Flip the table and divide the family property! Take his wife and daughter into the mountains and eat

3:40 a.m.

Inside a red brick tenement building in the family compound of the Qinghe County Public Security Bureau.

"Ring ring—!!!"

The shrill ring of the telephone rang out in the quiet of the night, sounding like a death knell.

Zhang Guodong was fast asleep when the sudden ringing of the alarm clock startled him so much that his heart skipped a beat.

He groggily turned over, trying to pull the blanket over his head, but these days, telephone ringing is notoriously penetrating; if you don't answer, it just won't stop.

"Damn it..."

Zhang Guodong, with his messy hair and bare chest, crawled out of bed, wearing a coat, his face dark, and grumpy from being woken up, and grabbed the receiver:

"Who is it?! Don't you want to quit? Don't you know what time it is?! Is the sky falling or the earth collapsing?"

He was a veteran criminal investigator with a naturally explosive temper, and being woken up in the middle of the night only made him more furious.

On the other end of the phone, Old Zhou's voice trembled, but it revealed an undisguised excitement:

"Chief...Chief! The sky hasn't fallen! But something terrible has happened!"

"Just now, a comrade drove a Jiefang truck, leading a group of armed militiamen, and wiped out that gang of highway robbers from Heixiazi Gully! They've all been brought to the station!"

"What did you say?!"

Zhang Guodong's previously squinted eyes widened instantly, revealing the keenness unique to criminal investigators.

"Heixiazi Gully? Those rats?"

"Yes! It's Wang Sanye's gang! More than thirty men, all together, not a single one escaped!"

Old Zhou swallowed hard, his voice trembling:

"And... Chief, please come quickly. These people are in terrible condition, they're almost frozen solid. If someone doesn't come soon, they might die in the yard."

"Snapped!"

Zhang Guodong hung up the phone immediately.

At this moment, all morning grumpiness and drowsiness vanished into thin air.

He jumped out of bed, pulling on his cotton trousers as he shouted at his wife, who had just woken up:

"Bring me my service weapon! Get the car ready! We're going to the station!"

……

Twenty minutes later.

The compound of Qinghe County Public Security Bureau.

The once silent courtyard was now brightly lit, with red and blue police lights flashing alternately in the night, casting an eerie glow on the snow-covered ground.

"boom--!"

Several sidecar motorcycles and a jeep roared into the yard, their brakes screeching.

As soon as the car door opened, Zhang Guodong, wearing his faded military overcoat, strode out.

Accompanying him were two emergency doctors from the county hospital who had been urgently pulled up.

The two doctors, who were still dazed, turned pale instantly when they got out of the car and saw the back of the Jiefang truck parked in the middle of the courtyard. Their teeth chattered uncontrollably.

"Is this...is this a slaughterhouse?" A young doctor trembled with fear.

Inside the truck bed, more than thirty people were piled up haphazardly, like firewood.

When the lights shone on them, the people were covered in frost and had bluish-purple faces, looking like frozen meat just pulled out of a freezer.

Zhang Guodong didn't care about that.

He scrambled onto the wheel and peered inside, clinging to the side of the vehicle.

"Hahaha! Great! Excellent!!"

This usually serious and stern-faced bureau chief suddenly burst into extremely joyful laughter in the middle of the night.

"Wang Laosan! You old bastard! I never thought you'd end up like this!"

Zhang Guodong pointed at Wang Sanye, who was trapped at the bottom, his eyes shining brighter than police lights.

The "Wang Family Gang" in Heixiazigou is a major headache for the Qinghe County Public Security Bureau.

Taking advantage of their large numbers and status as local residents, this group has been setting up roadblocks and charging tolls on this essential route for several years.

The emperor is far away and the county has come to investigate several times, but these people just disappear into the mountains and forests, like mice in their holes, impossible to catch.

As soon as the police left, they came out again to harass passing drivers.

Unexpectedly, today I was bundled up like a dead pig and delivered to the police station entrance!

"Drag him down here! Don't let him die! It's too easy for him to die!"

Zhang Guodong waved his hand.

Several police officers rushed up and, like dragging a dead dog, pulled the already frozen Wang Sanye out of the truck bed and threw him on the snow.

The fall woke up the unconscious Master Wang.

"Ouch... my arm..."

He groggily opened his eyes, and the first thing he saw was that pair of familiar big-toed shoes and that sheepskin coat that smelled of blood.

It's Zhao Shanhe, the living Yama!

That deep-seated fear made him oblivious to the pain, even to his surroundings; instinctively, like a worm, he desperately surged towards Zhao Shanhe's feet.

"Master Zhao... Ancestor Zhao!!"

"I was wrong! I was really wrong!"

Wang Sanye's face was instantly covered in snot and tears, and his head banged against the snow with loud thuds.

"Please don't kill me... My arm is broken... I have elderly parents and young children to support... Just let me go! Waaah..."

He cried and wailed as he tried to hug Zhao Shanhe's legs.

"Alright, stop howling."

Zhao Shanhe took a step back in disgust and coldly pointed around:

"Open your dog eyes and look where you are."

Master Wang was taken aback.

He instinctively stopped crying and turned his stiff neck to look around.

Upon seeing this, he froze completely.

The flashing red and blue police lights, the blinding searchlights, and the peaked caps surrounding him, all dressed in uniforms with weapons at their waists.

The worst part was that right in front of them stood a middle-aged man with a dark red face, wearing a military overcoat.

The man was looking down at him, a smile on his face that sent chills down his spine.

"Director Zhang... Director Zhang?!"

Wang Sanye's teeth began to chatter violently.

As a notorious road bully in the surrounding area, how could he not know Zhang Guodong, the head of the Qinghe County Public Security Bureau?

In recent years, Zhang Guodong has led a team to arrest him several times, but he has always managed to escape by hiding in the deep mountains and forests.

"Oh, you're awake?"

Looking at Wang Sanye on the ground, Zhang Guodong saw him as if he were an old mouse that had finally fallen into a cage.

He didn't get angry or yell.

Instead, he chuckled.

Zhang Guodong slowly walked forward and actually squatted down, bringing his eyes level with those of Wang Sanye, who was lying on the ground.

He extended his gloved hand and even straightened Wang Sanye's tattered dog-skin hat, his tone full of mockery:

"Wang Laosan, Wang Laosan, we've known each other for a long time."

"A few years ago when I went to catch you, you ran faster than a rabbit, disappearing into the depths of Heixiazi Gully, where you couldn't even see a shadow of a person."

"What? Has your personality changed today?"

Zhang Guodong patted Wang Sanye's old face, which was blue and bruised from the cold, making a crisp "slap slap" sound:

"Why were they tied up like a rice dumpling and specially delivered to my office?"

Where did your former 'I'm the one who owns this road' swagger go?

The surrounding police officers couldn't help but burst into laughter.

That laughter was more painful than being slapped twice.

Looking at Zhang Guodong so close to him and hearing the mocking laughter, Wang Sanye felt a rush of blood to his head.

It’s over.

We're completely finished.

If you fall into the hands of this living Yama, you'll be lucky to escape with your life.

The immense fear, coupled with the excruciating pain of losing his arm and the extreme humiliation of being publicly shamed, made it impossible for Master Wang to endure any longer.

"Well……"

His eyes rolled back, his body jerked violently, his legs kicked, and his head plunged into the snow, where he immediately lost consciousness.

"You've already fainted?"

Zhang Guodong stood up, dusted off his gloves, and the smile on his face instantly vanished, turning as cold and hard as iron.

"Useless thing."

He waved his hand dismissively and gave an order to the police officer beside him:

"Drag him away! Find a doctor to set his broken arm, don't let him die."

"Wake him up with cold water later, then conduct a surprise interrogation tonight! I want to see how much more he's hiding!"

Several police officers dragged Wang Sanye into the interrogation room like a dead dog.

The courtyard is finally quiet.

"Did you lead the team to catch these rats?"

Zhang Guodong turned around, his eyes piercing.

"Reporting to the director, it's me."

Zhao Shanhe threw the cigarette butt in his hand on the ground and crushed it out, then took a step forward, his back straight.

Zhang Guodong didn't say anything, but instead reached out and grabbed Zhao Shanhe's wrist, opening his palm.

Under the lamplight, Zhang Guodong's eyes, those of a seasoned criminal investigator, swept over Zhao Shanhe's hands.

The area between his thumb and index finger was covered in calluses, and his index finger knuckle was large.

Those are the marks left by years of handling guns and doing heavy work.

He reached out and squeezed Zhao Shanhe's shoulders and arms. Those muscles, as hard as rocks, had explosive power that could be felt even through his wool sweater.

"Great physique! A good piece of iron!"

The appreciation in Zhang Guodong's eyes was genuine. He released his grip and exclaimed:

"That physique, those calluses on his hands—he's a tough guy who can work hard and endure any hardship!"

"Which company do you work for? Would you like to work for me?"

Zhang Guodong is straightforward; if he likes something, he likes it and doesn't hide it at all.

"The criminal investigation team needs soldiers like you who are skilled and decisive! As long as you agree, I'll handle the paperwork!"

Upon hearing this, Old Zhou, who was standing nearby, was dumbfounded.

The bureau chief is truly impressed by talent! These days, getting into the criminal investigation team is something many young men wouldn't even dare to dream of.

Zhao Shanhe was stunned for a moment.

Looking into Zhang Guodong's sincere eyes, he felt a surge of warmth in his heart.

But he knew what he wanted.

"Thank you for your kindness, Director Zhang."

Zhao Shanhe smiled, his tone sincere:

"Wearing this police uniform is a great honor; it means protecting our country, punishing evil and promoting good. In the hearts of us ordinary people, there is no one who does not respect the police."

Zhao Shanhe paused, then changed the subject, a self-deprecating smile playing on his lips:

"But I'm a rough guy, I'm used to being wild, and all I have is strength."

"I can catch a thief, but if I really end up in the police station, all those rules and regulations might cause you trouble. Besides, I'm a straightforward person, and I'm not cut out for the meticulous work in the office."

At this point, he pointed to the fully loaded truck behind him, his eyes hardening:

"Moreover, Director Zhang, you saw it too."

"What I'm carrying in this truck are export goods that the municipal produce company urgently needs. They're sable furs and deer antlers that will earn foreign exchange for the country."

"This whole operation has just gotten going, and the whole village is counting on it for their livelihood. Boss Jin is also pushing us hard. If I quit halfway through to become a policeman, then no one will be left to shoulder this task of generating foreign exchange for the country."

"Earn foreign exchange?"

Zhang Guodong glanced at Zhao Shanhe, then at the fully loaded truck, and nodded thoughtfully.

He is a person who understands the big picture.

What the country needs most right now is foreign exchange, and this is also contributing to the country.

"Fine! Everyone has their own ambitions!"

Zhang Guodong did not press the matter further, but instead held Zhao Shanhe in even higher regard.

This young man is responsible; he's not the kind of person who would be tempted to leave a secure job.

"Whether it's catching thieves or engaging in foreign trade, as long as you put your efforts into the right thing, it's all about serving the people!"

Just then, a cold wind blew by.

Zhang Guodong tightened his coat, glanced at Zhao Shanhe's thin wool sweater, and laughed heartily:

"Alright, stop freezing here."

"Come on! Follow me upstairs!"

"I still have half a bottle of Beidacang liquor and some peanuts in my office."

Zhang Guodong put his arm around Zhao Shanhe's shoulder, treating him like family, displaying the boldness of a typical Northeastern man.

"Don't rush off, go upstairs and warm up a bit."

"You need to tell me properly how you managed to pull these thirty-odd rats out of Black Bear Gully? I'm fucking curious!"

Zhao Shanhe didn't mince words, and simply turned up his collar:

"Alright, since Director Zhang has some wine, I'll tell you about it."

The two walked briskly into the office building, one after the other, their feet sinking into the snow.

At this moment, the eastern sky was beginning to lighten with the first hint of dawn.