Chapter 169: Embroidered Pillow

As soon as Zheng Er’s words fell, the officers present instantly felt a chill in their hearts!

They never expected that Zheng Er, who was so drunk that his eyes were half-closed and staggering as he walked, could actually detect them hiding in the alley!

The same was true for Captain Zhao. His previously built-up momentum was shattered in an instant by this one sentence!

Since Zheng Er had already noticed the ambush, yet still boldly walked toward the murder site, it was clear that he didn’t take them seriously at all!

Or perhaps, the other party was confident enough to deal with the constables, even though they were outnumbered!

Seeing Captain Zhao’s changed expression and his silence, Zheng Er sneered, “What’s wrong? Are you scared now, you coward?”

“By the way, you’ve really underestimated me. I’ll tell you the truth—when you sent people to monitor our gambling game, I already noticed you.”

With that, Zheng Er stepped forward a few paces, reached up to pat the snow off Captain Zhao’s shoulder, and clicked his tongue, “It’s freezing outside, hiding in that little alley and drinking in the cold wind. You’ve really been through a lot.”

Smack!

Captain Zhao slapped away Zheng Er’s hand and looked at the undercover constable.

Feeling the “suspicious” gaze of his superior, the undercover constable hurriedly waved his hand, “Chief Zhao, I swear to God, I hid really well. I don’t know how this guy found us!”

After a moment, Captain Zhao’s gaze once again fixed on Zheng Er as he gritted his teeth, “Zheng Er, you think a little divide-and-conquer trick will shake our resolve?”

“Since you’ve admitted to killing someone, are you going to obediently surrender and come with me… or do you want us to take action and arrest you?”

“Stop blabbering!” Zheng Er waved his hand, a mocking expression on his face, “You think you can catch me?”

“Let alone me—try touching even one of my men!”

“As long as my brother still holds sway in this Shanyang County, you black-skinned dogs will have to keep your heads down!”

“Arrogant!” With an angry shout, Captain Zhao couldn’t contain his fury any longer. He drew his blade and pressed it directly to Zheng Er’s neck!

At that moment, whether it was the constables surrounding them or Zheng Er’s subordinates, they all sucked in a cold breath!

The former feared that their superior might slip and actually kill Zheng Er, the “local tyrant.”

The latter, after a brief moment of shock, immediately started cursing at Captain Zhao!

“Zhao Quan! You want to die or something?!”

“Put the blade down, or I’ll kill your whole family!”

“You bastard! I’ll tear you apart!”

The rowdy criminals’ shouts echoed loudly, causing the snow on the rooftops along the street to fall with a “swish.”

“Alright, alright, don’t be hasty,” Zheng Er remained calm, raising a hand to stop his men’s cursing.

He then lowered his head to glance at the cold blade pressed against his neck and smiled, “Well, Zhao Quan, looks like you’ve gained some skills!”

“All these years of eating haven’t been in vain, huh? Your courage has certainly grown.”

“I just don’t know… if your parents and wife, hidden in Thick Stone Village, have been eating well these years?”

Upon hearing this, Captain Zhao’s face changed dramatically. His pupils trembled, and he stared fiercely at Zheng Er, growling, “What did you say?”

“What? Can’t hear me?” Zheng Er sneered and gestured a size with his hands, “Your grandson should be about this big by now, right?”

“How old is he? Want me to send him some food?”

Zhao Quan gritted his teeth and said, “How the hell do you know that?”

“How do I know? In the boundaries of Shanyan County, is there anything my old Zheng family can’t find out?” As Zheng Er spoke, he pushed Zhao Quan away.

Zhao Quan staggered, almost falling to the ground from that light push.

In truth, the moment Zhao Quan heard the words “Thick Stone Village,” his spirit had already been broken. Now, with his newborn grandson being mentioned, it was as if his soul had been sucked out, turning him into a walking corpse! Just now, Zheng Er’s gentle push nearly sent him to the ground.

Looking at Zhao Quan’s embarrassed state, Zheng Er glanced around and smiled, “Look at this useless thing. No wonder he’s managed to hold onto the position of captain for so long. He’s nothing but an embroidered pillow—good-looking but useless!”

“Don’t insult our captain!” A young constable, around eighteen, shouted, glaring at him.

“Who insulted him?” Zheng Er pointed at the constables forming a circle around him, sneering, “How selfish is your boss?”

“He hides his family, keeps them secret, and does everything he can to hide them.”

“But what about your families? They’re all out in the open!”

“Though for me, it doesn’t matter whether it’s in the open or hidden, but think about it: if I couldn’t find his family, who would I get revenge on first?”

“Well, of course, it would be those whose families are in the open!”

“And yet some of you are still defending this coward?”

“Calling him an embroidered pillow isn’t an insult. At least the pillow looks good, doesn’t it?”

Zheng Er’s words were like sharp needles, piercing deeply into the hearts of the constables.

Among these constables, there were young rookies, middle-aged ones who had been in the force for half their lives, and even older constables who were older than Zhao Quan.

These people all had families and had once harbored passionate dreams of punishing evil and upholding justice. However, in Shanyan County, they were constantly restricted, and over time, they barely recognized themselves anymore.

Now, except for the young rookie, the rest had long lost their drive.

The only thing they wanted was to rely on this “iron rice bowl” to make a living and ensure their families lived peacefully without sickness or disaster.

Many of them hadn’t wanted to take part in today’s action, but Zhao Quan had been good to them, so none of them had voiced objections at first.

After all, the biggest threat was their families.

But when they realized that it must be Zhao Quan’s family who was “the most dangerous,” and since he hadn’t said anything about it, none of them could back out and say they wouldn’t do it.

Who would have thought that Zhao Quan had already hidden his family away? This made these constables feel a pang of resentment, even a bit of hatred!

“Damn it, where did this leak come from?”

Sniffing the air, Zheng Er looked in the direction of the strongest scent. After taking a deep breath, he seemed to realize something and grinned maliciously, “Little slut, you’re quick with your movements!”

“Brothers, we’ve found that little slut, let’s go!”

“Alright!” The gangsters cheered as their boss had effortlessly reduced the group of constables, who looked fierce but were actually weak, to the state of a defeated pack of dogs.

Excited, they couldn’t help but hum a tune!

When Zheng Er reached the front of the “encirclement,” the constables, without needing him to say a word, automatically stepped aside to make room for him.

After stepping out of the circle, Zheng Er couldn’t help but turn his head and smile, “These kids can be taught. They know when to yield to the stronger force!”