Chapter 9: Liang Lahua’s Family Secret (Part II)

“Alright, Auntie, you don’t need to say any more. I understand,” Zhang Heng said, and the auntie fell silent.

As expected, the situation surrounding the Liang Lahua case was exactly as he had suspected. With a theory and a witness in hand, the next step was to gather evidence. Yes, he had to infiltrate the Black Dragon Society to collect proof.

But before that, the first priority was to protect the witness—the auntie herself. This was the very essence of his duty as a police officer: to safeguard the vulnerable.

The most effective way to protect her was to have her relocate to another city, preferably Beijing. In Beijing, such criminal syndicates simply could not operate.

Zhang Heng then said to the auntie, “Auntie, can I discuss something with you?”

“Sure,” she replied.

“Like I mentioned earlier, you should go hide out of town for a while. Meanwhile, I’ll gather some information on the Black Dragon Society and hand it over to the Central Anti-Gang Office. That way, we can dismantle that gang faster. Once they’re gone, you can come back. Oh, and after you leave, I’ll need to stay in your house temporarily. Don’t worry—I’ll only live here and won’t damage a thing.”

“Alright, alright, Officer, I agree,” she said.

“Officer, come with me. You can stay in this room,” she added, getting up and heading toward the spare bedroom with Zhang Heng following closely behind.

Once inside, she opened the wardrobe and took out a quilt, handing it to Zhang Heng. “Officer, use this quilt. You’ll sleep in this room. It used to be my son’s.”

“Thank you,” Zhang Heng replied.

“Officer, follow me,” she said again, leading him to the kitchen and bathroom across the living room. Standing by the door, she said, “This is our kitchen and bathroom. Feel free to use them. The shampoo and body wash are all new.”

“Alright, alright,” he answered.

Suddenly, a loud knock came from the door: “Bang, bang, bang…” It sounded like several people knocking at once. The knock startled both Zhang Heng and the auntie.

“Bang, bang, bang…”

The knocking continued, followed by a voice shouting, “Hey, old hag, we know you’re home. Our boss is here. Open up, or we’ll tear your door down!”

“All right, all right, I’m coming,” the auntie called back.

Just as she was about to open the door, Zhang Heng stopped her with a hand. “Auntie, I’ll get it,” he said with a nod.

He moved to the door, with the auntie trailing behind. Zhang Heng pulled out his police badge from his pocket while opening the door with the other hand.

On the other side stood a group of thuggish youths, wielding sticks and machetes.

Zhang Heng immediately recognized the two leaders—one of whom had come looking for trouble just hours earlier. That youth suddenly raised his machete, swinging it toward Zhang Heng.

Without hesitation, Zhang Heng kicked out, striking the youth’s stomach and knocking him down. Another leader moved to attack with a blade, but a middle-aged man, clearly their boss, called out:

“Xiao Chang.”

Upon hearing his name, Xiao Chang lowered his weapon and stepped back.

The boss then stepped forward, glancing behind him where the other youths all put down their weapons.

Satisfied, the boss turned back to Zhang Heng with a slight smile.

Zhang Heng displayed his police badge firmly and said, “I'm a police officer. Don’t move.”

At that moment, the men behind the boss picked up their weapons again.

“Put them down,” the boss ordered, facing Zhang Heng.

His men obeyed, lowering their weapons once more. The boss smiled again, then reached out to grab Zhang Heng’s badge.

Zhang Heng clenched tightly on one end, while the boss gripped the other.

The boss smiled wryly and said, “Officer, since you say you’re a cop, why won’t you show me your badge properly? If you won’t, it means you’re either guilty of something or you’re not a real officer—you’re impersonating one.”

At his words, the men raised their weapons again. The boss smiled once more but then lowered his hand.

“Fine, I’ll show you,” Zhang Heng said, handing over the badge.

The boss took it and smiled, examining it briefly before saying, “Sorry, officer. No, officer from Beijing. Having this badge alone doesn’t prove you’re a cop. Wait here a minute.”

“Feng Fei,” the boss called to a man behind him.

“Yes, boss,” Feng Fei replied.

“Can you still access the police database on your phone?”

“Boss, yes. Even though I’m no longer with the police, I’m still connected to the police records center.”

“Good. Come check this officer’s information.”

Feng Fei handed his machete to a comrade and approached the boss, who gave him Zhang Heng’s badge. Feng Fei took out his phone and began the search.

A minute later, Feng Fei said, “Boss, look.”

He showed the phone screen and the badge to the boss.

The boss took both, scanning the data carefully. The photo matched Zhang Heng exactly.

His face suddenly showed signs of panic.

He immediately ordered his men, “Everyone, put down your weapons.”

“Ah?” one man said in surprise.

“Put them down!”

As all the men complied, the boss turned to Zhang Heng with a smile and returned the badge. Zhang Heng took it back.

“Officer, listen. We were just passing through. Yes, just passing through. Now, we’re leaving...”

He turned to his men, “Move out, quickly.”

“Stop!” Zhang Heng called out just as they began to retreat.

The gang froze and turned back to look at him. Zhang Heng asked, “Are you with the Black Dragon Society?”

“Fuck you! Who do you think you are? Just a little cop acting big? Let me tell you, the head of this district’s police station is my big brother!” one thug spat.

The boss slapped the mouthy thug hard. The man looked hurt and said, “Boss, he—kneel down for me.”

“Ah!”

“Slap!”

The boss slapped him again and glared fiercely, “Kneel!”

The thug knelt immediately.

The boss smiled at Zhang Heng and said, “Sorry, officer. My brother didn’t brush his teeth today; his breath’s bad. He said some foul words. I apologize on his behalf. I’ll make sure he learns his lesson.”

“As for the Black Dragon Society you mentioned, we don’t know them. We’re just a group who enjoys training with these weapons. We’re done for today; we’re leaving now. No need to see us out.”

He turned back to his men again: “Move out.”

“Yes, boss.”

They hurried down the stairs and out the building.

Zhang Heng wanted to call them back, but they had already vanished.

Returning to the room, he asked the auntie, “Are you alright?”

She nodded, “Yes.”

“Pack your things quickly. We need to leave now before it’s too late.”

“Alright, alright.”

She went to her bedroom and began packing, while Zhang Heng waited patiently.

After several minutes, she came out with a suitcase.

“All set, officer,” she said.

“Did you take your valuables? Household register, cash, property deed, bank cards, passbooks, ID?”

“Yes, yes.”

“Good. Give me the keys.”

She handed them over.

Together, they left the house, and Zhang Heng locked the door behind them.

They went downstairs, out of the complex, and onto the street.

“Auntie, can we get a taxi here?”

“No taxis here, but right ahead is the bus terminal for the town’s shuttle.”

“Good. Let’s hurry over.”

They quickly made their way to the bus station.

They saw a city-bound bus about to depart.

Without hesitation, they boarded the bus.