Mysterious Fire

Tong Haojing returned to West City Police Station. Old Jiang was not in the office, so he drafted several notes on the basic circumstances surrounding Hongdu Entertainment City, the thug, and Long Wen on the computer. He also looked up relevant materials on the public security basic information platform, preparing to give Old Jiang and the director a detailed report.

Officer Lan also came to Old Jiang's office to look through the file of a theft suspect. Seeing Tong Haojing alone in the office, he casually asked about Cuntoucao. "Little Tong, you and Cuntoucao are pretty close, right? He must trust you a lot!"

"What do you mean?" Tong Haojing asked. He did not understand what Officer Lan meant, and unease stirred in his heart.

Officer Lan laughed. "Ha, ha! Even if you don't say it, I know what's going on!"

Tong Haojing could guess what Officer Lan was referring to, but neither of them said it aloud. Because of the household registration issue involving Cuntoucao's daughter, Tang Changan had been severely scolded by the bureau chief. The matter was still a knot in his heart.

"Is that so?" Tong Haojing said. The two exchanged a smile.

Officer Lan raised his brows. "That night, we were just short of taking Cuntoucao down. I wonder who went and..." He stopped halfway through, the resentment on his face obvious.

"You mean someone pleaded for him? Tang or Liu..." Tong Haojing was eager to know the answer.

"Let's not talk about it. It'll hurt unity!" Officer Lan feared that walls had ears. His embarrassed expression made it hard for Tong Haojing to press further.

"I'm new here, Brother Lan. You're an experienced veteran officer, so don't hold back on me!"

"Hold back what? I just thought you were a lot like me when I first came here, so I couldn't help saying a few things." Officer Lan was deeply moved, and once again voiced what he had kept buried in his heart. "Sigh, let me say a little more. Little Tong, some things that seem simple are actually very complicated, and they can catch you off guard. Who knows what nerve Cuntoucao has touched this time? He'll keep making you stumble in your investigations. If you don't go along with them, you become an obstacle in their way, their mortal enemy. When that happens, you won't get any benefits at all. Look at an idiot like me. I offended a whole bunch of people without even knowing it. Look what I've become now. I'm nearly thirty, yet I'm still just a squad leader who amounts to nothing. Sigh! You need to learn to be smarter!"

Tong Haojing could tell that there was more to Officer Lan's words.

Officer Lan thought of how he, too, had once been a passionate young police officer. He had graduated from the Hedong Province Police Academy and had been professionally trained. When he was first assigned to the station, he had been one of the mainstays of its investigations. Yet because of his stubborn nature and his inability to tolerate certain things that clashed with society, he had repeatedly fallen out with fellow officers and station leaders, leaving them with the impression that he was different. Director Tang knew his abilities and had always forcefully put him forward as the first choice whenever reserve cadres were recommended, but the bureau had always rejected him, claiming that his abilities were inferior to those of the others. Tong Haojing knew nothing of this, and naturally, Officer Lan could not reveal the deeper meaning behind his words to this young brother. He could only hint that a person still needed to be tempered.

After hearing Officer Lan's heartfelt words, Tong Haojing fell into thought and seemed to gain some insight. He firmly believed that he had to learn and grow through his work, constantly accumulate experience, and learn from others' strengths to make up for his weaknesses. But the fundamentals of who he was would not change.

Seeing that Old Jiang had not returned to the office for a long time, Tong Haojing grew impatient. Since Officer Lan was the criminal investigation squad leader, telling him might be more useful. Having made up his mind, Tong Haojing said, "Brother Lan, around ten this morning, the thug's group is going to do something big. Interested?"

For a criminal investigator, such an intelligence lead was undoubtedly tremendous news.

"What big thing?" Officer Lan asked impatiently.

"I don't know. It might be a gambling gathering. We'll only know once we get there," Tong Haojing said.

"Who provided the information?" Officer Lan asked suspiciously.

"That doesn't matter. I'll send you the specifics when the time comes!" Tong Haojing held something back. He did not mention that Cuntoucao had provided the information. He wanted to keep Cuntoucao's identity secret, especially since both Officer Lan and the director deeply distrusted Cuntoucao.

Officer Lan said, "But you still need to report this to the director!"

As they spoke, Officer Lan suddenly went over and shut the office door. It slammed shut with a thud, making the windowpanes rattle.

Officer Lan lowered his voice. "Did you know Old Jiang and the director just had a fight?"

Tong Haojing looked shocked. "They fought? Over what?"

"I happened to hear something about Hongdu Entertainment City," Officer Lan said.

The director's office was next to the criminal investigation squad's office. If voices inside were even a little loud, the squad could hear them.

"What? The entertainment city?" Tong Haojing said. Could Old Jiang or Director Tang have learned about his visit to the entertainment city last night? Old Jiang had once told him not to go to entertainment venues alone, or it might be seen as a disciplinary violation. It seemed that this entertainment city truly was a place of trouble. Tong Haojing began to feel uneasy.

Officer Lan made idle conversation. "Little Tong, you'd better be mentally prepared. Maybe it has something to do with you! Enough, Old Jiang will be back soon. I was only joking. Don't take it to heart!"

The speaker had no intention, but the listener did. Tong Haojing had already applied the words to himself. Maybe it really did have something to do with him.

Officer Lan finished reviewing the materials and left.

Old Jiang returned from the director's office, fuming as he dropped heavily into his chair, clearly in a foul mood. Tang Changan's grim, vicious expression flashed before his eyes, and Old Jiang found it unbearable. He was furious enough to slam an ashtray onto the desk with a sharp bang. Muttering to himself, he said, "Hey! Even if someone has a small problem, it's not like they committed some great crime. Why make such a big deal of it? What's so great about being director? At worst, we'll go down together. Nobody will have it easy!"

Tong Haojing could hear the hidden meaning in Old Jiang's words. There had to be some secret between Old Jiang and the director that he did not know about, and this time it had nearly become an open conflict. Seeing Old Jiang so angry, Tong Haojing did not dare ask what it was about. He only tried to soothe him. "Teacher Jiang, calm down!"

It would have been better if he had not tried to calm him. The moment he did, Old Jiang became even angrier and turned directly on him. "It's because of you!"

Tong Haojing's head buzzed, and his face instantly flushed red. He had not expected them to really have argued over him. Old Jiang demanded, "Tong Haojing, did you go to Hongdu Entertainment City last night?" Gone was his usual politeness.

Tong Haojing could not speak for a moment, like a child who had done something wrong.

During this period, although Old Jiang had not taught him work methods hand in hand, he had taught Tong Haojing plenty about the subtleties of dealing with society, and Tong Haojing had benefited greatly. Deep down, Tong Haojing respected Old Jiang and had already come to see him as a teacher.

When Officer Lan had mentioned Hongdu Entertainment City earlier, Tong Haojing had started wondering how the director had learned that he went there. What had they seen? He had followed the thug's group without exposing himself, so how could anyone have spotted him? Was everything he did being watched and controlled by others? The more Tong Haojing thought about it, the less he dared to continue. The more he thought, the angrier and more frightened he became. Was there a third eye watching from inside?

Old Jiang questioned him again. "Did you go? Why didn't you call me after eight?"

Tong Haojing did not speak. He only nodded, then shook his head, like a child who had made a mistake.

Old Jiang understood a little more. This kid must have gone behind his back. He began scolding Tong Haojing. "I've told you many times: when it's a place of trouble, take a detour. If you won't listen to your elders, you'll suffer right before your eyes."

Tong Haojing still did not fully understand what Old Jiang had meant by "a place of trouble, take a detour." Perhaps Old Jiang had received some kind of warning. He had always acted this way, and he was passing that approach on to Tong Haojing, telling him to follow it. Tong Haojing also realized that this might be a warning or a form of protection. He asked himself, What kind of person am I? Could I really be frightened off by a little difficulty or threat? No. If I were, then I wouldn't be Tong Haojing. The more he was suppressed, the more his fighting spirit was stirred.

Tong Haojing remained silent.

Old Jiang once again spoke earnestly to Tong Haojing. "If you're going to Hongdu, you must tell me, Old Jiang. Otherwise, if anything happens, I won't be responsible."

At ten in the morning, Tong Haojing received an encrypted message—"Someone is gathering to gamble inside a food factory building beside West City Hotel!" Tong Haojing's eyes lit up. He had been there before. There was only one alley leading in, making exposure highly likely. Without giving it much thought, Tong Haojing forwarded the intelligence to Officer Lan and reminded him to enter discreetly.

Time was pressing. An opportunity like this could vanish in an instant.

Officer Lan immediately called over his partner, Lu Tong, took the pistol he never left behind, and hurried downstairs. Tong Haojing followed behind them and asked, "Is it just us?"

"Grab a few auxiliary police officers from the duty room. There's no time!" Officer Lan said as he walked. Out of habit, Lu Tong went to the underground garage and drove the Toyota SUV to the station entrance. Everyone piled into the vehicle until it was packed tight, barely able to breathe, completely ignoring the overload.

Tong Haojing mounted his Prince motorcycle, twisted the throttle hard several times, and shot out of the station first, taking the lead.

Lu Tong followed behind. As if deliberately, he jerked the throttle a few times, and the exhaust fumes choked everyone into coughing. The tires let out shrill squeals that made their hearts race. In an instant, the vehicle burst out of West Street and disappeared into the vast stream of traffic...

Officer Lan was a young but seasoned public security officer. He knew Director Tang's temperament well: everything had to be reported to him. From the car, he called the director. "Director Tang, we just received intelligence that people are gathering to gamble beside West City Hotel. We're heading to the scene now!"

"What? West City Hotel? Is Old Jiang there?" Director Tang's sudden mention of Jiang Hongde left Officer Lan utterly confused. He had no idea what Director Tang meant. From his tone, Officer Lan sensed that Director Tang was somewhat nervous, as though he could even hear his heartbeat quickening.