Chapter 143 - 135: Yin Shuangyang’s Accomplice

Chapter 143: Chapter 135: Yin Shuangyang’s Accomplice

With a VR headset on and a remote in her hands, Liu Ye’ye successfully piloted an FPV delivery drone to drop napalm Molotovs on the cruise ship’s top deck.

Yu Dong watched the flames erupt and nodded.

"It’s a success... Let’s go."

A moment later, the cruise ship’s whistle blared. Captain Chen Guangzu climbed out of a female attendant’s bed and stared at the blaze on his ship...

"FUCK!"

Then, numerous sailors and maintenance personnel rushed out of bars and portside hotels, sprinting toward the ship.

But the burning napalm cocktails were extremely persistent, igniting many of the chairs and facilities on the top deck. The sailors couldn’t extinguish the fire right away.

It wasn’t until the fire trucks arrived that the flames on the top deck were completely extinguished.

「The next morning.」

The more than 5,000 tourists who were on their way or had already arrived all received text messages announcing the cruise’s delayed departure.

In an instant, the cruise line’s customer service department was completely overwhelmed.

"It must be repaired within a day!"

This was the strict order given to Captain Chen Guangzu by his superiors.

Repair crews from the cruise line’s deck and engine departments, along with technicians from shoreside repair shops, all boarded the ship for emergency repairs. They scrambled to fix the top deck’s facilities, repaint and redecorate everything, and restore its former luxury.

A large number of out-of-town tourists who had come specifically for the cruise were now stranded around Huangyang Port. All the surrounding hotels, inns, and guesthouses were completely sold out.

Several officers from the Huangyang Port Police Station arrived at Huangyang Port to assess the situation, take notes, and make inquiries in the area.

Early in the morning, Yu Dong stood on the second floor of a warehouse at B Port, watching the situation unfold through a pair of binoculars. He nodded slightly.

This was exactly the effect he wanted.

The cruise ship’s boarding time had to be delayed!

Otherwise, with the few people they had, it would be impossible to control that ship!

Once people start to panic, words become useless.

’Trying to control over 5,000 people and make them follow orders? That would be insane.’

’A rout is like a landslide.’

’In my past life, even Qiao Yunliang and his soldiers had been severely weakened by the stampeding, chaotic crowds.’

Besides, this fire had just herded all the people he truly needed right onto the ship.

’These maintenance engineers and sailors... they’re the most valuable personnel.’

’Whether or not we can actually operate this cruise ship depends on if I can save those among them who don’t turn.’

This was the most important mission for Yu Dong’s team today.

BEEP BEEP BEEP~

His phone rang. It was a call from Xufeng.

Yu Dong glanced at the time: 7:00 AM sharp.

"Xufeng... Okay, I understand. I’m leaving the medical lab to you... Good luck. After 7:05 PM, get out immediately and call me."

Xufeng had taken a group of their people to a special research laboratory in Yanhai City. It stored many viral prototypes and had a negative pressure lab, which was a completely sterile environment.

Getting into the facility was troublesome and complicated, requiring numerous approvals. Luckily, Qiao Ping’s husband was the director of the epidemic prevention station. He had influence in matters of public health and safety, and through his connections, Yu Dong’s group had secured a chance to enter.

Xufeng had just told him that Qiao Ping’s mother, husband, and daughter Nuonuo had also gone inside with them. This set Yu Dong’s mind completely at ease.

It proved that Qiao Ping was starting to believe him and wanted to protect her family.

’No matter how the virus spreads, it can’t possibly get into a completely sealed and sterile negative pressure laboratory... right?’

The laboratory in Yanhai City wasn’t very large, and Qiao Ping’s husband couldn’t grant all their requests. In the end, he only gave them a few precious entry slots.

Yu Dong used these precious slots to send in Xufeng, Ding Ming, Huang Zhiqiang’s mother, and Liu Ye’ye’s father.

After hanging up, Yu Dong relaxed.

’If this method works, I’ll be able to save my two good brothers. With help from Xufeng and Ding Ming, my core team will become even stronger.’

’We’ll be much stronger than in my past life, in terms of both combat ability and intelligence.’

’Xufeng is an all-rounder, a "pentagonal warrior." He could serve as my second-in-command and help manage the team.’

’And as for Ding Ming, he goes without saying. A man of few words, efficient and decisive, who isn’t afraid to fight and risk it all. A top-tier executor.’

Yu Dong felt that if these two brothers survived, his core team would have more leverage when dealing with "authority figures" like Officer Wang.

’Speaking of which... there was a fire here, so how come Officer Wang hasn’t shown up?’

’This is within the jurisdiction of the Huangyang Port Police Station. Officer Wang definitely should have come for a fire.’

’Unless... he wasn’t at the Huangyang Port Police Station.’

Yu Dong’s eyelid twitched.

’It’s the butterfly effect... No, I have to get things back on track.’

...

「Yanhai City Criminal Police Division.」

"Wang, your temporary transfer order has been processed. You don’t have to go to the police station anymore. You’re coming back to our division."

Captain Ma tossed a transfer order to Wang Dingbei.

Wang Dingbei held the order, his expression a mixture of joy and bitterness.

"Ma... this thing... you could say it’s simple, takes only three days to get approved. Or you could say it’s hard... it took me three years to finally get this chance. Tell me, why is it so damn complicated just to do some good for the people?"

"Watch your mouth, Wang. I worked my ass off to get you this opportunity. Once this case is closed, forget just coming back to the division—even getting a promotion won’t be a problem. And thanks to you, I might be able to move up a little, too. So don’t let that mouth of yours ruin it."

"Ma, no offense, but you’re a total careerist!" Wang Dingbei said with a look of disdain.

"So what if I’m a careerist? Those positions are just sitting there. If I don’t go for them, some incompetent hack will. If I move up, I can help you guys get things done. If someone else moves up... could you really work on your cases with peace of mind? This is called seeing the big picture! You should take some notes, Wang. Once you figure it out, you can take over as captain."

"Alright, alright, Ma, you’re always right. I’m going to check on my prisoner. The guy’s being transferred to the special task force from upstairs today."

"Yeah, go on. Find a way to make him give up Zou Hong..."

Wang Dingbei indeed wasn’t going back to the police station. He hadn’t finished hunting his "big tiger" yet.

In the interrogation room, Wang Dingbei faced Yin Shuangyang, who was slumped drowsily in a chair, clearly exhausted from the prolonged questioning. Wang Dingbei dragged a chair across the floor.

SCREEECH—

The loud, grating noise startled the drowsy Yin Shuangyang awake.

Yin Shuangyang barely lifted his eyelids. Seeing it was Wang Dingbei, he closed them again.

"President Yin, your twelve henchmen have already confessed. They said they were acting under your orders to kidnap the college student, Yu Dong, and that they were carrying lethal weapons. You’re not getting away with the charges of kidnapping, extortion, and premeditated assault."

"The prisoner’s dilemma... Nicely played." Yin Shuangyang glanced coolly at Wang Dingbei, unsurprised.

"Heh heh... Well, you are President Yin, the man who plays both sides of the law. I shouldn’t have expected to hide it from you."

"You only had one goal from the very beginning... to force my hand. You pretended you were going to take me down with that ledger, but you were actually just giving me time to react. You put me under the pressure of exposure so that I’d eventually be forced to act and solve the ’problem’ myself. You knew auditing my books would be too difficult, too time-consuming. But if I made a rash move, you could quickly capitalize on my mistake... Wang Dingbei, you really are a cunning old fox."

"It takes an old fox to catch a venomous scorpion like you, doesn’t it? Now that you’re in here, your men... they’re just meat on my chopping block. I can carve them up however I please. No one is going to lay down their life for a man who’s about to fall."

The thugs sent to kidnap Yu Dong had been tough-as-nails at first, each one more stubborn than the last. But once they saw that Yin Shuangyang was formally arrested... the choice between confessing for a reduced sentence or staying silent and rotting in prison was an easy one.

"But there’s one thing I just can’t figure out... How did you get my ledger?"

Only Yin Shuangyang himself knew the ledger existed. It was his ultimate insurance policy. If he ever got caught, it was supposed to be mutually assured destruction, dragging everyone down with him.

That’s why, despite the countless tips and investigations into him over the years, nothing ever managed to even scratch him.

It was the people in that ledger who helped him smooth everything over...

Theoretically, as long as he didn’t do anything too outrageous or go out of his way to court disaster, he should have been able to live comfortably to a quiet retirement.

To be taken down by a minor figure like Wang Dingbei... he couldn’t accept it.

At the mention of the ledger... Wang Dingbei’s eyes narrowed slightly. "If you don’t want anyone to know, don’t do it... There’s no such thing as a perfect crime."

"Heh..." Yin Shuangyang wasn’t interested in such bureaucratic platitudes.

"I have another question for you today... Where is that good brother of yours? The one who helped you build this empire?"

"I don’t know what you’re talking about."

"Zou Hong! The wanted fugitive, guilty of armed murder! The one who burned two of my brothers from the division to death two years ago!"

Wang Dingbei couldn’t rest until that man was caught.

Three years ago, he’d been transferred to the Huangyang Port Police Station for investigating Yin Shuangyang. But they hadn’t given up. Instead, his two apprentices had continued to follow the case...

And just as they discovered some key evidence, they were burned to death in a hotel room, and the evidence disappeared with them.

Surveillance footage showed Zou Hong was the perpetrator, but the man was like a ghost. He often resided overseas, coming and going by sea, and they had never been able to catch him.

He had assumed Yin Shuangyang would send Zou Hong to handle things this time, but surprisingly, the man never appeared, which irritated Wang Dingbei.

"I don’t know what you’re talking about," Yin Shuangyang sneered.

Neither man got the answer he wanted.

"Officer Wang, you have a call."

Wang Dingbei stepped out of the interrogation room and answered Yu Dong’s call.

"Yes? What is it?"

"Officer Wang, are you still coming to Huangyang Port today?"

"I’m busy with a major criminal here, I don’t have time to go over there. You should keep a low profile for a while, too. Don’t go out unless you have to. One of Yin Shuangyang’s crews is still out there."

"Officer Wang, no matter what, you have to make time to come to Huangyang Port at 6:30 this evening. I have something important that I must tell you in person."

"Can’t do it. I have to escort the transport vehicle. Let’s make it later. 8:30, the usual place."

"That’ll be too late!"

"What’s this about ’too late’? If it’s that urgent, why don’t you come find me at the division headquarters now?"

"Officer Wang, 6:30 PM, at Huangyang Port. Or don’t you want to know how I got my hands on that ledger?"

Wang Dingbei’s eyes locked on. It wasn’t just Yin Shuangyang who couldn’t figure that question out. He himself had pulled all the bank’s surveillance footage and hadn’t seen a single person touch that ledger.

In other words, Yu Dong was definitely hiding a huge secret.

"Fine... I’ll be there."