Reborn Cat Sheriff

Chapter 294 Young and Dangerous

Qian Wei was, after all, a policeman who had been tracking and catching thieves for over a decade, so naturally he wouldn't be discovered by a few young guys.

He gestured for Lin Ge to stay where he was and wait for Nie Guoqiang and the police officers, while he quietly followed the group into the back of the commercial street.

Inside was a narrow alley lined with hole-in-the-wall restaurants; the conditions were poor, but business was decent. A few young men walked along, cursing and occasionally bursting into laughter, brandishing daggers with an air of self-importance.

Qian Wei overheard some of their conversation and deduced that they were planning to seek revenge on someone. They had been confronted by someone a few days ago while collecting protection money at the gate of a vocational high school, and now that they had found the other person's address, they intended to teach him a lesson.

As for why it didn't escalate at the time... wasn't it because there were few people around, and they didn't dare to provoke a fight in front of a group of vocational high school students?
Anyone who's a petty thug knows that besides the police, what they fear most are those young, inexperienced, but physically and mentally unstable 17 or 18-year-old lads. Those hot-blooded guys, once provoked, often act without any regard for reason. Even petty thugs know that fights should end when the point is reached, but those young lads often have no sense of restraint; killing or seriously injuring someone has happened many times.

Even if they end up in jail, my body is so fragile, it's not worth beating them up for nothing.

Therefore, the best strategy is to pick on the weakest link. These disgruntled individuals decided to target only the leader. That guy was just a street-smart cleaner who cleaned range hoods; they found a secluded spot to bully him, and he didn't even dare retaliate.

"Deer Head, are you sure he's renting a place here?"

The young man leading the group was named Feng Li, the very same one who had been attacked by Qian Wei.

Before he spent seven days in jail, Qian Wei gave him an extra two days of medical care. But Feng Li didn't give up because of this. Instead, he used his prison experience as a way to show off and quickly gathered several followers around him.

His parents naturally couldn't control him, and they had to put up with his temper at home more than once. Then, with the birth of their second child, a daughter, they simply left their good-for-nothing son to fend for himself.

“I followed him here yesterday and saw him go into a rented room with my own eyes!”

Xu Lu, nicknamed Deer Head, nodded vigorously and pointed to the messy houses further inside, saying, "This place used to be very chaotic, with all sorts of people from all walks of life. But the police station came to crack down on it a few months ago, and it's been much cleaner since then. It's just that those old-timers who rent out houses are still the same as always, turning a blind eye to some things. Even if the renters don't have ID cards or anything, they'll still rent out the houses."

"Tsk! So, this place is like Causeway Bay from the Young and Dangerous movies, a place worth developing a port, right?"

Feng Li's eyes lit up, and he suddenly remembered the DVD he and his brothers had stayed up all night watching the night before. Although it was an old movie from decades ago, the young men still watched it with great enthusiasm, which is why they made plans for today's outing.

Looking at the countless restaurants and mahjong parlors on both sides, Feng Li started calculating how much protection money he could collect in a month. However, being terrible at math, he got confused after a couple of tries, and just assumed he could make a lot of money here.

The group of six chatted excitedly as they walked, and soon arrived at the rental house that Xu Lu had pointed out.

The dark alleyway looked old and dilapidated, with tangled electrical wires and clothes hanging on the second and third floors, making the scene seem like it was twenty years ago. The government had considered redeveloping the area, but the local residents compared their properties to those in the commercial street outside, forcing the government to abandon its efforts. Furthermore, the government shifted its development focus to the Longquan District, causing development in the area to stall and remain unchanged.

And doesn't this scene correspond even more to the various glamorous scenes in the Young and Dangerous movies?
Feng Li, mimicking the movie protagonist, smoothed his thick, center-parted hair, revealing one eye. Looking around to make sure no one was watching, he urged his men to rush inside, find the man wiping the kitchen grease, and give him a good scolding.

Several young people of similar age, naturally unafraid of trouble, crowded together and squeezed into the stairwell.

"Isn't this going to cause trouble?"

Qian Wei quietly peeked out from behind, frowning as he watched the young men disappear from sight. He knew all too well that such youthful brawls could easily escalate into bloodshed. If something really happened, the consequences would be unmanageable.

But unfortunately, he was now all alone and couldn't find a colleague he could get along with to help him. As for calling the bureau for help, Qian Wei felt somewhat unwilling.

When has he ever asked for help when he catches thieves?

Now, we can only hope that Mimi can help. Unlike him, that cat is very popular in the office. If it speaks up, the colleagues will surely come over quickly, right?
Thinking this, Qian Wei quietly moved closer, hoping that the young men would slow down their impulsiveness a little.

He quietly peeked into the stairwell.

'Snapped! '

A hand slapped Qian Wei on the shoulder, scaring him so much he almost jumped out of his skin.

Without hesitation, he turned and threw a punch, but the newcomer blocked it with both hands. Before Qian Wei could continue his attack, the newcomer quickly whispered, "Brother Qian, Brother Qian! Don't be impulsive! It's me! I'm Zhao Zhigang, please don't kill me, okay?"

Qian Wei felt his heart pounding. After calming down, he looked around and realized that it was none other than Zhang Zhigang, that rascal.
Fortunately, the commotion didn't get noticed upstairs. Qian Wei could only let out a sigh of relief and said irritably, "What are you doing here? You startled me. Can't you talk things out?"

"I'm just worried about affecting the mission."

Zhao Zhigang chuckled, then pointed to Zhang Ke, who was chuckling behind him, and said, "You know about Zhang Ke and my mission, right? We've been working hard for days and finally found a clue. There's a guy living upstairs who pretends to clean range hoods, but he's actually a thief gathering information. But he's different from ordinary thieves; this guy mainly gathers information about his targets. After all, many young people who are single are too lazy to clean their own range hoods. So he tells them about dating websites and stuff, and then he and his accomplices set traps to swindle money. Hehe... He has several accomplices who are also swindling people into dating through other means; the team is probably quite large."

Qian Wei had heard about the case before, and upon hearing Zhao Zhigang's words, he asked in confusion, "When you first started investigating, weren't you looking for clues in the matchmaking corner? How did the investigation end up focusing on someone who cleans range hoods?"

"It was a coincidence. A few days ago, many people in a neighborhood in my jurisdiction were making random phone calls, saying that three women from out of town were knocking on doors, asking if anyone needed their range hoods cleaned. Then the older folks in the group chat discussed it and concluded that the three women had ulterior motives, so they called the police. Hehe... Of course, some people were foolish enough to fall for it, getting all their information while they were doing the work and being tricked into online dating. You see, all these clues coming together, didn't they just happen to fit into the case I was handling? So I followed the trail from those three women and found this place, and this man who called himself Xiao Zhao."

As a newly recruited police officer, Zhao Zhigang greatly admired Qian Wei, a seasoned veteran. Even though they didn't usually get along, he was happy to ask Qian Wei for help and advice at this time.

"Tch! What a stupid thief! These days, people still knock on doors from house to house. Do they really think the security cameras in people's homes are just for show?"

Qian Wei sneered.

However, judging from their modus operandi, they are indeed the traditional type of swindlers from ten or twenty years ago.

These days, it's rare to see people personally visiting their homes to scam others. Frankly, relevant personal information can be bought online. Those involved in telecom fraud don't even need to show their faces; they can uncover a person's entire background through online intelligence. This kind of fraud is what gives the police their biggest headache. Ironically, as Zhao Zhigang mentioned, catching these kinds of scammers isn't difficult. The only thing to watch out for is that they can easily escalate a scam into a robbery, turning a small case into a murder case. Because these people are often from out of town, if you're caught too late, they can easily escape, turning solving the case into a grueling manhunt.

Of course, on the other hand, these out-of-towners are also easily bullied by locals. Even if there are no gangs or cliques in China, like those young men who went upstairs just now, they can easily bully criminals.

Firstly, even a powerful dragon can't suppress a local snake; secondly, the other party doesn't want to escalate the situation, so they often settle by paying money.

"Damn it! Kill him!"

Suddenly, Feng Li's roar came from upstairs, which stunned Qian Wei and the other two downstairs.

Soon, even more chaotic noises and shouts came down, indicating a fierce fight had broken out upstairs. Qian Wei even heard the sound of chairs or other objects hitting the wall, as well as the crisp clanging of plates and bowls shattering.

This scene was unexpected by everyone. Zhao Zhigang had actually seen the young people going upstairs, but he never expected that they would start fighting over a single word.
Are we not going to go through the process anymore?
"Don't worry, reinforcements from the institute will arrive soon."

Zhang Ke reassured Zhao Zhigang, explaining that he had already requested assistance from the police station before encountering Qian Wei.

"Then what do we do now?"

Zhao Zhigang's eyes twitched twice. The loud noise upstairs made him hesitate slightly. After all, there were only three of them on his side, which did not meet the minimum number of people required by the police station to stop violent actions.

"Let's issue a warning first! No matter what, we can't let these people keep fighting! If something really happens, we can't just stand by and do nothing."

Qian Wei remained calm in this regard, knowing what the police should do at this time.

He was the first to enter the building, and before even stepping inside, he roared, "Police! Everyone, stop moving! Stop hitting! Anyone who disobeys will be sent to jail for two days!"

The noise from upstairs stopped abruptly.

Feng Li and the others looked at each other in bewilderment.

It seemed no one expected the police to arrive so quickly. The frustration of having to stop halfway through the beating left the young men both annoyed and terrified. What if they were arrested and handcuffed to an iron frame for two days?

Sometimes I see tabloids saying that the police show absolutely no mercy when they're dealing with people!
'Boom! '

To Feng Li and his companions' surprise, the first to react was actually the out-of-towner who had single-handedly taken on seven opponents without being at a disadvantage. Seemingly frightened by the police's voice, he used a stool to force everyone back without a word, then unhesitatingly opened the window and jumped from the second floor. "Holy crap!"

This scene left the young people completely dumbfounded.

This guy's so afraid of the police, could he be carrying some serious criminal record? A murderer?

Everyone involuntarily shuddered.

Qian Wei walked up to the second floor with deliberately heavy steps and went straight to the rented room with the door open. When he went inside, he saw only a few dumbfounded young men, but the suspect who had been fighting with them had vanished without a trace.

The open window let in a gust of cold wind, which made Qian Wei's eyes narrow.

He rushed to the window and could only see a figure fleeing frantically. Behind him were Zhao Zhigang and Zhang Ke in hot pursuit; clearly, the two downstairs hadn't ruled out the possibility that the suspect might escape through the window.

Slightly relieved, Qian Wei turned to look at the group of young men: "What are you doing here? Fighting? Who gave you permission to hit people?"

"I……"

When Feng Li saw Qian Wei, his legs went weak. Even though he'd only been in the hospital for two days, the memory of Qian Wei pinning him to the ground still made Feng Li shudder. This middle-aged policeman was incredibly ruthless.

"Who the hell are you!"

However, who would have thought that Feng Li had another unruly subordinate?

Perhaps because he enjoyed watching the Young and Dangerous movies yesterday, this kid named He Dalong imitated the characters and stood right in front of Qian Wei, face to face, eye to eye, and arrogantly said, "You dare to talk to my Brother Feng like that? Believe me or not, I'll wipe out your whole family!"

"!"

One sentence immediately touched a nerve with Qian Wei.

Originally a lawbreaker, Qian Wei suddenly forgot his identity as a police officer. He narrowed his eyes, clenched his fist, and without saying a word, delivered a powerful uppercut to He Dalong's stomach, sending him tumbling up.

"vomit!"

His eyes bulged like fish bubbles, and He Dalong knelt down to one side, clutching his stomach, unable to utter another word.

With a murderous look on his face, Qian Wei turned to look at the other young men, his eyes as cold as ice, and said, "Anyone else who wants to kill my whole family, step forward and let me see? Damn it, none of you are learning anything good, are you? Learning to kill people, who gave you the guts?"

"me……"

Looking at his underling kneeling on the ground groaning, Feng Li felt his crotch getting wet. He realized for the first time that being a boss wasn't a simple matter.

Seeing his underlings all looking at him, even He Dalong, who was kneeling on the ground, was looking at his big brother expectantly, Feng Li's lips twitched as he said, "Officer Qian... Officer Qian, we're just... joking! We... we're just... acting! Yes, acting! We just watched a movie and were imitating what they did! We would never dare to do anything illegal! Um... I swear to God, okay? Just let me go, okay?"

The other henchmen nodded in agreement. Who would dare to go against the police? Aside from that idiot He Dalong, hadn't they all watched countless police dramas? Didn't they all know from the very beginning that the police in China were not to be messed with?
"Humph!"

Qian Wei snorted coldly, somewhat appeased. He knew these young people weren't really capable of anything truly heinous. Of course, if they got carried away and their blood boiled, some serious incidents might occur.

"You all better behave yourselves!"

Seeing a few young men sneaking towards the door, Qian Wei shouted angrily. He didn't intend to let these thugs who dared to threaten his family get away with it so easily, so he went straight to the door to block them first and then take them to the police station for questioning.

As for resistance?

He felt these thugs wouldn't dare. If they dared to assault a police officer, they wouldn't be in this pathetic state they are now.

Qian Wei glanced warily at He Dalong, the only one who dared to provoke him, and saw that the guy was trembling like a leaf in the face of his gaze. He then walked to the door with a cold face and took out his phone to call Nie Guoqiang.

"Boss, are we really going to get killed like this?"

A young man, hidden in the crowd, stealthily moved behind Feng Li. Of everyone, he was the most anxious. He had only intended to use Feng Li as cover for a few days, but who would have thought these idiots were all talk and no action, a hundred times more cowardly than expected?
"What do you want?"

Feng Li gritted his teeth; he certainly didn't want to go back to jail! But facing Qian Wei, he simply didn't have the guts to resist. Assaulting a police officer—that's a capital offense!

"Or, jump out the window..."

Before he could finish speaking, Xiang Zeping noticed Qian Wei's eyes glancing in his direction and quickly shut up.

"You all better behave yourselves!"

Upon hearing that Nie Guoqiang had already led his men to the alley entrance and was speeding towards them because the car couldn't get in, Qian Wei felt somewhat relieved.

Seeing this, Xiang Zeping knew he couldn't wait any longer. These thugs were just going to be detained for a few days. But him… if the police scanned his face with their phones, he'd be finished.

"Boss, I'll hold off this cop for you. You find a chance to get the brothers and run."

Xiang Zeping quickly came up with an idea. He bet that after Qian Wei couldn't stop these people, he would choose to chase after the larger number of people who were escaping, rather than getting entangled with him, who was left behind.

Before Feng Li could even refuse, Xiang Zeping quickly stepped out of the crowd and walked towards Qian Wei.

"Officer, we haven't broken the law, why are you stopping us like this? Are you saying that swearing and acting are crimes? Are you trying to frame us? We're only telling the truth out of respect for you, otherwise you probably couldn't stop us by yourself, could you?"

"Go back! What do you think you're doing?"

Qian Wei glared at them. Did this bunch of thugs really think they could escape from his grasp?

Seeing Xiang Zeping continue walking over, Qian Wei reached out to teach him a lesson. Did he really think the police wouldn't hit people?

"Run!"

Xiang Zeping suddenly grabbed Qian Wei's hand.

Feng Li was still hesitating, and the others beside him didn't dare to make up their minds either. But as soon as Xiang Zeping shouted, these guys reflexively started running and crashed into Qian Wei one by one.

"Who dares to run!"

Qian Wei was stunned for a moment.

To Xiang Zeping's surprise, Qian Wei did not turn around to chase after the guys who were scattering downstairs. Instead, he turned around and stared at him fiercely, as if he wanted to take him down.

He naturally didn't know that Nie Guoqiang and the others had already arrived downstairs; all Qian Wei needed to do was catch the troublemaker.

As soon as Xiang Zeping saw Qian Wei grab his wrist like a madman, he became increasingly flustered.

His mind went blank, and he quickly pulled out a dagger from behind his back and stabbed forward again.

(End of this chapter)