. Even if we escape, we won’t be able to buy food…”
Xu Hong immediately said, “Let’s head to the back mountain first. The woods there are dense—once we’re in there, no one will be able to catch us. As for the rest, we can’t worry about that right now!”
With that, paying no heed to what the others thought, Xu Hong quickly gathered his belongings.
He took all the money and ration tickets he’d saved up, grabbed a water bottle, and hurried out the door.
Seeing this, the others didn’t dare to linger; they all scrambled to pack their things and prepare to flee!
What they didn’t know was that their every move was being watched closely by a group of young ruffians.
No sooner had Xu Hong stepped out of the educated youth commune than he was stopped by Dongzi and Shitou.
The moment he saw these two young punks, Xu Hong knew he was in trouble. These two little bastards were Li Yi’s lackeys, always hanging around him.
Their appearance here at this moment could only mean trouble.
So without hesitation, Xu Hong called out over Dongzi’s shoulder, “Brother Li Yi, what brings you here?”
Dongzi and Shitou weren’t on guard; they actually thought Li Yi had arrived and immediately turned to look.
Xu Hong seized the opportunity to turn on his heel and take off running.
The two young punks immediately realized they’d been tricked and shouted as they gave chase, staging a dramatic game of cat-and-mouse outside the educated youth commune.
Unlike the resourceful Xu Hong, Zhou Guangya and the others weren’t so lucky. They’d barely stepped outside when they were surrounded by Gangzi, Qiangzi, and the rest.
On top of that, they didn’t think the situation was all that serious, so they didn’t try to keep running. They simply surrendered and were tied up by those young punks!