Chapter 24: Hu Zifeng

In truth, Zhao Ying had also asked herself: if it weren't for the matter with Wei Liang, would she be so protective of him? If there were evidence proving that Hong Tianxiong was murdered by him, would she arrest him? Zhao Ying pondered these questions for a long time, but no clear answer presented itself.

After Zhao Ying left, Yan Dong called over a police officer, gave him a few instructions, and before leaving, cast a glance at Lin Fan sitting confidently on the chair. A hint of smugness crept onto Yan Dong's face.

There were quite a few inmates held in the detention room. From a distance, Lin Fan saw a brash-looking young man standing at the entrance of a cell, shouting, "Hu Zifeng, don't be ungrateful! If you agree, this matter will be over. Otherwise, you'll never get out of here for the rest of your life!"

"Wei Liang, you bastard! You're not even human. Don't let me out of here, or I'll destroy your family," retorted the youth called Hu Zifeng, advancing menacingly toward Wei Liang. Startled, Wei Liang retreated quickly, and seeing the situation escalate, the officer beside Wei Liang hurried to intervene, one even leveling his gun at Hu Zifeng.

At that moment, Lin Fan happened to walk over as well. When Wei Liang saw Lin Fan being taken in, his delight was uncontainable, and he grew arrogant, pointing at Lin Fan. "Kid, just you wait. No one who crosses me ends up well."

"If you don't move your filthy hand, I can't guarantee you'll be able to walk out of here in one piece," Lin Fan replied coldly.

A light breeze drifted in from the window, lifting Lin Fan's bangs and revealing the faint scar on the upper left of his forehead. His almond-shaped eyes flashed with a chilling light, and his gaze grew piercingly sharp. This sudden shift in presence made Wei Liang shudder involuntarily, his outstretched finger hovering awkwardly in the air.

Realizing he could gain nothing here, Wei Liang shot Hu Zifeng a vicious glare and slunk away in a panic.

"Don't you dare run, you murderer..." Hu Zifeng shouted, about to chase after Wei Liang, only to be dragged back by the police.

The officer escorting Lin Fan opened the cell door and addressed the inmates inside, "This one's new. Officer Yan said to 'take good care' of him," putting particular emphasis on the words 'Officer Yan,' as if for Lin Fan's benefit.

The officer left quickly afterward; he had no desire to linger. If not for Yan Dong's brother-in-law being the police chief, he would never have agreed to escort Lin Fan. Just now, Zhao Ying had defended Lin Fan so fiercely, even publicly admitting he was her boyfriend—their relationship was clearly unusual. Everyone at the station knew it was better to offend Yan Dong than Zhao Ying. That was why he'd hastened to distance himself from Yan Dong.

Lin Fan understood the young officer's meaning and sneered inwardly. "Yan Dong, I'll remember you," he muttered. Soon after, Hu Zifeng was also brought in, and the cell door was locked behind them.

"Hey, kid, over here," barked a burly man covered in muscle, a tiger tattoo curling up his arm. He glared at Lin Fan.

Lin Fan ignored him, instead fixing his gaze on Hu Zifeng's left arm, where, near the upper arm, was an eagle tattooed in a unique style—a detail that piqued Lin Fan's interest far more.

Having been snubbed, the burly man felt humiliated. He was the undisputed "boss" of this cell, and Lin Fan’s disregard undermined his authority. He shot a look at the other inmates, then swaggered over to Lin Fan, planting a foot on the bunk and propping his chin with his hand, while the rest began to circle Lin Fan.

Was Lin Fan afraid? Of course not. He merely frowned and spoke softly, "I'll give you three seconds to disappear from my sight. One, two, three—" Before the last word had faded, his fist had already smashed into the burly man's face, followed by a savage kick. The boss let out a pitiful scream as he crashed to the floor.

Seeing Lin Fan make the first move, the other inmates didn't hesitate—they all charged in at once. But these men had neither training nor real skill, and Lin Fan handled them with ease. His blows were neither too heavy nor too light. Against bullies like these, the best lesson was violence for violence; reasoning with them was futile. Only a hard enough fist would earn their respect.

Yet someone, not knowing his limits, had managed to procure an iron rod and was sneaking up behind Lin Fan. Watching for his chance, he swung down with full force.

Lin Fan had noticed this minor trickery long before. With a cold sneer, he sidestepped, letting the rod land squarely on another inmate's head. The unlucky man stared blankly at his companion before collapsing to the ground.

Lin Fan didn’t stop. He reached out swiftly, seized the attacker’s fingers, and twisted hard. A sickening crack sounded, followed by a scream as the man crumpled to the floor, curling into a ball. As Lin Fan dealt with the others, Hu Zifeng leaned against the wall with his eyes closed, silent from start to finish.

"Murder! There's been a murder..." The burly boss, seeing Lin Fan fight so fiercely, rushed to the cell door and bellowed for help.

But the officers outside, having been warned by Yan Dong earlier, ignored whatever happened within. Some browsed the web, others read newspapers, all turning a deaf ear to the commotion. Realizing no help was coming, the boss hurried back to Hu Zifeng. "Brother, help me out here! With your skills, taking him down should be no problem!"

The inmates sprawled on the floor began to groan and wail. Lin Fan approached the boss with a wicked smile, twirling the hair at his brow. As he drew nearer, the burly man frantically shook Hu Zifeng, but Hu Zifeng didn’t so much as open his eyes.

Lin Fan gave the boss a swift kick and asked, "Got a smoke?"

"Yes, yes!" The man, relieved Lin Fan wasn’t beating him, quickly produced a cigarette and offered it with both hands, even lighting it for him. "Boss, anything else you need?" he asked obsequiously.

Lin Fan took a slow drag and sat down beside Hu Zifeng. "Go sit somewhere else. Haven’t had a fight in ages—my whole body aches from the lack of action."

The other inmates broke out in a cold sweat. This guy was putting on quite a show, but what could they do? He had the strength to back it up. This world, after all, belonged to the strong.

"If you need anything, just call for me," fawned the boss, then shuffled off with the others to the far side, leaving that corner to Lin Fan and Hu Zifeng.