Justifiable defense

Not long after finishing breakfast, Lu Han received a phone call.

"Hello, is this Mr. Lu Han?"

After receiving an affirmative response, the caller continued in a formal tone, "We are officers from Huayuan Road Police Station. You are suspected of being involved in a fight. We are legally summoning you to come here for investigation."

The fact that the police only called instead of showing up at his door indicated that the situation wasn't too serious. However, the speed at which they identified him suggested that the police were under considerable public pressure.

Lu Han estimated the travel time and replied, "Without traffic, it should take about forty minutes."

"Alright, thank you for your cooperation."

The officer was quite polite.

Lu Han didn't tell anyone and left immediately after changing clothes.

Upon arriving at the police station and stating his name, he was quickly escorted by an officer named Chen Gang to make a statement.

"Now, tell me, why did you fight?"

After verifying his identity, Chen Gang got straight to the point.

He also secretly observed Lu Han, thinking how appearances could be deceiving. Lu Han didn't look particularly strong, yet his strikes were swift and brutal.

In fact, before calling Lu Han, they had already done extensive preliminary work, including visiting the hospital where the thugs were treated.

This wasn't difficult since surveillance footage showed the ambulances taking them away, thanks to a concerned citizen who called 120. Following the trail led them there.

However, the medical reports were shocking: one had an intestinal obstruction due to external force, five had broken ribs, and the rest suffered varying degrees of internal injuries.

They had meticulously reviewed the video frame by frame, and each thug seemed to have been hit only two or three times. How could the injuries be so severe?

So Chen Gang was very curious about who Lu Han really was. Upon meeting him, he found nothing extraordinary, reaffirming that appearances can be deceiving.

"I don't know why they attacked me," Lu Han shrugged. "I just defended myself."

Chen Gang nodded and asked, "Do you know someone named Ling Mo?"

"Yes, but I've only met him a few times. We're not close."

"Why did he send people to beat you up?"

"I wouldn't know. You should ask him."

"Let me rephrase it then. Is there any conflict between you two?"

"Maybe he thought the woman he liked had feelings for me, so he resented me," Lu Han answered.

Chen Gang: "???"

Wait, that's a bit convoluted. Let me think this through.

A few seconds later, Chen Gang clarified, "Are you talking about Chu Ruoyan?"

Lu Han nodded, "Yes, she was my ex-girlfriend."

"May I ask who initiated the breakup?"

"Does this have anything to do with my cooperation in your investigation?"

"Uh... Just curious. You don't have to answer."

Chen Gang felt a bit awkward and changed the subject, "Have you trained in Sanda or free fighting?"

Lu Han shook his head, "No."

Chen Gang was surprised, "Then how did you become so good at fighting?"

"Can I smoke?" Lu Han asked, feeling a craving.

"Sorry, smoking isn't allowed here."

"Okay."

Lu Han yawned and continued, "I grew up as an orphan, spent a lot of time on the streets. Fighting was a daily occurrence. I guess you could say I learned through practice."

This explanation made sense to Chen Gang, who muttered, "With your skills, it's a shame you didn't become a police officer."

Lu Han smiled, finding the officer interesting but knowing he wasn't cut out for law enforcement. His personality had flaws, making him prone to acting on impulse.

Then he asked the most critical question, "Will I be considered to have acted in self-defense?"

"That's hard to say," Chen Gang replied ambiguously. Personally, he believed Lu Han's actions were justified.

After all, facing over a dozen thugs armed with baseball bats and steel pipes, and with the attackers initiating the confrontation, Lu Han couldn't just stand there and take it.

While it was true that Lu Han severely injured them, it was instinctive self-defense without time to consider the force used. He also stopped attacking once they were down and didn't harm Ling Mo, who was the instigator. This shouldn't constitute excessive defense.

But Chen Gang was just a regular officer and couldn't make such a determination lightly, especially in front of the parties involved. He needed to be cautious with his words, as they could carry legal implications.

Better safe than sorry.

After completing the statement, Chen Gang let Lu Han confirm and sign it. "Please wait here for a moment."

As Chen Gang walked out, he ran into two colleagues in the hallway. They looked surprised and asked, "You're done too?"

One of the officers nodded, "We just finished comparing notes. The woman, Chu Ruoyan, fully supports Lu Han's account. But Ling Mo's story is a bit confusing."

Chen Gang asked, "What's confusing about it?"

The colleague shrugged and pointed to the other officer, "Ask him."

"Ling Mo said he couldn't stand seeing Chu Ruoyan still clinging to Lu Han after being dumped. Since he couldn't hurt Chu Ruoyan, he took it out on Lu Han," the third officer explained succinctly. "His story aligns with what the thugs said, confirming he hired them. But the issue is, even after being forced to kneel and bark like a dog, he still takes full responsibility, saying it was his own fault and has nothing to do with Lu Han."

He flipped through the notes and added, "Oh, and Ling Mo offered to cover the thugs' medical expenses. I also confirmed with those in the hospital; they all agreed not to press charges or seek compensation."

Chen Gang frowned, "Did you record all of this?"

"Of course, I'm not stupid."

"Alright, we've done our job. Let's report to the chief."

The three knocked on the chief's office door. Inside, the chief was on the phone.

"Don't worry, Director Wang, I understand..."

He had finished the main conversation and was just wrapping up. Seeing the officers, he motioned them in.

"You came at the right time," the chief placed the phone down and said seriously, "Just now, the bureau chief called personally. Lu Han has a special status. He provided crucial information to the anti-trafficking task force formed recently. The bureau chief wants us to try to classify his actions as self-defense if possible and issue a statement to calm the online uproar."

After hearing this, the three officers exchanged glances.

They were already inclined to view Lu Han's actions as self-defense, and now it seemed the injured party wouldn't object either.

With the higher-ups giving instructions, this would be much easier...

Two hours later, the first thing Lu Han did upon leaving the police station was light a cigarette. He had been itching for one inside.

Outside, there were two men and a woman waiting for him.

The woman was naturally Chu Ruoyan, and one of the men was Ling Mo.

The other man, around fifty years old, approached with a sheepish smile, "Young Master Lu, I'm Ling Hui. My son was foolish. I've come to apologize."

...

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