My People Will Be Here Soon
The sounds of bones shattering and the middle-aged man's heart-wrenching screams echoed in the small shop. The pungent smell of blood mixed with the odors of metal and machine oil created a nauseating atmosphere.
However, Lü Yi, who had committed all of this, remained unusually calm after the attack. He did not continue to strike, as if his cruel blow had merely been a casual swat of a fly.
He leisurely pulled over a greasy chair and sat down with an air of nonchalance, even adjusting his posture to make himself more comfortable.
Amidst the continuous, agonizing wails of the middle-aged man beneath his feet, Lü Yi calmly pulled a crumpled pack of cigarettes from his pocket, took one out and put it in his mouth, then pulled out a lighter and lit it with a "snap." He took a deep drag, then tilted his head back and exhaled a long string of smoke rings towards the cobweb-covered, dusty ceiling.
The cigarette burned quietly, and the nicotine seemed to have slightly diminished the frenzied crimson in his eyes, replacing it with an almost numb calm. He crossed his legs, the toe of his shoe, stained with a few drops of blood, swaying gently in the air.
On the ground, the locksmith shop owner (a middle-aged man) was curled up in a ball, like a boiled shrimp. His shattered right hand fingers were bent at an extremely unnatural and unsettling angle, swollen like several steamed buns, and purplish-blue in color.
He gripped his injured wrist tightly with his intact left hand, as if that would alleviate the excruciating pain. He lay prone on the ground, which was littered with shards of glass and blood, his body convulsing with pain. He let out continuous, suppressed groans and sobs, and blood, sweat, and tears mingled with the gash on his forehead, covering his face in a pitiful state.
With his cigarette half-burned, Lü Yi flicked off the ash with his finger, his movements so calm they didn't seem like he was at the scene of a recent assault. Through the swirling blue smoke, he cast his gaze at the terrified young man opposite him.
The young man sat on a small stool, his hands gripping his phone tightly. His body was stiff, his face ashen, and his eyes were filled with fear. He didn't even dare to breathe, as if afraid of attracting the attention of this terrifying figure.
Seeing his cowardly appearance, Lü Yi chuckled, held a cigarette between two fingers, and pointed at him from a distance, her tone as calm as if she were instructing him to go buy a pack of cigarettes at the door:
"Aren't you going to call the police?" He gestured towards the middle-aged man groaning on the ground. "Look at him, if he keeps howling like that, he'll bleed to death. He can't take it anymore."
The young man was stunned, his mouth agape. "Huh?" He was completely taken aback, even doubting whether he had misheard. Who would actively urge the police to call the police after assaulting someone?
He instinctively shook his head vigorously, his voice trembling with tears, "No... I wouldn't dare... Big brother, I... I really wouldn't dare..."
Lü Yi frowned slightly, seemingly dissatisfied with the young man's slowness and timidity, and said with a hint of impatience, "Just call the police when I tell you to, stop with the nonsense! Are you waiting to collect his corpse?"
Seeing Lü Yi's serious expression and glancing at the increasingly faint groans of the boss on the ground, the young man finally realized that the other party was serious. Driven by intense fear, he trembled as he picked up his phone.
Because I was so nervous, my fingers wouldn't obey me, and I entered the wrong unlock code several times in a row, causing the screen to lock repeatedly.
He was sweating profusely with anxiety, his hands trembling even more violently. After struggling for almost a minute, he finally managed to unlock the screen. Then, with shaky hands, he pressed the numbers "1-1-0" and dialed the police.
After the call connected, the young man cautiously observed Lü Yi's expression, not daring to make the situation sound too serious, let alone mention that the other party had used a U-lock to commit violence. He simply said that there had been a conflict in the store, that someone was injured, and that the police needed to come and handle the situation.
After hanging up the phone, an eerie silence fell over the shop, broken only by the middle-aged man's intermittent, sometimes loud, sometimes faint groans of pain, and the occasional soft sound of Lü Yi taking a puff of his cigarette.
About ten minutes later, the distinctive siren of a police car came from outside the door, growing louder as it approached. Soon after, the sound of brakes was heard at the door.
Two uniformed police officers pushed open the door and walked in. As soon as they entered, they were taken aback by the sight inside.
The ground was littered with shards of glass. A middle-aged man, his face covered in blood, was curled up on the ground, his body trembling and groaning in pain. His right hand, visibly deformed and swollen, was a horrifying sight. The air was thick with the smell of blood and smoke.
Experience allowed the two police officers to instantly assess the seriousness of the situation. One of the older officers immediately took out his phone, quickly walked to the side, and dialed 120 for emergency medical assistance, clearly and concisely explaining the address and the injured person's condition.
The other, younger policeman steadied himself and began questioning about what had happened. His gaze first fell on the young man who appeared to be the only one who was "complete" and conscious.
Upon seeing the police, the young man scrambled towards them as if they were his saviors, but still dared not get too close to Lü Yi. Trembling and incoherent, he recounted the events in a rough outline—from Lü Yi trying to unlock the door with a U-lock, to the shopkeeper quoting fifty yuan, to the argument that ensued, to Lü Yi smashing the counter glass, and finally hitting the shopkeeper on the head with the U-lock, and also...hitting the shopkeeper's hand.
He didn't dare to exaggerate, and even subconsciously downplayed the provocation in Lü Yi's words and the terrifying statement about the "golden finger" at the end, simply stating the actions and behaviors objectively.
The young policeman listened and took notes, his brow furrowed. After listening to the young man's account, he exchanged a glance with the older policeman, and then both of them turned their attention to Lü Yi, who was still sitting calmly in his chair smoking.
The older policeman walked up to Lü Yi, his tone serious but tactful. "Did you hit him?"
Lü Yi raised his head, exhaled a puff of smoke, his face showing no excitement or attempt to defend himself. Instead, he nodded cooperatively. "Yes, what he said is basically correct."
This attitude surprised both police officers. At such scenes, the worst thing is for one party to be unreasonable, deny everything, or become emotional and refuse to cooperate. In that case, they would need to spend a lot of time and energy collecting evidence, securing testimonies, and reconstructing the truth. Now that the party who committed the act had so readily admitted it, things had become much simpler and clearer.
Both police officers secretly breathed a sigh of relief. The older officer said to Lü Yi, "Since you've admitted it, come with us to the police station to cooperate with the investigation. We'll handle the matter according to the law once the injury assessment results are available."
As they spoke, the two men prepared to step forward, gesturing for Lü Yi to get up and follow them.
However, Lü Yi waved his hand and remained seated, his tone even carrying a hint of negotiation. "Comrades, please wait a moment. My men will be here to pick me up soon."
The young policeman frowned, clearly unimpressed by this explanation. He said sternly, "I don't care who's behind you, you're suspected of intentional assault and must come with us to the police station for processing! This is legal procedure!"
Lü Yi seemed not to hear his warning and insisted, "Comrades, please wait a little longer, just a moment. My men will be here soon. If you take me back, you'll probably have to bring me out again, which is too much trouble and a waste of police resources, isn't it?"
These words, carrying an obvious and arrogant tone, thoroughly enraged the young policeman. He had seen many people who disregarded the law because of their connections, and Lü Yi's behavior at this moment was a typical example of that in his eyes.
A surge of justice mixed with anger at being slighted welled up inside him, and the young policeman's voice suddenly rose, carrying an undeniable resolve:
"I don't care who's behind you! You have to come with us now! Otherwise, we'll have to take coercive measures against you!"
He stepped forward, his gaze sharply fixed on Lü Yi, and spoke slowly and deliberately, his voice firm and resolute:
"You have powerful backers, but I have the nation behind me! I don't believe that, no matter how powerful your backers are, they can be more powerful than the nation! They can be above the law!"
As he spoke, he pulled out gleaming handcuffs from his police equipment bag at his waist. The metal rings clinked together, clearly indicating that he was prepared to put them on Lü Yi immediately if he didn't cooperate.
Just as tensions were rising and the young policeman's hand was about to touch Lü Yi's arm—
Suddenly, a clear, sharp screech of car brakes came from outside the shop!
Judging from the sounds, it seems there was more than one vehicle.