Chapter 305: Chapter 302 Opportunity Comes_1
Xiao Zhao and his colleagues are seasoned city inspectorate workers, not rookies fresh out of school. At this point, there were two of them, making them less conspicuous, while they had someone watching each other’s back. This was the most suitable arrangement. Not wanting to waste any time, the two were the first to go downstairs. They didn’t even check out of the house to get their deposit back. They had simply left the vicinity of the bus terminal. As for hiring a car, Nie Zhenbang was not worried. With their experience, it was no issue at all.
They waited for around ten minutes, assuming the two had already traveled far. Only then did Nie Zhenbang turn to Gao Wei and say, “Wei Zi, let’s go together and meet this so-called Feng Dabiao.”
Gao Wei also started laughing at this point. Among the scions of Jingcheng, there’s a saying: ‘With Nie Zhenbang, there is never loneliness.’ This saying is rather controversial. Some say that it’s because Nie Zhenbang can stir up trouble, while others say that following Nie Zhenbang can lead to wealth. If nothing else, isn’t that what happened to Liu Kun, Yang Anbang, and Zhao Xinglong? They’ve all made it big. Now, in Gao Wei’s view, there’s also the saying that being with Nie Zhenbang makes being an official far more interesting.
Immediately, Gao Wei instructed Xiao Zhang and Bai who were standing nearby, “Xiao Zhang, you two wait here for about an hour and then go to the Yin Fu Guesthouse on Victory Road. If anything goes wrong, contact Director Liu in Jingcheng immediately. Do you understand?”
This method was one Gao Wei often used in the past. As a city inspectorate veteran, he had experienced dangerous situations before and knew how to handle them.
By the time they arrived at the Car Road Police Station, the two-acre station was eerily quiet.
A two-story building was the working place of the station. Upon entering, a spacious courtyard with two residential buildings in the back and a parking lot in between, where two old model 212 jeeps were parked. That should be the police cars of the Car Road Police Station.
On the side, the door of each office was tightly closed. As they looked from room to room, in the office on the first floor near the staircase, a few men in auxiliary police uniforms were gathered playing poker. Seeing this, Nie Zhenbang frowned. If this were in Xinli City, such people would have already been dismissed.
But now, his status had changed. As a disciplinary officer, if he overstepped his limits and interfered with the Public Security Bureau’s affairs, it would inevitably give others the impression that he was overreaching.
At this time, Nie Zhenbang and Gao Wei were noticed by the people inside. After a while, a man in a military camouflage uniform came out of the office. His uniform lacked insignia like shoulder patches, and he wore a red armband on his arm reading “Auxiliary Police” above the name of the local police station.
The Auxiliary Police was unique to this era. After the economic reform, in order to address issues of insufficient police force with the economic development and the social security problem, local police stations and bureaus started recruiting auxiliary police officers. This was the precursor of the auxiliary police in later generations.
Of course, the main requirement to be an auxiliary policeman was to be strong and brave. Who’s the bravest? Street thugs, of course. As such, the quality of auxiliary police officers can be imagined. “A mixed bag” is an objective evaluation of them in this era.
“What are you two doing sneaking in here?” asked the auxiliary police officer, a young man of about 21 or 22, eyeing Nie Zhenbang and Gao Wei sternly.
People at the police station generally had this kind of attitude. This was inevitable since they were dealing with ordinary people who sometimes fouled law and order. If they lacked a bit of intimidation, they would not be able to get anything done.
Nie Zhenbang took no offense at this and said with a smile, “Comrade, we’re here to find a friend. He accidentally hit someone and got brought up to the station. We just want to see what’s going on.”
Upon hearing this, the young man’s face changed. Symbols, the man in charge on duty, had personally received the one brought in. He had even seen Scar, Master Xi’s main henchman, nearby. That meant trouble. Everyone knew, in Dameng County, a local police head’s words might not work, but Master Xi’s always did.
He pointed out the way to them, “Follow the stairs to the second floor. The interrogation room is at the far end on the east side. Go ahead. Let me tell you, as outsiders in Dameng County, don’t make trouble. If you offend someone you shouldn’t, you won’t even know how you died.”
The words of the auxiliary police stunned both Nie Zhenbang and Gao Wei, and Nie Zhenbang did not look too pleased. The implications suggested that this was not the first time such a situation had occurred.
Feeling somewhat heavy-hearted, Nie Zhenbang could now understand why the driver on the way here had such a bad impression of Dameng County.
As they approached the interrogation room on the second floor, they could hear a roar from inside: “Do you see the eight words on the wall? ‘Honesty will lead to leniency, resistance will lead to hardship.’ Now, if you confess, you will still be in time. Don’t refuse the drink offered to you.”
Then, Zheng Gensheng’s voice could be heard: “What are you trying to do? I told you, I’m just a person from another city who came here to invest. At the entrance of the station, I just accidentally bumped into this person. It can barely be called a hit. I wasn’t careful. But he still insisted that I compensate him two thousand yuan. Now, I can pay, alright?”
“Two thousand, you must think we’re fools. I’m warning you, don’t play any tricks or games. We’ve already fully investigated your matters. So tell us, what is your purpose in Dameng County? Why did you repeatedly contact those families? What is your real purpose, and how many of you are there? Where do you come from?” In the interrogation room, a middle-aged man sternly spoke.
Nie Zhenbang was somewhat surprised to hear these words. It seemed that the people in Dameng County had really done their homework well.
Zheng Gensheng was also stunned. However, he definitely couldn’t spill the beans. If he confessed, Feng Dabiao could inevitably become desperate. So Zheng Gensheng said in a low voice, “What are you talking about? I don’t understand. I’m just a foreign merchant who came here to travel.”
Zheng Gensheng deliberately spoke these words in Mandarin with a strong accent from his hometown, which sounded somewhat convincing.
As his words fell, a voice within the room scoffed, “Hmph, you won’t shed a tear until you see the coffin. Li, teach him a proper lesson. Show him who’s boss.”
Upon hearing this, Nie Zhenbang couldn’t help but bristle. The meaning of these words was very clear: they were obviously preparing to torture a confession out of Zheng Gensheng.
It didn’t matter that Zheng Gensheng was one of his own men. Even if it were a stranger in this situation, Nie Zhenbang would have stood up and spoken out. Turning a blind eye was not his style.
Nie Zhenbang and Gao Wei then pushed open the door of the interrogation room. Seeing Zheng Gensheng strapped to a chair, Nie Zhenbang furrowed his brow and sternly said, “Comrade, what serious crime did my friend commit? Just hit someone at the station door? Even if it is a matter of negotiation and compensation, it should be a civil dispute right? Is it necessary to use handcuffs and treat my friend the way you would treat a criminal?”
As soon as they saw Nie Zhenbang and Gao Wei, the man in charge looked delighted. He hadn’t taken any action yet, but these people had come to his doorstep. The station chief then gave a signal to the several police officers around him, and said in a low voice, “Arrest them all.”
On hearing this, Nie Zhenbang was taken aback. Without any reason or evidence, they just wanted to arrest people. This was an abuse of power and a disregard for the state law. It seemed that the officials in Dameng County considered it their backyard, which was outrageous.
At this point, Nie Zhenbang was not going to surrender easily. Given what these people had done, if he allowed himself to be subdued, who knows what they could do. It’s better to take control directly. Since Xiao Zhao and the others had already left and would be back by tomorrow morning or even tonight, everything would be fine if he just held on until then.
Moreover, since they had been exposed now, there was no need to conceal anything further. Nie Zhenbang immediately countered. With his skills, the few people in the interrogation room were definitely no match for him. In the blink of an eye, Nie Zhenbang had subdued the station chief and three interrogating officers.
However, their loud shouts did attract the attention of the police and public security team downstairs. Although Nie Zhenbang was powerful, he was up against uniformed officers. So their effective moves didn’t work here. Caught off guard, shouting was a normal reaction.
Nie Zhenbang then said, “Wei Zi, help Old Zheng unlock his handcuffs. Tie all these people up. Today, we’re going to play the role of kidnappers.”
At this point, seven or eight public security officers and a few policemen had surrounded the room. The leading deputy station chief shouted, “Who are you? Release the hostages immediately, otherwise nobody can save you.”
“Stop complaining. We’ll let him go when it’s the right time. Even if you came here, it wouldn’t make a difference, let alone Feng Dabiao.” Gao Wei’s face darkened as he spoke.
Nie Zhenbang then barricaded the interrogation room’s door with several tables, ordered Gao Wei to pull down all the curtains, and said, “Wei Zi, looks like we’re going to steal the limelight again.”
Just when Station Chief Feng and his men were taken hostage, Feng Tianbao received the news. His face lit up with joy. He rushed to the Dameng County Committee Office, his father’s office. His face excited, Feng Tianbao said, “Dad, our chance has come. These guys dared to kidnap a police officer. Should we directly…?”
Feng Tianbao nonchalantly made a throat-cutting gesture. Hearing his son’s words, Feng Dabiao fell into deep thought.
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