When he left the county police station again, Li Yi felt much more at ease.
He had originally thought that Wang Anguo and his team would need a few more days to investigate the case before reaching a conclusion, but thanks to Liu San’s divine assist, it looked like there would be good news tomorrow.
Although whether Hao Guanchang and his wife would be arrested had absolutely nothing to do with Li Yi, their very presence had hindered Wang Anguo’s efforts to help him—so they had it coming.
Besides, Li Yi had effectively helped the couple as well.
According to reports, Hao Guanchang and his wife had originally planned to live a life of luxury using the stolen gold.
The reality turned out to be quite the opposite; figuring out what to do with the two gold bars had been a constant headache for the Hao couple.
At first, they did indeed try to sell the gold through local black market channels, but they found that the police were conducting strict checks in this area. Fearing that outsiders might discover the gold’s whereabouts, they remained in hiding and dared not make a move.
Later, they simply moved into a detached house with its own courtyard, as such a setting offered greater privacy, which finally put their minds at ease.
For the next 10 years, the couple kept the secret of the gold hidden, living in constant fear.
The gold did not improve their lives; on the contrary, this hidden burden made them both paranoid and short-tempered, leading to frequent arguments at home.
Eventually, unable to bear the inner torment any longer, they confessed the truth to the father.
The old man had lived an honest, upright life all his days, yet his son and daughter-in-law had dared to steal gold.
Unwilling to turn against his own family, he was filled with guilt. Worn down by excessive worry, he passed away within a few years.
They didn’t even dare to throw a lavish wedding for their son; the modest ceremony gradually drove a wedge between him and his parents.
In the end, the couple hid the gold in the basement of their home and lived in constant fear for ten years.
Ten years after the incident, upon hearing that the price of gold had risen, Hao Guanchang’s dormant heart finally stirred.
He decided to test the waters first, so he had his wife take a piece of gold to the bank to exchange it for cash.
However, a seasoned teller immediately sensed something was amiss with the gold. Ultimately, the couple was arrested by the police, and the gold buried in their home was also recovered.
The decade-long gold theft case was finally solved, and upon hearing the news, the employees of Plant 812 were all overjoyed.
Having been treated as suspects all these years, they had been suffering in silence; the resolution of the case cleared their names.
Now that Li Yi had identified the suspects early on, he not only helped clear the factory workers’ names but also spared Hao Guanchang and his wife over a decade of mental anguish—a truly good outcome!
Of course, whether Hao Guanchang and his wife are grateful or not is beyond Li Yi’s concern.
Since Liu San had to assist Wang Anguo and the others with the investigation, Li Yi was on his own when he left the county bureau.
He drove the black horse-drawn cart back to the supply and marketing cooperative, quickly purchased the necessary supplies, bought a few pounds of pork, some pork ribs, and a few large bones, and then headed to the textile factory to meet up with Third Sister Li Na.
However, when he arrived at the textile factory, he saw a group of seven or eight loitering young men gathered around his older sister’s stall, and she appeared to be in the middle of an argument with them.
Although quite a few workers were gathered around the small stall, no one stepped forward to help.
Seeing the situation, Li Yi knew exactly what was going on!
Without hesitation, he drove his black horse-drawn cart right over!
“Move aside!”
Hearing Li Yi’s voice, one of the young men immediately shouted at him, “Fuck your mother…”
Before he could finish, a massive slap came flying at him!
“Smack!”
The young man was sent flying backward. When he managed to get back on his feet, fresh blood was trickling from the corner of his mouth and his nose.
Everyone was stunned by Li Yi’s fierce demeanor!
These days, there are plenty of people who act tough, but it’s rare to see someone who’s willing to throw down like this at the drop of a hat—especially when outnumbered.
A guy like that is either a real badass or a total idiot!
Seeing his own underling knocked down with a single slap, the bald leader felt his pride crushed. He immediately drew a dagger from his waist, pointed it at Li Yi, and roared, “Fuck you! You dare hit my man? Do you think I won’t kill you?”
Li Yi gave a contemptuous smirk—tough talk was child’s play to him!
Never mind that his body had been enhanced; even relying on his former strength alone, taking care of these punks would be a piece of cake.
However, the thug leader’s blustering yet cowardly expression terrified Li Na. She hurriedly said, “Xiao Yi, don’t be impulsive. They just want some money. Just give it to them and it’ll be over…”
But before Li Na could finish her sentence, Li Yi moved.
He suddenly reached out, grabbed the bald leader’s hand—which was holding the dagger—and slammed it down hard onto his own knee.
“Clang!”
The dagger fell straight to the ground with a sharp clang.
At the same time, Li Yi executed a shoulder throw, slamming the man directly onto the ground.
His burly body made intimate contact with the hard ground, and in an instant, a scream like a pig being slaughtered echoed through the room.
But Li Yi wasn’t done yet. He knew that when dealing with these petty thugs, you either didn’t lay a finger on them—or, once you did, you had to beat them into submission!
Li Yi casually picked up the dagger from the ground, then planted his size 11 foot squarely on the bald man’s chest, the sharp blade pointing directly at his face.
The bald man instantly sensed a massive killing intent emanating from Li Yi. He immediately cowered, whimpering, “Bro… big bro… we were wrong…”
“Tell me, who sent you here?”
“No… no one. We just saw that this young lady was doing such brisk business, so we thought we’d try to make a little money off her, so…”
Seeing that the guy spoke fairly fluently and didn’t look away, Li Yi tentatively believed him.
But he didn’t move the dagger in his hand away from the bald man’s face. Instead, he said coldly, “I don’t care if this was a spur-of-the-moment idea or a premeditated plan. If you dare lay a finger on my sister again, I’ll make you wish you were dead—and your families too!”
Feeling Li Yi’s intense murderous intent, the bald man felt his sphincter start to give way.
“No… I won’t dare, I’ll never dare again… Waaah!”
“Get lost!”
The bald-headed boss felt as if he’d been granted a pardon; he immediately scrambled to his feet and ran toward the city center, leaving his henchmen behind without a second thought.
But whether from fear or some other reason, the guy stumbled and fell after just a few steps, scraping the skin off his hands.
Yet he seemed oblivious to the pain, scrambling back to his feet and running forward as if something terrifying were chasing him.
Seeing their boss flee, the thugs didn’t dare stay put—they scattered in a panic!
…….