Chapter 190: Shoot!
Song Zixuan glanced at Zhao Dong, frowned slightly, and then looked at the group of people sprawled on the ground.
Her expression changed instantly. "Zhao Dong," she snapped, "did you do all this?"
Zhao Dong pursed his lips. "They were planning to gang up on me. They were simply no match for me."
"You—"
Song Zixuan glared fiercely at Zhao Dong. Her gaze then shifted to Dong Bowen on the ground, and she gasped in surprise. "Dong Bowen? What are you doing here?"
Dong Bowen, seeing Song Zixuan, looked just as shocked. "Song Zixuan?" It turned out that they had been classmates. Although they hadn't kept in touch, they still recognized each other. The moment he saw her, Dong Bowen acted as if he'd found his savior and immediately started wailing.
"Inspector Song, you have to save me! Look at this Zhao Dong—he's a madman! If you hadn't shown up, he would have completely crippled me."
Song Zixuan frowned deeply. "What exactly happened? Dong Bowen, how did you get into a conflict with Zhao Dong?"
With tears and snot streaming down his face, Dong Bowen put on an incredibly pitiful act. "Inspector Song, I admit I was wrong. My cousin was bullied by Zhao Dong, so I brought some men to get justice for him. But this Zhao Dong is inhuman! He's just too ruthless and cruel! Look at what he did to us!"
Song Zixuan was shocked. "Zhao Dong took down all these people by himself?"
Dong Bowen nodded fearfully, and the way Song Zixuan looked at Zhao Dong changed. However, she knew that Zhao Dong was a cultivator, different from ordinary people. Seeing him brazenly bully ordinary people, she felt a surge of anger. After all, Huaxia had a strict rule that cultivators must never bully ordinary citizens. To do so was to break the law.
Song Zixuan's gaze turned cold. "Zhao Dong, do you have anything to say?"
With a cigarette dangling from his lips, Zhao Dong snorted. "This Dong Bowen brought a mob to cause trouble for me. Am I not allowed to fight back? This was self-defense!"
Song Zixuan frowned. "There might be an element of self-defense, but you shouldn't have been so ruthless toward ordinary people. Come with me to the Dragon Bureau!"
As she spoke, she took out a pair of handcuffs. Zhao Dong's eyes iced over. "You want to cuff me?"
"So what if I do? You've already broken the law!"
Zhao Dong gave a cold laugh. "Inspector Song, I'm trying to reason with you. Dong Bowen brought all these men here to attack me. If I didn't have some skills of my own, I would be the one crippled today. I am the victim here. And now, instead of taking Dong Bowen away, you want to put me in handcuffs? Do you really think you're in the right?"
"Spare me the lecture," Song Zixuan said impatiently. "Dong Bowen and his men are ordinary people. You bear the greater responsibility!"
"Bullshit!" Zhao Dong's eyes turned cold as he stared at Song Zixuan and enunciated each word. "Today, I, Zhao Dong, am making things clear. You, Song Zixuan, are not taking me anywhere. Take your people and get lost!"
With that, he turned to Zhao Qirou and Shen Zhuxin. "Ignore them. Let's go."
Zhao Qirou and Shen Zhuxin exchanged a glance and fell in behind Zhao Dong.
Just as they were about to leave, Song Zixuan's icy voice rang out, "Zhao Dong, this is resisting arrest. Just you try walking away today. Do you have any idea what the consequences will be?"
"I'd like to see what consequences you can muster," Zhao Dong said with a cold smile, taking a step forward.
He had taken only two steps when Song Zixuan, her face a mask of frost, lashed out with a high kick aimed directly at him. A powerful gust of wind rushed toward him from behind, and a chill ran down his spine.
He sidestepped the kick, then turned to face Song Zixuan, his eyes terrifyingly cold. "Inspector Song, what is the meaning of this?"
"Zhao Dong, don't push it," Song Zixuan said coldly. "I'm giving you a chance to come quietly because you know Xu Yafei and Han Chuxue. Don't force my hand!"
Zhao Dong narrowed his eyes and scoffed. "How amusing. Are people from the Dragon Bureau always so unreasonable?"
"Save your reasoning for the Bureau. Either way, you're not leaving now." Song Zixuan's gaze was just as terrifyingly cold.
Zhao Dong narrowed his dark eyes, a dangerous light glinting within them. He absolutely could not go to the Dragon Bureau. The last time he went, he was nearly crippled and had also offended Commander Sun Feichen. Sun Feichen had always wanted to cripple him, to see him dead. If he were taken to the Dragon Bureau now... his fate would be grim. That was one reason. Second, he was the victim today. It was Dong Bowen and his group who came looking for trouble. Why should he be the one taken away?
Looking at Song Zixuan, Zhao Dong shook his head, his tone utterly indifferent. "Song Zixuan, I'll say this one last time. Today, I, Zhao Dong, am the victim. Dong Bowen and his cronies came looking for me. I acted in self-defense, not to deliberately start a brawl. If you don't believe me, feel free to check the surveillance footage. The one you should be arresting is Dong Bowen, not me. So please, stop bothering me. Alright?"
Song Zixuan's fine brows knitted together, a flicker of hesitation crossing her beautiful face. She bit her lip and said, "Zhao Dong, you have a point. But you still fought today. I admit that Dong Bowen came looking for trouble, but you injured dozens of people, so you must come with me. Once we get your statement, I'll let you go. It's just a formality."
Song Zixuan's tone had softened. She could now see the situation clearly; Dong Bowen and his group were indeed the instigators. That made Zhao Dong technically innocent, but he had still injured people. He had to be brought in to provide a formal account, after which he could be released. Besides, there were plenty of people watching. If she just let Zhao Dong walk away and some busybody filmed it and posted it online claiming a deliberate cover-up, it would stir up public opinion and be a disaster for the entire East Sea Dragon Bureau. For the sake of appearances, she had to take him in.
Song Zixuan sighed. "Zhao Dong, don't overthink it. Just come with us and clarify what happened. That's all. A quick trip won't hold you up."
"It will hold me up! I have something very important to do right now, Inspector Song. I really can't go, so please drop it."
Zhao Dong rubbed his hands together impatiently and turned to leave. He absolutely could not go to the Dragon Bureau today. After all, that place is a lion's den; going there would be the end of him.
He had barely taken a step when a sharp CLICK sounded from behind him—the sound of a pistol being cocked.
Song Zixuan had actually drawn a handgun from her waist, aiming it directly at the center of Zhao Dong's back. "Hands on your head! Get down on the ground, now! Take one more step, and I'll shoot!"
In an instant, Zhao Dong's eyes turned glacial, and the air around them seemed to drop several degrees. Even Song Zixuan felt a biting chill. The situation instantly became a tense standoff as the onlookers stared in shock.
Song Zixuan clenched her teeth, her face paling slightly. "Zhao Dong, you better think this through! Are you determined to escalate this?"
Just then, Zhao Dong's voice slowly rose—hoarse, cold, and utterly devoid of emotion. "I'd like to see if you actually dare to shoot today."
With that, Zhao Dong defiantly took another step forward.