This Doctor Is Too Wealthy

Gong Daoyang had no choice but to turn to an old policeman beside him. ”Old Hu, take your disciple with you. Try to persuade them first, and if they don’t listen, bring them back in handcuffs.”

”Understood, Clinic Director.”

Watching Old Hu leave with his man, Gong Daoyang prepared to return to his office.

However, just as he reached the door, the alarm phone rang again, forcing him to stop once more.

”Clinic Director, we received a call from the Mubangou Village Committee. They said there are wolves in Linzi and asked us to investigate.”

”Bullshit! How could there be wolves in our area?” Gong Daoyang fumed, his chest aching with anger. ”Every year, they claim there are wolves in Linzi, but have we ever actually seen one when we went? Tell them to check it themselves. It’s probably just someone’s dog that ran into the mountains. Don’t make a fuss over nothing.”

”But Clinic Director, the village head said this has been going on for several days. They’ve checked and found some wolf-like footprints, but nothing else. However, according to the village head, for the past few nights, sheep penned outside have been killed and partially eaten. It sounds like it might be true.”

Gong Daoyang stood at the door, panting heavily. ”Arrange for someone to check it out. Call the forest ranger too, and tell him to bring his gun, just in case.”

”Understood.”

Watching the colleague who answered the phone leave to find someone, Gong Daoyang decided against returning to his office.

Two emergency calls already this early in the morning; he knew today wouldn’t be peaceful.

His guess was correct. The phone rang again just as his butt hit the chair.

”Old Zhang, take some men to Xicha. Someone reported that their sheep pen was poisoned. Twenty-one sheep, big and small, are dead.”

Old Zhang snorted. ”There can’t be that many poisoning cases. And what kind of poison kills so many at once? I bet they were fed something bad and died from bloating.”

”Enough nonsense. Go to the scene first and figure out what happened before you jump to conclusions.”

Gong Daoyang would get impatient with other reports, but for poisoning cases like this, regardless of their validity, they had to be investigated immediately.

There was an unfortunate phenomenon in rural areas: almost every household had some sort of conflict or disagreement with another.

Cases of reported poisoning needed to be investigated with utmost speed. With twenty-one sheep lost, the damages amounted to tens of thousands. If the police station didn’t take it seriously, it would create lingering problems.

The family whose sheep died might suspect someone they had a feud with and try to identify the most likely culprit.

More rational individuals might confront them with arguments or fights.

However, if they encountered someone petty and malicious, there was no telling if that person might sneakily poison the family’s flour sacks in the middle of the night.

Gong Daoyang had learned his lesson from such incidents in the past.

”Alright, go investigate. Make sure you figure everything out before you come back, and don’t leave any loose ends,” Gong Daoyang impatiently sent Old Zhang away.

After that, the phone kept ringing non-stop.

Incidents ranged from the east-side family’s mule dying after eating pesticide-sprayed grass from the west-side family’s yard, leading to bickering and fights between the two households, to the south-side family’s dog biting the child from the north-side. The north-side parents then killed the dog and demanded medical compensation, only for it to turn out that their child had been tormenting the dog, provoking it to bite. With the child injured and the dog dead, the adults from both families started fighting, and so on and so forth.

Overwhelmed, Gong Daoyang called in the three officers who had worked the night shift yesterday, along with Instructor Huang, and dispatched them all.

By afternoon, Gong Daoyang desperately needed to urinate. He called the female officer from the household registration department to cover for him while he stepped out for a smoke and a moment of relief.

However, it seemed fate was determined not to let him rest today.

He was only halfway through relieving himself when he heard the female officer’s voice from outside the toilet, ”Clinic Director, someone’s holding a gas cylinder and threatening to blow people up!”

Gong Daoyang shuddered violently, and a large wet spot instantly appeared on the front of his pants.

”Damn!”

Gong Daoyang spat out the cigarette he had barely started and looked helplessly at the damp front of his pants before pulling them up.

”What did you just say?”

Exiting the toilet, Gong Daoyang walked forward, trying to act as if nothing was amiss. However, the policewoman’s eyes involuntarily darted down several times, a suppressed smile playing on her lips.

”The Duke Village Director called. Du Da is holding a gas cylinder and has trapped his mother in the room again, saying he wants to die with her.”

”Du Da?”

Gong Daoyang stopped dead in his tracks, looking intently at the policewoman. ”Are you sure you heard the name correctly? It’s really Du Da?”

Startled by Gong Daoyang’s serious expression, the policewoman forgot about his wet pants and quickly nodded. ”Yes, I confirmed it. The name is Du Da.”

Hearing the name again, Gong Daoyang’s heart lurched.

Who was Du Da? A mentally ill individual whose mind had been ravaged by drugs. Gong Daoyang still vividly remembered Du Da’s frenzied state last year when he threw his own mother from the second floor. But wasn’t this bastard sent to the Detoxification Center?

Puzzled, Gong Daoyang quickly walked to the office while dialing a number on his cell phone.

”What? He was released yesterday?” Gong Daoyang’s face turned green, the sliver of hope he harbored vanishing instantly. ”Seriously, do you people even have work protocols? How could a dangerous individual like him be released just like that?”

Gong Daoyang angrily questioned the Detoxification Center staff. However, after hearing their reply, his expression turned even darker. ”Medical treatment? Medical treatment, my ass!” Gong Daoyang seethed, taking a ragged breath. ”Fine! If releasing him is your protocol, then when you release someone like that, shouldn’t you at least notify us?

…What’s wrong now? He’s currently holding a gas cylinder, threatening to kill someone! That’s what’s wrong! If nothing happens today, then so be it. But if something does, you’ll all be in deep trouble!”

Gong Daoyang roared and slammed the phone down.

If the local police station had been notified about the release of such a dangerous individual, they would have been prepared, and today’s incident could have been avoided.

They would have assigned someone to watch that scoundrel closely.

But recriminations were useless now. The most crucial thing was to get this madman under control.

”Who else is at the station?” As soon as Gong Daoyang asked, he knew it was a foolish question.

If there were other people at the station, he wouldn’t have asked the policewoman to help answer phones.

So, without waiting for the policewoman’s answer, he went straight to the duty room, grabbed his equipment, and prepared to leave alone.

”Clinic Director, are you going alone?” the policewoman exclaimed, looking worriedly at Gong Daoyang’s hurried figure. ”Let me go with you. You’ll have backup.”

Gong Daoyang paused for a moment but then shook his head. ”No, you stay and answer the phones. The station can’t be left empty. Keep an eye on things here. When someone returns, tell them to come and support me.”

The policewoman looked at Gong Daoyang with concern, but understanding the situation, she could only nod and agree.

Gong Daoyang, fully equipped, drove at top speed towards Du Da’s home in Duke Village. He knew the address all too well and reached it in just eleven minutes.

Just like the last time, Du Da’s house was surrounded by a massive, tightly packed crowd.

There was one difference, however: the crowd hadn’t entered the yard but kept their distance. At the front of the crowd, village cadres were trying to push people back.

”What the hell are you all gawking at? Trying to get your damn faces blown off? Get back! Move back, quickly!”

”Hey, you! You want a good look? Come on, step right up! Come into the yard and see… Hey, don’t back away! Come on! Are you out of your mind? Get lost!”

Hearing the village cadre’s booming shouts, Gong Daoyang pushed through the onlookers, simultaneously yelling to disperse them, ”What’s there to see? Go home! Don’t you value your lives?”

But no matter how loudly he shouted, apart from clearing a path for him, no one left.

Gong Daoyang had no time to deal with these reckless people. He squeezed into the inner circle and walked straight towards the village cadre.

”Tell me, what exactly happened?”