Everyone, get ready to move out

Huang Sheng was dead!

He had died right before his eyes.

Despite having lived two lives, when had he ever witnessed anything so horrific firsthand?

Zhou Yi walked over and stared at Huang Sheng's face up close, his eyes still open in death. Yet, strangely, he felt no discomfort at all, only anger and guilt.

About twenty minutes earlier, this man had still been talking to him on the phone.

Twenty minutes later, he had become a corpse.

So a life could end this suddenly, this unexpectedly.

He recalled Huang Sheng asking nervously whether he could guarantee his and his family's safety. His answer then had been, "I can!"

Zhou Yi knew that anyone in his position would have given the same answer. But the fact remained that he had failed.

In his previous life, he was certain he had never heard any news of Chairman Huang jumping to his death.

So, in this life, had he changed Huang Sheng's fate? Had he indirectly caused his death?

Zhou Yi pressed his lips tightly together. His gaze strayed, catching sight of the silver-gray sedan nearby.

A gray sedan sat quietly beside the street across from the Daxing Construction Company building.

Fu Yu adjusted his black-rimmed glasses out of habit, a cold gleam flashing in the eyes behind the lenses.

He had been searching for Huang Sheng these past few days, while also having people watch and follow Huang Sheng's family. He did not believe Huang Sheng's wife and daughter knew nothing about his whereabouts.

After several days of surveillance yielded nothing, he had decisively resorted to a crude, brutal method, sending men to abduct Huang Sheng's wife and daughter and take them to a warehouse at the fertilizer plant. By threatening to rape and kill her daughter, they had finally forced Huang Sheng's wife to reveal his hiding place and phone number.

Heaven was still on his side!

Sure enough, Huang Sheng had barely jumped before Zhou Yi showed up looking for him.

Recalling Huang Sheng's words, "If you lie to me, I won't let you off even as a ghost," Fu Yu could not help smiling mockingly.

There was one thing Huang Sheng would never understand: even the fiercest ghost feared an evil man!

He picked up his phone, dialed a number, and said coolly, "Deal with them however you like. Just remember to clean up properly. Once you get your money, leave right away."

He put down his phone and was about to drive away when he turned his head and saw the young man in police uniform striding toward him.

"Captain Zhou, what a coincidence!" Fu Yu greeted him warmly.

"Yes, quite a coincidence." Zhou Yi walked up to the car window and calmly regarded the county Party secretary's son, known for his privileged background.

"Are you here on official business, Captain Zhou?" Fu Yu asked knowingly, looking at the flashing police lights and the cordon that had already been set up.

"What about you? Did you come specifically to watch Huang Sheng jump?" Zhou Yi slowly bent down, his piercing gaze boring into Fu Yu's eyes.

"You must be joking, Captain Zhou. I was just passing by. If you hadn't told me, I wouldn't even have known it was Huang Sheng who jumped," Fu Yu replied without a trace of unease.

"Did you know Huang Sheng?" Zhou Yi continued.

"Know him? We were very close. We often ate and drank together. Oh, right, I know his wife and daughter too." Beneath Fu Yu's seemingly candid words lay blatant provocation and arrogance.

"Huang Sheng's wife and daughter are missing. Did you know that?" Zhou Yi remained calm as he pressed on.

"I didn't before, but now I do. You'd better hurry and find them, Captain Zhou. Huang Sheng's wife is quite attractive, and his daughter is even prett-ugh."

Before he could finish, a large hand clamped tightly around his throat.

Staring into Zhou Yi's murderous eyes, Fu Yu did not panic. Instead, he chuckled.

You suspect me, but you can't do a thing to me!

I love seeing you rage like this, utterly helpless.

Zhou Yi slowly released his grip. Watching Fu Yu rub his neck and cough incessantly, he felt not the slightest lessening of his anger.

He did not want to take the blame upon himself, because he had done nothing wrong.

But it was also a fact that his intervention had brought an unfortunate change to the fates of Huang Sheng, his wife, and his daughter.

In short, he would make certain that Fu Yu, the true culprit, paid this debt.

"Captain Zhou, do you suspect me?" Fu Yu asked with an innocent expression.

"Yes!" Zhou Yi nodded without concealing it.

"Actually, I suspect myself too. Unfortunately, there's no evidence!" Fu Yu spread his hands, looking helpless.

"I'll find it eventually!" Zhou Yi said coldly.

"No, there simply isn't any evidence." Fu Yu shook his head with a smile, looking utterly confident.

"Three days. Within three days, I'll personally put you behind bars." Zhou Yi stared at him, his voice firm.

Fu Yu froze for a moment, then burst out laughing as though he had heard the funniest joke in the world.

Zhou Yi ignored him, turned, and left.

You forced my hand.

I was going to put you away through the usual channels, but all I got in return was arrogance and cruelty. I'm done pretending. I'm laying my cards on the table. I'll fucking kill you myself!

Huang Sheng had jumped to his death, and his wife and daughter were missing.

From top to bottom, every member of the Special Case Task Force wore a deeply somber expression.

"Two things. First, make every effort to locate Huang Sheng's wife and daughter. Second, set aside the Huang Sheng lead for now. All Special Case Task Force personnel will shift to investigating and gathering evidence on Shen Hai's bribery and ordering a murder."

Director Lei Ming rubbed between his brows wearily and gave the orders in a low voice.

Zhang Liping, Zhou Yi, and the others nodded. During this period, the Special Case Task Force had been working along two lines. Zhou Yi had been responsible for the Huang Sheng lead, while Zhang Liping and Yu Zhen, deputy chief prosecutor of the County Procuratorate, had handled the Shen Hai lead.

The prosecutors had joined because, while investigating Shen Hai's role in ordering a murder, they had uncovered leads pointing to embezzlement and bribery. Under the Criminal Procedure Law, the police were to lead the investigation, with the People’s Procuratorate providing assistance.

The Shen Hai case had already made a major breakthrough. The killer who had murdered the former deputy director of the Personnel Bureau on Shen Hai's orders had been caught in Xifeng County and was awaiting transfer back to Dongji for questioning.

Once conclusive evidence was obtained, they could apply to the procuratorate for approval of his arrest.

Donghua Residential Community.

Shen Hai sat blankly before the mirror, staring at his pale, puffy face.

He had sent his wife and son back to her parents' home, then shut himself up alone in the house.

Fu Yu had called him a few days earlier, telling him that both the Discipline Inspection Commission and the Public Security Bureau had their eyes on him and warning him to be careful.

But what good would being careful do now?

Ge Ridong had been arrested in Xifeng and would soon be escorted back to Dongji.

So perhaps it would not be long before a pair of cold handcuffs closed around his wrists.

Ding-dong, ding-dong.

The sudden ringing of the doorbell startled Shen Hai.

Were they here already?

He got up, walked over, and asked in a slightly trembling voice, "Who is it?"

"Here to check the water meter," came a gruff male voice from outside.

Shen Hai opened the door and saw a man with a crew cut standing there, giving him a friendly smile.

The next second, the man lunged. A blade flashed in his right hand, driving into Shen Hai's throat with vicious precision.

Shen Hai was dead.

He had been brutally murdered in his own home.

Yet the two criminal investigators keeping watch downstairs at Shen Hai's home had noticed nothing at the time.

Then, the following day, someone discovered the bodies of Huang Sheng's wife and daughter in an abandoned warehouse at the old fertilizer plant.

Zhou Yi silently rose to his feet and put on his police cap.

Then he gave Cai Xiaobo, Shao Mingbao, Zhu Jianping, and the other officers from the public order unit and the Criminal Investigation Brigade a grim command: "Everyone, get ready to move out!"