Did I say you could leave?

"Brother Long!"

After a moment of shock, several of his lackeys let out anguished cries as though their own fathers had died, then lunged viciously at Zhou Yi.

Bam.

A straight punch slammed into the face of the blond thug in front. A moment later, Zhou Yi's cocked left fist whistled through the air and struck the second man squarely on the chin.

The third tried to ambush him from behind and lock his neck, only to be floored by an elbow to the chest from Zhou Yi-a real man who never looked back.

The fourth, a man with a thin mustache, pulled a gleaming dagger from behind his waist, his face vicious, and stabbed straight at Zhou Yi's stomach.

But the dark muzzle of a gun beat him to it, pressing against his shiny, greasy forehead.

The mustached man shuddered in fright and froze involuntarily. Before he could decide whether Zhou Yi actually dared to shoot, the cold, hard pistol butt smashed his face into a bloody mess.

In just ten seconds, four men lay on the ground.

The remaining thugs had no idea whose ranks this fearsome fighter belonged to, but more importantly, he was holding a real gun. They all shrank back, not daring to make a sound.

The scene looked like something straight out of a movie, leaving everyone dumbstruck.

Jian Shuyue's and Tian Tian's eyes shone, and the same movie title flashed through both their minds-He Was Cool!

Holding his police cap, Yan Lingling looked thrilled and full of admiration. To her, this old classmate she hadn't seen in years was nothing short of a great hero who had descended from the heavens to save people in peril!

Bai Haoxuan's and Xu Heng's expressions shifted, showing not a trace of joy. Someone stepping in to save the day should have been a good thing, so why did watching another man successfully show off make them feel so uncomfortable?

As Zhou Yi advanced, pistol in hand, toward Brother Long, who had just clambered to his feet, Zhu Jianping knew he could no longer stand by.

Although he privately wanted Zhou Yi and Xie Zhaolong to clash, he would be screwed if a gun actually went off. After all, he, Xu Jianping, was the officer in charge of tonight's small-scale surprise inspection. If anything happened, he would definitely face the consequences.

Besides, if he stood by and watched Xie Zhaolong get beaten, the man might hold a grudge against him.

So no matter how he looked at it, he had to intervene.

"It's a misunderstanding, just a misunderstanding. Brother Long, let me introduce you. This is the commander of our Public Security Management Brigade. Commander Zhou, this is Xie Zhaolong, a well-known entrepreneur in our county. Brother Long..."

Zhu Jianping stepped between them, trying to play peacemaker for both sides. Before he could finish, however, Brother Long roughly shoved him aside.

It's a misunderstanding just because you say so?

Who the fuck do you think you are?

Do I need you to introduce me?

"You've got guts, Zhou. Just you wait. I'm telling you, this isn't over!" Brother Long glared viciously at Zhou Yi, delivered a couple of parting threats, then turned toward the entertainment city's entrance.

He hadn't had much schooling, but he understood the principle that a smart man didn't fight a losing battle. Oh, and there was another saying: revenge could wait until tomorrow.

Xu Jianping finally breathed a sigh of relief. Thank heaven, thank earth, thank the very air-as long as nothing happened tonight, those two could beat each other's brains out later and it would have nothing to do with him.

"Did I say you could leave?"

The icy voice came from behind him. Xie Zhaolong turned in astonishment, staring at Zhou Yi in disbelief.

Zhu Jianping's head buzzed. For the love of God, what exactly are you trying to do?

Do you really think Brother Long is made of putty, yours to mold however you like?

Can't you put a limit on your showing off?

Haven't you heard? Show off today, get cremated tomorrow!

"What else do you want?" Brother Long asked darkly.

In that brief moment alone, he had felt the urge to kill at least three times. He swore he would be damned if he didn't kill this little cop.

Zhou Yi slowly slipped his pistol back into its holster, then took out a pair of handcuffs and tossed them at the man's feet.

He said nothing, but his meaning was unmistakable.

Zhu Jianping hurried forward again to intervene. "Commander Zhou, there's no need for that. Just let it go..."

Before he could finish, Commander Zhou shoved him aside.

Let it go just because you say so?

Who do you think you are?

Go find somewhere else to loiter.

If he couldn't seize such a perfect opportunity when it was right in front of him, he might as well go home and sell roasted sweet potatoes.

Xie Zhaolong glanced at the handcuffs on the ground. So angry that he laughed, he gave Zhou Yi a thumbs-up, then took out his phone and dialed a number.

I admit you're a badass, but how will you handle it if I call Song Chengquan, the executive deputy director of the Public Security Bureau?

"Hello, Director Song. There's a man named Zhou Yi in your bureau who's about to cuff me and take me in. Tell me, what are you going to do about it? All right, I'll put him on..."

Brother Long held out his phone with a sneer.

Zhou Yi calmly reached out with his left hand and covered the phone's earpiece, then spoke quietly enough that only the two of them could hear. "Tell me, if your cousin found out you'd been having an affair with his wife, and even had a son with her, what do you think he'd do to you?"

It was as though a thunderclap-a heaven-shattering, earth-rending blow from a purple-gold hammer wielded with godlike power-had suddenly exploded beside Xie Zhaolong's ear.

His mouth fell open, and he stared fixedly at Zhou Yi as though he had seen the most terrifying being in the world.

"You..."

Xie Zhaolong's lips trembled. He seemed to want to ask how Zhou Yi knew his secret.

But Zhou Yi ignored him. He simply took his hand off the phone, turned, and walked over to Yan Lingling, retrieved his police cap, and put it back on.

Xie Zhaolong drew a deep breath, barely managing to calm his wildly panicked thoughts, and slowly raised the phone to his ear.

"Hello, Director Song. It's all right now. It was just a misunderstanding. I accidentally offended Commander Zhou's friends and felt terribly bad about it, so I volunteered to have him handcuff me. Yes, that's it. You don't need to get involved. I'm hanging up!"

Listening to Xie Zhaolong's incoherent explanation, Song Chengquan froze in bewilderment. After a while, he put down his phone and got up to use the bathroom, then returned to bed and went back to sleep.

Half an hour later, Deputy Director Song suddenly sat bolt upright and shouted, "Are you fucking insane?"

Xie Zhaolong put away his phone, bent down, and picked up the handcuffs.

Everyone there-including Jian Shuyue, Tian Tian, and the others, the Public Security Brigade officers on duty, the guests entering and leaving the Golden Years Entertainment City, and its owner, Sun Mei, standing at the third-floor floor-to-ceiling window-

Together witnessed this incredible scene, one that would have far-reaching consequences.

Brother Long, the famous, arrogant, overbearing figure of Dongji County, put the handcuffs on himself.

Zhou Yi waved to Jian Shuyue, Tian Tian, and his other old classmates, then escorted Xie Zhaolong and his lackeys into the police cars.

After all, he was on duty, and with so many eyes watching, it wasn't the right time to chat and catch up. Besides, they would be meeting again tomorrow night anyway.

Sirens wailed, and police lights flashed.

The three police cars receded into the distance until they disappeared from everyone's sight.

Yet even after the cars had left, everyone's emotions remained unsettled for a long time.

Zhou Yi had not only been transferred back to the county, but had become commander of the Public Security Management Brigade.

Not only was he the commander of the Public Security Management Brigade, but he didn't even take the famous Brother Long seriously.

Not only did he disregard Xie Zhaolong, but he could even make the man meekly back down, cuff himself, and accept his punishment.

There was a lot to unpack there. Think about it. Really think about it!