Chapter 85: The Counterattack

Chen Long turned around and saw Zeng Yi. He thought to himself, "This is bad; Zeng Yi is really going to confront Yuan Wenjie." He reached out to stop Zeng Yi, but was intimidated by Zeng Yi's glare and didn't dare to intervene.

Zeng Yi, with a grim face, walked up to the group of thugs and said, "You two, who only remember the food but forget the beatings, have you already forgotten the lesson from last time?"

The scar-faced man and the thin, dark man immediately felt a headache. They had been humiliated by Zeng Yi before, and now that he appeared, they knew nothing would be accomplished today. "Doctor Zeng, we are here on the orders of the demolition office to carry out the forced demolition. We are executing the government's wise decision. Please don't interfere!"

Zeng Yi didn't even glance at them and said, "Is that so? Where is the notice of forced demolition? Show it to me!"

The scar-faced man was immediately discouraged. The notice of forced demolition hadn't been issued yet. Yuan Wenjie had sent them to intimidate the residents. "Doctor Zeng, this..."

"Can't produce it? Get lost!" Zeng Yi shouted.

The thugs behind the scar-faced man were furious and brandished their steel pipes at Zeng Yi, "Kid, are you looking for death? Do you think I won't take care of you right now?"

The thin, dark man stepped in front of the thugs and said to Zeng Yi, "Doctor Zeng, this has nothing to do with you. Just pretend you didn't see anything. I recognize you, but my brothers don't. If they hurt you, it won't look good!"

Zeng Yi sneered, "What are you, to talk to me like that!"

The thin, dark man, ignored by Zeng Yi, turned red and then black with anger. He had been beaten by Zeng Yi before, but today he had many people. Even if Zeng Yi was strong, could he take down all of them?

"Doctor Zeng, think carefully. Without approval from above, how could we dare to carry out the forced demolition? If this gets out of hand, what good will it do you?" The thin, dark man glared at Zeng Yi, his eyes full of threat.

"Are you lecturing me?" Zeng Yi raised an eyebrow, his eyes coldly staring at the thin, dark man.

The thin, dark man was intimidated by the sudden murderous intent in Zeng Yi's eyes and involuntarily took a few steps back. He still tried to be tough, "I'm just reminding you!"

Seeing the tension, the scar-faced man stepped forward, laughing, "Doctor Zeng, why make things difficult? What do you want?"

The scar-faced man knew that at his level, he shouldn't offend Zeng Yi. He had heard that the big chief of the city bureau, Du Ruo, was a close friend of Zeng Yi. If things got out of hand today, and the matter reached Du Ruo, his group wouldn't stand a chance. He had already experienced the misery of being detained in the police station, which he didn't want to relive.

"Didn't I make myself clear?" Zeng Yi looked at the scar-faced man, "No notice of forced demolition? Get lost!"

The scar-faced man's face twitched. He was very angry, but after much thought, he decided to back down. Since Zeng Yi had stepped in, he would give him face and let him have his moment. But if Zeng Yi interfered again next time, it would be Zeng Yi's fault first.

I don't believe you can stay here 24/7, doing nothing.

The scar-faced man waved his hand, "Brothers, let's give Doctor Zeng some face today. Let's go!"

The thin, dark man knew nothing could be done today. Besides Zeng Yi, the police officer who had arrested him last time was also watching from a distance. The presence of the police indicated that the higher-ups were still undecided and hoped for a peaceful resolution. Otherwise, the police would have stayed away.

However, the thin, dark man was still not satisfied. He pointed his steel pipe at the residents, "Don't think you can avoid the first day and escape the fifteenth. This place must be demolished. Today, I'm just giving you a warning. When the notice of forced demolition comes, we'll be back, and it won't be just talk!"

The thugs, though angry, had to drag their steel pipes and leave the scene.

The residents, like they had won a battle, cheered and sang the national anthem again.

Chen Long quickly pulled Zeng Yi away from the scene, saying, "Why are you so impulsive? This won't solve the problem!"

Zeng Yi angrily said, "How could I stand by and watch those people beat the residents with steel pipes?"

Chen Long knew Zeng Yi's temper and didn't argue, "We should try to find a way to pressure the higher-ups. Unless Yuan Wenjie backs down, this issue won't be resolved."

Zeng Yi understood. He could stop it once or twice, but not forever. Once the demolition office issued the notice, the illegal act would proceed legally, and he couldn't stop it alone. Chen Long was right; to resolve this, Yuan Wenjie must back down and compensate the residents according to the city's regulations.

Zeng Yi was frustrated. Fang Nanguo's absence was a big problem. If he were in Nanjiang, Zeng Yi could speak up for the residents. But now, with Fang Nanguo away and Zeng Yi having no influence with other important leaders in the province, the situation was difficult.

"I'll find a way!" Zeng Yi said grimly.

Chen Long sighed. He sympathized with the residents but, like Zeng Yi, felt powerless. As part of the law enforcement, he knew that if the residents continued to gather, the higher-ups would take necessary measures to maintain stability.

Chen Long said, "The higher-ups are still hesitant about the forced demolition. This might drag on for a few days."

Zeng Yi nodded, realizing he needed to find a solution quickly. He felt the pain of being powerless; without authority, it was hard to do the right thing.

Chen Long advised Zeng Yi to move, but Zeng Yi was determined to stay until the issue was resolved.

Chen Long, seeing Zeng Yi leave, returned to the residents' gathering place to disperse them, using persuasion and deception to finally send them home.

Zeng Yi, thinking there would be no immediate trouble, went to work at the health department. When he returned to the clinic in the evening, it was already dusk.

Just as he was about to open the door, he heard a cry, "Help!"

He saw a man running towards him, covered in blood, with several thugs armed with steel pipes chasing him.

The man ran a few steps and fell to the ground. The thugs caught up and started beating him, shouting, "You meddling bastard! I'll see if your bones are harder than my steel pipe! You deserve to die!"

The man screamed in pain, but his voice soon weakened.

"Stop!"

Zeng Yi shouted and ran over, kicking one of the thugs several meters away. He recognized them as the thugs led by the scar-faced man from earlier.

This time, Zeng Yi was truly angry. He showed no mercy, dislocating one thug's arm and then shaking it until the bones were completely shattered. Even a god couldn't fix that arm.

Another thug raised his steel pipe to strike, but Zeng Yi sidestepped and swept him with a kick. There was a "crack," and the thug flew backward, landing on the ground and spitting blood. It was clear his ribs were broken.

The other thugs, seeing Zeng Yi's strength, immediately carried their injured comrade and fled.

Zeng Yi didn't chase them. He quickly knelt down to check the injured man's condition. Wiping the blood from his face, he recognized him as Meng Qunsheng, the person in charge of the old building where the residents had gathered earlier.

Checking his eyes, Zeng Yi saw that Meng Qunsheng was losing consciousness. He quickly opened his medical kit, took out a porcelain bottle, and gave Meng Qunsheng a few red pills. After a moment, Meng Qunsheng began to breathe rapidly, and Zeng Yi knew he had saved his life. He then quickly checked and treated his external injuries, applied pressure to stop the bleeding, and called an ambulance.

An hour later, outside the emergency room of the Provincial People's Hospital, a surgeon was reporting to Shao Haibo, "The patient has multiple fractures, with all four limbs broken. The right hand is the most severely injured, with three fractures in the forearm and five in the upper arm. The bones are shattered, and it's unlikely to recover. However, Expert Zeng is trying to reset the bones, and the results are unknown."

Shao Haibo's face was grim. He knew this was a bloody incident caused by forced demolition. Another injured person with similar injuries had been brought to the adjacent emergency room.

The surgeon continued, "Fortunately, his life is not in danger. The bone fragments that had penetrated his internal organs have been removed."

After a few minutes, Zeng Yi came out of the operating room, looking tired but still angry.

"Brother, how is it?" Shao Haibo asked urgently.

"The bones have been reset, but the prognosis is not good. I estimate he will recover to about 70-80%," Zeng Yi said, still angry. If he hadn't been there, Meng Qunsheng would have died or been severely disabled.

"Truly lawless! It's hard to imagine such a thing happening in broad daylight!" Shao Haibo was also shocked. He had learned the details from the crowd that brought the other injured person to the hospital.

After Zeng Yi drove away the thugs earlier, the residents had dispersed. During dinner, the thin, dark man led the demolition team back with a bulldozer to forcibly demolish the old building. Meng Qunsheng and another staff member were present.

When the residents heard the news, they rushed to help. The thugs abandoned the bulldozer and fled, leaving the injured staff member in a pool of blood. The residents quickly took him to the hospital, while Zeng Yi brought Meng Qunsheng.

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End of Chapter 85