Chapter 69

"Stop!"

A loud shout came from the doorway, startling Officer Li so much that his hand was caught by Zhong Qi. A tall, imposing middle-aged man with the rank of Deputy Chief of Police walked in. He glanced at Officer Li and said:

"Hand over your gun. You're suspended."

"Chief!"

"In an informal setting, you interrogated a suspect. Do you have anything to say for yourself?"

Officer Li trembled as he took out his badge and gun, hunched over, and walked out the door. Just a moment ago, he had received commendation from the mayor and city government, but now he was suspended. How ironic and dramatic life could be. The few steps to the main gate now seemed so long.

The Deputy Chief snapped to attention and saluted Zhong Qi and the others, saying:

"Comrade Zhong Qi, on behalf of the Ruili Public Security Bureau's Border Trade Zone Division, I apologize for the rough handling by some of our officers! Can we talk now?"

The Deputy Chief cleared the room of all the police officers. As he turned around, he was met with a punch. He didn't dodge, but took the punch squarely on his chest and laughed:

"You little brat, you're still as weak as ever!"

Then he smiled at Chang Linlin:

"Little sister, I'm sorry to have frightened you!"

"Get lost! Big Bear, when did you become a Deputy Chief? Don't think you can get away with a few jokes. Speak up, if you don't explain this clearly today, I'm not leaving!"

"Who wants to stay? Xiao Si, you?"

Zhong Qi quickly stood up and shouted to a middle-aged man walking in from outside:

"Big Brother!"

A man in combat uniform, Colonel Zhong Qilin, the eldest of the Zhong family and commander of a special forces unit, walked in. He ignored Zhong Qi and smiled at Wu Di and Chang Linlin:

"Xiao Wu, Linlin, you're both here?"

"Damn, Big Brother, you got promoted again? A colonel at 35?"

"Don't think you can get away with jokes and tricks. Speak up, if you don't explain this clearly today, I'll kick your ass!"

Big Bear saw Zhong Qi's embarrassed expression, wanting to laugh but not daring to, his black face turning red. The old leader was indeed formidable, giving the little troublemaker a taste of his own medicine. This was called paying back a debt quickly! It felt great to see this little brat humbled!

Chang Linlin chattered on, recounting the events. The young man named Wang Sheng added a few details, and Zhong Qilin finally understood the cause of the market disturbance. He comforted them a bit, had someone bring Wang Sheng, Fatso, and Luo Quan to the meeting room to rest, and then said to Big Bear:

"Look at you, unable to control a small market! Tell me, how many did you catch who were taking advantage of the chaos? How many instigators did you catch? You even went after my people. If you don't show some results, you'll be in solitary confinement!"

"Report, sir, we caught 32 looters and 3 instigators who were spreading rumors. They are being interrogated and are part of the Wild Wolves. I've finally got a lead on them!"

Big Bear's last words were filled with a cold, murderous intent.

"I'll lend you two teams, Fox and Dove. Go find them. This time, we can't let the Wild Wolves get away!"

"Yes! I'll ensure the mission is completed!"

Big Bear roared and then, as if a rocket were attached to his back, ran off. Zhong Qilin smiled:

"Things have been a bit unstable here recently. A group of mercenaries from the Golden Triangle, who lost their base, have been causing trouble. I was worried about finding them, but they decided to target the border trade market. Fortunately, we acted on your situation. Otherwise, things could have gotten much worse."

"Brother, so we actually did a good deed?"

Zhong Qilin glared at Zhong Qi:

"Good deed? You're always causing trouble wherever you go!"

"Fine, I'll go back to the capital and be a playboy!"

"Go back? Who said you could? Not only can't you go back, but you have to participate in the public auction. Otherwise, it would be a laughingstock for the Zhong family."

"Whatever you say."

Zhong Qilin ignored Zhong Qi and smiled at Wu Di:

"Xiao Wu, I didn't expect you to be brought to the station on your first visit. Ha, we'll have a few drinks tonight, and I'll have Big Bear apologize to you."

"Big Brother, how did Big Bear become a police officer?"

Zhong Qilin's face darkened, and after a moment, he said:

"Six months ago, during a mission, Grub's team was ambushed by the Wild Wolves. Grub and Elm were killed, and Big Bear was injured and transferred to civilian life. Sparrow and Garfield were transferred to Fox's team."

Zhong Qi's eyes welled up:

"Grub and Elm are gone, why didn't you tell me?"

"What would telling you change? It's our destiny as soldiers! It's our choice! It's the path we chose! What's there to cry about? Like a woman! They sacrificed themselves to protect their comrades, and they died with honor! On the day we sent them off, I made all the soldiers fire their guns with smiles. Those who didn't smile were put in solitary confinement! Because those two always smiled, they were the team's treasures!"

Zhong Qilin's eyes reddened, and Chang Linlin began to sob softly.

After a moment of silence, Big Bear burst in, his voice trembling:

"Report, sir, they've revealed their hideout, it's at Dragon Rock Pass on the border!"

"Dragon Rock Pass is in Myanmar, we can't send a large force. How many are there?"

"Seventeen, sir, let me go with them."

"What were those three doing in the city? Are there any others with them?"

"They went to the city to buy supplies and took advantage of the market disturbance to rob. There are no others left behind."

"Buying supplies? Have they set a time to return? Do they have any communication devices? Interrogate them to find their second and third meeting points. Inform Fox and Dove, and put the first and third teams on high alert!"

"Yes!"

Zhong Qilin stood up and said to Zhong Qi and Chang Linlin:

"The enemy is cunning, I can't entertain you today. The city is relatively safe, so you shouldn't wander around these few days. I'll find you once we catch the Wild Wolves."

Wu Di and the others met up with a few people coming out of the meeting room and left the police station.

Wang Sheng said goodbye to Wu Di and the others at the main gate. The young man's head was lowered, looking dejected. Wu Di asked:

"Kid, you looked so confident when you were cutting the stone, they even called you the 'Stone-Cutting Prince'! Why are you so down after a little setback? Everyone has their bad luck. Besides, you're just responsible for cutting the stone; you don't make the choices."

"Big Brother, that's the problem. I don't have the choice. I've worked hard for years to learn stone-cutting, but in the end, it's all for nothing! If I don't have good stones to cut, what kind of 'Stone-Cutting Prince' am I?"

"I think you're just stuck in a rut. In this society, division of labor is important. Each role needs someone to do it. Like stone-cutting, most people think it's just a matter of one cut, but we in the trade know that even if you bet on the right stone, if you choose the wrong cutter, it can still go wrong. Not to mention the experts who open the windows, they're also your cutters."

"But I feel it's not good to be so dependent on others."

"Sigh, I'll give you one more piece of advice. The path is walked by yourself. You can't change your birth, but you can control your destiny."

Back at the hotel, Zhong Qi went to Wu Di's room and said lazily:

"I didn't know you had a knack for teaching."

"That's because you haven't experienced making choices. Seeing him so dejected reminded me of when I first arrived in the capital. I couldn't close a deal and didn't want to ask my family for money, so I had to live in a basement, eating flatbread every day. Ha, I almost thought I couldn't keep going."

"Hmph, can you avoid making choices? Big Brother is a war hero, and Second Brother is a rising political star. Do you know how much pressure I'm under? But I just want to live freely and without constraints. Is that wrong? But you see, even now, the old man still beats and scolds me. It's not easy for me. As you said, birth can't be changed, but the path can be chosen. I chose my path, but do you know how much I've paid for it?"

"Let's not talk about that. How do you know Big Bear?"

"I knew you'd ask. It was a dark and gloomy time! But now, I'm grateful to the old man."

Zhong Qi stood up, opened a can of beer, and threw one to Wu Di, saying:

"The old man said I stood and sat without any form, disgracing the Zhong family, so he sent me to Big Brother for training. Big Brother then sent me to Big Bear's team. Big Bear's team had five people: Grub was the leader, Sparrow was the communications and electronics expert, Elm was in charge of defense, Big Bear was in charge of offense, and Garfield was the weapons expert. At the time, Big Brother was the battalion commander, and this was the strongest team in the battalion. We were together for half a year, and that's how we met. I didn't expect that in three years, sigh... After this is over, I want to have a good reunion with Sparrow, Garfield, and Big Bear!"

Wu Di was silent.

After a while, Zhong Qi said:

"Your good days are coming to an end! Old Chang's birthday is your deadline! When the time comes, Mom will definitely ask about your future plans. Don't think you can use Old Chang as a shield; they've already