Seeing the magazine disassembled, the few people opposite them visibly relaxed, their expressions less fraught with worry.

“Hit me, you dare hit me?”

Wu Zhiguo finally snapped out of his shock, clutching his face, looking at the man in his fifties with disbelief.

Just as he had knocked away the previous man’s hand and signaled the waiter for food, this man, around fifty and claiming to be the Director, had stepped forward and slapped him across the face.

He was stunned speechless. Growing up, he had been pampered at home; no one had ever dared lay a hand on him.

In school, when he was mischievous, he’d fought, but he was always the one hitting others. Who would dare touch him? Almost everyone knew his background.

After starting work, he had become even more smooth-tongued. People in business were generally reluctant to offend, especially a young master destined to inherit the family enterprise.

Over the years, he had rarely encountered conflict. Even when disputes arose, they were resolved quickly, never escalating to physical violence.

To be suddenly struck now left him completely bewildered.

Wu Zhiguo roared, lunging at the man, knocking him to the ground beneath him. The man who had been holding Li Ya paused, then instantly let go and started to rush over to help.

Li Ya, having been tied up by him earlier and unable to fight freely, was certainly not going to let him leave now. She immediately grabbed him, not hitting him, but simply preventing his movement.

“Slap! Slap! Slap!”

Wu Zhiguo raised his hand and began striking the man’s face, his blows sounding louder and heavier than the slap he had just received.

“Old Wu, stop hitting him!”

Chang Feng frowned, stepping forward to pull his arm. The man was now seeing red and was ready to strike anyone he saw, only stopping when he recognized Chang Feng.

The sound of police sirens drifted in from outside, soon reaching the vicinity of the restaurant.

The man who had been held by Li Ya, and then restrained by her, finally showed a look of relief, glaring spitefully at Wu Zhiguo.

The man knocked down by Wu Zhiguo lay there, dazed, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth.

Moments later, more than a dozen police officers rushed upstairs. Their room was at the far end of the second floor. These officers crowded the hallway, led by a man in his forties.

“Director Miao, what happened to the Director?”

The arriving man froze when he saw the figure on the floor and quickly inquired.

“Arrest them, arrest them all immediately! The Director was assaulted by them!”

Director Miao was the man in his forties. The dozen officers crowded around; the hallway was narrow, so they could only surround the scene for now, unable to make arrests immediately.

Hearing that the Director had been beaten, the newly arrived officer’s face changed instantly. Before he could speak, three more figures emerged from the room.

“This is the public security of Lieshan? And you expect me to invest here looking like this?”

These three had been hiding in the room and only appeared when the police arrived, feigning great anger.

However, the tone of his voice was harsh, immediately signaling he was a foreigner. Judging by his appearance, he seemed to be of Chinese descent, but which country remained unclear.

“Mr. Toda, no, it’s not what you think! These people aren’t locals!”

Director Miao hurriedly explained. This time, Zhang Yang and the others understood the foreigner’s identity from the title—he was Japanese.

The man on the ground finally regained some consciousness and struggled to stand up.

“What are you all standing around for? Are you useless? They assaulted an officer and robbed a gun! My gun is still in their hands! Hurry up and arrest them!”

The Director roared furiously. The moment he mentioned the stolen gun, the face of the lead officer who had just arrived changed drastically, and the others crowded in the narrow space had no choice but to surge forward.

The one charging at the front was the same lead officer who had arrived first.

He was the head of the county bureau’s criminal investigation team, rushing over immediately after receiving the report that the Director was in trouble. He dared not treat any matter concerning the Director lightly.

As he charged forward, before he could even draw his handcuffs, he froze again.

He saw Zhang Yang standing beside Chang Feng. In the earlier chaos with so many people, he hadn't noticed, but now he did.

He was certainly not unfamiliar with Zhang Yang. It was Zhang Yang who had once caused such a massive stir in Lieshan that it attracted attention to this small area. The former Director was dismissed because of him, leading to disciplinary action against their entire Public Security Bureau. He had been present during Zhang Yang’s previous arrest and retained a vivid memory of him.

Furthermore, he knew that Zhang Yang was the future son-in-law of Vice County Magistrate Mi. That incident had caused... [ShuShu Web]

Although Vice Magistrate Mi didn't directly oversee their department, he was still a member of the Standing Committee and a Vice County Magistrate—certainly not someone a mere captain could afford to offend. Dealing with the Director might be difficult, but taking care of a captain would be effortless for Mi.

This realization made the captain hesitant.

“Hold on!”

The stiff Mandarin voice sounded again. The Japanese man who had spoken earlier walked over and stood beside the captain.

The captain quickly shifted aside, his mind racing furiously on how to satisfy the Director’s demand without offending Zhang Yang. However, the more he thought, the bigger the headache became; there was simply no good solution.

This made him feel somewhat aggrieved—hadn't Zhang Yang supposedly left? Why was he back, and why had they run into them again?

“This little mink is quite fine. It would make a beautiful fur hat, don’t you agree?”

The Japanese man, looking to be around forty, thin and sharp-featured, pointed at Lightning on Zhang Yang’s shoulder and said with a smile to the person beside him.

Zhang Yang’s brow twitched slightly. Lightning, sharp and quick, woke up and barked angrily at the Japanese man.

“Mr. Toda is absolutely right. This mink is pure white; its fur must be the best. You have an excellent eye!”

Someone beside them spoke up. He spoke fluent Mandarin, suggesting he was Chinese, not Japanese.

The first Japanese man nodded in satisfaction, then turned back to the Director who had just been beaten. “I can drop the investigation into this public disturbance. However, I must have this little mink. Tonight, we will eat the meat and drink the soup, and I want this pelt as a gift for our Emperor!”

“Yes, yes, Mr. Toda, rest assured. I will certainly get the mink for you!”

Wiping the blood from his mouth, the Director nodded rapidly, adopting the demeanor of a servant, only stopping short of kneeling and kowtowing.

Chang Feng and Long Cheng’s brows knitted together tightly.

These men were speaking without regard for anyone else, claiming ownership over another’s property, as if it were already theirs. What difference was there between them and bandits?

“Squeak squeak squeak!”

Lightning, perched on Zhang Yang’s shoulder, jumped up and chirped, his sounds urgent and enraged.

Lightning was truly furious this time. If Zhang Yang hadn't given him a command, he would have leaped over and bitten both despicable men. To dare speak of skinning and butchering him, and offering his fur to some Emperor—they clearly didn’t know the meaning of death.

Zhang Yang and his group looked on coldly. Only one person wore a smile: Long Feng. He seemed to have stumbled upon the most ridiculous joke.

If the setting weren't inappropriate, he would be doubled over with laughter. These arrogant, ignorant fools dared to talk about skinning a Spirit Beast, a Fox-tailed Sable. Forget them; even he would run as far away as possible if he encountered one. Long Feng was absolutely not confident in handling a Fox-tailed Sable.

He could hold out for some time, but capturing or defeating the creature was almost impossible. The Fox-tailed Sable was much faster than him.

It was no exaggeration to say that with his current company, Lightning could finish them all within a minute, in the cleanest, most decisive way possible, ensuring not one remained to drink tea with Yama.

“Hurry up and move! Remember, bring me that white mink, keep it for Mr. Toda!”

The Director shouted again. The Criminal Investigation Captain’s face showed a hint of bitterness. He reluctantly turned back and glanced helplessly at the newly appointed Director.

After a slight hesitation, he reluctantly approached and whispered into the Director’s ear, “Director, this man is Zhang Yang!”

“What Zhang Yang? I told you to arrest them! Do you dare disobey orders?”

The Director waved his hand dismissively and spoke loudly.

“No, Director, this is Vice Magistrate Mi’s son-in-law, Zhang Yang! Don't you remember the disciplinary action we received before, and the Mercedes Benz that was smashed was his!”

The captain pushed through his fear to state the facts. He had to speak up; he couldn't afford to offend people on either side, and being caught in the middle was the most difficult position.

“Vice Magistrate Mi, the Mercedes Benz?”

The Director’s expression finally changed. He looked at Zhang Yang with some astonishment.

He was not a native of Lieshan but had been transferred from the Municipal Bureau after the previous Director was disciplined. However, he was not unfamiliar with Zhang Yang’s name.

The sensational incident that had erupted previously starred Zhang Yang, ultimately leading to the downfall of a Director and a Deputy Secretary. Deputy Secretary Yu had still not been appointed elsewhere, and the former Director was reportedly working labor in the south. How could this position have opened for him if the previous Director hadn't stepped down?

Beyond that, Zhang Yang had a public identity: he was Vice Magistrate Mi’s son-in-law. The root cause of that incident was linked to Vice Magistrate Mi’s daughter, although the Magistrate had initially opposed the relationship, he had now fully consented. Moving against Zhang Yang was tantamount to moving against Vice Magistrate Mi.

“What, you can’t even handle such a small matter?”

Seeing their hesitation, the Japanese man grew impatient, flicked his sleeve, and retreated back into the room.

The Director glanced at his retreating back, gritted his teeth, and said softly, “Even Vice Magistrate Mi cannot stop this investment. This is a one-hundred-billion yen investment. If it truly settles in Lieshan County, it will be of immense benefit to our entire county. Arrest them! Don’t forget they assaulted an officer and stole a gun! My gun is still in their hands!”

The captain was slightly startled, then quickly turned back. Seeing that Zhang Yang was distracted by surprise, he had forgotten about the gun. Assaulting an officer and stealing a gun—no matter who the perpetrator was, these charges were unbearable; gun theft was a major crime.

Third chapter update, thank you friends for your strong support. Two votes, and only two more votes until an extra chapter can be added. Sixty votes means four extra chapters, which, added to the guaranteed minimum, equals six chapters of updates.

I won’t sleep tonight, and those six chapters will come out. Just two votes! Can two more friends please support Little Yu?

Next chapter update time, around 3 AM. (To be continued)