Chapter 370

"It's good that you're sensible." Zhao Xue's expression finally relaxed, and she suddenly smiled sweetly, saying, "Why don't we chat? You can't sleep anyway, and neither can I. How about it?"

"Sure." Zhao Desan said willingly, shifting his body upward, but he wasn't careful and hit his head against the headboard. He let out a loud "Ah!" and clutched his gauze-wrapped head in pain.

This startled Zhao Xue, who immediately knelt on the bed, leaned over, held his head, and asked with concern, "Are you alright?"

Having Zhao Xue hold his head in her arms like this made Zhao Desan feel that even enduring a bit of pain was worth it. He stared straight at her and said, "I'm... I'm fine."

His burning gaze made Zhao Xue feel a bit overwhelmed. Being at an age where her youth was burning bright, a flush of red quickly spread across her cheeks. She hurriedly moved his head away from her chest and said with a trembling tone, "How could you be so careless?"

Being cared for by such a beautiful police flower, Zhao Desan truly felt his luck was not shallow, and he said with a chuckle, "It's nothing."

"By the way, Zhao Desan, you said you were being retaliated against. Who is retaliating against you?" As a police officer, Zhao Xue suddenly felt she had the duty and responsibility to know the ins and outs of this matter.

"A coal boss."

"A coal boss? What's his name?"

"Gao Husheng. You should have heard of him; he's a prominent figure in Yuyang City. But he won't be jumping around for many more days. The Municipal Committee has decided to reform the coal industry in Yuyang City, and they are going to use him as the first target!" Zhao Desan sneered as he spoke.

Zhao Xue suddenly widened her eyes, her face full of murderous intent, and said, "Gao Husheng? Is it that beast?"

Zhao Xue's reaction made Zhao Desan confused for a moment, and he asked her, "What? Do you know him?"

Zhao Xue realized her emotions had been a bit out of control just now. She lowered her head, and when she raised her face again, it was no longer as murderous as before. She said calmly, "Everyone living in Yuyang has heard of him, right? He's a bastard who has committed countless evils!"

"Zhao Xue, do you have some kind of grudge against him or something?" Zhao Desan guessed and asked, "You looked like you were bursting with rage the moment you heard his name."

"I... I have an irreconcilable hatred for him!" Zhao Xue turned her head and said angrily.

"An irreconcilable hatred? What exactly happened between you and him? It wouldn't be that he... did that to you, would it?"

Zhao Xue turned her head back and snapped at him, "Zhao Desan, what are you saying!"

"Then... then what exactly is going on? Can you tell me?"

The beautiful police flower's large eyes suddenly became watery, and her eye sockets filled with crystal-clear tears that swirled and threatened to fall. She looked very sad. Facing her sudden sorrow, Zhao Desan was completely baffled, like a monk who couldn't figure out the situation. "You... what is wrong with you? Why do you get so sad whenever Gao Husheng is mentioned?"

Zhao Xue wiped her tears and said aggrievedly, "My father was killed by Gao Husheng!"

Zhao Desan became more confused the more he listened. He frowned slightly, squinting his eyes as he looked at her in a daze. "You said your father was killed by Gao Husheng? Who is your father?" Zhao Desan only knew that these coal tycoons in Yuyang City were all involved with the Black Society and inevitably had blood on their hands during their initial capital accumulation, but he really didn't know much about what Gao Husheng had actually done.

"My father was a police officer. Because of some matters, he fell out with Gao Husheng. During a negotiation with Gao Husheng, he was shot and killed as if he were a member of the Heishe Society, while Gao Husheng remained at large. That's why I became a police officer, determined to avenge him. But what's the use of being a police officer? Many times, I feel powerless, watching those bad people run wild while I'm unable to punish evil and promote good." Zhao Xue told the whole story, just feeling that as a grassroots police officer, her abilities were truly limited. She sighed and lowered her head, looking very pitiful.

It turned out that the mine where Gao Husheng had his incident previously belonged to another small coal boss in Yuyang City named Zhao Jiping. Gao Husheng was in a stage of expanding ambition after completing his initial capital accumulation, and he would stop at nothing to eliminate anyone who blocked his path to wealth.

That day, Zhao Jiping was going to his mine as usual. Halfway there, a Land Rover blocked his path. Three burly men got out of the car, and without a word, they rushed up, dragged Zhao Jiping out of his car, and forced him into the Land Rover.

While he was still in a daze, the person sitting in the passenger seat turned his head. This person was the Gao Husheng of those years. He smiled insidiously and cunningly, "Boss Zhao, I want to buy that mine of yours. What do you think?"

In a situation where the enemy was many and he was few, the clever Zhao Jiping neither said he wouldn't agree nor that he would, but instead said he needed to go back and consider it, promising to give Gao Husheng an answer as soon as possible.

After escaping safely from the Land Rover, Zhao Jiping called Zhao Jili, the captain of the Criminal Police Detachment of the Yuxia District Public Security Bureau at the time. Zhao Jiping and Zhao Jili were childhood friends who grew up in the same village. Hearing that his brother was being threatened by Gao Husheng to sell his mine, Zhao Jili naturally wanted to stand up for his brother and also wanted to use this matter to establish his status in the Public Security Bureau.

So, Zhao Jili called Gao Husheng, saying that Zhao Jiping was his brother and telling Gao Husheng not to set his sights on his coal mine. On the phone, Gao Husheng explained his intentions to Zhao Jili, saying that no matter the cost, he would make that mine his own. Zhao Jili felt that since they couldn't reach an agreement over the phone, why not talk it out face-to-face? Perhaps Gao Husheng would give him some face once they met. Zhao Jili asked Zhao Jiping to set a time with Gao Husheng so they could talk in person.

That weekend, the three of them met at a high-end restaurant in Yuyang City. From the very beginning, the atmosphere was tense. Gao Husheng, determined to win, naturally refused to make any concessions, only willing to pay ten million to buy Zhao Jiping's coal mine. Things didn't go as Zhao Xue's father had expected, but instead led to a situation he never could have imagined.

After leaving the restaurant, Gao Husheng made a brief phone call, squeezed out a cold, sinister smile, and left. Five minutes later, several police cars sounded their sirens and sped to the scene. Led by Ma Dengke, the director of the Yuxia District Public Security Bureau, they rushed into the restaurant fully armed, opened fire on the unsuspecting Zhao Jili, then sealed off the scene and placed Zhao Jili's service weapon next to his body, which was already riddled with bullet holes and lying in a pool of blood.

The next day, the main mouthpiece of Yuyang City, the *Yuyang Daily*, published a full-page spread on the incident, reversing right and wrong with the title "Thunderbolt Action, Killing a Scum Police Officer," vividly portraying Zhao Jili as a police officer who colluded with the Black Society and fabricating a realistic story.

Fortunately, the person involved, Zhao Jiping, managed to escape from the hail of bullets and, while fleeing for his life, told Zhao Jili's family the truth about the incident.

After listening to Zhao Xue's account, Zhao Desan felt as if he were there himself, and he felt even more aggrieved for Zhao Xue's father. Filled with righteous indignation, he said, "To think such a thing could happen! Is there no law anymore!"

Zhao Xue had tears in her eyes and smiled bitterly, "Law? I've been a police officer for two years, just wanting to punish evil and promote good, but I've never found where the law is. In Yuyang City, perhaps the law is whatever those bad people say it is."

Zhao Desan already had a deep hatred for Gao Husheng and wanted to use the opportunity of the reform to take him down. Hearing this, he felt even more furious and said, standing up for justice, "The net of justice is wide, but it lets nothing through. I don't believe Gao Husheng can remain at large forever!"

Seeing Zhao Desan's righteous look and hearing the naive and ridiculous things he said, Zhao Xue couldn't help but smile bitterly and said, "I work in a field that deals with the law. In our country, perhaps the law is only made for ordinary people. For the rich, there is nothing that cannot be smoothed over."

"That's not necessarily true!" Zhao Desan said, "The Municipal Committee has already started to reform the coal mines, and Gao Husheng's coal mine is the first one to be taken over. Let's see how much longer he can be arrogant!"

"Sigh, although they say there will be reform, it might not be truly implemented. These people all have connections with the city's leaders." Zhao Xue's mood was very low, and she didn't seem to hold much hope that Gao Husheng would be dealt with by the city.

"Zhao Xue, don't worry. This time, Vice Mayor Yu is personally supervising this matter. He was transferred here from another place last year and is a very upright official." Zhao Desan comforted her.

Whenever Zhao Xue thought of her father dying so unjustly, she didn't even dare to tell others that she was Zhao Jili's daughter. Thinking of the suffering she and her mother had endured over the years, Zhao Xue felt very aggrieved. She lowered her head and suddenly began to cry like rain on pear blossoms.

The beautiful police flower suddenly lost control of her emotions, and Zhao Desan was caught off guard. In his anxiety, he reached out and gently patted her fragrant shoulder to comfort her, saying, "Don't cry, what are you crying for!"

"I just feel sad whenever I think of my father dying so unjustly, while I, his daughter, watch my enemy remain at large and feel powerless." Zhao Xue said while lowering her head and sobbing.