The entire courtyard is full of villains

With a "smack," Zhang Erhe slammed the appointment letter onto the table.

Wu Qian picked it up and his eyes lit up immediately: "Deputy captain of the militia brigade? Second brother, when did you become this?"

"It's about what happened this morning. Now, what do you say, is it okay?"

"Okay! Absolutely!" Wu Qian exclaimed, his spirits lifted. "So, which one should we arrest first?"

"That cook at the police station canteen, Xu Shihong. Do you know where he lives?"

“The apprentice should know.”

Zhang Erhe immediately led his men to the vicinity of the police station. A short while later, Wu Qian brought over a young boy. Upon seeing Zhang Erhe, the boy was somewhat excited: "You...you're Second Master?"

"It's me. Where does the cook you mentioned live?"

"I know! Xu Shihong looks down on us apprentices because his brother-in-law is a full-fledged police officer in the station. Yesterday I saw him sneaking out suspiciously, and when he came back he looked much better and was even whistling. Something's definitely up!"

Zhang Erhe wrote down the address, patted him on the shoulder, and said, "Go back first and get back to work. If this is true, you'll get your two thousand yuan, not a penny less."

"Thank you, Second Master!"

……

At midnight, all four people on the list were brought back and taken to a secluded corner outside Qiqige's courtyard. They had burlap sacks over their heads and rags stuffed in their mouths, struggling in terror.

"Take off the hood and remove the cloth from your mouth," Zhang Erhe ordered.

Tong Dawei and the others stepped forward, pulled off the hoods on the four men's heads, and took out the cloth gagging them.

As soon as the cook Xu Shihong was free to speak, he immediately started yelling, "How dare you! Do you know who I am? Yang Jialin from Jiaodaokou Police Station is my brother-in-law! He's Zhang Guowei's apprentice! If you dare touch me, I'll have Zhang Guowei arrest you all!"

"Oh ho, it's someone I know." Zhang Erhe slowly emerged from the shadows.

Xu Shihong didn't see clearly at first, but when Zhang Erhe came into the range of the firelight, his eyes widened suddenly, and his voice changed: "Zhang... Zhang Erhe?!"

"Looks like you still recognize me." Zhang Erhe stopped in front of him, looking down at him. "Then guess why I arrested you?"

"I...how would I know! Section Chief Zhang, you...you must have arrested the wrong person?" Xu Shihong's eyes began to dart around.

"Where did you go yesterday afternoon?" Zhang Erhe asked directly, not bothering with pleasantries.

"Yesterday...yesterday?" Xu Shihong's eyes darted around, trying to appear calm. "I didn't go anywhere, I was just busy in the cafeteria..."

"Is the cafeteria busy?" Zhang Erhe asked again, his voice as calm as if he were chatting casually.

“Yes, yes, yes!” Xu Shihong nodded vigorously.

"So you... never went out?"

"No!" Xu Shihong said firmly, but his unruly hands trembled more and more violently.

"Oh—" Zhang Erhe drawled, nodded, and even showed a hint of apology on his face, "It seems that someone has wronged you."

"Yes, yes, yes! Section Chief Zhang, someone framed me! It must be those little brats who don't like me spreading rumors!" Xu Shihong's tense nerves snapped open, and he forced a fawning smile. It seemed that this infamous Zhang Erhe was nothing special after all, quite easy to fool.

"Then... I'm so sorry to offend you." Zhang Erhe said, and actually stepped forward, personally untied the rope binding Xu Shihong's wrists, and even made a gesture to help him up.

"No, no, Section Chief Zhang, you've been misled by a villain. Once you figure it out..." Xu Shihong relaxed half of his body and uttered some nice words.

In that very instant!

Zhang Erhe's eyes turned icy, and his previous feigned apology vanished without a trace. He abruptly grabbed Xu Shihong's newly freed right arm with his left hand, while his right hand, seemingly holding a dagger, flashed coldly and mercilessly plunged it into Xu Shihong's arm!

"Ah—!" The excruciating pain caused Xu Shihong to let out a scream that sounded inhuman.

"You bastard, you dare to lie to me!" Zhang Erhe's voice was colder than ice shards in the dead of winter.

"No...I didn't..." Xu Shihong's vision blurred with pain, but he still instinctively tried to deny it.

Zhang Erhe ignored him completely, twisted his wrist, and pulled the dagger out, blood and flesh. Then, in the reflection of Xu Shihong's terrified pupils, the dagger fell hard again and pierced his thigh!

"Ah—!!! Help me!!!" An even more piercing wail echoed throughout the courtyard.

"Tong Dawei!" Zhang Erhe flicked the blood off his dagger, his tone as calm as if he were ordering dinner. "Drag him away, find a secluded place, and shoot him. Report back—the cook, Xu Shihong, colluded with spies, the evidence is conclusive, he resisted arrest, and was lawfully killed by the militia."

"No! No, no, no!!!" Xu Shihong felt his soul leave his body. The intense pain and the words "execution" were like ice water poured over his head, instantly bringing him back to his senses. This wasn't a question; this was a death sentence! All his hopes were shattered in the face of absolute, cold violence.

Tong Dawei responded and stepped forward to grab the person.

"I'll talk! I'll talk!!! Spare my life, Section Chief Zhang!!!" Xu Shihong, like a dying dog, ignored the blood gushing from his arms and legs, and with all his might broke free from Tong Dawei. He knelt down with a thud and kowtowed repeatedly, "I didn't collude with spies! I really didn't! Spare my dog's life!"

"So what exactly did you do yesterday afternoon?" Zhang Erhe squatted down, the blood-stained tip of his dagger gently patting Xu Shihong's pale face.

"I...I'm going to find my lover..."

"Your lover? What's his name? Where does he live?"

"Her name is... her name is Liu Caifeng... she lives at No. 74 Xiaochang Hutong... she... she runs a mahjong parlor there... I went there yesterday... we spent some time together and played mahjong for a while..."

"Did they mention anything about the police station taking action?" Zhang Erhe's voice was even lower, but it struck Xu Shihong's heart like a heavy hammer.

Xu Shihong froze, his eyes darting around, his lips trembling, and cold sweat mixed with blood flowed onto the ground.

"me……"

"Speak." The blade of the dagger pressed against his neck, the icy touch sending a chill down his spine.

“…I told you.” Xu Shihong slumped completely, his head drooping, his voice barely audible. “While playing mahjong…I let my mouth slip…I was bragging…I let slip that the station was having a ‘big operation’ tonight, to catch a ‘big fish’…I really didn’t know they were spies! I thought it was just a regular catching of thieves…Section Chief Zhang, have mercy!!!”

Zhang Erhe stared at him for two seconds, then slowly stood up, casually wiped the dagger on Xu Shihong's clothes a couple of times, and tucked it back into his waistband.

Then, he walked to the table next to him, picked up the "Big Black Star" pistol, and cocked it with a crisp click, the metallic clanging sound particularly clear in the dead of night.

“Come on,” he nodded to Tong Dawei and Wu Qian, “follow me to No. 74 Xiaochang Hutong. Invite his lover back.”

P.S.: Rushing to finish... 3000 words. The chapter tomorrow morning will be a little late, for reasons you all know! I'll see her off at the airport tomorrow afternoon. I love you all.

Chapter 181 Operation Thunder

Outside the alley, Zhang Erhe got out of the car early, and Tong Dawei jumped off the truck he had borrowed from the factory. Today was a real treat—a big white steamed bun with braised pork; he couldn't remember the last time he'd eaten like this. For no other reason than this bite of meat, he was now completely devoted to Zhang Erhe.

"Dawei, leave two people to keep watch at the back, the rest of you follow me and break in through the front gate," Zhang Erhe instructed.

"Okay, got it." Tong Dawei replied, pointing the two of them around to the back.

At the main entrance, Wu Qian and his men sealed off the entrance.

"Second brother, what should we do?"

"Just smash it in! Even if there are people inside the rat's nest, pull them out!"

"Understood!" Wu Qian waved his hand, and several men stepped forward with sledgehammers, breaking the door open with a few bangs, and the others rushed in.

When Zhang Erhe entered the room, everyone inside had already been pinned to the ground. A woman, slammed onto the table, struggled desperately, shouting, "What are you doing? Do you know whose territory this is?"

Zhang Erhe walked over and glanced at her—this woman might have been somewhat attractive when she was young, but now that she's older, her face is full of wrinkles, and she doesn't look like someone who's easy to deal with.

"Liu Caifeng, is that you?"

At this moment, Tong Dawei rushed in: "Section Chief, two people ran out the back door, but we caught them."

“Okay, tell the brothers at the back door that they’ll each get an extra five dollars this month.”

"Hehe, thank you, Section Chief Zhang!" Tong Dawei was beaming from ear to ear.

Upon hearing "section chief," Liu Caifeng's eyes darted around—none of the security section chiefs in the nearby large factories were this young. Who was this extraordinary person?

Snapped!

Before she could figure it out, she received a slap across the face.

"Liu Caifeng, do you know Xu Shihong?"

Liu Caifeng swallowed hard. "Boss, I know... I shouldn't have opened this mahjong parlor. I accept the punishment! I just beg you to be lenient..."

Zhang Erhe waved his hand: "You accept the punishment? But this matter is not under our jurisdiction."

"Huh?" Liu Caifeng was stunned.

"I'm asking you—who did you tell the information you got about the police station's operation from Xu Shihong?"

A glint of shrewdness flashed in Liu Caifeng's eyes, and she feigned ignorance: "Sir, what are you talking about?"

Zhang Erhe pulled up a chair and sat down, laughing, "Fine, I like people like you who are stubborn. Qian'er, put her hand on the table!"

Although Liu Caifeng didn't understand what he was going to do, her instinctive fear made her struggle desperately: "What are you doing?! I shouldn't have opened the mahjong parlor, but I've already accepted the punishment! What you're doing is... I'm going to sue you!"

Zhang Erhe tilted his head and smiled, but that smile was chilling.

"Bring that sledgehammer over here."

While Wu Qian's men were still stunned, Wu Qian stepped forward and slapped one of them: "Second Master is going to hit you, so hurry up!"

The man hurriedly and respectfully handed over the sledgehammer, saying, "Second Master."

Zhang Erhe hefted the hammer, and Liu Caifeng finally understood what he was about to do: "You, you're abusing your power! I, I..."

Before he could finish speaking, Zhang Erhe brought his hammer down—

*Smack!*

The hammer struck Liu Caifeng's hand first, then smashed the entire mahjong table over. Liu Caifeng's hand was instantly mangled and bloody.

"what--!"

She had barely let out a scream when a broom handle was shoved into her mouth, choking her scream back down her throat.

“Liu Caifeng, I hope you stay firm. This is only the first time; you still have one hand and two feet.” Zhang Erhe said calmly, “Put her other hand on the table next to you.”

The two henchmen holding Liu Caifeng in front felt their scalps tingle – they never expected that Second Master, who seemed so refined, would be so ruthless.

"No, no! I'll talk! I'll talk!" Liu Caifeng desperately spat out what was in her mouth, tears and snot streaming down her face.

"What did you say? I suddenly don't want to ask anymore."

Zhang Erhe picked up the hammer and, ignoring her pig-like screams, smashed her other hand with another blow.

Ma Qianli's matter had left him feeling resentful, but Zhang Guowei was, after all, in official robes, and he couldn't do anything about it right now.

Liu Caifeng had already fainted from the pain. Zhang Erhe had her dragged outside and splashed with a basin of cold water to wake her up.

“I’ll talk, I’ll talk… Please spare me…” Liu Caifeng stammered, “It was Hei Tou… Hei Tou told me to seduce Xu Shihong and get information from him…”

"Who is Blackhead? Where is he?"

"He was just playing mahjong, and he ran away as soon as you came in... Boss, I was really wrong..."