Super Soldier in the City
Chapter 284 - 291 Coming to Watch the Play

Chapter 284: Chapter 291 Coming to Watch the Play

Qian Liben immediately frowned. He had already given Lin Qiong enough face by not pursuing the issue of her hitting Zhao Tao, but Lin Qiong still didn’t know when to stop. His face darkened instantly as he said, "Lin Qiong, you need to know when to advance and when to retreat. This is our Qingping Branch Bureau, and it’s not your turn as the head of a police station to direct our work here."

Lin Qiong knew that Qian Liben was angry, and she calmed down a bit, replying, "Deputy Director Qian, I am not qualified to direct work here, but as a police officer, I cannot just watch my colleague engaging in coerced confessions, which is a violation of law by those who enforce it. For the reputation of our police force and the image of our officers in the eyes of the people, that’s why I need to be here."

Qian Liben said sternly, "This matter will be dealt with by the leadership of our sub-bureau."

Lin Qiong still didn’t want to leave, but suddenly there was noise at the door, and two people walked in. One was a man under thirty, brimming with pride, and the other a man in his fifties. Lin Qiong had seen the older man before; he was none other than Sunx Zhengjun, the chief of this sub-bureau.

And naturally, the young man was Song Ziqiao. Yesterday, he had been embarrassed by Li Yifei, who damaged his oil tank, forcing him to stop at sea. In the end, it was only after the speedboat’s driver called for help that several other speedboats came to take Song Ziqiao and his companions away. Song Ziqiao even compensated for two speedboats; otherwise, those people wouldn’t have let them go.

Arrogant as Song Ziqiao might be, he wouldn’t stoop to dine and dash. After all, he wasn’t just some street thug, and naturally, he blamed Li Yifei for his losses. Upon returning, he found Qian Liben and had him arrest Li Yifei immediately.

Qian Liben had served as deputy director for some years and recently saw an opportunity to climb higher up the ladder. However, he lacked connections until he met Song Ziqiao, who represented a great opportunity to advance. He had to cling tightly to those coattails, so when Song Ziqiao mentioned the matter, he wasted no time and immediately led a team today to arrest Li Yifei.

Today, Song Ziqiao had come specifically to see Li Yifei. After being humiliated by Li Yifei twice, he finally had the chance to get back at him, and there was no way he would miss the opportunity to witness Li Yifei’s downfall and sneer at him in person, to vent the frustration in his heart.

Given his status and background, even the Qingping Sub-bureau chief dared not disrespect him. Knowing Song Ziqiao was coming, he immediately accompanied him over. Even though he knew there was something fishy about the case, he had to go along with Song Ziqiao’s wishes because if he didn’t show due consideration for Song Ziqiao, and Song Ziqiao bore a grudge, then it could be quite easy for Song Ziqiao to make things difficult for him. It wouldn’t be so easy for him to advance further if Song Ziqiao decided to make him wear "small shoes."

Full of excitement, Song Ziqiao arrived at the interrogation room, eager to see Li Yifei’s sorry state, but upon entering, he was surprised to see so many people there. Especially when he saw Li Yifei, although handcuffed, was nonchalantly smoking a cigarette, which infuriated him further.

"Director Sunx, since when has your interrogation room turned into a marketplace?" Song Ziqiao asked Director Sunx Zhengjun with a sardonic tone.

Sunx Zhengjun frowned, wondering why two deputy directors and six or seven other officers were in the interrogation room, not to mention Lin Qiong, a key figure nurtured by the city. He looked at Qian Liben and Director Wang and said, "What’s going on here?"

Qian Liben hurriedly explained, "Mayor Song, Director Sunx, this is what happened: Zhao Tao and Zhang Sheng were interrogating a suspect when Lin Qiong suddenly barged in and knocked Zhao Tao unconscious. So we came over to find out what’s going on."

Sunx Zhengjun’s face darkened instantly. As the sub-bureau chief, Lin Qiong may be a key figure cultivated by the city, but that still didn’t give her the right to run wild in his sub-bureau. He said gravely to Lin Qiong, "Little Lin, what do you mean by this?"

Lin Qiong faced Sunx Zhengjun’s gaze, neither servile nor overbearing, and replied, "Director Sunx, it was wrong of me to hit someone, but your colleague here, while interrogating, resorted to techniques of coerced confession, and was also rude, which is why I impulsively struck out."

Song Ziqiao squinted at Lin Qiong. Dressed in her police uniform, she looked spirited and handsome, catching Song Ziqiao’s eye. He had been involved with many women, but he had never had a "police flower." He remarked, "This Officer Little Lin is quite impressive, even able to knock down a man."

Zhao Tao’s face darkened instantly. Being knocked out by Lin Qiong, especially when mentioned by Deputy County Head Song Ziqiao, was indeed an embarrassing matter, and he couldn’t even vent his anger.

Lin Qiong ignored Song Ziqiao, whose gaze she found repulsive, and instead said to Sunx Lijun, "Director Sunx, I trust you will handle this impartially. Li Yifei is my friend, and I can step aside for now. As for me hitting someone, I am willing to accept the punishment."

Having caused such a scene, Lin Qiong also knew there was no benefit for her to stay any longer. She believed that Director Sunx Zhengjun wouldn’t let Zhao Tao and the others act recklessly, or his own reputation as director would suffer.

Sunx Zhengjun nodded, saying, "I will communicate with your leadership about this. You may go back now."

Lin Qiong nodded, turned to Li Yifei, her gaze somewhat complex, and finally left the interrogation room.

With Song Ziqiao’s status, he naturally couldn’t pester Lin Qiong there, but he made a mental note of her. He could always make contact later; as long as he was here, a mere police officer would be easy to handle.

Turning to Li Yifei, Song Ziqiao’s face darkened again as he said, "It seems that those who you arrest have quite the pleasant stay, even enjoying a smoke."

Zhang Sheng was alarmed and sensed Song Ziqiao’s displeasure. He quickly lunged forward, reaching for the cigarette in Li Yifei’s mouth, barking, "Who allowed you to smoke? Huh!"

With a scream, Zhang Sheng’s hand quickly retracted, shaking it vigorously a couple of times, flinging a cigarette butt away in the process.

He had just snatched the cigarette butt from Li Yifei’s mouth. Initially, he grasped the non-lit end, but as Yifei tilted his head slightly, the butt eluded his grip. At that moment, Yifei suddenly blew a stream of air, propelling the lit cigarette directly into his palm. Moreover, just before blowing, he had taken a strong draw, causing the ember to flare up significantly.

Even if the ember had grown slightly larger, Zhang Sheng could have pinched it out with his fingers without much harm, given that the skin there is thicker. But it landed in the center of his palm, where the skin is not so thick. The scorching ember brought with it a pain that was too much to bear.

Others might not know Li Yifei, but Song Ziqiao, having suffered twice at Yifei’s hands, knew full well this was intentional. That made him even more furious. He let out a sardonic laugh and said, "Kid, you’re still so brash even here. It seems you really don’t know whether you’re alive or dead. Deputy Director Qian, I’ll leave this matter to you."

Qian Liben immediately said, "Mayor Song, rest assured, I will handle this matter thoroughly."

Song Ziqiao chuckled and said, "Alright then, proceed with the interrogation. I will be watching."

Understanding what Song Ziqiao meant, Qian Liben promptly told the remaining officers, "Alright, everyone return to your duties."

The officers quickly retreated, leaving only Zhao Tao and Zhang Sheng. Sunx Lijun hesitated before telling Song Ziqiao, "Mayor Song, I have some other matters to attend to, so I won’t be able to keep you company here."

Song Ziqiao knew Sunx Lijun didn’t want to get involved in this messy situation, but he didn’t care. Qian Liben was convenient for his use; whatever he ordered, Qian would follow. As for Sunx Lijun, being Sub-bureau Chief, he wasn’t as easy to manipulate. It was better that he left. Song Ziqiao replied with a smile, "Director Sunx, go ahead with your work. I won’t need your attention here."

Director Sunx departed, and so did Director Wang after a brief farewell. Wang resented Song Ziqiao’s methods, but found himself powerless to intervene, opting instead for ’out of sight, out of mind.’

"Song Ziqiao, what... what are you going to do? You’re the County Head; you can’t abuse your power or arbitrarily arrest people," Li Yifei suddenly exclaimed in terror, a stark contrast to his previous composure.

Song Ziqiao burst into laughter at this, and after a few hearty laughs, he shouted, "Li Yifei, you’re scared now? Well, I’m telling you, I will abuse my power, and I will arrest whoever I want, simply because I have the strength. You think you can contend with me? How utterly naive, ha ha."

"You cannot do this, you’re supposed to be the Parental officials of the people, serving them. I’m a taxpayer; you should be protecting me, not targeting me."

Song Ziqiao found this even more amusing and replied, "Kid, are you an idiot or a fool? Weren’t you pretty defiant earlier? Now you remember I’m an official? And who told you officials are here to serve the people? Do you think all those people who spend money and pull strings to become officials do it to serve the people? Are they fools? You talking about being a taxpayer and needing my protection, that’s just hilarious. In my eyes, you’re nothing but a peon. If I want you alive, even seeking death won’t grant you escape, and if I want you dead, you won’t be able to live even if you wish for it."

Qian Liben and the others, including Zhao Tao and Zhang Sheng, burst into laughter as well. Eager to make a good impression, Qian Liben quickly said, "Kid, do you think you can offend Mayor Song?"

Zhao Tao, who had refrained from lecturing Li Yifei properly and had even been beaten up by Lin Qiong, was seething with anger. Rolling up his sleeves, he stated, "Mayor Song, let me vent your frustration for you today."

Song Ziqiao crossed his legs and said, "Sure, go ahead. Don’t hold back. Anything that happens, I’ve got your back."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Tao felt even more confident and, with a heinous smile, declared, "Mayor Song, I’ll showcase the techniques I’ve honed over the years, starting with ’tortoise shell.’

"Tortoise shell? What’s that?" Song Ziqiao’s interest was piqued.

"Mayor Song, please allow me to keep you in suspense. You’ll see in a moment." With those words, Zhao Tao approached Li Yifei, his face aglow with excitement. Inflicting suffering was his utmost delight.

The so-called ’tortoise shell’ tied a person’s hands and feet together in such a way that the left hand was shackled to the right foot, and the right hand to the left foot. It forced the person to lie face down, curled up, resembling a turtle. It might be bearable for a short time, but within a few minutes, the bound person would be in excruciating pain.

Li Yifei shouted loudly, "You can’t do this; you’re police officers! You have to abide by the law."

Song Ziqiao, all smiles, replied, "The law? Now I’ll make you understand whether the law is for peons like you or for us. Quickly, give me a ’tortoise shell’ to see. Ha ha! You’ll be ’turtled’ first, and once I’ve had my way with your woman, you’ll be a real turtle."

Qian Liben and the other two, Zhao Tao and Zhang Sheng, joined in the laughter. In their eyes, Li Yifei was nothing more than their plaything, and today they intended to take their pleasure in tormenting him.

Just as Zhao Tao reached Li Yifei, the interrogation room door was suddenly kicked open again. This completely disrupted Song Ziqiao’s mood. He turned around, about to erupt in anger, but the words died in his throat as his expression turned extremely unsightly.