The Dagger Revealed at the End of the Scroll
Lü Yi's murderous shout was like a bucket of ice water being poured over someone's head, instantly freezing the tense atmosphere at the doorway.
The Western-style knife, gleaming coldly in the morning light, was more persuasive than any words. The thin man's hand, which was reaching for his phone, froze in mid-air, his fingertips trembling slightly. His face was deathly pale, and fine beads of cold sweat appeared on his forehead. He dared not move.
The Glasses man's eyelids twitched violently, and his heart skipped a beat. He hadn't expected that not only had the other person seen through the fact that the police were fake, but this seemingly thuggish guy beside him was also completely unpredictable, resorting to violence at the slightest provocation, and the madness in his eyes was absolutely genuine.
The situation deviated completely from their pre-planned script—to use "police" mediation to pressure the other party into paying compensation. Now, the legitimacy of the "police" is being questioned, their own forceful intimidation (although there are four of them) is a joke in front of the other party, and they are even being held at knifepoint.
We can't take a hard line; we need to quickly bring the situation back under control! At the very least, we need to clear our own people out and eliminate the most direct leverage point—that emergency call!
The Glasses man's mind raced, and he quickly forced a smile that appeared sincere. He took a half-step forward (carefully avoiding the direction the blade was pointing), and pressed his hands down slightly in a reassuring gesture.
"Misunderstanding! It's all a misunderstanding! Everyone, please calm down! Please don't get agitated!" He spoke quickly, trying to ease the tension. "This... brother, put down your knife, let's talk this out! We're here today for some money, there's no need to make a scene like this, brandishing knives and guns, it's too dangerous!"
As he spoke, he subtly nudged the frozen, thin man next to him with his elbow. The movement was small, but the intention was clear—he wanted him to get rid of his phone immediately, or at least unlock it and delete the call logs!
The thin man, jolted from his extreme fear by the impact, understood the Glasses man's meaning. Yes, the phone records! That was crucial evidence! As long as they were deleted... His eyes darted around, a glimmer of hope rising in his fear-driven mind. His fingers, extremely slowly and subtly, attempted to continue the action of taking out his phone, while his other hand quietly rose, seemingly trying to do something subtle to cover it up.
However, none of his slightest movements escaped Lü Yi's sharp, hawk-like eyes, which also held the focused and obsessive gaze characteristic of a mentally ill person.
Just as the thin man's fingers touched the edge of the phone, and his shoulder muscles tensed slightly in preparation for exertion—
"Whoosh!"
A flash of cold light!
Lü Yi moved! Instead of charging forward, he shifted his feet and moved with ghostly speed, closing the distance instantly! The kitchen knife he held in his reverse grip was pressed against the thin man's chest at an extremely tricky angle!
The tip of the knife even pierced the thin jacket and the T-shirt underneath, sending a cold sensation through the skin and a very slight stinging pain from the pressure of a sharp object!
"Ugh--!" The thin man let out a short, sharp gasp, as if his throat had been choked. His blood seemed to freeze at that moment! All his movements, whether it was taking out his phone or trying to cover his mouth, were as if he had been frozen in place. He didn't even dare to move his eyes. He could only stare in terror at Lü Yi's expressionless face, which was so close to him, yet chilling to the bone.
"Did I tell you to move?" Lü Yi's voice was very soft, even a little casual, as if asking "Have you eaten?", but the knife tip pressed against the other's chest was as steady as Rock, without the slightest tremor.
With his free left hand, he casually patted the thin man's pale cheek, making a soft "slap, slap" sound. The action was utterly insulting.
"You'll get paid a few thousand yuan a month?" Lü Yi tilted his head, his tone casual, but his eyes were icy cold, as if he were looking at an inanimate object. "Why risk your life? Hmm? Is it worth it to risk your life for such a small amount of money?"
The thin man's lips trembled, and he couldn't utter a single word; only cold sweat poured down his face.
Lü Yi's gaze passed over him and landed on the Glasses man's face, which was ashen and whose eyes were darting around. A cruel and mocking smile appeared on Lu Yi's lips.
"Or," he said to the thin man, his eyes fixed on the Glasses man, "Why don't you let him try?" He lightly tapped the man's chest with the tip of his knife, "And see if I dare to make a hole in him? Or perhaps..."
His gaze then shifted to the policeman beside him, whose expression was shifting constantly, his hand resting on his "police equipment bag" but daring not to move, and his smile became even more sinister:
"Let this 'police officer' do it for you? Let's see if my kitchen knife can make a symmetrical hole in this 'police officer's' nice leather uniform?"
His words were like the forked tongue of a venomous snake, licking at everyone's nerves. The murderous intent in the air almost solidified into a tangible form.
The fake smile on the Glasses man's face completely crumbled, and his throat went dry. He knew he had met a tough nut to crack today, a ruthless thug who was completely unruly, fearless, and possibly even mentally unstable! If he continued to entangle himself with him, forget about the money; he might really get into trouble! His "police" companion's eyes darted around, and he took a barely perceptible half-step back, clearly already considering retreating.
Liu Jian slumped to the ground, his crotch still damp with cold sweat. He was terrified and wished he could just faint. His two henchmen were also pale-faced and didn't dare to breathe.
Under the pressure of the knife, the thin man's mental defenses completely collapsed. He begged for mercy in a trembling voice, "Don't... don't stab... me... I won't move... the phone... here's the phone..." He slowly moved his frozen hand from his pocket, indicating that he had completely given up resisting.
Lü Yi did not immediately sheathe his sword, but instead looked at him coldly and then scanned the room.
Just then, Lin Feng, who had been observing coldly as if he were an outsider, finally made a move.
He took his phone out of his pajamas pocket, unlocked it, and swiped the screen unhurriedly, as if the tense farce unfolding before him had nothing to do with him.
Under everyone's gaze—including the suspicious look of the fake policeman, the anxious man with Glasses trying to stop him but not daring to speak, the knife still pressed against the thin man's chest by Lü Yi, and the terrified eyes of the others— Lin Feng found a number in his contacts.
It's not 110.
But he still pressed the dial button in front of everyone and then held the phone to his ear.
"Hello? Is this 110?" Lin Feng's voice was calm and clear, reaching everyone's ears. "I need to report a crime. The address is... There's someone threatening us with a knife here, and... there's someone suspected of impersonating a police officer to swindle us. Hmm, the situation is temporarily under control, but we need you to dispatch officers as soon as possible. By the way..."
He paused, his gaze falling on the fake policeman's face, which had instantly turned extremely ugly, and added:
"Please notify the Guangming Road Police Station of the Lin'an District Public Security Sub-bureau and ask if a police officer named XXX (he glanced at the name on the fake police ID in his hand), badge number XXXXXX, came to our Chaoyang District today to handle a knife-related dispute. If so, please verify their dispatch procedures. If not..."
He didn't finish his sentence, but the meaning was clear.
The voice of the dispatcher could be faintly heard on the other end of the phone. Lin Feng hummed in response a few times and hung up.
He put his phone back in his pocket, then leisurely picked up the half Apple he had casually placed on the shoe cabinet, took another bite, and the crisp chewing sound was particularly clear in the deathly quiet stairwell.
He leaned back against the wall in the entryway, looking at the group of people at the door with different expressions, all looking as if they had lost their parents, especially the fake policeman whose hand was still on the "police equipment bag" but who was already sweating profusely, and the Glasses man whose face was ashen.
"Alright," Lin Feng swallowed the Apple, his tone as casual as if he were announcing something trivial, "Now, we can wait for the real police to arrive, and then we can talk slowly."
He glanced at Lü Yi.
Receiving a glance, Lü Yi, the knife tip pressed against the thin man's chest, finally pulled back slightly, but still maintained a distance where he could stab at any moment. He grinned, revealing his white teeth, like a child who had found an interesting toy, except that this "toy" was a matter of life and death.
Waiting became the most agonizing punishment. Outside the window, the distinctive and authoritative sirens of more than one police car seemed to approach from afar. This time, it was for real.