A Temporary Conclusion

Yang Wenqing took the confession Wu Yan handed him and quickly read through it.

This confession not only described in detail how Liu Sheng had committed murder at Drunken Immortal Tower; more importantly, under immense psychological pressure and in a bid for a slim chance at survival, Liu Sheng had revealed every detail of how his father, Liu Hong, met with him after he fled the scene, provided him with funds, forged identity documents, and planned his escape route.

This was no longer simply the crime of harboring a fugitive. It was outright complicity in a crime, an attempt to help a serious murderer escape legal punishment. Worse still, Liu Sheng had vaguely mentioned in his confession that his father seemed to know about—perhaps even lead—some of the less-than-compliant dealings in the family business.

Yang Wenqing closed the confession and exchanged a look with Wu Yan. They both understood the weight of this statement. If Deputy Director Gao intended to use this opportunity to dig deeper, the Liu Family stood to lose far more than one son. Their entire family business could be implicated, perhaps even completely ruined.

"Come on. Let's report to Director Gao."

Yang Wenqing rose to his feet, the confession documents in hand.

Wu Yan nodded. One after the other, they left the Third Squad office and headed straight for Deputy Director Gao's office.

After knocking and entering, they found Deputy Director Gao sitting on the sofa making tea. When he saw them come in—especially the documents in Yang Wenqing's hand—a faint smile appeared on his face.

"Come, sit," Deputy Director Gao said evenly.

"Director Gao." Yang Wenqing handed over the confession with both hands. "Liu Sheng has confessed. This is the detailed statement. The situation is more complicated than expected, and it involves his father, Liu Hong."

Deputy Director Gao took the documents but did not read them immediately. Instead, he gestured for the two men to sit, unhurriedly poured each of them a cup of tea, and only then picked up the file and began reading it carefully.

The office was silent, broken only by the soft rustle of turning pages. Yang Wenqing and Wu Yan sat quietly without touching their tea, waiting for Deputy Director Gao's instructions.

After a long while, Deputy Director Gao set the file down. No obvious emotion showed on his face. He merely tapped the confession lightly with his fingers and said slowly, "This Liu Hong is truly foolish. It's understandable that he loves his son, but this is bending the law for personal gain..."

He put on an expression of grief and indignation, then said to them, "Drink your tea. It's quite good."

Yang Wenqing and Wu Yan immediately picked up their cups and drank.

After pondering for a moment, Deputy Director Gao looked at Wu Yan and asked, "Have you confirmed that the suspect killed by accident? There was no premeditation?"

Wu Yan hurriedly set down his cup and answered, "I tried every method available, but he refused to admit it."

Deputy Director Gao nodded and added, "An accidental killing, but the circumstances were extremely vile. The crucial matter is Liu Hong harboring him and helping him flee..."

He paused, then looked at Yang Wenqing. "Now that we have a lead, we cannot turn a blind eye. Here's what we'll do: first, make Liu Sheng's murder case airtight and prepare solid prosecution materials. As for Liu Hong, bring him back to the bureau and detain him for now. Find testimony and evidence from others."

"Yes, Director Gao." Yang Wenqing set down his tea as well.

"Go on, then. Handle it properly." Deputy Director Gao waved them off, picked up his tea again, and a hint of satisfaction appeared on his face.

Yang Wenqing rose and left with Wu Yan. Back at the office, he called Liu Rong over and instructed Wu Yan, "From now on, A-Rong will work with you. The two of you can handle this case together." As he spoke, he took an arrest warrant from the drawer, stamped it with his aura using his badge formation, and handed it to Wu Yan. "Bring Liu Hong back first."

As Wu Yan took the arrest warrant, Yang Wenqing added, "Wait for me tonight. We've been colleagues for so long, but we've never had a meal together. Tonight, it's on me."

The two men both looked surprised, but neither declined. Nor could they.

By evening, Yang Wenqing had finished handling the backlog of paperwork on his desk. He got up to stretch, then wandered over to the interrogation area, where he saw Liu Hong already in custody through the one-way glass.

In barely half a day, the Liu Family patriarch—who had carried himself with such dignity on the streets earlier—seemed to have aged ten years. He sat alone in the cold interrogation chair, his hair slightly disheveled and his once-perfectly fitted formal robes now creased.

He made no fuss. He merely kept his head lowered, hands resting on his knees. Even his once-straight back had bent slightly, and an air of utter desolation seeped from him.

Yang Wenqing did not go in. He simply called Wu Yan and Liu Rong, then led them out of the branch bureau. After crossing two streets, they arrived at a restaurant called Full House Tower. Its decor was not luxurious, but it was clean and tidy.

Yang Wenqing had reserved a small private room by the street in advance. Though not large, it was quiet enough, and once the door was shut, the noise outside was cut off.

The waiter warmly led them to their seats. Yang Wenqing pushed the menu toward Wu Yan and Liu Rong. "Take a look and order whatever you want. Don't hold back."

After some polite refusals, Wu Yan and Liu Rong stopped being overly formal and ordered several homestyle stir-fries, along with a pot of the restaurant's signature rice wine.

While waiting for the dishes, the three chatted casually. After the food was served and three rounds of wine had passed, the atmosphere in the private room became much more relaxed. Yang Wenqing set down his chopsticks, took out the case file Liu Qin had newly opened from his storage pouch, tapped the cover with a finger, and said to Wu Yan, "Do you remember Chen Dayong's body-dumping case at the port?"

Wu Yan nodded. "For the past month or so, I've been investigating those smuggling gangs whenever I had time, but there's been no lead."

Yang Wenqing tapped the case file in his hand again. "This case may be connected to the Wang Family father and son from Zhenyuan Mining, but that's only speculation. So I can only open an investigation on suspicion of smuggling involving the Wang Family father and son."

He pushed the file toward Wu Yan. "Old Wu, you're experienced, so put some extra effort into this case. There's no need to confront them directly for now. Keep an eye on the Wang father and son in secret. See whether they've had any unusual activities lately, or whether they've been in contact with anyone suspicious."

Wu Yan accepted the case file without asking further questions. He simply replied steadily, "Understood, Captain. I know the limits."

Yang Wenqing then looked at Liu Rong. "A-Rong, assist Old Wu. Also, I have a task for you." He paused before saying, "Find a way to investigate the warehouses in the city... especially those in the Port District with relatively lax oversight, or those that may be illegally leased. Pay particular attention to unusual cargo, such as yin-aspected spirit material ores."

Liu Rong nodded. "Yes, Captain!"

"Good." Yang Wenqing smiled in satisfaction and picked up his wine cup again. "There's no rush. Just proceed in secret and watch your own safety. Report to me immediately if you find anything."

After dinner, the three went their separate ways. Yang Wenqing strolled alone along the streets as the night deepened.

When he returned to Room 305 of Building Three in Dongning Community, the apartment was silent. Out of habit, he walked to the center of the living room and checked the Foundation-Stabilizing Formation. He found that its silver powder had nearly been exhausted, leaving only a thin layer of grayish-white dust.

I've been so busy these past few days that I haven't had time to prepare the cultivation formation for the Second Refinement. There should be nothing much tomorrow, so I can go gather the formation materials first. It would be another considerable expense, but he had earned quite a bit recently and already had fifty or sixty thousand in savings.