Chapter 4: You'll Pay for the Button

"Who the hell gave you the guts to arrest someone from Shengshi Group? Release Young Master Tai right now, this instant, or I'll tear this crappy station down today!"

Lawyer Zhang's shrill, piercing voice echoed wildly through the city bureau's lobby.

He ranted and raved while swinging his crocodile-leather briefcase, slamming it hard onto the marble surface of the reception desk.

The bang bang bang of it sounded like a slap to the face of the entire Jianghai City Police Bureau.

The dozens of thugs with dragon-and-tiger tattoos saw that even the lawyer leading them was this tough, and immediately grew even more brazen.

"You hear that? Let him go now!"

"You really think putting on a uniform makes you something? Want me to find out where you live?"

One bald thug even stepped forward and shoved a young intern officer.

"What're you hiding for? Weren't you all tough a minute ago?"

The intern staggered from the shove, his back slamming hard against the wall.

His eyes were red-rimmed as he clutched his baton, knuckles white from gripping it too hard.

But he didn't dare fight back.

Because the Commissioner leading the team hadn't said a word, and more importantly, because the other side was Shengshi Group.

In Jianghai City, anyone who touched Shengshi Group's people would be packing their bags the next day—or worse, lose their life.

Every officer in the lobby was pent up like a powder keg about to blow.

Shen Bing couldn't stand it anymore.

She strode forward and shoved the bald thug aside.

"You're openly challenging the bottom line of the law! Take your people and get out right now, or I'll detain every one of you for obstructing official duties!" Shen Bing pointed at Lawyer Zhang, her voice stern.

"Detain? Oh my, I'm so scared." Lawyer Zhang patted his chest theatrically.

He pushed up the gold-rimmed glasses on his nose and looked Shen Bing up and down with contempt.

"Officer, do you even know the law? I'm Young Master Tai's attorney. I'm here to bail out my client—legal and compliant."

"As for these people..." Lawyer Zhang gestured at the dozens of thugs behind him. "They're concerned citizens, here to supervise your civilized law enforcement."

With that, Lawyer Zhang ground his leather heel hard into the floor.

The finger of the auxiliary officer who'd been shoved down earlier was still pinned beneath his shoe.

"Ah—!" The auxiliary officer's tears streamed down from the pain, his body curling up like a shrimp.

"Police brutality! Ow, the cops are hitting people!" The two tattooed bruisers beside him didn't let go—they howled even louder, playing the victim while being the aggressors.

The lobby descended into utter chaos.

Just then.

From deep in the corridor, a steady, rhythmic sound of footsteps suddenly rang out.

"Thud, thud, thud."

Tactical boots on marble—not loud, but each step landed like it was stomping on someone's heart.

Lu Zheng walked out from the shadows, the unlit cigarette still clamped between his lips.

His washed-out old jacket looked completely out of place in this opulent city bureau lobby.

But the thick smell of blood and killing intent radiating off him instantly dropped the surrounding air to freezing.

"Commissioner Lu, you can't—" Shen Bing saw him and started to warn him.

But Lu Zheng didn't even look at her.

He stopped walking and swept a cold gaze across the lobby, which had turned into a vegetable market.

No warning.

No pointless shouting of "stop" or anything like that.

"Click."

A crisp metallic sound rang out.

Lu Zheng smoothly drew the black-star pistol from the holster at his waist.

His thumb flicked off the safety as he raised the muzzle.

"Bang!"

The deafening gunshot exploded through the enclosed lobby.

A live round punched straight through a ceiling light fixture.

Glass shards and plaster powder rained down, pelting several thugs on the head.

The massive echo left everyone's eardrums stinging.

The entire lobby fell into dead silence in an instant.

The thug who'd just been yelling about finding officers' home addresses was so scared he dropped to the floor and hugged his head, not daring to even breathe.

The sharp smell of gunpowder spread rapidly through the lobby.

Everyone was stunned.

In the city bureau lobby, in front of dozens of people, firing a gun over a few words?

This bastard was a genuine lunatic!

Lawyer Zhang was so startled by the gunshot that his whole body jerked, and he nearly dropped his briefcase.

But he quickly forced himself to calm down.

He was Jianghai City's most famous gold-medal lawyer, the one who did the four great families' dirty work. What kind of storms hadn't he weathered?

This kind of scare tactic—he'd seen it plenty of times!

"So you're the new Commissioner Lu Zheng? What a show of authority!"

Lawyer Zhang sneered. Not only did he not back off, he puffed out his chest and stepped forward.

He pulled a stack of documents from his briefcase and shook them right in Lu Zheng's face.

"Shooting? You think that scares me? Do you realize that shot you just fired already violated firearms regulations!"

Lawyer Zhang shouted while jabbing his finger frantically at the air.

"You arrested Young Master Tai—where's the evidence? Where's the detention warrant?"

"You've got nothing—this is unlawful detention! This is serious abuse of power!"

"If you know what's good for you, release him right now, unharmed, and make that bald thug who hit people kowtow and apologize!"

The more Lawyer Zhang talked, the more worked up he got, as if he already had this outsider with no backing completely in his pocket.

"I've already got people outside recording. Otherwise, I guarantee you'll take office today and be in prison sewing clothes tomorrow!"

Lu Zheng listened quietly.

He didn't argue back, didn't even blink.

He just slowly lowered the muzzle.

Lawyer Zhang thought he was scared, and his smile grew even more arrogant.

"What? Now you know fear? Too late! Hurry up and—"

Before he could finish, Lu Zheng moved.

He took half a step forward, his left hand shooting out like lightning, grabbing Lawyer Zhang by the collar.

The force was unbelievably strong—Lawyer Zhang's hundred-plus-pound body was actually lifted clean off the ground!

"Mmph—" The smile on Lawyer Zhang's face froze instantly, replaced by deep terror.

He struggled desperately, both hands trying to pry apart Lu Zheng's iron grip, but it was like a mayfly trying to shake a tree.

Lu Zheng's face was expressionless as his right hand held the pistol that had just fired, its barrel still scorching hot.

He flipped his wrist and shoved the barrel straight into Lawyer Zhang's wide-open mouth!

"Crack!"

The hard metal barrel smashed two of Lawyer Zhang's front teeth clean out.

Blood mixed with broken teeth instantly streamed down from the corner of his mouth.

"Mmmph mmmph mmmph!"

The scorching barrel sizzled against the mucous membranes of Lawyer Zhang's mouth, and the smell of burnt flesh drifted out.

Tears streamed down his face from the pain, and desperate whimpers rose from his throat.

His gold-rimmed glasses fell to the floor and shattered.

Lu Zheng held him up one-handed like this, the barrel pressed hard against his upper palate, his eyes full of brutality.

The thugs nearby were all dumbstruck.

Was this even a cop? This was ten times more savage than they were!

The tattooed bruiser from before scrambled on all fours toward the exit, terrified that he'd be the next one with a barrel in his mouth.

Shen Bing was frozen too.

Looking at Lu Zheng's ice-cold profile, her heart pounded out of control.

"Sue me?"

Lu Zheng chewed his tobacco shreds and spat out a bit of leaf, his voice hoarse like sandpaper.

He twisted his wrist hard, stirring the barrel around in Lawyer Zhang's mouth again.

Lawyer Zhang convulsed from the pain, pale yellow urine dripping down his suit trousers onto the marble floor—drip, drip, drip.

"Talk to me about the law?"

Lu Zheng let out a cold laugh, a smile full of undisguised arrogance.

"On this little patch of ground called Jianghai City."

"The gun in my hand—that's the law!"

"Anyone I want to arrest, not even the King of Heaven can protect them. And what the hell are you?"

With that, Lu Zheng flung him aside like a piece of garbage.

Lawyer Zhang's massive body flew through the air and crashed hard into the crowd of thugs, flattening a whole bunch of them.

He lay on the ground coughing violently, spitting out a mouthful of bloody water mixed with broken teeth, unable to muster even a single threat.

Just then, hurried footsteps came from the second-floor stairwell.

Executive Deputy Commissioner Zhao Gang, who'd barely hidden in his office moments ago, came rushing down drenched in sweat.

He pointed at Lu Zheng, his voice distorted with shock.

"Lu Zheng! Are you insane! The mayor's about to call—you're bringing disaster down on the whole bureau!"