And so, tempted by the two hundred yuan, the group surrounded the three law enforcement officers, waiting for the police to arrive.
Indeed, the allure of money was the greatest.
Liu Chesheng remained somewhat uneasy. "Yifeng, are you sure these people are impostors? Are there really people so bold these days who dare to impersonate national law enforcement officers?"
"Uncle, don't worry. When the police arrive, they'll be the ones being taken away," Liu Yifeng said with conviction, his gaze firm.
Seeing his nephew's confident demeanor, Liu Chesheng slowly relaxed. "I suppose so. As soon as you mentioned calling the police, they bolted faster than rabbits. What else could that be but guilt?
"It's just, I wonder how they targeted you.
"The only people who knew you were raising crayfish here were folks from our village and that Boss Du.
"But it couldn't have been Boss Du pulling the strings behind the scenes. If your crayfish business goes south, he loses out too. Only a fool would pull a stunt like that, shooting themselves in the foot.
"Could it be someone from our village? Perhaps they were just jealous of how much money you've made recently and hired someone to cause trouble." The more Liu Chesheng thought about it, the more convinced he became.
Liu Yifeng had similar suspicions, but he couldn't pinpoint who it was.
While they waited, two police cars drove down the road.
Seeing the police cars, the man in glasses panicked completely. He put on a fawning smile and looked at Liu Yifeng and the others. "This is all a misunderstanding. We were just joking. As long as you let us go, we'll be friends from now on. I'll do whatever you say."
Liu Yifeng smiled faintly. "Who in their right mind would consider you friends?
"Now you're saying it was a misunderstanding, but why didn't you say that when you were so arrogant earlier?"
"Everyone, don't let them go!"
Liu Yifeng had no intention of letting them off. Only by punishing them severely would these people refrain from committing illegal acts again. Otherwise, there would be a next time.
As he spoke, four police officers got out of the cars and walked in their direction.
"Who made the call to report this?" one of the officers asked loudly.
Although his voice was loud, it lacked the arrogant tone of the man in glasses.
Liu Yifeng stepped forward. "I did!"
The officer looked at Liu Yifeng with a serious expression. "What exactly happened?"
Liu Yifeng pointed at the man in glasses and the others. "These people impersonated law enforcement officers and illegally seized my crayfish."
"He's lying! We were just joking around, we didn't really impersonate law enforcement officers," the man in glasses quickly explained.
He knew that now that the real police had arrived, even if he stubbornly denied it, they would quickly investigate and find out. So, he could only claim it was a joke.
After all, the nature of a joke was different from intentional wrongdoing.
As the approaching officers neared, the villagers parted to make way. The police walked up to the man in glasses and sternly questioned, "Where did you get your uniforms?"
"We bought them online, but it's all a misunderstanding. We just wanted to play a joke at first. We hope the police comrades can show leniency." The man in glasses wore a fawning smile.
"Police comrades, he's lying. As soon as they arrived, they started putting my crayfish into baskets and carrying them ashore by the crate.
"They also threatened me with their fake identities. They recorded all of this, it's in the camera.
"Not only do they have uniforms, but they also have fake work IDs. The nature of their actions is extremely serious, and they absolutely cannot be let off the hook like this.
"We don't even know how many times they've done such despicable things, or how many victims they've defrauded," Liu Yifeng added, his voice projecting a sense of righteous indignation, not giving them a chance to breathe.
"You have work IDs too? Let me see them," the police officer gestured, extending his hand.
He could tell if they were real or fake at a glance.
The man in glasses tightened his grip on his pocket, reluctant to hand them over. However, under the police officer's authority, he finally took them out.
The officer looked at the work ID in his hand and immediately said, "Your IDs are quite well-made, but the real can't be faked, and the fake can't be real.
"Impersonating law enforcement officers is a serious offense. You will now come with us to the police station to be investigated. Take them away."
With that, he waved his hand, and the three men were led away by the other three officers.
The lead officer finally turned his gaze to Liu Yifeng. "You don't need to come to the police station for now, but you must cooperate if we need you to provide a statement."
Liu Yifeng nodded. "I will definitely cooperate."
"Alright then, give me your phone number so we can contact you."
"137…"
After watching the police leave, the five villagers immediately gave Liu Yifeng a thumbs-up. "Yifeng, your discerning eye is truly remarkable. If we had seen so many people in law enforcement uniforms, we would have been completely flustered and cooperated with them in every way. We never would have thought they were fake."
They looked at him with genuine admiration.
Liu Yifeng smiled. "I was only suspicious at first. It was their guilty reactions later that confirmed they were impostors."
"So… um…" one of the villagers stammered, looking a bit embarrassed.
Another impatiently interrupted him. "What's there to be shy about? I'll ask.
"Yifeng, you promised us two hundred yuan each if we helped you stop those fake law enforcement officers. Is that still valid?" an older villager asked.
Liu Yifeng smiled and nodded. "Of course, I keep my word. Without you, it would have been impossible for just my uncle and me to stop them. If they had escaped, who knows what kind of revenge they might have sought.
"Now that they've been taken away by the police, they probably won't be out for a while.
"I'll give you the money now."
As he spoke, he pulled out a wad of cash from his pants pocket and gave each of them two hundred yuan.
Looking at the money they had earned so easily, the faces of the five men lit up with joy.
At this moment, one of them suddenly became serious. "Yifeng, these people were clearly targeting you. Have you offended someone?"
"No, I've never had a conflict with anyone," he replied, shaking his head.
"That's strange then. If you haven't offended anyone, why would they come looking for you? Every action has a consequence. You should investigate this thoroughly, otherwise, there might be a next time," Liu Xiaofei warned, looking concerned.
"I think this might have something to do with Liu Xinzhou. He saw how much money you were making raising crayfish a while back and wanted to make a fortune too.
"But his crayfish farming skills aren't very good. In just three days, the crayfish didn't grow bigger; instead, they've all died.
"Just yesterday, I heard him on the phone saying strange things like 'don't let anyone find out.'" another villager said.
Hearing Liu Xinzhou's name, Liu Yifeng suddenly felt a sense of understanding.
He had refused Liu Xinzhou's request to learn his crayfish farming techniques before.
Now that he had killed the crayfish he bought himself, it was possible he held a grudge.
However, everything needed evidence. Words were not enough. If he were to confront Liu Xinzhou now, he would not only deny it but also accuse Liu Yifeng of slander.
Now that the police had taken away the impersonators, if they didn't want to be sentenced, they would surely reveal the mastermind behind it. Liu Yifeng wouldn't need to do anything himself.
But regardless of whether it was Liu Xinzhou or someone else, the mastermind wouldn't escape.
"Thank you all for your kind warnings. I'll leave this matter to the police. In any case, thank you all. I'll invite you all over for a meal at home another day." Liu Yifeng didn't probe further.
Hearing Liu Yifeng say this, the villagers didn't pry any further. They all stated that it was their duty and then returned to their respective fields to get back to work.