"Ahhhh...!"
"I was wrong! Spare me!"
"Have mercy! We were wrong! Truly wrong!"
"......"
The piercing screams carried far and wide, reaching the ears of villagers hiding in their homes, holding their breaths as they peeked through their windows.
The commotion was even more "heart-wrenching" than when Jin Xiangming and his men had dealt with Cao Wang and his gang earlier.
It felt as if the Wang family members were enduring the most brutal torture imaginable.
"Oh heavens! It's started! Those screams are horrifying!"
"Listen to those sounds... What kind of suffering must they be going through?"
"I told you—they must be using torture. These underworld types have vicious methods!"
"Wang Degui always acted so tough in the village, but now he’s squealing like a slaughtered pig. What a tragedy!"
"Look! Over there behind the haystack... Is that blood?!"
A sharp-eyed villager pointed toward a haystack in the distance, his face pale with terror.
Others followed his gaze and indeed saw figures moving behind the haystack, followed by splashes of red liquid staining the straw.
"Blood! That’s blood! Oh my god! They’re using knives!"
"It’s over! The Wang family might not make it out alive today!"
"Quick! Call the police... No, we can’t! What if these gangsters find out and silence us first?"
"What a nightmare!"
Panic spread rapidly among the villagers.
Those who hadn’t already hidden indoors now rushed back inside, pressing their ears to cracks in doors or windows, listening to the agonized wails.
Their minds involuntarily conjured up images of the bloody scene behind the haystack—severed limbs, flayed skin, unimaginable horrors...
Yet, the reality behind the haystack was nothing like the villagers' imagined hellscape of torture.
"Talk! How much of the funds allocated by the county and town did you embezzle? Where did you hide it?!"
"I... I didn’t embezzle! It all went to road repairs!"
"Oh? Still playing dumb?"
Ma Da shot a glance at one of the black-suited men nearby.
"Let’s start with his nephew—give him a little 'wake-up call'!"
"Got it, Brother Ma!"
The black-suited man grinned, revealing a pair of small fangs, then walked over to Wang Degui’s bewildered nephew with an innocent expression.
He pulled out a bottle of bright red ketchup and a feather duster.
Then, while the nephew stared in confusion, the man yanked off his shoes, stuffed his own socks into the nephew’s mouth, and smirked.
"Hehehe... Buddy, brace yourself. This is gonna feel real good."
To Wang Degui’s ears, these words sounded downright demonic.
Torturing someone and calling it "good"?
Soon, he heard his nephew’s muffled, distorted whimpers—sounds of unbearable suffering, as if subjected to some unspeakable cruelty.
It was spine-chilling.
Just as Wang Degui reached peak terror, a splash of red liquid accidentally flew out and landed on the hay.
At that sight, his mental defenses shattered completely.
"I’ll talk! I’ll confess everything! There’s a ledger hidden in the false bottom of my wife’s dowry camphorwood chest! Everything’s recorded there! Please, spare me!"
"......"
Soon, the results were in.
The dispatched men effortlessly found the camphorwood chest and retrieved the ledger.
Ma Da skimmed through a few pages, confirmed its accuracy, and respectfully handed it to Liu Yutong.
"Young Miss, the records seem legitimate."
Liu Yutong flipped through it and nodded. "Wang Degui embezzled quite a sum over the years. He’s in deep trouble now."
"Lock them in the cars. Once we’ve gathered all the evidence, hand it over to my sister."
"Yes!"
With their objective achieved, Wang Degui and his equally "tortured" relatives were dragged like lifeless dogs into the vehicles.
The haystack area was swiftly cleaned up, leaving only faint traces of ketchup and a lingering whiff of foot odor.
Once everything was settled, Ma Da grabbed his megaphone and called out again.
"Fellow villagers, come on out! The matter’s been resolved. Young Miss Liu has prepared New Year’s gifts for all seniors over seventy. Come and claim them!"
Yet, instead of drawing people out, his announcement had the opposite effect.
Families with elderly members turned ashen, trembling in fear.
"Wh-what did he say? New Year’s gifts?"
"Don’t be fooled! It’s just like in those TV dramas—this is a 'Hongmen Banquet'! A trap!"
"They’re luring us out to gather us all in one place so they can... you know..."
"Oh god! They’re planning to take out the elderly first!"
"If the old folks go, we’re next!"
"This is terrifying!"
"......"
Just then, Ma Da’s voice rang out again, undeterred.
"Villagers, gather at the Liu family’s doorstep! Gifts for everyone! Don’t miss out!"
Still, no one came. If anything, the villagers grew even more panicked.
"Gifts for everyone? They’re trying to round us up for slaughter!"
"Exactly! Did you hear the Wang family’s screams? They won’t trick us into walking into that!"
"I always thought that Liu girl was a good college student, but now I see—she’s no scholar, she’s the King of Hell in human form!"
"How could someone turn so wicked?"
"Stay vigilant! Bar the doors! Don’t go out!"
"......"
In no time, every household had their doors and windows tightly shut. Villagers armed themselves with whatever they could—cleavers, hoes, rolling pins, even one hiding behind the door with a handful of chili powder.
If these gangsters dared to force their way in, they’d fight to the death!
Outside, the sun shone brightly.
Ma Da and his men stood puzzled, staring at the stacks of cash in their bags.
"Strange. Don’t village elders love freebies? Why hasn’t a single person shown up? We don’t even look that scary!"
"Brother Ma, maybe the elders here are just... morally superior? They don’t take handouts?"
Ma Da nodded solemnly. "You’re right. I underestimated them. Young Miss Liu’s fellow villagers are truly exceptional—aside from Wang Degui and his rotten lot, the rest must be noble souls who see money as dirt! Turning down free red packets... Now that’s integrity!"
Earlier, Liu Yutong had asked if anyone had brought cash.
Yun Cheng's car was indeed well-stocked with supplies, usually reserved for emergencies, but they happened to come in handy now.
Liu Yutong planned to distribute New Year's red envelopes to the elderly in the village as a goodwill gesture. It would also serve as a way to garner early support for her uncle, Liu Jianhong, ahead of the upcoming village chief election in a few days.
She had to return by the third day of the Lunar New Year at the latest, leaving no time to slowly campaign for her uncle in the village. So, she wanted to make a quick impression and win some favor.
Unexpectedly, not a single person came to collect them.
"Brother Ma, what... what do we do now?"
"The gifts the young mistress prepared can't even be given away."
Ma Da was at a loss too. He could only report back to the young mistress, attributing it to the villagers' high moral standards—that they found their gesture too vulgar and beneath them.
Liu Yutong didn’t force the issue, deciding instead to let her uncle distribute the gifts later.
Meanwhile, after much persuasion, Gao Min finally managed to bring over the villager who had once been attacked by Cao Wang.
At the same time, the sound of police sirens echoed through the village as a large number of police cars arrived.
The officers had come surprisingly fast, even bringing along a truckload of fully equipped soldiers.
It was clear someone had called ahead, and the report must have been exaggerated—otherwise, the military wouldn’t have been mobilized.
The villagers, who had been hiding in their homes, finally breathed a sigh of relief as soon as they saw the officers arrive. A sense of security instantly returned.
Gradually, more and more villagers reopened their doors and gathered in the open space near the Liu family’s courtyard.
Some even casually started munching on sunflower seeds.
In Dragon Country, the sense of safety brought by the police and soldiers was undeniable.
Feeling emboldened, the villagers prepared to watch the officers arrest these troublemakers.
After all, no matter how domineering Wang Degui and a few of the Wang family members were in the village, at least they hadn’t killed anyone, right?
But these outsiders? They had actually taken lives.
Just as the villagers were about to shout, "Officers, arrest them!"—what happened next completely shattered their understanding of the situation.
The short-haired girl beside Liu Yutong quickly approached the lead officer, whispering something to him and slipping something into his hand.
With so many people around, the villagers didn’t dare get too close, so they couldn’t see clearly—only the motion of something being handed over.
Then, to their astonishment, the stern-faced officer walked up to Liu Yutong, broke into a smile, and even shook her hand while exchanging pleasantries.
The villagers were dumbfounded.
What was going on? Why weren’t they arresting anyone?
Those standing closer could faintly hear snippets of conversation—phrases like "thank you for your assistance," "pleasure working with you," and "we’ll handle this according to the law."
Were they actually thanking Liu Yutong and these outsiders?
What followed was the sight of Wang Degui, Cao Wang, and the others being taken away.
As for the men in black? Not a single one was arrested—not even questioned.
Though most villagers in Duan Village didn’t know much about the law, they understood basic common sense.
Fighting, assault, even murder—those were definitely crimes that warranted arrest!
So what was happening now?
Something wasn’t right.
Long after the officers had left, the villagers remained rooted in place, their faces blank with disbelief.
When they finally snapped out of it, they realized the men in black had approached them—smiling warmly.
In that moment, the villagers felt as if the sky had collapsed.
No—it had gone dark.
