Chapter 1401
Car Smashing Perpetrator Surrenders, Receives Reduced Sentence
The car slowly drove forward, but his gaze remained fixed on the figure standing on the shore with a person under his feet, his eyes filled with awe and even a hint of fear.
Blood Rose sat next to Tianji, her cold and beautiful face still expressionless. She only slightly raised her chin, looked in Luo Fei's direction, and her red lips moved almost imperceptibly, as if she were muttering something to herself.
"...Still acting recklessly."
The police car drove erratically and stopped nearby.
Tianji and Blood Rose got out of the car.
Tianji now had a pair of gleaming handcuffs in his hands.
He walked over to Luo Fei, glanced at Xue Shihao on the ground whose face was purplish-red and whose eyes were starting to roll back, and asked.
"Boss, if you step on it a little longer, the suspect might suffocate."
Luo Fei seemed to have just noticed it.
He said "Oh" and slowly lifted his foot.
"Hoh—! Cough! Cough cough cough!!"
The pressure on his chest suddenly disappeared, and a large amount of air rushed into his lungs. Xue Shihao arched his body and burst into a violent, heart-wrenching cough, with tears and snot streaming down his face. He looked extremely disheveled.
Taking advantage of this opportunity, Tianji stepped forward and neatly twisted Xue Shihao's hands behind his back.
With a "click," the handcuffs snapped shut. The cold metallic touch sent a shiver down Xue Shihao's spine, his cough momentarily halting, followed by a deeper sense of despair.
Luo Fei patted non-existent dust off his trousers and said to Tianji.
"Check it over to make sure there are no hidden injuries."
Then take it back.
His tone was as relaxed as if he had just taken a walk and picked something up with a swift motion.
"Yes."
The heavens, responding to the call of Heaven, began a preliminary examination of Xue Shih-hao's condition, primarily to confirm that his life was not in danger.
From the moment Luo Fei leaped out of the police car to the moment Xue Shihao was handcuffed, the entire process took less than ten minutes.
When Luo Fei, Tianji, and Blood Rose escorted Xue Shihao, who was limp as a rag doll, soaking wet and reeking of urine and the fishy smell of lake water, back to the police car without a windshield, the driver looked at Luo Fei as if he were a walking god.
The police car turned around and returned to the village entrance along the same route it had come from.
This time, the speed was much slower.
At the village entrance, the atmosphere remained heavy, but the situation was completely under control. Villagers watched from a distance, whispering amongst themselves.
Gao Linfeng, along with the criminal police and the Ghost Team members, kept a close watch on the vehicle transporting Xue Jingshan and the unconscious Fan Chuncheng. Xue Jingshan sat in the back seat of the police car, handcuffed, head bowed, looking as if he had aged twenty years in an instant. But in the depths of his eyes, which he occasionally raised, there remained a lingering ember of hope—he was waiting, waiting for news of his grandson's successful escape, or waiting for the influence of that "Mr. Murong" to descend.
However, when the police car without a windshield reappeared in sight, and when the door opened, revealing Xue Shihao being escorted out by Tianji and Blood Rose, both handcuffed, disheveled, and with a vacant and desperate look in his eyes…
Xue Jingshan suddenly raised his head, his originally ashen face instantly turning deathly pale, as if a bucket of ice water had been poured over his head.
With a hiss, it went out, leaving only ashes.
His bloodshot eyes were wide open, almost bulging out of their sockets, staring intently at his grandson. His lips trembled violently, but he couldn't utter a single word.
It was a void and deathly silence where beliefs had completely collapsed and the edifice had crumbled.
His last hope was gone.
Xue Shih-hao was brought closer, and he saw his grandfather in the police car, who was also handcuffed and looked as if he had aged and decayed in an instant.
He paused for a moment, then a deeper sense of panic and disbelief welled up in his unfocused eyes.
"Grandpa...Grandpa? You...how could you also..."
His voice was hoarse and dry, and he spoke incoherently.
Xue Jingshan closed his eyes, and two streams of turbid tears finally squeezed out from the corners of his eyes and slid down his deeply lined face.
He did not answer his grandson, nor did he need to.
Everything is now clear.
A suppressed, complex sigh and whispers rose from among the villagers watching.
Seeing the Xue family grandfather and grandson both arrested and standing together in handcuffs, everyone understood that the era when the Xue family held absolute power and had no say in Xuejia Village was over from this day forward.
The SUV turned into scrap metal, the unconscious deputy mayor, and the scene before us all clearly demonstrate this point.
Many people showed joy on their faces, while others looked bewildered and worried. Still others lowered their heads, their eyes darting around, seemingly plotting something.
Luo Fei ignored the villagers' reactions. He scanned the scene, his gaze lingering for a moment on the lead police car, especially the one whose windshield he had torn off and which was now empty.
Then, he took a few steps forward, came to a relatively open area in front of the crowd, and cleared his throat.
His voice rang out clearly once again, carrying an unquestionable authority.
"The matter is not over yet. Just now, when we were besieging the police car, a few people were particularly active and smashed the car."
The crowd fell silent, and many eyes, especially those of the young and middle-aged men who had participated in the attack, began to dart away.
Luo Fei continued, his tone becoming more forceful.
“I’m telling you clearly now! I was sitting in that car at the time! Your actions are no longer just a simple case of obstructing official business or damaging property! Your bricks and sticks were thrown at a vehicle carrying national security law enforcement officers!”
Legally, this can be considered a direct threat to the personal safety of national security personnel! The nature of this is extremely serious!
He paused, his sharp gaze sweeping across the crowd, lingering for a moment longer on the faces of several young men he had noticed earlier who had been smashing cars the most, making those men's scalps tingle and their legs go weak.
"According to relevant regulations, the minimum sentence for this kind of behavior is ten years or more!"
Luo Fei dropped this number with a resounding thud.
"More than ten years?!"
"Oh my God……"
"Smashing a car is this serious?"
An uproar erupted at the scene, with exclamations filling the air. Most of the villagers didn't understand the specific laws, but they grasped the weight of the phrase "more than ten years."
That means most of my life might be wasted!
The young men who participated in smashing the car instantly turned pale, and some even began to tremble slightly, exchanging terrified glances.
They initially thought they were just following the clan elders and the crowd, and that the law wouldn't punish everyone. Who would have thought it would be this serious? Or even endanger the safety of the national security police? This is an incredibly serious charge!
"Really...really?"
Someone muttered under their breath, filled with strong skepticism. "Nonsense, didn't you see what he did? He smashed the car with one palm!"
Could someone like that be lying?
Someone nearby immediately retorted in a low voice, their tone filled with awe.
"Besides, they're from the National Security Bureau, which deals with this kind of thing. If they say it'll be at least ten years, then it definitely will!"
Doubt was quickly overwhelmed by fear and the conviction brought about by Luo Fei and the others' previously displayed "inhuman" strength. Better safe than sorry! What if it were true?
Just as the crowd was in an uproar, and the car vandals were terrified and hesitant about whether to run away immediately, a young man with a buzz cut, a sturdy build, and about twenty-five or twenty-six years old suddenly gritted his teeth, as if he had made a huge decision, and squeezed out of the crowd.
He walked a few steps to Luo Fei, not daring to look Luo Fei in the eye, and bowed deeply. His voice trembled slightly with nervousness, but it was still clear.
"Reporting...reporting to the leader! Just now...just now I smashed a car too! I smashed the hood of that car with a hoe! I...I'm turning myself in now! I beg the government for leniency!"
His actions were like toppling the first domino.
Looking at the young man with the buzz cut who had mustered the courage to stand up, Luo Fei's serious expression softened slightly. He nodded and even patted the young man on the shoulder.
"You dared to take responsibility and stand up to admit your mistakes; your attitude is good. You set a good example."
The young man looked up, flattered, then quickly lowered his head again.
"Considering that you voluntarily surrendered yourself, and the circumstances... are still somewhat under control."
Luo Fei deliberately dragged out his words, watching the young man's body tense up instantly, before continuing.
"Your punishment can be adjusted. A fine of two thousand yuan and seven days of administrative detention."
Any objections?
Two thousand yuan? Seven days of detention? This is a world of difference from the imagined minimum of ten years! The young man was stunned at first, then his face broke into unbelievable joy, and he bowed repeatedly.
"No objection! No objection! Thank you, leader! Thank you for your leniency! I accept the punishment! I accept the punishment!"
His reaction immediately acted like a shot of adrenaline, striking a chord with the other car-smashing protesters who were still hesitating and observing.
opportunity!
This is your last chance! Turning yourself in now means such a light punishment! What if you wait until you're caught...
"Boss! I also confess! I threw a stone!"
"Me too! I banged on the car door with a shovel!"
"I...I smashed a window too!"
Suddenly, four or five more young men rushed out and surrounded Luo Fei, shouting at the top of their lungs, afraid that if they were late, the punishment would be more severe.
Luo Fei looked at these people with no expression on his face, and simply waved his hand.
"Alright, quiet down. Those who voluntarily step forward will all receive the same punishment: a fine of two thousand yuan and seven days of detention. You have one day to settle your family matters and report to the Criminal Investigation Division of the Dongguan City Police Department before nine o'clock tomorrow morning. Those who fail to report by then will bear the consequences themselves."
Did you understand?
"Understood! Thank you, sir!"
The group felt as if they had been granted a pardon, and shouted in unison, their faces filled with the relief of surviving a disaster.
Two thousand yuan hurts, but compared to ten years in prison, it's nothing. Seven days of detention is just a huge lesson learned.
"Find your own way to the city, and pay for your own transportation."
Luo Fei added another sentence, then turned away from them and gave orders to Gao Linfeng and his team.
"Fall back! Put all the suspects in the car and head back to the city police station!"
"Yes!"
The scene immediately sprang into action. Xue Jingshan and Xue Shihao were escorted to separate vehicles. Fan Chuncheng, still unconscious, was also lifted into a larger police car. The Ghost Team members performed their duties, vigilantly guarding the escort vehicles.
Gao Linfeng directed the criminal investigation team to maintain order, clear roadblocks, and make way.
Several battered police cars, especially the lead one which had no windshield, slowly started up and drove away from Xuejia Village under the watchful eyes of countless people, heading towards the urban area of Dongguan City.
At the village entrance, only the shocking pile of steel ruins, the mess, and a group of villagers, their hearts pounding and unable to calm down, remained. This day in Xuejia Village is destined to be remembered by everyone.
The police car sped along, and despite its unusual design, it encountered no further obstacles, allowing Philips to return to the Dongguan City Police Department.
Xue Jingshan and his grandson Xue Shihao were immediately separated and placed in special cells at the Municipal Bureau Detention Center. Gao Linfeng arranged for trusted criminal police officers and members of the Ghost Team to guard them together to ensure their safety.
However, faced with Vice Mayor Fan Chuncheng, who remained unconscious like a dead pig, the police officers in the bureau were at a loss, looking at each other in bewilderment, unsure of what to do.
This is, after all, a serving deputy mayor; his rank is what it is. Detaining a superior as a subordinate is extremely problematic and bizarre from a moral, legal, and procedural standpoint. Throwing him directly into a detention center? Obviously inappropriate. Putting him in an interrogation room? That's also unacceptable. Guarding him in a hospital ward? There are no clear procedures or justifications.
Just as the captain of the criminal investigation team in charge of receiving the case was scratching his head in frustration and caught in a dilemma, Zhong Baoyu, the director of the Dongguan City Police Bureau, who had received the news, rushed over. Director Zhong was in his fifties and in good shape, but at this moment his face was filled with anxiety and embarrassment.
He spotted Luo Fei immediately, who was directing his men to settle the Xue family grandfather and grandson, and quickly walked over.
"Director Luo! You've worked so hard!"
Zhong Baoyu greeted him first, his tone quite polite, even carrying a hint of barely perceptible awe—he already knew the general outline of what had happened in Xuejia Village through Gao Linfeng's brief report, and he knew that the young bureau chief in front of him had extraordinary power and methods.
"Director Zhong."
Luo Fei nodded to him.
Zhong Baoyu rubbed his hands together, a wry smile on his face, and said in a low voice.
"Director Luo, this... Vice Mayor Fan, you see... it's really difficult for us to handle this."
He pointed to the room next door where Fan Chuncheng was temporarily housed.
"These are city leaders after all, we..."
Luo Fei naturally understood his predicament and spoke directly.
"Director Zhong, Fan Chuncheng has serious problems. The Xue family's rise to such power in Dongguan is inextricably linked to him."
The power-money transactions and transfers of benefits between them may even involve more serious crimes, which can be easily discovered upon investigation.
He is not innocent.
Zhong Baoyu's bitter smile deepened.
"Director Luo, I believe what you're saying. But even if he has a problem, this... this shouldn't be our criminal investigation team, much less our municipal bureau, coming directly to detain and investigate him."
In terms of procedure and status, it's really..."
He hesitated, appearing quite troubled. The rules of the system and the sensitivity of hierarchical structures made him hesitant to take on this hot potato. (End of Chapter)