Me! A high-ranking official!

Qi Honghai was lying on the ground when he heard the siren. His eyes lit up and a surge of strength came from somewhere. He used his hands to support himself on the ground and struggled to get up.

Zhao Jianguo grabbed his head and slammed it hard against the ground again.

"boom!"

Qi Honghai, who had just lifted himself up, fell back down, his chin hitting the ground, his teeth biting his tongue, and a trickle of blood oozing from the corner of his mouth.

Zhao Jianguo squatted down and whispered in Qi Honghai's ear, "What? You think your savior has arrived?"

He loosened Qi Honghai's hair and patted his blood-stained face.

"Let me tell you, if you're so capable, call the police to arrest me. At most, they can lock me up for a few months, not for life. Don't forget, I have AIDS, a terminal illness, but it's the kind of disease that won't kill you anytime soon. I can live for several more years. If you can't kill me, then don't blame me for killing you after I get out of there."

He grabbed Qi Honghai's hair, lifted his head up again, stared into his terrified eyes, and said, word by word, "I'm not at a loss if I can take you down with me before I die."

After saying that, he slammed Qi Honghai's head to the ground again.

This time it was a little lighter than before, but Qi Honghai was completely terrified. He collapsed to the ground, trembling like a leaf, mumbling incoherently. It was hard to hear clearly, but you could tell from his extremely frightened eyes that he was utterly terrified.

Zhao Jianguo released his grip, stood up, walked to the black leather sofa, plopped down, crossed his legs, and looked at Qi Honghai sprawled on the floor with a cold smile.

A series of hurried footsteps echoed down the corridor, growing clearer and clearer as they approached.

The office door was suddenly pushed open, and several people in police uniforms rushed in, led by a policeman in his forties.

Sun Jianjun squeezed in right behind the police, hiding by the door frame. He first peeked inside to make sure Zhao Jianguo was still sitting on the sofa and didn't seem to be rushing over, before he mustered up his courage and walked in.

Upon seeing the scene inside the room, Sun Jianjun's eyes widened in surprise.

Qi Honghai lay on the ground, his face covered in blood, with several cuts on his forehead. Blood flowed down his cheeks and dripped onto the ground, forming a puddle.

There was another person lying next to him, Qi Honghai's bodyguard, whose face was swollen like a pig's head, whose nose was crooked to one side, and whose nose and mouth were covered in blood. He was lying motionless with his eyes closed, and it was impossible to tell whether he was dead or alive.

Sun Jianjun gasped, then abruptly pointed a finger at Zhao Jianguo, his voice shrill and piercing: "Arrest him! He attacked our boss! Look what he's done to him!"

Several police officers were also startled.

They received a report that someone from the Construction Group was causing trouble. They initially thought it was just some ordinary thugs coming to collect a debt and cause trouble. However, when they entered the door, they were surprised to see this scene: Qi Honghai, the boss of the Construction Group, a prominent figure in the county and a big boss with a net worth of several hundred million, was now lying on the ground with his face covered in blood, unable to even stand up.

The square-faced policeman leading the group immediately placed his hand on his baton at his waist, walked towards Zhao Jianguo, and shouted sternly, "Who are you? Put your hands up!"

Two other policemen followed, and the three of them surrounded Zhao Jianguo in a triangular formation.

Just then, Qi Honghai, who was lying on the ground, suddenly let out a hoarse roar: "Stop it, all of you!"

The police officers stopped in their tracks at the same time, turned around, and looked at Qi Honghai in astonishment.

Qi Honghai used all his strength to finally sit up from the ground. Leaning against the wall, he covered the still-bleeding wound on his forehead with one hand and supported himself on the ground with the other, panting heavily with his chest heaving violently.

The square-faced policeman glanced at him, then at Zhao Jianguo, frowned, and said loudly, "Boss Qi, this guy dared to attack you. Don't worry, we definitely won't let him off easily! Intentional assault, disturbing the peace—he'll be in big trouble!"

Qi Honghai suddenly raised his head and roared at him, "I told you to stop!"

The police officers looked at each other, wondering what Qi Honghai meant. He had been beaten so badly, yet he not only wouldn't let them arrest anyone, but he was also yelling at them.

The square-faced policeman hesitated for a moment, then lowered his voice and said, "Boss Qi, are you out of your mind? Look at the injury on your head, and look at this person on the ground. This constitutes intentional assault, and we can proceed according to the law..."

"Who said he hit me?"

Qi Honghai interrupted him.

The square-faced policeman was stunned.

"I accidentally fell and hit my head on the ground." Qi Honghai raised his blood-stained hand and pointed to the unconscious bodyguard on the ground: "He also fell on the stairs."

The office fell silent for a moment.

The square-faced policeman's lips twitched. His gaze swept over the wounds on Qi Honghai's forehead, which were clearly caused by repeated impacts, then over the bodyguard's bruised and swollen face, which was obviously from being punched, and finally landed on Qi Honghai's face, which was enduring the pain but trying to pretend that "nothing happened."

"Boss Qi..." The square-faced policeman wanted to say something more.

"I told you, I fell myself!" Qi Honghai's voice rose an octave, aggravating the wound on his forehead, making him grimace in pain. "Who told you to call the police? Calling the police for such a small thing? Tell them to leave right now!"

The square-faced policeman opened his mouth, but then wisely kept it closed. He had worked at the grassroots level for over a decade and had seen all sorts of situations. In this case, it was obvious that the person had been beaten but dared not admit it. As for why they dared not admit it, that was not his concern. If the person involved did not pursue the matter, and they insisted on arresting them, they would be the ones to blame if any trouble arose later.

The other two policemen also figured it out and quietly took a half step back, their eyes scanning back and forth between the square-faced policeman and Qi Honghai.

The square-faced policeman coughed, lowered his hand from his baton, and forced an unnatural smile: "Since Boss Qi says he fell on his own, then of course we'll go by Boss Qi's version. It's good that Boss Qi is alright, it's good that he's alright."

Qi Honghai leaned against the wall, closed his eyes briefly, as if using all his strength to suppress his anger, and coldly looked at the policemen: "Aren't you going to leave? Are you waiting for me to send you away?"

The square-faced policeman's expression stiffened for a moment, but he quickly recovered and waved his hand, "No need, no need, Boss Qi, please rest well, we'll be leaving now."

After saying that, he winked at the other two policemen, and the three of them turned and walked towards the door.

Sun Jianjun panicked and grabbed the square-faced policeman's arm: "Hey, why are you leaving? He's hitting people! Look at the state our boss is in! What are you policemen good for?"

The square-faced policeman shook off his hand and said in a low voice, "Your boss himself won't admit he was beaten up, how are we supposed to handle this?"

After saying that, he left with the two policemen without looking back.

Sun Jianjun stood at the door, his face looking like he had swallowed a fly. He looked at the empty corridor, then at Qi Honghai slumped against the wall, and then at Zhao Jianguo sitting on the sofa with his legs crossed. He was caught in a dilemma, unable to move forward or backward. His lips moved, but he didn't utter a single word.

"Close the door."

Qi Honghai's voice came from the wall, hoarse and tired.

Sun Jianjun was stunned for a moment.

"I told you to close the door!" Qi Honghai roared suddenly, aggravating his wound and causing him to gasp in pain.

Sun Jianjun hurriedly closed the door and ran away as if fleeing.

Qi Honghai leaned against the wall, catching his breath, and wiped the blood from his face. "Zhao Jianguo, you'll let Cao Wenting off the hook. Name your terms. Money, or whatever, just say the word, and I, Qi Honghai, will keep my word and never bother you again."

Zhao Jianguo looked at him and sneered, "Boss Qi, you've got one thing wrong."

He approached Qi Honghai, staring at him with a gloomy expression: "I'm not here today to negotiate with you."

"You can keep going," he said, "but next time, you won't be so lucky."

He bent down and got close to Qi Honghai's blood-stained face.

"Boss Qi, I'm a dying man. I have AIDS, a terminal illness, incurable, but I won't die anytime soon. I can live for several more years. If you're not afraid of death..."

He reached out and patted Qi Honghai on the shoulder twice. The pats weren't hard, but they made Qi Honghai freeze.

"I wouldn't mind taking your whole family down with me before I die of this illness."

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