187: Chapter 187 My Special Approval from the Bureau of Extraordinary Circumstances

The Municipal Commission for Discipline Inspection acted with incredible speed.

After overnight interrogations, the mental defenses of Zhao Hongda, Chairman of the Hongda Group, completely collapsed.

The illegal lake-filling case at Bailu Lake Wetland three years ago, the intentional contract killing, and the massive bribery of relevant public officials all surfaced.

The deputy captain of the traffic police squad who handled the scene of Chen Guoliang's car accident back then was dragged out of his mistress's bed by the Disciplinary Commission in the middle of the night.

Early the next morning.

The morning news in Donghai City broadcast this major announcement.

The official notice was brief, but every word felt like a heavy hammer striking the hearts of Donghai City's political and business circles. Hongda Group's stock plummeted to its limit upon opening, and all assets under Zhao Hongda's name were completely frozen.

In an old, run-down residential building in the city center.

Chen Xiao, wearing her pajamas, stood holding a cup of freshly heated milk, staring blankly at the news report on the television screen.

The milk in her cup tilted and dripped onto the floor, but she didn't even notice.

The news showed the confession footage of the truck driver who caused the accident back then, along with the seized records of bribery transfers. When the announcer clearly read the three words "Chen Guoliang," Chen Xiao's legs suddenly lost all their strength.

She slowly crouched on the floor and covered her face.

For three years, everyone had told her that it was her father's own fault for driving while fatigued. She had endured the pain of losing a loved one while also facing the complicated gazes of surrounding relatives and neighbors.

Now, the truth had finally come to light. Her father's death wasn't an accident; he had been cold-bloodedly murdered.

Chen Xiao sat on the wooden floor of her bridal chamber and cried out in repressed agony. Tomorrow was her wedding day.

What she didn't know was that.

At this very moment, in the cold, gloomy hallway outside the security door, Chen Guoliang was standing quietly.

His Soul was slightly more solid than it had been a few days ago. Separated only by that thin iron door, he listened to his daughter sobbing uncontrollably inside.

Chen Guoliang slowly raised his hand, wanting to touch the doorknob.

His fingers passed through the cold metal without the slightest resistance.

He pulled the corners of his mouth in a bitter smile, lowered his hand, and just stood guard outside the door in silence.

In the evening.

Gu Changan's car pulled up downstairs.

He pushed open the car door, holding a small black recording device in his hand, and walked straight up to the third floor.

Old Wei followed behind, carrying a silver temperature-controlled briefcase.

Gu Changan knocked on Chen Xiao's door.

After a while, Chen Xiao opened it. Her eyes were swollen like walnuts, and seeing two strange men in black jackets standing outside, she retreated half a step in vigilance.

"Who are you looking for?" Chen Xiao's voice was hoarse.

Gu Changan took out his Bureau of Anomalies credentials and flashed them in front of her.

"I am Gu Changan. I am the lead investigator in charge of re-examining your father's case."

Hearing this, Chen Xiao's eyes turned red again. She quickly pulled the door open and let them in.

The living room was cluttered with red wedding candy boxes and decorations that hadn't been hung up yet.

Gu Changan didn't sit down. He looked at Chen Xiao and said in a calm tone, "The case is closed. Zhao Hongda and the accomplices from back then have all been apprehended; the death penalty is inevitable."

Chen Xiao covered her mouth, tears streaming down uncontrollably. She bowed deeply to Gu Changan.

"Thank you... thank you so much."

Gu Changan shifted his body slightly, refusing to accept the bow.

"I came here today not only to inform you of the case's outcome but also for another matter."

Gu Changan placed the black recording device in his hand on the coffee table.

This was recorded by Old Wei using a spirit audio converter specially made by the Bureau of Anomalies. Departed Souls cannot leave sounds in the living world; one can only rely on this kind of instrument to capture the vibration frequency of the Soul and convert it into electrical signals.

"You don't need to know where this came from. You only need to know that this is what your father left for you."

Gu Changan looked at Chen Xiao.

"Do you want to listen to it?"

Chen Xiao was stunned. Her father had been dead for three years, how could there be a recording left behind? Besides, looking at Gu Changan's serious expression, it didn't seem like a joke.

She tremblingly reached out and pressed the play button on the recording device.

After a brief burst of static.

Chen Guoliang's voice came through the speaker.

The voice was slightly distorted, carrying a hollow, echoing quality, but Chen Xiao knew the moment she heard it that it was absolutely her father's voice!

"Xiaoxiao... it's Dad."

Chen Guoliang's voice in the recording was very reserved, as if he didn't quite know how to start.

"Dad is useless; I couldn't make it back to see you graduate from college back then. You've been wronged these past few years."

Chen Xiao bit her lip tightly, tears falling onto the floor in large drops.

In the recording, Chen Guoliang cleared his throat, seemingly trying hard to make his voice sound steadier.

"Tomorrow, you are getting married. That young man named Li Fei—I secretly went to ask about him—he's honest and dependable. You have a stubborn temper; don't always shoulder things alone when you run into trouble. Talk to him more."

"After you're married, don't always eat cold food in the morning. That stomach pain you developed back in middle school always flares up when you catch a chill."

"Also, your apartment is in an old complex with old pipes; they tend to freeze and crack in the winter. I've written the repairman Old Wang's number inside the electricity meter box. If anything happens, go to him."

The voice was intermittent, pausing several times in between.

"When you were little, you were mischievous. You insisted on climbing that old locust tree by the door, fell, scraped your knee, and cried, asking me to buy you candied haws. In the blink of an eye, you're about to start your own family."

A heavy sigh came from the recording.

"On the day you get married, that wedding dress Dad ordered for you... you must look beautiful in it."

"Dad has no ability; this is all I have left to say to you. Take care of yourself, and in the future... live well, for me too."

Accompanied by a long burst of static, the recording came to an abrupt end.

The room fell into a deathly silence.

Chen Xiao clutched the black device, crying until she could barely breathe. She slumped on the sofa, pressing the machine tightly against her chest, as if she were feeling her father's warmth.

Gu Changan stood to the side without saying a word of comfort.

He had handled too many cases and seen too many partings. He knew that at times like this, any comfort was superfluous; only tears could drain the stagnant blood from the heart.

Old Wei stood by the door, secretly wiping the corners of his eyes.

When Chen Xiao's emotions had calmed down a little, Gu Changan picked up the silver briefcase and placed it on the coffee table.

With two clicks.

The case opened.

Inside, neatly folded, was a pristine white, high-end custom wedding dress. It was a handmade piece from an old tailor shop in the east of the city, with the tag still attached.

"This is what your father bought for you," Gu Changan said.

Looking at the wedding dress, Chen Xiao reached out to touch the lace trim and burst into tears.

This was the object Chen Guoliang had held onto with his obsession for three years. During all those days and nights he wandered the living world, this was the only thing on his mind. The money was a "compensation payment" carved out from the illegal proceeds confiscated from Zhao Hongda, which Gu Changan had personally used to settle the bill at the old tailor shop.

The next day.

At an affordable wedding hotel in the South Ring of Donghai City.

Chen Xiao's wedding was not extravagant. There were only a few tables of relatives and friends.

Gu Changan and Old Wei sat in an inconspicuous corner at the back of the hall. On the table, there were only two glasses of plain water.

The emcee was passionately hosting the ceremony on stage.

The doors opened.

Chen Xiao, wearing that pristine white custom wedding dress, holding a bouquet of flowers, walked slowly toward the other end of the red carpet accompanied by her bridesmaid. The groom stood there, his eyes filled only with her.

No one was there to walk her down the aisle. This was the regret of a single-parent family.

But in Gu Changan's field of vision.

The situation was completely different.

Gu Changan raised his hand, stuck a coin-sized black metal button under the table, and pressed it gently.

Bureau of Anomalies special equipment: Spirit Particle Projector.

High-frequency electromagnetic waves, invisible to the naked eye, instantly covered the entire wedding venue.

To the senses of all the ordinary people, it just felt like the air conditioning temperature in the hall had been turned up slightly, and the light had become a bit softer and warmer.

But in the special goggles worn by Gu Changan and Old Wei.

Chen Guoliang was standing at the start of the red carpet, wearing his finest suit from back then.

He had no way to touch Chen Xiao's arm. But he maintained the posture of holding hands, step by step, carefully following his daughter as she walked down the red carpet.

His pace was slow and solemn.

When they reached the groom, Chen Guoliang performed a gesture in the Void Realm of handing over her hand.

The groom took Chen Xiao's hand.

Chen Guoliang stepped back two paces and stood to the side and behind.

He watched the smile on his daughter's face, watching her wear the wedding dress he had promised her. The obsession, resentment, and unwillingness of the past three years completely disintegrated in this instant.

He didn't cry. However, a drop of shimmering Yin Qi condensed at the corner of his eye, fell onto the red carpet, and instantly dissipated.

Chen Guoliang turned his head, looking from across the vast wedding hall toward Gu Changan in the corner. He bowed deeply.

In the parking lot after the wedding ended.

Gu Changan was leaning against the door of his black SUV, smoking.

Chen Guoliang walked out from the shadows of the underground garage.

At this moment, the suffocating, cold feeling on Chen Guoliang's body had completely vanished. The blue-gray color of his Soul was rapidly fading, and his edges were starting to become so transparent that one could see the concrete pillars behind him.

His obsession had dissipated. It was time for him to go.

"Thank you," Chen Guoliang walked up to Gu Changan, his tone calm, as if saying goodbye to an old friend.

Gu Changan exhaled a smoke ring and threw the cigarette butt on the ground, extinguishing it.

"I was just following procedure and enforcing the law normally. The case is solved, so your extension application has naturally expired."

Gu Changan's voice was devoid of inflection, like a heartless machine.

But Chen Guoliang smiled. This was the first time Gu Changan had seen a genuine smile on his face since they met.

"You are a good official," Chen Guoliang said softly.

At three o'clock in the morning that day.

In front of that old residential complex in the south of the city.

Gu Changan parked the car on the curb opposite the complex, rolled the window down halfway, and the night wind, mixed with the chill of autumn, poured into the cabin.

Chen Guoliang stood outside the iron door of the apartment building.

He took one last look at the window on the third floor. That was his home, and the lights were already out. He knew his daughter had moved to her new home tonight and had a life of her own.

There was no howling of Yin wind, nor the sound of chains from the underworld.

A faint halo of light rose from beneath Chen Guoliang's feet.

He transformed into specks of light in the dark night. He left no trace behind.

Gu Changan sat in the driver's seat, watching that empty iron door.

He reached out and pressed the intercom on the center console.

"Chen Guoliang, case closed."

After saying this, Gu Changan shifted gears and stepped on the gas. The black SUV disappeared into the silent night of Donghai City.