I Cultivate in a Government Office

Chapter 211: Chapter 124: Arresting People

Qianjiao County Town, in the study of Zhang Qiming’s mansion.

Night had fallen, but the study was brightly lit. The curtains were drawn tight, shutting out any prying eyes from the outside world. The air was thick with the strong scent of burnt cigars.

Zhang Qiming stood behind a large mahogany desk, facing a splash-ink painting of the Thousand Reefs Archipelago’s rugged landscape hanging on the wall. The cigar between his fingers had already burned down more than halfway, its ash falling silently onto the carpet, but he remained completely oblivious.

On the sofa across from him sat Vice Director Liu, his face ashen. His hands were crossed over his slightly chubby belly. His usually smiling, round face was now long and drawn, his brows knitted into a knot.

"Your people are completely unreliable!"

Vice Director Liu’s voice wasn’t loud, but it was laden with accusation. "The investigation team had just arrived. They hadn’t even done anything to him, and he was already scared out of his wits, spilling his guts like beans from a bamboo tube. If we hadn’t reacted quickly enough and pushed Jin Lai forward to take the fall, we all would have gone down."

Zhang Qiming turned around. His face was expressionless, but his eyes were so dark they could have been dripping ink. He walked to the desk, forcefully stubbed out his cigar in the crystal ashtray, and it went out with a soft SIZZLE.

"Director Liu..." His voice was deliberately steady, though suppressed. "I admit I misjudged my people. But now is not the time for pointing fingers."

"For now, let’s both figure out how to cut all the necessary ties. And another thing—the case about the attack on the guards. You’d better not involve me. I know nothing about it!"

As he spoke, Vice Director Liu had already gotten up. He strode to the door, then turned back to glare at Zhang Qiming. "You people have some nerve, attacking and killing guards in public. Do you really think you’re demonic cultivators?"

His tone was filled with contempt. With that, he pushed the door open and left.

A flash of anger crossed Zhang Qiming’s face, but he quickly suppressed it. He sat down on a large, standalone armchair next to the desk, took a special communication Magical Artifact from his Storage Bag, and activated it.

As a flash of Spiritual Light pulsed, a cool, detached voice came from the Magical Artifact. "My dear leader, now is not the time for communications. Why are you contacting me at an hour like this? Aren’t you afraid of being monitored?"

Zhang Qiming said coldly, "If I didn’t contact you, were you just going to sell me out? I’m asking you, what the hell happened with Liu Rong and Wu Yan? Do you have any idea how much trouble you’ve caused?!"

"Those were two Qi Cultivators from the Northern Border. They discovered the two guards snooping around the warehouse perimeter and panicked about being exposed, so... We have already punished them severely."

"Punished? The men are dead! What good is punishment now?" Zhang Qiming’s anger finally erupted. "Now Yang Wenqing has his investigation team tearing Lingshan Town apart, and the Inspectorate has gotten involved—all because your people acted recklessly!"

"What’s done is done. There’s no use talking about it now. Don’t worry, we will clean everything up. Nothing will trace back to you."

Zhang Qiming’s heart jolted. "What do you mean? Clean up? You’re leaving? You should know that if I don’t succeed in Lingshan Town this time, everything is over for me."

"You are a high-ranking official, after all, with the Zhang family backing you. Don’t you know how to use your power to crush people? This is just a power game. An investigation simply needs a result. Once I’m done with my current business, I’ll give them a result, one that’s guaranteed to satisfy them."

The voice’s tone held a flicker of disdain. "Don’t forget your position. Look at the skin you wear. You are the one who controls the rules. Even if all the evidence points to you, you don’t need to panic. You can turn this into a power game, and in a power game, there is no right or wrong. When the time comes, who knows who will be the one to fall."

This person sounded very composed, but if he knew that Bureau Chief Zhang’s bookkeeping habits for his fraudulent accounts had already exposed their entire network, one wonders if he would still be so calm.

...

「The next day, in Lingshan Town.」

Yang Wenqing was being extremely patient. He strictly followed the investigative direction established at the public meeting the previous night, refraining from deploying any sensitive resources. He simply waited, like a hunter lying in ambush in the tall grass.

At the evening meeting, Liao Tianming presented the preliminary audit report. It pointed out several clear irregularities in Hongyuan Trading Company’s books and suspicious fund flows. However, all of it still fell within the scope of commercial violations and potential gray-area profit transfers, so the meeting continued to circle around the framework set the day before.

「The third day, at 10:15 PM.」

A dust-covered Flying Shuttle stopped at the back door of the public security station. Liu Xin jumped out, brushed the dust off her clothes, and walked straight to the waiting Yang Wenqing.

"Yang Group Leader, I’m here." Her eyes were bright and clear. Behind her were six agents and two technicians in dark work clothes, the latter carrying two heavy metal cases.

"Perfect timing."

Yang Wenqing shook Liu Xin’s hand. After so many years of working together, Liu Xin had come to accept Yang Wenqing as her superior, especially now that he was a police commissioner.

After exchanging a few pleasantries, Yang Wenqing led them into the public security station. He had Qian Lu arrange for the six agents to get some rest, while he took Liu Xin and the two technicians into his Quiet Chamber.

The moment they entered the Quiet Chamber, the two technicians opened the cases. Inside were complex and precise components, gleaming with a cold metallic luster and the faint, flowing light of runes.

One of the technicians explained in a low voice, "This is the latest ’Diting Model B.’ It’s extremely sensitive to residual Spiritual Qi within specific frequencies, especially to violent disturbances over a short period or the moment a high-intensity energy shield is forcibly penetrated. Bureau Chief Gao specially requested it from the municipal bureau."