Chapter 2724 - 2786: Stability

This question was a bit of a trap. That policeman was instantly rendered speechless. Considering he wasn’t entirely clean, once Li Yifei pointed it out, he couldn’t utter a single word, feeling as though a secret had been exposed. However, the other two policemen felt much better since not everyone was in cahoots with those thieves. But the reason they were so brazen was undoubtedly that some policemen had indulged them.

"You can’t say it like that. We haven’t taken any bribes; it’s just inconvenient for us to act. If possible, who wouldn’t want to arrest all the bad guys around, providing a good security environment for the public? But that’s not how things are done. Let me tell you, if a directive were issued throughout the province to strictly crack down on criminals, treating theft and robbers seriously after they’re caught, and anyone daring to besiege the Public Security Bureau and cause trouble would be sentenced to at least half a year, with double punishment the next time they’re caught, you’d see how many would knowingly commit crimes! Without these policies, higher-ups would rather coax them to avoid trouble. During festivals, they even give us quotas to pacify them, wishing we could invite these people for meals to prevent incidents during the holidays. Everyone knows those guys can make trouble and actually rely on it. But what’s the use? We’re just ordinary people with families and friends. Without policy protection from above, relying solely on our passion? What a joke. The year before last, an officer named Old Zhang intervened when he saw such a situation, stopping them from committing outrage. What was the result? Old Zhang lost his job because of them, and that’s not all. Old Zhang’s daughter went missing for a few days and was found in a dreadful state. Where do you go to reason about these things?" Once the policeman started talking, he couldn’t stop, pouring out his grievances.

Li Yifei frowned, staring at him. What he said wasn’t without reason, and it was probably true. To say there are no good policemen in society would be false. There are, and plenty of them. But are there black sheep among them? Certainly, and quite a number, too. The black sheep are not merely the corrupt officials but those colluding with thugs, the so-called police-gang alliance, harming everyone.

So he said, "So what you mean is that these people don’t receive the punishment they deserve because of the leadership?"

"I didn’t say that, and don’t put words in my mouth. Today, we admit the bad luck. Moreover, we can’t handle this. If you have the ability, bring in the higher-ups and discuss it with them. We’ll accept it! But a reminder, some leaders are just as corrupt, so you’d better find the right person."

"Hmm?" Li Yifei heard the hidden implication in his words and glanced at the person with the surname Bai. It quickly became clear that the policeman was hinting that some of the higher-ups might favor certain groups. If individuals like these hold high positions, it becomes easy for them to skew policies, directly influencing and interfering with investigations. Simply put, even if you catch people with the surname Bai, it’s initially because they committed a crime. But with just one word from the higher-ups, not only might you fail to punish them, but you also offend people—not just those with the surname Bai but the leaders too. Over time, no one wants to deal with these petty street thieves who could at any moment cause one to lose their job.

With this realization, the pedestrian street ended up as it is today. Local people usually come here to shop, but more and more are turning to other commercial streets instead, while outsiders often come for its fame, despite it being more fancy than real and frequently falling victim to theft or robbery. However, outsiders will eventually leave, even if they don’t return, making the stolen money truly valuable.

Everything began to connect. Li Yifei stepped closer, squatted down to look at the three policemen, and whispered, "So, tell me, which leaders are corrupt so I can sort them out as well."

"Don’t joke about sorting them all out. Sigh, we understand what you’re doing, so just let it rest. You’ve fought and slashed enough; just don’t make it too big of a deal. Nobody looks good when things get out of hand!"

"Oh, I almost forgot, your surname is also Ma, haha!" Li Yifei chuckled coolly, glaring at the policeman who’d just spoken. The man felt uneasy being stared at and hurriedly explained, "My surname may be Ma, but I definitely don’t have any such twisted ideas. If there’s crime, it should be addressed, that’s a must."

"Okay, I’ll believe you!" Li Yifei replied flatly.

"What I said earlier wasn’t targeting any specific leader. At that level, stability overrides everything; it’s merely a case of passing the buck, consistent across the nation!" said the policeman who first disclosed the information.

Li Yifei nodded and said, "Alright, I won’t make it difficult for you, including you! You can’t handle this, but don’t think you can dodge the lesson. Wearing this uniform, you shouldn’t surrender to anyone easily."

As Li Yifei said this and stood up, preparing to pull out his phone to call, he saw a group of policemen arriving from the other direction. They ran over, saw the scene, and immediately someone pulled a gun, pointed at Li Yifei, and shouted, "Drop your weapons, drop your weapons immediately, turn around, hold your head and squat down!"

"What if I don’t drop it or squat?" Li Yifei narrowed his eyes, looking at the policemen running over.

"You want to resist?"

"Haha. Do you know what’s really happening here? Do you know what you are doing?" Li Yifei stared intensely at them. There were two guns in total, but Li Yifei was confident they couldn’t hit him. However, the women were right behind him, making dodging unfavorable.

"Captain Ma, what do you think about this situation..." The armed policeman quickly turned to look back after hearing this, revealing a potbellied middle-aged man behind him. Once the name Captain Ma was mentioned, Li Yifei looked over, only to see him snort and say, "If you don’t drop the knife, then shoot!"

"Yes!" The two policemen followed orders, keeping their guns aimed at Li Yifei.

"Captain Ma? What’s your position?" Li Yifei asked coldly.

"You don’t need to know. I’m giving you one minute now: either drop your knife or keep resisting stubbornly. Such a thug deserves to die!" Captain Ma said.

Li Yifei slowly nodded as if agreeing with him, and whispered, "Seems like you all are in on this together. No wonder you’re so arrogant; you even have accomplices within the police."

"What nonsense are you saying? Who’s an accomplice? Watch what you say!" Captain Ma retorted, like a cat that’s had its tail stepped on.

"I was only guessing, but now that you’ve spoken, it must be true!" Li Yifei replied.

"Stop playing word games. Time’s up. Are you putting the knife down or not?" Captain Ma was also stern, his face gloomy as though others owed him millions. His gaze at Li Yifei was filled with hatred, seemingly unreasonable but easy to infer that he and someone with the last name Bai might indeed be partners.

And indeed, Li Yifei wasn’t wrong; he and that person with the last name Bai were indeed in cahoots, often meeting up to eat and drink together.

Li Yifei slowly shook his head, saying, "Is this the view of the other policemen too? Do you know what you’re doing? Do you know what those people lying on the ground were doing?"

A barrage of questions came out, and the police who rushed over certainly knew what was going on. However, since Captain Ma was their leader, they couldn’t disobey orders, so no one spoke up.

"Alright!" Li Yifei grinned, showing a set of white teeth. The policemen across seemed confused about why Li Yifei was still smiling at this moment. Did he have such strong mental fortitude, smiling even when guns were pointed at him?

The bystanders had retreated considerably, especially since the police had drawn weapons. This was not a straightforward spectacle. If a bullet went astray, they wouldn’t want to suffer the consequences. Thus, people backed away several dozen meters, and those inside the shops along the street tried hard to stay clear of the windows.

"If he dares to make a move, shoot, and I’ll take responsibility!" Captain Ma said viciously. The person with the last name Bai, whose arms had been cut off, was his friend. Beyond that friendship, those people were also his clan, all scrambling to make a living in Anby City. He felt he should yield some care to his clan and never saw anything wrong with it. His clansmen were from small places, trying to carve a living in a big city wasn’t easy. If he had the power to overlook their faults, why not do so?

But at this moment, Captain Ma forgot his identity. He was a party member with rank and position, yet he shielded criminals, which was dereliction of duty, collusion, absolutely unjustifiable!

Li Yifei could sense Captain Ma’s emotional change, so overtly hostile against him that there was no need for any further pointless remarks. Instead of throwing down the knife, Li Yifei’s figure vanished; the two armed policemen subconsciously froze, blinked hard, and when they opened their eyes again, Li Yifei was already in front of them. With two thuds, they were knocked away even before they could react, their guns clattering to the ground.

Captain Ma’s face froze. He hadn’t seen what Li Yifei did, but in the blink of an eye, the two cops with guns were sent flying, and Li Yifei was in front of him.

"You, as a public servant, a police officer, no less a captain, are so lost in judgment, lawless, and shielding criminals, Captain Ma, eh? Your career as a captain ends here. Best hope you don’t have other criminal records, or you’ll spend the rest of your life in prison!" Li Yifei’s icy voice resonated, and Captain Ma shivered instinctively, trying to retreat but was immobilized because his chest tightened, having been grabbed by Li Yifei.

Although Captain Ma was about 200 pounds, immediately attempting to resist, he found the grip far too strong to break free. He growled, "Let go of me right now! If you dare harm me, you’ll be sentenced to death!"