115: Chapter 115 Let's Begin

The shockwave of the explosion swept past, carrying debris with it.

The two officers holding shields felt a massive force slam into them, sending them flying into the air and crashing onto the road three or four meters away.

Their shields were embedded with fine shrapnel, densely packed like pockmarks on a face.

"Don't move! Nobody move!"

The officers behind them raised their guns in unison, aiming at the two vehicles engulfed in flames.

The flames roared in the night wind, causing the car frames to crackle and pop.

The Audi A6 and Mitsubishi Pajero were completely deformed, looking like two crushed tin cans.

Zhao Yang lay flat on the front seat, his eardrums ringing, his vision filled with the lingering red spots from the explosion.

After a long while, he finally heard someone shouting:

"Clear!"

He slowly lifted his head and looked out through the window, which had lost its glass.

Jiang Peng had lost too much blood; his face was pale as paper. He staggered to his feet but lost his balance, collapsing onto the officer beside him.

Two officers immediately helped him into a car to be taken for treatment.

Zhang Bin endured his pain and stayed behind to assist with the crime scene investigation.

Not far from the police car, two armed men lay on the ground.

One was lying on his back with two bloody holes in his chest and a pool of dark red blood beneath him; he had already stopped breathing.

The other lay on his side, his right hand gripping a remote control, his thumb still pressing the red button.

Several officers gathered around, kicked the remote control away, and turned the man over.

His face was bruised and swollen, his lips black, and a strange white foam hung from the corner of his mouth.

"Captain, this one is dead." The officer checked his carotid artery. "It looks like poisoning."

A few minutes later, the county road was cordoned off, and the police car headlights illuminated the scene as bright as day.

Technicians from the Provincial Criminal Investigation Detachment squatted on the ground, carefully examining the two bodies.

"Jiang Peng's shot hit the right chest, but it wasn't fatal."

The technician pried the corpse's mouth open and shone a flashlight inside. "The issue is here."

Using tweezers, he extracted a shattered molar from the deceased's mouth.

The tooth was hollow in the middle, with a faint smell of bitter almonds remaining.

"Potassium cyanide." The technician placed the tooth into an evidence bag. "It causes poisoning immediately upon biting, leading to cardiac arrest within ten seconds. It's a standard method for suicide squads."

Another team inspected the firearms left on the ground.

"A Czech-made CZ-750 sniper rifle, with an effective range of eight hundred meters."

The officer lifted the gun and held it up to the light to check the serial number on the frame.

"The serial number has been filed off; we can't trace the source."

He removed the magazine and sniffed the scent of gunpowder in the barrel:

"The bullets are also custom-made—7.62x51mm NATO standard rounds—but the warheads have been modified for higher penetration. I've seen this modification technique before."

The new captain of the Provincial Criminal Investigation Detachment, Li Tiejun, asked, "Where have you seen it?"

"The batch of goods seized by the anti-narcotics team last year—it flowed in from the Golden Triangle."

The officer looked up. "If I'm not mistaken, these firearms and ammunition likely came from a mercenary organization in Southeast Asia."

Zhao Yang leaned against the police car, listening to these words, a chill running down his back.

Mercenaries from Southeast Asia.

How could an official like Ji Hongwen get connected with such people?

Even if he had the connections, why was he so insane?

There were many things that Zhao Yang couldn't understand.

Logically, Sun Dehai shouldn't have any issues, and currently, it seemed Li Chengjian was fine too. Being tracked this time—where the problem actually lay was something that left Zhao Yang completely confused.

After the initial panic and fear, he gradually became resolute.

If officials like Ji Hongwen were not eradicated, where would justice and heaven's law be?

He had embarked on this path; there was no turning back, nor was there any need to.

Zhang Bin sat by the rear door of the ambulance, his left arm bandaged.

He stared at the two corpses, his expression complex.

"What are you thinking about?" Captain Li Tiejun walked over.

"Wondering why they committed suicide." Zhang Bin withdrew his gaze.

Li Tiejun was silent for a moment:

"People who can make overseas killers work for them won't leave trouble for themselves."

Zhang Bin nodded and beckoned to Zhao Yang:

"Zhao Yang, come over and see if there will be a scar on your face."

Zhao Yang twitched the corner of his mouth. "Just a superficial wound; it's fine."

Li Tiejun walked over. "Comrade Zhao Yang, I'm sorry for the inconvenience, but please stay at our detachment's guesthouse with Accountant Li tonight. We'll send you back to Tongan tomorrow."

Zhao Yang looked at Li Chengjian.

This guy was curled up in the back seat of the police car, still trembling, his face as white as paper.

"Alright," Zhao Yang said.

Before leaving, he glanced one more time at the two cars burned down to their frames.

The chassis numbers had been burned away, and the fuel tank explosion had blown the undercarriage to pieces.

Even a celestial being wouldn't be able to trace where these two cars came from.

Suicide operatives, wiping away traces, overseas firearms.

Every step was calculated perfectly.

The guesthouse was in the innermost part of the Provincial Criminal Investigation Detachment compound, in an old five-story building.

In the room, Zhao Yang washed the blood off his face.

The wound from the impact of the shattered tempered glass was small; even if it left a scar, it wouldn't matter much.

Li Chengjian was curled up under the quilt, with only his head exposed, his eyes staring blankly at the ceiling.

"Comrade Zhao," Li Chengjian suddenly spoke, his voice hoarse, "Why... are these people so ruthless?"

Zhao Yang turned his head to look at him.

Li Chengjian's eye sockets were sunken, his eyes red-rimmed, his face full of panic and fear.

If Li Chengjian were to get cold feet at this moment, not only would this trip be in vain, but many investigation plans would also be disrupted.

Zhao Yang thought for a moment, then looked at Li Chengjian firmly, his words resonant and powerful:

"No matter how ruthless they are, they are just rats that cannot see the light of day.

"Behind us stands the law and justice. No matter how difficult the investigation is, we must persist.

"Punishing corruption and restoring clarity to the world is the very meaning of our existence as discipline inspection and supervision personnel."

Li Chengjian stared at him for a long while.

He gradually noticed that this young face was resolute and decisive, possessing a maturity beyond his years.

"Comrade Zhao, to be honest, before you said that, I was wavering..."

Zhao Yang: "I have wavered too; I can understand."

...

Two o'clock in the morning, Villa No. 2 in the Provincial Committee residential compound of Donghai Province.

Xiao Zhiyuan stood in front of the study window, his phone pressed to his ear, his face so gloomy it looked like it could drip water.

A man's voice came through the receiver, carrying a Nanyang accent:

"Mr. Xiao, the information you provided was incorrect, causing us to lose two killers. The twenty-million deposit will not be refunded. Additionally, you must pay another ten million as compensation."

Xiao Zhiyuan laughed in extreme anger. "Compensation? Your mission failed, and you still want me to pay compensation?"

The other end of the line was silent for two seconds, then spoke coldly:

"You can choose not to pay, but you might want to try and see what happens."

Having said that, the other party immediately hung up the phone.

Xiao Zhiyuan stood where he was, his hand holding the phone trembling slightly.

Officials have their way, and criminals have theirs.

Some things are the bottom line; once touched, they must never be touched again.

Otherwise, he would fall into an endless abyss.

After a long time, he took a deep breath and dialed another number.

The ringtone went on for a long time before the other side picked up.

Ji Hongwen's voice sounded somewhat weary:

"Zhiyuan? So late..."

"It failed." Xiao Zhiyuan interrupted him. "I can only help this much. From here on, you'll have to handle it yourself."

Ji Hongwen was silent.

How Xiao Zhiyuan had helped, he didn't know.

But he understood that from now on, Xiao Zhiyuan intended to completely sever ties with him.

Ji Hongwen leaned against the headboard, lit a cigarette, and fell into deep thought.

The Provincial Commission for Discipline Inspection held the evidence; Guo Mingkai couldn't hold out for much longer.

He could only hope that Guo Mingkai would only confess to matters regarding the restructuring and mention nothing else.

Unfortunately, at this very moment, Bai Fengyin was under police control, and he had no way to intervene to get her out.

The situation was out of control, making Ji Hongwen feel powerless.

He pulled back a corner of the curtain and looked outside.

Outside the window, the night was thick, like ink that wouldn't dissolve.

The next morning, the Provincial Criminal Investigation Detachment sent an armored car to take Zhao Yang and Li Chengjian back to Tongan.

The driver was a young officer, and another armed colleague sat in the passenger seat.

Two and a half hours later, the car stopped at the compound of the Commission for Discipline Inspection's Integrity Education Center.

Zhao Yang led Li Chengjian to see Lu Zheng.

After Lu Zheng greeted them warmly, he said to Li Chengjian:

"Accountant Li, let's begin."