Masked Assailants

After suffering this ordeal and enduring such humiliation under Long Wen's brutal tyranny, the thug could only swallow his anger. He spent half a month recuperating at Tangdu City People's Hospital before finally being discharged.

The leak baffled the thug. Why was Long Wen so certain that he had leaked the information? Could there have been someone else...

He suddenly realized that Wang Wu's call asking about picking up He Dan might have caused the misunderstanding. And Long Wen had been monitoring his phone—how terrifying was that? He could not help drawing in a sharp breath and unconsciously called Wang Wu to confirm it.

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

"No! Didn't you recognize my voice? I can guarantee I haven't called these past few days. Could you have heard wrong?" Wang Wu looked deeply suspicious and firmly denied it.

"The voice hadn't changed. It had to be yours. Strange... could someone have impersonated you..." The thug's expression suddenly changed. Beads of sweat rolled down his forehead as he realized how complicated this was.

The thug sensed something fishy. He thought someone must be playing tricks, and whoever had resorted to such tactics had to be some petty man nursing a grudge.

The thug went to Long Wen to clarify the truth, only to receive a cold reception. Long Wen was stubborn; even when he was wrong, he would rather save face and stubbornly hold his ground.

The thug began to form his own plans...

It was now midsummer. Tangdu City had long been known as a furnace, and there were barely any people on the streets during the day. Only when nightfall neared did scattered groups begin to stir. The west side of the city was still dimly lit at night. Though it was past seven o'clock, there was no sign of darkness yet, something to do with the old city that was about to finish redevelopment.

The water in the moat had dried up, exposing strangely shaped rocks. Fish surfaced in one puddle after another, gasping for air. Cuntoucao held Xiao Yanni's hand as they happily watched several children catching fish by Rainbow Bridge. Cuntoucao had not felt so free and at ease in many years. His face was relaxed as he watched his daughter gradually grow up, dreaming of a better future. He swore to create a good environment for her and never let her live in fear again. He knew leaving the thug, Long Wen, and their gang was only a matter of time, but how could he shake off their entanglement now? That truly troubled him.

For many days, he had not accepted the pill-stuffed buns Long Wen, the thug, and their gang offered him. His recurring drug cravings left him in unbearable agony. He kept recalling the bloody scene of the thug's fingers being chopped off. While admiring Tong Haojing's skill, he had no choice but to reflect on his own situation. He carried many of Long Wen's secrets. It was time to tell Officer Tong everything. Perhaps turning over a new leaf, breaking with drugs, and leaving Long Wen's gang was the best choice.

Xiao Yanni stood by the bridge, but a plane tree blocked her view. She walked around behind Cuntoucao. A hot wind swept over from the open ground by the bridge, kicking up dust and nearly forcing Xiao Yanni to close her eyes. The sky darkened in an instant, as though terrible weather was about to arrive.

Three masked men suddenly appeared before Xiao Yanni. Before she could react, they had already rushed toward Cuntoucao. Xiao Yanni cried out in fright, "Dad!"

Cuntoucao instinctively turned around. One masked man pulled out a black woven sack and darted forward like lightning, pulling it over Cuntoucao's head. Another locked his arms around Cuntoucao's upper body from the side and slammed him sideways to the ground.

Everything before Cuntoucao was pitch-black, as if Mount Tai were crushing down on him. He could not move. Another man stepped forward and began raining blows on him with clubs, fists, and kicks. Cuntoucao roared and struggled desperately, but it was useless. The three masked men moved viciously, said not a word during the fight, and quickly fled the scene.

After the masked men gave him a savage beating, Cuntoucao did not make a sound. He struggled free of the black sack and tried to rise from the ground, but his entire body ached and had no strength. He tried moving his leg, but he could not feel it at all.

Xiao Yanni hid behind a tree. She saw the black cloth covering one masked man's face slip halfway down during the fight, only for him to quickly pull it back up. She was terrified out of her wits and kept crying.

Quite a few onlookers gathered nearby. No one knew what had happened, and they urged Cuntoucao to call the police, but he remained silent and shook his head.

Cuntoucao's first thought was to call Tong Haojing, but his phone was gone. He vaguely sensed something. With great difficulty, he borrowed someone else's phone and called Tong Haojing for help. "Officer Tong, something happened to me near Rainbow Bridge. Come over right away."

Tong Haojing was shocked when he received Cuntoucao's call. Sensing the seriousness of the situation, he immediately reported it to Director Tang.

As soon as Director Tang heard, he felt annoyed. Cuntoucao really was a jinx. During Director Tang's four years in office, Cuntoucao had caused no shortage of trouble in the west side of the city. Nowadays, ordinary people had become more alert, and Director Gao's favorite saying—"There are no small matters where the people's interests are concerned"—often served as a warning bell for him. Without hesitation, Director Tang decided to send Officer Lan and Lu Tong over.

Tong Haojing rode his Prince motorcycle behind the police car.

Twenty minutes later, Officer Lan, Lu Tong, and Tong Haojing arrived at the scene. Cuntoucao was still sitting where he had fallen. Xiao Yanni leaned against her father, looking helpless enough to inspire pity. Seeing Cuntoucao's pained expression, Tong Haojing urgently asked, "Cuntoucao, what happened?"

Cuntoucao said with difficulty, "Someone set me up and beat me."

Tong Haojing urgently asked again, "Where are you hurt?" He immediately called 120.

Cuntoucao shook his head. "My leg... it may be broken. And my head hurts terribly!"

Officer Lan had always held prejudice against Cuntoucao. He would have preferred the Cuntoucao lying on the ground to be a corpse. Seeing Cuntoucao unable to get up, Officer Lan and Lu Tong secretly felt pleased, mocking him inwardly: Cuntoucao, so this day has come for you too! But as police officers, they had to face the facts—Cuntoucao had been injured, and investigating cases and upholding justice was their duty. Officer Lan stepped forward and asked, "Who did this?"

Cuntoucao glanced at Officer Lan, then turned toward Tong Haojing and ignored Officer Lan.

Officer Lan angrily asked, "Who did this?" His voice gradually rose.

Tong Haojing gave Cuntoucao a meaningful look. Cuntoucao suddenly convulsed, his face turning deathly pale. His upper body began trembling, and he looked weak. White foam formed at the corners of his mouth. He tried desperately to lean close to Tong Haojing's ear. "Yanni... drugs..." The words circled in his mouth.

Clearly, even before losing consciousness, Cuntoucao was still worried about Xiao Yanni—or perhaps he had something else to say.

Officer Lan kept pressing him. "Who did it? Why did they beat you?"

Cuntoucao did not move at all.

Tong Haojing sensed something and stopped Officer Lan. "Stop asking. He's not going to make it!" On the way there, he had kept thinking about it. Cuntoucao had just given him information about the thug's gang gambling together, along with other important clues, and then he had been attacked. Could this have been retaliation?

Officer Lan woke Xiao Yanni, but she had been so badly frightened that she did not say a word.

Officer Lan and Tong Haojing found no witnesses, and the scene was also a surveillance blind spot. They sensed the case had suddenly become far more difficult. Tong Haojing saw the troubled expressions on their faces, but instead of agreeing, he reassured Cuntoucao with confidence, "We'll definitely catch the thugs!" In truth, Tong Haojing felt terrible. He thought he should not have blindly asked Cuntoucao to be his informant. None of the station leaders knew about it, and now something this serious had happened. He did not know what to do.

The ambulance arrived, and Cuntoucao was carried into it. A male doctor, still worried, asked a police officer to sign. Officer Lan and Lu Tong habitually moved to the back of the vehicle, seemingly trying to avoid responsibility. Tong Haojing did not understand the implications. Seeing Cuntoucao's miserable condition, he said nothing and signed "Tong Haojing" on the medical form.

Seeing Xiao Yanni all alone, Tong Haojing went over, took her hand, and had her sit in Officer Lan's police car. They followed the ambulance to Tangdu City People's Hospital.

The doctor's preliminary diagnosis was a fractured lower leg and cerebral hemorrhage. Cuntoucao could no longer speak and might become vegetative.

Officer Lan and Lu Tong had no way to take a statement from Cuntoucao, and Xiao Yanni had not yet recovered from the shock. The two went to nearby surveillance points to retrieve video footage and see whether they could find any clues.

Cuntoucao remained unconscious in the hospital and had lost all ability to care for himself, making Xiao Yanni a major problem. Tong Haojing called Old Jiang again, and Old Jiang summoned Sister Feng, the director of the Women's Committee. Xiao Yanni was especially sensible this time. Holding Tong Haojing's hand, she said, "Police Uncle, you have to save my dad!" After saying that, she followed Sister Feng away. The fear in Xiao Yanni's helpless eyes was plain to see, and Tong Haojing felt an even more fatherly sympathy for her.

It was already ten at night when Tong Haojing returned to the police station. Officer Lan and Lu Tong were still in the office reviewing the retrieved surveillance footage from the surrounding area. He felt as though he had concealed something, and his heart was restless with unease.

Tong Haojing entered the squad office. Four desks had been pushed together there, with several criminal investigation books scattered messily across them. Under the light, the painted tabletop gleamed so brightly that Tong Haojing could barely keep his eyes open.

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

"What is it?" Officer Lan asked.

"Cuntoucao's beating may be connected to the gambling in the factory building beside the West City Hotel a few days ago," Tong Haojing said.

"Why? Did they have an internal falling-out?" Brother Lan casually asked.

"No. It's because Cuntoucao gave me the gambling lead." Tong Haojing finally revealed that Cuntoucao had been working for him.

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

Clearly, Officer Lan understood the importance of this information. He left the office and immediately reported it to Director Tang. Director Tang's voice over the phone was noticeably loud enough for everyone in the office to hear.

Lu Tong also heard Director Tang's voice through the phone and casually remarked, "The director is really angry!"

Officer Lan returned to the office with a helpless expression. Looking at Tong Haojing, he said, "The director wants you in his office tomorrow! I didn't mean to do it. I never thought things would turn out this badly!" Officer Lan felt guilty.

Tong Haojing's head buzzed. He realized that something must have happened.