Chapter 51: The Tide Turns

At the police station, the chief was permitted to carry a firearm, but the patrol officers were armed with nothing more than batons. Wang Maocai believed that as soon as he drew his gun, Liu Bighead and the other patrol officers would all be too terrified to move.

He hadn't expected, however, that Liu Datong would defiantly thrust out his head, his eyes slanting with disdain, as if he didn't care in the slightest. He jabbed his thumb at his chest and said coldly, "Wang the Skinner, if you have the guts, fire a shot right here at me. If you don't have the nerve to pull the trigger today, you're a coward's son!"

Liu Datong had truly thrown caution to the wind. He knew perfectly well that even if Wang the Skinner had borrowed a bucketful of courage, he would never dare actually shoot him. No matter how brazen Wang was, he wouldn't be reckless enough to kill a fellow officer in front of so many witnesses. If he did, it would be the end of him as well.

With this act of utter fearlessness, Liu Dacheng managed to subdue Wang Maocai. If Liu Bighead was truly ready to play the rogue, there was little to be done, for one couldn't really dare fire a gun in this situation.

At that moment, Police Chief Tang Xiaoshan, having caught wind of the commotion, hurried over, his rotund body heaving with each breath as he ran.

Seeing a crowd of dozens in a noisy uproar—and noticing that Wang Maocai had already drawn his gun—he shouted at once, "Everyone, stop right now! What on earth is happening here? Are you all trying to mutiny?"

Wang Maocai, caught in a dilemma, was greatly relieved to see Chief Tang arrive. He hurried over and said, "Chief, Liu Bighead here suddenly went mad, barged into the holding cell with his men, and tried to snatch the prisoners. Luckily, I discovered it in time; otherwise, he would have succeeded."

Liu Datong, hearing this, was anxious to defend himself. "Reporting, Chief, I was the one who brought these two prisoners in. You know about this. But Wang the Skinner broke the rules and intercepted them halfway—I didn't say a word, since his rank is higher than mine.

Now I've come to take the prisoners and hand them over to Military Intelligence for interrogation. Wang the Skinner is refusing to let them go and even threatened his colleagues with a gun. Chief, you must uphold justice!"

"Silence! Did you just call him Wang the Skinner?" Chief Tang glared, but suddenly seemed to recall something. "Wait, I know? Which case is this?"

Liu Datong responded quickly, "It was fifteen days ago, the case on North Hua Street. Military Intelligence arrested three hardened criminals, killed two, and captured one alive. We assisted in the search, and I consulted you at the time. During the operation, we also arrested two human traffickers—I reported this to you as well."

Chief Tang finally remembered—there had indeed been such a case half a month before. The prisoners had been brought in, and Liu Datong had mentioned that they were apprehended by Military Intelligence. But at the time, Tang hadn't paid much attention; he assumed his men were just looking to make a bit on the side, as was common enough, and didn't think it important. Now, though, the situation was escalating.

A sense of unease crept into his heart. He quickly whispered to Wang Maocai, "Did you get to the bottom of this? What's the real background on these two prisoners?"

Wang Maocai curled his lip with indifference. "They're just a pair of traffickers. Chief, don't you trust my judgment? At worst, Military Intelligence picked them up by chance while after someone else. They didn't care about them, but Liu Bighead is making a mountain out of a molehill, waving flags and pretending to be important, all out of envy. Now he's even using the name of Military Intelligence to try and snatch the prisoners. These fellows are desperate!"

Chief Tang nodded in agreement. If they really were just traffickers, Military Intelligence would hardly bother with them. Besides, Wang the Skinner was greedy, but he only bullied his subordinates. Any spoils he squeezed out always found their way to the chief first—otherwise, why would he have promoted him to sergeant?

Thinking this, Chief Tang glared and shouted at Liu Bighead, "Liu Datong, you dare openly defy orders? You must have a death wish! Do you believe I won't have you locked up right now? Take your men and leave, and if there’s a next time, I’ll have you stripped of your badge and eating prison food for years!"

Deep down, Chief Tang knew the real problem was Wang Maocai's disregard for the rules—blocking someone's profits was like killing their parents! But since Wang still knew to pay his respects to him, Tang decided to cover for him. As for Liu Datong, he could only scold and let it go. But he'd missed a crucial detail: Liu Datong had said he was to hand the prisoners over to Military Intelligence!

With that, Wang Maocai and his men felt reassured. No matter what, a subordinate couldn't overcome a superior; this time, Liu Bighead was bound to lose out. Even Liu Datong's own men began to feel uncertain. They’d followed him for years, but they had families to support, and their livelihoods depended on their uniforms. Bighead had repeatedly boasted of powerful backers and handed out generous rewards, but since they'd never seen these backers for themselves, they couldn't be sure, and glanced at each other in uncertainty, finally looking to Liu Datong for direction.

Liu Datong, however, was utterly unshaken. By his calculation, the time was about right, and Chief Ning should be arriving soon. He spat out, "Some people just won't learn until they hit a brick wall! No one believes in me, Liu Bighead. Fine, arrest me then! But listen well—if this turns into a mess you can't handle, don't come looking for me!"

He held out his hands, ready to be handcuffed. Seeing how unyielding he was, both Chief Tang and Wang Maocai were stunned.

Chief Tang began to feel anxious. Everyone knew what kind of man Liu Bighead was—he'd been around the police station for more than a decade. But now, it was as if he'd become a different person. Something was amiss. Suspicion flickered in his eyes as he glanced at Wang Maocai, who, cornered, forced himself to remain calm.

At that moment, there was a sudden commotion at the rear. A voice barked, "What’s this rabble doing here? Clear the area at once!"

Everyone turned to see a squad of fully armed soldiers, led by two officers, swiftly surrounding them.

The two officers, both young, one in front and one behind, were imposing. The one in front swept the crowd with a cold, piercing gaze before barking at Liu Datong, "What's going on? Liu Datong, you still haven't produced the prisoners? You can't even handle such a minor task?"

At these words, everyone was startled. The soldiers were clearly well-trained, exuding a murderous aura that made Chief Tang’s heart clench—this was bad. So Liu Bighead truly was acting under orders and really had powerful backing. No wonder he was so confident. Could these men really be from Military Intelligence?

Liu Datong immediately straightened up, holding his head high, looking down on everyone else with disdain. He strode quickly to Ning Zhiheng, saluted smartly, and reported, "Chief Ning, sir! I was ordered to retrieve the prisoners, but someone created obstacles—he even threatened me with a gun and said he’d strip me of my badge and lock me up."

"Is that so?" Ning Zhiheng feigned surprise, his eyes sweeping over Chief Tang and Wang Maocai. He said loudly, "So there are people bold enough to obstruct Military Intelligence in the course of duty?"

His gaze finally settled on Chief Tang. "And you are?"

Chief Tang hurried forward, forcing a smile. "I am Tang Xiaoshan, district police chief. May I ask who you are?"

Ning Zhiheng produced his officer's credentials and handed them over with a cold voice. "I am Ning Zhiheng, action team leader with the Military Intelligence Investigation Office. Half a month ago, I apprehended two suspects and temporarily handed them over to you for detention. We informed you of this at the time.

Chief Tang, you know the authority of Military Intelligence. When we are conducting an investigation, your police must obey and assist without condition. Are you aware of this? Then explain to me now—how is it that someone dared interfere?"

Glancing at the credentials, Chief Tang saw the words "Military Intelligence Investigation Office," and any lingering hope vanished.

Before he could reply, Liu Datong stepped forward and interjected, "Reporting, Chief Ning, while these two prisoners were in custody, Sergeant Wang Maocai forcibly interrogated them, subjecting them to days of torture. We tried to stop him, but failed."

"What?" Ning Zhiheng’s expression turned instantly thunderous. He shouted, "Do you realize these two prisoners are key witnesses in a major espionage case? Their custody here was only temporary. Who gave you the authority to interrogate them? Do you not know that their statements are top secret?

Who was it? Who was bold enough to contact the prisoners without authorization? The consequences are dire, and none of you can bear the responsibility!

I’ll be reporting this—this is a grave case of dereliction of duty and leaking classified information! Who is this Wang Maocai? Step forward at once!"