Masked Thugs

The thug suffered this calamity, enduring immense humiliation. Under Long Wen's tyrannical and oppressive power, he had no choice but to swallow his anger and lie in Tangdu City People's Hospital for half a month before finally recovering and being discharged.

Regarding the leak, the thug pondered endlessly. Why did Long Wen suspect him of being the informant? Could it have been someone else…

He suddenly realized it might have been a misunderstanding caused by Wang Wu calling to ask about picking up He Dan, and his own phone being monitored by Long Wen. How terrifying! He couldn't help but gasp, and subconsciously called Wang Wu to verify.

"Brother Wu, why did you suddenly call me that day to ask about picking someone up?" the thug asked.

"No! Can't you recognize my voice? I swear I haven't called in days. Are you sure you didn't hear wrong?" Wang Wu sounded suspicious and firmly denied it.

"Your voice hasn't changed, it must have been you. Strange, could someone have impersonated you…" The thug's expression suddenly shifted. Large beads of sweat rolled down his forehead as he grasped the complexity of the situation.

The thug sensed something was amiss and thought someone must be playing dirty, and the one who resorted to such a tactic must be a resentful scoundrel.

The thug went to clarify the truth with Long Wen, but was met with a cold reception. Long Wen was a stubborn man; even when wrong, he would save face and stubbornly persist.

The thug began to form his own ideas…

It was now midsummer. Tangdu City was known as a furnace, and during the day, hardly anyone could be seen on the streets. Only as dusk approached did crowds begin to stir, moving in twos and threes. The western part of the city was still dimly lit. Although it was past seven in the evening, the sky showed no signs of darkening, which was still related to the old city nearing the completion of its renovation.

The water in the moat had dried up, revealing strangely shaped rocks. In the remaining puddles, fish surfaced to breathe the air. Cuntoucao, holding Xiao Yanni's hand, happily watched a few children fishing by the Rainbow Bridge. Cuntoucao hadn't felt this sense of freedom in years. His face was relaxed as he watched his daughter grow, envisioning a bright future. He vowed to create a good environment for his daughter, to prevent her from living in fear. He felt it was only a matter of time before he left Wang Wu and Long Wen's group, but how could he escape their entanglement now? This was indeed a perplexing question.

He hadn't accepted the pills and buns gifted by Long Wen and his gang for many days. The recurring drug addiction caused him unbearable pain. He couldn't help but recall the bloody scene of the thug's fingers being chopped off. While admiring Tong Haojing's skill, he had to reflect on his own situation. Holding many of Long Wen's secrets, it was time to reveal them to Officer Tong. Perhaps repenting and breaking free from drugs, and leaving Long Wen's group, was the best choice.

Xiao Yanni stood by the bridge. A plane tree blocked her view. She walked behind Cuntoucao. A hot wind blew from the open space by the bridge, kicking up dust from the ground and almost making Xiao Yanni unable to open her eyes. The sky instantly darkened, as if a severe storm was brewing.

Suddenly, three masked figures appeared before Xiao Yanni. Before she could react, they rushed towards Cuntoucao. Xiao Yanni cried out in fear, "Daddy!"

Cuntoucao instinctively turned around. One masked figure pulled out a black woven bag and, with lightning speed, lunged forward to cover Cuntoucao's eyes. Another person from the side grabbed his upper body firmly around the waist, throwing him to the ground.

Cuntoucao's vision went black, feeling an immense pressure, unable to move. Another person then began a barrage of kicks and blows. Cuntoucao roared and fought back desperately, but to no avail. The three masked figures acted viciously, leaving the scene quickly without a word during the struggle.

Cuntoucao endured the masked men's brutal beating without a sound. He struggled to free himself from the black bag and tried to get up from the ground, but his body ached and felt powerless. He tried to move his leg, but felt no sensation at all.

Xiao Yanni hid behind the tree. She saw that the black cloth covering one of the masked men's faces slipped halfway during the struggle, and he quickly covered it again. She was stunned and cried incessantly.

A crowd of onlookers gathered nearby. They didn't know what had happened and urged Cuntoucao to call the police, but he remained silent, shaking his head in refusal.

Cuntoucao's first thought was to call Tong Haojing, but his phone was gone. He vaguely sensed something and had to laboriously borrow someone's phone to ask Tong Haojing for help: "Officer Tong, something happened to me near Rainbow Bridge. Please come quickly."

Tong Haojing was very shocked when he received Cuntoucao's call. He sensed the seriousness of the situation and immediately reported it to Director Tang.

The director's heart sank upon hearing this. Cuntoucao was truly a jinx. In the director's four years, he had caused quite a few troubles in the western district. Nowadays, people were more aware, and Director Gao's catchphrase, "There are no small matters when it comes to the people's interests," often served as a warning to him. Without hesitation, the director decided to dispatch Officer Lan and Lu Tong.

Tong Haojing rode his Prince motorcycle behind the police car.

Twenty minutes later, Lan, Lu Tong, and Tong Haojing arrived at the scene. Cuntoucao was still sitting where he was, and Xiao Yanni was huddled beside her father, looking helpless and pitiable. Seeing Cuntoucao's pained expression, Tong Haojing anxiously asked, "Cuntoucao, what happened?"

Cuntoucao said with difficulty, "I was framed."

Tong Haojing urgently asked again, "Are you injured anywhere?" Tong Haojing immediately called 120.

Cuntoucao shook his head and said, "My legs, they might be broken. My head hurts terribly!"

Officer Lan already had a prejudice against Cuntoucao. He wished the man lying on the ground was a corpse. Seeing Cuntoucao unable to get up from the ground, they felt a hidden joy, inwardly sneering, "Cuntoucao, so this is your day!" But as police officers, Lan and Lu Tong had to face the reality—Cuntoucao had been beaten and injured. It was their duty to handle cases and uphold justice. Officer Lan stepped forward and asked, "Who beat you?"

Cuntoucao glanced at Officer Lan, then turned his face towards Tong Haojing, ignoring Officer Lan.

Officer Lan said angrily, "Who beat you?" his voice gradually rising.

Tong Haojing gave Cuntoucao a knowing look. Cuntoucao suddenly convulsed, his face turning pale. His upper body began to tremble, showing weakness, and white foam appeared at the corners of his mouth. He tried desperately to lean closer to Tong Haojing's ear, "Yanni… poison…" the words struggled to form.

It was clear that Cuntoucao, before losing consciousness, was still worried about Xiao Yanni, or had something else to say.

Officer Lan continued to press, "Who beat you, and why?"

Cuntoucao remained motionless.

Tong Haojing already had a premonition. He stopped Officer Lan, "Don't ask anymore, he's not doing well!" On the way there, Tong Haojing had been thinking: Cuntoucao had just provided information about the thug's group engaging in gambling and other important leads, and then he was beaten. Could this be retaliation?

Officer Lan woke Xiao Yanni. She was traumatized and remained silent.

Officer Lan and Tong Haojing found no witnesses, and the scene was a blind spot for surveillance. They sensed the case's difficulty had suddenly increased. Tong Haojing noticed the difficulty on their faces. He didn't agree but confidently reassured Cuntoucao, "We will catch the perpetrators!" Inwardly, Tong Haojing felt immense regret, thinking he shouldn't have blindly used Cuntoucao as his informant. The precinct leadership didn't even know about this. Now that such a major incident had occurred, he didn't know what to do.

The ambulance arrived, and Cuntoucao was loaded onto it. A male doctor hesitantly asked the police to sign. Officer Lan and Lu Tong habitually moved to the back of the ambulance, seemingly trying to evade responsibility. Tong Haojing, unaware of the implications, saw Cuntoucao's tragic state and signed "Tong Haojing" on the medical form without a word.

Seeing Xiao Yanni all alone, Tong Haojing stepped forward, took her hand, and had her sit in Officer Lan's police car, following them to Tangdu City People's Hospital.

The doctor's preliminary diagnosis was a fractured lower leg and cerebral hemorrhage. He was unable to speak and might become a vegetative state.

Since Officer Lan and Lu Tong could no longer take a statement from Cuntoucao, and Xiao Yanni was still in shock, they went to a nearby surveillance point to retrieve video footage for clues.

Cuntoucao lay in the hospital, unconscious and unable to care for himself, making Xiao Yanni a significant problem. Tong Haojing called Old Jiang again, who then called Sister Feng, the head of the Women's Federation. This time, Xiao Yanni was exceptionally sensible. She held Tong Haojing's hand and said, "Police Uncle, you must save my daddy!" After saying this, Xiao Yanni left with Sister Feng. One could see the fear in Xiao Yanni's helpless eyes, and Tong Haojing felt even more paternal sympathy for her.

Tong Haojing returned to the police station around ten at night. Officers Lan and Lu Tong were still in the office reviewing the retrieved surveillance footage from the surrounding area. He felt as if he was hiding something and was uneasy.

Tong Haojing went to the team office. Four desks were pushed together, cluttered with several criminal investigation books. Under the light, the painted desktop gleamed, blinding Tong Haojing.

"Brother Lan, I forgot to tell you something!" Tong Haojing said, sounding a bit embarrassed.

"What is it?" Officer Lan asked.

"Cuntoucao being beaten might be related to the gambling that happened a few days ago in the factory building next to the western hotel!" Tong Haojing said.

"Why? Did they have an internal conflict?" Brother Lan said casually.

"No, because Cuntoucao provided me with the gambling leads." Tong Haojing finally revealed that Cuntoucao had been working for him.

"Why didn't you say so earlier!" Officer Lan sounded somewhat reproachful.

It was clear that Officer Lan understood the importance of this information. Officer Lan left the office and immediately reported to Director Tang. The director's voice was noticeably loud on the phone, audible throughout the office.

Lu Tong also heard Officer Lan's voice on the phone and casually remarked, "The director has a bad temper!"

Officer Lan entered the office with a sheepish look and said to Tong Haojing, "The director wants to see you in his office tomorrow! I didn't mean for things to get this bad!" Officer Lan felt a sense of guilt.

Tong Haojing's head buzzed, realizing something must have happened.