Hu Haidong understood the current situation. If the gate were destroyed by fire, the other side would rush in, and with only five or six people on his side, they would not be able to stop them.
If everyone continues to defend separately, then they will only be able to be defeated one by one by the enemy.
It would be better to concentrate our firepower and keep everyone in one room.
Before the main gate was burned down, everyone rushed into the two rooms of the main hall upon hearing Hu Haidong's shout.
Including Wei Yulan and Old Man Zhang, who lived in the west room. The entire family of more than twenty people were crammed into the two large rooms. Jiao Bai, Hu Haidong, and several other police officers stood guard behind the door and windows, ready to respond.
The gunshot just now was like a thunderclap in this quiet little mountain village, waking up all the villagers.
The roaring flames illuminated half the sky above the mountain village, and some curious villagers couldn't resist venturing out of their homes.
Everyone knows what happened during the day, and they know that something big must have happened at the village chief's house that night.
They cautiously approached and discovered that more than a dozen menacing-looking figures were gathered in front of the village chief's house, some of them holding guns.
The villagers had never seen anything like this before. They quickly retreated, hurriedly running back to their homes and locking their doors tightly, fearing that their families would be implicated.
Although no one dared to confront this group, no one thought of reporting it to the police outside the mountains.
However, Yaji and his ilk were ultimately guilty and didn't know much about the security situation in the mainland.
The arrival and departure of some villagers still put enormous psychological pressure on them.
"Boss, we need to speed things up."
One of the thugs looked at Yaji's gloomy face and whispered a suggestion.
The longer their shady dealings drag on, the worse they'll end up; everyone present knew that.
Yaji nodded and gave the order loudly.
"Hurry, add more fuel to the fire."
The thugs frantically added dry firewood to the fire, which crackled and popped.
The wooden door had already been set ablaze and was beginning to teeter precariously. It would likely burn through within minutes, at which point the door would no longer serve as a barrier.
“You guys, go to another house and bring back two thicker doors.”
Yaji directed several thugs behind him to go to the neighboring house and dismantle two doors, which they would later use as shields to charge into the courtyard.
On the battlefield, Yagi was never a reckless person, otherwise he wouldn't be alive today.
The men responded and left, returning shortly afterward carrying two door panels that were at least ten inches thick.
It was just over a meter tall, and if two people carried it in front of them, the bullets from the pistol would penetrate it very well.
Half an hour later, the door was finally burned down to just the frame, and the fire had subsided.
When only a few small flames remained, Yaji waved his hand.
"superior."
All the thugs were ready, with two of them each holding up a door panel and walking at the front.
The others followed closely behind them, bending over, and walked step by step into the courtyard.
Yaji mingled in the crowd, keeping a low profile and peering through the gaps in the room.
Just now, they heard someone calling for a gathering from outside the door, so they knew that everyone should be gathered in the main room in the middle now.
So the group, with the door panel in hand, headed straight for the main room.
"Bang bang bang"
A series of gunshots rang out. Bullets struck the front gate, sending splinters flying, but failed to penetrate the door panel and injure those hiding behind it.
Hu Haidong, who was in the main room, raised his hand, signaling everyone not to waste bullets.
The enemy came prepared; bullets are no longer effective against them.
Everyone in the room, especially the Wei family members, began to look extremely anxious.
If these people are allowed to rush in, they'll be the first to suffer. With so many people, there's nowhere to hide, and with so many guns on the other side, everyone inside will be a sitting duck.
Fortunately, Hu Haidong and several police officers had strong mental fortitude. They each gripped their guns with both hands, pressed their bodies against the wall, and calmly stood guard behind the door.
Ji Bai held a handful of pebbles in his hand, fiddling with them and making a clicking sound. This distracted many people and eased their tension somewhat.
Wei Yulan, heavily pregnant, sat on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed) at the very back with Zhang Damao's parents. Perhaps because she wasn't very bright, she seemed to be born without fear.
Of all the people in the room, apart from Jiao Bai and the police officers, she seemed the most relaxed.
Yaji led his men to the front of the main room. The two men in front dropped the door, and everyone else leaned against the wall.
And so, one side was outside, and the other was inside, separated by a wall, and they stood facing each other.
There are many people outside, so Hu Haidong certainly wouldn't bring his men out to fight them in the courtyard.
Outside, Yaji's men also dared not rush into the house rashly.
Everyone's life is precious; the first person to rush in will surely die.
Hu Haidong knew that what his side needed most right now was time. As soon as the reinforcements Wei Changqing had called arrived, the advantage would be on his side.
Therefore, he made up his mind to stall until Wei Changqing returned with his men.
But how could Yaji outside let him keep dragging this on?
Although he wasn't sure if his actions would alert the local police, he knew that this shady business needed to end as soon as possible. The longer it dragged on, the more dangerous it would become for them.
Yaji leaned against the wall, gripping the gun in one hand, and shouted to the people inside the room.
“Listen up, you guys inside. All we want is Zhang Damao’s family. If they obediently hand over his parents or wife, we’ll leave immediately and guarantee we won’t harm them. Otherwise, if things get out of hand, none of you inside will survive. Think it over.”
After he called out, he waited for a long time, but there was no response from inside.
"Damn, you don't know what's good for you."
Then he shouted loudly again.
"Since you're courting death, then I won't be polite."
After saying that, he winked at one of his underlings across from him.
"Go to the room next to yours and bring out everything that can be burned. Let's keep burning. I don't believe they won't come out."
Upon receiving the order, the underling shrank back and entered the room of the former boss, Wei Gang.
Everyone was gathered in the main room, which was empty. He smashed all the bedding on the kang (a heated brick bed), the wooden chairs on the floor, and the wooden kitchen, and threw them at the entrance of the main room.
Yaji took out a cigarette, lit it, and casually tossed the lighter into the tattered quilt.
A short while later, the same scene as before unfolded in front of the main gate.
The fire slowly rose and began to lick at the wooden door of the main room.
Soon, the dry wooden door also began to burn in the fire.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
