Chapter Ninety: The Thunderclap Roared

Seeing this, the middle-aged policeman rushed forward at once and seized the parcel in the man’s hand. Yet Zheng Fan had already leapt down from the vehicle and was standing outside; instead of giving up the parcel, he actually strained to wrench it back, as though trying to match the officer in a contest of strength.

Zhang Ye had followed the police onto the vehicle. Seeing this, he flipped his body in a single motion, springing over the head of a young man, planting a foot on the side window, and vaulting out.

The instant he hit the ground, Zhang Ye landed as silently as a lithe cat, his legs steady beneath him. Then he lunged at Zheng Fan. Zheng Fan was still wrestling with the officer over the parcel; when he saw Zhang Ye charging in, a flicker of surprise crossed his face. Realizing that reclaiming the money was now impossible, he immediately gave up, drew a dagger from his clothes, waved it threateningly toward Zhang Ye a few times, and turned to leave.

Zhang Ye would naturally not let him go. His foot slammed hard into the ground, and then, like a tiger pouncing on prey, he launched himself several yards through the air and came roaring in. In one motion he seized Zheng Fan by the collar and yanked him backward with all his strength.

Zheng Fan’s expression changed. He thrust the dagger toward Zhang Ye’s chest, but Zhang Ye avoided it; the blade then lifted and slashed upward from below, aiming for Zhang Ye’s arm.

Zhang Ye slid aside with a step, already shifting away along the force of the attack. Seeing the dagger snake deftly toward his wrist, he dodged again, while his other hand drew on all its strength and came crashing down hard on Zheng Fan’s shoulder.

With that strike, Zhang Ye planted himself firmly, his body shifting and quivering in a way that gave off a strange, savage impression, as though what stood there were a black bear that had just descended from the mountain, massive and overwhelmingly oppressive. More than that, the blow itself was fierce and heavy. Zheng Fan was strong, but under that slap he immediately stumbled, unable to keep his balance, and toppled sideways.

Smack.

Zhang Ye had shifted from agility to wild ferocity so abruptly that it was startling, yet the force bursting from that slap sent one’s blood surging.

Zheng Fan’s tall body lurched to the other side under yet another slap, only to be sent back again by a third, until he looked like a marionette on strings, at Zhang Ye’s mercy.

At this moment, Zhang Ye was burning with rage. Thinking of how well his uncle had treated him, and of the miserable life he had lived after being deceived, it felt as though a violent flame were raging in his chest, ready to burst his heart apart.

Smack.

He said nothing, but his hands came down again and again, wild and forceful. It was hard to imagine that Zhang Ye, who looked somewhat lean and frail, could explode with such power.

“My uncle was so good to you. Why would you...”

Zhang Ye knew the question was pointless. Someone like this did not deserve many questions. What he needed to do was simply beat him hard before the police arrived, and vent the fury in his heart.

So at that point, Zhang Ye changed his approach. He no longer struck only at Zheng Fan’s shoulders, but went for his face instead. One does not strike the face lightly, but there are some people who cannot be forgiven without being struck there.

Bang!

Seeing the police rushing down from the vehicle, Zhang Ye drew back his two outstretched arms and stood still. Just as the onlookers at a distance thought he was about to stop, his body suddenly shifted sideways, and a lightning-fast kick, carrying a whistling gale, crashed brutally into Zheng Fan’s belly.

Zheng Fan slid across the ground for a full two or three yards before friction finally brought him to a stop. He was doubled over, unable even to stand. As for the dagger, it had long since been sent flying when Zhang Ye struck him.

“Brother Ye, you’re amazing!” Liu Guangxiang, standing not far away, was flushed with excitement and praised him from the bottom of his heart.

“Brother Ye is unbeatable!” Chen Fang was practically dancing, waving his arms over and over in excitement, as if he himself had been the one to bring Zheng Fan down.

At that point the police hurried over as well, seized Zheng Fan, and cuffed him, still shaken. When they had opened the parcel moments earlier, the stacks of dark green hundred-yuan bills inside had made even their breathing tremble. They had never seen so much money before.

Only four words filled their minds: an earthshaking case.

Nothing could have excited them more. A colossal achievement had appeared right before their eyes.

Several hundred thousand yuan might not seem like much in a big city, but in Lihua County it was absolutely a fortune. Especially when it was piled before them in hard cash, the impact was even greater.

Then a taxi drove up and stopped at the station. The door opened, and Liu Boqing strode over with a grave expression. “Xiao Ye, what exactly happened?”

Zheng Fan had already been beaten beyond recognition by Zhang Ye, and for a moment Liu Boqing could not even tell who he was.

“Zheng Fan took the money and tried to run. I found him, then called the police and had him arrested,” Zhang Ye said, stepping up to the officers and pointing at Zheng Fan, who had been cuffed behind his back.

By now Zheng Fan was black and blue, his arms weak and powerless from being slapped repeatedly by Zhang Ye. Standing before Liu Boqing, he looked utterly defeated and could not say a word.

“Is that true?” Liu Boqing still could not quite believe it. His best friend, the man he had treated like a brother, had actually deceived him and run off with his five hundred thousand yuan.

“Boqing, I’ve wronged you,” Zheng Fan said, hanging his head in shame.

“You... you...” Liu Boqing pointed at him, his whole body trembling, but no words would come.

At this time, the police nearby had also understood the situation. One of them pointed to the money in the parcel and asked, “This money is yours, right? It’s fortunate this young man reported it, otherwise if he had taken it to Guangyang City, it would have been hard to find again. I’ve roughly counted it just now. There are two hundred and fifty thousand yuan here. Check whether that amount is right. Of course, we can’t hand the money over to you yet. You’ll need to come with us to the station and give a statement.”

The speaker was the middle-aged officer. Experienced and clear-minded, he spoke in an orderly fashion, brisk and decisive.

“Two hundred and fifty thousand? That’s not right. I gave him five hundred thousand,” Liu Boqing said in a panic, stunned. That money was the result of years of hard work, and the happiness of his whole family depended on it.

“Right, and the other half was taken by his accomplice,” Zhang Ye said quickly.

Another officer’s eyes lit up at once, and he no longer cared about his reservations toward Zhang Ye. “An accomplice? Who? Where is he?”

“Zheng Fan, you have an accomplice? Who is it?” Liu Boqing hurriedly pressed as well.

“Shen Kaixing,” Zheng Fan said with a cold laugh, looking at Zhang Ye and the others with undisguised mockery.

“Who did you say?” Liu Boqing froze and clutched Zheng Fan by the shoulder.

“Shen Kaixing. Your brother-in-law.”

The words struck like thunder. Liu Boqing stood rigid, stunned.

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