Chapter 68: I Want You Dead!

For a moment, the scene fell into an eerie silence. The armed police officers made no move; after all, could they really just kill everyone here? That was unthinkable.

Yue Lin tried desperately to cry out, but with the muzzle of a gun pressed tightly against his mouth, he couldn’t utter a single coherent word—only muffled groans escaped him.

“Chen Feng, don’t try to resist any longer. It’s meaningless for you!” one of the officers called out quickly. “Our orders are to apprehend you, not to kill you. Put down your gun and come with us!”

Without turning, Chen Feng stared intently at Yue Lin, his voice icy cold. “That shot just now nearly killed me. And he threatened to murder my parents. How do you explain that?”

The officer was at a loss for words, glaring at Yue Lin before finally muttering, “That was an accident—a misfire. I promise it won’t happen again. Chen Feng, put the gun down!”

“Impossible!” Chen Feng sneered, his tone frigid. “I don’t trust you.”

The other officers exchanged uneasy glances. Meanwhile, Lu Rui was making a phone call.

“Mr. Lu!” came a polite voice from the other end.

“Where are you right now? Why aren’t you here yet?” Lu Rui’s voice was cold, tinged with anger.

“We’re on the way—at most ten minutes out!” came the deferential reply.

“You have three minutes. I don’t care what you have to do—be here in three minutes. And tell Wang Yuekun that his men at Lotus Hospital are trying to arrest someone named Chen Feng, and they almost killed me. Tell them to stop immediately!” With that, Lu Rui slammed the phone down, sweeping a wolfish gaze across the officers. “You. Lower your weapons. Chen Feng, you as well—put down your gun in a moment.”

The officers glanced at each other, clearly cowed by Lu Rui’s authority. Though reluctant to relinquish their weapons, they nevertheless pointed their muzzles at the ground. Chen Feng drew a deep breath before finally lowering his own gun.

“Damn it!” Yue Lin leapt to his feet, fixing Chen Feng with a venomous glare. “You little punk, you dare assault an officer?”

As he spoke, Yue Lin snatched a gun from one of the officers, aiming it at Chen Feng. Another officer quickly intervened. “Yue, let’s wait a minute. This kid might have some powerful connections!”

“Connections?” Yue Lin scoffed, dismissive. “He’s got nothing. If he dies, so what? He attacked police!”

Yue Lin truly didn’t care about any so-called connections. He’d already checked—Chen Feng’s family had been poor for generations. If he really had any powerful backers, he would’ve risen long ago, not been forced into such desperate straits.

People die for wealth, birds for food.

Killing Chen Feng would net him five million.

Just as Yue Lin was about to pull the trigger, his phone suddenly rang. He hesitated in surprise, while Lu Rui gave a cold laugh. “Go ahead—answer it.”

Yue Lin was momentarily stunned, then hurriedly picked up the phone. An enraged voice bellowed from the speaker. “Yue Lin, you bastard, what the hell are you doing?”

Cold sweat broke out on Yue Lin’s forehead. He recognized the voice—it was his direct superior. Listening to the tirade, Yue Lin’s own voice began to tremble. “I—I'm not doing anything—I’m arresting a suspect—”

“Arrest my ass!” The voice on the phone rose to a furious roar. “I’m telling you, if you so much as fire a shot, you’re dead—really dead!”

The word “dead” rang with dreadful finality.

With a clatter, Yue Lin’s phone slipped from his hand and hit the floor. His face turned ghostly pale, sweat streaming down as he trembled. Lu Rui sneered, “What happened to ‘If he dies, so what’?”

Thud!

Yue Lin dropped to his knees, his voice dry and hoarse. “I—I’m sorry. I—I didn’t know—I... I...”

Chen Feng glanced at Lu Rui. Only now did he truly realize that Lu Rui had the power to ensure nothing would happen to him.

Lu Rui said nothing to Yue Lin, only stared coldly at the officers. The atmosphere around them grew even more tense, until exactly three minutes later—neither a second more nor less—the elevator doors opened once again.

“Mr. Lu!” A man rushed in.

Chen Feng blinked in surprise. He recognized the man: He Wenfeng, Secretary of the Jiangzhou Municipal Party Committee. At this moment, He Wenfeng addressed Lu Rui with deference.

Several other men entered as well. Though Chen Feng did not know them, their bearing made it clear they were men of considerable stature.

Yue Lin, however, did recognize one of them—Wang Yuekun, Commander of the Provincial Armed Police. Yue Lin knew Wang Yuekun, though Wang Yuekun almost certainly did not know him. Their ranks were worlds apart.

Anyone present could shake the very ground of Jiangzhou with a single stomp.

Yue Lin was dumbstruck, completely at a loss.

“What’s going on? Wasn’t he supposed to have no connections? Why is this happening?”

After a brief exchange of courtesies, Lu Rui recounted the incident, speaking as if describing some trivial matter. He concluded, “Gentlemen, I believe Chen Feng acted wholly in self-defense and should not face any legal consequences. Don’t you agree?”

“Mr. Lu is absolutely right!” He Wenfeng replied courteously. “Chen Feng has suffered unjust treatment, and we will address it. There are many rotten apples in our ranks, and this matter will be dealt with severely!”

Lu Rui’s gaze fell on Yue Lin, who shuddered uncontrollably as a chill of terror washed over him. Lu Rui’s eyes flashed with murderous intent as he said calmly, “Speaking of rotten apples, Yue Lin here is quite bold. ‘If he dies, so what?’—that was your line, wasn’t it?”

Thud. Thud. Thud.

Yue Lin dared not say a word, only smashed his head against the floor again and again. Blood quickly streamed down his face, but he didn’t dare stop. If he could, he would have cursed Luo Yongjiang’s ancestors to the eighteenth generation.

“To hell with it—so much for having no connections.”

“Yue Lin!” A voice echoed in his ears. He stopped instinctively, looking up to see a new figure before him.

It was Wang Yuekun.

Wang Yuekun regarded Yue Lin with icy indifference before speaking coldly. “Take him away.”

At once, two armed officers escorted Yue Lin out, one on each side. He didn’t even have the strength to resist; no one spared him a second glance.

No one needed to care, nor even pay attention.

For Yue Lin, it was all over.

Chen Feng let out a silent breath and glanced at Lu Rui, who spoke offhandedly, “Give every household in the area a hundred thousand as hush money. And warn them—if anyone gossips, I won’t be so polite. Investigate the officers involved—they must have illicit gains. As for Zhang Quan, make sure to dig deep. As for those thugs, leave them to me.”

With every word, the men around Lu Rui nodded, as if he were their leader.

Chen Feng was astonished. He had thought the incident would be impossible to cover up, but now, hearing Lu Rui, it sounded as if it could be contained after all.

(As to whether it could really be contained, in the author’s opinion, yes. Last year, the author was involved in a major incident—hundreds of people, broad daylight, total chaos. I thought it would inevitably explode into national news, but, incredibly, after more than ten days, there was nothing in the news or the papers, and the matter quietly disappeared!)