Chapter Forty-One: You Cannot Resist

Apart from the constant rustling sound of shoe soles scraping against hair, the office was unusually quiet. Li Tianpeng curled up on the floor like a shrimp, his body wracked with pain, convulsing uncontrollably. Tears, snot, and blood mingled together, making him appear somewhat pitiable. It wasn't that Li Tianpeng was particularly tough, enduring such torment without uttering a word; rather, his throat seemed to be pressed by something, preventing him from making a sound.

At this moment, Li Tianpeng was truly terrified. Shivering, he tried to turn his head so Chen Hongxu could better see the pleading in his eyes. Of course, Chen Hongxu wasn't actually intent on causing a huge scene in the police station. It was just that, upon meeting, Li Tianpeng had immediately turned his aggression towards him. Though he looked every bit the lackey, as the saying goes, "When you beat a dog, look at its master." If he didn’t thoroughly humiliate this dog, how could he draw out the master?

Otherwise, with the methods Chen Hongxu possessed, it wouldn’t matter if Li Tianpeng were a hundred and eighty pounds of muscle—he’d still be knocked down in one move before this inhuman fellow.

The reason no one had come to check on the situation, despite the commotion, was clear: the police officers lingering nearby had received some kind of hint, directly or indirectly, and assumed Li Tianpeng was conducting "educational" work. After all, given Chen Hongxu’s identity and age, the first impression was simply someone who would submit meekly.

But this office was, after all, an interrogation room, and people would come and go from time to time. It wouldn’t be possible to let Li Tianpeng "educate" Chen Hongxu for too long.

As time ticked by, perhaps the officer assigned to escort Chen Hongxu grew impatient, or maybe he wished to prevent further trouble. Standing at the stairwell corner, he glanced at his watch, displeased, and walked up to the office door. He pushed the half-open door, saying, "Pengzi, just rough him up a bit, mind the impact—over there still… wait… wait…"

The officer who had just entered stopped mid-sentence, unable to continue. The sight before him completely overturned his expectations. Li Tianpeng, who should have been brimming with confidence, fists flying and sweating, was instead lying on the floor like a dead dog. And the young man who was supposed to be battered and begging for mercy was calmly smiling at him?

Yes, he was smiling? The officer was momentarily stunned, unable to process what he saw. After a long pause, he pointed at Chen Hongxu and shouted angrily, "What are you doing?"

Seeing someone enter, Chen Hongxu smiled, withdrew his foot from Li Tianpeng’s forehead, wiped it on Li Tianpeng’s jacket, and, finding no blood on his shoe, replied nonchalantly, "Looks like this guy drank too much last night and hasn’t sobered up yet. He stumbled and fell as soon as he entered. I’m just wondering how to handle it."

The officer at the door silently cursed Chen Hongxu for lying so brazenly, but was also cautious around him. Although Li Tianpeng was only an auxiliary officer, his skills were rather decent. The reason he hadn't been made permanent was due to educational background and connections.

The officer narrowed his eyes, pointed at Chen Hongxu, and said, "Go stand against the wall." Then he turned and shouted into the hallway, "I need some people in here—Pengzi’s injured!"

Finding the officer’s caution amusing, Chen Hongxu shrugged indifferently, walked to the opposite wall, and gazed up at the ceiling, lost in thought.

Seeing Chen Hongxu comply, the officer relaxed somewhat, keeping his eyes fixed on him as he slowly moved towards the fallen Li Tianpeng. He knelt beside him, frowned, and asked, "Pengzi, what happened?"

Even someone as socially awkward as Chen Hongxu could hear the dissatisfaction in his tone. It was understandable: he had sent Li Tianpeng to handle a high school student, and not only had he failed, he ended up sprawled on the floor like a dog.

Li Tianpeng seemed to realize then that the person beside him had changed. His fearful, unfocused gaze slowly found its target, and his twisted head moved. Once he recognized who was next to him, Li Tianpeng burst into tears, just like a kindergarten child bullied and running to the teacher to complain. He raised a trembling finger at Chen Hongxu, sobbing, "Brother Bi, he hit me…"

Officer Bi wiped the blood-tinged spittle from his face, maintaining his composure. He looked at Chen Hongxu and said coldly, "Kid, you dare assault a police officer?"

Chen Hongxu responded with his usual disdain, pointing at Li Tianpeng, "Is he even worthy?"

By now, Officer Bi’s earlier shout had drawn a crowd of police officers to the doorway. They saw the situation inside, but none entered immediately—offense and defense were equally important.

Officer Bi glared fiercely at Chen Hongxu, gritting his teeth, "Just you wait." He turned to the gathering officers outside, hoping to witness a disaster, and barked, "What, are you all dead? Get in here and help!"

It seemed Officer Bi held considerable sway in the station. With his angry command, the crowd sprang into action. He handed Li Tianpeng over to two colleagues with clear disdain, saying, "He always brags about being able to take eight at once, but at the critical moment he’s like a dead dog. Leave two men to watch this guy. I’ll go get instructions from the chief."

He glared hatefully at Chen Hongxu, then strode out in anger. Normally, an unruly troublemaker like this would not be killed, but shooting to cripple would be acceptable for intimidation. However, today’s target was specifically assigned by the chief, and Officer Bi vaguely understood that some big shot wanted to deal with this young man. He couldn’t take it upon himself to act rashly—after all, until the power struggle at the top reached its climax, things rarely got bloody.

Arriving at the chief’s office, Officer Bi straightened his attire, then knocked on the door, speaking at a moderate volume, "Chief Gong, there’s a situation."

"Come in, the door’s not locked," answered a robust male voice from within.

Officer Bi entered, glanced at the steaming tea on the desk and the half-smoked cigarette in the ashtray, and got straight to the point, explaining what had happened.

"Is that really so?" After hearing his subordinate’s report, Chief Gong’s eyes flashed with amusement and satisfaction. He pretended to ponder, stroking his chin for a moment before speaking sternly, "This is a challenge to our police force’s authority. For scum like this, just shoot him dead. Do you need me to teach you how to handle this?"

"But…" Officer Bi scratched his head. If only you’d been clearer from the start, I could have understood your intention. You made your hints so vague—who could know how far you wanted to go, how much effort to put in? Now that everything’s happened, you’re giving instructions after the fact, telling me to go shoot that high school student in front of all those witnesses—how am I supposed to live that down?

In truth, Officer Bi had never served in a leadership role. No superior ever lays their heart bare to a subordinate. They give instructions, and how much you comprehend is your problem. If things are handled well, it’s thanks to their guidance. If not, it’s your own fault.

But to Chief Gong, this was a trivial matter. He understood Officer Bi’s concerns. He picked up his teacup, blew away the steam, and said casually, "If you’re so timid, how can I trust you with important tasks in the future? Do as I say—if anything goes wrong, I’ll take responsibility."

Officer Bi had been waiting for this assurance. His eyes flashed with resolve, and he was about to pledge his loyalty when—

Bang! The office door was kicked open with such force that the frame came away, and a voice, calm to the point of indifference, made the two men—startled by the sudden noise—shudder once again: "For this matter, I’m afraid even if you lose your head, you won’t be able to take responsibility…"