Chapter 003: Arrest
"Big brother... mercy... mercy!" Long Wu kept begging, "I was wrong, give me a chance..."
Agony does not necessarily mean broken hands or legs; the torment of the mind is far more gruesome than that of the flesh. Lin Chuan, looking down from high above with a demeanor as if he were God himself standing in front of Long Wu, had completely crushed Long Wu's mental defenses to smithereens. He was like a young lady whose garments had been torn to shreds, faced with a fierce, knife-wielding bandit, left with no strength to fight back but to beg for mercy.
"Car keys, all the cash on you, hand it over," Lin Chuan's foot pressed down harder, fresh blood was already pooling on the ground. Lin Chuan spoke coldly: "Your life can be spared!"
Clatter...
Car keys, all the banknotes, and coins in his pockets were thrown out. Long Wu lay on the ground obediently like a dog, not daring to disagree with his master's commands. He looked at Lin Chuan with a face full of panic and said, "It's... it's... all here!"
Lin Chuan glanced at it; there were only a few hundred in cash, but the car itself was worth something.
He took the keys and the few bright red banknotes, leaving the coins and small bills behind. Before leaving, he said, "The car is mine now, send twenty thousand yuan to the hospital tomorrow. Then, we are even."
"Yes, yes, yes!" Long Wu didn't dare utter a word of dissent.
Driving was merely one of Lin Chuan's many skills; for a soldier of his caliber, apart from the Shenzhou VII spacecraft, there likely wasn't anything in this world that he couldn't operate. The Cayenne, although the lowest-end model of Porsche, was nothing short of an art piece compared to those gas-guzzling "tigers" in the military.
"Get in the car!" Lin Chuan glanced over at Zhou Kai and the others.
Lu Dapao and Huang Bo were scared and wanted to run but were held firmly by Zhou Kai, who forcibly dragged them into the car. The aura of unyielding murderous intent emanating from Lin Chuan kept everyone silent and trembling along the way.
Returning to the hospital, seeing his mother lying on the hospital bed, Lin Chuan became extraordinarily gentle.
"Mom, from now on, I absolutely won't allow anyone to hurt you," Lin Chuan gazed earnestly at his mother's face, which had gradually lost its pain and now slept with a smile as if deep in dreams. After a long while, Lin Chuan firmly stated, "Because Chuan is back!"
"Brother Chuan," Zhou Kai mustered the courage to speak up awkwardly, "you were too impulsive this time."
"Yeah," Lu Dapao hastily said, "Long Wu definitely won't let you off, he has so many subordinates, they... they will definitely come looking for trouble!"
"Afraid... afraid... what's there to be afraid of..." Huang Bo's face flushed red, clear in mind about what he wanted to say, but when it came to speaking, he stammered: "Brother Chuan... Chuan is formidable."
"No matter how formidable, he's still just one person," Zhou Kai glanced at Lin Chuan.
However, Lin Chuan seemed to have never paid attention to himself, nor to the conversation at hand. This disappointed Zhou Kai somewhat.
"Xiao Kai." Lin Chuan suddenly spoke.
"Ah..." Zhou Kai quickly looked at Lin Chuan.
"Fear can't solve problems," Lin Chuan glanced at them and said, "Do you know what kind of enemy is the most terrifying?"
"Don't know!" Zhou Kai shook his head.
"It's oneself!" Lin Chuan said with a light smile, "If you can't overcome fear, how can you defeat the enemy?"
Zhou Kai was stunned; Lin Chuan's words made so much sense that Zhou Kai found himself unable to argue.
At that moment, a police car came screaming up and stopped at the entrance of Jiangbei City Center Hospital.
A stunningly beautiful policewoman got out of the car, a perfect blend of modern femininity and classical beauty. With ear-length short hair, willow leaf brows like light smoke, slender and bright eyes, a delicate nose, slightly blushing cheeks, cherry lips, and a flawless melon-seeded face, she was incredibly attractive. Her clear and fair skin glowed like frost and snow, and she had a lithe figure that seemed almost ethereal. Her neat police uniform stirred a desire for control.
"Hmph..." Song Xiaojia glared disapprovingly at those wolfish men around her.
Meanwhile, a man in his forties also got out of the car. Compared to Song Xiaojia's stunning looks and neat uniform, this man appeared unkempt with an unshaven beard and a police uniform that looked somewhat dirty, his yellow-stained fingers holding a half-smoked cigarette.
This man was Zhang Wenhui, a local police officer for this district and also Song Xiaojia's immediate superior.
Looking up at the towering hospital building, Zhang Wenhui knew he was facing a tough nut to crack.
"Boss, you gotta hurry up," Song Xiaojia urged excitedly. Having been a police officer for over a year, she had spent her time helping neighbors look for cats and dogs. Now, for the first time, it was her chance to be commended. When she heard words like murderer and notorious thief, her eyes shone brightly.
However, Zhang Wenhui's expression was the exact opposite of Song Xiaojia's. His brows furrowed deeply, he was full of concern.
A person capable of handling Long Wu in such a manner was definitely no ordinary individual, and might truly be a murderer or notorious thief as the taxi driver had reported. Zhang Wenhui, who had served eight years as a conscript and more than twenty years as a cop, had never encountered anyone so ruthlessly efficient. Zhang Wenhui looked rather solemn; with his years in the police force, in his mind, he had a rough image of the criminal suspect: around thirty years old, with creases on his face, a hefty build, and well-developed arm strength, otherwise, it would not have been possible to break Long Wu's arm.
Long Wu, Zhang Wenhui knew better than anyone what kind of person he was—a thorough rogue who indulged in every conceivable vice: eating, drinking, soliciting prostitutes, gambling, brawling, fighting—you name it, he's done it. Two years ago, somehow, Long Wu founded a demolition company and organized a bunch of scoundrels and hooligans to carry out forced demolitions.
Zhang Wenhui felt particularly good today upon hearing that Long Wu had been severely beaten by someone.
For a rabble-rouser like Long Wu, Zhang Wenhui truly despised him from the bottom of his heart. However, as a police officer, there was nothing he could do about such people, especially since he was just a small-time local patrol officer.
After receiving the report, Zhang Wenhui was eager to meet the person who dared to stand up against Long Wu.
20th floor of the inpatient department, room 2005.
Song Xiaojia was extremely excited; before coming to the hospital, in case of an emergency, Zhang Wenhui specifically allowed her to bring her service weapon.
Before Zhang Wenhui could react, the girl drew her gun, pushed the door open, and with a gun in hand, she barged in shouting, "Nobody move, hands up!"
Zhou Kai and others all raised their hands.
Lin Chuan glanced at Song Xiaojia and remained calm, his hands still tightly holding his mother's. At this moment, Zhang Wenhui had already entered the ward and hurriedly said to Song Xiaojia, "Girl, put away your gun quickly."
Song Xiaojia didn't listen to Zhang Wenhui and kept her gun raised.
Zhang Wenhui quickly glanced at everyone, and Zhou Kai and his group were soon dismissed from suspicion and driven out by him.
Now only a few people remained in the room. However, the young man before his eyes did not fit the image Zhang Wenhui had envisioned. This young man looked even younger and quite handsome; it just didn't seem possible that he was the one who had dared to challenge Long Wu.
"Did you assault someone at the gate of Shangpin Garden just now?" Zhang Wenhui asked coldly.
Lin Chuan glanced at the gun in Song Xiaojia's hand and said, "Don't point a gun at me."
"Hmph." Song Xiaojia snorted and said, "You are suspected of intentional assault, robbery, and engaging in terrorist activities. You have been legally arrested and will be detained for twenty-four hours starting now. Your arrest warrant will also be processed soon. Please come with us."
"I'll say it again, do not point a gun at me!" Lin Chuan's voice was soft but firm.
Zhang Wenhui gave Song Xiaojia a look, seemingly signaling her to lower the weapon, but this stubborn policewoman, who once vowed earnestly to become a good officer, recklessly thought the gun in her hand was her winning weapon.
Smack...
Suddenly, there was a crisp sound. Even with Zhang Wenhui's sharp eyes, he only caught a glimpse of a white flash, then Song Xiaojia's arm went numb, and the gun in her hand dropped to the floor instantly. Zhang Wenhui and Song Xiaojia were shocked as they looked at the thin, small dagger on the ground; it was the very object that had struck Song Xiaojia's gun out of her hand. If its target had not been the gun but Song Xiaojia's neck...
Although Song Xiaojia was a new police officer, she still had some reflexes. Her face turned pale instantly, adrenaline surged, and a heavy sweat broke through her skin, making her clothes feel soaked and her breathing abnormally rapid.
As a veteran police officer, Zhang Wenhui was the first to react, "We mean no harm; we are just here to investigate this case. We hope you can cooperate!"
"How should I cooperate?" Lin Chuan glanced at the two of them.
Zhang Wenhui looked at the elderly woman on the bed, and with his shrewd mind, he found a breakthrough point and said with a smile, "This case is quite complicated, and I hope you can cooperate with us. I believe... your mother doesn't want to see her son as a criminal, right?"
It must be said that Zhang Wenhui was a savvy cop. As a qualified officer, he not only possessed military-like determination but also sharp observational skills and the smooth demeanor of a slick operator.
Lin Chuan fell silent indeed; he nodded and said, "Yes, I did it."
"In that case, come with us!" Song Xiaojia was slightly irked. After all, she was also one of the formidable figures from the police academy, having won the Provincial Police Academy Combat Championship and the national sub-champion in the women's 50kg Sanda division...
But now... she had been defeated by a man who appeared handsome and refined, which was a disgrace. She felt extremely indignant inside as she believed it was merely a fluke. It simply wasn't a real victory for Lin Chuan over her.
"I'll go with you, that's fine!" Lin Chuan stood up and continued, "But, this matter must be kept from my mom."
"Agreed!" Zhang Wenhui readily promised.
As for how to handle the situation, that was another matter. If a sentence had to be served, just pretend he never came back. And so, Lin Chuan was taken away by the two of them without handcuffs because both felt a sense of fear towards him.
"Brother Chuan..." Zhou Kai called out urgently.
"Take care of my mom for me." Lin Chuan suddenly stopped, then said to Zhou Kai, "Don't tell her I came back."
"Okay..." Zhou Kai responded, and had nothing else to say.