The document was followed by an appendix detailing the names of more than a dozen dead, followed by their numerous crimes. The implication was that killing them on the spot was too lenient; they should have been tied up and whipped for three days to appease the hatred.
He stared blankly at the documents on the table for a moment, then another document was passed over—a new death list. It started with Song Shiguo, followed by the "Four Tigers of Hedian," and the people from the hospital entrance who had just been reported were also on the list. It seemed the Provincial Public Security Bureau had plenty of material; even if he reported a few more people, they could immediately produce new documents proving these people deserved to die. "Murderers becoming heroes?" Zhang Zhiqiao remarked, unable to accept this concept for the time being.
Mayor Tian shouted, "This is child's play! What exactly is the province doing?!"
Vice Chairman Wang: "I'm going to report this to the Provincial Party Committee! This is utter nonsense! If this is really the case, why didn't the province notify us yesterday afternoon? There must be someone pulling strings behind the scenes. By the way, where are those soldiers? It's them! They must be the ones interfering with the investigation."
"Begging for monthly votes"
Volume 2 [149] What is a rule?
Chu Faqi lazily appeared in the conference room. Xu Xiaoya, on the other hand, looked tense and worried. Sitting in front of her were four leaders from Dongyang City and Hedian District. They were the on-site commanders of the Koufei bloodbath in Hedian District, and they looked angry and hurried, as if something terrible had happened.
"May I ask your names?" Deputy Secretary Wang was in charge of the operation on site, so he was the one to ask. Because he had been kept in the dark and was full of resentment, Deputy Secretary Wang's tone was not kind, but rather had a condescending and oppressive feel to it.
Yang Shiqi covered her mouth and yawned, then chuckled, "My surname is Yang, and I'm from Beijing. The government was in such a mess last night that I didn't get a good night's sleep. Is it always this noisy here? You need to really put a lot of effort into cracking down on environmental problems."
Deputy Secretary Wang slammed his fist on the table and stood up angrily: "Don't try to fool me! I'm asking you, what happened last night when the murder suspect escaped from the detention center? Did you help him escape?" Deputy Secretary Wang was particularly angry because he felt his achievements were gone if the suspect escaped; he was determined to uncover the truth and bring down the rest of the criminals.
Upon hearing that Zhao Qiang had escaped from the detention center, Yang Shiqi's group was stunned. He escaped? Xu Xiaoya then blushed and smiled, "That's good." Yang Shiqi laughed heartily, "Good, this kid's got some skills."
When Secretary Wang saw that the effeminate man was ignoring his question, he became even more displeased and shouted, "The military and local governments have always refrained from interfering in each other's internal affairs. This is a serious violation of military regulations! You are interfering with the local government's handling of a criminal case."
Yang Shiqi's expression changed, and he snorted angrily, "I don't know what rules are! Major Wang, this man is too noisy, tell him to shut up!" Major Wang, upon receiving the order, darted to Secretary Wang's side, drew his gun from his waist, pressed the muzzle against Secretary Wang's forehead, and tightened his grip on the trigger. Secretary Wang immediately broke out in a cold sweat. What kind of soldier was this? This was nothing but a bandit! Was this still the world in broad daylight?
Mayor Tian saw that the situation was about to become tense. Although this was on his own turf, the other party was a soldier with guns, which was something they could not compete with. Even if they brought in armed police, they could not really fight, otherwise he would bear great responsibility and the entire Dongyang City officialdom would collapse. So Mayor Tian immediately played the good guy, "Don't be impulsive, don't be impulsive, everything can be discussed, everything can be discussed."
Yang Shiqi frowned and asked, "Has the Provincial Public Security Bureau issued any instructions?"
Liu Nan was quick-witted and immediately presented the fax from the Provincial Public Security Bureau, saying, "It's here."
Yang Shiqi took the document and looked at it, laughing as she read: "Good, another one killed. Well done! Even Song Shiguo was dealt with cleanly and efficiently, leaving no future troubles. I doubt if he's really a student. Is this the same person who was helpless against someone like Qian Gang last time? Why are you officials coming to me instead of following the provincial directives and getting things done? I'm from the military and can't interfere in local affairs. Your superiors have spoken, so do what you're supposed to do. If you don't want to do it, then give up your positions, and someone will naturally take your place, understand?" Yang Shiqi kept slamming the document on the table with her hand.
Mayor Tian nodded and bowed: "Understood, understood. We will handle this matter immediately and make sure to satisfy the higher authorities."
After saying this, Mayor Tian ignored Deputy Secretary Wang and left the meeting room. The gun was removed from Deputy Secretary Wang's forehead. He wiped his sweat and ran out of the meeting room as well, feeling utterly humiliated! He thought soldiers wouldn't dare do anything to officials, but in reality, they didn't even consider him a threat!
Zhang Zhiqiao and Liu Nan exchanged a glance. These two city leaders had lost their minds. Despite having instructions from above, they still insisted on coming to demand justice. Now they felt humiliated, but in the end, they still had to act according to the orders from above, or else they could obediently go home and stay there! The leaders above do not like disobedient officials.
The four on-site commanders from the city and district gathered again in an office. Mayor Tian was very worried. "We've offended some big shots. These soldiers said they're from Beijing and are surnamed Yang. Could they be from the Central Military Commission? We really shouldn't have gone to them to ask who we are. We were too presumptuous. We made a mistake, we made a mistake!" Deputy Secretary Wang was still very angry. "They're too arrogant. They don't care about human lives at all. I've been a leader of the municipal party committee for so many years, and no one has ever dared to treat me like this. What's wrong with soldiers? Soldiers also serve the people."
Zhang Zhiqiao sneered: "Why are you saying all this, leaders? If you hesitate any longer, firstly, you are going against the spirit and instructions of the province and failing to carry out the assigned tasks; secondly, you are making those soldiers unhappy. Can't you see that now? In fact, the fax from the province is related to them. They are watching what we are doing. It would be easy for them to deal with henchmen like us. If you two still insist, I will not play along."
Liu Nan also realized the seriousness of the matter. Following these two city leaders who constantly fawned over them would be pointless. He immediately stated, "I also withdraw, and I will report the matter to the municipal and provincial party committees. This whole affair was fueled by you two; it has nothing to do with our district. You are the ones who are obstructing the Provincial Public Security Bureau's crackdown on Hedian District. Secretary Zhang, I think we should submit a joint report. Let's go."
Deputy Secretary Wang and Mayor Tian were slumped in their seats, their two subordinates about to betray them! In fact, if this bloody case were properly investigated, it would be a great boost to Deputy Secretary Wang and Mayor Tian's careers, which is why they spared no effort to make it an ironclad case. But now everything has to be overturned and started all over again, how could they be willing to do that?
At 10:00 AM, further detailed instructions arrived from the province. Given the chaotic on-site coordination, the inability to distinguish right from wrong, and the failure to implement the provincial department's directives, Deputy Secretary Wang and Mayor Tian, the on-site commanders, were dismissed from their command positions and immediately ordered to return to Dongyang City for further handling. The two, like a bouncy ball, drove away from Hedian District. As leaders of… people, they believed that a murderer is a murderer and should be dealt with severely; this was the best opportunity to gain political achievements, so they never intended to compromise. Now they were finally tasting the consequences. Some murderers are not to be trifled with; nothing in this world is absolute.
Zhang Zhiqiao and Liu Nan also received new tasks: First, to block all information related to the case, holding one person accountable for each leak, and to seal and send all files of those involved to the Provincial Public Security Department. The bodies, once frozen, would also be handled by the Provincial Public Security Department. Second, to apprehend all remaining members of the organized crime group as soon as possible, and to severely punish those in government agencies connected to them! No one should be tolerated; a crackdown on organized crime and corruption must be launched immediately in Hedian District, with severe, significant, and swift punishments!
Zhang Zhiqiao and Liu Nan are still shaken. They've figured out the main thread of the matter: the higher-ups are clearly trying to exonerate the murderer Zhao Qiang, to include everyone he killed in the list of those who deserve to die, to haile him as a hero, while the dead will be trampled on again and again, to be infamous for eternity! The subsequent so-called crackdown on organized crime and corruption is nothing more than creating a false impression for the previous bloodshed.
In the conference room, Zhang Zhiqiao and Liu Nan respectfully reported their work to Yang Shiqi. Having learned from the mistakes of Deputy Secretary Wang and Mayor Tian, these two were unlikely to cause any more trouble. Besides, Zhang Zhiqiao always felt that Zhao Qiang was watching him from the shadows. If anything he did didn't go Zhao Qiang's way, Zhang Zhiqiao believed that Zhao Qiang would definitely eliminate him just like he had eliminated the notorious tyrant Song Shiguo, and probably without even facing legal consequences.
"Comrade Yang, here is our preliminary plan. If you have no objections, we will implement it immediately." Zhang Zhiqiao handed the draft action plan to Yang Shiqi.
Yang Shiqi glanced at it briefly and then said, "Remove Zhao Qiang's name from any documents or materials, and definitely not from any publicity. Just say it's a joint operation between the military region and the provincial public security bureau. Zhao Qiang is a secret figure in our unit and it's not appropriate to disclose this to the public, as it will affect his future work. By the way, here are Zhao Qiang's identification documents. Please check them so that you don't end up saying that our military is making up excuses."
A red notebook was thrown on the table. Zhang Zhiqiao didn't dare to really check it, but he still glanced at it. It should be a military ID card with a large steel stamp on it. The person in the photo was slightly different from Zhao Qiang, whom he had met last night. He was much younger, and looked like he was in high school. Could this young man be so extraordinary that he had been a secret figure in the army for several years?
Zhang Zhiqiao pushed the notebook back in front of Yang Shiqi and said, "How could we not believe you? It's a blessing that our Hedian District has produced a hero like Zhao Qiang. However, given his special status, he can only be a secret hero. If there are no other instructions, we're going out to do our work."
Yang Shiqi smiled and said, "Secretary Zhang, do your job well. You are much smarter than those two from Dongyang City. You have a bright future."
Zhang Zhiqiao was so grateful for the praise that he almost kowtowed, bowing three times before leaving the meeting room. After he left, Xu Xiaoya happily exclaimed, "Yang Shiqi, you're really something! Zhao Qiang is a hero now!"
Yang Shiqi put away the ID card with Zhao Qiang's photo on it and casually remarked, "It's really well-made. Are fake ID sellers this skilled these days? I'll keep one in the army for the records, then it'll be completely genuine."
Hu Qian silently walked out of the meeting room. As a woman, she didn't think she had the same kind of courage as Yang Shiqi. It seemed that the officialdom and the military were not the best places for her. She should become a strong businesswoman instead.
Before the sun had even set, Su Su opened the pharmacy door. To her surprise, there was someone squatting outside. Hearing the sound of the security door opening, he looked up, and Su Su was startled: "Zhao Qiang? You...you've been squatting outside all night? Why didn't you call me to open the door for you? It's so cold outside! Are you stupid?" Su Su was only concerned about whether Zhao Qiang would freeze, and didn't think about whether it would be dangerous to let him in at night. She was truly a simple and kind girl.
Zhao Qiang smiled, stood up, and stamped his numb feet, saying, "No, I just got here, and suddenly I wanted to eat your instant noodles again." Beside Zhao Qiang were two boxes of instant noodles and two boxes of sausages. He had bought them from a store.
Su Su asked curiously, "Are you okay? You just ate more than a dozen packs last night, and you still want to eat more? Just thinking about how much convenience food you ate last night makes me want to throw up."
Zhao Qiang rubbed his stomach: "I'm so hungry, can I go in?" Zhao Qiang pointed to the pharmacy.
As more pedestrians began to appear outside, Zhao Qiang pulled his hat over his head. He had already changed his clothes at a clothing store; the one from last night, stained with blood, was no longer wearable.
Su Su made way for her. "Come in quickly. I have the electric heater on in my room. You should warm up. The snow was really thick last night. Luckily, I don't have school today, or I would have definitely slipped and fallen on the way."
Zhao Qiang sat back down at Su Su's computer desk. Why didn't he leave? After escaping Song Shiguo's villa, Zhao Qiang had thought it over carefully. The safest place was the most dangerous place. Although he had running shoes that could replace a car for some distance, he would still have difficulty moving around if the surrounding counties and cities were blocked by the police. Therefore, Zhao Qiang decided to stay in Hedian District for the time being and leave when he could no longer be found outside and people would lower their guard.
Thank you to everyone who voted for this book with their monthly tickets! I'm adding an extra chapter to express my heartfelt gratitude!
Volume 2 [Chapter 150] You Pig!
Su Su, after finishing her makeup routine, saw Zhao Qiang asleep on her desk. Jie was still a little afraid of Zhao Qiang, but Su Su was worried he might catch a cold, so she picked up a blanket from the bed and draped it over him. However, the moment the blanket touched Zhao Qiang's back, he woke up, startling Su Su, who immediately took two steps back. She remained wary of Zhao Qiang.
"Thank you, Zhao Qiang," Zhao Qiang said, rubbing his eyes. He was indeed very tired after not resting all night.
Su Su put the blanket back on the bed. "You should find a hotel to stay in for the night."
Zhao Qiang would never stay in a hotel. That would be tantamount to walking into a trap. He chuckled and said, "Let's talk about it tonight. How about I treat you to instant noodles? But I'll need your help to boil some water."
Su Su hurriedly waved her hand and said, "Forget it, I'll take you out to eat fried dough sticks and fried cakes. My stomach feels nauseous just smelling instant noodles now. Anyway, no one's buying medicine this morning. Come on, let's go and come back quickly."
Su Su led Zhao Qiang into a narrow alley. There were three breakfast stalls inside: a steamed bun shop, a noodle and ramen shop, and a fried dough stick shop. Because it had snowed the night before, the temperature was quite low in the morning, so there weren't many people out for breakfast. Su Su didn't ask Zhao Qiang what he wanted to eat and simply led him into the fried dough stick shop.
"How much do you want to eat?" Su Su asked Zhao Qiang. Zhao Qiang returned the instant noodles and sausages he had finished eating last night. Su Su felt indebted to Zhao Qiang, so she wanted to treat him to breakfast.
Zhao Qiang hesitated for a moment and said, "Let's fry ten catties of dough sticks and make twenty bowls of rice first."
"What?!" Su Su jumped up in fright. Zhao Qiang continued to tease her without any politeness: "Then go out and buy me fifty steamed buns and ten bowls of rice cakes."
Su Su took out her wallet: "I only have a hundred yuan on me. Do you have enough food for this?"
Zhao Qiang pulled out a few hundred-yuan bills from his bulging notebook bag and handed them to Su Su: "I told you I was very hungry, please help me go buy some, I need to start the battle now."
Fried dough sticks were poured out in a continuous stream, and bowl after bowl of rice was scooped out. Soon, steamed buns were also brought over. Steaming hot rice balls were also brought over in a large basin. Zhao Qiang ate heartily, sweating profusely, feeling comfortable in his stomach and warm all over. Waves of energy replenished his thirsty limbs. Now, if he had a universal enhancer, Zhao Qiang believed he could upgrade and modify the existing repair tools.
Su Su could only eat half a bowl of rice and two fried dough sticks before she couldn't eat anymore. She stared blankly at Zhao Qiang as he swept away fallen leaves like a whirlwind. Finally, she uttered a few words: "You're such a pig, you can eat so much and you're not fat."
Breakfast lasted until after 8 a.m., and the owners of all three breakfast stalls were beaming with joy. They had thought that their sales would be lower due to the weather, but instead, they increased. It was a truly unexpected bonus, and it was also an eye-opener. To call someone with such a large appetite a "glutton" would be an insult.
After a satisfying breakfast, Zhao Qiang followed Su Su back to the pharmacy. Su Su kept her head down, not daring to look around. She noticed people around the breakfast stall pointing and whispering about her, seemingly saying her boyfriend was a glutton. Suddenly, Su Su's phone rang. "Mom, I'm eating breakfast. I'm full. I'll be right back, okay?" "What?" "Are you alright?" "Okay, you and Dad should go borrow the money right away." I'll go back to the pharmacy right away and check...
Su Su quickened her pace after putting down her phone. Zhao Qiang asked, "What's wrong?"
Su Su said, "My brother-in-law was found to have embezzled public funds by his workplace. My sister and my parents have been borrowing money everywhere, saying that if they can't pay it back immediately, my brother-in-law might be arrested. It seems something big has happened in Hedian District, and some issues are being investigated. This matter will be treated as a serious case, and my brother-in-law is going against the grain."
Zhao Qiang nodded to indicate that he understood, but he didn't say anything more. Given Su Su and Liu Wei's showy personalities, embezzling public funds was normal. However, this was none of Zhao Qiang's business; he was too busy dealing with his own problems to care about anything else.
Only Su Su remained in the pharmacy. Zhao Qiang seemed to have even less reason to leave. While Su Su was busy selling medicine, Zhao Qiang hid in her bedroom and went online. He first logged onto Baidu and searched for "Hedian District Bloodbath," but got zero results. He then searched for "Zhao Qiang," which yielded many results, but none of them were related to him. They were all people with the same name.
Zhao Qiang hesitated. Why was he being targeted? Was there more to the story? He immediately went online and hacked into the provincial public security bureau's internal system. Normally, his limited hacking skills wouldn't have been enough, but the advanced biochip had been perfectly integrated with his brain; Zhao Qiang was now essentially a human brain. Hacking into the internal network wasn't a problem, but the search results surprised him. Neither wanted criminals nor suspects had his name listed.
Zhao Qiang pushed the keyboard aside and simply ignored it. He opened his laptop bag and took out the laptop. Now that he had plenty of energy, Zhao Qiang decided to try to repair Wei. Although he didn't have the "universal enhancer" substance to use as a repair agent, it would be good to use the energy to feel the extent of Wei's damage first, so that he would have a clear understanding of the situation.
He released an energy ball that enveloped the golden chip in the laptop. Soon, every molecular structure was imprinted in Zhao Qiang's mind. The damage to the chip was indeed severe; there were at least a hundred internal cracks. Zhao Qiang sighed and withdrew the energy ball. Without "matter," he couldn't repair it for the time being, and how to obtain it remained a mystery. If he were to become a fugitive in the future, how would he create "matter"?
At noon, Su Su ordered two lunches from the fast food restaurant next door. Zhao Qiang wasn't full, so he made himself five packets of instant noodles and a sausage. Su Su rolled her eyes at this. Actually, Zhao Qiang didn't want to eat both meals at once. He had to seize every moment to accumulate energy for his body. Once he was about to escape, he might not have time to eat leisurely anymore.
After lunch, Zhao Qiang slung his laptop bag over his shoulder and said to Su Su, "I'm leaving."
Su Su asked, "Going home?" With such a powerful and charismatic man accompanying her in the shop, Su Su felt at ease all morning and had no fear of Gan Beiwei and his ilk forcing her to move again.
Zhao Qiang nodded: "I guess so. Thank you for the meals these past few days."
Su Su chuckled: "Luckily you treated yourself, otherwise I would have gone bankrupt. By the way, take the medicine with you, it costs more than a thousand yuan." Su Su pointed to the plastic bag in the corner, which contained the medicine Zhao Qiang had given to Grandpa. The money had already been paid for yesterday.
Zhao Qiang nodded and picked up the plastic bag. He left the pharmacy and wandered through the streets and alleys, finally finding an unlicensed internet cafe. Without showing his ID, he found a corner and stayed there until the next evening. When he was hungry, the internet cafe owner made him instant noodles; when he was sleepy, he simply lay down on the table and slept. During this time, Zhao Qiang kept an eye on online news, but there was nothing about him. However, that afternoon, the Hedian District government website released a message saying that, with the assistance of the Provincial Public Security Department and the Military Region, Hedian District had successfully completed a swift crackdown on organized crime, achieving significant results, arresting more than 200 people involved in organized crime, and identifying more than 60 officials connected to the operation. The case was still under investigation.
Zhao Qiang was puzzled. His advanced biochip couldn't understand why there was no trace of him, the murderer. And yet, it seemed those he had killed were the result of the anti-gang operation. Could things have taken a turn for the better?
After 8 p.m., the Hedian District Public Security Bureau website released another message: Song Shiguo, the biggest gangster in Hedian District, was arrested. During the arrest, Song Shiguo resisted arrest and was eventually killed. At the same time, several of his henchmen were also killed for resisting arrest. The largest criminal gang in Hedian District since the founding of the People's Republic of China has been crushed! This is the result of the effective leadership of the Provincial Public Security Department and the Municipal Public Security Bureau, and a major achievement in the construction of a harmonious society in Hedian District.
Zhao Qiang jumped up with a whoosh, threw two hundred-yuan bills at the shop owner, picked up the plastic bag containing the medicine, and ran out of the internet cafe. If it wasn't a trap, then someone had changed the course of events. Now, Zhao Qiang wasn't a murderer, but rather a hero in the fight against organized crime! Of course, Zhao Qiang wouldn't be so impulsive as to run into the district government and shout, "I am Zhao Qiang!" His first thought was to visit his father and grandfather in the hospital, hoping to get some inside information from them.
At midnight, the ward at the Central Hospital of Hedian District was quiet when suddenly the door creaked open. Liu Huilan, who was lying on the bed, immediately raised her head alertly. "Qiang? Is it really you?"
Zhao Qiang threw down the medicine bag he was holding and rushed into his mother's arms. No matter how strong he was, he was still Liu Huilan's flesh and blood, and his mother's embrace was the warmest and safest place. "Mom!"
Liu Huilan patted her son's broad back and complained, "Where have you been these past two days? Your dad and grandpa said you injured a lot of bad guys. Are the police trying to arrest you?"
Zhao Weidong and Zhao Tiancheng were startled awake. They were also very happy to see Zhao Qiang, but both of them were injured and unable to get out of bed. Zhao Tiancheng said in a loud voice, "Qiang, you are my good grandson. Losing your head is just a scar the size of a bowl. You taught those bad people well! I can finally vent my anger."
Seeing tears of joy welling in his son's eyes, Zhao Weidong couldn't help but scold his father, "Dad, what kind of time is this to say such things? Zhao Qiang killed someone at the Tian'e Restaurant; he's probably wanted by the police. He's so young, how will he live in the future?" Zhao Tiancheng remained silent. Murder was illegal. Even if he was senile, he knew that. Although it might feel satisfying to teach bad people a lesson, the consequences were severe.
Zhao Qiang realized that his parents didn't seem to have any inside information. He brought over the medicine and said, "Mom, this is medicine for Grandpa. Don't worry about me. Things might not be as we think. I'll go out and ask around some more."
Zhao Qiang wanted to find Zhang Zhiqiao. He believed that Zhang Zhiqiao would not dare to act recklessly after being threatened by him. Asking him to find out the reason for the matter was the best way. Even if he had ten times the courage, he would not dare to betray his information.
Liu Huilan took the medicine bag and suddenly remembered something, "Oh right, Qiang, the last time you came to our house..."
Zhao Qiang corrected, "Mom, that's my class monitor, not my girlfriend. You've misunderstood."
Liu Huilan said, "Oh, she came here and left you a phone number, saying that if she sees you, you should contact her immediately, as it's very important."
Xu Xiaoya is in Hedian District? Zhao Qiang was somewhat puzzled. With her background and abilities, there was no way she could turn the tide. Even if Shan Hongfei came, he wouldn't have the power. Perhaps Professor Gu could, but would the old man go to such lengths for him?
Zhao Qiang didn't dare turn on his phone. He was afraid the police would track him down by the signal. He remembered Xu Xiaoya's phone number clearly, so there was no need to take the number from his mother. Zhao Qiang said, "Mom, I'm going out to call her and tell Dad and Grandpa to take good care of themselves. Don't worry, I'll be fine."
Thank you, Jiong Shengxiong, for the coin reward! Thank you, Jiong Caixia Dasheng, Bi Deng, and Sha Wen, for your monthly ticket support! I have no way to repay you except to work harder and give it my all! (To be continued...)
Volume Two [151] Exhilarating
Xu Xiaoya had been pacing around the shop for who knows how many times, and Yang Shiqi was getting annoyed by her. "Can't you just shut up for a bit?"
Xu Xiaoya said, "How can I stay quiet? There's been no news from Zhao Qiang at all. Could it be that he's no longer in Hedian District?"
Yang Jianqi rested his head on his hand and thought for a moment: "If he is smart enough, he should come back even if he has already left Hedian District. I don't believe that he would not have any doubts if things did not develop as he expected."
Xu Xiaoya said, "I think you should just use your power to spread the word and let Zhao Qiang know that he's alright now and come back quickly."