Chapter 86: Tofu Pudding

Although Zhen Yuqi was a demoness, after she was frightened, Little Ma really knew how to protect his own. He said coldly, “Fine, I’ll wait. I want to see what exactly you plan to do to her.”

The argument had now escalated to another level, even hinting at threats against the prosecutor. As a result, anyone present who wasn’t truly invested either lowered their heads and pretended nothing had happened, or stood up and left for the restroom. Damn, with so many people fleeing there, the bathrooms were packed, and those who genuinely needed to relieve themselves were left hopping in frustration.

Zhou Dongyun furrowed her brows, recalling Zhen Yuqi’s earlier words. Judging by the current situation, it seemed Tian Jia and Han Siyi were not only in cahoots, but deeply entwined.

“Degenerates! No wonder that case years ago became such a sensation—how could any big shot dare to stop it unless it was hard to prove, and you had one of your own masquerading as a ‘good student’ to support you?” Zhou Dongyun couldn’t help but say. “Now you even dare threaten the prosecutor?”

“At a time like this, you still dare to spout nonsense and undermine me?” Tian Jia glared at Zhou Dongyun with a sinister look.

Glancing to her sides, Zhou Dongyun saw that the officers responsible for this case hadn’t arrived yet and decided not to say more, turning her gaze elsewhere.

Tian Jia then walked over, carrying a keyboard, looking every bit the hardened thug. “You talk as if no one here is a nerd. Maybe my typing isn’t as fast as yours, but swinging a keyboard might not be any worse.”

Little Ma promptly grabbed a “heavy mechanical keyboard,” holding it defensively, his fighting spirit ablaze.

Tian Jia narrowed his eyes.

Little Ma, taking his bravado to the extreme, turned to the two girls and said, “Don’t be afraid, I’ll protect you. It’s my responsibility, my knightly bloodline—ouch!”

He couldn't finish because, with his back exposed, Tian Jia brought down the keyboard squarely on his head.

Little Ma felt as if a flock of chicks were circling his skull and collapsed at the feet of Zhen Yuqi and Zhou Dongyun.

Zhen Yuqi was both anxious and startled, while Zhou Dongyun quickly crouched down and shook him, “Little Ma, are you alright?”

“Now, do you still dare to act tough? Struck by lightning, aren’t you?” Tian Jia, angry but not stupid, simply wanted to teach Little Ma a lesson, with no further attack.

“Getting a lump on your head, do you still dare to talk big? Weren’t you going to play the hero? You’re twisting words—everyone’s here to deal with you, yet you dare tell the beauties you’ll protect them? Now you’re flat on your face, isn’t that a joke?” Han Siyi, though not holding a keyboard, stood beside Tian Jia in support.

Fuck!

It wasn’t that Little Ma was cowardly; his head was spinning, and those chicks hadn’t flown away yet.

At this moment, utterly humiliated, the police arrived.

Leading the charge was Officer Zhang Jing, her face thunderous. Her colleagues weren’t sure why she was moving so quickly; after all, she was only temporarily assigned to provide tactical support, while the case itself was handled by the technical investigation team.

Because the report described the case as “official in nature,” with an academician and a prosecutor present, the police took this “cyber terror attack” very seriously, fearing a physical threat lurking behind the digital assault. Thus, Zhang Jing brought a tactical team for support.

Upon entering, Zhang Jing witnessed Tian Jia’s behavior and lost her temper. Striding over, she grabbed a keyboard and slammed it onto Tian Jia’s shoulder.

This wasn’t a nerd scuffle anymore—it was an act of violence. The heavy mechanical keyboard shattered instantly, and Tian Jia let out a scream, collapsing to the floor.

Without waiting for anyone to react, Zhang Jing kicked Tian Jia in the soft part of his waist. He was in such pain he couldn’t utter a sound, spinning twice on the slick floor before crashing into a table leg and finally coming to a stop.

Seeing this, countless police colleagues turned away, pretending not to notice. As for the rest, only Buddha could protect Officer Zhang now. But, truthfully, everyone knew this was just her way.

“Are you out of your mind…” Han Siyi yelled, only to be grabbed by Zhang Jing, who lifted her by the neck with one hand and slammed her down, rendering Han Siyi speechless.

Zhou Dongyun stood with her mouth half open.

Zhen Yuqi’s eyes sparkled, thinking that this loser was once again showing her old habits—indiscriminate attacks. And yet, this lawless female thug thrived in her element.

Zhang Jing looked at Little Ma with a peculiar expression. “Dead yet? If not, get up. How can such a weakling go around acting tough… Hey, answer me! Why are you here? Wherever trouble brews, you show up?”

Zhou Dongyun interjected, “I called him. Let him lie there for a bit; best not to move an injured person. Let him recover on his own.”

She then flashed her credentials, which was hardly modest. Zhang Jing was struck speechless; this neurotic fellow was truly something, if someone as impressive as Zhou Dongyun had summoned him. Clearly, he had some real merit.

Zhen Yuqi began to feel a headache coming on, unsure how to handle the situation. So many people had witnessed Zhang Jing’s violence—if a complaint were filed, it couldn’t be suppressed.

After a moment’s thought, Zhen Yuqi leaned in and whispered, “You’re not crazy; you just committed intentional harm, do you realize? With so many witnesses, are you trying to get yourself killed?”

Zhang Jing replied awkwardly, “The police brothers won’t mind. I’m helping you all. Surely you won’t have a problem with me?”

“You’re a licensed thug. I won’t say more, but Academician Zhou saw it too. Whatever she thinks, you’ll have to deal with it yourself. I won’t join you in your corruption, at most I’ll just go with the flow.” Zhen Yuqi raised her hand to point at Zhang Jing’s nose. “You really are a pig. What’s in your head, tofu? Sweet or salty?”

Zhang Jing ignored her, slinking off to whisper with Zhou Dongyun.

Zhou Dongyun, deeply repulsed by such violence, frowned and asked, “What exactly are you thinking? As a police officer, you want me to perjure myself for you? Don’t you realize how serious that is? Don’t you know your conduct could harm others?”

Zhang Jing pointed at Little Ma, “It’s not entirely for him. I really know Tian Jia. While he’s luring girls and living the good life, cursing everything under the sun, I was fighting anti-terror wars in the Western Regions. Days in the wilderness, sometimes not even a hot meal, running out of water and rations. Different experiences, different brain circuits. Seeing him makes me envious and angry, and I couldn’t help myself.”

Zhou Dongyun adjusted her thick-rimmed glasses and looked at Zhen Yuqi.

Zhen Yuqi said, “I won’t vouch for this thug’s ‘brain circuits,’ but she really is like this, and her experience is genuine.”

Zhou Dongyun hesitated.

Little Ma thought for a moment and said, “Let it go, don’t make things hard for her. She’s actually quite cute, not targeting anyone specifically, mostly just attacks indiscriminately. Everyone here except Teacher Zhou, even someone as remarkable as me, has been personally attacked by her. There’s really not much that can be done.”

Zhou Dongyun finally nodded. “Alright, I saw nothing. Don’t ask me about anything else.”

With unspoken understanding, they began the investigation.

Solving the case was the technical investigation team’s business, unrelated to Zhang Jing, who quietly pulled Little Ma aside.

Little Ma pointed to his head. “Look, is there a lump here?”

Zhang Jing leaned in, gave it a careless feel, and said, “Oh, stop whining. A lump won’t kill you. Buddha has a hundred or so.”

Little Ma asked, “You didn’t hurt Han Siyi and the others, did you? If you did, you’d be in trouble.”

“Relax, I’m not you. They’re not hurt. At least it doesn’t meet the threshold for a minor injury, so it’s not a criminal issue.” Zhang Jing said, heartlessly.

“Oh, alright. So what did you bring me here for, pulling me aside like this?” Little Ma asked curiously.

Zhang Jing began to coach him, “The report has some complications. So my version will say: you and he had a verbal dispute, he hit you first, and then you defended yourself. So, they were injured by you.”

Little Ma was speechless. It didn’t really matter to him—he owed her a favor anyway. But she truly was exasperating.