Courtyard House: Drunk and tipsy, the whole courtyard exposed at the start.

The siren wasn't loud, but it had absolute penetrating power and a deterrent effect.

The two groups of people, who had already rushed together and were about to clash, were frozen in place as if they had been struck by a spell.

Several green jeeps and police motorcycles with sidecars roared in from the north and south, completely blocking both ends of the bridge.

The car door opened, and dozens of fully armed police officers quickly jumped out.

A middle-aged police officer, who was leading the group, strode over, carrying a large tin megaphone.

"Put down what you're holding! Put it down!" The voice from the loudspeaker was deafening.

The children of the compound and the children of the alley were all dumbfounded.

It's not uncommon to run into the police during a group fight, but this kind of massive encirclement is definitely a first.

This is outrageous!

Calling the police to start a fight? How much of a sore loser are you?

Are they entrapment agents just waiting for us?

Although Yang Weihong was angry, things finally calmed down. He breathed a long sigh of relief, feeling almost completely exhausted.

He turned to look at Zhang Dabiao. "You bastard! You're calling the police? That's shameful!"

Zhang Dabiao slowly lowered his hand that was raised in mid-air and raised an eyebrow at Yang Weihong.

"This is my Plan B," Zhang Dabiao grinned. "You think I'm like you? Fighting without considering the consequences? You're a deputy head of the security department, for goodness' sake! I'm only being lenient with you."

Yang Weihong's lips trembled with anger: "You're giving me face? You call this giving me face?"

[My first fight back in Beijing, Yang Weihong, and I got surrounded and caught red-handed by the police?]

I was still the deputy head of the security section of the materials bureau, and all my colleagues were arrested—

You call this saving face for me? What the hell am I supposed to save face now?!

Director Chen Guangliang, Lao Mo, and Xiao Chen also got out of the car, but no one drew their guns. However, Lao Mo, Xiao Chen, and the others all had their hands tacitly placed on the leather holsters at their waists. Their thumbs had already unhooked the holsters.

This action is far more intimidating than simply drawing a gun and pointing it at someone.

The momentum of the children from the compound was instantly shattered by this invisible pressure. Zhao Weiguo, who was at the forefront, hurriedly stuffed the bicycle chain in his hand into his schoolbag.

Those pushing bicycles and those wielding sticks behind them all froze in place.

In the back row of the crowd, the kid who had just been arrogantly pulling half a homemade gun out of his canvas bag was now trembling with fear. His hand went limp, and the contraption made from an iron pipe and wooden frame fell to the ground with a thud. The kid was terrified; he hurriedly squatted down, frantically picked up the metal lump, and desperately stuffed it into his crotch, terrified of being seen by the police in the distance.

It almost went off!

Of course they were scared; these were real police officers, armed with guns! Normally, when kids from the compound get into fights, if it's a small-scale brawl, the neighborhood committee aunties or the local police officer might mediate. If the injuries aren't serious, the parents just have to come and pick them up. But today's operation—several vehicles surrounding them—was clearly an official operation; this was no small matter.

The local children in the hutongs were also in an uproar.

Sha Zhu still held the sharp-edged half-brick in his hand, poised to charge forward, his whole body comically frozen in mid-air. He looked back at the blocked escape route, then turned to look at Zhang Dabiao standing in front of the two armies.

"Pah!" Sha Zhu slammed the half-brick in his hand onto the ground, kicking up a cloud of dust.

He took two steps forward in a fit of anger and complained to Zhang Dabiao in a low voice.

"Da Biao! Aren't you a coward? Calling the police to start a fight? You've really lowered your standards!" Sha Zhu, his face flushed, pointed at his fellow wrestling practitioners behind him. "I called all my brothers here, everyone's all taken their pants off, and this is what you show us? How are we, the men of this alley, supposed to hold our heads high in Beijing after this?"

Xu Damao, who had been huddled at the back of the group, was trembling as he gripped a broken mop handle. Seeing the police arrive, his heart, which had been in his throat, finally settled. But then, his eyes darted around, and he immediately put on an indignant expression, joining Sha Zhu in his defense.

"Exactly! Da Biao, you did a really bad job! It's so shameful!" Xu Damao puffed out his chest, pretending to be fearless. "There are so many of us, are we afraid of those bastards? We'll fight them to the death!"

Liu Guangqi stood silently to the side, but his furrowed brows revealed his bewilderment at Zhang Dabiao's actions. Calling the police to start a fight was, in the world of Beijing's notorious gangsters, an act that would be universally condemned.

Yan Jiecheng wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and breathed a sigh of relief. He didn't care about losing face; he was just lucky he didn't get beaten up.

Zhang Dabiao stood still, completely ignoring Sha Zhu and Xu Damao's shouts.

Looking at Yang Weihong across from him, whose face was ashen and whose lips were trembling with anger, and listening to Sha Zhu's complaints behind him, he couldn't help but twitch his lips upward.

A bunch of idiots.

Zhang Dabiao sneered inwardly. These bumpkins from that era had nothing but pride and rules in their minds; they didn't understand what a sense of the big picture or how to control the situation was.

A large-scale brawl involving hundreds of people, with the other side even carrying homemade guns—if it really breaks out, a few deaths and injuries would be the least of it. Regardless of who wins or loses, the ringleaders will all be in for a beating.

Yang Weihong might be able to save his life because he has a good father, but Zhang Dabiao has finally managed to live a comfortable life. Why should he risk his life for these hot-blooded young people?

No way!

Chen Guangliang, carrying the huge metal megaphone, strode to the center of the field.

"Put down what you're holding! Put it down right now!" Chen Guangliang's voice was amplified through the loudspeaker, making the surrounding bridge arches vibrate.

"All of you, stand still and don't move! Throw all your weapons on the ground!!" Old Mo shouted sternly from the side, his hand on the holster tightening even more.

A clanging sound came from the direction of the children of the compound. Steel pipes, wooden sticks, and chain locks were thrown to the ground. Zhao Weiguo swallowed hard and obediently put his hands behind his back.

On the other side, the martial arts practitioners from Tianqiao looked at each other helplessly, and finally could only throw their weapons back onto the cart.

Yang Weihong stood opposite Zhang Dabiao, as if all his strength had been drained away. He stared intently at Zhang Dabiao, his back teeth grinding together.

"You bastard!" Yang Weihong laughed angrily, pointing at Zhang Dabiao's nose and cursing, "If you can't handle this, just say so! Who are you trying to disgust with this whole mess?"

Zhang Dabiao threw away his cigarette butt and took two steps forward.

"You think I'm like you?" Zhang Dabiao took a half step forward, his voice low. "You start fights without considering the consequences. It's a wonder you're even the deputy head of the security department. If these hundreds of people really clashed and someone died, what would you do with your life? Would your father be able to protect you?"

Yang Weihong was so choked up that her eyes rolled back.

Yang Weihong was furious. "Then how do you plan to resolve this? We both instigated a brawl, and we'll both be taken back to jail!"

Zhang Dabiao grinned, revealing a set of bright white teeth.

"Who said we were engaging in a group fight?"

Yang Weihong – “Huh?”