Chapter Seventeen: Tear Down Their Kennel

"The head of security at Qiangyuan Company, Zhang Kang, brought his men to Yutou Village to stir up trouble. It happened right when our old village chief passed away. Not only did they beat up our villagers in public, but they also tore down the mourning tent and desecrated the chief's body. Tell me, what are we supposed to do?" Zhang Xiumei spoke with gritted teeth, her fists clenched tightly.

"If I'd had a knife in my hand that day, I'd have sliced those bastards to pieces a thousand times over!"

Mu Xiaoxia was stunned. She never expected that the people from Qiangyuan Company would come to Yutou Village and do such things.

Tang Long, however, seemed unconcerned. "It's true, we were the ones who fought. We're cooperating fully with the police investigation."

He paused, then continued calmly, "Since Qiangyuan Company wants to blow this out of proportion, then we don’t care either. Yesterday, in front of Liu Meijia, I made it clear: now 'Yutou Village' is barefoot, and we’re not afraid of Qiangyuan Company, who wears shoes."

Xing Jun frowned. "What if Qiangyuan Company targets you specifically?"

Tang Long understood what Old Xing meant. He’d come back to take on Qiangyuan Company, and Liu Meijia wanted to use Zhang Kang’s incident to get him arrested. Without Tang Long, the thorn in their side, it would be much easier to resolve matters in Yutou Village.

Tang Long grinned, "First, we must be reasonable. The law isn’t sentimental, but it must be fair, right? The incident happened in 'Yutou Village.' Qiangyuan Company's security came here, first assaulted our villagers, then destroyed our old chief’s mourning tent, and even insulted his body."

At this point, his smile vanished, leaving only coldness in his gaze. "When the villagers could no longer endure, they were forced to fight back. I admit I joined in that day, fighting alongside them. Based on this, Liu Meijia wants to get me locked up, but it’s not so easy, is it?"

"What if Qiangyuan Company has evidence proving you were the one who seriously injured their security guards?" Mu Xiaoxia interjected.

Tang Long looked at her and smiled again, shaking his head. "She can’t prove it. At the very least, she can’t prove I was the only one who fought that day, right?"

He wasn’t trying to evade responsibility; Tang Long wasn’t afraid of being arrested for this. If he were taken away, it would be a disaster for Yutou Village. He had to protect himself first, so he could fulfill Zhang Deshun’s last wish and lead the villagers to a better life.

Without this conviction, Tang Long would have already started a bloodbath, wiping Qiangyuan Company off the map.

Mu Xiaoxia was speechless. This guy was cunning. If it were a collective action involving all the villagers, it would be hard for the police to convict. They couldn’t arrest an entire village, could they?

If the situation escalated, it would attract attention from the county, the city, perhaps even the province, not to mention various media outlets. Now, in the era of social media, and with Qiangyuan Company clearly in the wrong—they assaulted villagers, destroyed the mourning tent, insulted the body—these acts would provoke outrage.

Netizens side with the weak, and clearly, the villagers of Yutou Village are the weaker party compared to Qiangyuan Company.

If the incident truly snowballed, it would be disastrous for Qiangyuan Group, a publicly listed company.

There were three police officers present—Old Xing, Mu Xiaoxia, and a young man whose appearance was unremarkable and who barely spoke. His presence was easily overlooked, but he listened intently to everything.

"Let’s see how things develop. There’s no need to rush," Old Xing suddenly smiled. "We’re here today just to get an account of what happened. Nothing more."

Tang Long smiled and nodded. "If you need us to cooperate in any way, just ask. Don’t stand on ceremony!"

As if recalling something, he said, "By the way, since you’re here, I’d like to ask a few things on behalf of Yutou Village. First, our old chief Zhang Deshun was beaten before he died. Some villagers saw Qiangyuan Company’s men do it, but the township never settled the case. We have reason to believe his death is directly linked to that assault."

Old Xing's face darkened. "The old chief was beaten by Qiangyuan Company’s people?"

Zhang Xiue was grief-stricken. "He was hurt and angered. Otherwise, how could he have passed so unexpectedly?"

"Alright, I’ll get to the bottom of this," Xing Jun promised, pounding his chest. With eyewitnesses, this should be easy to investigate.

"Second, regarding Qiangyuan Company occupying our 'Liangou Hollow.' Yutou Village owns Liangou Hollow, but Qiangyuan Company is illegally occupying it. If they refuse to leave and we tear down their illegally built structures, is that against the law?" Tang Long asked.

Xing Jun laughed, shaking his head. "Whether it’s illegal, I don’t know. But if someone built a doghouse in my yard, I’d definitely tear it down."

Whether Yutou Village had the right to demolish the buildings would be up to the relevant authorities, but there was no doubt that Liangou Hollow belonged to Yutou Village. If the villagers really did forcibly demolish it, no one could really object.

After all, it wasn’t a personal issue, but a collective one involving the village.

Even if it went to the authorities, no judge could ignore the facts and rule blindly.

"Exactly. Why let others build a doghouse on our land?" Tang Long turned to Zhang Xiue. "Secretary Xiue, let’s not wait any longer. Gather the people, and let’s go tear down Qiangyuan Company's doghouse right now."

Mu Xiaoxia was dumbfounded—demolition by force? The young policeman sitting beside her was also startled.

Zhang Xiue hesitated. "Shouldn’t we wait a bit?"

After all, there was only one day left until the agreed deadline. Whether they demolished today or tomorrow didn’t make much difference.

"No need to wait. We’ll demolish it today, and it’s perfect timing since the 'criminal police' are here to protect our villagers. Saves us from Qiangyuan Company's people acting like cornered dogs and biting us." Tang Long grinned.

Xing Jun's face darkened, laughing angrily. "Tang Long, I, Old Xing, respect you as a man, but don’t set me up!"

Tang Long looked at him, smiling as he retorted, "Such a trivial matter, you can’t handle it?"

Anywhere else, Old Xing would have left long ago, unwilling to get involved in such messes.

But not today. If he left now, he’d never have the face to appear before Tang Long again.

"I’ve got no temper left, fine. Today I’ll let you use me as a blade. But let’s be clear—you owe me a drink," Xing Jun said with a bitter smile.

Tang Long stood up smiling. "Just a drink? Whenever you come to Yutou Village and want to drink, I’ll accompany you."

He headed outside.

"Call everyone, and don’t forget to bring tools!"

"Let’s go tear down the doghouse built by those bastards from Qiangyuan Company."

Liu Meijia wanted to stir up trouble, did she? Fine, Tang Long would oblige her.