157: Chapter 157 The Mastermind Emerges

Imperial Capital International Hospital, VIP Ward.

The night outside the window was so thick it couldn't be thinned; inside the ward, there was only the rhythmic ticking of the heart monitor.

Chen Fan sat by the bed, his fingers gently holding Su Wanqing's hand. His gaze lingered on her profile as she slept soundly under the influence of medication. Her brow was still furrowed; even in her dreams, the fright from today had not completely dissipated.

Chen Haoyu stood at the door, not daring to make a sound.

He had just finished reporting the results of the 'disposal' of the heads of the Industry and Commerce, Fire, and other departments, as well as the progress of the comprehensive commercial strangulation of Chens Department Store. Those figures who once called the shots in the Imperial Capital had, within a few short hours, either died in 'accidents' or had their reputations ruined.

Chen Haoyu's encrypted phone vibrated.

He answered the call, listened for a few moments, then walked over to Chen Fan and lowered his voice. "Second Uncle, the woman who led the trouble has been caught. The Shadow Unit is interrogating her, but she's being very stubborn. She insists it was a spontaneous act and that she has the Chen family's backing, so we can't touch her."

Chen Fan did not look back, his gaze still fixed on Su Wanqing's face.

"Switch the hospital's real-time surveillance feed to the interrogation room."

His voice was very soft, yet it made Chen Haoyu tense up all over.

Chen Haoyu immediately operated his tablet, switching the LCD TV on the ward wall to another scene—a dark, abandoned warehouse. Under the dim yellow light, the middle-aged woman who had been wailing at the supermarket entrance was tied to a chair.

There wasn't a hint of fear on her face; instead, she was full of arrogance and confidence in her protection.

"Don't waste your energy!" the woman shouted at the camera. "I am Madam Liu's person! If you dare touch a single hair on my head, the Chen family won't let you off!"

She firmly believed that as long as she kept her mouth shut, the Chen family would guarantee her a lifetime of wealth and prosperity.

Chen Fan looked at the TV screen and said to Chen Haoyu, "Order Shadow to show this lady some news."

Chen Haoyu immediately relayed the command.

In the warehouse, a member of the Shadow Unit, dressed in black combat gear with a mask over his face, took out a tablet, clicked on several videos, and placed them in front of the woman.

The videos were clips from the local news.

The first was a horrific car accident scene where a muck truck had crushed a black sedan into a pancake. The host reported in a somber tone that Deputy Director Wang of the Industry and Commerce Bureau had died on the spot.

The second was an apartment building engulfed in flames, with the ear-piercing sirens of fire trucks. The host said that the family of three of Section Chief Liu from the Fire Department had perished in the blaze, with a preliminary assessment that it was an explosion caused by a natural gas leak.

The third was the scene of Director Sun of the Health Bureau being taken away for investigation by the disciplinary inspection department. When he was handcuffed and stuffed into the car, his face was as pale as paper.

The woman's shouting stopped.

The color drained from her face at a rate visible to the naked eye, and her lips began to tremble.

The Shadow member's voice carried no emotion, cold as a machine. "These are all people Madam Liu contacted last night. Now, they have disappeared from this world."

He paused and continued, "Do you think you are more important than them?"

The woman's body began to shake uncontrollably, her teeth chattered, and the arrogance in her eyes was replaced by immense fear.

"I... I..." Her voice had already changed pitch.

The Shadow member gave her no chance to breathe and continued, "We found out your son is studying abroad and your daughter just got into Imperial Capital University. If you continue to waste our time, we can't guarantee that their academic paths won't meet with some 'accidents' as well."

This sentence became the final straw that broke the camel's back.

The woman's psychological defense completely collapsed. She began to wail loudly, spilling all the details like beans from a bamboo tube—how Liu Manwen contacted her, how she planned this farce, how much money was given, and she even handed over the transfer records in full detail.

"It was Madam Liu! It was all Madam Liu's doing! She said if I went to the supermarket to cause a scene, she'd give me five hundred thousand! I really didn't know someone would die!"

The woman cried until she was out of breath, her face smeared with snot and tears.

A complete recording of the confession, filled with sobbing, was sent to Chen Fan's phone.

Chen Fan opened the recording and listened to it from beginning to end. The expression on his face did not change from start to finish.

He pulled up Chen Jianguo's number and sent the recording as an attachment.

After sending the recording, he composed another text message and sent it to the same number:

[Control your woman, or I won't mind helping you replace her.]

Having done all this, he put away his phone and continued to quietly watch over Su Wanqing's bedside, as if the person who had just decided the fate of a top wealthy family wasn't him.

Chen Haoyu stood to the side, looking at his second uncle's calm profile, only feeling a chill run down his spine.

He suddenly understood one thing—what's truly terrifying isn't rage, but this extreme calm.

Because calm means the other party has already treated your life and death as an insignificant trifle.

...

The Capital, Chen Family Main Residence.

In the study, Chen Jianguo was discussing with several family elders how to respond to Huihuang Group's commercial strangulation.

Chens Department Store's stock price had already hit its downward limit, all suppliers had cut off supplies, and its shopping malls were facing a paralyzed state with no goods to sell. Even more terrifying was that those officials they once controlled had either died in accidents or were being investigated by disciplinary inspectors; the entire power network in the Imperial Capital was collapsing at an alarming rate.

"Head of the family, we must negotiate with Chen Fan as soon as possible. If this continues, the Chen family's century-old foundation will be destroyed!" a white-haired old man said urgently.

Chen Jianguo did not speak; his phone suddenly vibrated.

He picked up the phone, saw it was a message from Chen Fan, and his brow furrowed.

Opening the attachment, the recording of a woman's crying confession played.

"It was Madam Liu! It was all Madam Liu's doing! She said if I went to the supermarket to cause a scene, she'd give me five hundred thousand..."

In the recording, the woman detailed everything about how Liu Manwen planned it, how she contacted the law enforcement departments, and how she gave the money.

Chen Jianguo's face instantly turned livid.

He then saw the text message below:

[Control your woman, or I won't mind helping you replace her.]

The air in the study froze.

Several family elders looked at each other, not daring to make a sound.

Chen Jianguo stood up abruptly, his phone gripped so tightly it creaked, his veins bulging.

"Liu Manwen!"

His voice was low, sounding like it came from hell. He turned and strode out of the study, heading straight for Liu Manwen's residence in the backyard.

The elders exchanged glances, all seeing the same thought in each other's eyes—

This woman is finished.