Chapter 60: The Major Smuggling Case (Second Installment)

Zhou Yi did a quick count. Subtracting the blond punk that Jiang Biao had just kicked to the ground and adding the bald man, there were still nine opponents left on the other side.

There were more than before, but not by much.

However, all of them were holding knives in their hands. As the old saying went—and it was never wrong—no matter how skilled your martial arts were, you still feared a kitchen knife. Besides, this was the opponent's turf, and heaven knew if they had any other backup.

Cautiously, Zhou Yi whispered a reminder, "Brother Biao, watch your safety."

"Got it! You be careful too! Team Two's reinforcements should be here in ten minutes at most. If there's genuine danger, don't try to be a hero—run immediately."

The two of them had crouched outside the window earlier, listening to the commotion inside and judging that there were quite a few people. They had retreated to the guardroom, subdued the gatekeeper, and used the phone to notify the main force.

Originally, they had planned to wait for reinforcements to sweep the place in one go, but unexpectedly, the opponents were about to set out to hunt them down for revenge. Fearing that once these people left the factory compound, it would become difficult to round them all up, the two of them had taken the risk of blocking the entrance and intercepting this group.

The bald man had recovered his composure by now, realizing that stalling would work against them. He shouted frantically, "Hack them to death!"

The mob roared and charged at the two men.

Only then did Zhou Yi realize that Jiang Biao hadn't been joking earlier when he said he hadn't fought to his heart's content.

Although these thugs outnumbered them, their combat effectiveness was actually quite weak—not much different from the ones before. They might scare ordinary people, but against a free-combat expert like Jiang Biao, they were completely out of their depth.

Jiang Biao's moves, reflexes, and awareness were top-tier. The weapons in the thugs' hands were either dodged or deflected with his baton, followed immediately by counterattacks.

It was clear, however, that he was holding back this time. His punches and kicks weren't nearly as ferocious as before; though the thugs he struck winced in pain, they weren't knocked out instantly.

He was probably afraid of actually beating someone to death, and Zhou Yi believed Jiang Biao was fully capable of that.

Instead of rushing forward recklessly, Zhou Yi focused on covering Jiang Biao. Whenever anyone tried to launch a sneak attack, Zhou Yi beat them back.

Though he lacked Jiang Biao's superb combat skills, he held the advantage in experience, targeting the enemy's joints precisely. Every strike with his baton hit its mark, and those he struck dropped to the ground, howling as they lost their ability to fight.

Still, with the enemy outnumbering them—two fists against four hands—oversights were inevitable, and the two men sustained a few minor cuts and scrapes.

The price paid by the opposite side, however, was heavy. Only the bald man and two other underlings were still standing; everyone else had collapsed to the ground.

And only five or six minutes had passed.

"Zhou Yi, you're not injured, are you?" Jiang Biao asked.

"Just a few minor scratches, nothing to worry about. How about you?"

"Same here, haha."

It had been a long time since Zhou Yi had engaged in a real fight. Those eight years spent in the archives room had worn away all his former sharpness, leaving his life as stagnant as dead water.

Now, that stagnant water was boiling once again.

"Go on! Go get them!"

The bald man urged his two remaining underlings, but terror filled their eyes.

"You damn bunch of trash! Don't even think about following the boss anymore; all of you can just go starve!"

"Get up, you useless cowards, get up!"

The bald man was frantic with rage, but it was to no avail.

Jiang Biao drew his handcuffs and said to the three of them, "I only have one pair here. You guys decide—who's getting cuffed?"

Inside the factory building, the tattooed punk who had been knocked out by the bald man's slap earlier slowly regained consciousness.

Still somewhat dazed, he didn't quite grasp the situation, knowing only that a fight had broken out.

He scrambled to his feet, dashed behind a piece of machinery, and a moment later pulled out a cloth bundle.

Untying the bundle, he revealed a homemade shotgun.

The tattooed punk grabbed the weapon, loaded it with steel shot, and roared aggressively, "Go to hell! Ahhhhh!"

The two sides were positioned along an east-west axis, while the factory's main gate faced south.

Jiang Biao was on the inner side; turning his head, he saw a gun pointed directly at him, and his expression changed instantly.

At that split second of life-and-death crisis, a deafening gunshot echoed through the cavernous factory, ringing so loudly in everyone's ears that they buzzed.

The tattooed punk collapsed to the ground with a miserable howl, clutching his shoulder and screaming like a slaughtered pig.

A bright crimson flower of blood bloomed on his right shoulder.

Zhou Yi stood holding a Type 64 pistol, his gaze ice-cold.

Once a shot was fired, no one dared to move anymore. The deterrent effect of a firearm was absolute.

Dead silence filled the massive factory, broken only by the tattooed punk's agonizing cries from the floor.

Jiang Biao was the first to snap back to reality. He rushed over to the tattooed punk and snatched the homemade shotgun dropped on the floor.

Zhou Yi roared, "Drop your weapons immediately! Hands behind your heads, on the ground!"

The thugs present didn't dare to move, yet they didn't comply right away either.

It wasn't because they were too arrogant, but simply because their brains hadn't caught up.

Zhou Yi raised his gun and fired another warning shot. With a deafening boom, dust rained down from the ceiling.

That shot finally helped everyone's brains catch up. One by one, they dropped their weapons, obediently placed their hands behind their heads, and squatted on the ground.

At that moment, the sound of police sirens drifted in from afar.

...

Outside the chemical plant's workshop, three or four police cars were parked, their flashing red and blue lights making the bruised and battered thugs look even more wretched.

A group of police officers bustled about inside and out, and an ambulance had just departed.

Sitting on the trunk lid of a police car were Zhou Yi and Jiang Biao, one on each side.

Zhou Yi had a shallow cut on his back where a knife had torn his clothes, while Jiang Biao had a slash on his arm, blood staining his entire sleeve red, yet he acted as if nothing had happened.

Medical personnel had already provided simple first aid and bandaged the two men, administering tetanus shots to prevent infection.

"I must say, you two are quite something. First you take down five or six, and right after that you handle another eight or nine. What are you supposed to be, Huo Yuanjia?" Qiao Jiali remarked.

Jiang Biao chuckled, "Not bad. Honestly, a few more wouldn't have been a problem."

Qiao Jiali glared at him. "Hmph, as if I'm complimenting you. You don't care about your own life, fine, but Zhou Yi's on his first day here and you drag him into this reckless stunt. Just wait—when Team Leader Wu gets back, he's going to settle accounts with you properly!"

Hearing this, Jiang Biao instantly panicked and pleaded, "Don't do that, Sister Qiao. I'm begging you, please don't tell Team Leader Wu."

He wasn't afraid of ten or eight armed thugs, yet he was terrified of being scolded by Wu Yongcheng.

Zhou Yi couldn't help but smile; there really was a counter for every force.

"Don't even dream about it."

Qiao Jiali then pointed at Zhou Yi. "And you! Are you out of your mind? He's a combat champion—are you?"

Zhou Yi wisely offered an apology, "I'm sorry, Sister Qiao. I was wrong, I won't do it again next time."

Jiang Biao wrapped an arm around Zhou Yi's shoulder. "Zhou Yi's skills aren't bad either. This kid's got some real talent—at least he can fight better than Chen Yan."

"Biaozi, we are in the criminal investigation detachment, responsible for major criminal cases. If you love fighting this much, why don't you ask Team Leader Wu to transfer you back to the Armed Police Corps?"

So Jiang Biao had an armed police background—no wonder his skills were so impressive.

"No way, I'm not going back."

As they spoke, a middle-aged man in police uniform walked out of the workshop and headed straight toward them.

This person was Gu Changhai from the Criminal Investigation Detachment's Second Team. Jiang Biao had introduced him earlier—an veteran detective a few years older than Wu Yongcheng, who had spent his entire career combating organized crime and underworld syndicates.

"Teacher Gu, how's the situation inside?" Qiao Jiali asked politely.

Gu Changhai pointed excitedly at Jiang Biao and Zhou Yi. "You two—you've rendered a massive service this time!"

"Huh?" All three of them were stunned.

"This place might just be hiding a major smuggling case!"