Chapter 395: What’s Wrong With Outsiders?

Chapter 395: Chapter 395: What’s Wrong With Outsiders?

Two auxiliary officers stepped forward, barking gruffly at Wang Chenning, Yang Xiaofei, and Zhao Xiao’an to stand up, put their hands on their heads, and get in the corner.

"If anyone recognized us, we wouldn’t be getting this kind of treatment!" Wang Chenning ignored the auxiliary officers’ orders and said to Yang Xiaofei and Zhao Xiao’an with a wry smile, "Dressed like this, it’s true no one recognizes us, but no one’s taking us seriously either."

Yang Xiaofei shot a look at the bodyguards standing near her. They immediately fanned out, forming a protective barrier in front of their table.

"These people started it. We were just defending ourselves." One of Yang Xiaofei’s female bodyguards stepped forward, looking coldly at the two auxiliary officers. "There are plenty of witnesses nearby, and lots of security cameras. You can investigate first. Don’t disturb our late-night meal."

The lead officer sensed something was amiss. He immediately stepped forward and signaled for the two auxiliaries to stand down.

As the officer in charge of this area, he knew who the men on the ground were. They were regulars at the station—thugs with minor connections. Their offenses had never been serious enough to warrant a heavy-handed response.

But if they messed with the wrong people, there were certainly ways to bring the hammer down.

Upon seeing the officers arrive, the thugs all started wailing and complaining, demanding that the station uphold justice for them.

The lead officer shot a disgusted glance at the thugs’ pathetic performance before walking over to Wang Chenning’s table. He gave a slight salute, identified himself, politely explained why he was there, and asked Wang Chenning and his friends to cooperate with the investigation.

This officer also didn’t recognize Wang Chenning or his female companions, but from the bearing of their group, he could tell they were definitely not ordinary people.

’They travel with bodyguards, they’re all stunningly attractive, and they have an incredible air of refinement. How could people like that possibly be ordinary?’

To avoid any trouble, he adopted the most respectful posture he could.

After asking for their cooperation, the officer requested that Wang Chenning and his friends present their identification so he could verify their identities.

One of Yang Xiaofei’s bodyguards presented his own ID and politely informed the officer that their lawyer would be in contact shortly. He suggested that the officers first take statements from the thugs and then speak with his clients once their lawyer was present.

This made the officer even more certain that these people were far from ordinary. He didn’t press the issue and went to take statements from the thugs still lying on the ground.

Seeing the officers showing deference to the people who had just beaten them up, the thugs grew furious. They started shouting, accusing the officers of protecting the assailants and of selective enforcement. A couple of them even yelled at the onlookers, hoping to stir some sympathetic outrage from the crowd.

However, the onlookers were mostly just there for the spectacle. Besides, they had all seen the thugs instigate the conflict by harassing the women. It was only after provoking Wang Chenning and his companions that they got beaten, so nobody stepped up to speak for them.

Just then, a group of people pushed their way through the crowd.

These men, dressed in plain clothes, had a powerful presence. One look was enough to tell they were not ordinary people.

"What’s going on here?" The leader, a middle-aged man with a prominent beer belly, strode into the center of the scene. With his hands stuffed in his pockets, he demanded arrogantly, "Someone’s openly assaulting people? How utterly lawless!"

He then pointed at Wang Chenning’s group and berated the officers. "How are you handling this? You’re just going to let these blatant assailants continue to sit here at their leisure?"

"What do you mean by that?" Wang Chenning stood up and replied bluntly, "These men saw our companions were good-looking and came over to harass them. After we warned them, they became even more arrogant and even tried to get physical. We had no choice but to fight back. We acted in self-defense. The responsibility is entirely on them."

"Well, well. A few out-of-towners with quite an attitude, huh?" The portly man was taken aback for a second before letting out a cold sneer. "You assault someone and still refuse to be disciplined? Are you trying to start a rebellion? Who gave you the nerve?"

"That’s right, we’re from out of town," Wang Chenning said, looking at the man with open scorn. "We came to see the sights, drawn here by the reputation of Gusu. We never expected to run into something like this. And even then, I couldn’t have imagined it would become even more outrageous. Are you trying to ruin the reputation of this thousand-year-old ancient city?"

"It’s not your place to lecture me!" the middle-aged man bellowed, flying into a rage. He jabbed his right index finger at Wang Chenning. "Who the hell do you think you are? Daring to throw your weight around here? Believe it or not, you’ve bitten off more than you can chew!"

Without waiting for a reply, he immediately ordered the men beside him, "Cuff them and take them away! We’ll give them a good, long interrogation back at the station. Lock them in a dark room for a few days and let them reflect on their mistakes! If they resist, teach them a lesson."

At the middle-aged man’s command, the men he had brought with him, as well as the two auxiliary officers, began to close in.

Seeing this, the lead officer sighed helplessly.

He walked over to the middle-aged man and whispered a few words of caution.

But the man ignored the warning, still domineeringly ordering his men to seize Wang Chenning and the women.

At this moment, another group of people arrived at the scene.

This new group was clearly not with the portly man’s entourage. They had a slightly less refined air about them, but their attitude was even more aggressive.

As soon as this group arrived, they started shouting brazenly, demanding to know who was bold enough to lay a hand on their men and injure so many of their brothers. They declared that if they didn’t get justice today, they would never let the matter drop.

"I never thought we’d run into a situation like this in Gusu!" Wang Chenning said, looking at Yang Xiaofei and Zhao Xiao’an with a grin. "Should I escalate things further, or do you want to make a call and get this resolved?"

"Don’t you dare make another move. You’ll ruin your reputation!" Zhao Xiao’an shot Wang Chenning a look and then reminded him, "You could try calling Wang Jiangxing. I’m sure he’d be happy to help you with this!"

"Fine," Wang Chenning said. He thought for a moment and decided she had a point, so he pulled out his phone and called Wang Jiangxing.

"Chenning, you made it to Gusu?" Wang Jiangxing answered enthusiastically. "How long are you planning on staying?"

"I’m in the old district of Gusu having a late-night snack, and I’ve run into a bit of trouble," Wang Chenning said, briefly explaining the situation. "I was wondering if you know anyone here? If you do, could you help us out? If not, we’ll figure something out ourselves."

"I spent five years in Gusu; I’m quite familiar with the place!" Although Wang Jiangxing was a little shocked by what he heard, he didn’t ask for details. He immediately agreed to make a call for Wang Chenning and urged him not to do anything rash.

While Wang Chenning was on the phone, the portly man’s group and the thugs who arrived after them had already closed in menacingly...