Chapter 115: As Long as He Can Walk, All Will Be Well

"Hahaha, my dear young friend, it is all my fault for failing to manage my subordinates properly and causing you such grievances!"

Young friend?

Director Zhou, his face beaming with a warm, enthusiastic smile, strode over to Wu Ya. He extended both hands and gripped Wu Ya’s tightly, as if they were long-lost brothers reunited after years apart.

Yet, it was not this display of warmth that shocked the onlookers the most. What nearly made their ears fail them was the way Director Zhou addressed him!

And this address... was directed at Wu Ya!

"Young friend!"

A dignified bureau director was actually calling Wu Ya "young friend"? What had happened to the world? Was the weather tonight perhaps a bit off?

"Heh, Inspector Zhou—oh, wait, I should call you Director Zhou now! I truly had no choice but to trouble you to come all this way. Otherwise, I would have been framed for kidnapping a minor, accused of resisting law enforcement with violence, and eventually beaten into a false confession before being thrown into prison!"

Faced with Director Zhou’s enthusiasm, Wu Ya merely offered a faint smile. His words, however, were filled with unfriendly mockery. To be precise, they were full of sarcasm and provocation!

Sarcasm and provocation directed at a bureau director?

This exchange left everyone present even more stunned. What on earth was their relationship? Why was Director Zhou so unusually warm while Wu Ya remained so aloof? Could it be... that Wu Ya had a background so profound that even Director Zhou dared not offend him?

"Could it be that I’ve kicked a steel plate today? Old Woman Zhang, if you’ve ruined me today, I will make your whole family suffer!" Officer Yan’s forehead was already slick with sweat. In his heart, he had already cursed Old Woman Zhang and her ancestors back eighteen generations. Although his rank was low, he had seen plenty. In their line of work, leaders of these privileged institutions usually looked down on everyone. Yet, here was the bureau director acting with such extreme fervor toward Wu Ya, and even after being met with sarcasm and provocation, he hadn't shown the slightest displeasure, continuing to smile like a blooming flower. This was something he had never witnessed in all his years of experience!

And what followed was even more terrifying for him.

"Hahaha, it seems you have truly been wronged today, my young friend! Kidnapping a minor, plus resisting law enforcement with violence! Hmm, those two charges alone would be enough to put you in a tough spot! How about this: tell me what I must do to resolve this for you? Just say the word, and I will execute it exactly as you command! How about that?"

*Just say the word, and I will execute it exactly as you command!*

The first half of that sentence nearly caused Officer Yan’s soul to scatter. Let Wu Ya just say the word? Given his previous attitude toward Wu Ya and his family, if he were allowed to speak, would he let anyone off lightly? And the second half was even more fatal: *I will execute it!* No matter what conditions Wu Ya proposed, Director Zhou would comply. Those four words alone were enough to trigger a massive earthquake across the Suiyan District!

An eighteen-year-old boy speaks, and a dignified director must obey! What kind of power did this boy possess?

"My heavens, the Wu family has been hiding their true colors all these years! To think they know such a high-ranking official, and their relationship is clearly anything but ordinary! What have I done? Have I really gone senile in my old age?"

Old Woman Zhang was already spinning in horror at the scene. "Security volunteers" were nothing more than a group of idle housewives organized when official police resources were stretched thin, tasked with keeping watch and reporting suspicious behavior. To put it bluntly, they were people with "three nothings": no credentials, no profession, and no real authority. It was essentially volunteer work.

But in Old Woman Zhang’s hands, it had been twisted. Colluding with certain people in the station, like Officer Yan, she had become a local bully, using the guise of official authority to oppress neighbors she didn't like. Of course, this existed in many places, but Old Woman Zhang was clearly having a much worse day than most! She had targeted Wu Ya, only to hit a steel plate!

"No wonder this brat was so arrogant and overbearing earlier! He actually dared to spout madness about disbanding our 'Small-Foot Detective Brigade'! It turns out this little rascal really has the ability to do it!"

Sister Li’s eyes were wide, completely at a loss. What had she said earlier? If Wu Ya could disband the brigade, she would eat... well, the thought of it made her stomach churn with nausea.

"What do I do? It looks like Old Woman Zhang is done for! Given how close Wu Ya is to the Director, if she’s caught falsely accusing him, won't she face charges of perjury and retaliation? I need to distance myself immediately before her downfall drags me down with her!"

The others, including Old Lady Shen, began to back away. After exchanging glances, they all looked at Old Woman Zhang.

"Um... Sister Zhang, I just remembered I have some things at home to take care of. I’ll be going now."

"Sister Zhang, it's about time my son gets back; I need to go home and make him a late-night snack. I'm leaving too."

"Oh my, I nearly forgot something important! My old man asked me to get him some painkillers; the old geezer is probably cursing up a storm with his headache right now!"

With a string of flimsy excuses, they all turned and left. Gone was the high-spirited, triumphant momentum they had when they set out to "support" Old Woman Zhang and drag Wu Ya into the abyss. Now, there was only panic and fear that if they were a second too slow, they would be held accountable alongside her.

"You... you bunch of fair-weather, ungrateful cowards!"

Watching her "team" disintegrate before Wu Ya had even spoken and before Director Zhou had even made his stance clear, Old Woman Zhang was livid. She stamped her feet and cursed at their retreating backs, but no matter how hoarse she screamed, not one person turned back.

When one is powerful, others swarm to flatter; when one falls, no one cares. Old Woman Zhang was getting a vivid lesson in this harsh social reality.

"Heh, I haven't even said a word, and yet your team has already vanished, Old Woman Zhang?" Wu Ya watched the scene with a mocking smirk, his eyes full of amusement.

Bullying neighbors was one thing—he didn't care about that. His goal was to get rich and give his parents a good life. As for the rest? It was none of his business. But they had the audacity to bully not just him, but his parents too! They had almost forced his mother to her knees! What kind of creature was she? Did she think she could bear the weight of that kneeling? Trash!

Old Woman Zhang ignored his words and went straight to Director Zhou, a servile smile on her bloated face. "Hello, Director Zhou, I am Zhang Qunfang, a security volunteer for this neighborhood."

She introduced herself first, then would decide how to act. Old Woman Zhang was a bully, but she wasn't stupid. Though her posture was extremely humble, her tone remained dignified, attempting to project an image of someone who respected leadership and possessed grace.

However...

"A security volunteer, Zhang Qunfang?" Director Zhou looked her up and down, his expression shifting. "As a volunteer, who gave you the authority to pass judgment on others? Even our own law enforcement agencies call people 'suspects' until a verdict is reached! Your authority, it seems, is quite significant! You’ve actually placed yourself above the law and above state institutions!"

His voice was filled with majestic severity. It was outrageous! If Wu Ya hadn't had Huang Silu call him, he would never have seen this! The authority of a security volunteer was nearly equal to that of a law enforcement officer! What were they supposed to be? Just assistants for supervision and management! Since when were they empowered to convict others or interrogate people at will?

"This..." Old Woman Zhang froze, her eyes, now mere slits in her bloated face, blinking at Director Zhou for a long time. She couldn't utter a single word. She was old, and she had hoped to use her seniority to get the Director to give her some face. Even a perfunctory smile and a wave of dismissal would have allowed her to retreat safely. But now, she was stunned. She knew things had gone horribly wrong.

Just as she was trembling, not knowing whether to stay or go, Director Zhou turned his face away.

"Officer Yan."

"I am here!" Officer Yan, already drenched in sweat, responded with a standard salute the moment the Director called him. His tone was sharp, his posture rigid—if only his protruding belly didn't betray his corruption.

"Is this security volunteer named Zhang Qunfang affiliated with your precinct’s auxiliary force?"

"Yes!" Officer Yan’s reply followed Director Zhou’s question perfectly, without a millisecond of delay. A seamless transition that demonstrated his "professionalism"—fast and efficient.

Too bad.

"The security volunteer in your precinct has become a local bully, trampling on the people! Doing whatever she pleases, oppressing whoever she dislikes. If people don't submit, she labels them and spreads rumors to ruin their reputations! Is this the result of your work? Is this the contribution you, as a police officer, make to social security?"

Director Zhou was not moved by his professional demeanor. The only thing moving him was a burning rage at discovering his subordinate had been colluding with such people. Was the Feng Huang Ling station completely rotten? That question was already surfacing in Director Zhou’s mind.

*Drip, drip.*

The sweat on Officer Yan’s head poured down like rain. But he had been grinding away in the system for many years. To just give up and admit fault? Impossible! He knew this affected his future; one wrong move and his "iron rice bowl" could be smashed. Since he couldn't admit it, he had to counterattack.

"Director Zhou, I have been wronged! The reason this happened is because I received a report! Kidnapping a minor is a criminal case! How could I dare to delay or be perfunctory? After I arrived, the kidnapping was investigated on the spot, but then Wu Ya began violently resisting the investigation and injured someone! In front of me, he even incited his family to join in, preparing to violently resist law enforcement! I had no choice but to bring him back to the station for further investigation!"

These words cleared him of everything! Especially those two concepts—"violently resisting the investigation" and "violently resisting law enforcement"—were used perfectly. As expected of a veteran officer. Resisting the investigation meant opposing the volunteer's work, but striking the volunteer created a new public order case! And "resisting law enforcement" occurred after he arrived, when the suspect dared to use violence against official police. That could not be tolerated! With these two charges combined, wasn't it reasonable to take Wu Ya away? Furthermore, the reason he came was because of a report, not to protect Old Woman Zhang! He had followed the formal procedures!

"Oh, yes, yes! Director Zhou, Officer Yan is truly an upright officer who enforces the law impartially! This Wu Ya caught our attention because his behavior was suspicious. Who knew that when we went to investigate, he would just start hitting people! Look, look at what he did to me! *Hiss*... My heavens! I can't go on like this!"

Old Woman Zhang was indeed a wily old fox. Hearing Officer Yan’s words, she immediately understood his intent. Only by clinging to the accusation against Wu Ya could she hope for the Director’s leniency. Otherwise, she was doomed! And as for clinging to Wu Ya? Short of the assault she suffered, there was nothing else to pin on him! As for the "resisting law enforcement," that was an internal police matter—not something she had the qualifications to comment on!

After her tearful lament, she broke into a loud, wailing cry, wiping her nose and tears in a display that was truly pathetic.

But then...