Chapter 101: Some Blows Must Land Squarely on the Head!

Chapter 101: Some Sticks Need to Land on the Head!

Clang—

The door swung open once again.

Since Tang Zhong had been locked in this room, he had counted; the door had been opened seven times already. This was the eighth. He hoped it would be the last. He liked auspicious numbers.

As before, Jiang Kai was the first to enter, followed by Li Botao, Jiang Tao, Wen Jing, and others. The police station leaders came in as well, but with Li Botao present, none dared to speak or make themselves known.

Li Botao looked at Tang Zhong apologetically and said, “I just reviewed some documents and realized you’re innocent. Now that your family has come to vouch for you, you’re free to leave. However, if we need further inquiry, please cooperate.”

He shot Jiang Kai a glance, signaling him to remove the handcuffs quickly.

Jiang Kai had no choice but to obey.

Tang Zhong flexed his wrists, which were cut and bleeding, then looked at Jiang Kai and said, “I’d like to speak with Captain Jiang. Is that allowed?”

Jiang Kai’s heart sank, but he maintained his composure and asked, “What do you want to discuss?”

“You saw my student ID—you know I study psychology,” Tang Zhong said with a smile.

“Yes. I know,” Jiang Kai replied. Seeing this arrogant face, he wished he could bite him and rip off a chunk.

“Let me try to analyze your psychology. If anything’s off, please correct me,” Tang Zhong said. “When you brought me in, you cuffed me, preparing to force a confession—”

Jiang Kai quickly explained, “That was only intimidation. Necessary tactics for dealing with criminals. I didn’t actually lay a hand on you.”

“Relax,” Tang Zhong gestured for him to calm down. “I don’t mean to blame you. I have a friend who’s a police officer; he’s told me about your procedures. I’m familiar. I know, the first time you came in ready to use force, it was to make a show of authority. Because you knew I’m a tough nut—unless you broke me, it’d be hard to get anything out of me. Police work isn’t easy. I understand.”

Jiang Kai was speechless. It seemed this guy wasn’t lying; he knew all the ins and outs of the system.

“The second time you came in, your demeanor was noticeably more excited,” Tang Zhong continued. “I don’t know if you won the lottery or were promoted—or if it was neither. Is it simply that the thought of beating me up got you so worked up?”

“I did not,” Jiang Kai protested. He carefully recalled his expressions—did he seem excited? The chief had told him to ‘handle it seriously,’ and he really thought he could rough up this guy. But he believed he hadn’t shown it outwardly.

Besides, this kid was a murder suspect—how did he still have the mood to observe others’ emotions?

“You did. Of course, I won’t argue about it,” Tang Zhong said. “Lying is no good for psychological analysis. I’m dissecting your inner world—I suppose you either have a grudge against me or received some promise, and wanted to beat me up?”

“This time, you didn’t come alone; you brought two assistants. Clearly, you were truly planning to use force—unfortunately for you, your two subordinates didn’t help much.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Jiang Kai said, increasingly alarmed, but outwardly stubborn.

“No need to rush to defend yourself. It only makes you look guilty,” Tang Zhong said. “When I knocked down those two officers who tried to use excessive force, you heard knocking at the door and left. When you returned, your expression was strange—”

Tang Zhong looked at Jiang Kai, “Even now, I wonder—when you stared at me with that look, was it sympathy or pity? This time, you chose the nightstick.”

Tang Zhong watched Jiang Kai thoughtfully and said, “Your expression was resolute, as if you had a mission. When you struck at me, you went for my chest and knees—hitting the chest I understand, but you wanted to break my leg?”

“I didn’t. You’re slandering me,” Jiang Kai felt he was at the edge of collapse. This guy wasn’t a student; he was a demon centuries old.

“I knew you wouldn’t admit it,” Tang Zhong said.

He pushed aside the table, stood up, and walked to the corner, picking up the nightstick Jiang Kai had tossed earlier.

He swung it twice in his hand, then said to Jiang Kai, “You just used this to hit me.”

“It’s just a prop. Usually not used,” Jiang Kai said. Even though everyone present knew it was a ‘hidden rule’ in the department, he couldn’t admit in front of Jiang Tao that he’d tried to break the kid’s leg.

“Is that so?” Tang Zhong glanced at the nightstick in his hand. “What a waste, then.”

He raised the nightstick and smashed it towards Jiang Kai’s head.

Jiang Kai was startled and raised his arm to block.

Crack—

The nightstick struck Jiang Kai’s hand, and the sound of bone breaking rang out.

Without pause, Tang Zhong swung again at Jiang Kai’s head.

Jiang Kai blocked once more.

Crack—

His other arm was broken by Tang Zhong.

Jiang Kai had never expected this kid to bear such a grudge, nor that he would retaliate before even leaving the interrogation room. He had not imagined the ruthlessness, daring to assault someone in a police station. Nor had he conceived that, before Jiang Tao and Li Botao and the rest, Tang Zhong would dare act so boldly.

What surprised him most was that not a single person stopped Tang Zhong—Li Botao was discussing next year’s work plan for Jade Maiden Peak with Jiang Tao, who listened intently and asked questions, the two engrossed in conversation.

To be fair, Jiang Kai’s reflexes were quick.

He could not resist, nor could he fight back. He simply curled up on the floor, hands protecting his head, enduring as Tang Zhong rained blow after blow onto his back with the nightstick.

Bang—

Bang—

Bang—

After a dozen strikes, Tang Zhong finally stopped.

He squatted beside Jiang Kai and said, “I told you I had powerful backing; you didn’t believe me. Now you know I wasn’t lying, right?”

If he could speak, Jiang Kai would surely curse him to hell.

Tang Zhong tossed aside the nightstick, then walked over to Jiang Tao and Li Botao, saying, “I apologize for the spectacle, uncles. I tried to keep my composure, but I feared I might not see him for a long time and forget about him—”

Jiang Tao nodded, saying nothing more. He couldn’t figure out Tang Zhong’s background or his character, so he chose to observe for now.

He said to Li Botao, “Make sure this case is investigated fairly and thoroughly. I’ll be watching its progress.”

“Yes, Chief,” Li Botao replied loudly.

Jiang Tao didn’t spare a glance for Jiang Kai, who lay moaning on the floor, and said, “Any rotten apples in the team must be resolutely purged. We must maintain the purity and fighting strength of our force.”

“Yes, Chief,” Li Botao replied again. He knew Jiang Kai would be sacrificed as a scapegoat.

Under the ‘farewell’ of the crowd, Jiang Tao left in the first Audi.

The night was pitch black.

The platform at the train station was still lit, so those venturing out wouldn’t lose their way. Across the vast wilderness, the dim lights seemed the only brightness in the world.

By the railway tracks, Tang Zhong and Wen Jing strolled idly forward.

Neither spoke. Only the whistling wind and the crunch of shoes on sand and stones could be heard.

“Are you all right?” Tang Zhong asked.

“Are you referring to the earlier case or the later one?” Wen Jing replied.

The earlier case was the Tianyi Temple murder; the later, Tang Zhong’s assault on police officers.

“Both, I suppose,” Tang Zhong said. “Honestly, it’s a childish question. I vented freely because I knew you could handle it—I never want to let others take advantage of me.”

Wen Jing wanted to ask, “Then why don’t you come back?” But the words never left her lips.

Even she had said she’d go along with him; why should she force him otherwise?

“You know,” Tang Zhong said with a smile, “I used to hate power. I believed absolute power leads to absolute corruption. All inequities in this world stem from the unfair distribution of power.”

“And now?” Wen Jing asked. She didn’t understand why Tang Zhong was suddenly confiding this.

“I hate it even more now,” Tang Zhong smiled. “Before, it was just theoretical; now, I’ve experienced firsthand how true that saying is.”

“Did I come at the wrong time?”

“No. You came at the right time,” Tang Zhong said. “I always thought I was proud. But what happened today made me lose my spine and choose to seek help. I don’t want to die. I want to live well. So I need power to save me.”

“That’s contradictory,” Wen Jing said.

“Not at all,” Tang Zhong replied. “If the world were orderly, if good were rewarded and evil punished, power would mean nothing to me. But when I believe in justice, when I believe that no one escapes the net of the law, yet people constantly attack me with filthy tricks—that makes me sad, and even more, angry.”

“I need power,” Tang Zhong said. “Only power can fight power.”