Chapter 168: Dealing With Them

This Police Bureau summons of the Dock Workers Association council of elders members was completely different in nature from the previous questioning of Xu Hu, because this time it had the tacit approval of the Dragon City council and certain leaders.

......

Inside the City Police Bureau.

Three officers confined Zhang Zhengfang from the Dock Workers Association in a room with no surveillance cameras or recording equipment.

"Squat down!" the young officer pointed at the ground and commanded with a very stern expression.

Zhang Zhengfang was over sixty and a notable figure in the city. He had his own dignity and face, so he directly waved his hand with a smile: "Don't bother with this, I can't squat."

"Can't squat, huh?!" the young officer asked with raised eyebrows.

"Yes, can't squat," Zhang Zhengfang stared back in reply.

"Slap!"

The young officer directly slapped Zhang Zhengfang's face and shouted: "We bring you in and you're still putting on airs?! You think this is the port? You really think you're somebody?!"

Zhang Zhengfang was hit dizzy, blood flowing from his mouth corner, but still leaned against the wall replying: "Can't squat!"

At these words, the iron door closed and three young officers grabbed Zhang Zhengfang's sparse hair, pinned him in the corner, and beat him chaotically.

These three not only hit him but also humiliated Zhang Zhengfang, tearing his T-shirt to pieces and making him roll and crawl on the ground shirtless.

......

In other interrogation rooms, the council of elders members met similar fates - a group of old men beaten violently by trainee officers or external staff, some even forced to drink kitchen slop water.

Just physically making you submit definitely wouldn't be enough - they had to completely crush you mentally too.

During this time, several old men were subdued and begged for mercy, but people like Zhang Zhengfang never yielded no matter how they were dealt with. They could be beaten down, could be humiliated, but would absolutely not show weakness in speech.

The treatment the old men received was relatively light compared to Longkou District's Baocheng. Because they were elderly after all, not very robust physically, and many had chronic illnesses, the Police Bureau people definitely wouldn't aim to beat them to death.

But Baocheng was different - he was still young and could take punishment, so as soon as he entered the Police Bureau, he was hardly given rest, with three shifts of officers taking turns dealing with him.

All ten of Baocheng's fingernails were pulled out with pliers, and he was thrown naked on the concrete floor like a piece of clay to be kneaded at will.

Every one of these people was a notable figure in the city streets, but now locked in the Police Bureau, they didn't even have basic human rights.

This showed that regardless of the era or historical background, no matter how big your street presence grew, until it became a matter of life and death, you couldn't oppose the machinery of power.

No matter how numerous the dock gang was or how large their presence, they ultimately depended on Dragon City for survival. Once those above were truly angered, how could the power machinery's desire to deal with you be resisted just by some social celebrities banding together?

The Dock Workers Association wouldn't really resist the government and cause mass incidents over this either, because it hadn't reached that life-or-death moment!

Master Lu's prophecy was absolutely accurate - the cause and effect he spoke of had truly come.

The series of serious cases recently surrounding the Dock Workers General Association had left the Police Bureau director sitting on pins and needles and the leaders in charge of political and legal affairs above feeling troubled.

Several rounds of talks and appeasement not only had no effect, but the dock gang became even more arrogant and unrestrained - so who else would the power machinery deal with if not them?!

On this point, the Dock Workers Association's connections at the port stayed silent and didn't help mediate.

For those controlling the Dock Workers Association from above, when problems arose, naturally someone had to take the blame. Just a few council of elders members - if they got dealt with, so be it.

When the dock gang people in various districts heard the council of elders members were arrested, they all organized people to make trouble, but were suppressed by one word from the Dock Workers Association's general chairman - the big dragon head - in Zone Three. He said whoever dared make trouble now would immediately be kicked out of the dock gang.

So the council of elders members and Baocheng were unfortunate, dealt with very harshly.

But Xu Hu and the Zha'nan dock gang at the center of events were tacitly forgotten.

With those above starting to suppress strongly and multiple matters collapsing below, these messy affairs also put Xu Hu himself on the hot seat. He couldn't retreat now and could only go all the way down this path.

After leaving the villa, Xu Hu immediately contacted Gu Tongshan's wife and brought back Wei Xiangzuo's lackey Cheng Gang from outside the district.

The Su, Bai and Kong families, the Yu family, and Wei Xiangzuo's escape was already an established fact, and Xu Hu currently had no ability to deal with them in Zone One, so his only option was to quickly resolve Zha'nan's internal issues and stabilize his position.

How to stabilize?

Gu Tongshan's killing was the best talking point and breakthrough.

Wei Xiangzuo and the Yu family people running away was itself something impossible to defend against.

......

At Chi Jun's base in Xinaluo, the Su, Bai and Kong families were arranged in an area of very poor condition single-story houses.

This wasn't because Chi Jun didn't know how to treat guests, but because these were their own living conditions. These mercenaries had no fixed abode, going wherever there was fighting, and their own conditions were very harsh.

When everyone arrived, Zhao Weihu wasn't at this camp but was discussing business in Xinaluo's war-torn area, so only one of Zhao Weihu's deputy officers received Su Tianyu and the others.

In the early morning, while Kong Zhenghui was talking with the deputy officer, Su Tianyu was already arranging matters for going to Zone One.

The courtyard was crowded with people as Su Tianyu busied himself endlessly.

In a corner, Wei Xiangzuo watched everything before him, suddenly stood up, walked to Su Tianyu's side and said to him: "Come out, I have something to tell you."

"Wait a moment, I'll find you later," Su Tianyu replied hurriedly.

"Need to say it now," Wei Xiangzuo replied expressionlessly.

Su Tianyu paused and had to walk with him to the side of the building.

At this moment, Wei Xiangzuo had a gun at his waist. His right hand rested on the grip as he looked at Su Tianyu with bright eyes and asked softly: "Are we all going to Zone One?"

Su Tianyu looked at Wei Xiangzuo's face, his eyes equally bright, and slowly nodded in reply: "Yes, to Zone One."

A strong urge to draw his gun filled Wei Xiangzuo's heart at this moment as he stared at Su Tianyu's face, his right hand trembling slightly.

Su Tianyu looked at him with a smile and pointed at his gun saying: "Now that we're here, no need to touch the gun."

Wei Xiangzuo clenched his left fist, struggling intensely inside.

It was Su Tianyu who killed Gu Tongshan - Wei Xiangzuo had completely confirmed his suspicions...

What to do?

Act or not?!