My hometown is far away in Moscow.

Chapter 239 Drunken Horse and Swords

"What are you doing? Coming here in the dead of night with sharp weapons, are you trying to hurt someone?" The round-faced man's expression was ashen as he raised his hand to stop the approaching residents and shouted loudly, "Everyone, calm down. These few petty thieves are nothing to worry about. Abalensk is a civilized and law-abiding place. There's no need to make a fuss."

The round-faced man seemed to be quite respected in the town, as the villagers stopped and surrounded Hu Yi and his group in a small circle less than three meters in radius. The fat man, Andrei, gripped his iron shovel and glared coldly at the tall man, muttering discontentedly.

"Mikhailov, are you there?" The round-faced man stood on tiptoe and peered outside.

"He's not here! We don't know where he went!" someone replied.

"Victor! Ruslan! Alexander!" the round-faced man called out several more names in quick succession. "Who's there? Come and deal with these dangerous outsiders!"

"Coming...coming..." A thin, middle-aged man pushed his way through the crowd, staggering to the round-faced man's side: "Who? Who dares to attack someone with a knife?"

"What should we do with those guys?" The round-faced man pointed calmly at Hu Yi and the others.

"Hmm? Quite a few people." The middle-aged, thin man, his eyes still blurry with drunkenness, looked around carefully. He took a step back and took a police uniform and a belt from someone else. He first put the uniform on, then took a pistol from the holster hanging on the belt. Trembling, he pointed the gun at them: "You... all of you! All of you... hiccup! Don't move!"

The police officer was thin and short, with greasy, side-parted hair, a small black mustache, dark circles under his eyes, and puffy eye bags. He was clearly drunk. Wearing white hiking boots and red sweatpants, even with a police uniform on top and a handgun in hand, he exuded no sense of authority whatsoever; his entire aura was incredibly weak.

However, what he was holding was a gun, and that thing was more frightening in the hands of a drunk than in the hands of a normal person. Hu Yi quickly nudged the person next to him, then raised his hands first: "Officer! We won't move, please calm down, could you please put the gun away?"

The tall man and the others also wisely sheathed their swords and raised their hands, just like Hu Yi.

"The gun...can't be put away...because you...are dangerous." The skinny officer explained earnestly, then slightly waved the gun barrel at the tall man and the others: "The knife, throw it away, throw it on the ground."

Several Bacha obediently placed their knives at their feet and straightened up. Just then, a chubby middle-aged man emerged from the crowd. He was dressed similarly to the thin man and looked like a policeman as well.

"Victor... what... what should we do?" the thin policeman asked in a mumbled voice.

"Take him...back. Lock him up...first..." The fat policeman wasn't much more lucid than his skinny colleague. He was barely standing, clinging to the arm of the round-faced man next to him, as if he might fall at any moment.

"Take...back?" The skinny man frowned slightly, swaying as he stretched his head out. "Oh dear, there are...too many people. We'll have to...bring more cars..."

"Hahaha! Send a few more?" The fat policeman, his belly protruding, laughed heartily. "Our entire unit only has... one police car..."

"What kind of car are you driving?" The round-faced man shoved the fat policeman aside. "Is the police station a hundred meters from here?"

"Um...right...let's go!" The skinny policeman shook his head at Hu Yi: "You guys! Come with me to...the police station!"

"Hurry...keep up!" The fat policeman swayed and gave Yabalov a push, then leaned on his shoulder.

Although the two policemen were completely drunk, there were still hundreds of angry residents around, so Hu Yi and the others didn't dare to cause any trouble and obediently followed behind the thin policeman. The round-faced man stepped forward and helped Yabalov support the fat policeman, then arranged for someone to collect the several daggers on the ground, and they walked with them towards the town's police station.

The police station was not far ahead, and many residents from the square had run over to see what was happening. The thin policeman fumbled for his keys for a while before awkwardly unlocking the door: "Come in... quick..."

The police station was brightly lit, but quiet and deserted. Hu Yi, along with his driver and five Bachas, entered the building, shivering barefoot. "Phew! It's freezing! It's much warmer inside."

Roundface glanced at his and Yabalov's soaking wet trousers, then turned and called out to the residents behind him, "Does anyone have any suitable clothes for these two? Please bring some so they can change; we can't let the Muscovites freeze to death in our town."

A burst of laughter erupted from the crowd. The fat and thin policemen sat down at an old table and gestured for Hu Yi and the others to line up: "Show me your identification!"

The seven men each took out their passports and handed them over. The two policemen opened them one by one, laboriously holding them up to their eyes to examine them and question them.

Soon someone brought a large pile of clothes. Hu Yi and Yabalov went into a small hut next door, put their soaked clothes on the radiator to dry, picked out a few clothes that fit them and changed into them. They immediately felt dry and warm.

Stepping outside, I saw a tall man and a long-faced man standing with their backs against the wall, grinning smirks. The fat policeman was lying on the ground, sprawled out and snoring. Several residents nearby were laughing and cursing as they helped him up and leaned him against the wall.

The skinny policeman was still sitting in the chair, propping his head up with one hand, his eyes blinking intermittently as he continued his interrogation, rambling incoherently: "Moscow...far away. I've been there...did you like it? Yes...Moscow...too crowded...not good! If you ask me, you might as well...move to Abaryansk...we...hiccup!"

Hu Yi chuckled, then turned to look helplessly at the round-faced man: "Brother, we're not bad guys. These two officers are drunk, otherwise..."

Before he could finish speaking, the crowd parted at the door, and a burly policewoman walked in. She was dressed very neatly, and although her face showed signs of alcohol, she was clearly not drunk, just a little tired, and her hair was somewhat disheveled, so she had probably been called here in her sleep.

"Victor? Ruslan?" The policewoman kicked the table angrily. "Look at you two! What a mess you've made of!"

"Ah! Elena! Darling!" The skinny policeman hiccuped. "You... you've finally arrived..." He then closed his eyes and slumped onto the table with a thud.

"They can't seem to get enough alcohol once they start drinking, it's outrageous. Someone, come quick, help them to rest!" The policewoman slumped onto the table, her gaze sweeping over Hu Yi and the others: "You lot, did you attempt a crime?"

"No, no!" Hu Yi quickly waved his hands, "We just came to find someone, there was just a small misunderstanding. Cough... there are too many rules in your town."

"It's not usually like this, but today is competition day, so the situation is special." The policewoman seemed to understand their feelings, smiling as she flipped through the documents on the table one by one: "Who are you looking for?"

"I'm looking for a young Chinese man and a middle-aged man named Andrei. But there are many Andres here; we've met several, but none of them are him." Hu Yi smiled wryly and took out his phone: "I've called several times, but no one answers."

"Andrei, it's indeed difficult to find him if we only know his name." The policewoman nodded. "Try calling again."

His phone got a little wet and shut down as soon as he got out of the pool, but thankfully it still turned on. He dialed the number, listened to it for a while, and shrugged, "Still no one's answering."

"Let me see the number." The policewoman held out her hand to him. "Here's the town's address book. I'll find your Andrei."

"That's great! Thank you!" Hu Yi quickly handed over the phone. Just as the policewoman was about to take it, the thin policeman who had been helped to rest on a bench in the corner of the lobby smacked his lips twice, then groggily waved his hand, "Who! Who... is ringing... annoying... so noisy..."

(End of this chapter)