I Cultivate in a Government Office

Chapter 203: Chapter 120: The Never-ending Meeting

He looked toward Xia Meng, who was waiting for orders at the door. "Captain Xia, will your people supervise them?"

"Yes, sir!"

After the order was given, the atmosphere in the office instantly grew tense.

Yang Wenqing sat back down in his chair. His gaze returned to the messy pile of case files, but his mind was no longer on them at all.

However, deep down, he wasn’t worried. Instead, he felt a sense of relief. He hadn’t expected his opponent to reveal so many openings, and such foolish ones at that.

Time ticked by, second by second, yet there was still no news of Zhou Yong. Not only did Yang Wenqing not feel discouraged, but the pressure on him actually lessened. He even specifically contacted Director Gao to report the matter, and Director Gao felt the same way he did.

But it was a different story for the investigators on the ground. They were itching to dig three feet deep just to unearth Zhou Yong. This was especially true for the patrol officers of the First Squad, who had worked under him; they were like ants on a hot pan.

As a result, the search was incredibly efficient.

Meanwhile, Li Yue’s side was also periodically sending back scattered statements. Most were recollections from ordinary workers and vendors who had been in contact with Wu Yan and Liu Rong before their murders. The information was trivial and of limited value, failing to point to any clear, core clues for the time being.

In the interrogation room next door, Wu Qianjun was still tirelessly questioning the detained foremen and accountants from Hongyuan Trading Company. His questions grew increasingly tricky and he applied more and more pressure, but the men still claimed to know nothing.

Yang Wenqing never expected Wu Qianjun to get anything real out of them. It was just a necessary posture.

Time passed, and the sky quickly darkened. Just after nine in the evening, Wang Ze’en’s voice came through the Communication Array. "Yang Group Leader, we’ve found a trace of Zhou Yong..."

"Bring him back. Don’t make a big scene."

"Yes, sir!"

Half an hour later, Wang Ze’en walked in with two patrol officers, escorting a man whose hands were tied behind his back and whose mouth was gagged. The man was covered in mud and bits of grass.

It was none other than Zhou Yong, who had been missing for the better part of the day.

"Yang Group Leader..."

Wang Ze’en saluted and reported, "We found him in an abandoned ventilation shaft in the Southern Town Old Mine District."

Yang Wenqing’s gaze fell on the disheveled Zhou Yong. Zhou Yong looked up as well, his eyes meeting Yang Wenqing’s with a complicated expression containing panic, resentment, and a hint of despair.

"Take him for questioning."

Yang Wenqing instructed Wang Ze’en, showing no intention of handling it himself.

Wang Ze’en nodded and led Zhou Yong into the interrogation room next door. The moment he locked Zhou Yong into the interrogation chair, untied the ropes binding him, and removed the gag from his mouth, Zhou Yong immediately began to beg for mercy.

"I’ll talk! I’ll tell you everything! Yang Group Leader, Captain Wang, spare me! I was just following orders!"

Wang Ze’en hadn’t even asked a question before Zhou Yong started spilling everything. The content of his confession made Yang Wenqing raise an eyebrow slightly.

Zhou Yong mostly implicated people from the Civil Affairs Bureau system, specifically naming Vice Director Li, who held considerable influence in the county. According to Zhou Yong, several of Vice Director Li’s relatives or agents in Lingshan Town had used certain Commerce Associations to reap substantial benefits from project contracting, material procurement, and even labor management, sometimes using less-than-clean methods.

As a patrol captain, Zhou Yong had taken some "hardship pay" to help handle minor troubles, such as chasing off disobedient workers or suppressing small public order disputes.

As for the thirteen bodies, he claimed it was an order from above.

Listening to Zhou Yong’s rambling yet detailed confession, a playful smile appeared on Yang Wenqing’s face. He said to Qian Lu beside him, "I didn’t expect our valiant Captain Zhou to be such a coward. He probably panicked and fled the moment he sensed someone was investigating those twelve bodies. If he had just taken the heat, the people from the Civil Affairs Bureau could have easily dealt with this."

Qian Lu wore a knowing smile. "They probably didn’t expect Captain Zhou to be so spineless. The interrogation hadn’t even gotten serious, and he was already scared enough to shift all the blame."

"Truly, life is unpredictable!"

Yang Wenqing nodded in deep agreement and then gave an order. "Make a trip and ask Director Liao to come over. Just say there’s a matter involving the Civil Affairs Bureau."

"I’ll go right away," Qian Lu replied, then quickly left.

Inside the interrogation room, Zhou Yong was still confessing nonstop. The details became increasingly trivial, from accepting two cartons of good cigarettes from a Commerce Association boss to helping one of Vice Director Li’s distant nephews get out of a drunken brawl. He was recounting every little thing, as if trying to confess every dirty deed of his life in exchange for leniency.

Qian Lu soon returned with Liao Tianming. When Director Liao saw the scene in the interrogation room, his expression darkened slightly, especially upon hearing Zhou Yong mention Vice Director Li’s name and some specific incidents. However, he quickly regained his composure, nodded to Yang Wenqing, and sat down beside him, listening quietly.

Zhou Yong’s confession went on for nearly two hours. He kept repeating himself, but the core of his testimony remained focused on the transfer of benefits and shady operations within the Civil Affairs Bureau system. He never touched upon the murders of Wu Yan and Liu Rong.

Yang Wenqing glanced at the time and ordered Xia Meng, who was beside him, "Get him to say something useful."

Xia Meng understood. She entered the interrogation room and, under Zhou Yong’s terrified gaze, walked over to Wang Ze’en and whispered something in his ear.

Then, Wang Ze’en slammed his hand on the table and demanded in a harsh voice, "Zhou Yong, stop spouting all this useless nonsense! I’m asking you, when Zheng Hu took his men to Hongyuan Trading Company, what exactly happened at the scene? How did those thirteen people die? Was it an accident, or did someone intentionally silence them? I want a clear answer!"