Unexplained Fire

Tong Haojing returned to the West City Police Station. Old Jiang wasn't in the office. He had drafted some basic information about Hongdu Entertainment City, its thugs, and Long Wen on his computer. He also checked relevant data on the public security information platform, preparing to report in detail to Old Jiang and the director.

Officer Lan was also in Old Jiang's office, looking up the file of a theft suspect. Seeing Tong Haojing alone in the office, he casually asked about Cuntoucao, "Little Tong, you and Cuntoucao are quite close, aren't you? He must trust you a lot!"

Tong Haojing asked, "What do you mean?" Tong Haojing didn't understand his implication and felt uneasy.

Officer Lan chuckled, "Ha, ha! You don't say, and I already know what's going on!"

Tong Haojing could guess what Officer Lan was referring to, but no one spoke of it. It was because Tang Changan had been severely reprimanded by the director over Cuntoucao's daughter's household registration, leaving him with a lingering resentment.

Tong Haojing replied, "Is that so?" They looked at each other and smiled.

Officer Lan raised an eyebrow, "That night, we almost had Cuntoucao cornered. I wonder who...?" Officer Lan trailed off, his resentment evident on his face.

"Are you saying someone interceded? Was it Tang or Liu...?" Tong Haojing was eager to know the outcome.

"Let's not talk about it, it affects unity!" Officer Lan seemed afraid of being overheard and looked embarrassed, making Tong Haojing hesitant to pry further.

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

"Hold back what? I see you're quite similar to how I was when I first joined, that's why I couldn't help but say a few words." Officer Lan spoke with deep emotion, revealing what he had kept hidden in his heart. "Alas, I'll say a bit more, Little Tong. Some seemingly simple matters are actually very complicated, catching you off guard. This Cuntoucao, I don't know what's gotten into him, but he always makes your path difficult. If you don't go along with them, you become their stumbling block, their nemesis. You won't gain anything. Look at me, an ignorant fool who offended a bunch of people without even realizing it. Look at my situation now, almost thirty and still just a nobody captain. Alas! You need to be smarter!"

Tong Haojing could tell that Officer Lan's words held deeper meaning.

Officer Lan thought about how he was once a passionate young police officer, a graduate of Hedong Province Police Academy, professionally trained. After being assigned to the police station, he had been a pillar in handling cases. However, due to his stubborn personality and his inability to tolerate certain societal discrepancies, he repeatedly clashed with colleagues and superiors, leaving a peculiar impression on the station. Director Tang knew his capabilities and always strongly recommended him as the first choice when recommending reserve cadres, but he was eliminated by the bureau because his abilities were not as outstanding as others. Tong Haojing had no idea about any of this, and naturally, Officer Lan couldn't reveal these hidden meanings to his junior colleague. He only spoke indirectly, implying the need for personal growth.

Tong Haojing listened to Officer Lan's heartfelt words, lost in thought, a sense of understanding dawning on him. He firmly believed he needed to learn and grow in his work, to accumulate experience, and to learn from others' strengths and weaknesses, but his fundamental principles as a person would not change.

Seeing that Old Jiang hadn't returned to the office for a long time, Tong Haojing grew impatient. He thought that since Officer Lan was the captain of the criminal investigation team, it might be more useful to tell him. Tong Haojing made up his mind, "Brother Lan, around ten o'clock this morning, a group of thugs is going to do something big. Interested?"

Such a piece of information was undoubtedly great news for a criminal investigation police officer.

"What big thing?" Officer Lan asked impatiently.

"I don't know. It might be a gambling session. We'll find out when we get there," Tong Haojing replied.

"Who provided it?" Officer Lan asked with a hint of suspicion.

"That doesn't matter for now. I'll send you the specific details then!" Tong Haojing kept something back. He didn't reveal that Cuntoucao had provided him with the information. He wanted to keep Cuntoucao's secret, especially since Officer Lan and the director were extremely distrustful of Cuntoucao.

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

As they spoke, Officer Lan suddenly got up and closed the office door. It slammed shut with a bang, making the windowpanes rattle.

Officer Lan said in a low voice, "Did you know Old Jiang and the director just had an argument?"

Tong Haojing looked surprised, "They argued? What about?"

Officer Lan replied, "I accidentally overheard something about Hongdu Entertainment City."

The director's office was adjacent to the criminal investigation team's office. If the voices inside were a bit louder, they could be heard in the criminal investigation team's office.

Tong Haojing exclaimed, "What, the entertainment city?" Could it be that Old Jiang or Director Tang found out about his visit to the entertainment city last night? Old Jiang had warned him before not to go to entertainment venues alone, as it could be a violation of discipline. It seemed this entertainment city was indeed a troublesome place. Tong Haojing felt a little uneasy.

Officer Lan made small talk, "Little Tong, you should be prepared. It might have something to do with you! I won't say more. Old Jiang will be back soon. This is all just a joke, don't take it to heart!"

The speaker said it casually, but the listener took it to heart. Tong Haojing felt it might indeed have something to do with him.

Officer Lan finished reviewing the documents and left.

Old Jiang returned from the director's office, sat down on his chair with a huff, and was clearly unhappy. The image of Tang Changan's stern, fierce face was unbearable. Old Jiang was furious and slammed an ashtray on his desk with a smack. He muttered to himself, "Ai! Even if others have minor issues, they haven't committed any major mistakes. Why make such a fuss? What's so great about the director? At worst, it'll be a mutual destruction, and no one will have a good time!"

Tong Haojing could tell from Old Jiang's words that there was a secret between the director and Old Jiang that he didn't know about. It had almost escalated into a public confrontation this time. Seeing Old Jiang's anger, Tong Haojing didn't dare to ask why and could only try to appease him, "Teacher Jiang, calm down!"

His attempt to comfort Old Jiang only made him angrier, and his target shifted directly to Tong Haojing. "It's because of your business!"

Tong Haojing's head buzzed, and his face immediately turned red. He hadn't expected the argument to be about him. Old Jiang questioned, "Tong Haojing, were you at Hongdu Entertainment City last night?" Old Jiang's tone was no longer as polite as before.

Tong Haojing was speechless for a moment, like a child who had done something wrong.

During this period, although Old Jiang hadn't taught him work methods hand-in-hand, he had taught him a lot about the intricacies of dealing with society, which had benefited Tong Haojing greatly. From the bottom of his heart, Tong Haojing respected Old Jiang and considered him a teacher.

In fact, when Officer Lan mentioned Hongdu Entertainment City earlier, Tong Haojing had been wondering how the director found out he went there. What had they seen? He had been following the thugs and hadn't shown any flaws; how could he have been seen? He felt like everything he did was under someone else's control. The more Tong Haojing thought about it, the more he became fearful and angry. Was there a third eye watching?

Old Jiang pressed further, "Were you there? Why didn't you call me after eight o'clock?"

Tong Haojing remained silent, nodding slightly, then shaking his head. His actions were like those of a child who had made a mistake.

Old Jiang understood a bit more. This kid must have gone behind his back. He began to reprimand Tong Haojing, "I've told you many times, avoid places of trouble. If you don't listen to elders, you'll suffer in the end."

Tong Haojing still didn't fully grasp the meaning of Old Jiang's earlier words, "avoid places of trouble." Perhaps Old Jiang had received some warning. He had always acted this way and had passed this advice to Tong Haojing, urging him to follow suit. Tong Haojing realized this might be a warning or a form of protection for him. Tong Haojing asked himself, "What kind of person am I? Would I be scared off by such small difficulties or threats? No, that wouldn't be Tong Haojing." Tong Haojing was the type of person who, the more he was suppressed, the more his fighting spirit was ignited.

Tong Haojing remained silent.

Old Jiang said to Tong Haojing again, with deep emotion, "If you need to go to Hongdu, you must tell me, Old Jiang. Otherwise, I won't be responsible for anything that happens."

At ten o'clock in the morning, Tong Haojing received a coded message – "There's a gathering for gambling inside a food processing plant next to West City Hotel!" Tong Haojing's heart brightened. He had been to that place before; there was only one alley for entry, making it highly likely to be exposed. Without much thought, Tong Haojing forwarded the information to Officer Lan, reminding him to enter discreetly.

Time was pressing, and such an opportunity was fleeting.

Officer Lan immediately called his partner, Lu Tong, grabbed his ever-present sidearm, and hurried downstairs. Tong Haojing followed behind them and asked, "Are it just us?"

"Go to the duty room and get some auxiliary police. There's no time!" Officer Lan said as they walked. Lu Tong habitually went to the underground garage to get the Toyota SUV and drove it to the police station's main entrance. Everyone crammed into the car, packed so tightly that no one could breathe comfortably, disregarding the overload.

Tong Haojing rode his Prince motorcycle, revved the engine a few times, and sped out of the police station ahead of them.

Lu Tong followed behind, seemingly deliberately twisting the throttle aggressively. The exhaust fumes choked everyone, and the tires screeched alarmingly as they instantly shot out of West Street and disappeared into the vast traffic flow...

Officer Lan, an experienced veteran in public security, knew Director Tang's temperament well and believed in reporting everything to him. He called the director from the car, "Director Tang, we just received intelligence that there's a gambling gathering near West City Hotel. We're on our way to the scene!"

"What, West City Hotel? Is Old Jiang there?" Director Tang's sudden mention of Jiang Hongde confused Officer Lan. He didn't understand the director's intention. From his tone of voice, Officer Lan felt Director Tang was a bit nervous, as if he could hear his accelerated heartbeat.