Chapter 54: Hong Dakui Intimidates Lai San, Police Set a Trap with Undercover Operation

Host: Su Yu
Age: 19
Physique: 10
Strength: 15
Speed: 10
Skills: Fishing Lv3+, Basic Archery Lv9, Tracking IV+7+, Dog Training IV1+, Hand-to-Hand Combat IV1+, Butchery IV1+
Skill Points: 83

Su Yu gave it a try, but his eighty-plus skill points were still not enough to level up his archery.
"Good grief, is this archery going to break through the basic tier and evolve into some sort of martial arts manual? Needing this many skill points—this is real life, not a wuxia novel."

Although he found it quite bizarre, Su Yu didn't dwell on it. His skill points were sufficient for the time being anyway. Once he managed to bag some prey with a gun, he would sooner or later unlock a marksmanship skill. When that time came, he would just upgrade his marksmanship straight to Lv9.

Each bullet cost quite a few cents, so ordinarily he didn't dare to use a gun recklessly. Missing would result in an even greater loss, which was why he preferred to max out his skills first.

He pondered many matters, including his eldest brother's upcoming marriage, and felt that he needed to keep working hard. Otherwise, forget about introducing a bride to his brother; he wouldn't even be able to improve their daily meals.

Lost in his thoughts, Su Yu eventually fell asleep. Time flew by, and the next day, Su Yu went to look for Huzi.

Since they had agreed to go hunting, this fellow had been itching to get his hands on a gun for a long time.
"Bring along the double-stone bow. Here, you carry the gun and the bow and arrows. Today we're heading to the back mountain of Huangjia Village to hunt."
"Huh? Why are we going to Huangjia Village? Are you planning to bring the Huang brothers along?"

Su Yu shook his head and explained, "I need to make a trip to the police station, and coming back from the town, Huangjia Village happens to be right around the corner. Do you expect me to run all the way back just to head back into the mountains?"
"Uh, out of the blue, why are you going to the police station?"

He didn't keep anything from Huzi, so as they walked, he explained the whole situation clearly.
"Damn, this Su Bin is such a scumbag! Could it really be his doing?"
"Yeah, nine times out of ten. But you and I don't need to get involved. Don't let Educated Youth Xu's appearance fool you into thinking she's a little lamb; how do you know her family is someone to be pushed around? Su Bin is just being too self-righteous. Just wait and see, he's in for a world of hurt."

Talking as they walked, the two of them arrived in town and headed straight for the police station.
"Since you're carrying the gun and the bow, it's not appropriate for you to go inside. Wait for me here, I'll be right back."
With that, Su Yu strode into the police station.

He quickly found the police officer who had gone to Sanshui Bay to investigate the situation a few days prior and explained the matter to him.
Sitting opposite Su Yu were two officers taking down statements, writing as they asked.
"So you're saying this guy named Su Bin is your cousin? A blood-related one?"

The police probably found it hard to believe that his own flesh-and-blood cousin would not only hire thugs to beat him up, but also set a trap to ensnare the girl he was pursuing, trying to force her into marrying him this way. Truly shameless.

Although they didn't know whether Su Yu's suspicions were true or false, some things were quite easy to investigate—especially since Su Yu's deductions were logical and well-founded. To find out the truth, all it took was a little bluffing.

"Officer comrades, this matter is quite easy to resolve. If you want to crack this trap, conventional methods certainly won't work, because since they lied, they must have covered all their bases, including the IOU and other paperwork."

"However, I've heard that this Lai San frequently plays cards with Hong Dakui from our town, and Lai San should be carrying quite a bit of gambling debt. I reckon if the police comrades go to Hong Dakui to collect the debt, there's bound to be a good show."

"After all, since he has the money to buy a radio and take a wife, surely he isn't going to default on his debts, right? It's entirely reasonable and justified for Hong Dakui to demand payment. Once Lai San opens his mouth and denies that the radio is his, our police comrades can step in to question him. Fabricating stories, deceiving the police, and obstructing official duties—it might not be a capital offense, but it's no trivial matter either. Detaining him for ten days to half a month wouldn't be unreasonable, would it? A guy like Lai San wouldn't even last three days in a cell before cracking. I refuse to believe he won't confess."

Good grief. The officers thought to themselves, this kid is practically teaching us how to entrap suspects.
"Ahem... Today's inquiry ends here. Thank you, Comrade Su Yu, for your support of our work. I'll see you out."

The captain of the police station escorted Su Yu out with utmost courtesy, wearing a genial expression that looked nothing like how they usually treated suspects.
Huzi hurried over.
"How was it? Did you sort it out?"

Su Yu nodded and continued walking forward with Huzi. Several veteran officers also walked out, staring blankly in the direction Su Yu had left.
"Captain Wu, are we really going to do what this kid suggested? Entrapment—isn't that a bit inappropriate?"

The police captain, Wu Dali, was slightly stunned at first, then asked, "I just happened to be passing by, intending to visit Lai San's house for an inquiry, and coincidentally overheard their conversation. What? Is that not allowed? Or is it illegal?"

"Uh... And would Hong Dakui be willing to help us? He's a regular fixture around here—running illegal gambling dens, pimping, and acting as a broker. This punk is rotten to the core, with dozens of low-end prostitutes tied to him and dozens of men under his command. He's no pushover."

At this, Captain Wu curled his lips and muttered, "No matter how cunning the fox is, it still has to cower when it sees me. I'm asking him for a favor to give him a chance to turn over a new leaf. If he dares to give me any attitude, I'll haul them all in for a few days. As for the reason—doesn't illegal assembly count?"

The other officers exchanged glances and burst into laughter.
In this day and age, legal awareness was thin, and brawls were a common occurrence. There were no surveillance cameras, and the police station had only a few bicycles; people had to report crimes in person at the station. So sometimes it wasn't that they didn't want to make arrests, but that there was no evidence.

By the time they received a report and rushed over, the culprits had long since fled, making the police's job genuinely difficult.

Regardless, whether it was a local syndicate boss or a petty thug, everyone trembled at the sight of the police. For no other reason than that the police back then not only carried pistols, but unearthing a mortar shell wouldn't even be unusual—some villages even brought out mortars during feuds, considering how few decades had passed since the end of the wars, leaving plenty of battlefield weaponry scavenged and hidden by ordinary folk.

"Stop bickering. If anything goes wrong, I'll take the responsibility. I'll go find Hong Dakui myself. If he doesn't know what's good for him, I have plenty of ways to deal with him."
"Let's listen to the captain. The county has already given us a heads-up; this matter is putting a lot of pressure on us. Now that someone has finally offered this idea, naturally we can't let it go."

That's right, it was a call from the county to the local town police station, instructing them to thoroughly investigate and clear Educated Youth Xu's name. As for why the county called, naturally it was because Educated Youth Xu had called her family. Otherwise, how did you think Educated Youth Xu managed to be the first one to return after college entrance exams were reinstated? You must understand, college admission slots were limited; if your turn didn't come this year, you had to wait until the next.

Everyone wanted to go back; they couldn't all just rush off to take the exams together, right? Naturally, recommendations from village secretaries, communes, or even higher-ups were required.

This was called selective merit-based admission. Apart from her own competence, who would believe that no one helped Educated Youth Xu be among the very first to pass the exam? With slots so scarce, how could you be number one?

Therefore, Su Yu had known from the very beginning that Educated Youth Xu's family background was no ordinary matter. Otherwise, where did you think that demeanor of hers came from? It wasn't simply a matter of being a city dweller giving you poise. True poise required at least educated parents who never lacked for food and clothing—otherwise, who had the leisure to cultivate poise? Putting food on the table was what mattered most.