331: Chapter 330 The Security Bureau's Shanghai Branch: A Major Earthquake

"Woo—woo—woo—"

Four matte-black SWAT anti-riot vehicles led the way, their tires emitting a dull "creak" as they rolled over the ground. Following closely behind was an HQ official car with the word "Public Security" stamped in gold foil. The convoy, wrapped in an aura of stern killing intent, smashed directly through the gates of the Modu Branch and charged in.

"Screech!" A harsh braking sound rang out as the convoy stopped abruptly in front of the main office building.

The car doors were yanked open with a series of "bangs." Dozens of armed SWAT officers in black tactical gear and bulletproof masks filed out. Their assault rifles were pointed downward at an angle, the reflections off the gun barrels dazzling to the eyes in the sunlight.

They quickly spread out in a tactical formation, instantly surrounding the inside and outside of the main building, looking as if they were facing a formidable enemy.

The staff in the office building, who had been busy processing documents, were suddenly startled by the commotion outside. They stopped their work, walked quickly to the windows, and peered out through the glass.

"What's going on? How many SWAT officers have arrived?"

"Looking at this formation, could it be that something big happened?"

"I don't know. Everything was fine just a moment ago, why is there suddenly martial law?"

Whispers rose and fell throughout the office. Everyone's face was filled with confusion and nervousness—the Security Bureau was a department responsible for special cases, and such large-scale mobilization of SWAT units was extremely rare. Today's display was clearly because something extraordinary had occurred.

Inside the director's office, Li Bing was looking down at the case report on his desk. The sirens and chaotic footsteps outside made him frown. He set down his pen, stood up, walked to the large floor-to-ceiling window, and looked down through the gap in the window.

He saw the back door of the HQ official car open, and a figure in a white public security uniform stepped out—unlike the uniforms of ordinary police officers, this person's shoulder straps were adorned with striking silver badges, clearly indicating a high status.

The person raised a hand to adjust their collar, their gaze subconsciously sweeping upward, locking eyes with Li Bing at the window.

The air seemed to freeze in that instant.

Li Bing's pupils shrank slightly—he recognized this person; it was none other than Shen Zhendong, the director of the Modu Public Security Bureau!

"Shen Zhendong! Why is it him? What is he here for?" Li Bing felt suspicious. Shen Zhendong was mainly responsible for local public security and stability maintenance; why would he suddenly bring so many SWAT officers to surround the Security Bureau Modu Branch?

Downstairs, Shen Zhendong also recognized Li Bing. He didn't speak, but simply nodded slightly at Li Bing upstairs, his eyes carrying a complex and indistinguishable meaning.

After their gazes met briefly, Shen Zhendong withdrew his eyes. However, to prevent any accidents, he lowered his voice and instructed the SWAT captain beside him: "Contact the fire brigade immediately and have them set up inflatable mattresses under the main building to prevent the suspect from jumping to their death out of desperation!"

"Yes!" The SWAT captain responded immediately and turned to make the arrangements.

Shen Zhendong looked up and scanned the main building of the branch again. After confirming there were no loopholes in the perimeter control, he waved his hand, his voice suddenly rising with unquestionable authority: "Arrest according to the list! Move out!"

"Yes!"

Dozens of SWAT officers instantly split into three teams, their movements as swift as cheetahs, and charged into the branch building with assault rifles in hand—one team guarded the first-floor lobby to block the entrances and exits, one team searched the offices floor by floor, and another team followed Shen Zhendong straight to the top floor.

Inside the director's office on the top floor, Li Bing's heart was pounding, and a strong sense of unease gripped him.

Without thinking, he yanked open the bottom drawer of his desk. A black handgun lay quietly inside—this was his backup weapon, which he never showed to others.

His hand trembling, he gripped the gun. The "click" of the bullet chambering was exceptionally clear in the quiet office.

He clutched the gun tightly, his eyes staring frantically at the office door, cold sweat already seeping from his back.

Not long after, there was a "knock, knock, knock" at the door. The rhythm was steady, yet it felt like it was knocking on Li Bing's heart.

"Who is it?" Li Bing asked, forcing himself to remain calm, though his voice betrayed an unmistakable tremor.

"Director Li, open up. It's me, Shen Zhendong." Shen Zhendong's flat, waveless voice came from outside the door, devoid of any emotion.

Li Bing swallowed hard, quietly hiding the handgun behind his back, his fingers still trembling slightly. He walked to the door and asked through the door panel: "Director Shen? What kind of wind blew you to our Security Bureau branch today?"

"Haha, no wind at all. There's just a situation that I need to report to you in person, Director Li." There was a faint trace of a smile in Shen Zhendong's voice. "We are all colleagues in the same System. Since you are being so distant, Director Li, surely you wouldn't refuse to let me in?"

Li Bing muttered to himself—Shen Zhendong's words sounded polite, but the pressure in his tone was becoming stronger and stronger.

He hesitated for a few seconds. Before figuring out exactly what was happening, it was better not to openly offend this powerful leader from the municipal bureau. Thinking of this, he had to tuck the handgun into his waistband, take a deep breath, and reach out to open the door.

As soon as the door opened a crack, the two SWAT officers behind Shen Zhendong, like tigers ready to pounce, instantly rushed forward. They pinned Li Bing's arms from the left and right, their movements too swift for him to resist.

One of the SWAT officers reached out and felt his waist, confiscating the handgun. With a "click," cold handcuffs were locked onto Li Bing's wrists.

"Shen Zhendong! What the hell are you doing!" Li Bing was shocked and furious, struggling and roaring, "I am the director of the Security Bureau Modu Branch, a bureau-level cadre! What right do you have to arrest me!"

Shen Zhendong walked slowly into the office and closed the door behind him. His gaze swept over the desk and bookshelf, finally landing on Li Bing's flushed face. His tone was calm, without a ripple: "Director Li, you know in your heart what you have done. I am just following orders. We were colleagues, and I don't want to burn bridges, so stop struggling." After saying this, he tilted his chin at the two SWAT officers. "Take him away."

"Shen Zhendong! This is a violation! I'm going to report you! I'm going to report you to Director Xu Anguo!" Li Bing's angry roars faded into the distance, eventually drowned out by the footsteps in the hallway.

Shen Zhendong put on white gloves and began to search the office.

He had spent half his life in criminal investigation and had rich experience in searching; his gaze swept over every corner, missing nothing.

Soon, his gaze stopped on the desk drawers. He pulled them open one by one to check, and finally, in the innermost drawer, he found a stack of neatly arranged small cassette tapes—each tape was labeled with a date and a person's name.

Shen Zhendong picked up a cassette tape and looked at it, the corners of his mouth curling into a smile. Immediately, he pressed the communicator on his ear: "This is Shen Zhendong. Send two people up immediately to take these pieces of evidence down. Be careful to preserve them, don't damage them."

Downstairs, the Security Bureau staff were all crowded at the windows, watching their director, Li Bing, being escorted out of the building by SWAT officers, the handcuffs on his wrists glaringly bright in the sunlight.

Following that, the head of the Equipment Division, the head of the General Section, and several other cadres who were usually close to Li Bing were also escorted out by SWAT officers, all of them dejected and pale.

Their eyes met, and they all saw panic in each other's eyes. They quickly lowered their heads, not daring to look at each other again.

Not long after, Shen Zhendong walked out with several SWAT officers carrying boxes of evidence.

When Li Bing saw those cassette tapes, his body, which had been struggling, instantly stiffened. The anger in his eyes turned to despair—those tapes not only contained the secrets of his bribery and abuse of power over the years, but even his conversations with Hongmen had been secretly recorded by him.

"Director Li, if you don't want people to know, you shouldn't have done it! Look at these things, do you still think you are being wronged? Take him away!" Shen Zhendong said, glancing at the devastated Li Bing, and did not say another word.

Until everyone was escorted into the anti-riot vehicles, he took out his phone and dialed Director Xu Anguo's number, reporting respectfully: "Director Xu, everyone has been controlled. And there was an unexpected harvest."

Immediately after, Shen Zhendong reported the situation regarding the cassette tapes found in Li Bing's office to Director Xu Anguo.

On the other end of the line, Director Xu Anguo's voice was cold and powerful: "Very good, Old Shen. This operation was very successful. I will request a commendation for you and for your Modu Public Security Bureau from the higher-ups."

"Thank you, Director Xu. This is what I should do."

"Hmm, keep these people detained at your municipal bureau for now. For the subsequent interrogation work, you need to cooperate with Ye Qingcheng. You must find out the network of relationships behind Li Bing; do not let any accomplice escape."

"Rest assured, Director Xu, we will definitely cooperate fully with Captain Ye's work and guarantee to complete the mission!"

After hanging up, Shen Zhendong sat in the official car, the convoy sounded their sirens again, and they drove off in a grand procession toward the Modu Public Security Bureau.

Inside the Security Bureau Modu Branch, the mood was anxious. The staff gathered together, discussing in whispers, each face filled with shock and confusion.

"How could Director Li be arrested? What exactly did he do?"

"Looking at this formation, it must be a big deal, otherwise the higher-ups wouldn't have sent Director Shen to lead the team to arrest him personally..."

"Didn't you see just now? Director Shen and his team also moved away a lot of cassette tapes. Maybe Director Li was up to some tricks and got caught with evidence..."

Amid the discussions, most people tacitly formed a consensus—Li Bing had offended someone he shouldn't have. In all likelihood, it was because he was working against Ye Qingcheng that he ended up in this state.

After all, recently, Ye Qingcheng had been investigating cases in Modu, and many people had seen how Li Bing had been uncooperative both openly and secretly.

In the Security Bureau Modu Branch building, the staff were still gathered discussing Li Bing's arrest, the cacophony of voices rising and falling, and they had even forgotten to handle the work at hand.

Just then, a black official car with a Jingcheng license plate drove in slowly. On the side of the car, the words "Security Bureau" were printed in silver, gleaming coldly in the sunlight.

The vehicle stopped steadily in front of the main building. The door opened with a "click," and a young man in a black suit stepped out of the passenger seat. He nimbly walked to the back seat, opened the door with both hands, and bowed slightly, his posture respectful.

Following that, a middle-aged man wearing a dark gray executive jacket stepped out of the car.

He was around fifty years old, his hair combed meticulously, his face composed, and his eyes as sharp as an eagle's. He just casually raised his eyes to scan the office building in front of him, then withdrew his gaze, put his hands behind his back, and walked toward the main building with steady steps.

The young man followed closely behind, always maintaining a one-step distance behind the middle-aged man, neither overstepping nor failing to be ready to serve at any time. He was clearly a secretary or subordinate who had been accompanying him for a long time.

As soon as the two entered the lobby of the building, the noisy discussions reached their ears—some were speculating about Li Bing's crimes, some were worried about subsequent changes, and others were quietly discussing Ye Qingcheng's background. The entire lobby was as chaotic as a wet market.

The middle-aged man's brow furrowed almost imperceptibly, and a trace of displeasure flashed in his eyes. He didn't speak, just turned his head and gave the young man beside him a look.

The young man immediately understood. He quickly stepped forward, cleared his throat, and said in a voice that was loud but not harsh, carrying an unquestionable aura: "Everyone, quiet down! Please be quiet!"

This shout instantly overwhelmed the noise in the lobby, and the originally noisy environment suddenly quieted down.

Everyone stopped their discussions and turned their heads in unison to look at the two people at the door, their eyes full of confusion—where did these two unfamiliar 'big shots' come from?

In the crowd, a young man wearing glasses stared at the middle-aged man in the executive jacket for a few seconds, then his eyes suddenly lit up. He swallowed, squeezed out of the crowd, walked up to the middle-aged man, and saluted with a standard military salute, his voice trembling with respect: "Division Chief Miao! Hello!"

The middle-aged man, addressed as "Division Chief Miao," nodded slightly, his gaze softening a little. He looked at the unfamiliar subordinate in front of him and asked in a flat tone: "Oh? You recognize me?"

"Recognize you! Of course I do!" The man nodded hurriedly, a trace of excitement on his face. He scratched his head a bit embarrassedly and explained, "You are an authoritative expert in our Security Bureau's intelligence System! I have listened to your online courses on the internal learning System before. I have watched your 'Intelligence Analysis and Risk Prediction' three times, and I have learned a lot!"

"Oh? Is that so." Division Chief Miao showed a faint smile on his face, nodded, and continued to ask, "Little comrade, which department are you from? What is your name?"

"Oh my, look at my memory!" The man slapped his forehead, his face full of apology. "I was too excited to see you and forgot to introduce myself. You can just call me Little Ma. I am an intelligence officer from the Intelligence Division of the Modu Branch, Ma Wentao."

"Ma Wentao, hmm, a good name." Division Chief Miao nodded slightly, his tone carrying a bit more approval. "Little comrade is good. You can still actively learn internal courses outside of work; it is worth encouraging. Those materials are the summary of the life experience of veteran comrades. Read them more; it will be beneficial for you young people to handle cases."

"Yes, yes, yes!" Ma Wentao nodded repeatedly, bending his waist even lower. "You are absolutely right! I will definitely study more seriously in the future and will not let down your guidance!"

"Alright, no need to be so restrained." Division Chief Miao waved his hand, changing the subject, his tone becoming serious. "Since you know me, I will give you a task first."

Ma Wentao immediately straightened his back, his eyes firm: "Division Chief Miao, please instruct! No matter what the task is, I guarantee to complete it!"

"Hmm," Division Chief Miao nodded with satisfaction and said slowly, "I'll give you five minutes to notify all cadres above the section level of the Modu Branch to come to the third-floor conference room for a meeting in fifteen minutes. Remember, not one can be missing, arrive on time, and no lateness is allowed."

"Yes! Guarantee to complete the mission!" Ma Wentao responded loudly, turned around, took out his phone, and walked quickly to contact the heads of various departments. His steps were even faster than usual—being able to do things for Division Chief Miao was a huge opportunity for him.

Division Chief Miao watched Ma Wentao's hurried back, then looked up and scanned the staff in the lobby who were silent as cicadas in winter. His eyes became deep again.

The accompanying secretary timely handed over a cup of warm water and whispered: "Division Chief Miao, would you like to go to the conference room to rest for a while?"

Division Chief Miao took the water cup, took a light sip, and shook his head: "No need, I'll wait for them here. I want to see if, after Li Bing has made such a mess of this place, the remaining people can hold the fort."