The following days were unusually quiet for the entire city police department, especially the criminal investigation team, whose workload plummeted.
In late April, Qiao Huali was reassigned to Hu Jia's team.
Although this seemed like a minor event, it attracted considerable attention. Rumors spread that Lü Qingqing was unable to tolerate others, but Lü Qingqing offered no explanation. Those who believed her did so, and no amount of persuasion could change the minds of those who didn't.
However, Ouyang Wen saw things differently, for he understood the intricate machinations involved. According to Li Han, these individuals had either been bribed or threatened.
To ascertain whether these people had indeed been bought or coerced, Ouyang Wen spent his time discreetly interacting with them.
Identifying and resolving the problem was paramount.
Time flew by, and it was soon the day for Luo Wenwu to retrieve his mink coat. It wasn't particularly valuable, but such a coat was a rarity in a place like Chongqing.
Because it had rained the day before, the road was muddy. Luo Wenwu, preoccupied with his journey, failed to notice three people approaching him.
As a result, he collided with them.
He even knocked them straight into a mud puddle. Seeing this, Luo Wenwu immediately apologized, blaming himself for his large frame, which had caused such a head-on collision that sent the person tumbling to the ground. "I'm truly sorry, genuinely sorry. I wasn't watching where I was going."
Luo Wenwu maintained a humble posture, but the person who had just gotten up became furious. With a flick of his hand and a glare, he pointed at Luo Wenwu and began to scold him, "What are those eyes of yours for? If they're useless, why don't you gouge them out? With a road this wide, why did you have to push me into a mud pit? Is saying sorry enough? Tell me, how will you compensate me?"
Luo Wenwu felt a surge of anger at the man's unreasonable attitude.
Yes, the fault was indeed his, but the man's demeanor was excessive.
However, Luo Wenwu was in an awkward situation. He had only intended to redeem his mink coat, and now the other party was demanding compensation.
He didn't have that much cash on him.
"Tell me, how much?" Luo Wenwu glanced at the man's attire, which, at most, was worth a few coins. He figured he could pay.
"Three silver dollars," the man declared, unashamed.
Three dollars?
The price almost made Luo Wenwu laugh.
His mink coat was pawned for only 2.5 silver dollars, and this man, dressed in simple cloth, was asking for three. He was being robbed faster than a bandit.
"Heh!" Luo Wenwu finally understood. This man was acting deliberately. It wasn't surprising that he had fallen into the mud pit with just a slight bump, clearly a premeditated act.
"If you're going to extort someone, at least pick the right target. You've stumbled upon me." Luo Wenwu scoffed, "You want money? Fine. Wait a few minutes for me. We'll have a proper chat after I'm done with my business."
The man heard this and burst into laughter, turning to his two companions. "Listen to him, so casual. Do you two know this guy?"
The two men shook their heads. The man then said, "See? Nobody knows you, so I don't believe you. Hand over the money quickly." With that, the three surrounded Luo Wenwu, and one of them even produced a gleaming knife.
Frankly, these three were no match for Luo Wenwu.
Seeing that the other party had drawn a knife, he didn't hesitate and stepped forward to teach them a lesson. A punch here, a kick there, swift and precise.
"Consider yourselves lucky today. Next time you try to extort people, I'll break your hands." Luo Wenwu only intended to teach them a lesson, not to kill them.
Meanwhile, a growing crowd of onlookers gathered. The three men cried out in pain, shouting, "He's killing us!"
Luo Wenwu became even more incensed. Just as he was about to reveal his identity and give these men further "re-education," three police officers pushed their way through.
"What's going on?" asked the officer in the lead.
Before Luo Wenwu could speak, the three men began to lodge their complaints, portraying Luo Wenwu as a scoundrel who committed a wrong and then resorted to violence.
Luo Wenwu listened calmly to their fabricated story, too weary to argue. The police would question him later to ascertain the truth anyway.
"Committing assault in broad daylight on the street. You've got some nerve," the leading officer said, glancing at Luo Wenwu. "You'll have to come with us."
With that, he even reached for his handcuffs.
Luo Wenwu's eyes turned cold. "Which precinct are you from?"
"What? You looking to pull some strings?" the officer sneered.
Luo Wenwu's lips curved into a smile. "According to procedure, after hearing their side, shouldn't you listen to my account as well? You've already decided I'm a villain and are taking me away?"
The officer grew impatient. "I'm just taking you in to assist with the investigation."
"Assisting an investigation requires handcuffs?" Luo Wenwu, who had apprehended countless individuals in his lifetime, found the officer's actions to be glaringly irregular.
"What? Are you resisting arrest? Planning to assault an officer?" The three officers eyed Luo Wenwu warily.
The onlookers also pressed closer. "What's happening? Are the police in the wrong?"
As the crowd drew nearer, they soon enclosed everyone within their circle.
"Violent assault?" Luo Wenwu hadn't expected them to pin such a charge on him. "Fine, we'll go. I hope you can come up with a reasonable explanation later."
With that, Luo Wenwu prepared to leave with the officers.
"Hold on. Put the handcuffs on."
Luo Wenwu glared back at the officer. "Are you sure?"
"Put them on!" The officer stood his ground.
"Yeah, put them on. He took down three people by himself. What if he suddenly attacks someone during the escort?"
"That's right, he must be cuffed."
The crowd voiced their support for the police.
Luo Wenwu frowned. It was then that he sensed something unusual. While it was true that ordinary people enjoyed a spectacle, there shouldn't be so many who actively chimed in.
As he remained bewildered, the crowd suddenly stirred.
Someone bumped into someone else, someone else shoved another person, and in the blink of an eye, the entire circle of onlookers became chaotic.
Luo Wenwu felt everyone pushing towards him. He longed to swing his arms wide, but he feared injuring innocent civilians.
Suddenly, he felt a blow to the back of his head. Before he could react, his nose and mouth were covered by a strange-smelling substance, and his vision went black.
...
A minute later, the bustling crowd dispersed.
Luo Wenwu was gone.
The police officers were gone.
A few of the bystanders who had clamored for handcuffs were also gone.
Those remaining on the scene were utterly bewildered. What had just happened? Who stepped on my foot? Who pushed me? How did that fight even start?
"Brother, what do we do now?" asked one of the original three men.
"Who the hell knows? I haven't figured out what happened myself," the man whose clothes had been soiled spat on the ground. "Let's go. It doesn't matter. Our mission is complete; we'll collect our reward."
"Alright!"
The street returned to order, as if nothing had happened.