Chapter 57: Criminal Organization Investigation Division

"Damn it! Xu Yi! No one thinks you're mute if you don't speak."

Luo Hao was the first to roar angrily.

The expression on Big Head Wang's face shifted uncertainly, alternating between anger and hesitation.

Then, Luo Hao laughed awkwardly and said, "Haha! Well, you see, this fellow actually belongs to my Jiangtai District. It seems we won't be able to have our drinks tonight after all, so we'll take our leave first!"

"Xu Yi! Get your ass down here right now!"

Luo Hao glared fiercely at Xu Yi.

"Hold it right there!" Big Head Wang said with a dark expression. "Luo Hao! This is Jing'an District, not your Jiangtai District. You think you can just show up and leave whenever you please? Do I not exist to you?"

Luo Hao spoke in a deep voice, "What do you want?"

Big Head Wang sneered, "I am taking this man, no exceptions. As for you, get back to wherever the hell you crawled from!"

Luo Hao's face darkened. Slowly, he said, "Big Head Wang, I don't know how my little brother here offended you, and I don't care to figure out the whole story either."

"I'll tell you this much—I am taking him with me today, no matter what. How about you consider this favor owed by me, Luo Hao?"

Hearing this, Big Head Wang blew his top!

"Luo Hao! Get it straight whose territory you're standing on. Your favor isn't worth a damn! Who the hell do you think you are, trying to tell me what to do? You think you're qualified?"

The moment Big Head Wang finished speaking, his men—who had been keeping their guns trained on Xu Yi—abruptly swung their barrels around to point straight at Luo Hao!

"Damn it! How dare they point guns at my boss? Looking for a death wish!"

"Lower your weapons! Put those guns down right now!"

Luo Hao's subordinates reacted with lightning speed, instantly drawing their own firearms in a standoff!

"Damn it! This is Jing'an District! What business is it of you lot from Jiangtai?"

"Make another move and I'll open fire!"

"Go ahead and shoot! Who's afraid of whom? You really think I'm playing games? If you don't kill me today, I swear I'll put you in the ground!"

In an instant, the air grew thick with explosive tension!

Big Head Wang growled, "Luo Hao! Are you really going to go to war with me over some nobody? Are you trying to start a war early? You're breaking the rules!"

Luo Hao snapped viciously, "Don't you fucking talk to me about rules! I'm asking you straight: can I take my man or not? You pride yourself on being the big shot here, but if you refuse to give me, Luo Hao, this sliver of respect, then go ahead and shoot!"

"Damn it! You really think I don't have the guts to pull the trigger?"

Big Head Wang's entire frame quaked with fat and fury; he had reached the absolute boiling point of rage.

Xu Yi's expression remained exceptionally heavy. With his right arm tightly holding Yang Tingting, he prepared himself to retreat at a moment's notice.

Just as the atmosphere reached a flashpoint where a bloody conflict could erupt at any second, dozens of police sirens wailed from outside!

The cops had arrived, and there were plenty of them.

"Who the hell called the police?" Big Head Wang demanded, glaring at his subordinates.

"Boss! We cleared the surrounding area before we came; nobody dared to call the cops. Unless..."

The eyes of Big Head Wang's men landed accusingly on Luo Hao and his crew.

"Crap! I only found out about this mess the moment I walked in. Besides, from the cops' perspective, we're all cut from the same cloth—what possible benefit would I get from calling the police?"

Luo Hao immediately defended himself.

Noticing the increasingly hostile glare from Big Head Wang, Luo Hao quickly added, "Damn it! If we don't want to get wiped out in one sweep, put your guns away first!"

As soon as Luo Hao gave the order, his own men were the first to holster their weapons.

Though bitterly reluctant, Big Head Wang finally gestured for his subordinates to put their firearms away as well.

The moment everyone inside the bar had stowed their weapons, a slovenly man in plain clothes with a rough, unkempt beard swaggered lazily through the door.

"Well, well! What kind of wind blew the two big bosses of the East Sea Gang together today? What's this? An internal feud? Come on, come on! Keep going! Let me appreciate the mighty strength of the East Sea Gang for a bit! It'd be even better if a few more of you died so my job gets a little easier."

The man dropped unceremoniously onto a barstool, casually picked up a bottle of beer, popped the cap off with his teeth, and took a swig.

His gaze swept across everyone present, and many instinctively looked away upon meeting his sharp, piercing eyes.

Yet, despite their previous arrogance, none of the East Sea Gang members dared to utter a peep! Even Wang Yu, usually a hotheaded punk, hurriedly averted his gaze and shrank back like a terrified quail.

*Huh? Who on earth is this guy? To possess such terrifying deterrence.*

[Mind Reader] rippled quietly among the minds of several people present.

Xu Yi quickly had his answer, and at the same time, was deeply startled by the man's identity.

This man was Xing Xiong, the head of the Special Criminal Organization Investigation Division, a specialized unit established by the East Sea City Police Department!

This department existed specifically to mediate conflicts and disputes between various organizations across East Sea City, preventing turf wars from disrupting the lives of ordinary citizens.

Note the word: *mediate*.

This meant it was a semi-official agency operating in the gray zone between the underworld and the white.

And Xing Xiong, the head of this department, was notorious for his ruthless methods. Rumor had it that once, a certain syndicate arrogantly began peddling drugs near a school.

When Xing Xiong caught wind of it, he ordered them to cease operations immediately. Relying on their sheer numbers, the gang not only ignored his warning but mocked Xing Xiong and intensified their illicit activities.

It took Xing Xiong all of three days to root out that entire organization, down to the last stub! The gang leader and twenty-two key figures were executed on the spot.

The official public announcement claimed they had died while violently resisting arrest, but anyone in the know understood those individuals had simply been executed by Xing Xiong himself.

This man harbored a visceral, innate hatred for evil forces—a hatred so profound that he was willing to transform into a demon himself to crush them.

Therefore, for an organization like the East Sea Gang, Xing Xiong represented a sworn enemy camp. His presence here tonight carried a very heavy implication.

Xu Yi gathered all this information effortlessly from the internal thoughts of the people surrounding him.

Just as Xu Yi was processing these revelations, Big Head Wang spoke up first.

Giving Luo Hao one last deep, meaningful look, Big Head Wang forced a smile. "Officer Xing is joking. We were just having a company gathering and sharing a drink; how could anyone possibly die here?"

Taking another sip of his beer, Xing Xiong sighed with exaggerated regret. "That's a real shame. If scum like you lot had a few more casualties, my workload would be so much lighter!"

Luo Hao forced a hearty laugh and said, "Officer Xing certainly knows how to crack a joke. We're all law-abiding, ordinary citizens here, and you're a police officer. How could you possibly wish death upon the common folk?"

"Tch—"

Xing Xiong sneered contemptuously. "Luo Hao! Stop playing dumb with me. I know crystal clear what you do for a living, and you damn well know what I'm thinking, too."

"You've been wanting to get rid of me for days, and my desire to wipe out your East Sea Gang is common knowledge. Still playing dumb? Who the hell are you trying to fool?"

Luo Hao's face stiffened. Suppressing his rising fury, he replied in an icy tone, "Officer Xing, it's quite amusing that you'd run all the way over here just to hurl insults. Don't you think that's a bit childish? If you have something to say, why don't you lay your cards on the table?"

"Heh!" Xing Xiong let out a cold chuckle, then continued, "Fine! I'll spare you the extra breath. I recently received some intelligence. The perimeter bosses of the East Sea Gang's four districts are running some kind of four-way card game, aren't they?"

"I don't care what games you're playing, but if you use this opportunity to stir up trouble in East Sea City and cause unnecessary chaos, don't blame me for being ruthless!"

Abruptly, Xing Xiong pointed straight at Xu Yi on the mezzanine level. "Are you Xu Yi? Someone reported that you were causing a disturbance in this bar. Come with me."

Xu Yi blinked.

[Mind Reader] activated, instantly laying bare Xing Xiong's inner thoughts.

*So that woman is actually an undercover cop! Interesting.*

Understanding dawned on Xu Yi. He calmly replied, "Alright."

With that, he steadied Yang Tingting and stepped away from the booth.

Seeing this, Big Head Wang's face darkened, and he opened his mouth to object.

Luo Hao reacted instantly, grabbing Big Head Wang's arm and whispering fiercely, "Don't move! You know what kind of man Xing Xiong is. Don't hand him an excuse."

With a swaggering, arrogant grin, Xing Xiong gestured dismissively at Big Head Wang, then turned and led Xu Yi out of the bar.