Chapter 141: The Fierce Fight (Part 6)
Xian Gang’s single eye flashed with a wolf-like ferocity. He swung the stick in his hand and delivered another brutal blow to the tall, thin thug. A dull thud echoed, followed by a deafening scream from the thug. The cry was so凄厉 (piercing) that everyone engaged in the brawl instinctively turned their heads toward the source.
Seeing their leader knocked down, the land-grabbing thugs who had been burning the car completely lost their will to fight. They waved their long machetes wildly, scattering in all directions. While machetes had their advantages against wooden sticks, Zeng Xian Gang’s men did not dare to press the attack too aggressively. They watched as the thugs jumped off the highway and disappeared into the slopes on either side.
Because Zeng Xian Gang had prepared thoroughly and employed some tactical discipline, and because most of the young men he brought were stonecutters with immense physical strength, they clearly held the upper hand in close-quarters combat. Not a single one of Zeng Xian Gang’s men was injured. Two of the car-burning thugs were knocked down, and four machetes were left behind at the scene.
The driver, who had been slashed several times, was covered in blood and looked terrifying. He had picked up a stick from somewhere and ran over to beat the tall, thin thug fiercely. Seeing that the driver could not control his strength, Zeng Xian Gang kicked him in the head, sending him aside, and roared, “A few hits are enough! Don’t kill anyone!”
Intimidated by Zeng Xian Gang’s fierce demeanor, the driver held his stick and dared not approach.
At this moment, trucks coming down the mountain began to stop one after another. Drivers jumped out and surrounded the two fallen thugs. If Zeng Xian Gang had not shouted them down, the thugs would undoubtedly have been beaten into a bloody mess.
Zeng Xian Gang called the Qinglin Police Station, then had the trucks take his young men back to Shangqinglin. He stayed behind with three trusted lieutenants to wait for the police officers.
By the time Director Qin arrived at Dawan in his jeep, the scene of the fight was already surrounded by a sea of people.
Director Qin carefully inspected the burned-out truck and cursed, “Those bastards are really arrogant.”
Police officer Wang Yibing took out his camera to document the damage to the truck. He then called the injured driver aside to question him about the incident and began taking notes.
Director Qin crouched on the ground, looking at the tall, thin thug who was still screaming in pain. “Can you stand up?”
The thug, with snot and tears streaming down his face, replied, “Both my legs are broken.” He pointed a finger at Zeng Xian Gang and said, “He did it.”
Zeng Xian Gang had already discussed the matter with Hou Weidong and had a plan in mind. He said calmly, “My nephews and I went to the city to buy supplies. On our way back, we saw some bad guys burning a car, so we stopped to intervene. They not only refused to listen but also raised their machetes to kill us. We were forced to defend ourselves.”
Director Qin knew exactly what had happened. He was satisfied with Zeng Xian Gang’s explanation and turned to Zhou Qiang, saying, “Notify the Criminal Investigation Brigade to come to the scene immediately.”
Zhou Qiang spread his hands helplessly. “There’s no phone here.”
Director Qin had no choice but to take out his mobile phone and call the Criminal Investigation Brigade. After hanging up, he muttered, “Damn it, I pay for my own phone, and now it’s become the station’s public telephone.”
Zhou Qiang and Wang Yibing chuckled at this.
While the police officers were laughing, the tall, thin thug twisted on the ground in agony, wailing, “Police officers, please call an ambulance for me quickly. The pain is unbearable.”
Director Qin gave him a cold glance and ignored him completely. The thug’s legs were broken, and while it hurt, he wouldn’t die anytime soon. Director Qin deliberately withheld calling an ambulance to let him suffer.
The other fallen thug had been struck several times on the head with sticks but remained lying on the ground with his eyes closed. When he was knocked down, his mind had gone blank. Now that he had regained consciousness, he was terrified of being beaten by the angry drivers, so he pretended to be unconscious. Seeing the police arrive, he finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Someone unknowingly stepped on his finger, causing him to cry out in pain. He could no longer pretend to be unconscious. Zhou Qiang kicked him and dragged him into the police car to take his statement.
More than two hours later, Hei Wa received news of the ambush at the three-way intersection. With a gloomy expression, he sat in silence. His subordinate, Da Liu, was already furious, shouting that he wanted to lead men up to Shangqinglin Mountain to cut people down. Just as Da Liu was about to leave, Hei Wa cursed loudly, “You idiot! There are thousands of people in Shangqinglin. Who exactly do you think you’re going to cut?”
After the scolding, Da Liu stood at the door with his knife, unable to move forward or backward. Hei Wa finally spoke, “Tell Wu San to hide. He is not to return for a while.”
Wu San was Da Liu’s subordinate, and the men who burned the car were all Wu San’s henchmen. Hei Wa had passed the orders to Da Liu, who had passed them to Wu San. As long as Wu San stayed hidden, the police’s line of investigation would be cut off.
Having received the instructions, Da Liu was just about to step out when Hei Wa cursed again, “Put the knife inside the house! Are you crazy? Going out with a knife in broad daylight?”
Da Liu feared Hei Wa greatly and dared not retort. He threw the knife onto the table and hurriedly left.
By the time Hou Weidong received this news, it was already noon. After the meeting ended, he turned on his mobile phone and called Zeng Xian Gang. The call connected, but no one answered. He tried twice more, with the same result. Since buying his mobile phone, Zeng Xian Gang had always kept it clipped to his belt; it was rare for him to let a call go unanswered. Hou Weidong realized that something must have happened.
Just as he was preparing to call Qin Dajiang, Su Ming’s Santana pulled up. Su Ming sat in the driver’s seat and said, “It’s Friday today. You don’t need to return to Qinglin Town. The reforms will be implemented soon. You need to think carefully. The first three steps must be executed well, or it will be difficult to control the situation later.”
Hou Weidong praised Secretary Liu Kun honestly, “In the previous stage, Secretary Liu grasped the propaganda work tightly. All the villages have shown enthusiasm. I think there won’t be major problems.”
Hou Weidong had another thought he didn’t voice: where there are heavy rewards, there are brave men. With such a high return ratio for village cadres, they would surely use their wit. Having worked in the township for nearly three years, Hou Weidong understood the village and community cadres deeply. These rural politicians had intricate connections with the villagers. Most possessed a farmer’s cunning and a clear understanding of reality. As long as the policies were appropriate, they could often play a role that township cadres could hardly match.
Su Ming got into the car, waved his hand, and said, “We’ll hold a joint party and government meeting on Monday. You need to thoroughly explain the spirit of the meetings from these past two days and ensure all cadres take it seriously. Don’t be too optimistic. Think clearly about the difficulties we might encounter and prepare contingency plans to prevent problems before they arise.”
“Understood, Town Mayor Su. Rest assured.”
After closing the car door, Su Ming leaned back against the seat. An idiom suddenly surfaced from the deepest part of his mind: “The hidden dragon in the abyss.” He repeated the phrase in his heart, feeling that it was perfectly suited to Hou Weidong.
He compared Liu Kun and Hou Weidong in his mind: Hou Weidong’s abilities far surpassed Liu Kun’s. Liu Kun, as the Deputy Party Secretary, always floated on the surface, finding it hard to blend seamlessly with the grassroots. Hou Weidong, however, could command the wind and rain among village cadres. For a young man with no rural life experience, this was truly rare and valuable. With this skill alone, his future prospects were limitless.
Watching Su Ming’s car turn a corner and disappear behind the buildings, Hou Weidong prepared to call Wang Bing. After days of practice, under Wang Bing’s guidance, Hou Weidong could now drive on the highways outside the city. The Shayi Road was well-paved and not too crowded, making it an ideal place for practice.
Before his fingers even touched the keypad, his mobile phone vibrated intensely.
“What? Both legs broken?” Hou Weidong was prepared, so his mind worked quickly. He said, “Director Qin, Zeng Xian Gang acted as a hero. Yes, it was definitely an act of bravery. He saw criminals committing a crime and, to protect the lives and property of the people, disregarded the fact that they were armed and fought them bravely. In the end, he protected the people’s lives and property and minimized the losses.”
“That is an act of bravery. I will write up the materials and send them to the County Political and Legal Affairs Commission. Tell Captain Li Jianyong directly.”
Director Qin was in the office of Captain Li Jianyong of the Criminal Investigation Brigade. After hanging up, he said, “Town Mayor Hou’s opinion is to handle this as an act of bravery.” He repeated Hou Weidong’s opinion to Captain Li.
Captain Li Jianyong’s thick eyebrows were his trademark. As the head of the Criminal Investigation Brigade, he had reviewed the case materials and listened to the report. He guessed the scene’s situation with high accuracy. He looked at Director Qin with deep meaning and said, “The divisional leader in charge of political and legal affairs, what does he know? You still need to report to him?”
The police station was an派出机构 (dispatched agency) of the Public Security Bureau and did not belong to the town’s departments. The so-called divisional leaders of the town government had no authority over them. Director Qin had never bought into Chao Pangzi’s authority in the past. Li Jianyong, who had once been a station chief in a township, knew this well. Seeing Director Qin seriously reporting to Town Mayor Hou, he pointed this out directly.
Director Qin explained, “Hou Weidong is different. He is an undergraduate graduate from the Law Department of Shazhou College. He is an insider. His older brother is Hou Weiguo from the Shazhou Criminal Investigation Detachment, and his father is a veteran police officer from Wuhai City.”
Li Jianyong had worked cases with Hou Weiguo, and they got along well. Hearing that this was Hou Weiguo’s younger brother and a legitimate law graduate, his expression became serious. He said, “Director Qin, we are good brothers. No need for formalities between family. Based on the materials at hand, I can judge that Zeng Xian Gang obviously prepared carefully, intending to fight Hei Wa’s people.”
Director Qin, of course, knew this too. He smiled and said, “That is just your judgment. From the statements of the driver, Ye Mingyue, Zeng Xian Gang, and nearby residents, this is a typical case of bravery. If we treat it as a brawl, Qinglin Town will not accept it. If it escalates to the county level, it will be hard to resolve.”
Li Jianyong smiled. He was actually testing Director Qin.
From the scene and the statements, Zeng Xian Gang indeed fought with armed criminals. However, in real life, statements were one thing, and the truth was another. As the head of the Criminal Investigation Brigade, he already grasped the truth of the matter.
The truth was one thing, and the materials were another. The modern legal system was based on the presumption of innocence. In this regard, evidence was more important than the truth. Since the current evidence supported Zeng Xian Gang, then Zeng Xian Gang was a hero.
“This Hou Weidong is interesting.” Li Jianyong picked up the materials, looked at them, and threw them back on the table.
After saying this, he fell silent. His expression grew increasingly serious, and a complex emotion appeared in his eyes. Director Qin, who had been smiling, slowly lost his smile as the atmosphere changed.
The two sat face-to-face for a while before Li Jianyong finally spoke. “An old leader once said there are ten thousand types of class struggle. I didn’t understand this before. Now that I’m in the Criminal Investigation Brigade, I realize that old leader was absolutely right.”
Li Jianyong said slowly, “This matter won’t end here. Hei Wa’s social connections are complex, involving people above.”
He pointed upward with his hand. Director Qin had also heard rumors about this and shook his head continuously, but neither continued the topic. After chatting casually for a few sentences, Director Qin left the Criminal Investigation Brigade. Just as he exited the compound, he called Hou Weidong again.
“Madman, regarding the fight at the three-way intersection, Zeng Xian Gang is fine. He will be released soon.” Director Qin paused and added, “Hei Wa is not simple. Be careful of his underhanded moves. You must warn every household in Shangqinglin to be vigilant.”
Hou Weidong was surprised. “Since we caught the thugs who burned the car at the three-way intersection, we could follow the vine to pick the melon and catch the real boss.”
Director Qin smiled bitterly. “Do you think the police are idiots? Seven people participated in burning the car today. We have caught six, and only one escaped. The Criminal Investigation Brigade interrogated the six separately. They all said the boss was Wu San, who had already fled. The clue is broken.”
“What about the severed palm? That’s also an important clue.”
“The severed palm is still soaking in the evidence room. But we haven’t found out where it came from. No police stations have received reports. We conducted a search, but with no results. The young punk who delivered the severed palm has also fled Yiyang.”
Hou Weidong sucked in a breath of cold air. “This Hei Wa is not simple. He has the vibe of a triad boss.”
Director Qin advised, “Find time to go to Shangqinglin. Tell them to be careful. Do not let their guard down. Zeng Xian Gang will be released from the Criminal Investigation Brigade soon. Come pick him up. Don’t let him take a taxi alone. We need to prevent Hei Wa from jumping the wall out of desperation.”
After hanging up, Hou Weidong sighed inwardly. “It seems I can’t return to Shazhou today.” He called Xiaojia and said cautiously, “Xiaojia, I have something to deal with. I’m afraid I can’t return to Shazhou.” Xiaojia’s tone clearly showed disappointment. “What is it this time? I’ve already stewed the chicken soup.”
To prevent Xiaojia from worrying, Hou Weidong hid the conflict with Hei Wa from her. He said seriously, “The County Safety Supervision Office is organizing people to inspect the stone quarries. I have no choice but to stay. When you’re in the world, you can’t always do as you please.”
Xiaojia retorted irritably, “You’re clearly a Communist Party cadre. Where does this ‘jianghu’ (underworld) come in? The Safety Supervision Office people are so annoying. Coming down on a Saturday, they definitely want red envelopes.” She knew a little about the hidden rules of the bureau. After complaining for a few sentences, she let the matter drop.
Hou Weidong then got into Wang Bing’s car and drove to the entrance of the Criminal Investigation Brigade. The two waited patiently. More than an hour later, Zeng Xian Gang walked out. His hair was messy, and there were scars and an eye patch on his face. Combined with his tall stature, he looked fierce and menacing. As he walked out of the Criminal Investigation Brigade, most of the passing detectives turned their heads to stare at him.
Wang Bing honked the horn a few times. Zeng Xian Gang saw the training car parked in the corner outside the compound. Getting into the car, a rare smile appeared on his face. He said, “Madman, I felt great today. The methods you taught really work.” Hou Weidong said, “This isn’t over yet. Later, we’ll go to Qin Dajiang’s house. We can talk while we eat.”
As the training car left the city, Wang Bing and Hou Weidong switched seats, with Hou Weidong taking the wheel. Although the speed was slower, the turns and uphill climbs were very smooth.
When they arrived at Qin Dajiang’s house, the backbone members of the Shangqinglin Gravel Association were all there. Qin Dajiang, Xi Zhaoyong, He Hongfu, and Tang Guiyuan, the Party Secretary of Jianshan Village, were gathered around playing cards. Seeing Hou Weidong and Zeng Xian Gang get out of the car, they threw their cards on the table and swarmed out the door. The people of Shangqinglin were fierce. Having beaten Hei Wa’s men this time, they had vented their anger, and everyone, young and old, was happy.
Qin Dajiang shouted, “Wife, start cooking! Make it delicious. Today, we brothers are going to have a few drinks.” Zeng Xian Gang squinted one eye and said, “I still don’t drink a drop. Brother, don’t persuade me.”
After a few rounds of drinking, Hou Weidong said, “This isn’t over yet. For our Shangqinglin stone quarries, first, we must pay attention to safety production and avoid major accidents. Second, we must establish village-household joint defense. I am in charge of comprehensive governance in the town, and Shangqinglin is my designated area. I suggest the association install telephones in each quarry and equip them with high-power walkie-talkies. This way, if anything happens, we can support each other.”
Xi Zhaoyong said, “I will set up a point at Yinggang Stone Quarry. I’ll specifically find two civil patrol officers. All vehicles going up the mountain must be registered. This way, we can be completely safe.”
With the previous tragedy at Zeng Xian Gang’s home and the threat of the severed palm to Qin Dajiang, everyone’s vigilance was high. They discussed actively, each contributing their ideas.