Why did you have to provoke him?

When Zhu Jianping received Zhou Yi's call, he was filled with indescribable excitement.

At last, it's my turn to serve the captain!

The captain really does value me.

"Third Squadron, everyone, move out with me!"

Three police cars sped toward Victory Subdistrict, lights flashing and sirens blaring.

"What? The captain got hit by a car? First Squadron, assemble! Fuck, let's see who had the balls to do that!"

"Liu Zhi, where are you now? What the hell are you still inspecting things for? Get your men to Lao San Department Store now! Someone's got the captain surrounded!"

So, in the end, every officer in the County Public Security Bureau's Public Security Management Brigade showed up before Zhou Yi, including Political Instructor Wang Jian. The brigade had thirty-two authorized positions, but forty-eight people were present, including sixteen auxiliary officers.

Then, thanks to concerned citizens calling the emergency number, the Patrol Police Brigade sent two police cars as well.

As a result, more than ten police cars converged at the intersection in Victory Subdistrict. Over forty uniformed officers armed with batons surrounded twenty-odd thugs-or, more precisely, members of this criminal gang.

Zhu Jianping stared at the bruised, swollen face and bleeding mouth for a long time before finally recognizing its owner.

His heart instantly turned to ice.

That's fucking Third Son Zeng!

The vicious, ruthless Third Son Zeng who never lets a grudge go!

The Third Son Zeng who'd slap a passing dog twice if he was in a bad mood!

What a fucking nightmare.

He had even gone up and kicked the man twice just now, asking for trouble.

What the fuck am I supposed to do now?

"Zhu, are you feeling unwell?"

Hearing the captain's warm, concerned voice and looking up into his caring eyes, Zhu Jianping gave an involuntary shudder and instantly came to his senses.

He quickly replied, "I'm fine, Captain. Low blood sugar. It's an old problem. Is your arm all right, Captain?"

Since he had already offended Zeng Yuqiang, there was no turning back.

His only choice now was to cling to the captain and seek his protection.

The captain was a badass who could keep even Brother Long in line. Dealing with Third Son Zeng would surely be no problem.

In fact, Zhu Jianping was not the only one thinking this. The other officers present felt the same way.

Had nothing like today's incident ever happened in Dongji County before?

It had-and plenty of times!

Then how had those incidents been handled?

The officers had either pretended not to see anything or gone through the motions. Even if they arrested someone, they would have to release him shortly afterward.

They could hardly be blamed for being callous or doing nothing. Even their brigade commander, or their deputy bureau chief, had to bow and scrape before these thugs' masters. What could they possibly do?

But things were different now!

Before the new brigade commander, even a dragon had to coil up, and even a tiger had to lie low.

What kind of man was Brigade Commander Zhou? He did not need to say so himself. Just ask Xie Zhaolong.

So, with the commander backing us, why the hell should we be afraid of you?

"Charge, boys!"

The officers swarmed forward, swinging their batons and raining blows down on the thugs' heads and faces.

Thugs usually bullied the weak and feared the strong, but there were also some vicious, brutal men among them who relished a fight.

Three or four burly men with menacing faces clustered together and used their machetes and iron bars to injure five or six officers in succession.

Seeing this, Zhou Yi charged over with his baton without another word.

First, he struck the side of one man's neck with his baton, then lashed out with a kick to the second man's lower abdomen.

A blade flashed. Unable to dodge in time, Zhou Yi suffered a long slash across his arm, but he did not so much as grunt. He drove straight into his attacker and slammed a vicious headbutt into the third man's nose.

The fourth man thrust a three-edged dagger at him, but Zhou Yi sidestepped it and whipped his baton backhanded across the man's right cheek with a sharp crack. The blow was so powerful and brutal that the man spun twice before falling to the ground.

Zhou Yi scanned the area. Whenever he spotted a thug still resisting, he went over and gave him two blows with his baton.

Gradually, almost without anyone noticing, the noisy, chaotic scene grew quiet.

Twenty-odd thugs crouched on the ground with their hands over their heads, occasionally stealing glances at the man who had left them deeply traumatized.

He could fucking fight!

And his blows were vicious and precise. The lucky ones were bruised and swollen; the unlucky ones suffered torn tendons and broken bones. One man still had not regained consciousness-he might even end up in a vegetative state!

"Captain, are you all right?"

A crowd of officers gathered around Zhou Yi, their eyes openly filled with admiration, even worship.

"My cut isn't deep. I'm fine. Brother Zhao, hurry up and get that bandaged. The blood's running down your neck. And Yun Li, that wound on your stomach is pretty big. You'll need to have it treated at the hospital. Old Cai, I never would've guessed you had those moves!"

After that thoroughly satisfying bout of physical punishment, Zhou Yi had finally vented his anger. He took out his cigarettes and passed them around to the men, then smoked as he chatted and laughed.

Political Instructor Wang Jian watched the scene with mixed feelings.

He had to admit it.

This young brigade commander was truly formidable!

His own work was in political education. How could he fail to understand the decisive role people's loyalty played in a group or a unit?

Zhou Yi had won their hearts and their confidence.

From commanding obedience through authority to earning respect through character and winning hearts through warmth.

From this moment on, the entire Public Security Management Brigade would bear Zhou Yi's personal stamp.

Wang Jian sighed softly.

Some people, perhaps, were born leaders, possessed of a charisma that inspired admiration.

For someone like that, the County Public Security Bureau could only be the starting point where he first made his mark. A much broader stage surely awaited him.

Maybe I should suck up to him too?

Half an hour later, all the criminals, including Zeng Yuqiang, had been taken back to the County Public Security Bureau.

Inside the white van, the public security officers also found a pretty girl with her hands and feet bound.

"Yi!" Hou Xiaoxin recognized the handsome young officer at once as Zhou Yi, her brother's classmate. She hurried over, her eyes reddening as she called out to him in a choked voice.

"Don't be scared, Xiaoxin. You're safe now." Zhou Yi comforted her gently, a profound joy rising in his heart.

Changing his own fate while saving others from theirs.

Perhaps that was the very reason he had been reborn!

Meanwhile, Zeng Yuqiang stared coldly at the officer before him through eyes swollen to slits.

"I need to call my family. That's not an unreasonable request, is it?"

The officer hesitated, then returned his phone.

"Hey, little brother, that Zhou guy arrested me. He beat me up too..." With tears in his eyes, Zeng Yuqiang complained to his younger brother, the executive deputy county magistrate.

There was silence on the phone for a full five or six seconds before his brother's weary voice came through.

"Why did you have to go and provoke him?"