Hospital.

Outside the emergency room, smoke filled the air. Zhong Te took one puff after another, crushing the cigarette butts into a pile at his feet.

The door creaked open.

He abruptly threw away his cigarette, rushed over in a few steps, and asked in a hoarse voice, "Doctor, how is he?"

The doctor took off his mask, looking exhausted: "His life has been saved. But his Achilles tendon... even if it's reattached, he'll be lame from now on. His eyes are completely ruined."

Before the words were finished, Chen Xiaomo was pushed out, his eyes covered with thick gauze, his face as pale as paper, the anesthesia still in effect, yet he was already convulsing unconsciously.

Zhong Te stared at him, his chest heaving. Six months ago, he had brought this troublesome brother-in-law from Hangzhou to Funing, promising his adoptive parents that he would take good care of him. Now…

He didn't follow. Instead, he walked to the window, lit another cigarette, and the flame reflected in his bloodshot eyes.

"Chief Zhong!" a policeman ran up, panting. "Little Sun Video Arcade, eleven people, all seriously injured! Achilles tendons severed! Eyes blinded! Several also stabbed in the ribs. The weapon was a dagger, the method... extremely ruthless!"

The police officer swallowed hard: "We asked the customers who watched the video, and none of them could see the murderer clearly."

"Preliminary investigation suggests it's 80% related to the incident where Chen Xiaomo vandalized the [Yangcheng] video arcade. At 7:30 PM, Chen Xiaomo led a group to vandalize six [Yangcheng] stores..."

Zhong Te listened, expressionless.

After a long while, he stubbed out his cigarette with two fingers, his voice eerily calm: "Bring back everyone from the [Yangcheng] video parlor."

"Yes, Chief Zhong!"

Rental housing.

Zhang Da Nao and the others tossed and turned, unable to sleep, like pancakes.

"Bang!"

The door was kicked open.

Zhang Da's head jolted, and he sprang up from the bed, grabbing the stool beside the bed.

"Don't move! Jiefang Street Police Station!"

"Everyone, squat down!"

The dark muzzle of a gun was blinding, and several police officers rushed in.

Zhang Da Nao and the others were stunned, their minds went blank.

"Officer, we haven't broken the law!"

"We're the ones who got beaten up!"

The door to the next room was also kicked open.

Apart from Zhang Weiguo and Xiao Tao from the hospital, all seven people who came to the county town with Zhang Cheng were brought out without any escape.

Zhang Jianhao had bandages wrapped around his head, wore only a thin undershirt, and had his arms tied behind his back. A cold wind blew, and his teeth chattered.

Jiefang Street Police Station, interrogation room.

Zhang Jianhao was handcuffed to an iron chair. The blinding beam of a flashlight shone directly into his face, and he instinctively turned his head away.

A large hand roughly pressed down on his head, and two fingers forcibly pried open his eyelids.

The icy water poured over his head, and Zhang Jianhao shuddered, his whole body shaking like a leaf.

"Speak! Were the people from Little Sun Video Hall injured by you?!"

Zhang Jianhao's heart skipped a beat. Little Sun Video Arcade? The group that smashed their shop? They got taken care of too?

A surge of emotion welled up inside me. It must be Brother Dog! Brother Dog avenged them!

He couldn't help but grin, blood and froth trickling down his chin: "Officer, I don't know anything about 'little sun.' You've arrested the wrong person."

"Stubborn to the end? Hang him up!"

at the same time.

Li Yuanyuan, disheveled, frantically pounded on Zhao Daming's door.

"Bang bang bang!"

"Brother Zhao! Sister-in-law! Something's happened!"

Zhao Daming rushed out, still wearing his clothes, and opened the door: "Yuanyuan, what happened in the middle of the night?"

"Brother Zhao, Jianhao and the others... they've all been captured!"

"What?"

"A dozen minutes ago, a group of police arrested Jianhao and the others!" Li Yuanyuan said breathlessly.

Zhao Daming's expression changed drastically. He turned to Li Ailian, who had just come out, and shouted, "Ailian, I'm going to the station!"

"Be careful on the road!"

"Yuanyuan, stay here and don't run around!"

Zhao Daming rushed downstairs.

Seven or eight minutes later, at the South Street Police Station.

Xiao Xing, who was on duty, was startled awake. Seeing that it was Zhao Daming, he quickly got up and said, "Director Zhao, what brings you here?"

"Investigate immediately! There haven't been any other operations tonight!" Zhao Daming shouted as he rushed into the duty room, yelling at the police officers inside, "Go to the dormitories and wake everyone up!"

"Yes, Chief!"

As soon as Zhao Daming entered his office, Xiao Xing followed him in: "Chief Zhao, we've found out! The Jiefang Street Police Station arrested a group of people on South Street, saying they were involved in a gang fight..."

"How many were arrested? What are their names? Ask them now!"

Xiao Xing ran out. Zhao Daming paced restlessly in his office. No need to guess, this matter was definitely related to Zhang Cheng! What a coincidence, your shop gets vandalized one minute, and your enemy gets into trouble the next?

He grabbed the phone on the table, dialed the paging service, and called Zhang Cheng's pager. He had bought it for Zhang Cheng at an insider price.

The phone rang, and he stared at it intently, his heart pounding in his chest.

"Chief Zhao!" Xiao Xing ran back, panting. "Seven people were arrested on Jiefang Street, all from Yang Cheng. Zhang Cheng wasn't among them. Little Sun's side lost eleven, all seriously injured—tendons, eyes… the methods were extremely vicious! The Public Security Bureau has already intervened!"

"Damn it!" Zhao Daming slammed his fist on the table, his face turning ashen.

Despite my repeated warnings, Brother Zhang is still so impulsive!

This is a huge problem! If Zhang Cheng is caught, in such a heinous case, Zhong Te could even execute him on the spot and consider it a meritorious act! Witnesses and evidence? That's just a matter of Zhong Te's word!

We must find Zhang Cheng immediately and make him get out of Funing County right now! Otherwise, he's doomed!

"Notify everyone, dig Zhang Cheng out for me!" Zhao Daming suddenly looked up, staring at Xiao Xing. "If we run into those guys from Jiefang Street trying to take Zhang Cheng away, just snatch him! Tell them Zhang Cheng is involved in a case at our station!"

My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!