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

Unconvinced, he coldly warned, "Alright, I'm done listening to your nonsense. If you know what's good for you, you'll accept the mediation! Since you killed the villager's dog, paying compensation is a matter of course. The dog owner is now asking you two for 10,000 yuan in compensation, which I think is reasonable. If you pay the money, this matter will be over, and I won't pursue your rude remarks. If you continue to be stubborn, then it won't just be a matter of paying money."

Seeing his uncle speak up for him, the burly man, who had been trying to extort money, immediately chimed in with a smug smile, his voice brimming with undisguised excitement. He yelled at Dr. Hou and Su Ming, "Did you hear that? My uncle said it's perfectly reasonable! You'd better pay up. I've already said it before, these two dogs are my family. You killed my family, so 10,000 yuan is already a bargain. Hurry up and pay up, and I won't bother with you anymore. Take the money and I'll let you go."

Seeing Dr. Hou's calm demeanor, Su Ming already had a good idea of ​​what was going on. From the time Dr. Hou made that phone call until now, about twenty minutes had passed, and his statement that it would take more than half an hour matched perfectly. Su Ming knew he could definitely handle this. Who was Dr. Hou? He was a powerful figure who could get him out of trouble with just a phone call; a mere town police station chief was no match for him. He figured that call had already reached the higher-ups, and soon someone would have to deal with it.

Since that's the case, why not fan the flames and make this burly man who's trying to extort money pay the price?

Su Ming's mind raced, and he made up his mind. He deliberately puffed out his chest, feigning anger, and shouted at the burly man who had tried to extort money from him: "You bastard! You let your dog bite us! Extorting five thousand from us wasn't enough, and now you're trying to use your connections to suppress this matter. Let me tell you, no way! If you're so capable, why don't you have your uncle arrest me? We're not going to pay you any more money, not a single penny, not a single cent!"

Upon hearing this, the burly man laughed smugly, as if he had heard the biggest joke in the world. He pointed at the villagers watching Su Mingchao, looked around, and shouted, "You think my uncle wouldn't dare arrest you? Let me tell you, you killed my dog ​​today. With just one word from my uncle, you can be locked up for at least ten days. Do you believe me? Assaulting someone's property, disturbing public order—either of these two charges is enough to get you into serious trouble!" He became more and more excited as he spoke, spittle flying everywhere, and the fat on his face twitching.

Hearing this, Su Ming smiled smugly. He raised his face, took a step forward, stretched out his hands, wrists together, and held them up in front of the burly man. His tone was full of provocation and contempt: "Fine, come on, come and grab me. I'll grant your wish. Come on, handcuff me. I'd like to go in and experience it myself. I want to see just how wicked you are."

Upon hearing this, the villagers pointed and whispered among themselves. Some praised Su Ming, saying, "This kid has some backbone! He dares to go against Chief Gu, he's not afraid of trouble. He probably has a point." Others called him a hothead, saying, "This young man is ignorant, daring to challenge the police. What good will that do him? He'll behave himself once he's in jail."

Director Gu's face darkened, as if he had been publicly splashed with dirty water. He pointed at Su Ming, his voice filled with barely suppressed anger, and shouted, "Young man, I'm warning you, don't provoke me. If you provoke me, I won't be polite. In all my years of law enforcement, I've never seen anyone as arrogant as you."

Su Ming sneered, withdrawing his hand and crossing his arms. He met Director Gu's gaze without fear, his tone laced with sarcasm: "Who provoked us, me or your precious nephew? He extorted us, and instead of doing anything about it, you accused me of provocation. Your nephew just demanded 10,000 yuan in compensation, and when you arrived, instead of investigating, you immediately demanded payment. Are you enforcing the law, or are you backing up your nephew? How interesting!"

Upon hearing this, Director Gu's face turned even redder, as if someone had publicly exposed his wounds. His face turned red from his neck all the way to his ears, and the veins on his forehead bulged.

He pointed angrily at Su Ming, his voice trembling with rage and sharp exasperation: "Shut up! Otherwise, I'll handcuff you right now. You believe me, I don't need a reason to handcuff you!"

Su Ming raised his face, took a step forward, and extended his hand. A cold smile played on his lips. His voice was soft but clear: "What law have I broken that you think you can just handcuff me like that? Try handcuffing me and see what happens. I'll definitely file a complaint against you later. I'll remember your badge number so I don't have to be unable to find you when I file a complaint."

These words immediately sparked a flurry of discussion among the villagers, their voices growing louder than before. Some gasped in astonishment, others muttered, "This kid's got guts," and still others gave Su Ming a thumbs-up.

Director Gu's face paled instantly, and his lips twitched twice. He had been the director for so many years and had always been the one to have the final say in this village. When had he ever been contradicted in public like this?

He gritted his teeth in anger, his chest heaving violently. He stepped forward, took out handcuffs from his waist, and the clinking of metal made a crisp sound. With a snap, he handcuffed Su Ming's hands. The action was rough, and the handcuffs made Su Ming's wrists ache.

Upon seeing this, Dr. Hou abruptly stood up from the rock, his face ashen, and shouted angrily, "Stop! Who gave you the right to handcuff someone like that? Is your procedure legal? Did you conduct any on-site investigation after receiving the report? Did you thoroughly question both parties involved and the witnesses present? You think you can just handcuff someone whenever you want? Do you think the law is your private property?"

Director Gu sneered, handcuffed Su Ming, clapped his hands, glanced at Dr. Hou, and said with a condescending arrogance and disdain, "I guess you're from a well-off family with some money. Judging from your clothes, you must be doing quite well. But I'm warning you, don't think that just because you have some money you can boss me around. I don't need you to tell me what to do. In this area, I'm the one who calls the shots."

Upon hearing this, Dr. Hou, instead of being angry, laughed coldly and nodded, his smile carrying a chilling undertone. He said, enunciating each word clearly, "Fine, fine, fine. I'm not going anywhere today. I'll wait here. I'll wait for the city bureau to come and handle this personally. I want to see if this police uniform can still represent the law."

Upon hearing this, everyone present burst into laughter. The villagers watching laughed even louder; some shook their heads, some grimaced, and one shouted out, "Aren't you afraid of biting off more than you can chew? Municipal Bureau, my foot! Why don't you just say Provincial Department?"

The long-haired boy laughed so hard he couldn't stand up straight, clutching his stomach and squatting on the ground, gasping for breath.