Power and Wealth

Here’s the translation:

“Puh!”

Everyone was dumbfounded.

The young officer spat out a mouthful of blood, along with several teeth—at least five or six—knocked out by Dong Xuebing’s swing. He was sent flying, landing on the ground, groaning in pain.

“Xiao Wang!”

“Damn it!”

“What are you doing?”

“You’re attacking a cop!”

The other officers snapped out of it, all enraged.

The young officer was dazed from the blow, his mouth split open, blood everywhere.

Someone quickly rushed over, crouching beside him to check his injuries.

Liu Xing hadn’t expected anyone to have the guts to hit a cop, especially right in front of so many officers. He was closest to Dong Xuebing and didn’t think twice. He stepped forward, pulled out a sturdy police baton, and swung it at Dong Xuebing. His temper flared, and he didn’t care about anything else. He aimed directly for Dong Xuebing’s face, and if the hit landed, a concussion would be the least of his worries. The head is the most fragile part of the body.

But Dong Xuebing didn’t seem to care at all. He casually raised his hand. Liu Xing’s baton came at him much earlier than Dong Xuebing’s move, and the other officers thought there was no way Dong Xuebing could avoid it. The strike was almost a sneak attack; no ordinary person could react that fast. But for some reason, Dong Xuebing’s baton, although swung later, reached Liu Xing first. To everyone’s shock, Dong Xuebing’s baton flashed with rapid afterimages and landed with a thud on Liu Xing’s chin.

Liu Xing felt his mind go blank. He was sent flying backward.

He crashed to the ground. Without even a cry, Liu Xing was knocked out cold, lying motionless on the ground as if dead.

There were only five or six officers who had come along. In an instant, Dong Xuebing had incapacitated two of them. The remaining three or four officers dared not move, staring at Dong Xuebing in disbelief. Dong Xuebing glanced at them, and seeing that none of them planned to act, he tossed his baton aside and straightened his clothes. No one dared to make a move. Under the watchful eyes of the officers, Dong Xuebing turned and walked toward the unlicensed driver and the bystanders.

One step.

Three steps.

Five steps.

“Brother Liu!”

“Are you okay?”

“Brother Liu, wake up!”

“Xiao Wang, are you alright?”

Only then did the officers rush over to help their fallen comrades.

One was holding a walkie-talkie, urgently calling for backup and medical assistance. They had seen the big guy Dong Xuebing beat up earlier. That man was close to their captain, like brothers, so they were familiar with him. When they arrived, they were puzzled about how this skinny young man could have taken down such a burly guy. Now, for the first time, they realized that this frail-looking young man knew martial arts. Even Brother Liu and Xiao Wang couldn’t last a moment against him. The rest of them wouldn’t stand a chance either.

On the other side.

In front of the minibus.

The crowd hadn’t witnessed Dong Xuebing’s fight. They were still tangled up with the unlicensed driver. Some passengers were shouting, while others, seeing that the police were ignoring the extortion happening before them, had scattered. Those who didn’t want to get involved left.

Only about five or six people remained.

“Pay up!”

“Let go of me!”

“This is lawless!”

“Do you have any humanity left?”

The confrontation continued, and the atmosphere was agitated.

The unlicensed driver had grown more arrogant. He knew the head of the Chengguan Police Station. Although they weren’t close, he knew his brother and the head were like brothers. Seeing that the police didn’t dare to interfere, he naturally became even more brazen. After pulling an old man, who was trying to leave, to the ground, he grabbed a woman holding a child and shouted, "No one who hasn’t paid is leaving! What would you be doing if you didn’t pay for your ride? Let me tell you, those who’ve already run off better watch out! If I see you again, I’ll beat you! Mark my words!" He began to threaten the crowd again blatantly.

Dong Xuebing was getting closer and heard what the driver was saying. His face grew even colder.

The Deputy Chief of the Secretariat, Su Yan, hadn’t left either. He knew he couldn’t do much in this situation. After all, his rank and position were too low, barely different from that of a regular staff member. He didn’t have absolute authority here, and seeing how the police were behaving, he could tell that if he turned around and left now, the unlicensed driver probably wouldn’t stop him. The driver would give him that much respect. Su Yan understood this, but he found himself unable to move at that moment. He couldn’t bring himself to leave.

Su Yan stepped forward and grabbed the driver. "Let go of the child!"

The unlicensed driver glared and said, "She hasn’t paid yet!"

"You’re extorting people!" Su Yan was furious.

The driver said, "If you ride in my car, you pay up. That’s the rule anywhere you go."

Su Yan argued, "We all paid the ticket fare—100 RMB each. Isn’t that enough? You’re overcharging. Why should anyone pay you more?"

Full of arrogance, the driver retorted, "I don’t care! I say how much you pay, and you pay that much. Otherwise, take a public bus! Why are you riding my car?"

Su Yan countered, "You’re being unreasonable!"

The angry driver shot back, "So what if I’m unreasonable?" With that, he yanked at the woman again. "Where’s the money? Who told you to touch my brother’s wallet? You even took the money back! What are you trying to pull? Give me the money, now!"

The child in the woman’s arms began crying, clearly terrified.

The woman also started crying. "Let go of me! Let go of me!"

Su Yan shouted, "Let go! You’re going to hurt the child!"

But the driver didn’t listen, his face full of malice as he tried to grab the woman’s bag.

At this point, Su Yan finally couldn’t hold back any longer. Usually a mild-mannered official, he unexpectedly burst out with a curse, "F*** your mother!"

Thud!

Su Yan slapped the driver across the face.

Smack! The slap landed squarely on the driver’s cheek, leaving him stunned.

But Su Yan wasn’t finished. He grabbed the driver by the hair and swung a fist at him, landing a heavy punch in the driver’s face. After a cry of pain from the driver, Su Yan slapped him again. "Damn it, I gave you respect! Try laying a hand on that woman or child again, I dare you!"

Smack! Smack! Smack!

The driver was utterly bewildered by the beating.

Finally, Su Yan delivered a swift kick, knocking the driver to the ground. The driver couldn’t get up, his face swollen from the beating.

Dong Xuebing was walking toward them and, seeing this scene, stopped in surprise. Well, well, this guy could fight!

Even after the driver was down, Su Yan, still full of rage, continued to curse and kicked him a few more times while the driver lay there.