Chapter 61: Interrogation with a Belt

"What the hell! Who on earth is out there hurting people on purpose? Your aunt here almost got hacked—are you guys temp workers or something?"

Hearing that the police had come to arrest someone, Su Muqing immediately flew into a rage. She flung the door open with a bang and shouted at the officers outside.

The policemen were momentarily stunned to see Su Muqing in a police uniform. The leading officer asked, "Which department are you with?"

"I'm with the Tianhe division, under Chen Deyong," Su Muqing replied.

"Oh, so you're colleagues from Tianhe. We've come following a report from the public—someone was allegedly assaulted, so we're here to investigate and follow procedure. We need Lu Feng to come with us," the officer explained politely.

"You should hurry up and arrest those who attacked us! They assaulted police officers—assaulting an officer and you're not arresting them? Instead, you come here for us? Unbelievable!" Su Muqing protested angrily.

"We're just following procedure. We'll ask a few questions and release him once things are clear. You can contact a lawyer if you wish," the lead officer said.

Chen Lan stepped out as well, hoping to help clarify the situation. "Officer, I think you've got the wrong person. We're really not causing any trouble," she pleaded.

"This isn't up to me. I'm just here to make the arrest. If the person won't come with me, that's resisting arrest," the lead policeman said, abandoning further explanation and adopting a hard stance.

Hearing the commotion outside, Xiaoxiao climbed off the bed and poked her head out from the corridor, worry etched on her face as she looked toward the door.

Lu Feng saw Xiaoxiao's furrowed brow and didn't want to argue in front of her. He spoke up, "There's no need to argue. I'll go with you and explain everything."

"That's good. Let's go," the lead officer stepped aside, inviting Lu Feng to leave.

"You stay and look after Xiaoxiao," Lu Feng said, heading out.

Suddenly, Xiaoxiao rushed forward, calling out, "Brother…"

Lu Feng turned and waved to her, saying, "I'll come see you tomorrow. Something's come up tonight and I need to go."

Chen Lan picked up her daughter, holding back tears as she said, "Be good, Xiaoxiao. Say goodbye to your brother."

Though uneasy, Xiaoxiao saw her mother urging her and believed her brother would return tomorrow. She waved and said, "Goodbye, brother…"

After the police took Lu Feng away, Chen Lan carried Xiaoxiao back into the room. She soothed her for a while before coming out, pacing anxiously. Seeing Su Muqing still there, she spoke in a tentative tone, "Should we find a lawyer for Lu Feng?"

Chen Lan had previously lived in Baiyun District, which was notorious for its poor security. The police there were fierce; you couldn't survive there without being tough yourself.

So in her mind, police and gangsters were only distinguished by their uniforms—both were equally difficult to deal with.

"You don't need to worry about this. My dad's company has a legal representative. I'll call him. I need to leave now, so lock the door after I go. Don't open it for anyone, even if they knock," Su Muqing said, waving her hand as she departed.

Chen Lan remained anxious, but there was nothing she could do. After Su Muqing left, she locked the door, returned to her room, and tried to sleep with her daughter, but sleep eluded her.

...

Haizhu Division, where officers were still on duty late into the night—and tonight, there were more than usual.

Lu Feng was driven to Haizhu Division in the police car and pushed into the interrogation room by two officers.

The interrogation room was empty except for a table in the center, three chairs, and a tungsten lamp atop the table.

Lu Feng was seated alone. After about five minutes, two policemen entered and sat across from him.

These two were not the ones who had escorted him here; their demeanor was harsher, and their presence commanded with an air of authority.

One had a square face, drooping corners to his eyes—menacing, with a hint of cunning. The other was thin, with sharp features and piercing eyes.

The square-faced officer slapped a notebook onto the table and asked, "Speak up. What crime have you committed?"

"I'm just here to assist with the investigation, not to be interrogated as a suspect," Lu Feng tried to correct their attitude.

"Is there a difference? Once you're in my room, if you don't confess everything, don't expect to walk out," the square-faced officer sneered coldly.

"I haven't committed any crime," Lu Feng denied.

"Haven't committed a crime?" The officer scoffed, pulled a photo from the notebook, slapped it on the table, and said, "If that's true, then what's this? Someone was hacked and is now in critical condition at the hospital, and you're telling me you did nothing?"

Lu Feng frowned at the photo. He couldn't recall how many people he might have injured during the chase, nor whether the person in the photo was among them, but that wasn't the point.

"It was self-defense," Lu Feng explained earnestly.

"Self-defense? Where were you injured? You call hacking someone half to death self-defense?" The officer shook his head and sneered.

"There were twenty or thirty people coming after me. I didn't have the energy to control how hard I struck," Lu Feng explained.

"Twenty or thirty people chasing you? Was it a gang fight, or revenge from some enemy?" the officer pressed.

"They were probably from the Lianhong Society," Lu Feng replied.

"So, a gang fight. Tell me—which gang are you with?" the officer demanded.

"I'm just myself. I haven't joined any gang," Lu Feng denied.

The officer scoffed disdainfully, then suddenly slapped the table and barked, "I advise you to confess. For dealing with thugs like you, I've got plenty of ways. If you don't want to suffer, you'd better cooperate!"

"I've told you, I'm not a gang member!" Lu Feng's patience was wearing thin; the questioning had been aggressive from the start.

The square-faced officer and his thin partner exchanged a glance, both smirking coldly.

The square-faced officer stood, circled the table, and loomed over Lu Feng. He wore a cruel, vicious smile, unbuckled his belt, drew it out, folded it, and snapped it together, producing a sharp, crisp sound.

Lu Feng watched their movements, his brows tightening, glancing at the camera on the table—its power indicator was off, he couldn't tell when it had been shut down.

"So, you're trying to force a confession?" Lu Feng asked coldly.

"Whether you confess or not doesn't matter. What's important is you've crossed the wrong people. This beating is inevitable," the officer said, raising the belt and swinging it hard at Lu Feng's face.

Smack!

Ah!

The scream didn’t come from Lu Feng, but from the thin officer who had been restraining him.

In a flash, Lu Feng gripped the thin officer’s collar, pulled him in front as a shield, and the square-faced officer’s belt landed squarely across his partner’s face, leaving a vivid, shocking red welt.