71: Chapter 71 From Deputy Director to Suspect?

Zhao Yang decided to add more fuel to the fire.

His tone suddenly became calm:

"Your daughter is in her senior year of high school, right? If her biological father goes to prison for framing someone, what do you think her future will be like?"

A daughter is a father's Achilles' heel.

Wang Lei jerked his head up, his voice trembling:

"I didn't frame Sun Hongwei! I was just... following orders."

"Whose orders?" Zhao Yang pressed relentlessly.

Silence.

A long silence.

Wang Lei clenched his fists so tightly his knuckles turned white.

An intense struggle waged within him. After a moment, he finally let out a long breath.

The June 11 Case had already been solved; there was no point in holding out any longer.

There was no need to gamble his daughter's future for a chance at a comeback.

Finally, Wang Lei's raspy voice broke the silence.

"It was Director Huang... Huang Shixun made me do it."

Zhao Yang looked up. His face showed no expression of victory, only solemnity.

"Be specific."

"On June 11th, after the report came in, Director Huang called me immediately. He said Sun Hongwei was a major suspect and ordered his immediate detention."

Wang Lei's voice grew lower and lower:

"After the Technical Brigade inspected the scene and collected evidence, I suggested that further investigation was needed. But Director Huang said it was the will of those above us, and that it had to be handled and closed quickly."

"Who are 'those above'?" Zhao Yang followed up.

"He didn't say, and I didn't dare ask."

Wang Lei shook his head. "Director Huang gave me a file, saying it contained the facts of Sun Hongwei's crimes, and told me to interrogate him based on that. He... he also gave me a page with the key points of Sun Hongwei's confession already written out."

Zhao Yang's heart sank.

As expected, just like in his previous life, this case had been a conspiracy from the very beginning.

"Where is that file?"

"Director Huang made me destroy it in front of him right after I finished reading it," Wang Lei said with a bitter smile.

"He said it was classified and couldn't be kept on file. I felt something was wrong, but... but I didn't dare ask."

Wang Lei's past record was stellar and his abilities were outstanding; there was no way he would have changed his view of a case just because of a superior's order.

There must have been some incentive involved.

Zhao Yang continued to press: "What did Huang Shixun promise you?"

Wang Lei was silent for a long time before he finally spoke with difficulty:

"He said... if this was handled properly, those above would recommend me to take over as Deputy Director. He also said if my daughter didn't do well on her exams, he could arrange for her to go to the Provincial Police Academy and enter the Municipal Bureau directly after graduation."

If that was the case, then it made sense.

Zhao Yang stopped the recording pen.

Gao Yan also stopped recording and handed the transcript to Wang Lei to confirm and sign.

Then, Zhao Yang pressed the call button on the table.

Two minutes later, Lu Zheng and Zheng Beichen walked into the interrogation room one after the other.

"He confessed," Zhao Yang said briefly. "The mastermind is Huang Shixun."

Lu Zheng's expression instantly became serious.

The top director had died mysteriously at a critical juncture, and the Executive Deputy Director was suspected of involvement in a frame-up.

The problems within the Tongan City police were indeed significant.

Severe ailments required strong medicine.

After Shen Zhentao's death, Huang Shixun was presiding over the Tongan Municipal Bureau's work and was highly likely to be the candidate for the next Director.

At a time like this, they had to act decisively.

Lu Zheng made a prompt decision: "Report to Secretary Gong immediately, and simultaneously apply for necessary measures against Huang Shixun."

Zheng Beichen was somewhat worried: "Huang Shixun is a city-managed official and a key leader in the public security system. We need more solid evidence before we can move against him."

"Then go find evidence!" Lu Zheng said categorically.

"Wang Lei's testimony plus the suspicious points in the Sun Hongwei case are enough to initiate investigation procedures."

Lu Zheng turned to look at Zhao Yang. "Zhao Yang, you go to the Municipal Bureau with Liu Yi and Wu Licheng to retrieve all relevant materials for the June 11 Case, especially documents signed by Huang Shixun."

Liu Yi and Wu Licheng were both section-level disciplinary inspection officers with rich case-handling experience.

With the two of them following, no one would dare to bully Zhao Yang for his youth.

Zhao Yang nodded: "Understood."

He looked at Wang Lei, who was sitting with his head down.

His shoulders were slumped, looking as if he had aged ten years in an instant.

"Your problems aren't over yet, but your voluntary confession will be recorded in the file."

Zhao Yang instructed in a deep voice: "Cooperate well with the follow-up investigation."

Walking out of the interrogation room, the lights in the corridor still emitted a cold glow.

It made the atmosphere of the entire passage feel somewhat oppressive.

Zhao Yang walked quickly toward the stairs, his phone already dialing.

"Jiang Nan, there's a new development in the case."

On the other end of the line, Jiang Nan was a bit surprised, her voice raspy and tinged with complaint:

"Oh, Great Group Leader Zhao, you actually remember me?"

Zhao Yang had been busy for several days collecting evidence and figuring out how to conduct the interrogation.

He hadn't had time to contact Jiang Nan; this girl likely had some resentment in her heart.

Zhao Yang knew her personality. He didn't apologize or explain, but instead continued:

"Wang Lei has confessed. It involves Deputy Director Huang of the Municipal Bureau. We need technical support."

Jiang Nan's voice immediately became crisp and professional:

"Go ahead, what do you need?"

"All of Huang Shixun's communication records, bank statements, and social relations. The more detailed, the better."

Jiang Nan's voice suddenly turned cool: "Why don't you go directly to Captain Xu for this?"

Zhao Yang chuckled. "Of course it's more reliable to go to one of my own. If he dares to slack off, you can keep an eye on him."

Holding the phone, the corners of Jiang Nan's mouth gradually curled up:

"One of your own? You've probably forgotten what I look like, haven't you?"

Zhao Yang glanced left and right, then lowered his voice:

"It's been etched into my heart long ago. How could I forget?"

A direct girl like Jiang Nan was most susceptible to such sweet talk.

Her arm trembled, and the phone almost fell to the ground:

"How annoying, that's so cheesy!"

But she knew the matter was of great importance and now was not the time for flirting. Her voice instantly became cool again:

"I'll give you a preliminary report in half an hour."

Hanging up the phone, Zhao Yang had already reached the ground floor.

Liu Yi and Wu Licheng followed behind him, and the three of them got into the car.

Wu Licheng started the engine. "Are we going to the Tongan Municipal Bureau first?"

"No." Zhao Yang looked at the street scenery flying past the window.

"Go to the Municipal Criminal Investigation Detachment first. We need to secure relevant evidence first. Huang Shixun is no ordinary person; we shouldn't alert the enemy easily."

On the second floor of the Criminal Investigation Detachment building, the door to the Technical Brigade office was slightly ajar.

When Zhao Yang pushed the door open and entered, Jiang Nan was facing away from the door, organizing documents.

Under her clean, crisp police uniform, her figure was slender yet upright, and her neat short hair swayed slightly with her movements.

"Where's the report?" Zhao Yang spoke directly.

Jiang Nan turned around. Her eyes first lit up, then she frowned:

"So scruffy. How long has it been since you looked in a mirror?"

Jiang Nan walked a few steps closer and pointed at his chin from a distance:

"Your beard is getting prickly. Your hair is so long too..."

She reached out to brush aside the overly long bangs on his forehead, her fingertips inadvertently grazing his skin. "It's almost covering your eyes."

Zhao Yang felt as if he had been struck by an electric shock, his whole body jolting.

He glanced sideways and saw that Liu Yi and Wu Licheng hadn't followed him in, so he quickly lowered his voice:

"When I wasn't handling the case, I was thinking about you. I didn't have time for a haircut."

"Stop being so glib. Think about how you're going to make it up to me!" The corners of Jiang Nan's mouth curled up.

She had felt some resentment, but acting spoiled or throwing a tantrum was something she simply couldn't do.

She pointed to the documents on the desk:

"Here's the information on Huang Shixun. There are quite a few problems in there."