The Happy Farmer Wanderer-Chapter 196 Various Strategies Applied_1

Li Qing nodded, handed the phone back to Brother Gong, and said, "Let’s follow Lü Zong’s advice and go to the police station. After all, even if we go looking for Old Kong the Third now, he definitely won’t admit to anything. Making a scene will not only be pointless but may also lead to trouble, which is unnecessary."

"So many trees have been poisoned, and the loss to us and the villagers is incalculable. This is a very serious matter, and the police station can’t possibly take it lightly."

Brother Gong, with a stern face, nodded and told Liang Zhongliang and the others, "Qingzi is right, everyone calm down."

"Picking a fight with Old Kong the Third will solve nothing, and we might just end up spending a few days in jail ourselves."

After Li Qing and Brother Gong had said their piece, the righteous anger that had filled Liang Zhongliang and the others dissipated somewhat.

Li Qing also quietly breathed a sigh of relief.

Just now, he saw the situation escalating and felt they were on the verge of going to war.

Impotent rage is futile!

Afterward, Li Qing tallied up the few hundred pounds they had gathered that day into the accounts before leading the group to the Dongcheng Police Station.

A large group stormed into the police station, startling the duty officers.

"What is it you’re doing here?" one of the police officers asked warily.

"We’re here to report a crime!" Li Qing stepped forward and said.

"What kind of crime?" The officer relaxed slightly at this and took his hand away from his waist.

"It’s you guys again!"

A voice suddenly came from the other side of the office.

Li Qing turned to look, and it was Officer Wang, an old acquaintance.

"Officer Wang, we didn’t want to come either, but we’re really driven to desperation," Li Qing said with a wry smile.

Officer Wang was sipping from a cup of water, his serious gaze sweeping over Brother Gong and the others as he asked, "What happened this time?"

"Officer Wang, you know what we do, and I’ve already thoroughly explained it to you before. This time, it’s the villages we collaborate with; their Wenguan Trees have all been poisoned to death." Li Qing then detailed the whole situation to Officer Wang very carefully.

"Officer Wang, this is no small matter. Considering the current market, the loss to the villagers and us is at least several hundred thousand yuan!"

Officer Wang put down the cup, his expression becoming more serious.

"Write up a detailed report!"

"Officer, it must be that bastard Old Kong the Third who did this, there’s no one else!" Liang Zhongliang shouted, "I say we just grab the bastard and give him a good interrogation, and this will all become clear."

Officer Wang’s eyelids lifted as he glanced at Liang Zhongliang, "Or maybe you should be the officer instead?"

Liang Zhongliang shrank his neck and muttered, "My dream as a child was actually to be a cop."

"Seems like your dream was eaten by a dog," Officer Wang snorted coldly, then said to Li Qing and the others, "This case is indeed serious, and we will certainly investigate it thoroughly, but we have our procedures."

"The police are not your personal enforcers, we can’t just arrest someone because you tell us to!"

Seeing the atmosphere becoming somewhat tense, Li Qing hurriedly tried to smooth things over, "Officer Wang, everything else was fine, it’s just that these few villages had an incident, and we just happen to have had a bit of a feud with Old Kong the Third, which is why we’re suspicious."

"Last time, the sulfuric acid splashing on the street was also handled by you, Officer Wang."

Officer Wang’s expression finally softened a bit, and he patted the shoulder of the police officer next to him, saying, "Take notes."

Then he spoke to Li Qing, "Go over in detail the origin of the dispute you have with Old Kong the Third, and the situation surrounding the damage to the Wenguan Trees. Don’t omit any detail, so as not to delay the investigation."

Li Qing looked to Brother Gong, signalling him to speak.

Concerning the matter of Lü Zong dealing with Old Kong the Third to force him to give up the business of the Wenguan Leaves in those villages, Li Qing dared not speak carelessly.

Fortunately, Brother Gong didn’t refuse and nodded, taking on the task.

After preparing the materials and filing the case, Officer Wang looked at Brother Gong with a profound gaze.

"Gong Wugu, don’t stir up trouble; I’m keeping my eye on you!"

Brother Gong stuck his head forward and rolled his eyes, "You better keep an eye on that bastard from the poison tree incident; what’s the point of watching me? I’m not one of those women whose hips can grind a man to death."

"I will, but you’d better be careful too," Officer Wang said with a light snort.

Brother Gong sneered and didn’t take it seriously.

After leaving the police station, Liang Zhongliang said with dissatisfaction, "Brother Li, Brother Gong, I think we’ll have to rely on ourselves to investigate this. These cops look at us with prejudice, and I feel like we can’t count on them."

Li Qing felt a headache coming on.

It was fine to lead such a group of people when things were normal.

But once something happened, it really was a headache.

Brother Gong remained silent, just looking at Li Qing.

Li Qing had no choice but to say, "We can look into it privately, but don’t go looking for trouble with Old Kong the Third. With evidence laid out before us, no matter what, he can’t escape. But without any evidence, that old bastard will definitely not admit to anything."

"We can start with the poison!" Brother Gong said in a deep voice, "The poison from the Wenguan Tree and sulfuric acid are both banned; there are only a few in the whole county who dare to sell that kind of poison. You guys should ask around in private to see who recently sold poison from the Wenguan Tree."

"Also, go check out where they sell pesticides. Some traffickers who’ve been in the business for a while might mix some Wenguan Tree poison."

Seeing that Brother Gong had no more to say, Li Qing added, "And the amount must be huge!"

"Who knows how many Wenguan Trees there are in the twelve villages; overnight, all were poisoned, such a large quantity could probably empty out a pesticide dealer’s warehouse."

"Qingzi makes a lot of sense, remember this, those of you who have channels should inquire around," Brother Gong instructed the crowd.

"Understood."

"Got it, Brother Gong."

The crowd responded in a noisy chorus.

"Then let’s head to the restaurant first to see what arrangements Lü Zong has for us?" Li Qing asked Brother Gong.

"Okay."

Lü Family Restaurant.

The restaurant’s fourth floor was quiet in the morning, with not a soul in the ballroom.

The normally tightly-drawn curtains were all open, letting in the bright light and making the room clean and clear.

As Li Qing and Brother Gong went upstairs, Lü Zong, wearing a pale blue shirt, was sitting alone at a window booth drinking, with what looked like an array of several dozen beer bottles on the table, along with a few types of dried fruits.

"Qingzi, Brother Gong, come have a drink with me," Lü Zong called out, waving his hand.

Li Qing looked at the array on the table, a sense of unease stirring inside him.

Lü Zong, a person known for his cunning smile, didn’t seem like the sort to drown his sorrows in liquor, making this setup all the more perplexing.

"Help yourselves!" Lü Zong handed a beer bottle each to Li Qing and Brother Gong.

"You two have worked hard these past days, take this opportunity to rest a bit."