NOVEL WEB Chapter 15: Four-Star Inspector
"Who are you? What brings you to the police station?"
By now, the sky had darkened, and only a few officers were on duty in the lobby. As soon as they saw the middle-aged man storming in with bodyguards, one of them spoke up.
"Call your station chief. If he's not here, then get someone in charge."
One of the bodyguards spoke coldly, showing no respect for the officers.
If this were Earth, such behavior wouldn't happen. Police are supposed to serve the public and deserve respect. However, this wasn't Earth's Earthstar, but Earthstar's Earthstar on another planet in a time of monster catastrophe—attitudes were naturally different here.
The officer who had spoken was immediately irritated.
"Xiao Chen, what's your attitude? How can you treat a public servant like this? Without them, would Microlight City be so peaceful and stable?"
The middle-aged man, Li Wanfeng, reprimanded.
Another bodyguard quickly took out an identity badge and said, "Comrade officer, do you recognize this?"
The officer squinted at it, his face changing drastically. The middle-aged man, dressed plainly, turned out to be someone of great influence!
"Yes, I recognize it. Please wait, I'll get Director Song right away."
Soon after, a sweaty, middle-aged officer, with a bloated belly, hurried over, wiping sweat from his face. He looked to be a weak constitution, sweating at the slightest exertion.
"I'm Tian Dazhi, the director on duty tonight. Are you the Four-Star Inspector? What is your surname?" Tian Dazhi asked respectfully.
"Just call me Li," the middle-aged man replied. "I heard that you have detained a student from Saint Stone High?"
Tian Dazhi's heart skipped a beat.
What was going on? Was this inspector here because of that kid? Damn it, what was the connection? The Zhao family had repeatedly emphasized that the kid should be tortured thoroughly.
As his thoughts raced, Tian Dazhi cautiously probed, "Yes, there is indeed a high school student, but I wasn't involved in this case."
Noticing Li Wanfeng's unchanging expression, Tian Dazhi pressed on, "It's said he was involved in a fight, acted badly, and killed over a dozen beasts. It's quite a substantial property loss. But the other side didn't pursue it further; they just asked us to keep him detained for a few days to educate him. Are you here for this student?"
"Correct. Take me to him," Li Wanfeng said, his tone as calm as ever.
Tian Dazhi couldn't discern any emotion in his expression, so he dared not make assumptions. He quickly replied, "Of course."
When they reached the detention room, a loud commotion from inside could be heard—fists clashing and swearing.
"You bastard, you really hit hard. I'll kill you!"
Tian Dazhi's face changed instantly. He recognized that voice—it was Zhao Lin's.
And Zhao Lin was a member of the Zhao family. Was he beating up that student?
Damn it.
He felt something was off and urgently ordered the police to open the door.
"Zhao Lin, what are you doing? Stop!" Tian Dazhi shouted through the window.
"Director Tian, wait a moment. Don't come in just yet. If I don't kill this kid..." Zhao Lin began, but before he could finish, the door was suddenly kicked open with a loud bang.
One of the bodyguards pulled his foot back and said to Li Wanfeng, "Mr. Li, please come in."
Li Wanfeng walked in first, and Tian Dazhi anxiously followed. He could feel the chilling aura emanating from Li Wanfeng.
This was escalating. It had attracted a big shot, and Tian Dazhi knew he needed to contact the station chief as soon as possible. He quickly signaled a nearby officer.
Zhao Lin turned around, his face swollen and bruised, his clothes shredded, revealing several bloody gashes.
Kent, on the other hand, was unscathed except for some blood on his nails. He looked at the person who had entered—he thought the middle-aged man seemed somewhat familiar.
"This... isn't this the guardian named Li?"
Kent quickly recalled the memory. After his parents died, as a minor, he needed a guardian. He wasn't sure how it worked, but one day, this middle-aged man, Li Wanfeng, suddenly appeared and told him that until he came of age, he would be his guardian.
That was the last he had seen of him.
They had only met once and exchanged a single sentence. Kent had continued going to school, living his life alone, and it seemed the guardian was just a title. Kent never paid much attention to it, not recognizing the man. But now, this person had suddenly appeared—like a savior from the heavens.
Wait... does this mean that he had been monitored all along?
Such a large operation—he must have been regarded highly. But it didn't seem like he was being constantly watched; after all, this was the law-abiding Microlight City, which was peaceful enough. He was just a student; what kind of danger could he be in?
It had been nearly eight hours since his detention, and only now had this man arrived, so it seemed he was only occasionally keeping an eye on him.
"Uncle Li, what brings you here?" Kent quickly reacted, surprised.
Li Wanfeng nodded slightly and then turned to Tian Dazhi, his gaze cold. "Tell me, what happened here?"
Tian Dazhi broke into a cold sweat. He didn't dare speak freely, so he trembled and said, "I don't know."
He then looked at Zhao Lin and snapped, "Zhao Lin, what are you doing? This is a student, not a criminal. He made some mistakes, but he hasn't broken the law. And you, a trained officer, should know better than to act impulsively and violate the law. How can you be so unprofessional? Do you have no sense of discipline?"
Tian Dazhi reprimanded him sternly.
Li Wanfeng raised an eyebrow, his expression unchanged. He coldly said, "Director Tian, I am this child's guardian, and I have the right to know the truth."
Tian Dazhi broke into a cold sweat. He didn't dare to speak the truth. With such obvious differential treatment, one was detained for 13 days, while the other was walking out free, everything brushed under the rug. He couldn't possibly tell the truth.
"Mr. Li, this isn't the place to discuss this. Let's go outside," Tian Dazhi said awkwardly.
A short time later, Zhao Xionghui, the police station chief, entered the room. He already knew the truth and was prepared to face Li Wanfeng. After meeting with him, he immediately admitted, "The handling of this matter was inappropriate. What do you suggest we do?"
Li Wanfeng gave him a cold look, not showing any emotion. Kent could feel the tension in the air.
Damn, he hadn't expected this seemingly ordinary guardian to turn out to be a big shot.
He felt like he had won the lottery. He was no longer worried about leaving here.
But he didn't want to let things slide. He immediately spoke up, "Uncle Li, they're not just detaining me for 13 days; they've been giving me only a single bun each day, trying to torture me into submission."
Zhao Xionghui was unaware of this. Upon hearing Kent's words, his face changed dramatically, and he glared at Tian Dazhi. He had been out of the office and hadn't realized how chaotic things had gotten. He was furious.
"Mr. Li, I will investigate this matter thoroughly. The atmosphere in this station has gone downhill, and I will personally ensure it is corrected. As an apology, we will double the punishment for the other parties involved. Since Kent has been detained for eight hours, the others will be given only a single bun each. What do you think?"
Li Wanfeng nodded slightly, signaling his approval. "Good. Remember what you said. I'll have my people keep an eye on this."
With that, he stood up, turning to Kent. "Let's go."