There were no surveillance cameras in the private box, so Li Hongqi had no idea that the massive stone table had been hurled there by Qi Tongwei with just one hand.
Had Li Hongqi witnessed that scene, it would have scared him out of his wits on the spot!
Several medical personnel crouched down to examine Qi Dawei’s leg injuries and made a prompt diagnosis.
"Amputation is necessary. The bones in his leg are completely shattered. If we don't amputate, his life will be in danger!"
"Why are you asking me?" Li Hongqi said, speechless. "Then hurry up and carry him off for the amputation!"
Hearing this, the medical personnel immediately hoisted the unconscious Qi Dawei and left.
At that moment, Qi Tongwei returned with Yan Xiaoyou. Along the way, the police officers who caught sight of Qi Tongwei—whether they were criminal investigators or regular officers—all revealed looks of heartfelt admiration.
"Great job, Brother Wei!"
"Hello, Brother Qi!"
"Brother Qi, I'm sorry. It was my fault earlier; I shouldn't have said those things to you!"
...
Qi Tongwei nodded casually at the surrounding police officers and walked over to Li Hongqi, who was standing with his hands on his hips.
"Brother Jiu!"
"Don't!"
Upon seeing Qi Tongwei, Li Hongqi quickly raised a hand to stop him.
"Don't call me Brother Jiu! I can't possibly afford that honor—I should be calling you brother!"
Just moments before, he had learned from the drug dealers' accounts that the stone table in the private box had actually been thrown to the doorway by Qi Tongwei with a single hand.
Li Hongqi found it a bit hard to believe, but since all the drug dealers said the same thing, he was forced to believe it. Consequently, his feelings toward Qi Tongwei were quite complicated right now, a mix of shock and admiration.
A smile appeared on Qi Tongwei's face. Knowing that Li Hongqi was just teasing him, he didn't mind and instead asked, "Brother Jiu, did you find anything?"
"Plenty!" Li Hongqi frowned and nodded, saying to Qi Tongwei in a deep voice, "All kinds of drugs combined total over a hundred kilograms! Five illegal firearms, and over a hundred controlled weapons... Tongwei, you've made a huge contribution this time, and you'll probably get promoted as soon as we get back!"
Since Qi Tongwei had single-handedly resolved a drug den and confiscated a massive amount of physical evidence, it would be completely unreasonable for him not to get promoted.
Especially since there was surveillance footage as proof—even if Liang Qunfeng wanted to suppress Qi Tongwei, it would be impossible!
A solid, undeniable merit simply could not be suppressed!
Li Hongqi estimated that, no matter what, Qi Tongwei would at least be promoted to deputy squad leader, which carried a deputy section-chief rank.
"Hey? What's going on with her?"
When Li Hongqi noticed Yan Xiaoyou hiding behind Qi Tongwei and wrapped in Qi Tongwei's jacket, he couldn't help smiling and teasing, "Tongwei, you're really managing to score achievements and find a girlfriend all at once!"
Yan Xiaoyou had delicate features, youthful beauty, a sexy figure, and an outstanding temperament—she was a goddess-level young woman.
Hearing this, Qi Tongwei explained to Li Hongqi, "Brother Jiu, her name is Yan Xiaoyou. She's a girl who works here. It was through her that I was able to confirm this place was a drug den!"
"And what are your plans for her?"
"She doesn't have a home right now. I'd like her to stay in my dormitory temporarily so it's convenient to take her statement. What do you think?"
The conversation between the two men made Yan Xiaoyou instantly nervous, and her fair hands tightly gripped the hem of Qi Tongwei's jacket.
Li Hongqi pondered for a moment, handed Qi Tongwei a cigarette, lit it for him, and then said slowly, "Normally, this goes against the rules! But you know as well as I do that we don't have that many rigid rules around here, and this isn't the provincial department! As long as you don't violate discipline, the station chief will turn a blind eye."
Violate what discipline?
Qi Tongwei took a puff of his cigarette and gradually caught the drift—so Li Hongqi was worried he wouldn't be able to keep it in his pants!
Indeed, Yan Xiaoyou's looks were supreme, sexy, beautiful, youthful, and bright. With a faint air of the nightlife about her, it was certainly easy for people to let their imaginations wander.
Unfortunately, Qi Tongwei's mind was currently entirely set on entering the ministry; he had no time for any of those messy thoughts.
...
After a night of tossing and turning, everything in the KTV was finally settled.
Those who needed to be arrested were arrested, those who needed to be taken away were taken away, and those who needed urine tests were tested. The drug-dealing den was successfully dismantled.
By the next morning, the majority of the results had been tallied.
One-third of the hostesses in the KTV had a history of injecting drugs. As for the remaining patrons, cash transactions were found among them, so all of them were detained and fined.
As for Qin Liang and the others, they were temporarily locked up at the police station, waiting until Ma Qiang and his accomplices were apprehended before being interrogated together.
Inside the Narcotics Division office, Qi Tongwei and the others, who had been busy all night, didn't even have time to sleep.
That was because they had already alerted the enemy!
Now that Qi Dawei had been caught, Ma Qiang must have received the news. If they delayed their action, Ma Qiang would likely run for it.
Therefore, the station chief, who also hadn't slept all night, called a meeting of all the officers in the Narcotics Division.
"We need to act as quickly as possible! Before tomorrow morning, we must capture Ma Qiang and his crew. Everyone, bear with it a little longer. Once this operation is over, I will put in for commendations for you all! I estimate a collective third-class merit is guaranteed, and Comrade Qi Tongwei will at least receive an individual second-class merit!"
A collective third-class merit!
Hearing this, the exhausted officers, who hadn't slept all night, instantly became as excited as if they had been injected with adrenaline.
Then, they all turned simultaneously to look at Qi Tongwei, who was sitting in the front rows, filled with respect and envy.
An individual second-class merit!
This was no small achievement; it usually required capturing at least two Class-A wanted fugitives to be possible!
With this merit, Qi Tongwei's promotion to deputy squad leader after this operation was an absolute certainty.
Who could have imagined that Qi Tongwei, who rumor had said was suppressed and marginalized by provincial leaders, could win an individual second-class merit within just a few months of taking office and secure a battlefield promotion?
The so-called "two-year promotion rule" only applied to ordinary civil servants. For someone like Qi Tongwei, who had achieved indelible merit, rising through the ranks was naturally as fast as riding a rocket!
Despite this, not a single police or detective officer in the station felt any jealousy; there was only heartfelt admiration for Qi Tongwei.
Qi Tongwei had taken on an entire drug den single-handedly—something even Li Hongqi couldn't have done.
The fact that they were going to receive a collective third-class merit was simply because they were basking in Qi Tongwei's glory.
After finishing, the station chief signaled for Li Hongqi to brief the others and assign the upcoming tasks.
Li Hongqi walked straight up to the front, glanced at Qi Tongwei—who didn't show the slightest bit of sleepiness and was still full of vigor—and said in a loud voice, "Tongwei, this time you will serve as the Second Squad leader. Take a team to the Red Romance Bar and capture Zhen Sanjiang's gang. I will lead the other team straight to Ma Qiang's lair to prevent him from escaping! What do you think?"
In the end, Li Hongqi still sought out Qi Tongwei's opinion, considering that Qi Tongwei currently held immense prestige in the station. Moreover, for Li Hongqi himself to go after Ma Qiang would indeed carry the suspicion of hogging the credit.
At this, Qi Tongwei merely smiled indifferently, without a shred of dissatisfaction.
"I'll listen to Brother Jiu!"
Li Hongqi let out a mental sigh of relief, clapped his hands, and immediately gave the order.
"Everyone, get a few hours of rest, grab something to eat, and check your equipment! Those who want to sleep shouldn't sleep too heavily—just catch a quick nap! The operation begins at six this evening!"
Cops weren't made of iron!
They had gone a full day and night without rest. If they didn't take a few hours to recuperate, how could they fight brutal drug dealers?
They weren't arresting petty pickpockets; they were dealing with heavily armed drug dealers in large numbers!
Li Hongqi still had to consider the safety and lives of his brothers!