Chapter 162: Aftermath (Part 3)

Chapter 162: Aftermath (Part 3)

The courtyard held a peculiar scent, one that made Heiwa’s mother’s expression darken as she looked at her son, a man who had committed countless wrongs. She hated him to the bone. Several times, she had considered cutting off all ties, yet she could never bring herself to do it. Stepping out of the room, she wiped away her tears and headed down to the doctor’s office to process the discharge paperwork.

A tall, young man happened to be standing at the nurse’s station. His skin bore the healthy tan of someone accustomed to long hours in the sun. He asked politely, “Excuse me, which ward is Heiwa in?”

The nurse on duty was a young intern, recently assigned from the Shazhou Nursing School. She had only started working there the day before and was unaware of Heiwa’s notorious reputation. Smiling, she replied, “We don’t have a patient named Heiwa here. Could you tell me his full name? I can look it up for you.”

Heiwa was a boss in the underworld; everyone called him Heiwa, and few knew his real name. The young man was momentarily stumped by the nurse’s question. “He’s the one whose hand was chopped off,” he said.

The young nurse flipped through her logbook. “You mean Lin Shouli? He’s in Room 512.”

The young man walked at a steady pace to Room 512. He paused at the door and peeked inside. Seeing no one guarding the patient, he observed a man lying flat on the bed, one hand wrapped in white gauze. He shook his head silently to himself. Brotherhood and loyalty in the underworld are nothing but nonsense. Ye Mingyue was right; Heiwa is a cripple now. No one is willing to die for him.

He pushed the door open and called out softly, “Heiwa.”

Heiwa, accustomed to a life of crime, was highly vigilant. Seeing a stranger—a tall man—enter, he sensed danger despite the man’s gentle tone. He remained silent, his left hand secretly reaching under the blanket to flick open a switchblade, the sharp blade gleaming in the dim light.

The young man stared at Heiwa and sneered, “Heiwa, so this is how it ends for you.”

Realizing the visitor’s hostile intent, Heiwa asked, “Who are you?” His left hand gripped the knife tighter.

Noticing a glass of water on the bedside table, the young man smiled faintly, picked it up, and with a flick of his wrist, poured the water directly onto Heiwa’s head. Heiwa bit back his anger, keeping the knife hidden, and said, “We have no grudge against each other.”

The young man didn’t let him finish. “You’re a cripple now. I’m going to ruin you.” He grabbed Heiwa’s injured right hand and twisted it violently with both of his own. The wound on Heiwa’s hand tore open completely. With a scream of agony, Heiwa swung his left hand, thrusting the knife fiercely toward the young man.

The young man hadn’t expected Heiwa to still be holding a blade. He narrowly avoided being stabbed and stumbled back a step.

Wielding the switchblade, Heiwa snarled, “You think you’re tough? I’ll kill you.”

Surprised that the sick cat in the bed was still so arrogant, the young man grabbed Heiwa’s leg and dragged him toward the edge of the bed. Just then, Heiwa’s mother returned. Seeing someone bullying her son, she shouted, “What are you doing?” and lunged forward, hugging the young man tightly and biting down hard.

The young man jerked his waist sharply, but the frail woman held on. He then drove his elbow back, knocking Heiwa’s mother to the floor.

By now, Heiwa was sitting up halfway, waving the switchblade with his left hand. It was awkward to wield the knife with his non-dominant hand, and the young man easily caught his wrist. Then, a massive fist came crashing down. Heiwa’s vision exploded with thousands of golden stars, and blood gushed from his nose like a waterfall.

Heiwa’s mother clung to the young man’s legs, sobbing.

At that exact moment, two officers from the Criminal Investigation Detachment appeared at the door. They were subordinates of Hou Weidong, sent to question Heiwa. Seeing the brawl inside, one officer shouted sternly, “We are from the Public Security Bureau. Stop it right now!” The other rushed in, handcuffs in hand.

Seeing the police arrive, the young man cursed his bad luck and stopped his assault. Heiwa lay on the bed, his face covered in blood.

One of the officers checked the young man’s ID card, his expression darkening. He exchanged a glance with his partner and said to the young man, “I have some questions for you. Come with us to the police station.” This officer was part of the special task force and recognized the name Qin Gan. Seeing him assault someone in a hospital ward, he took the matter seriously.

The young man who had caused the disturbance in the ward was Qin Gan, the second son of Qin Dajiang.

Qin Dajiang had two sons: the eldest, Qin Yong, and the second, Qin Gan. Qin Gan bore a striking resemblance to his father, with a sturdy build standing about 1.8 meters tall. Although he was not a stonecutter by trade, he possessed immense natural strength, able to lift a fifty-jin stone lock as if it were a toy. Because of this, he had never lost a fight in his youth and was considered a formidable figure in Shangqinglin.

After spending several years in Guangzhou, Qin Gan had grown from a boy into a man with a thick beard. He and his brother Qin Yong had opened a small repair shop on the outskirts of Guangzhou. In recent years, to compete for territory with local thugs from various regions, he had fought with people from Hubei, Sichuan, and Northeast China. He was a bold man, and the repair shop’s business had gradually begun to thrive.

Since Qin Dajiang’s stone quarry had started operations, he had asked his sons to return home several times, but neither brother was willing to come back. This time, with their father murdered, Qin Yong was busy leading a gang in a fight with a Northeastern crew and couldn’t leave. So, he sent Qin Gan back to handle their father’s funeral arrangements.

After returning to Yiyang, Qin Gan visited Shangqinglin and met with his mother. Learning about the circumstances surrounding the quarry’s opening, he locked his sights on Heiwa.

He sought out a middle school classmate, Ye Mingyue. Ye Mingyue had poor grades and loved watching Hong Kong and Taiwan films. After graduating from middle school, while Qin Gan went to Guangdong, Ye Mingyue drifted around Yiyang city. He had been stabbed once and ended up with a limp. From Ye Mingyue, Qin Gan learned a great deal about the underworld in Yiyang. He had secretly prepared to take out Heiwa, but while he was still making arrangements, Heiwa was suddenly attacked and had his right hand chopped off. In the early days of his injury, Heiwa still had many brothers around him, and police were frequently seen patrolling the hospital.

Qin Gan had originally planned to wait until Heiwa was discharged before finding an opportunity to chop off one of his hands. While he was looking for the right moment, his eldest brother Qin Yong got into a massive brawl with the Northeastern gang and was seriously injured. Qin Gan was in a hurry to rush back to Guangdong, so he had to postpone dealing with Heiwa. However, unable to vent his anger, he decided to storm into the hospital in broad daylight.

Unluckily, he ran straight into the Criminal Investigation Detachment.

The detachment took Qin Gan back. They examined his flight tickets and bus tickets from Lingxi. Chronologically, they could not rule out Qin Gan’s involvement in the crime. Deputy Director Tan of the Public Security Bureau personally called and ordered Qin Gan’s criminal detention.

Just as Qin Gan was being detained, at the Zhang Family Restaurant in Qinglin Town, Deputy County Mayor Gao was drinking with the leaders of Qinglin Town. Satisfied with the town’s funeral management work, he had made an exception to drink at noon, clinking glasses with everyone.

As Deputy County Mayor Gao was about to leave, he shook hands with the Qinglin Town leaders one by one. When he reached Hou Weidong, he said, “Old Su and I are good friends. When I came to work in Yiyang County, he mentioned you. He is coming to Yiyang County next month.”

He shook Hou Weidong’s hand vigorously and praised, “Little Hou works solidly. He is very good.”

Hearing the name “Old Su,” Hou Weidong’s mind became clear. This was definitely Su Mingjun reaching out to him. He didn’t say much, replying respectfully, “I hope County Mayor Gao will offer more criticism and help in the future.”

While Hou Weidong was conversing with Deputy County Mayor Gao, Zhao Yongsheng and Su Ming were standing nearby. The corner of Zhao Yongsheng’s eye twitched imperceptibly. He glanced calmly at Su Ming, thinking, Who is this “Old Su” that Deputy County Mayor Gao mentioned? There is no leader in the county with the surname Su. From what I recall, only the Deputy Head of the Shazhou Organization Department has the surname Su.

Su Ming, whose surname was also Su, was very sensitive to officials with that name. He immediately thought of Su Mingjun, the Deputy Head of the Shazhou Organization Department. This official, whose name had one fewer character than his own, held significant power. Su Ming thought to himself, If Hou Weidong truly has this connection, we must make good use of it.

Each of the three harbored their own thoughts as they watched Deputy County Mayor Gao’s car leave the compound. Although the car kicked up some dust, the situation had improved significantly compared to the overwhelming dust clouds of previous months. The three walked toward the compound, chatting and laughing. As they were climbing the stairs, Director Qin of the police station hurried over.

“Secretary Zhao, I just received a call from the Criminal Investigation Detachment. They say Qin Dajiang’s son, Qin Gan, went to the hospital with a knife and has been criminally detained.”

Zhao Yongsheng stopped in his tracks. “Explain clearly. What exactly happened?”

“I don’t know the specific details,” Director Qin said.

Zhao Yongsheng continued, “Qin Dajiang was the old branch secretary and had great prestige. If Qinglin Town doesn’t handle this matter well, it will chill the hearts of the village cadres. Town Mayor Hou, you, Secretary Liu, and Director Qin, go take a look and see the specific situation.”

Director Qin said, “The police station’s patrol car is currently in Shangqinglin investigating. I don’t have a vehicle here.”

Su Ming said, “Have Xiao Zhang drive you there.”

Hou Weidong, Liu Kun, and Director Qin quickly arrived in Yiyang County and found the Criminal Investigation Brigade office. Captain Li was reviewing Qin Gan’s interrogation record. Looking up, he saw Director Qin, followed by Hou Weidong and Liu Kun.

Director Qin sat down opposite Captain Li without waiting for an invitation and asked, “I heard Qin Gan caused trouble at the hospital. What is the current situation?”

Captain Li put down the documents and said, “He has been criminally detained.”

Hou Weidong was startled. “Captain Li, I heard he assaulted someone in the hospital. Isn’t that a public security case? Why has he been criminally detained?”

Captain Li ignored Hou Weidong and briefly explained the situation to Director Qin, then asked, “How is the situation on the mountain?”

“Officer Zhou Qiang from our station has already gone to the mountain to investigate. They will come directly here,” Director Qin said. He proactively offered Captain Li a cigarette and added, “Captain Li, logically speaking, if Qin Gan were the murderer, he certainly wouldn’t appear in the hospital in broad daylight.”

Captain Li had never believed Qin Gan was the one who chopped off the hand, nor did he have any evidence to incriminate him. However, since Deputy Director Tan had given the order, he had no choice but to comply.

Hou Weidong asked, “Captain Li, did Qin Gan have any knives on him?”

Captain Li gave him a sidelong glance but still answered, “He didn’t have a knife, but assaulting someone in a hospital is a very serious offense.”