Nominal: Hou Liangping blocking the door? He was slapped away!

"Bang!"

A loud bang.

The security door, along with cement debris from the door frame, was blown away, and the entire door panel crashed to the ground.

Zhang Xiao subconsciously took a step back.

Before the dust had settled, four or five dark figures in uniforms rushed in.

The dark muzzle of the gun was pressed directly against Zhang Xiao's forehead.

"Don't move! Hands up!"

Zhang Xiao gritted her teeth and slowly raised her hands.

"I am a law-abiding citizen, and I have the right to know why you..."

"You have the right to shut up!"

Cheng Du walked in from the back, his leather shoes creaking on the collapsed door.

He didn't even glance at Zhang Xiao before kicking him.

The kick landed squarely on Zhang Xiao's lower abdomen.

Zhang Xiao groaned, curled up like a shrimp, and fell heavily to the floor.

"Search it for me!"

Cheng Du threw his wet hat onto the sofa, sat down with an air of authority, and said, "Check if there are any recording devices. Find them all for me."

Several of his men immediately ransacked the place.

Books and clothes were scattered all over the floor.

"Chief, we've found it!"

Ten minutes later, Zhang Xiao's house was ransacked. Finally, Lao Ma pulled out a black SD card from the lining of a thick copy of the Modern Chinese Dictionary behind the bookshelf.

Cheng Du took the card, inserted it into the card reader, and plugged it into Zhang Xiao's computer.

The screen lights up.

The video showing the drainage ditch clogged with garbage is clearly visible.

"Oh."

Cheng Du unplugged the card reader, put it in his pocket, and patted Zhang Xiao's face with his hand, quite forcefully, making a loud slapping sound.

"Running? Why did you stop running?"

Cheng Du crouched down, a sinister grin on his face. "You're quite good at hiding. Too bad, in the Bright District, there's nothing I can't find."

Zhang Xiao was pinned to the ground with her hands tied behind her back by two policemen, half of her face pressed against the cold floor, her eyes bloodshot.

Cheng Du then led his men to smash the computers, tablets, and other items in the room to pieces, before taking out a lighter and slowly setting the SD card on fire.

"This is evidence! You're destroying evidence of your crimes!"

"Shut up!"

Old Ma slapped Zhang Xiao on the back of the head.

Cheng Du stood up, lit a cigarette, and looked down at Zhang Xiao.

"What evidence? I only saw you illegally trespassing on a construction site, stealing trade secrets, and endangering public safety. Take him away!"

Just then, the bedroom door opened.

An elderly woman with a full head of white hair walked out, leaning on a cane, her steps unsteady.

She saw the scene inside the room, her eyes clouded with fear.

Seeing her son being pinned to the ground, the old woman's cane clattered to the ground.

"What are you doing? What right do you have to arrest people!"

The old woman cried and rushed over, trying to push away the policeman who was holding Zhang Xiao down.

"Grandma! Don't come any closer!" Zhang Xiao struggled desperately, but was held down firmly.

Du frowned in disgust, turning aside to avoid the old woman's wrinkled hands, as if avoiding something dirty.

"Old woman, don't obstruct official business. Your grandson has broken the law and must come with us."

"Breaking the law? My Xiaozi is the most obedient child; she never does anything bad!"

The old woman, with a strength she seemed to possess, gripped Cheng Du's trouser leg tightly, shouting, "You can't arrest him!"

"Let go!"

Cheng Du swung his leg, but couldn't get it off.

A flash of rage crossed his eyes, and just as he was about to lash out, the old woman suddenly pulled a red cloth bag from her bosom.

The cloth bundle was layered and wrapped very tightly.

The old woman peeled off the layers one by one with trembling fingers.

Inside lay a gold medal.

Although somewhat worn, it still shines with a solemn light under the lamp.

This is a First-Class Merit Medal.

"I am a family member of a martyr!"

The old woman held the medal high, her voice hoarse, "This is what Xiaozi's grandfather earned with his life! I was a soldier too! I served in the army! You can't just arrest people like that! I want to see your leaders!"

The room fell silent for a moment.

Several young police officers looked at the medal, and their hands involuntarily relaxed.

Anyone who has served in the military or as a police officer knows what this first-class merit means.

That was earned with their lives.

Old Ma hesitated for a moment, then leaned close to Cheng Du's ear: "Director, this..."

Cheng Du glanced at the medal.

His mind was filled with Li Dakang's anger, Zhao Gongzi's threats, and whether he could keep his official hat.

Even if it's a sign for a dead person, or even if a living person is standing here and blocking his way, it's still not allowed.

"Don't try to scare me with these baseless rumors."

Cheng Du suddenly swung his hand and hit the old lady's wrist directly.

"Snapped!"

The red cloth was spread out.

The medal flew out of his hand, arcing through the air before landing on the floor with a clatter. It rolled twice before coming to rest right next to Cheng Du's feet.

The old lady was stunned.

Even the police officers standing nearby were stunned.

Cheng Du didn't even glance at what was under his feet. He lifted his big leather shoe, which was covered in construction mud, and stomped on it heavily.

creak.

The sound of metal warping was particularly jarring in the not-so-spacious living room.

That medal, representing the highest honor, was now crushed into the mud.

"You..." The old lady trembled all over, pointing at Chengdu, her lips quivering so much she couldn't speak.

"What do you mean, 'you'?!"

Cheng Du stomped his toe hard, pointed at the old woman's nose, and cursed, "What era are we living in? Who are you trying to scare with that lousy sign? This is a society ruled by law! Do you understand?"

"Don't try to intimidate me with dead people! Even if the King of Heaven himself came, he'd be arrested for endangering national security!"

The very top of the bookcase.

Amidst a pile of clutter, a black camera silently observes everything.

The red recording indicator light was completely covered by tape, so not a single ray of light leaked out.

This scene, along with the crisp sound of metal shattering, was recorded in its entirety.

Zhang Xiao's eyes were bloodshot, veins bulging on his neck, as he roared like a madman, "Chengdu! You'll die a horrible death! Your whole family will die a horrible death!"

"Still being stubborn."

Cheng Du sneered, spitting his cigarette butt on the ground. "Gag him! Take him back for a proper interrogation!"

Old Ma quickly grabbed a rag from the side and stuffed it into Zhang Xiao's mouth.

Two policemen dragged Zhang Xiao away.

Zhang Xiao stopped struggling.

As he was being dragged out the door, he mustered all his strength to turn his head and look at his mother, who was slumped on the ground.

His eyes were fixed on the top of the bookshelf.

The old woman looked at her son, and her previously cloudy, tearful eyes suddenly froze.

That was the bond between mother and child, that was the last unspoken understanding between them.

"Walk!"

With a wave of his hand, Cheng Du led his men away in a flurry.

The sound of hurried footsteps echoed in the hallway, gradually fading into the distance.

All that remained was a chaotic living room and a pile of broken door panels.

The wind blew in through the dark doorway, carrying the dampness of the rain.

The old lady sat on the ground, walked shakily to the medal, and slowly squatted down.

She reached out her withered hand and tremblingly picked up the medal that had been trampled and deformed.

The red star on it is crooked, and the golden surface is covered with black sludge.

The old lady wiped it bit by bit with her sleeve.

It can't be wiped clean.

The mud looked like it was embedded in the clay.

She clutched the medal tightly to her chest, as if she were clutching her husband's heartbeat.