Chapter 300 - 164: The Guard’s Suicide (Part 2)

Chapter 300: Chapter 164: The Guard’s Suicide (Part 2)

Yang Wenqing’s brow furrowed slightly. He pressed his communicator, connecting to Liu Min in the outer office. "What’s going on out there? I think I hear Chief Du’s voice."

Liu Min’s voice came through immediately. "Bureau Chief, it’s Chief Du. He says he has an urgent matter and must see you right away, but he doesn’t have an appointment scheduled for today. He seems very anxious."

’An urgent matter?’

Yang Wenqing’s mind raced. He knew Du Hong wasn’t a reckless man. For him to disregard protocol and force his way in, it had to be something serious.

"Let him in," Yang Wenqing said gravely.

"Yes, sir."

A few seconds later, the office door was pushed open and Du Hong strode in. His uniform was rumpled, devoid of his usual vigorous spirit.

"What has you so flustered?" As he spoke, Yang Wenqing casually cast a Dust Clearing Skill on Du Hong. He then glanced at Liu Min, who was about to enter to pour tea. She immediately took the hint and withdrew.

After the Dust Clearing Skill swept over him, Du Hong’s appearance tidied up slightly, but the anxiety etched on his face did not fade. At Yang Wenqing’s gesture, he sat in the chair opposite the desk. He took a few deep breaths, trying to calm himself, but his voice still held a suppressed tremor:

"Bureau Chief, it’s one of my men, Zhou Dachuan... He committed suicide early this morning in the break room of a patrol post on the west side of the mining district."

Du Hong’s fists were clenched tight. "He left a... suicide note. It contained some financial records and communication fragments. A preliminary look suggests he was using the convenience of his outer-ring patrols and his authority at the station to provide long-term cover for a group of smugglers and human traffickers. He even helped them forge temporary identification for some of their people."

His voice grew quieter, laced with shame and pain. "He was an old brother-in-arms who’d been with me for twenty years. His wife’s Spiritual Vein mysteriously began to wither three years ago. We raised a lot of money for her treatment over the years, but nothing worked. Recently, though, she suddenly started getting better. Someone must have been helping him."

He snapped his head up, his eyes red. "According to the clues he left, a group of Qi Cultivators from the direction of the Jade Whale Sect will be sneaking ashore tonight. They’ll be using the old route he used to provide cover for, at the shallows on the north side of the mining district. I want to..."

"I want to ask if you could personally oversee this tonight. I’ll lead my men to wipe them all out in one fell swoop. Dachuan paid for this lead with his life. If we take down this group, the merit... I want... I want to ask you for a favor. Could you change Dachuan’s file to say he died in the line of duty while apprehending a major criminal?"

As he finished, Du Hong suddenly slid from his chair and knelt on the floor. "Bureau Chief, Dachuan went down the wrong path, and he deserved to die for it. But he still has a wife and child at home—the kid’s only eight years old! I’m begging you, please let him have this last shred of dignity. Give his widow and orphan a chance to survive!"

The office fell silent, the only sound Du Hong’s heavy breathing.

A profound calm settled over Yang Wenqing’s face. He did not immediately move to help Du Hong up.

’Zhou Dachuan? A war hero driven to desperation by his wife’s strange illness, who then has a crisis of conscience and atones for his sins with his life and a final clue, all to secure a pension and a future for his family?’

’It sounded plausible, even tragically heroic.’

But the first thought that popped into Yang Wenqing’s head was: ’It’s too much of a coincidence.’

’It didn’t happen sooner, it didn’t happen later. It happened right when the undercurrents in the Lingshan New District are surging, and he just so happens to leave behind a perfectly clear piece of bait that promises a major victory.’

’Is it a trap?’

’Are they trying to lure me or Du Hong out?’

’Or did Zhou Dachuan really see no other way out, a final act of repentance now that he had nothing left to lose?’

’Or perhaps a mole caught wind of the internal investigation and is sacrificing a pawn to save the king? Using Zhou Dachuan, a piece that was already exposed or about to be, to draw my attention?’

’Or maybe... the problem is with Du Hong himself. After all, his reaction is completely out of character. Yet, his behavior is so overtly suspicious it’s almost as if he’s *trying* to make me think he’s the problem, which is a paradox in itself.’

Countless thoughts flashed through Yang Wenqing’s mind, but his expression remained impassive as he looked at Du Hong kneeling on the floor.

The silence stretched for about ten seconds before Yang Wenqing finally stood up. He walked around his large desk to Du Hong, reached out with both hands, and steadily pulled the tower-like man back to his feet.

"Chief Du, get up. Let’s talk."

Yang Wenqing’s voice carried a reassuring steadiness. "Zhou Dachuan was a war hero. He served the New District with distinction. To have turned back from his path in the end... well, it means he didn’t completely betray his uniform."

As Du Hong was helped up, he looked into Yang Wenqing’s calm eyes. His urgency subsided slightly, but he remained apprehensive.

"As for tonight’s operation..." Yang Wenqing patted Du Hong’s shoulder and turned his gaze to the window, as if in thought, then said:

"I remember there’s a small path leading up from the shallows, with cliffs on both sides. Years ago, someone suggested we fill it in. I went to scout it myself, and it was indeed perfect for smuggling and illegal entry. But then the Civil Affairs Bureau stepped in, planned a fishing village near the cliffs by the shallows, and built patrol posts. That’s why I didn’t go with the suggestion to bury the path."

"I never thought they’d still find a loophole. That place is perfect for an ambush. Here’s what we’ll do: you go back first and set up tonight’s operation as normal, based on the intel Zhou Dachuan left."

He paused, looking Du Hong in the eye. "If the intelligence is solid, I will be there tonight. We won’t let a single target escape, and the credit you’re due won’t be overlooked. And Zhou Dachuan’s matter... we can discuss it." He left his words deliberately open-ended.

"Yes! Bureau Chief, thank you, Bureau Chief!" Du Hong exclaimed, snapping to attention with a salute, his eyes growing red again. "I’ll go back and prepare right now. I’ll have the men deployed within half an hour!"

"Mm, go on. Remember, this matter is strictly confidential. Your deployment should appear lax on the outside but be tight on the inside. Don’t let anyone notice anything unusual," Yang Wenqing added as a final instruction.

"Understood!" Du Hong nodded firmly, then turned and strode out of the office.

As the office door closed, the gentle expression on Yang Wenqing’s face vanished. He sat back down in his chair, his gaze as sharp as a knife.

He activated the Communication Array on his desk and contacted Kong Yu. "Captain Kong," he ordered, "I want you to immediately investigate Du Hong, the chief of the mining district’s police station. I want a report on his recent financial status and everyone he’s been in contact with before nightfall. This must be done covertly."

"Yes, Bureau Chief!"

After ending the communication, Yang Wenqing activated the City Defense System on his desk and pulled up Du Hong’s personnel file. After reading it, he used the Communication Array again to contact Zhu Yunchuan. "Yunchuan, come see me."

"Right away, Bureau Chief."

Ending the call, Yang Wenqing leaned back in his chair, his gaze profound.

Zhu Yunchuan arrived at the office in less than ten minutes. Yang Wenqing skipped the pleasantries and recounted everything Du Hong had reported, including the details about Zhou Dachuan’s suicide note and the tip about the smuggling operation that night.

After hearing Yang Wenqing’s account, Zhu Yunchuan’s brow furrowed. He contemplated for a moment before shaking his head. "Bureau Chief, I don’t buy it."

His eyes met Yang Wenqing’s. "I’ve handled countless cases, and I’ve never seen anyone just have a crisis of conscience. Greed only grows. I think this is someone who was already dirty, and just as he was about to be completely exposed or lose his value, he was thrown out by the masterminds behind him. It’s a way for them to cut their losses and lure us into a trap."

"Actually, we’d already received some anonymous tips about this Zhou Dachuan. We were just about to open a file on him, but then this happened. As for Du Hong, his behavior is certainly abnormal, but if he were really dirty, the mining district would have rotted from the inside out long ago. Besides, he went through all the standard vetting procedures when he was appointed chief of the station."

Yang Wenqing nodded slightly. Zhu Yunchuan’s assessment matched his own intuition perfectly. "I agree, it’s too coincidental. But that’s precisely why it’s worth investigating. The fact that it looks like a trap makes it all the more intriguing. The enemy is making a move, which means our recent actions are putting pressure on them. We may have even hit a nerve. That’s a good thing."

A sharp glint flashed in Zhu Yunchuan’s eyes. "So you’re saying... we should play along?"

"Exactly." Yang Wenqing stood up and walked to the window, gazing down at the orderly compound of the branch bureau. "Since they want to lure me out, I’ll go. But not in the way they expect."

Zhu Yunchuan also rose and came to stand beside Yang Wenqing. "What do you have in mind, Bureau Chief?"