As soon as the police arrived, the crowd gathered around, whispering among themselves about whether Yang Chen was in trouble.
"Yeah… that's me."
Yang Chen looked up, confused. Why would the police be looking for him? Had the authorities found him? No—if that were true, they'd have sent special forces for a night raid, not three regular cops.
The inspector flashed his ID, arrogant and cold. "I'm Feng Biao, Captain of the West District Police. You're accused of assault and attempted murder of minors. Come with us to the station for questioning—now."
So that's it… Yang Chen realized. Chen Feng must've pulled strings. The gang was using the police to do their dirty work!
Old Li panicked, rushing forward. "Officers, you've got the wrong man! Chen Feng and his thugs came to extort protection money—Yang Chen was just defending himself!"
"Hmph, we'll investigate that!" Feng Biao snapped. "All I saw was Boss Chen's son beaten until he spat blood. This guy doesn't have a scratch on him!" Ignoring Old Li, he waved for the two officers to cuff Yang Chen.
Yang Chen didn't resist. After the handcuffs clicked on, he sighed softly. "Don't worry, Old Li. I've done nothing wrong. Look after my kebab stall. If I'm not back by dark, push it home for me."
"Quit talking—move!" Feng Biao barked.
Old Li wanted to argue, but knew he could do nothing. He watched helplessly as Yang Chen was led to the police car.
Once Feng Biao and the others were gone, the vendors and onlookers erupted in angry mutters—about police-gang collusion, how officials and crooks were in cahoots. But no one dared say such things to the cops' faces.
At the station, Yang Chen was dragged straight to an interrogation room. The stark, serious space made him glance around curiously. Truth be told, he'd been to police stations plenty of times before—but never as a suspect.
Feng Biao herded two burly officers into the room, then sneered. "Enjoy your leisure while you can. Keep looking around—we'll see if you're still this relaxed later." With that, he slammed the iron door shut and left.
Yang Chen sat down calmly, meeting the two officers' predatory stares without flinching.
The bearded officer started the questioning. "Name?"
"Yang Chen."
"Gender."
"Male…" Yang Chen answered politely, a faint smile on his face.
"Age?"
"24."
"Hometown?"
"Lan City."
…
After a string of tedious questions, Yang Chen remained calm and cooperative, answering even the most absurd queries cheerfully. The two cops grew frustrated—they'd been ordered by Feng Biao to teach Yang Chen a lesson, but his perfect compliance left them no excuse to rough him up.
Finally, the dark-skinned officer found an angle. "Did you assault six minors at the market today?"
"I didn't assault them. They tried to extort protection money first. I was acting in self-defense."
"I don't know if they extorted you—but you threw the first punch, didn't you?" the bearded cop sneered.
"Yes…" Yang Chen nodded honestly.
"But I'm not at fault. We can settle this in court if we have to."
"Court? A kebab vendor?" the dark-skinned cop muttered disdainfully. He pushed a document across the table, pointing to the signature line. "Sign here. Admit guilt and pay compensation to the victims."
Yang Chen glanced at it—a pre-written confession. The charges stacked high enough to lock him up for half his life! His smile turned cold. "Officer, this document isn't legal, is it? I haven't said a word, yet suddenly I'm facing all these charges?"
The dark-skinned cop slammed his fist on the table. "You dare question us? Accuse us of framing you? Do you know where you are?!"
"I'm just telling the truth."
Yang Chen knew the two were determined to frame him. A cold glint flickered in his eyes.
The cops had expected him to refuse—anyone with sense wouldn't sign away half their life. The real goal was to provoke him. And they'd succeeded.
"Kid, you're refusing to cooperate. Do you know the consequences?!" The bearded officer stood, walking behind Yang Chen and clenching his fists until his knuckles cracked.
Yang Chen glanced at the surveillance camera. He guessed the footage would only show him talking back—what happened next would stay hidden. Even if word got out, no one would easily believe what went on inside a police station.
Cops like these existed everywhere, it seemed…
"I don't know what'll happen to me, but you two? You're in for a surprise you never saw coming…" Yang Chen turned his head casually, grinning at the bearded cop.
"You're dead!"
Seeing Yang Chen dare to defy them, the bearded officer lunged to grab his collar, his other fist raised to strike! But in an instant, his hand grabbed thin air. Yang Chen had stood up silently, grabbing the cop's collar instead.
"This is what you wanted, right?" Yang Chen smirked, landing an uppercut to the cop's stomach.
The bearded man convulsed, curling into a ball on the floor and twitching in agony.
The dark-skinned cop jumped up in rage. "You dare assault an officer!" He drew his Type 54 pistol from his holster and aimed it at Yang Chen!
But Yang Chen ignored the black muzzle. In a flash, he stepped behind the cop, tapping his arm lightly with a finger. The arm jolted as if electrocuted, and the pistol clattered to the floor.
Before the cop could react, a numbness shot up his neck. He collapsed unconscious.
Yang Chen picked up the illegal document from the table, smiling coldly. "You use this trick a lot, huh? Wonder how it'll look if this gets out."