Wang Ji saw what was happening and rejoiced inwardly.
His chance had come!
He kept up the performance with even greater effort, his voice growing more desperate:
“Help! The police are beating me! Is there no justice in this world?!”
“Come and see, everyone! The police station is beating people!”
“I just came to apply for an ID card, and they started beating me! Is there no justice at all?!”
As he shouted, he struggled even more violently.
Xiao Zhang and Xiong He had never expected Chu Jiang to suddenly lay hands on someone who was in the middle of handling official business.
This was a police station!
And in full view of everyone—the consequences would be awful!
Xiong He’s expression darkened at once. He hurried over and barked:
“Chu Jiang! What are you doing?!”
As the Political Instructor, he had to protect the police station’s image and maintain order.
Chu Jiang’s actions were only making trouble for him!
“It’s fine, Instructor! I’m arresting a thief!”
Chu Jiang shouted without turning around, but his grip never loosened.
Xiong He froze.
The people around them froze, too.
There could be a thief inside a police station?
What kind of joke was that?
“Chu Jiang, are you sure you haven’t made a mistake? This is a police station!”
Xiong He frowned deeply.
He simply couldn’t understand Chu Jiang’s behavior.
“This is slander! You’re slandering me!”
“Officer, don’t you dare make false accusations!”
“I’m a law-abiding citizen. How could I possibly be a thief?”
“Besides, what thief in his right mind would run to a police station?”
“Wouldn’t that be walking right into a trap and asking to die?”
As he spoke, Wang Ji struggled hard, trying to break free of Chu Jiang’s hold.
“You’re just trying to beat a confession out of me!”
“I’m telling you, I’m not easily scared!”
Wang Ji raised his voice with every word.
He knew that his only chance of escape was to muddy the waters.
The people around them heard what Wang Ji said and nodded in agreement.
“Exactly. What thief would run to a police station?”
“Could the officer have made a mistake?”
“He doesn’t look like a bad person…”
“You can’t frame an innocent man!”
The murmuring grew louder, and the crowd began to stir.
Xiong He’s frown deepened.
He looked at Wang Ji, pinned to the ground, then at Chu Jiang, whose expression was resolute.
For a moment, he wasn’t sure what to do.
After all, Wang Ji’s words did sound somewhat reasonable.
And the idea of catching a thief inside a police station seemed absurd, no matter how you looked at it.
Xiong He was about to tell Chu Jiang to let the man go so they could talk things through when Chu Jiang suddenly raised his hand and slapped Wang Ji hard across the face several times.
“Smack! Smack! Smack!”
The sharp cracks of the slaps rang through the police station lobby, piercingly loud.
Wang Ji saw stars. His cheeks swelled up in an instant.
Chu Jiang grabbed Wang Ji by the collar and hauled him to his feet.
“So you won’t give up until you’re staring death in the face, huh?”
“You’ve been caught right here in the police station and you still think you can lie your way out of it?”
“Who do you think you are?”
Wang Ji was stunned by the beating.
The sudden slaps struck his head like heavy hammers, one after another.
His head rang.
The world spun around him. He saw stars, and his ears rang.
His cheeks burned with pain.
The swelling spread rapidly.
“Help! The police are beating me!”
When Wang Ji came to, he let out a shriek like a slaughtered pig.
“Is there no justice?!”
“Is there no law?!”
He wailed as he struggled with all his might, trying to escape Chu Jiang’s grip.
“You’re beating a confession out of me!”
“What law have I broken for you to treat me like this?”
“I’m filing a complaint!”
“I’ll sue you!”
Wang Ji shouted himself hoarse.
He knew he was probably not going to escape this time.
Still, he clung to a sliver of hope.
He hoped that by drawing the attention of the crowd around him, he could win himself one last chance.
“Won’t somebody help me?!”
Wang Ji’s cries grew more desperate, his eyes full of pleading.
Like a lamb waiting for the slaughter, he struggled helplessly, unable to change his fate.
The police station lobby was in an uproar, as loud as a pot boiling over.
The people around them had initially just been there to watch the commotion. Now, though, it was as if a fuse had been lit. One by one, they grew indignant and worked themselves into a frenzy.
“What’s wrong with this officer? Why is he beating someone?”
“Exactly! Even if the man’s a thief, he can’t just hit him!”
“Are the police really this violent these days?”
“This is outrageous! We have to report him!”
“…”
“Stop!”
“Chu Jiang, what are you doing?!”
Xiong He roared, his voice full of shock and anger.
He rushed over and tried to pull Chu Jiang away.
“Let him go!”
“Do you know you’re abusing your authority?!”
Xiong He’s face flushed red, the veins on his forehead bulging.
He could hardly believe his eyes.
What had gotten into Chu Jiang today?
He was actually laying hands on an ordinary member of the public inside the police station!
What would happen if word got out?
“Political Instructor, I…”
Chu Jiang had just started to explain when Xiong He cut him off harshly.
“You what?!”
“Let go of him already!”
“Whatever the problem is, why can’t you just talk it out instead of resorting to violence?!”
As he scolded him, Xiong He tried to pry Chu Jiang’s fingers loose.
He had to stop Chu Jiang as quickly as possible.
Otherwise, the consequences would be unthinkable.
Just then, a voice suddenly rang out.
“Wait!”
It was Xiao Li, a police officer!
His eyes were wide as he stared at Wang Ji, pinned beneath Chu Jiang.
“Instructor, we may… may really have misunderstood Chu Jiang.”
Xiao Li’s voice trembled. He seemed unable to believe his own conclusion.
He swallowed and continued:
“This man… this man looks like Wang Ji!”
“That A-Level Wanted Criminal, Wang Ji!”
Xiao Li’s voice grew louder, until he was practically shouting.
The moment Xiao Li said this, the lobby erupted.
“An A-Level Wanted Criminal?”
“Is that for real?”
“No way. He doesn’t look like one…”
Doubt and gasps of surprise rose one after another from the crowd.
Xiong He froze, staring wide-eyed in disbelief at Wang Ji, pinned beneath Chu Jiang.
An A-Level Wanted Criminal?
How… how could that be?
He quickly recovered and turned to Xiao Zhang beside him.
“Quick, Xiao Zhang. Pull up Wang Ji’s wanted notice!”
Xiao Zhang didn’t waste a moment. He began working furiously at the computer.
Soon, Wang Ji’s photo appeared on the screen.
In the picture, Wang Ji’s gaze was fierce and his expression cold. He looked nothing like the disheveled man before them.
But a closer comparison of his features revealed a startling resemblance.
“It really is him…”
“Oh my God, he really is wanted!”
“That… that’s terrifying!”
Once the onlookers saw the wanted notice, the crowd erupted.
Some even stumbled backward, afraid Wang Ji might hurt them.
“Officers, make sure you keep him under control. Don’t let him get away!”
“Someone like him ought to be locked up for life!”
“He’s so dangerous. I won’t dare come here to handle official business anymore…”