Hearing this, Hong Tianxiang waved his hand irritably and said, "Can you stop making a fuss already? It's such a critical time, and you're still worried about that little incident with your son. It's just a school fight. You want me to go scold a deputy director of the police station? Are you even serious about asking me to do that?"

Hong Mingming was the apple of Hong Tianxiang's eye, and he had never treated him this way before. Whenever Wang Qing brought up anything about Hong Mingming, Hong Tianxiang used to be responsive to every request. Today's reaction took Wang Qing by surprise.

She looked at Hong Tianxiang and said, "Old Hong, what do you mean by this? Is a fight with a classmate a trivial matter? Didn't you see how your son was beaten? His lip is all swollen. From the day Hong Mingming was born, who would dare to lay a finger on him? Now, he's been beaten up like this, and if we, as his parents, don't stand up for him, who will? Hong Mingming is your own son, do you not care about him? Moreover, Pan Hongliang released Yuan Xiaozheng without our consent, which is a direct challenge to your authority. If you don't establish your dominance in front of him, who in the police system will listen to you in the future?"

Hong Tianxiang retorted angrily, "This is my work, stop meddling!"

Wang Qing, furious, began to shout abusively, "What do you mean 'this is your work'? Do you think I want to meddle in your affairs? You also don't seem to know what you're thinking all day long, being a Secretary in such a stifling manner, I've never seen such a thing before. Your son is being bullied, and instead of seeking revenge for him, you're being aggressive at home with me. What's the use of being fierce with me? Why don't you show your temper to your subordinates? They don't even take you seriously, what do you count for outside?"

Hong Tianxiang was already frustrated, and his wife's outburst only fueled his anger. He slapped her and shouted, "Get lost!"

Hong Tianxiang had never hit Wang Qing before, and she covered her face, stupefied for a long while. Seeing Hong Tianxiang put on his shoes and walk to the door, Wang Qing suddenly ran to the doorway, yelling like a madwoman, "You're a coward! You might as well not consider Hong Mingming your son. I'll get justice for Hong Mingming. Go ahead, leave, and never come back!"

Hong Tianxiang left without looking back, stepping out of the yard. Tonight was the night that would decide whether he would spend the rest of his life in prison, he had no time to worry about a child's fight!

Wang Qing had never seen Hong Tianxiang like this before. Watching him walk away, she suddenly gritted her teeth and muttered, "Hong Tianxiang, you coward. You think I can't live without you!"

Wang Qing stood up abruptly, ran inside to grab her cellphone and her purse, and hurried out.

Meanwhile, Hong Tianxiang hadn't reached the police station yet, but Wang Yuanbo had already gotten wind of the situation. Wang Yuanbo was no fool; the issue had escalated to such an extent that he was aware it was no ordinary matter, so he had sent people to find out what was going on. Although he wasn't sure what Ye Qing was up to, his instincts told him that it was best not to get too involved. Hong Tianxiang had a dirty history, and Wang Yuanbo had always kept his distance. If he got dragged into this affair, it wouldn't be worth it.

So, before Hong Tianxiang could reach the police station, Wang Yuanbo quietly made his exit. He didn't want to get involved, nor did he want to confront Hong Tianxiang head-on. It was safest not to be at the scene; whatever happened, it wasn't his responsibility to bear.

By the time Hong Tianxiang arrived at the police station, Wang Yuanbo was no longer there. When he called Wang Yuanbo, he found out that Wang was out in the suburbs and couldn't return immediately.

Hong Tianxiang wasn't stupid; he knew Wang Yuanbo was avoiding him. But that suited him just fine. With Wang Yuanbo not around, he would have control over the police system, making it more convenient to deal with the situation.

Hong Tianxiang summoned his confidant, Deputy Chief of Police Wu Jianbing, to have his team surround the guesthouse. Now that Deputy Chief Zhou Hongbin had been taken by Ye Qing, Pan Hongliang had already finished his shift, and with Wang Yuanbo out of the picture, Wu Jianbing was the highest leader in the station. He gave the order, and his two trusted subordinates immediately led thirty or forty police officers to the guesthouse to surround it completely.

At that time, Ye Qing and his people had not yet left the guesthouse. Hong Tianxiang and Wu Jianbing, in the following car, personally arrived outside the guesthouse. Wu Jianbing's men had gone in earlier to give a heads-up. The guests on the fourth floor, where Ye Qing and his group were staying, had almost all been cleared out, leaving only a few rooms occupied by Ye Qing's party, making it easier for the police to act.

Sitting next to Hong Tianxiang, Wu Jianbing asked, "Secretary Hong, what should we do?"

Hong Tianxiang gestured with his hand and said in a low voice, "Leave no survivors, especially Zhou Hongbin, he must not be allowed to live!"

"Yes!" Wu Jianbing nodded and immediately led a group of officers upstairs.

Looking at the few rooms on the fourth floor with lights still on, a cold smile flashed across Hong Tianxiang's face as he thought, "Ye, even if you have the power of three heads and six arms, as long as you're in Jiuchuan County, you can't escape my Five Finger Mountain. You're too green to fight against me!"

In the room, Zhou Hongbin sat in front of Ye Qing, having already spilled quite a bit about Hong Tianxiang's deeds. He appeared very anxious, glancing at the clock on the wall from time to time. Seeing Ye Qing remaining calm, he couldn't help but say, "Mr. Ye, are we... are we just going to stay here?"

"Where do you think we should go?" Ye Qing replied with a question.

"It's not that... it's not safe here..." Zhou Hongbin said hastily, "This is Jiuchuan County, Hong Tianxiang's territory. He is very capable, with influence in both the underworld and the above. If he could send four cops to kill us a while ago, he might send even more now. You're holding a policeman hostage right now; if he kills you, he won't be afraid to face the consequences. I think we should change locations and hide somewhere quickly, it's really not safe to stay here!"

"What's the rush?" Ye Qing smiled faintly and said, "If it's not safe here, where do you think is safe?"

"This..." Zhou Hongbin thought over and over again, and realized that there truly was no safe place in Jiuchuan County. Yet, even if they left Jiuchuan County, what then? In Dengyang City, Hong Tianxiang's network would still be just as effective. Whether they could topple Hong Tianxiang didn't depend on how much criminal evidence they had against him, but on whether they had the power to suppress his network of connections. Zhou Hongbin didn't have that kind of power, but did Ye Qing?

"If we try to run now, I'm afraid it's already too late." Ye Qing waved his hand, saying, "Calm down, no need to worry. Where there's a will, there's a way. Perhaps things will take a turn for the better soon!"

"What kind of turn for the better?" grumbled Zhou Hongbin. Hong Tianxiang had virtually full control over Jiuchuan County's police department. At this point, even if the county head, Chen Jia'an, came forward, he probably wouldn't be able to stop him—after all, he held the guns. A turn for the better? Unless the gods descended to help!

As the two sat in silence, suddenly a light beep sounded at the door. Zhou Hongbin's complexion changed, and he hurriedly scrambled to hide behind the bed. But he was too slow; the door was kicked open, and several armed policemen stormed in, guns aimed straight at the people inside.

"Don't move, police!" the leading officer shouted loudly, and alongside his yelling, a gunshot also rang out, traveling far into the night sky.

At the same time, at the county hospital, in Chen Jun's ward, Gu Xianping and Gu Yunzhi were anxiously waiting in the corridor. Just then, a doctor wearing a white coat happened to pass by, and Gu Xianping quickly got up to stop him.

"Sorry, doctor, I wanted to ask about Chen Jun's condition," Gu Xianping asked urgently. "He's been bleeding from his wound, and it's quite severe. Why hasn't anyone come to stop the bleeding?"

"Chen Jun?" The doctor frowned, saying, "Has the three-thousand-yuan deposit been paid yet?"

"Ah?" Gu Xianping was taken aback, saying, "Three... three thousand yuan?"

"What, you haven't paid yet?" The doctor glanced at Gu Xianping and said, "If you haven't paid the deposit, why are you making a fuss? Our hospital is so busy; we don't even have time for patients who have paid, let alone someone who hasn't!"

Gu Xianping urged anxiously, "But doctor, he... he's lost so much blood, if we don't stop the bleeding soon, he might be in danger for his life!"

"Is that so?" The doctor approached the door of the ward and glanced at Chen Jun, whose face was pale, and said, "It does look quite critical."

"Doctor, please save him, I beg you..." Gu Xianping's voice trembled.

The doctor ignored him and walked to the corridor entrance, raising his voice, "Xiao Li, what's the deal with Chen Jun in bed 7? If the deposit hasn't been paid, why hasn't he been moved out yet? Do you want him to die in the hospital? How can you be so careless? If someone dies in the hospital, it'll cause another uproar here; don't you find that troublesome?"

A nurse hurried over, saying, "Doctor Deng, I've been really busy here, and I forgot about it. Sorry, I'll have someone move him out right away!"

The doctor waved his hand impatiently, saying, "Make it quick; don't let him die in the hospital!"

"Yes, yes, yes..." The nurse hurried off, while Gu Xianping stood by, dumbfounded, urgently saying, "Doctor, you... you're not going to save him?"

The doctor said, "Cut the nonsense. Haven't you paid the deposit? I don't have the time to waste on him!"

"But he's about to die, doctor. At least stop the bleeding first," Gu Xianping pleaded urgently. "You stop the bleeding first, and I'll go out and find the money. Please, I'm begging you, save him..."

"Stop talking rubbish. This is a hospital, not a charity. If we treat everyone for free, what are we supposed to live on? Air from the Northwest?" The doctor curled his lip and turned to leave.

Gu Xianping was desperate, grabbing hold of the doctor's clothing, his voice quivering, "Doctor, please, I beg you, save him..."

As he spoke, Gu Xianping fell to his knees, actually kneeling to the doctor.

"Don't play that game with me; I'm not buying it." The doctor disgustingly pulled his clothing out of Gu Xianping's hands and walked away, head high and chest out.

That moment, the nurse also came running over with a few men, pointing at Chen Jun in the ward, saying, "That's the one. Get him out of here quickly, don't let him die in the hospital."