The excavator roared to life like a wakened beast. Its massive, indestructible hydraulic arm reached toward the helpless, dilapidated house with terrifying force.
Below the mechanical arm, a swarm of thugs descended. Even with the physical enhancement provided by the System, Liang Song could not fend off so many men at once. He stood his ground firmly in front of his home, unwilling to watch his cherished memories be reduced to nothing.
But fate was not on his side. Despite being covered in injuries, Liang Song refused to stop swinging his fists. Yet he was not a machine, and his stamina eventually hit its limit. Caught off guard, he took a brutal kick to the knee. He collapsed forward, unable to control his momentum, and in that split second, he was pinned down.
With his face buried in the yellow dust, Liang Song’s eyes remained fixed on his home.
"Stop it!"
He struggled with all his might, but it felt as if countless bodies were pressing down on him, a heavy mountain he could not move no matter how hard he tried. He could only watch in agony as the massive mechanical arm descended from above.
A boundless shadow engulfed him, and the house that held his countless memories collapsed with a roar. The sound of shattering walls was deafening; Liang Song felt as if he had gone deaf. Everything before him began to feel unreal.
How could this happen? They were supposed to be officials serving the people! Why were they reaching out with such demonic claws to crush the most powerless among them? Their home was completely destroyed, transformed into a pile of wreckage upon the dust.
Liang Song found a burst of strength from somewhere, clawing his way out of the heap of bodies and fighting back with everything he had. But even as he fought desperately, it was to no avail. He could only stand up, only to be knocked down again and again.
As the house fell, Mother Liang and Grandma Liang were consumed by unbearable grief, but there was no time to mourn. They watched helplessly as Liang Song was covered in wounds, surrounded by cold-blooded bystanders. The scene filled them with despair, and they looked for someone to help him. But the villagers were all ordinary, powerless folk.
Sun Da, the culprit behind it all, stood to the side applauding, his lackeys fawning over him, practically wishing for Liang Song’s death. The women had no choice but to beg Qi Tongwei.
"Director, please don't hold it against a child. He offended you with his words just now; I apologize to you on his behalf!"
Mother Liang knelt directly before Qi Tongwei, bowing her head. "Please, save Liang Song! If this continues, he’ll be beaten to death! You can’t just stand by and watch a life be lost!"
Though Qi Tongwei felt some resentment, he knew he could not watch Liang Song die. He took a deep breath and walked back toward Sun Da, but before he could speak, Sun Da interrupted.
"Don't worry, Director. I won't make things difficult for you! I don't know what kind of backing the Liang family has that could bring someone of your status here, but we are good officials, and we will certainly handle this according to the rules."
Sun Da shot a look at Zhong Mao. Zhong Mao understood the meaning perfectly; he immediately put on a show of authority and pulled a pair of handcuffs from his belt.
"Liang Song has obstructed official business and behaved poorly. To set an example, we must take him back to the station for some proper ideological education."
Qi Tongwei’s expression darkened. Zhong Mao was nothing but one of Sun Da’s dogs. If Liang Song were taken into the station, there was no guarantee he would come out alive. To avoid failing his mentor, Qi Tongwei took the initiative to take the handcuffs.
"This matter has significant implications. It would be better to leave him in my custody."
Seeing this, Sun Da retorted with sarcasm, "Director, are you trying to protect the Liang family?"
Qi Tongwei didn't answer. He walked over to Liang Song and cuffed him. "I can't come all this way for nothing, County Magistrate Sun, wouldn't you agree?"
Liang Song looked at the handcuffs and spat blood from his mouth. "Director, what right do you have to arrest me?!"
Qi Tongwei glared at him. "You’ve obstructed official duty!"
"Official duty?! Is it official duty to forcibly demolish private homes and collude with thugs to suppress the people?" Liang Song stared at Qi Tongwei’s hypocritical face, his blood boiling. "You are the Director of the Public Security Bureau! If you let a county magistrate exploit the common people like this, are you not afraid of divine retribution?"
Qi Tongwei gave him a cold look and whispered in his ear, "Say one more word, and I'll hand you over to Sun Da! If it weren't for someone asking me to protect you, do you think I would bother? Divine retribution? Look closely, kid, this is modern society! Get real."
There was no point in arguing further. Liang Song spat out another mouthful of blood in disgust.
Qi Tongwei tried to usher him toward the police car, but Sun Da refused to let him go so easily.
"Director, this kid hurt many of my men, and if it weren't for him, things wouldn't have gotten this messy between us. If you just take him away, aren't you giving me a bit of a cold shoulder?"
Sun Da was aggressive, and Zhong Mao lurked nearby, ready to act. Grandma Liang and Mother Liang clung to each other in despair. Their family felt like rootless duckweed, battered by these violent storms, stripped of all dignity.
Qi Tongwei had no choice but to be blunt. "It’s not that I don't want to give you face; someone has tasked me with protecting him. If something happens to him, I’ll have a hard time answering for it."
Sun Da ignored him and stepped into his path. "If you don't hand him over, I’ll make sure you have a hard time answering for things right now! I didn't hold it against you when you tried to threaten me earlier, so don't be ungrateful!"
Qi Tongwei’s face turned grim. He understood the nature of a petty man like Sun Da all too well—vengeance was their trademark. He had waited a long time, but his mentor hadn't replied. Besides, having seen the state of Liang Song’s home, he realized that if they really had high-level connections, they wouldn't have ended up in such a miserable state. Perhaps he had been mistaken. There was no need to offend the nephew of Zhao Lichun for the sake of a commoner.
Weighing his options, Qi Tongwei handed Liang Song over.
The moment Zhong Mao grabbed Liang Song, he kicked him, forcing him to his knees. Liang Song refused to yield, but with no strength left and his hands shackled, he was forced to endure the humiliation from these lowlifes.
Grandma Liang and Mother Liang threw themselves in front of him. "Don't touch my grandson! If you want to touch him, you'll have to step over my dead body!"
"You old hag, get lost!"
"Don't touch my grandmother!"
Liang Song watched as his grandmother was shoved aside, filled with fury but unable to do anything, he could only shout helplessly over and over: "Stop it!"
Just as Liang Song fell into despair, a low hum filled the sky. The force of the wind made it hard to breathe. Everyone looked up to see a massive aircraft appearing before them.
As they focused their eyes, they realized in shock—it was a military helicopter!