Chapter 1372: Acting Skills Are Lacking

Chapter 1372: Chapter 1372: Acting Skills Are Lacking

Flipping open the folder, inside was a not-very-thick file, maybe five or six sheets in total.

Besides a detailed record of the cause, process, and outcome of the crash, the file also contained a few stills from surveillance footage.

In the file, the driver of that red twenty-four-wheel truck was named Cai Li, from Heilongjiang. The cause of the accident was that the truck was overloaded with construction materials, and Cai Li had also drunk quite a bit of baijiu.

Within almost half an hour after Cai Li caused the accident and fled, he was stopped on a road on the Fourth Ring. He still reeked of alcohol, and when tested with the device, he already met the legal standard for drunk driving.

Overloading, drunk driving, and hit-and-run had long since constituted criminal liability, and he had already been restrained by the traffic police brigade.

With this many offenses, they first needed to process bail pending trial, then the case would be handed to the Procuratorate, then transferred to the court, waiting for the court session.

"Where is he now?" After reading the file in his hand, Lin Tian closed the folder and looked up to ask.

Yie Pengfei replied with a cheerful smile, "He’s being held at the sub-bureau, but I’ve already had someone bring him over. He should just about be here on the road now."

Lin Tian nodded to Yie Pengfei and said, "I appreciate your help with this today, Mr.Yi."

Yie Pengfei wasn’t some small fry; he was the director of the Traffic Bureau of Kanyue City, at full bureau rank. The fact that he was personally receiving them and handling the matter was already giving a lot of face, and counted as a favor. It wasn’t something that ended with a casual thank-you; there would be future dealings.

Yie Pengfei waved his hand and said, "Just a small effort. Here, I’ll have Xiaoxu take you to see that driver first."

"Okay, thanks for the trouble."

The Xiaoxu mentioned by Yie Pengfei was the young officer who had brought them over earlier. He didn’t talk much, but he was serious about his work, and quickly led the three of them to the cell where Cai Li was being temporarily held.

"Mr. Lin, go ahead." With that, Officer Xiaoxu stepped out and casually pulled the door shut.

Go ahead?

Lin Tian rolled those two words around in his mouth. It was kind of interesting. Basically it meant this guy wasn’t missing any limbs, so they could do whatever they wanted with him?

This level of privilege really was something.

Cai Li was crouched on the ground, head drooping, letting out soft snores.

The guy was actually... asleep.

Mei Ruyan gently covered her nose, frowned, and said, "Why does this guy smell so strong?"

Indeed, there was a strange stench coming off Cai Li. Hard to describe—a sour reek, alcohol fumes, and some other indefinable funk.

Because he had opened up the Eight Extraordinary Meridians, Lin Tian’s sense of smell was keener than the other two. He could even detect a faint trace of perfume from a woman on him, so faint it was almost buried under his rancid stench.

He really couldn’t figure it out. How could a guy this sloppy and filthy have a woman? Even if he paid, other people probably wouldn’t be willing, right?

Cai Li was still snoring. He was sleeping very deeply—probably the alcohol had fully kicked in.

Wu Yong stepped forward and, with tremendous force, drove a vicious kick into his stomach. Consider it venting for Li.

At once, a scream like a pig being slaughtered rang out, grating on the ears.

Standing not far from the cell, Xiaoxu heard the miserable scream and smirked dismissively. Inwardly he muttered: No idea who this punk pissed off, even the director is being so polite. Serves him right!

In Xiaoxu’s view, this was reality. In a place like Kanyue City, if you have no power or backing and you still cause trouble, you’re asking to die.

...

The pain in his abdomen shot from the nerve endings through Cai Li’s whole body; that kind of agony could sober you up in an instant—he even snapped out of his drunkenness.

Cai Li struggled to lift his head. His whole face twisted from the pain, and his eyes only cracked open to a narrow slit.

"Wh-who are you people?" Cai Li’s teeth were chattering as he spoke; the damage from Wu Yong’s kick had been way too much.

Cai Li was wearing a vest that was old and torn. What had once been white had now turned gray from filth.

Because he hadn’t washed for a long time, Cai Li’s face looked like it was coated in a layer of grime. His features were extremely generic, the type that vanished in a crowd without anything distinctive. But his build was solid, all muscle.

Wu Yong gave a cold snort and sneered, "You’re that big and one kick already has you crying? Cry? Cry my ass."

"..." Lin Tian, hearing that, could only feel a forehead full of black lines.

What did he mean by ’one kick and you can’t take it’?

Wu Yong’s body was worlds apart from last year. He’d taken Foundation Establishment Medicine, soaked in Foundation Establishment Soup, and been put through two months of grueling training by Tian Ming. The toughness of his body was already close to that of a beginner Martial Artist.

If he used just a bit more force, he’d probably kick the guy to death!

But Lin Tian didn’t stop him; he didn’t even say a word. This punk had hit and injured Li, what was wrong with kicking him a couple times?

By now Cai Li’s thoughts were completely clear. He glared resentfully at Wu Yong and growled in a deep, muffled voice, "Who are you? This is the traffic police brigade. You dare beat someone in here?"

"Hey!" Wu Yong grinned, "You’re exactly the one I feel like beating!"

With that, he swung out another whip kick.

The simple, brutal whip kick snapped against Cai Li’s neck and sent him flying like a sandbag, landing far away. Then he lay on the ground, whining and groaning.

Cai Li lay there panting heavily. This time, he wasn’t going to repeat the stupid lines he’d said just now. He laboriously propped himself up in the corner against the wall and, weakly, asked, "You guys... you’re here because of the two people I just hit, aren’t you?"

Wu Yong snorted, "We didn’t even say anything yet and you already guessed it yourself."

Cai Li shifted his butt a bit, changing posture, and said, "Other than that, I can’t think of anything else."

Lin Tian said, "You’ve got some nerve. You hit people and still dared to run. Where did you think you could run to?"

Cai Li spoke feebly, "I’d been drinking; my head was all foggy. At the time I really didn’t realize I’d hit someone. I only found out after the traffic cops stopped me."

He paused, then looked at Lin Tian, his gaze flustered as he asked, "They’re okay, right?"

"Okay?" Lin Tian let out a cold, grief-tinged laugh. "One dead, one injured. You can look forward to rotting in prison for the rest of your life!"

Cai Li’s face only went a shade paler; otherwise there was no real change. He even sounded a bit excited as he asked, "Was it the man who died or the woman?"

Lin Tian’s gaze on Cai Li instantly sharpened, like a hawk locking onto prey in that split second, making Cai Li’s heart thump a few hard beats.

Cai Li’s acting was decent, but still had room for improvement. From beginning to end he’d maintained a perfectly normal demeanor, until just now... When he heard "one dead, one injured," his eyes didn’t go vacant at all. He even eagerly asked whether the dead one was male or female.

What did that mean?

It meant he was hoping for something!

He had a purpose!