Chapter 126 - Establishing an Organization (Part I)

"Xiao Qiang? Are you really Xiao Qiang?" Captain Xue seemed to have finally recalled something, exclaiming toward me, "You are actually Xiao Qiang... Heavens, no wonder you looked so familiar! To think I would run into such a prominent figure today! How fortunate, how truly fortunate!"

"Captain Xue? You... you know this kid?" Officer Wang felt that things were becoming increasingly wrong. The commotion among the crowd was one thing, but even Captain Xue’s eyes were now gleaming with an intense light. He suddenly had a very bad premonition.

"Mr. Xiao, I am so sorry, truly and deeply apologetic. I failed to recognize you earlier; I was like someone who didn't recognize Mount Tai." Captain Xue ran to my side, his face full of excitement, and saluted me. "You are the great hero of C City. You have brought such great honor to our city, and yet I actually doubted you. I am truly damnable."

I looked at Captain Xue, speechless at his 360-degree attitude shift. Honestly, if he knew this, why didn't he just recognize me sooner? "Captain Xue, no need for such formalities. I just want a resolution that satisfies me." I waved a hand at him and glanced at the blonde man. "The Axe Gang is always stirring up trouble and acting arrogantly, and they are colluding with your police force. Please provide an explanation to everyone; it will be better for both you and me."

"Yes, yes, I will certainly give you a satisfactory answer." Captain Xue saluted me once more, his expression turning stern as he barked at his subordinates, "What are you waiting for? Hurry up and cuff Officer Wang and that Wu Guangjun, then bring them back to the station to await judgment!"

"What? Captain Xue, did I hear that right? You want to cuff me? Just because this kid won some award? Are you joking? I'm a patrol officer; what right do you have to arrest me!" Officer Wang was defiant. He never expected that Captain Xue would arrest him simply because I was some competition champion. It was unbelievable.

"Hmph, what do you know!" Captain Xue glanced at me with a look of reverence, then sneered at Officer Wang as if to crush his hope. "Old Wang, you’ve truly provoked someone you can’t afford to offend today. It doesn't matter if you don't know who he is, but don't you know about the incident involving the foreign merchants at the C City headquarters a while back? The person who stood alone against the entire C City municipal government that day was none other than this Xiao Qiang."

"What??" Officer Wang thought he had misheard, shaking his head in a daze. "No, that's impossible. Everyone at the police station said that person had connections with Secretary Su’s daughter. How could it be..."

"Sorry, Su Xin is my girlfriend." I intentionally wanted to strike a blow at this Officer Wang, to let him know what it meant to know one's place and that there was always someone greater.

As soon as I spoke, Officer Wang’s face turned deathly pale, and he finally shut his mouth. He knew he was finished; he had offended someone connected to the Municipal Party Secretary. He glared at the blonde man with a hint of anger, as if blaming him for getting him into this mess.

The blonde man didn't seem to give up yet, sneering at me, "So what if you have the Municipal Party Secretary backing you? Don't you know that our Uncle De of the Axe Gang is good friends with the Mayor? If you dare to cuff us, Uncle De will not let this go."

"Fine, then let your Uncle De come to the police station to get you." Captain Xue clearly didn't hold Mayor Xia Guomin in high regard; it seemed that in his eyes, only Su Guohui mattered. I suddenly understood: the Chief of Police in C City was clearly aligned with Su Guohui's faction, which explained why Captain Xue was now leaning in my favor.

It was quite the turn of events. Instead of dragging me to the station, the police ended up fighting among themselves. Cheng Shan and her brother were stunned, and the onlookers had begun to cheer in secret. The fact that I had brought glory to C City undoubtedly won me a great reputation among the citizens. After all, having met the President is a special honor; on the surface, it might seem like nothing, but in reality, it provides an invisible layer of protection. If officials want to move against you, they have to weigh their own strength first.

Seeing that Officer Wang and the blonde man were still defiant, Captain Xue sneered, "Since you don't want to be taken in quietly, you'll have to learn the hard way." With that, he pulled out his phone and began calling the Police Chief. As Captain Xue explained the situation to the Chief, Officer Wang’s eyes began to roll back in his head—it looked like his future was well and truly over.

In truth, even I hadn't expected that my reputation had already spread through the entire C City police force. That night at police headquarters, my single-handed stand against the entire municipal government had become the talk of the town for all the officers. This was largely due to Zhang Baoqiang, who had been bragging throughout the station that I was Su Guohui’s handpicked son-in-law and a legendary, mysterious genius. After I won the national computer championship, he had blown it out of proportion, claiming I had deep connections with the President himself. That was why Captain Xue was so respectful, fearing I might blame him if I got angry. Of course, I was completely unaware of all this at the time; Zhang Baoqiang only told me later.

Not long after Captain Xue finished his call, another convoy of police cars arrived. I looked closely and was astonished—not only were there police, but fully armed paramilitary police had arrived as well! From the lead Audi police car stepped Officer Zhang Baoqiang, whom I recognized, accompanied by an officer with stars on his shoulders—presumably the Chief who had spoken to Captain Xue.

"Chief... Chief Huang..." Upon seeing the official-looking Chief arrive, Officer Wang’s face turned ashen. The Chief scanned him coldly, then looked at the blonde man nearby and sneered, "Well, well. Captain Xue told me there were two big shots I couldn't afford to move, so I had to come myself. How about it, 'Your Lordship,' mind coming with me for a trip?"

"Chief Huang, you must not say that! I... I was just acting on a momentary lapse in judgment. This really has nothing to do with me; it was all caused by this Wu Guangjun from the Axe Gang next to me..." Officer Wang was already trying to distance himself. I sneered inwardly—things had reached this point, and you still want to act like nothing happened? Impossible!

"Oh? Someone from the Axe Gang?" Chief Huang frowned slightly at the mention of the gang. The blonde man, Wu Guangjun, thought the Chief was showing deference to their boss and quickly said happily, "Chief Huang, yes, I am Wu Guangjun of the Axe Gang. Uncle De often mentions you, saying you are a model among police officers and a legendary figure. Haha, Chief Huang, today’s matter was directly ordered by Uncle De, and I had no choice. Can you show some leniency and let it go?"

"Let it go? How exactly should I let it go?" Chief Huang looked at the sycophantic Wu Guangjun with a sneer. "How could your Uncle De possibly think highly of a small Chief like me? You’re just blowing hot air, aren't you?"

"No, no, how could that be? Uncle De really did mention you, haha." Wu Guangjun shook his head, just about to say something else, when Chief Huang snorted, "Even if De Guangqing said that, so what? That old dog should have been finished long ago! The Axe Gang? Heh, the C City of today is no longer under Xia Guomin’s rule! Men, cuff these two public nuisances!"

"Yes, Chief!" If the other officers had had reservations about Captain Xue's words, Chief Huang’s decisive order left them with no hesitation. They immediately slapped handcuffs on the bewildered Wu Guangjun and the deathly pale Officer Wang.

"Chief Huang? You... aren't you afraid our boss will give you trouble for this?" Wu Guangjun still seemed unwilling to give up, trying to use De Guangqing’s name to pressure the Chief.

"Afraid? Hahaha... are you joking with me? That old man can barely save himself; he's going to give me trouble? Enough talk, take them away!" Chief Huang laughed coldly and waved his hand. The paramilitary police immediately held their weapons against the struggling Wu Guangjun and dragged both of them toward the police cars.

"Good!! Well done!!" As Officer Wang and Wu Guangjun were shoved into the police cars in defeat, the crowd of onlookers erupted into applause. Chief Huang waved slightly at the crowd and said, "Citizens, please rest assured. We have weeded out the scum in our police force, and we will investigate this thoroughly to the end! Today’s events demonstrate our city's stance against organized crime. We will guarantee the safety of our citizens and will never let those lawless elements take advantage of the situation!"

"Bravo..." Another round of thunderous applause followed the Chief’s words. At this moment, Zhang Baoqiang glanced at me and began whispering to Chief Huang. Hearing Zhang’s words, the Chief turned his head to look at me, a wide smile spreading across his face as he walked toward me.