112: Chapter 112 Local Bullies and Out-of-Town Dragons: A Phone Call Teaches Them a Lesson

"Lan Zhi?!"

Seeing their daughter suddenly appear, the elderly couple was first overjoyed, but then their expressions changed drastically. Wang Hui stomped her feet in anxiety. "Why are you back?! Leave! Get out of here! These people are unreasonable!"

"Oh?"

Hearing the commotion, the man in the floral shirt turned around. His small, beady eyes swept over Li Lanzhi, immediately lighting up with intensity. Though Li Lanzhi was a bit weary from her travels, the aura she had developed from her high-ranking position, combined with her naturally striking looks, made her look like a golden phoenix that had landed in a chicken coop in this dilapidated residential area.

"Is this Teacher Li's daughter who went to Northern Myanmar to make her fortune?" The man in the floral shirt let out a vulgar whistle, a lewd smile spreading across his face. "Tsk tsk, she's a real firecracker! No wonder she could make it over there. So, gorgeous, your dad hit Brother Qiang's buddy with his bike. Are you going to settle this debt for him?"

"You're talking nonsense!" Li Lanzhi was trembling with rage, pointing at the 'victim' on the ground who was moaning but showed no visible injuries. "My dad was riding a bicycle; how could he possibly hit you into this state? This is a scam! This is extortion!"

"A scam?" The man's face darkened as he lunged a step closer, the nauseating stench of alcohol wafting directly into Li Lanzhi's face. "Little girl, watch your mouth! My brother is dizzy and nauseous right now; it might be a concussion! One hundred thousand yuan! Not a penny less, or I'm staying at your house today! Or..."

He reached out his greasy hand, attempting to stroke Li Lanzhi's face. "How about you accompany me for a few drinks? If I'm happy, maybe I'll give you a discount?"

Li Lanzhi instinctively tried to dodge, but she found her back against the wall with nowhere to retreat.

Just as that filthy hand was about to touch her skin—

Slap!

A crisp sound rang out.

A slender, powerful hand appeared out of nowhere like an iron clamp, firmly gripping the floral-shirted man's wrist.

The man felt as if his wrist were being crushed by hydraulic pliers. The excruciating pain pierced his heart, and his lewd grin instantly turned into a scream: "Ah! Let go! Fuck your mother, who is it?!"

He turned his head and saw a young man standing beside Li Lanzhi at some unknown point. The young man looked refined, but his eyes were as cold as if he were looking at a dead man.

It was Zhang Cheng.

"Watch your mouth." Zhang Cheng applied a slight amount of pressure to his wrist, and the man in the floral shirt involuntarily dropped to his knees, his face turning purple from the pain.

"Let Brother Qiang go!"

Seeing this, the two lackeys behind him rushed forward, cursing. Without even looking, Zhang Cheng raised his leg and delivered a kick squarely into the abdomen of the man in front.

Thud!

The lackey flew backward like a sack of rags, crashing into a trash can in the hallway, unable to get up for a long time.

"Everyone stop right now!"

Just then, the sound of sirens echoed from a distance. Two uniformed police officers pushed through the crowd and entered.

Li Lanzhi looked as if she had found a savior. "Officers! They're extorting us! And they even started a fight!"

But what happened next caused Zhang Cheng to narrow his eyes.

The lead Officer Wang looked at the kneeling man in the floral shirt and then at Zhang Cheng. Frowning, instead of arresting the thugs, he barked at Li Jianguo, "Old Li, I've told you before, if you hit someone, just pay up! Why cause a scene? I know Brother Qiang; he's a reasonable man. Just settle this privately and don't cause trouble for the station."

"What?!" Li Lanzhi couldn't believe her ears. "He's a scammer! And he was just trying to assault me!"

"Assault?" Officer Wang gave a thin, insincere smile. "I didn't see anything. I only saw this young man here getting physical! You'll be held legally responsible for hurting people!"

He pointed at Zhang Cheng, his tone becoming harsh. "You there, take out your ID! Come back to the station with us! For suspected intentional assault, I think you'll be staying in detention for a few days!"

The man in the floral shirt had caught his breath by now. Although his wrist hurt like hell, seeing the police taking his side made him even more arrogant. "Did you hear that? Even the officer said so! Pay up! And pay for the medical bills too! Since this kid hurt my brother, this isn't over without two hundred thousand!"

The surrounding neighbors were furious but dared not speak, only casting sympathetic glances. These days, when the local snakes and their protective umbrellas were in cahoots, where could ordinary people go for justice?

Li Jianguo's hands were shaking with anger, while Wang Hui's face was pale with fear. She grabbed Zhang Cheng's sleeve and whispered, "Xiao Zhang, you should run, don't worry about us..."

Zhang Cheng gently patted the old woman's hand, signaling her to be at ease.

He looked at the self-important Officer Wang and then at the smug man in the floral shirt, and suddenly, he smiled.

The smile was faint, but it carried a sense of condescending disdain, as if an elephant were looking at a few suicidal ants.

"A private settlement? Back to the station?" Zhang Cheng shook his head. "I'm afraid your small temple won't be able to house a great Buddha like me."

"Hey! You're pretty arrogant, kid!" Officer Wang was amused by the anger, reaching for the handcuffs at his waist. "I'd like to see just what kind of Buddha you are!"

Zhang Cheng ignored him, leisurely pulling a black satellite phone from his pocket. This device looked completely out of place in this small county town.

He dialed a number and pressed the speakerphone.

Beep... beep...

The call was picked up after only two rings, and a respectful, almost fearful voice came from the other end:

"Hello? Mr. Zhang? This is Zhao Gang. Have you arrived in Yunxi? Do you have any instructions?"

Zhao Gang, a senior commissioner for Northern Myanmar affairs in the Dragon Country's security department, held a rank so high that even the mayor of this small city would have to bow and scrape before him.

Zhang Cheng spoke into the phone, his tone as casual as if he were discussing dinner plans.

"Commissioner Zhao, I have arrived. However, the experience hasn't been very good."

"I'm currently at the Jianshe Road Old Family Quarters in Yunxi City. A few thugs are trying to extort one hundred thousand yuan from my father-in-law and were getting handsy. I called the police, and two officers arrived, badge numbers XXXX and XXXX. They're quite interesting; instead of arresting the thugs, they want to take me back for detention and are telling me to pay two hundred thousand."

The other end of the phone fell into a dead silence, followed immediately by a burst of chill and fury that could be felt even through the radio waves.

"What?! Those bastards! They've lost their minds!" Zhao Gang's voice jumped an octave. "Mr. Zhang, please ensure your own safety and whatever you do, don't get angry! I will handle this immediately! Five minutes... no, three minutes! I will give you an explanation!"

The call disconnected.

The hallway fell into a deathly silence.

The man in the floral shirt looked at Zhang Cheng as if he were an idiot. "Yo, quite the actor, aren't you? 'Commissioner Zhao'? Why didn't you just call the Jade Emperor?"

Officer Wang was also full of disdain, walking over with his handcuffs. "Alright, stop the act and come with me..."

However, before he could finish his sentence, the phone in his pocket suddenly began to ring like crazy.

He pulled it out impatiently, but the name flashing on the screen made his hand shake, nearly dropping the phone.

"Di... Director Liu?"

That was the head of the District Bureau, a top leader he rarely even had the chance to see.

He tremblingly pressed the answer button, and before he could even say "Director," a volcanic roar erupted from the receiver, nearly bursting his eardrums:

"Wang Dafa! Do you fucking want to die?! If you want to die, don't take me down with you! Are you at the Jianshe Road Family Quarters right now?! Is the person in front of you named Zhang?!"

"I'm telling you! Just now, a call from the Provincial Department went straight to the Municipal Bureau! The Mayor is on his way to your location right now! Listen to me! If that gentleman loses a single hair or is in a slightly bad mood, I will personally skin you alive!!"

Officer Wang's face instantly turned as white as paper. His phone fell to the ground with a 'clack,' the screen shattering into pieces.

He looked at the young man who remained calm and composed, his legs gave way, and he actually collapsed to his knees with a thud.

It was over. This time, he had truly kicked a steel plate—one that was connected to a high-voltage power line!