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

Director Gu was stunned for a moment, his face instantly turning ashen. He curiously scrutinized Dr. Hou, his gaze sweeping back and forth across the man's face several times, trying to find a trace of bluff in that calm expression. At this moment, the burly man beside him laughed smugly, his mouth agape as he clapped his hands and shouted to the surrounding villagers, "Haha, this is hilarious! You don't even bother to think before you start bragging. The Municipal Bureau, my foot! If you really had connections, the higher-ups would have called already. My uncle's been standing here for almost twenty minutes and hasn't received a single call. You're telling me it's the Municipal Bureau? That's laughable!"

Upon hearing this, Director Gu seemed to have an epiphany, and the smug look on his face immediately returned. The anxiety he had felt just moments before was completely dispelled by his nephew's words.

My nephew is right, this person has connections, so he must have called.

Thinking of this, he glanced at Dr. Hou, his tone brimming with confidence, and shook his head, saying, "I've seen plenty of braggarts. Don't try to scare me with the municipal bureau. Let me tell you, even if people from the provincial department came today, it wouldn't matter. You killed a dog and repeatedly obstructed our law enforcement. Just for those two points, I'll have to put you both in jail. I'm warning you again: if you know what's good for you, apologize immediately, accept mediation, and pay the dog owner five thousand yuan. That will close the case. Otherwise, your little brother will be in jail, for at least ten days to two weeks."

Dr. Hou smiled and shook his head, then sat back down on the rock. He took out a cigarette case from his pocket, slowly pulled out another cigarette, lit it, took a deep drag, and then slowly exhaled a puff of smoke. His tone was as calm as if he were saying that the weather was nice today: "I don't want to talk anymore. I'll just wait here. They should be here by now."

After saying that, he winked at Su Ming, his eyes filled with reassurance and certainty, his tone gentle yet firm: "Su Ming, don't be afraid. We're in the right, and we haven't broken the law. Just wait here. I believe justice will prevail. Are the handcuffs tight? Should I tell him to loosen them?"

"No need to loosen it. I can handle it." Su Ming replied without saying anything more. He looked down at the handcuffs on his wrists. The metal reflected a blinding light in the sunlight, and a faint red mark had already been left on his wrists. But he wasn't flustered at all. Dr. Hou said that justice would come, and that meant justice would come.

The villagers, however, all laughed, thinking that the two outsiders were just putting on a brave face. Some said they were ungrateful, others said they were stalling for time, and some even brought over small stools to sit down and watch how this show would end.

The burly man walked up to Director Gu with a smug look on his face and said in a low voice, "Uncle, don't waste your breath on them, just take them away. They'll behave themselves once they get to the station."

Director Gu nodded, stepped forward, and shoved Su Ming, causing him to stumble. Director Gu shouted, "Get in the car. Don't dawdle here. We'll interrogate you in detail when we get to the station. If you have something to say, say it in the interrogation room."

As they were shoving each other, his phone rang in his pocket. The ringtone was particularly jarring amidst the noisy crowd; it was a standard cell phone ringtone. Director Gu stopped what he was doing, took his phone out of his pocket, glanced at the caller ID, frowned slightly, and immediately answered it. He turned around, his back to the crowd, and said in a low voice, "Feed?"

What was said on the other end of the phone was inaudible to those around, but they could see Director Gu's back stiffen visibly, and his shoulders hunch slightly, like a cat whose tail had been stepped on. His voice was even lower, and only a few indistinct words could be vaguely heard: "Yes...yes...understood...okay..."

After hanging up the phone, he turned around, his expression completely changed. The smugness and arrogance that had been on his face just moments before vanished, replaced by an indescribable fear and embarrassment. Cold sweat visibly seeped from his forehead, glistening in the sunlight.

Director Gu took a deep breath, put his phone back in his pocket, and took two steps toward Dr. Hou. He forced a smile that looked more like a grimace, his lips twitching unnaturally. His voice was ingratiating and cautious: "Sir, I'm sorry, it was a misunderstanding... a misunderstanding. By the way, may I ask where Mr. Hou works?"

Dr. Hou interrupted him rudely, his face expressionless and his tone as cold as ice: "Don't give me that. I need a reasonable explanation for what happened today. Didn't you just say I obstructed law enforcement? Didn't you say I'd be detained for ten days? Come on, I'm waiting."

Director Gu immediately plastered a smile on his face, bowed deeply, and his voice carried a hint of pleading, a stark contrast to his previous demeanor: "Yes, there is an explanation. It was my nephew's fault; his dog wasn't leashed and bit you. He's in the wrong, and he should be the one to pay. Sir, please be magnanimous and don't hold it against me..."

Upon hearing this, the burly man's face instantly darkened, his mouth agape. He walked to Director Gu with a wronged expression, tugged at his sleeve, and whispered, "Uncle, how did it become me paying compensation? They killed my dogs! Both Xiao Hei and Da Huang are dead! Weren't you here to stand up for me? Didn't you just say..."

"Shut up!" Director Gu turned around abruptly, glaring at him angrily, his eyes almost bulging out of their sockets. He roared, "Hurry up and return the money! You keep a dog without a leash, it bit someone, and now you dare to extort money? I think you want to spend a few days in jail!"

When the burly man who was trying to extort money saw his uncle's face change drastically, he panicked. Even if he was stupid, he could tell that his uncle had kicked a hornet's nest, and a very hard one at that.

He immediately changed his tune, his face contorting into a grotesque smile. He hurriedly pulled out the five thousand yuan he had previously received from his pocket, the bills crumpled from his grip. He held it out to Dr. Hou with both hands, bowing and forcing a smile, saying, "Brother, here's the money, please take it! It was my fault, I shouldn't have cheated you. Here's your money back, not a penny less."

Dr. Hou arrogantly raised his face, not even glancing at the wad of money. His gaze swept over the burly man's head, looking towards the distant mountain ridge. His tone was as indifferent as if he were dismissing a passerby: "I don't want to say or do anything right now. I just want the police to give me justice. You wait, they should be here soon."

Director Gu panicked completely. His face was contorted with grief, and cold sweat poured down his forehead. He took two steps closer to Dr. Hou, his voice pleading, almost begging for forgiveness: "Sir, I was wrong. Please apologize. Please be merciful and don't hold it against us. I'll have my nephew kowtow to you and apologize..."