Chapter 45: Tremor

Bang!

Li Fei knocked down the last lackey of the Bear Strength Gang, flicked the iron rod in his hand, and shook off the blood staining it.

Even now, his "Blood Rage" state had not yet ended.

Over the course of the fight, his Blood Soul had decreased by a total of more than two points, one of which was consumed by "Blood Rage."

"Being cautious was indeed the right choice."

Li Fei touched the clothes on his lower back that had been pierced by a dagger and muttered to himself.

To prevent any potential targeting by the Tiger Blade Gang, besides keeping lime powder on his person, he had specifically asked Li Lei for a stab-proof vest.

Although the Ten Thousand Blood Bead could absorb damage, having a stab-proof vest on made him feel more secure.

As a squadron leader in the Inspectorate, it was quite simple for Li Lei to get a stab-proof vest for Li Fei.

Li Fei wore this vest under his clothes every day; it weighed over ten catties, which served perfectly as weight training to build his physical fitness.

"Who sent you?"

Li Fei walked up to Liu Wen and asked.

Liu Wen clutched his crotch, his face full of pain.

He looked at Li Fei with a resentful gaze:

"Bah, if you have the guts, just kill me!"

"Heh."

Li Fei couldn't be bothered to waste words with him; he squatted down and searched the man.

Eventually, he found a handful of coins and some paper money, totaling about fifty yuan—a decent haul.

Next, Li Fei searched the dozen or so lackeys one by one. The lightest injury among them was a broken arm, and after falling to the ground, they had each received a "soccer kick" from Li Fei, leaving them unconscious with blood-covered faces.

But they were quite poor; the money on all dozen of them added up to only a dozen yuan.

After a fight, earning over sixty yuan, absorbing some energy, and gaining real combat experience, Li Fei felt very satisfied.

Finally, he tore the others' clothes into strips, tied Liu Wen's hands behind his back, and dragged him away from the small grove.

After walking out of the area, Li Fei found a small shop with a public phone, handed the owner a five-cent coin, and prepared to make a call.

Phones in this era were still the rotary type, and their penetration rate in the Great Lan Dynasty was not high; only about twenty percent of households used them.

The Li family naturally had a phone installed, but at this time, Li Lei should not have returned home yet.

So, Li Fei dialed the number for Li Lei's office.

The call connected quickly:

"Hello, who is this?"

The voice coming from the other end was not Li Lei's.

"Hello, I am Captain Li's son, Li Fei. Is Captain Li in right now?"

"Oh, it's little Fei. Captain Li is in a meeting. Is something the matter?"

"It's like this: I was attacked on the road, and I need to inform Captain Li."

"I understand, I will go notify Captain Li immediately. Please wait a moment!"

The person on the other end immediately became serious, followed by the sound of them running away.

A minute or so later, a burst of hurried footsteps sounded, and then Li Lei's urgent voice came through:

"Little Fei, you were attacked? Are you alright?"

Li Fei glanced at Liu Wen, who was still clutching his crotch with a pale face, and said:

"Uncle Li, I'm fine. I caught one of the people who attacked me, and I'm currently at a small shop on Changle Street."

"Good, I'm bringing people over immediately. You must stay safe!"

"Alright."

After hanging up the phone, Li Fei sat quietly outside the shop waiting.

Liu Wen, tied up at his feet, frequently drew the attention of passersby, but no one dared to come over and meddle.

Inside the Inspectorate, Li Lei hung up the phone and ordered his subordinates with a face full of rage:

"First Squad, assemble! You're coming out with me!"

An Inspectorate squad had ten people, and a squadron had five or six squads. Li Lei managed dozens of people, and under normal circumstances, he did not need to lead a team on a mission himself.

So, when he said he would lead the team personally, the squad members realized the severity of the situation and all braced themselves.

A dozen minutes later, a van dedicated to the Inspectorate pulled up in front of Li Fei.

Li Lei stepped down from the passenger seat, the rear door of the van opened, and ten fully armed inspectors carrying Tiger-model rifles stepped out one by one.

This display startled all the pedestrians on the street, who hid far away.

"Little Fei, are you alright?"

Li Lei walked quickly to Li Fei, looked him up and down, and only felt relieved after confirming Li Fei was unharmed.

"I'm fine."

Li Fei shook his head and pointed at Liu Wen on the ground, "He is the one who led people to attack me."

"Liu Wen?"

Li Lei recognized the man at a glance.

As the Bear Strength Gang was a newly risen gang and had ties to the Tiger Blade Gang, the Inspectorate naturally had records on them.

Liu Wen glanced at Li Lei and chose to close his eyes.

"Good, you lot actually dare to attack the family of the Inspectorate now!"

Li Lei said in a chilling tone, his eyes filled with murderous intent.

Although he seemed serious at home, he was always gentle toward both Li Fei and Li Tianyu, rarely speaking harshly.

The expression he revealed now reminded Li Fei that his Uncle Li had once been a veteran on the battlefield.

"Cuff him and bring him back for me!"

Li Lei said, pointing at Liu Wen on the ground.

"Yes!"

Two squad members stepped forward to handcuff Liu Wen and then dragged him back into the vehicle with extreme roughness.

"Little Fei, you come back to the office with me too, to give a statement."

Li Lei reined in his anger and said gently to Li Fei.

"Alright."

Li Fei nodded.

"That is roughly how it happened."

In Li Lei's office, Li Fei gave a rough account of the attack he encountered today.

When Li Lei heard that Li Fei had been stabbed in the lower back with a dagger, his expression turned terrifyingly dark.

At the same time, he felt a lingering fear; if Li Fei hadn't been cautious enough to ask him for a stab-proof vest beforehand, Li Fei would have been crippled today!

Back then, he and Li Fei's father had a bond like brothers, and for all these years, he had always viewed Li Fei as his own son.

Now that his own "son" had almost been crippled, one could imagine Li Lei's mood.

"I understand, Little Fei. I will have someone send you home in a moment. Rest assured, I will handle this matter; I will absolutely not let you be bullied in vain!"

Li Lei said to Li Fei, then turned and walked out of his office.

He went straight to the interrogation room, where Liu Wen was being held.

"How is it?"

Li Lei asked his squad member.

"Captain Li, this man is an old hand; his mouth is very tight. We won't get results from a normal interrogation. Should we use methods?"

The squad member asked.

Li Lei: "See to it yourselves, but mind the limits."

After saying this, he turned and left, not staying to interrogate Liu Wen personally.

He knew very well that if the Tiger Blade Gang was behind it, Liu Wen would definitely not spill.

If he took the blame himself, at most he would be locked up for a few years and suffer a bit.

But if he exposed the Tiger Blade Gang, not only would Liu Wen die, but his family would die along with him!

Li Lei walked quickly to the fourth floor, arrived outside an office, knocked on the door, and then walked in and closed it.

Sitting in the office was the Captain of the First Battalion of the Xingcheng Inspectorate, Lu Sheng.

"Captain Li?"

Lu Sheng was surprised to see Li Lei, glanced at the door the other had closed, and smiled:

"Sit. Do you have something for me?"

"Captain Lu."

Li Lei did not sit, but instead gave a salute:

"My son, Li Fei, was attacked this afternoon in the Changping District area. The attacker was Liu Wen, the leader of the Bear Strength Gang, along with over ten of his lackeys. I have already brought Liu Wen back to the office."

"Oh?"

Lu Sheng's expression changed slightly, and he leaned forward, "Is little Fei alright?"

Li Lei: "Fortunately, he learned some skills from Mr. Hao Yi at the Martial Hall, so he is fine, but it was very dangerous; he was almost crippled."

"Hmm."

Lu Sheng was thoughtful, "And you came to find me because...?"

"I suspect there is another mastermind behind this incident; it is highly likely that the Tiger Blade Gang is behind it. I would like to request to personally lead a team to raid the Tiger Blade Gang's branch and bring back some suspects!"

Li Lei is a company commander of the Second Battalion; logically, even if he wanted to request an operation, he should have applied to the battalion commander of the Second Battalion.

But he came directly to Lu Sheng.

Of course, the First Battalion holds a special status, and Lu Sheng does indeed have the authority to approve Li Lei's operation.

Lu Sheng took a deep look at Li Lei, then slammed his hand onto the table:

"This Tiger Blade Gang now actually dares to incite people to attack the families of our Inspection Office; they are simply lawless!"

"Captain Li, I approve your operation request. You may go ahead and do as you see fit; if anything happens, I will take the responsibility!"

Upon hearing this, Li Lei stood straight and saluted Lu Sheng again:

"Yes, I guarantee the mission will be completed!"

(End of this chapter)