Tang Hao stepped around her and walked toward the scar-faced man.
“Who instructed you?”
The scar-faced man did not say anything.
“Let me ask you again. If you don’t tell me everything, I’ll make you beg for death. Speak up now and I’ll spare you a quick death.”
The scar-faced man smiled horrifically. “Sure. That bastard had set me up anyway. I don’t need to protect him.
“The person who ordered a hit on you is someone named Boss Howard. According to him, he is also someone else’s instructions, and he’s only a middleman. I don’t know who’s the one who instructed him, but they’re definitely someone important.”
Tang Hao furrowed his brows.
He thought for a while. Then, he flicked his wrist and a jade talisman flew out.
Chapter 282 - Arrested
Fire blazed and died down, and the scar-faced man was reduced to ashes.
Liu Bingyao cried out in panic when she saw that.
That scene had exceeded all limits of her comprehension.
“Tang Hao, that was…” She asked hesitantly as she stared at Tang Hao.
Suddenly, she did not seem to recognize the boy in front of her anymore.
Tang Hao turned around and was at a loss for words.
How should he explain it to her?
He thought for a while and finally said awkwardly, “Well, this is what they call Taoist sorcery. All Taoist masters know how to wield this sorcery. I’ve chanced upon a Taoist sorcery scripture once and I’ve been practicing myself. That’s why I can do that!”
“Taoist sorcery? Taoist masters?” Liu Bingyao furrowed her brows in confusion.
To her, all that sounded like stuff from fantasy novels.
She nodded slightly after a long while. “So that’s how it is. No wonder…” She seemed to have understood something.
Before this, she had been wondering why the silent and low-profile Tang Hao had undergone such a huge transformation and became so powerful. So that was why!
Now that she understood the reason behind his change, she felt oddly relieved.
“I’m sorry for dragging you into this. I’m the one who should be their target,” Tang Hao said apologetically.
Liu Bingyao shook her head and said gently, “Don’t mention it. It’s not your fault. Furthermore, you came to save me! That’s already enough!”
Tang Hao was silent.
He felt slightly better after hearing that.
“Right, you should take this.” Tang Hao removed the string of beads on his right wrist and handed a blood jade bead to her.
“Wow, this is so beautiful! Is this jade?” Liu Bingyao’s eyes sparkled when she beheld the bead.
The blood jade bead in her palm was clear and sparkling, and its color was as vibrant as fresh blood. She looked a little more closely and saw that the bead was enveloped in a thin layer of light.
“This is thousand-year blood jade. It’s also an Artifact that can protect you. Remember to always wear it on you. Never take it off,” Tang Hao reminded her.
Liu Bingyao was surprised. A slight blush appeared on her beautiful face.
“Alright!” She replied, clutching the bead close to her chest.
“OK, you can get in the car. I’ll clean up the mess here,” Tang Hao said.
She nodded and headed toward the A8.
She shuddered uncontrollably when her eye accidentally caught the sight of one of the bodies.
The scene earlier had been quite gruesome, but she did not think that Tang Hao was being cruel. Those people were the bad guys who planned to kill them without mercy, and they happened to mess with the wrong people.
Tang Hao looked around. He threw jade talismans at those bodies and burned them into ashes, then cleaned up the bloodstains.
He did not bother with removing the three cars and left them where they were.
Then, he sent Liu Bingyao back to the university.
He gave a call to Teacher Jiang and was relieved when he found that she was safe.
“Boss Howard? He sounds like a gangster…” Tang Hao thought for a while, then gave a call to Old Master Luo.
He was not familiar with the gangsters in Provincial City, and Old Master Luo was his best source of information.
Old Master Luo laughed when he heard Tang Hao’s question. “I know that Boss Howard! This is trivial information, and I can give it to you for free.
“Give me a minute. I’ll get someone to get his exact location for you.”
Then, Old Master Luo ended the call.
About eight minutes later, Old Master Luo returned the call. “Boss Howard is quite an influential figure in Provincial City. He owns many bars and nightclubs. Right now, he’s in one called Sovereign Nightclub.”
“Thanks!” Tang Hao replied.
After ending the call, he searched for the address of Sovereign Nightclub on the Internet, then went there as fast as he could.
He arrived at the destination twenty minutes later.
It was still daytime, and the doors of the nightclub were locked.
Tang Hao did not hold back. He kicked open the doors and went in.
It was dark and silent inside. No one was seen. A while later, he heard a commotion from within. Many figures rushed out into the hall and they yelled when they saw Tang Hao.
“Who’s this kid? Do you have a death wish, coming here to cause a ruckus?”
The hooligans crowded around him wielding steel bats.
“Where’s your leader?” Tang Hao said coldly.
“Hah! You want to meet our leader? Just who the hell do you think you are? Do you think our leader would want to meet with a small fry like you?” One of the hooligans yelled.
Then, he looked to his left and right.
A few hooligans screeched and rushed to him with their steel bats.
“All of you are idiots!”
Tang Hao grunted coldly. He stepped forward and kicked at one of those hooligans.
“Ah….!”The hooligan screamed as he was sent flying by the kick. He flew about four or five meters away before landing heavily on the floor.
Then, more screams were heard as the hooligans were kicked into the air one by one.
Tang Hao’s killing intent was raging. He did not hold back in that fight. The hooligans suffered broken limbs and they writhed on the floor wailing in agony.
“Let me ask one more time. Where is your leader?” Tang Hao asked coldly as he grabbed the hooligan who gave the signal to attack earlier.
“He’s… He’s inside!” The hooligan said as he trembled violently.
“Lead me there!” Tang Hao said coldly.
The hooligan limped ahead and went inside.
When they reached the back of the nightclub, he pointed at one of the doors to the side. “He’s inside that room.”
Tang Hao went ahead and kicked the door open.
Behind the door was a wide room with a big water bed in the middle. Two women and one man were lying on top of it at that moment.
The man was lying in the middle, hugging the two women, and [was enjoying the time of his life].
The three people were shocked when they saw the door being kicked open.
“Who the f*ck are you!” The man roared. “Dammit, where are all the people outside?”
“You are Howard Ma?”
“That’s me, but who the f*ck are you? Do you have a death wish, causing trouble in my home turf?” Howard Ma cursed as he stood up and retrieved his clothes.
“Don’t you recognize me?” Tang Hao said coldly.
“Idiot! Who would recognize…” Howard Ma was still cursing as he turned to look at Tang Hao. He was dumbfounded.
His face was instantly wracked with shock and incredulity.
“You… It’s you. Why are you here? Shouldn’t you be dead?” Howard Ma blurted and fell backward sitting down.
“Sorry to disappoint you!” Tang Hao walked ahead with a cold smirk on his face.
He lifted his hand and slapped Howard Ma’s face, which caused him to fall on the bed.
“You dare slap me, you bastard?” Howard Ma roared maniacally as he covered his face.
Tang Hao was impassive. He grabbed Howard Ma by his collar, dragged him off the bed, and started punching him.
The room was filled with cries of agony.
Howard Ma had the strength to resist at first. Eventually, he grew weaker and weaker. His entire body was bruised and swollen as he was beaten within an inch of his life.
The two women had already been scared out of their wits. They fled the room with their clothes in their hands.
“Let me ask you, who ordered the hit?” Tang Hao crouched near his face and asked coldly.
“It’s… It’s…” Howard Ma spoke with a trembling voice.
Suddenly, a flurry of footsteps was heard in the corridor.
“Freeze, police!”
A squad of police officers rushed into the room.
“I said, freeze!” The police captain roared when he saw the situation in the room.
The squad of police officers pounced on Tang Hao.
Tang Hao hesitated but decided not to resist. He allowed the police officers to pin him down and cuff him up
Chapter 283 - In A Pickle
The police captain was a tall and thin man in his forties.
He walked ahead and examined Howard Ma who was barely breathing. “Someone call the ambulance!” He shouted.
One of the police officers called emergency services.
“Tang Hao, you are under arrest under the charge of intentional assault!” The police officer walked in front of Tang Hao and said sternly.
“You know my name, Officer?” Tang Hao remained calm.
“Of course I know you! You were brought to the station once,” the police officer said, “Look at how serious you’ve beaten him. You’ll be locked away for at least three years!”
The police captain waved his hands at the police officers to his left and right. “Bring him away!”
“Move it!” A police officer grabbed Tang Hao on each side, then they headed outside.
They got into the police car, then drove off toward the police station.
Tang Hao sat quietly in the car, thinking of something.
‘Who’s the one behind all this?’
Howard Ma was about to tell him, but unfortunately, he was interrupted.
However, Tang Hao could roughly guess who it was. He did not cross that many people recently, perhaps the most eminent one being Lu Bin. After all, the Wu and Lu families wielded a lot of authority in Provincial City.
The mastermind behind Howard Ma must have been either or both of the families.
“Howard Ma might have failed to kill me, but after I’ve beaten him up so badly, the Wu and Lu families must be using that as an excuse to incriminate me.”
Tang Hao furrowed his brows. It was a sticky situation indeed.
He was the one who beat up Howard Ma after all. The only way that he could absolve himself was to get Howard Ma to admit fault.
It was not that easy to get Howard Ma to confess though.
Tang Hao was silent all along the journey to the police station, thinking of a solution.
He was brought to a holding cell at the police station and remained there for several hours.
The sky outside was getting dark.
“Tang Hao! Stand up!”
Two police officers came into the holding cell and brought him to the interrogation room.
The police captain earlier was already sitting there. His expression was grim.
“Howard Ma is dead!”
His first sentence stunned Tang Hao.
‘What? Dead?’ Tang Hao was shocked.
Howard Ma was dead!
How was that possible? He was absolutely clear that he did not use his full strength even though he did beat up Howard Ma quite badly, much less use lethal force. At most, Howard Ma would have been knocked out for some time, but why was he dead?
Tang Hao immediately understood that someone powerful was behind it.
‘What a cruel mastermind!’ he thought.
An intentional assault charge would land him a prison sentence of a few years, but things were a lot more serious when the person died. It was at least a ten-year prison sentence, and he might even get the death penalty.
Now that Howard Ma was dead, he could not get him to admit fault.
‘Things are getting difficult!’ He thought as he added these newfound complications to his consideration.
“How did he die?”
“He succumbed to his injuries not long ago,” the police officer said.
“That’s impossible! Something’s not right!” Tang Hao said.
He might still have a chance to escape punishment if he could discover the truth behind Howard Ma’s death. What he was afraid about was that the mastermind behind the conspiracy to frame him had covered their tracks well enough.
“What’s not right about it? You should know how serious his injuries are! He was badly assaulted, and it’s no surprise that he died. When I first saw him, I thought that he couldn’t even make it to the hospital,” the police officer said.
He tried to restrain his anger because he knew that Tang Hao had a powerful background. He would not hold back if the suspect was someone else instead.
Chapter 284 - A Man From the Agency
“So that’s the situation now. Howard Ma is dead. You ought to be mentally prepared! Don’t hope that the people backing you can bail you out of this. No one can save you when it comes to a matter of life and death!” The police officer said.
“I’ll give you some time to prepare your statement. Don’t leave out any details from start to finish, and be honest!”
Then, he leaned back on his chair, closed his eyes, and waited.
The police officer had the intuition that the case would be difficult indeed. The background of Howard Ma and the kid in front of him were very powerful. They were not normal people.
He realized that he must have been involved in some sort of power struggle.
‘There’s nothing to be afraid of. I’ll just treat this case just like any other. No one can say anything if I do everything by the law. I’ll just wait for the kid’s statement and the hospital report,’ he thought to himself.
“Alright, it’s about time! You’ll be treated more leniently if you confess honestly!’ A while later, he sat straight on his chair and shouted at Tang Hao.
Tang Hao remained silent.
He could not afford to tell the police officer everything. If he did, he would be guilty of taking the scar-faced man’s life.
“You’re not speaking?” The police officer’s expression darkened. “I’m giving you a chance to save yourself, Tang Hao.”
Tang Hao’s mouth remained shut.
He could not afford to make any mistake in his statement. He had to make up the perfect story.
“Oho! Are you planning to resist until the very end? Alright! I have the time anyway. Let’s see who’s more patient. Also, let me remind you, even if you don’t confess to the crime, we’ll still have a way to nail it on you,” the police officer said sternly as he slammed the table.
Seeing that Tang Hao made no response, he leaned back on his chair again and waited patiently.
‘He’s probably scared out of his wits now!’ He thought to himself as he looked at Tang Hao.
There must be some reason why the kid did not want to say a word.
‘There’s nothing fishy about his death!’ He thought as he looked at the message from his colleague at the hospital. He was even more sure that the kid was finished. There was no way the kid could shake off the crime.
“I don’t mind sitting here and waiting. Don’t hope that someone else will save you. Nobody can meet you now, much less bail you out!” He said, trying to hint at something.
Tang Hao remained silent.
He continued to remain silent
for the next half an hour and finally thought of the perfect statement. Just when he was about to speak, the door to the interrogation room opened. Someone came in and whispered next to the police officer’s ear. “Someone’s here to meet him, Captain!”
“Who is it?” The police officer was surprised.
‘Who could it be to meet the kid at this time?’
“Is it Vice Gov…” He whispered back.
“No!” The police officer who came in shook his head and regarded him curiously.
“Who else is it then?”
The police captain was confused. Who else would visit the kid at this time if not for Vice Governor He?
“He’s in a military uniform!” The police officer whispered. He glanced at Tang Hao and his gaze became more curious than ever. “He says that we’ve captured one of his men!”
“What?” The police captain was utterly confused.
‘How is that kid related to the military?’
Tang Hao heard all that clearly. He was confused too.
“Let me go and see!” The police captain stood up and was about to leave the room when hearty laughter was heard from the corridor. A man in his fifties walked into the interrogation room.
He stood tall and straight and carried the unique steadfast aura of a soldier.
“This must all be a mistake, Captain Su!”
The man glanced at Tang Hao when he stepped into the room, then at the police captain. He grinned widely, then grabbed Captain Su’s hand and gave it a firm handshake.
“You are…” Captain Su was utterly confused.
‘What did he mean by a mistake?
‘Didn’t that kid kill someone? There’s concrete evidence! There’s no mistake!’
“My surname is Bai, and this is my identification document. I can’t tell you which department I’m from though, that is a secret! You should know that some things cannot be divulged. This kid here is my subordinate, and he’s currently on a very important secret mission.”
The Mightiest Little Peasant c1-799 Page 128