My cousin-in-law helped me achieve my ambitions.

A dozen minutes later, the sound of a car approached from the village entrance. A black police SUV pulled up under the old locust tree at the village entrance, the words "Public Security" emblazoned on the door. The door opened, and a man in his fifties, dressed in a police uniform, stepped out. He was slightly overweight, his belt cinched around his stomach, and his face was somewhat saggy, but his eyes were sharp and his expression serious. Behind him were two young officers, a man and a woman. The man carried a folder, while the woman had a baton and walkie-talkie at her waist. The middle-aged man adjusted his cap, his gaze sweeping seriously over the surroundings before finally settling on Su Ming and Dr. Hou, who were sitting on the rock.

Clearly, this man was the burly man's uncle, the so-called Director Gu.

Seeing this, the burly man who had previously tried to extort money immediately put on a smiling face, quickly went over, and respectfully called out, "Uncle, you're here! Come here quickly, these are the two guys, they're the ones who killed my dog. Take them away and lock them up, they were trying to run away just now!"

Director Gu nodded, walked unhurriedly to Su Ming and Dr. Hou, glanced down at them coldly, and said in a businesslike tone, "You two, show me your ID cards."

Dr. Hou glanced up at him calmly, without even moving an inch, and replied indifferently, "I didn't bring it."

Su Ming responded with a shrug, "Didn't bring it. Who carries their ID when going fishing?"

Director Gu sneered, his eyes filled with contempt and impatience. His tone grew even harsher: "You two aren't even carrying ID cards. What are you doing in this village? This isn't a tourist attraction. Two outsiders wandering around the village in the middle of the day need a reason, right?"

The burly man beside him quickly chimed in, eager to answer for his uncle, his voice laced with malicious instigation: "Uncle, don't ask anymore. I think those two guys came to this village to steal. My dogs, Blackie and Yellow, spotted them. They were loyal guard dogs and chased after them, trying to bite them. Afraid of being discovered, they killed my dogs. Uncle, you have to do justice for me! Blackie and Yellow had been with me for five or six years, and now they're gone!"

Upon hearing this, Director Gu's face immediately darkened, his brows furrowing into a knot. He coldly demanded, "Such a thing happened? You two killed those two dogs?"

Su Ming stood up straight, threw the cigarette butt in his hand on the ground, stomped it out, and met Director Gu's gaze without flinching. He replied coldly, "I killed the two dogs. But it wasn't because we were caught stealing. We were just passing by the village entrance when two dogs suddenly jumped out of the house and attacked us. They weren't on leashes and bit anyone they saw. My brother-in-law was almost bitten. I killed the dogs to save him."

Director Gu gave him a cold glance, then looked at the two dried pools of dog blood and the two dead dogs on the ground. He nodded expressionlessly, his tone carrying an unquestionable tone of judgment: "Fine, since you've admitted to killing the two dogs, then you'd better pay up. No matter the reason, killing someone else's dogs means you have to pay compensation."

Su Ming coldly replied, "Your dogs weren't on leashes first. They pounced on people and bit my brother-in-law, so I killed both dogs. That was self-defense. Why should we pay you? If anyone should pay, it should be my brother-in-law's medical expenses and emotional distress compensation first, and then we can talk about the dogs. Besides, my brother-in-law's pants are very expensive, and you should also pay for the torn pants."

Director Gu glanced at Dr. Hou suspiciously, looked him up and down, his gaze lingering on his trouser leg before asking, "Did the dog bite your brother-in-law first? Where did it bite? Let me see."

Su Ming pointed to Dr. Hou's trouser leg, his voice laced with barely suppressed anger: "Look at this. It tore two holes in my brother-in-law's trousers, the fabric is ripped, and there's dog saliva on it. If I hadn't intervened in time, my brother-in-law would probably be lying in a pool of blood by now. The dogs in your village aren't leashed, they bite anyone they see. I killed one of the dogs, and instead of showing any mercy, your precious nephew turned around and blamed us for killing his dog. He demanded compensation from my brother-in-law, saying he wouldn't let us leave until he did. My brother-in-law had no choice but to pay him five thousand yuan, but he still wasn't satisfied, saying we had to pay ten thousand before he'd be satisfied. Ask your nephew yourself if this is true."

Dr. Hou sat on the rock, glancing indifferently at Su Ming. He reached out and tugged at Su Ming's sleeve, signaling him not to say anything more. His tone was calm but carried a chill: "No need to waste words with him. This person has already broken the rules; saying more won't make a difference."

Upon hearing this, Director Gu's face instantly turned ashen, as if he had been slapped in the face in public. He abruptly turned around and snapped at Dr. Hou, "Hey, how dare you talk like that? I'm here to enforce the law, how is that against the rules? Let me tell you, don't talk nonsense, or I'll sue you for falsely accusing a police officer and have you handcuffed. Do you believe I can detain you right now for obstructing official business?"

Dr. Hou slowly stood up, threw the cigarette butt on the ground, crushed it with his toe, and then coldly glanced at Director Gu. His tone was unhurried, yet carried a chilling pressure: "Is this how you act as a local official? Is this how you act as a director? Your nephew kept a dog off-leash, and it bit someone first. When you arrived, you didn't even ask what happened, and immediately demanded compensation from us. You didn't even follow basic investigation procedures. Is this how you enforce the law?"

Director Gu's face darkened, a vein throbbed in his neck, and he shouted, "How I become the director is none of your business! You've got quite the nerve, trying to boss me around. Let me tell you, apologize to me right now and cooperate with the investigation. If you behave well, I might let you off the hook."

Dr. Hou sneered, shook his head, and said with a hint of pity and mockery, "Too late. If you don't pursue this against me, I will!"

Upon hearing this, everyone burst into laughter. The villagers watching laughed so hard they were doubled over; clearly, they all thought Dr. Hou was just bragging. The burly man laughed so hard he slapped his thigh and shouted to his uncle, "Uncle, did you hear that? He said he'd hold you accountable! Is this guy crazy? Coming to our village to cause trouble, killing a dog without paying compensation, and daring to threaten the police chief? I think he's got a death wish."

Director Gu looked Dr. Hou up and down again, his gaze lingering on his clothes and demeanor for a moment. He thought to himself, although this man was dressed casually, the fabric and workmanship of his clothes were not bad, the watch on his wrist did not look cheap, and the confidence in his voice did not seem to be an act.

But after all, he had been running rampant in this small area for many years. If he didn't suppress the other party's arrogance today, how could he establish his authority in this village in the future?