A Flaw
The sudden young voice from the doorway caused everyone's gaze to instinctively turn towards the house.
Lin Feng emerged from the shadows of the living room, his steps unhurried, his face still showing a hint of lingering sleepiness, but his eyes were clear and sharp.
He was dressed in a simple home T-shirt and trousers, holding a half-eaten Apple in his hand, looking like an ordinary resident who had just gotten up and was disturbed by the noise at the door. But his gaze was precisely fixed on the face of the middle-aged "police officer" who was responding to the call alone, with undisguised scrutiny.
The middle-aged police officer was taken aback by the sudden question. His brows furrowed instantly, and a hint of displeasure flashed across his face, but it was quickly masked by professional seriousness. He looked at Lin Feng, his tone becoming more forceful and warning. "Who are you? I am on official duty, handling a public order dispute. Unauthorized personnel should not interfere with law enforcement!"
"On official business?" Lin Feng scoffed, took a bite of his Apple, chewed a couple of times, and said in a muffled but clear voice, "A solo police response, handling a knife-wielding incident, and you didn't even turn on your body camera... Officer, isn't your 'official business' a bit too unprofessional?"
He took two steps forward, reaching the brightly lit area of the entryway. His gaze swept over the police officer's bare shoulder (no body camera), then at his solitary figure. His doubt and skepticism deepened. "I'm not well-educated, don't try to fool me. Since when can a police station respond to a call like this by one person? And..."
He paused, looking the other person up and down. "Your police uniform looks convincing. But the more I look at you, the more I feel... you don't seem like a police officer."
"What nonsense are you spouting!" The middle-aged police officer's face darkened, as if he had been greatly insulted. His voice suddenly rose, filled with anger, "Obstructing official duties! I can take legal action against you!"
As he spoke, seemingly to prove his identity and to intimidate the arrogant young man before him, he suddenly reached into his pocket and pulled out a dark blue ID card holder, opened it with a swish, and held it up in front of him so that Lin Feng and the people at the door could see it clearly.
The cover was dark blue with a police badge, and the inner pages contained a photo with the man's name, badge number, and unit information. The person in the photo was indeed the middle-aged man in front of him. At first glance, the identification seemed to be in order.
"Look carefully!" The police officer's tone was stern, carrying an unquestionable authority. "This is my police ID! Now, I'll say it again, I'm handling official business! All other unrelated personnel, step back immediately and do not interfere with law enforcement! Otherwise, you will bear all the consequences!" He stared sternly at Lin Feng, trying to intimidate him with his imposing presence.
However, Lin Feng didn't back down; instead, he moved even closer, his eyes fixed on the police ID. Just when the police officer thought he was about to back down or examine it more closely, Lin Feng suddenly reached out without warning, his movements so fast that no one could react, and snatched the police ID from the officer's hand!
"Hey! What are you doing!" The police officer exclaimed in surprise, reaching out to snatch it back.
Lin Feng had already taken a half step back, avoiding his hand, and lowered his head to carefully examine the document in his hand. He looked at it over and over, his fingers tracing the material and printing of the document, his gaze lingering on details such as the photo, the embossed seal, the police number, and the issuing authority's stamp, occasionally glancing up to compare it with the "policeman" in front of him who had a furious expression on his face.
The police officer's face was ashen, his hand resting on the police equipment bag at his waist (if he actually had one), and he shouted sternly, "You're trying to steal my police equipment and credentials! What are you trying to do! Give them back to me immediately!"
Lin Feng ignored his threat, instead seeming to have discovered something amusing, a playful smile appearing on his face. He raised his head, his gaze returning to the "police officer's" face, and slowly began to speak:
"This ID... the workmanship is quite genuine. The photo is yours, and the stamp looks fine." He abruptly changed the subject, his tone becoming sharp. "However, officer, I have a small question."
He held up his badge, pointed to the "affiliated unit" section, and read out slowly and deliberately, "Lin'an District Public Security Sub-bureau, Guangming Road Police Station." Then, he looked up, his gaze piercing like a knife. "**How did you, a policeman from Lin'an District, end up 'enforcing the law' in our Chaoyang District? And what a 'coincidental' thing, handling a dispute that happened in a resident's home in Chaoyang District?"
Upon hearing this, the doorway fell silent for a moment.
The expressions of anticipation or schadenfreude on the faces of the Glasses man and Liu Jian froze slightly. Enforcement across districts? This... seems a bit off?
The middle-aged "police officer's" pupils contracted almost imperceptibly, but he maintained a composed expression and explained stiffly, "I... I'm on leave today. I was passing by and received an assignment from the command center to come and handle the situation here first! Is there a problem? The situation is urgent, why are you assigning a district!"
"Oh? Just passing by? Dealing with it nearby?" Lin Feng's smile deepened, but it was tinged with coldness. "That's quite a coincidence." He turned his gaze to the thin man behind the Glasses man who had just appeared to have called the police, and then glanced at the time on his phone (he had glanced at the clock in the living room when he came out earlier).
"Let me do the math," Lin Feng said, counting on his fingers as if it were the most ordinary thing in the world. "From the time this... 'righteous consumer' started yelling and calling the police about ten minutes ago, to when you showed up here, was ten minutes really a separate event? Even if you were just 'passing by,' receiving an assignment, it would take you ten minutes to get from near the Guangming Road Police Station in Lin'an District to this neighborhood in Chaoyang District? Officer, did you arrive in a police helicopter or on wheels?"
He took a step forward, almost touching the "police officer," his voice low but carrying an even stronger sense of pressure. "Or... you didn't receive any 'assignment' from the command center at all?"
Lin Feng's gaze suddenly pierced the thin man whose face was already turning pale, his finger pointing directly at him:
"I suspect he didn't even call 110! He called your personal number! You're all in cahoots!"
"You... you're spouting nonsense!" The skinny man trembled in fright, his face turning deathly pale. He instinctively reached for his phone in his pocket, as if trying to prove something, or perhaps trying to hide something.
"Don't move!" Just then, a loud shout, like a thunderclap, rang out in the narrow entrance hall!
It's Lü Yi!
Without anyone noticing, he had silently picked up the Western-style kitchen knife that had been tossed onto the entryway floor. He stood half a step to the side of Lin Feng, gripping the knife in a reverse grip with one hand, the tip pointing downwards. His eyes were cold and fierce, like a wild beast poised to pounce, his gaze fixed on everyone in the doorway, especially the thin man reaching for his phone and the "police officer" whose expression shifted constantly.
"I'll fucking see who dares to touch me!" Lü Yi's voice was hoarse and violent, carrying the illogical killing intent unique to a mentally ill person. "If anyone moves a finger, I'll stab them right now! Try me if you dare!"
His hand holding the knife was steady, and the madness and ruthlessness in his eyes were unmistakable. The scene of him stabbing the door with the knife was still vivid in everyone's mind, and now his look of wanting to devour people instantly shocked everyone present!
The thin man who was reaching for his phone froze in mid-air, too afraid to move. The Glasses man and Liu Jian, among others, were so terrified they held their breath and instinctively shrank back. The middle-aged man who claimed to be a police officer finally lost his composure, a flicker of panic in his eyes. His hand rested on his police equipment bag, but he dared not make any further move. He could tell that this Madman with the knife was truly capable of stabbing someone!
The air seemed to freeze, leaving only the heavy, uneven sounds of breathing. The red and blue flashing lights of the police cars still flickered silently outside the window, illuminating the absurd and dangerous stalemate at the doorway.
Lin Feng stood beside Lü Yi, still holding the stolen "police ID" in his hand, staring expressionlessly at the group of people before him. The truth seemed to be about to be revealed.