Chapter 439: You Only Lost a Leg:

After understanding the reason, the injured man burst into tears. “Brother, I’m sorry. I have my difficulties too. Despite running this shop seemingly well, I owe a huge debt. I can only eat leftovers from customers every day and can only afford five-dollar cigarettes. The compensation I gave you back then was meant for my future bride’s dowry. Because I gave you that money, my engagement fell apart. Who can I share my grievances with now?”

Chen Shi sighed, “Listen, you lost only a leg, but he lost love!”

Ouyang glanced disdainfully at Chen Shi. “Are you asking for a bullet too?”

“I was just trying to lighten the mood.”

Ouyang sneered and continued to eat meat from the hotpot.

“What nonsense are you talking about!” Lin Qiupu’s voice came through the wireless radio hanging around Chen Shi’s neck.

Chen Shi picked up the radio and whispered, “Prepare an ambulance and get more blood bags.”

Turning to Ouyang, Chen Shi said, “Brother, let me do the math for you. With aggravated assault and possession of a firearm, you’re looking at a minimum of thirteen years. As for him, despite his despicable character, he isn’t directly criminally liable for the incident. Is it fair that he loses a leg while you go to jail? The judge won’t see it that way. You’ll be in prison, but he’ll still manage his restaurant. Does it affect him?”

Ouyang waved his hand. “You don’t need to say more. I will face the consequences of my actions. In an hour, I’ll surrender with my gun… Everyone, feel free to leave. I won’t shoot.”

Hesitant customers crawled out from under the tables and slowly exited. An elderly man patted Chen Shi on the shoulder as he passed by. “This incident is indeed the fault of the shopkeeper. The police should be lenient.”

Then the old man took an unopened bag of fish balls from a nearby table and left.

Seeing the hostages coming out in batches, the police were shocked. They approached them to ask if anyone was injured and learned the situation inside from the hostages. Lin Dongxue said, “Chen Shi still has some tricks up his sleeve.”

Lin Qiupu shook his head. “The critical one is the injured.”

Chen Shi said, “Mr. Ouyang, actually, I think you’re quite reasonable. Just now, releasing the hostages showed goodwill. This could potentially reduce your sentence in court. Why not accumulate some virtue and turn this big deal into something smaller?”

“Alright, you can leave too!” Ouyang gestured with his gun.

“Prison isn’t a good place to stay. You’re disabled. Once you’re in prison, won’t those wolves and tigers bully you to death? Do you think prison food is good? You’ll have to do heavy labor every day just to get a meal. For over a decade, you’ll stare at those high walls, cut off from the outside world! You’re only in your twenties. Isn’t there anything else you could do? Even if you set up a stall and tint windows for others, earning a hard-earned living every day, that would be better than prison. Is it really worth fighting over this?”

Ouyang slammed the table and shouted, “The deed is done, the shot has been fired. Do you think I won’t go to jail? Do you dare to guarantee it? Do you dare? Whether it’s ten years or twenty years, I’ve made up my mind. I won’t take his life; I want him disabled and to remember this lesson for the rest of his life!”

“You will definitely go to jail,” Chen Shi said calmly. “It’s just a matter of how long. Perhaps there’s a chance for parole depending on your actions now.” He pointed to the dishes on the table. “These aren’t just vegetables, lamb slices, fish balls, and shrimp balls; they represent your future. Take one more bite, and you could be sentenced for another year. When you’re truly in prison, you’ll regret taking that extra bite… Stop holding out and release the hostages!”

Ouyang picked up a piece of lamb with a huff, moved it around in the pot, and ate it. “Stop wasting your breath. As I said, once his leg is crippled, I’ll surrender immediately!”

The injured man cried out, “It’s over, it’s over. I can’t feel my leg at all.”

Ouyang grabbed a beer and poured it onto his gunshot wound. The injured man cried even more miserably. Ouyang sneered, “Stop pretending. Keep pretending!”

Chen Shi sighed inwardly. Negotiations were indeed tricky. This man had already decided to cripple the shopkeeper’s leg. Direct confrontation wouldn’t persuade him. He walked to a table and said, “I think you could have other means of revenge. You don’t have to resort to such extremes. For example…”

Chen Shi kicked over the table. The hotpot on top crashed to the ground, plates of food shattered everywhere. He passionately declared, “Let’s smash this broken shop. Make it impossible for him to continue. Make him go bankrupt!”

Ouyang looked coldly at Chen Shi.

Chen Shi overturned another table. “Is this enough to compensate you?”

Ouyang still didn’t speak. Lin Qiupu outside was losing his mind. He shouted through the radio, “What are you doing?”

Chen Shi continued to flip tables, one after another, quickly turning the restaurant into a mess. The injured man begged, “Stop smashing it. It’s all my hard-earned money!”

Ouyang pointed his gun at the door. “Smash that thing too.”

“Following your lead!”

Chen Shi walked over, pushed the mascot on the ground, grabbed a chair, and beat it like beating an enemy, smashing it until the chair shattered. Then he asked Ouyang, “Is this enough? I think this shop won’t open for at least half a year.”

“The row of liquor behind the counter, that’s valuable.”

“Following your lead!”

Chen Shi went behind the counter and smashed bottle after bottle. Soon, the restaurant was filled with the fragrance of wine, and even smelling it could make one dizzy. The injured man cried even more pitifully, “Please just cripple my leg! I beg you.”

Ouyang seemed to be wavering. Limping, he walked up to Chen Shi, placed a hand on his shoulder, and patted it. “I’m relieved. Thank you.”

“Don’t mention it.” Chen Shi reached for his gun. He was nervous during the process, afraid of any changes.

This moment seemed to stretch indefinitely. Finally, he took the gun down, turned off the safety, and said into the radio, “Hurry in and save him!”

Then he said to Ouyang, “Finding the right path after wandering is commendable!”

“Thank you. It’s clear that you genuinely wanted to help me.”

Chen Shi patted his arm, smiled, and the police rushed in, carrying the injured man out. Ouyang was also taken to the police car, and the gun smoothly changed hands to Lin Qiupu. Lin Qiupu hadn’t expected Chen Shi to peacefully resolve the situation. Seeing the mess in the shop, he said, “Who will pay for this?”

“The task force will pay.”

“Do you have the nerve to say that?”

“Negotiation is about minimizing losses. Using a few tables and bottles of wine to exchange for a life isn’t worth it?”

Lin Qiupu had to admit that he was right. This untrained guy surprisingly had such good adaptive skills and won with a surprise move.

More importantly, he had more empathy than the strict bureau, completely capturing the other party’s needs.

However, Lin Qiupu said, “Don’t do this next time. You scared us.”