"Woo... Grandfather wasn't killed by me, it was the villains from Fierce Tiger Gang who caused it.
Hurry up and leave, this is the only thing Grandfather left to me. If you don't leave, I'll go report to the authorities!"
The young girl cried and furiously glared at Zhang Erlang, who was trying to take her house.
Zhang Erlang sneered coldly, "It wasn't you? If it weren't for the people from Fierce Tiger Gang wanting you and you refused, how would Uncle have died?
You're just a bringer of bad luck. How come it wasn't you who died?
Uncle raised you painstakingly, and in the end, was implicated by you and died. If I were you, I'd die immediately to apologize to Uncle.
Report to the authorities?
You think those officials care if you live or die? If they aren't exploiting the villagers, it's already good enough. They don't care about trivial matters like this.
Do you really think that just because they took down Fierce Tiger Gang, they've all become benevolent officials upholding justice?"
The young girl turned pale, and her cousin couldn't stand it anymore, glared at Zhang Erlang angrily, "You beast, you're not speaking like a human. How could you blame the little girl for what happened? You're her uncle; how could you say such words worse than a pig or dog?"
Zhang Erlang looked smug, "If it weren't her, would it be me?"
"You said it's already good that we're not exploiting the villagers?"
Just as Zhang Erlang was feeling proud, he suddenly heard a cold voice from the side. He instinctively shifted his gaze from the young girl to see who was meddling.
As soon as he raised his head, a scabbard quickly enlarged in his field of vision and smashed onto his mouth.
"Aaow..."
The immense pain made Zhang Erlang scream like a pig being slaughtered. He reached to cover his mouth but immediately spat out, finding his hand full of teeth mixed with blood.
He looked up in horror, seeing a young man with clear brows and eyes, dressed in a governmental officer uniform. It was him who used the scabbard to knock out all of his front teeth.
"Brother Wei..."
The Zhang Family Girl shouted with joy.
"Sir..."
Zhang Erlang opened his mouth, only to be met with another slash of the scabbard.
"Occupying someone else's property and tarnishing the government's image, quite bold you are. Prepare to have your tongue cut out and be sent to the mines for reformation labor."
After slashing Zhang Erlang once more, knocking out his other side's teeth, Wei Fan finally felt satisfied.
"It's Lord Wei, Wei Fan!"
"Lord Wei is the most upright constable nearby!"
"Zhang Erlang is finished. Back then, when Yang Jun from Fierce Tiger Gang tried to violate the Zhang Family Girl, it was he who arrested Yang Jun."
"Serves him right. Uncle died without taking care of his niece, and he still wants to occupy the property. He's worse than a pig or dog."
...
When Wei Fan appeared, he was immediately recognized. The incident of him arresting Yang Jun in the street was still quite sensational in the surrounding area.
"Please spare me, Lord. It was just a slip of the tongue, I didn't mean to slander the government."
Hearing that this person dared to confront Fierce Tiger Gang head-on, Zhang Erlang became terrified.
Those who were sent to the mines for reformation labor basically worked themselves to death and never returned.
He quickly knelt on the ground, banging his head to beg Wei Fan.
"Little girl, go home. If anyone bullies you in the future, come find me at the Government Office."
After saying this, Wei Fan grabbed the kneeling Zhang Erlang, twisted his arm behind his back, and directly took him away.
"Woo... Thank you, Brother Wei..."
The voice of the Zhang Family Girl echoed behind them. Wei Fan once again rescued her in a time of crisis, and she cried uncontrollably.
"Please, Lord, spare me. I'll never dare again!"
Seeing Wei Fan really taking him to the Government Office, Zhang Erlang shook with fear, begging for mercy while walking.
"You beast, if it weren't on the street, I'd have chopped you up already. Sending you to the mines is a cheap punishment, and you still want me to spare you?"
Wei Fan soon arrived at the Government Office with Zhang Erlang in custody.
"Lord Wei, what crime did he commit that made you catch someone so early?"
Now that Wei Fan was very prominent in the East District Government Office, even Squad Leader Luo Wen wasn't as influential as he was. Seeing Wei Fan catching a criminal so early, many governmental officers curiously gathered around.
Wei Fan said, "This beast occupied his thirteen-year-old niece's property, kicked her out of her home, leaving her to wander the streets. When she wanted to report to the authorities, he said our East District governmental officers merely exploit the villagers and that taking down Fierce Tiger Gang was still a bunch of bad guys."
Upon hearing this, the eyes of the governmental officers present immediately flared with anger.
Because his statement was equivalent to scolding all the officers.
No officer thought of themselves as truly bad. Even those like Li Shen and Wang Meng believed they were effectively protecting more people, rather than truly losing their humanity.
Moreover, they just combined forces yesterday to eradicate the cancer of Fierce Tiger Gang, with everyone in East District praising them, feeling like heroes. Yet someone dared to say that about them, who wouldn't be angry?
"Bold!"
"What a beast, a thirteen-year-old niece. How could you bear it?"
"Captain Wei, leave him to me. I'll show him what exploiting the villagers truly means."
...
Immediately, four or five officers stepped forward, taking Zhang Erlang from Wei Fan, ready to deal with him properly.
This guy was scared to the point of almost fainting, even lacking the strength to walk, being taken away by two officers.
Wei Fan no longer concerned himself with Zhang Erlang's matter; he started to gather his subordinates.
Originally, he was under Li Shen, and now taking over Li Shen's people and territory, he was not unfamiliar.
"Why are you here?"
While Wei Fan was gathering people, he found Hu Qing also among them.
Hu Qing said, "You need manpower, so the Squad Leader assigned me to you."
A typical Arrest Officer would have twelve constables under them; Wei Fan eliminated Li Shen, Wang Gui, and Qiu Ping, reducing his manpower by three.
With Hu Qing coming, there were still two short.
For the remaining two, Wei Fan planned to find Luo Wen when he had time.
"If you want to be with me, make sure to report punctually, or I'll fire you."
Wei Fan didn't believe Hu Qing's story about the Squad Leader assigning her to him. It must have been Hu Qing's request, as even the Chief Instructor, Luo Wen wouldn't dare order her to do anything.
The Martial Arts Chief Instructor at the Government Office had no real power, but their rank was even higher than a Captain.
Hu Qing nodded, and Wei Fan said no more upon seeing this.
"Let me say a few words!"
This was considered his first day in office, and Wei Fan felt it necessary to set some rules.
Upon hearing this, the constables below quieted down.
"Previously, everyone was under Li Shen and followed his rules. Now that I'm here to take over, follow my rules.
In my territory, no matter who commits a crime, arrest them all for me. Even if they are the Clerk's son, arrest them. If they dare resist, kill them without mercy.
I want my territory free from crime, so that even Demon Fiends won't dare cause trouble here.
If you encounter someone committing a crime and don't handle it, I'll dock your salary once, and the second time, I'll have you go home.
Of course, since I'm the one setting the rules, you can feel free to act, and I'll back you up on everything.
If anyone feels they can't live up to this, they can leave now, and I'll personally go talk to the Squad Leader."
After Wei Fan finished speaking, besides Zhou Qi and Hu Qing, everyone else's faces changed.
Although East District wasn't like the Inner City, it still had many people that constables couldn't afford to offend. Wei Fan's rules would easily provoke people they couldn't afford to offend, so two people immediately left feeling ashamed.
"Anyone else want to leave? This is the last chance!"
Wei Fan didn't care about the two who left; continuing to manage the territory according to Li Shen's old rules, the Demon Suppression Bureau's guides wouldn't even look at him.
After saying this and seeing that he didn't pursue those who left, another person departed.
Suddenly, Wei Fan's subordinates reduced from ten to seven; even he didn't expect so many to stay.
"Good! Your staying proves you have some ambition in your heart. I won't let you regret not leaving one day. Starting today, I'll occasionally take time to guide your martial arts.
Now, everyone follow me to the streets."