Inside Courtyard 88.
As soon as the little boy rushed out, a woman grabbed him by the collar from behind and yanked him back into the inner courtyard. “Hurry up and close the door, don’t meddle in other people’s business.”
From inside his room, Qin Yu recognized the woman pulling the boy back—it was his landlady.
Out in the courtyard, the lead thug tilted his neck, glanced at the inner courtyard, and laughed at Lin Nianlei. “See that? These days, people hide when they see trouble. If you think screaming a few times will get someone to help you, you’re dreaming!”
Lin Nianlei backed up to her door. Her bright eyes watched the three thugs as she pleaded pitifully, “Big brother, I really don’t have the camera on me. I already handed it in. Please don’t give me a hard time…”
The thug stepped forward with his head cocked and grabbed a handful of Lin Nianlei’s dark hair. “Why is a little girl like you so full of shit? Would I be here if I wasn’t sure you had it?!”
Lin Nianlei stared at his pockmarked face and malicious eyes, her heart pounding. “The thing is really…”
Bang!
Losing patience, the thug gripped Lin Nianlei’s head and slammed it hard against the doorframe. “Fuck, I was too damn nice to you.”
Lin Nianlei hadn’t expected the sudden violence. The impact left her dazed.
“Dongzi, drag her inside. I’ll try a different way of communicating with her.”
“What are you doing?”
“Since you don’t appreciate the respect I gave you, I guess you can keep me warm this winter.” The thug on the left stepped forward, grabbing Lin Nianlei to drag her inside while kicking at the door.
Creak!
At that moment, the door opposite theirs pushed open, and Qin Yu stepped out. “What’s going on, giving a young girl a hard time?”
Lin Nianlei’s head snapped up. Seeing Qin Yu, she was overjoyed and shouted on her tiptoes, “Brother, brother… save me!”
Qin Yu was aloof by nature and initially hadn’t wanted to meddle. But these men clearly weren’t going to drop it. If things blew out of proportion, Lin Nianlei would definitely report it, and since he lived in the same courtyard, turning a blind eye would be hard to explain later. Plus, Qin Yu knew Lin Nianlei had some background connections, and he didn’t want to invite even bigger trouble. That was why he finally stepped out.
“Who the fuck are you?” the lead thug barked over his shoulder.
“I’m with the Police Department, and I live here,” Qin Yu said concisely from his doorway. “It’s pretty late. Deal with your business another time and stop making a scene.”
“A cop?” The thug paused. “Which Police Department are you from?”
Qin Yu didn’t answer the question directly. “I told you to let her go, so let her go.”
“You talk pretty tough.” The thug frowned. “Our business has nothing to do with you. Go back inside and stay out of it.”
Dismissing Qin Yu, the thug grabbed Lin Nianlei again and roared, “Little bitch, I’ll ask you one last time. Are you giving me the item or not?”
“I already told you, the camera…”
Smack!
Before Lin Nianlei could finish, Qin Yu stepped forward and clamped a hand around the thug’s wrist. “Buddy, don’t cause trouble in this courtyard.”
The thug shot him a cold glare. “I’m Tiger from Tu Zha Street. If you don’t know who I am, call someone at your Police Department and ask.”
Qin Yu frowned.
“Get lost.” Tiger yanked his arm.
Qin Yu’s right hand gripped Tiger’s wrist like a steel vice. “Are you really not going to let this go?”
Bang!
Tiger suddenly whipped around, slamming a fist straight into Qin Yu’s chest. “You’re just a cop. Do you not know your fucking place?”
Qin Yu stood motionless, saying nothing.
Tiger slapped Qin Yu across the head. “What do you think you’re doing, enforcing the law? Come on, try arresting me…”
Smack!
Qin Yu’s left hand suddenly seized Tiger’s arm while his right leg swept low across the ground.
Thud!
Tiger hit the dirt hard.
“Fuck your mother, Tiger, huh? Are there lions on Tu Zha Street too?!”
Staring down, Qin Yu kicked Tiger in the head three times, sending the man rolling down the courtyard steps.
The two thugs flanking them instantly drew knives from their jackets. Completely ignoring Qin Yu’s identity as a cop, they lunged forward to stab him.
Clack!
Qin Yu snatched a gun off Tiger’s prone body. He swiftly racked the slide, flicked off the safety, and leveled it at the man on his right. “You’re pulling a knife on a cop! Do you believe I’ll shoot you dead right now?”
“You’re full of shit—!”
Bang!
The gun went off.
“Ah!”
Lin Nianlei shrieked, covering her head and dropping into a squat.
The bullet flew past the knife-wielding thug’s cheek at close range. He stood stunned.
“Didn’t you say I was full of shit? What are you dodging for?” Qin Yu glared, his eyes wide. “Come on, stand still. I’ll press the barrel right to your forehead and fire.”
The two men stood rooted to the spot, entirely unsure of what to make of Qin Yu.
On the ground, Tiger shook his head and scrambled up. “Fuck! Dongzi, make a call and get our guys here!”
Thud, thud, thud!
Qin Yu struck Tiger’s head seven or eight times with the gun. “Three people, and one gun isn’t enough for you? If you can’t hold your own, you can’t hold your own. Don’t act like a tough guy with me.”
His head streaming with blood, Tiger slumped against the doorway, completely dazed.
“Squat down!” Qin Yu yelled, pointing the gun at the other two.
Exchanging a dark glance, the two men begrudgingly squatted on the steps.
Qin Yu’s mind raced. After weighing his options, he barked at Lin Nianlei, “Go into my room and get my phone.”
Lin Nianlei stayed crouched on the ground, too terrified to look up.
Thud!
Qin Yu kicked her. “You can stir up trouble but can’t handle the fallout. What are you crying for? Go get my phone, it’s by the bed.”
Snapping out of it, Lin Nianlei immediately scrambled into Qin Yu’s room, grabbed the phone, and scurried back.
Keeping the gun trained with one hand, Qin Yu dialed Zhu Wei with his right. “Caught three suspects. Bring a car over to pick them up.”
Hearing this, Tiger looked up from the ground and cursed, “You little bastard, you’re actually taking this seriously?”
Without a word, Qin Yu raised the butt of the gun, feinting a strike.
Tiger instinctively shrank back. He shut his mouth, gritting his teeth as he waited for the Police Department to arrive.
…
Off to the side, Qin Yu pulled Lin Nianlei a few steps away and asked in a low voice, “Sister, why do you keep attracting trouble? What do they want from you?”
“…I… I photographed something of theirs,” Lin Nianlei blinked and replied. “It’s my job.”
“Photographed what?”
“They’re jacking up the medicine prices in the Slums and secretly selling counterfeit drugs. I caught it on camera.” After hesitating, Lin Nianlei finally told the truth.
Qin Yu’s heart skipped a beat at those words. “They sell counterfeit medicine too?”
“Yeah, I’ve been tailing them for days. That’s why they stole my camera last time.” Lin Nianlei nodded. “These scum have no humanity. They’re taking advantage of your police crackdown to inflate prices. When the people in the Slums can’t afford the medicine, they force them to sell their organs… profiting from their suffering.”
Qin Yu fell into deep thought.
…
Half an hour later.
When Zhu Wei from the Police Department arrived at the scene, he spotted Tiger and momentarily froze. “Oh, Brother Tiger, what are you doing here?”
“Little Zhu Wei?” Seeing a familiar face, Tiger instantly regained his swagger. He stood up and told Zhu Wei, “I need to make a call.”
Qin Yu walked over and asked Zhu Wei, “You know him?”
“Fuck, why did you arrest him? He’s Team Leader Yuan’s friend,” Zhu Wei muttered, lowering his head.
“You little punk, I’ll be damned if I don’t get you stripped of that uniform today.” Wiping the blood from his face, Tiger grabbed his phone, walked to the side, and dialed Yuan Ke’s number.