Chapter 114: The Matter Escalates

Chen Xiao rushed to the district bureau only after receiving a phone call from Luo Feiyu. He hadn't been getting much rest lately, which was truly exhausting for a man approaching sixty, but despite having only returned home in the early hours of the morning, he headed back the moment the call came in.

The conflict between Gao Jun and Chu Dong was no secret at the development zone bureau; currently, only Chu Dong remained in the dark about its full extent. Luo Feiyu, however, had been observing the changes in Chu Dong. A man who once carried a hint of languor now possessed a newfound sense of composure. His temper had lost its patience, and he seemed to reveal his sharp edges inadvertently. Aside from a certain restraint he showed only in front of Tan Xue, Chu Dong was like a completely new person—full of a fierce, rugged energy, even going so far as to get into a brutal fight with Gao Jun right at the entrance of the bureau after a single disagreement.

Having shared all this with Chen Xiao, Luo Feiyu grew increasingly worried that Chu Dong, with his overly rigid and unyielding nature, would suffer for his lack of tact after being taken away by Gao Jun and his associates.

Upon arriving at the bureau, Chen Xiao met with Luo Feiyu, but even she didn't know where Chu Dong had been taken. They eventually located a police officer surnamed Liu to find out. Chen Xiao was indignant; these men had no sense of boundaries. With a mountain of major cases waiting to be handled, they were actually resorting to lynching.

When they arrived outside the closed interrogation room, they found it deserted, the door locked from the inside. The door was soundproofed well enough that they could only catch faint, muffled noises from within, confirming someone was inside. Chen Xiao knocked and shouted for them to open up, but there was no response.

"Break the door down," Chen Xiao commanded, his hands on his hips. His eyes, still rimmed with red, were filled with fury; he was extremely dissatisfied with the reckless behavior of his subordinates.

Officer Liu dared not delay in front of the old man. After failing to unlock the door despite several attempts, he had no choice but to resort to the most primitive method: ramming it.

Again and again he struck, until the door began to buckle. The sounds from inside became clearer—the wailing and the thuds of blows slowly grew fainter. The people standing outside, unable to see the scene within, grew even more anxious.

Just as Officer Liu gathered his strength for another charge, the door suddenly swung open. Chu Dong had opened it. Officer Liu stumbled past him and into the room, where he stood frozen, mouth agape, as if carved from wood, at the hellish scene before him.

As the door opened, Chu Dong was revealed, drenched in blood. His tall frame swayed slightly, and the iron scent of blood hit them in a wave.

Chen Xiao’s face was as grim as water. He stepped past Chu Dong and entered the room.

Seven or eight police officers lay sprawled across the floor in various positions. Gao Jun was collapsed in the center of the room, his hands trembling as he tried to push himself up, only to fail repeatedly and slump back to the floor.

Every single one of them was covered in blood. Split lips, gashed eyebrows, and broken fingers, arms, or ribs were common sights. One couldn't tell if they had been interrogating Chu Dong or if they had simply beaten each other to this state.

Just as everyone realized how thorny this situation would be to resolve, a group of people burst in from outside. Carrying cameras, video recorders, laptops, and microphones, their attire immediately identified them as the "uncrowned kings"—the press.

In the past, these people would never have been able to enter, but the bureau had been so short-staffed due to the recent workload that almost everyone left on duty had been concentrated in this very room, nearly getting wiped out by Chu Dong in one fell swoop. It was unclear if there was even anyone left on duty at the front desk.

The intrusion was so rapid that before Chen Xiao could call for someone to stop them, the shutter flashes began to flicker, and a barrage of questions followed. It was too late to close the door, so Chen Xiao simply fell silent, not uttering a word.

What could he say? That they were filming a movie? No one would believe that. How else could he explain this? He remained silent, pushing through the reporters surrounding him, and ordered someone to call an ambulance to tend to the wounded. Everything else would have to wait until lives were saved.

Luo Feiyu was still supporting Chu Dong, whose tall frame could no longer hold itself up, placing most of his weight on her. Blood was still trickling from a wound on his head, and his lowered brow rested near her ear, his heavy, slightly rapid breathing filled with a distinctly masculine scent.

Of course, none of this was a coincidence. Just after the reporters rushed in, a graceful figure appeared.

A wide, snow-white, thick-knit sweater fell fifteen centimeters above her knees, while sheer, flesh-toned stockings hugged her long, slender legs. She wore light pink canvas shoes with low-cut ankle socks. Her gait was light, and the subtle sway of her waist was immensely alluring. It was a figure that would make any "wolf" drool.

It was Tan Xue.

No one would have expected the beauty who usually wrapped herself in serious professional attire to be dressed like this today. As she approached the doorway, she took off her pale pink sunglasses, spinning them in her hand, her beautiful eyes radiating endless pride. Her lips parted, just about to speak, when she suddenly saw Chu Dong, head drooping and covered in blood, supported on Luo Feiyu's shoulder.

Her mouth opened and closed, but no words came out. She dropped her sunglasses and lunged forward to embrace the semi-conscious Chu Dong. "Brother Dong, Brother Dong..."

The allure vanished from her large eyes, replaced entirely by anxiety.

"What did you do to Brother Dong? Who did this? Reporters, reporters..."

With a sudden rush, the reporters swarmed in, cameras and shutters aimed at Tan Xue and Chu Dong.

"Brother Dong..." Tan Xue was sobbing uncontrollably. When Chu Dong was taken away earlier that morning, she hadn't thought too much of it; after all, Chu Dong had amnesia and couldn't explain much, and logically, the police shouldn't have given him a hard time. Furthermore, that pretty female officer seemed to care for him. Her only worry had been that Chu Dong might have his heart stolen by Luo Feiyu.

However, a woman's intuition warned her that the male officer who came with her seemed to have a grudge against Chu Dong. Just in case, she had notified some reporters she had a working relationship with, dressed herself up, and rushed over. Who would have thought she would be a step too late? Now, seeing Chu Dong covered in wounds—though she couldn't tell whose blood it was, it looked terrifying—she panicked immediately.

"May I ask, who is in charge here? Can you explain the reason for the situation we are seeing? With so many police officers injured and a citizen in such a serious condition, can anyone give us an explanation?" A reporter thrust a microphone toward Chen Xiao, who was clearly the leader.

"I apologize, but saving lives is the priority now. Please, everyone, step aside and let the medical personnel enter. Thank you for your cooperation." Chen Xiao had no idea how to handle this, nor how to respond to the media's questioning. He could only use it as an excuse to get the reporters away from the scene.

But the reporters weren't about to let go of such explosive material. They photographed every corner of the interrogation room, and some even began writing their reports on the spot.

Luo Feiyu, for her part, found it hard to fathom what had actually happened. Given Chu Dong’s fighting ability, it was almost impossible for him to have done this to these men, including Gao Jun. Previously, he hadn't even been able to beat her, and even when he’d taken down Gao Jun last time, he had admitted it was through a planned ambush. Even though she’d noticed something off about him this morning, the way he had so cleanly taken down Gao Jun made it difficult to believe that one man could, in such a short time, decimate several combat-hardened veterans who were experts in fighting.

In a daze, as if the reporters before her were characters in a movie, she only had eyes for Chu Dong, who was held in Tan Xue’s arms, his eyes closed, his condition unknown.

Tan Xue held Chu Dong, cradling his head against her jaw, completely disregarding the crimson blood staining her snow-white sweater, crying out for help.

Since she had been the one to bring the reporters, help arrived quickly, as the Development Zone Hospital was right next to the bureau. Chu Dong was lifted onto a stretcher and into an ambulance. Tan Xue, unable to care about anything else, climbed in with him, crying all the way.

The reporters, having been summoned by Tan Xue, and knowing her close ties to the Silver Dragon Group, knew exactly whose side to take. Their questions were sharply focused on accusations of police brutality.

The situation had spiraled out of control, and Chen Xiao could not shoulder the responsibility alone. Once the bureau leadership learned of the situation, they stepped in, inviting the reporters into the conference room.

The bureau leaders sat at the head of the table, while the room below was packed with reporters—it was no different from a small press conference.

"My fellow members of the press, what happened today was truly sudden. I only just received the report myself. I know you all want to know the truth, and we are no different. Please rest assured, we will not shield our own comrades; we will certainly provide the public with a clear explanation." The bureau leader’s words were polished—he didn't assign blame, spoke only of investigating the truth, expressed his stance, and claimed to be on the side of the public. He was truly a seasoned and slippery operator.

"We want to know how the near-bloody scene we witnessed came to be, and what the cause of the incident was. What kind of deep-seated hatred could drive both sides to use such cruel methods?" a reporter asked.

"Haha, that is exactly what we wish to know as well. I have looked into the situation, and before you all arrived, we had only just opened that door. None of the people who walked out are currently conscious, so it is not yet suitable to launch a formal investigation. We can only gather information from the periphery. Therefore, I implore you all to wait until the situation is clear before publishing today's report. If we provide incorrect information and mislead public opinion, would that not be a disservice to the title of 'uncrowned king'?" The bureau leader was indeed skilled; his words calmed everyone down.

"Let us look into the situation first. Please, everyone, have lunch in our canteen today. Once we have uncovered the truth, we can sit down and discuss it together."

And so, with the intervention of the bureau leadership, the reporters stayed. Given that such a report would severely impact the perceived impartiality of government agencies—which was no small matter—and with their "benefactor" Tan Xue currently tending to Chu Dong, they followed the bureau leader's arrangements and remained.