Volume One, Chapter Three: Rushed Straight to the Police Station by the Driver Brother

Once the driver fell silent, the passengers dared not speak, only glaring at the young hooligan. The fellow, however, was unfazed; the resentment in their eyes only seemed to satisfy him further.

Arrogantly, he gestured toward a few passengers nearby. "Are you blind? Can't you see I'm flirting with a lady? Get to the front, move it!"

Cowed by his menacing behavior, the passengers, though reluctant, shuffled toward the front of the bus. It was a sorry state of affairs when an entire busload of people could be cowed by a single punk.

The middle-aged, honest-looking man sitting at the back also wanted to move forward, but before he could, the hooligan stood right in the aisle, leering and teasing the young woman, effectively blocking the path. The punk was in no rush; he let his hands brush past the woman’s body and hair, his touch lingering and suggestive, making her scream in terror.

"Scum!" the passengers cursed under their breath, though no one dared to intervene. They limited themselves to spiritual condemnation.

Only the man in shorts at the back sat down slowly, pulling his backpack onto his chest. He slipped his right hand inside, fumbling with something with a tense expression.

Just then, the hooligan, who had been molesting the young woman, suddenly changed his demeanor. He grabbed the woman and, amidst her screams, shoved her toward the front of the bus. Immediately after, he balled his right fist, eyes locked on the man in the back, and delivered a heavy punch to the man's face.

Before the man could recover from the shock, the hooligan grabbed his right arm, yanked it out from the backpack, and twisted it behind his shoulder. The man stood up in pain. The hooligan delivered a knee to his abdomen followed by a double-fisted strike, knocking him to the floor.

The entire bus was stunned. Wasn't this punk just molesting the woman? How did it turn into a fight? The young woman was equally bewildered. *Has my charm faded?* she wondered, subconsciously shifting her shoulders to accentuate her figure before tilting her head at the hooligan.

***

At Baiyun Police Station, Xie Changkun, having secured a small van, was chatting with Zheng Yongnian while wearing a forced smile. He kept glancing at his watch, his expression growing darker by the second. Police recruits were expected at 8:00 AM, and it was already 8:10 AM. This Ye Lin still hadn't arrived. Such a lack of discipline—no wonder he had received five disciplinary marks at the police academy.

Across from him, Zheng Yongnian was also feeling frustrated. *What is Ye Lin doing?* If it weren't for the fact that his superiors had repeatedly emphasized that this was part of the Ministry of Public Security's talent recruitment program, he would have lost his temper already. He glanced sideways at Xie Changkun, wondering if the man might renege on their deal. He didn't know that Xie Changkun, besides being annoyed, was actually thinking about how to squeeze another van out of him.

Suddenly, a bus swerved directly into the police station courtyard. With a screech of tires, it came to a halt in front of Xie and Zheng. The driver jumped from his seat and shouted, "Chief Xie! There’s a hooligan! He's molesting women and beating people in broad daylight!"

The passengers gave the driver a thumbs-up. They had thought he was a coward, but it turned out he had played it smart, driving straight to the police station to ensure the punk couldn't escape.

Xie Changkun, already fuming, was incensed that there was a hooligan causing trouble on his turf—and in front of a superior, no less. This was a slap in the face. He waved his hand and led his men toward the bus.

Upon boarding, the officers saw the hooligan indeed bullying someone. The punk had his back to them, twisting the honest-looking man’s arms behind his back while pinning his neck with a knee. When the man saw the police, he tried to struggle, but the hooligan slapped him. "Stop moving!"

"Stop!" roared Chief Xie. This was too arrogant! He couldn't believe some street punk was acting out right in front of him. Glancing at Zheng Yongnian, who was watching from outside with a stern face, Xie knew he had to handle this well or he could forget about that van.

"I am Chief Xie Changkun of the Baiyun Police Station. I order you to let him go, or we will take coercive measures!" Xie drew his baton.

Hearing the police, the hooligan turned around. "Ye Lin?" Xie froze. This hooligan was the very recruit he had traded for the van.

The young man grinned. Instead of standing up, he kept the man in shorts pinned and tossed his parted hair. "Chief Xie, intern officer Ye Lin reporting for duty!"

Xie frowned. "What is going on?"

"Report, Chief. I suspect this man intended to commit arson on the bus."

The man in the back panicked, his face wobbling. "I didn't! I didn't do anything!"

Ye Lin slapped him again. "If you had finished doing it, it would be too late. People would be dead."

"Stop! Mind your discipline!" Xie's face turned green. Regardless of whether the man was a suspect, he couldn't just beat him in public with civilians and superiors watching. The days of beating suspects first and questioning them later were over; now, the focus was on civilized law enforcement. This Ye Lin was a real headache—no wonder he had five disciplinary marks.

"Chief, have your men get that backpack. It’s definitely full of gasoline," Ye Lin shouted.

"Let him go first, we'll talk later," Xie said, his face dark.

Ye Lin grabbed the man's hair and hauled him up. The passengers erupted in protest. "The police are hitting people!" "This is outrageous! Breaking the law while being the law!" "Arrest him! A cop like that needs to be punished!"

Some passengers, looking like they knew the protocol, ran off the bus to complain to Zheng Yongnian. Zheng glared at Xie and Ye Lin, then boarded the bus to restore order. "Everyone, I am Zheng Yongnian from the Xishan District Police Bureau. Please give us a moment; we will handle this."

"Secure the man in shorts and retrieve the backpack," Zheng ordered.

The officers swarmed in, pulling the man from Ye Lin’s grasp but keeping him firmly restrained. Others went to the back and found the backpack under a seat. One officer opened it, his expression changing instantly. "Director Zheng, it's a bottle of gasoline!" He pulled out a glass bottle filled with fuel.