Gao Wu: I inherited the evil organization in the game

Chapter 669 Seeking Chaos Amidst Stability
As a detective.

Uncovering the truth hidden behind the fog is merely the most basic professional skill.

And whatever "truth" you want, I can find out that "truth" for you; that's what truly elevates your professional skills to a higher level.

Otherwise, what kind of detective would he be?
He's nothing but a fraud and a charlatan.

It wouldn't be too much to die ten thousand times.

Having been a detective for so long, Li Xiang had clearly grasped the essence of the matter.

Hou Wendong patted Li Xiang on the shoulder and corrected him:

"It's not the truth I need, it's the 'truth' everyone needs. Captain Li, please don't get it wrong."

Li Xiang felt a slight chill and gained a deeper understanding of Hou Wendong's extreme caution.

He found that, even now, he still seemed to find it difficult to fully adapt to the almost impeccable way of speaking of people like them.

Every sentence seems to be wrapped in multiple layers of meaning, and every word seems to have been carefully considered, as if it is both conveying and concealing.

He realized that if he wanted to improve, he needed to put in more effort to learn and understand.

Trying to guess what they're thinking is harder than solving a case.

He took a deep breath, nodded solemnly, and said:

"Understood, Secretary Hou. I misspoke. What should I do next?"

Hou Wendong looked at Li Xiang, then changed the subject:

"Once you leave the hospital, go to Emerald Garden immediately to take over the investigation. Hmm... but first tell me, why did you go into the sewers of the abandoned chemical plant?"

This is a crucial question, relating to the rationality of the starting point of the entire event.

Li Xiang had already prepared the answer, and it was basically true in every sentence; only some details and emotional embellishments needed to be processed.

Li Xiang then answered truthfully:

"Reporting to Secretary Hou, at that time, Erbing and I were patrolling a block not far from the chemical plant."

Suddenly, we heard a series of loud bangs coming from the direction of the chemical plant. We didn't dare to delay and immediately drove over at full speed to check the situation.

When we arrived at the chemical plant, we found it was already abandoned. We pried open the lock, carefully crept inside, and then we saw…”

Li Xiang swallowed hard, his face showing lingering fear after surviving the ordeal, and his voice trembled slightly as he said:
"What a huge crater from the explosion, right in the middle of the factory area. Bricks and stones on the ground were blown away, and black smoke was still billowing out. Before we could even get a good look at it, suddenly, we saw a figure jump out of the crater. It was [Masked]..."

Li Xiang's words were almost entirely true, and the look of terror on his face was genuine; he was truly terrified at the time, and now, as he recounted it, he felt increasingly frightened.

Hou Wendong pressed further, "And then?"

Li Xiang took a couple of breaths and said:

"Then, Secretary Hou, I'm not afraid you'll laugh at us, but we didn't even dare to fire our guns. Our only thought was to escape, to escape immediately!"

Hou Wendong expressed his complete understanding, but casually raised a question:
"Escape? Why didn't you turn around and run away? Instead, you ran into the hole created by the explosion?"

Li Xiang had anticipated this question, and he pretended to ponder before answering:

"Secretary Hou, you're right. Under normal circumstances, they would definitely run away."

But the situation was too dangerous. [Masked] jumped out of the hole and landed on the other side. Erbing and I happened to be standing on that side of the hole, very close to the opening, almost a step away.

He paused deliberately as he spoke, as if carefully recalling and sorting out every detail of that time.

As a seasoned constable, Li Xiang was well-versed in the art of interrogation and counter-interrogation.

He knew very well that when recounting an experience, appropriate pauses, reflection, and a tone that gradually becomes clearer as the memory unfolds were far more convincing than a smooth, uninterrupted narrative.

He frowned, thought for a few seconds, and then continued:

"The hole created by the explosion was huge. Although there was some distance between us, at the speed that Erbing and I were running on flat ground, we were still too far from the car. We definitely wouldn't be able to get into the car before [Masked] caught up with us."

So, I had no choice but to take a gamble and jump into the underground shaft. After I jumped down…

Li Xiang's narration became increasingly smooth, with more and more details emerging, as if, with each recounting, more fragments of memory were being pieced together anew:
"We found that it was very dark and extremely complicated down there. It was the underground pipe network system of a factory that had been abandoned for many years. There were branches everywhere, like a huge maze."

The place where we fell had a strong smell of gunpowder, and there was even a blister on the ground.

We didn't care about any of that at the time; we got up and ran deeper into the area.

Xiang lowered his voice, as if he had returned to that dark and oppressive environment, and spoke very realistically:

"We know that [Masked] will likely catch up soon."

As I passed a fork in the road, I had a sudden inspiration and threw my cell phone and Erbing's body camera in one of the directions, hoping to make a noise to mislead him.

Then, we immediately turned around and crawled into the pipe in another direction, found a recessed spot, held our breath, and hid, our entire bodies submerged in the cold sewage.

Li Xiang has a talent for storytelling, and Hou Wendong was drawn into the story, experiencing a sense of immersive tension.

Observing Hou Wendong's expression, Li Xiang easily deduced that the other party did not suspect that he was lying, so he continued:
Looking back now, we really made the right bet.

[Masked] probably didn't expect us to jump down, and was probably stunned for a moment, not immediately chasing after us. But when he jumped down, he was indeed attracted by the noise we made by throwing things, and chased after us in that direction..."

Li Xiang's expression turned slightly embarrassed as he said this:

"However, [Masked]'s footsteps were very light, sometimes faint and sometimes faint, which was quite frightening."

We remained hidden in the sewage, unable to discern whether he had left or not. So we dared not move or climb out, fearing he might still be waiting outside for us to walk right into his trap.

Later... after what seemed like an eternity, we heard a cacophony of footsteps and shouts coming from above. After careful listening, we confirmed that it was our colleagues' voices, and only then did we dare to believe that [Masked] had truly left.

Then, we quickly called for help... You probably know what happened next.

After Li Xiang finished speaking, he let out a long sigh of relief, as if he had experienced that life-or-death escape all over again. His forehead was covered in cold sweat again, partly from lingering fear and partly from his still weak body.

Clearly, a truly outstanding detective must be a master of lying to the fullest extent.

Just like the lie that Li Xiang meticulously wove, it was almost perfect, nearly flawless, in terms of both the presentation of factual evidence and the rigor of logical reasoning. Even if someone had doubts and questioned Chang Erbing, the testimony they received would still corroborate it.

Moreover, in order to completely eliminate the possibility that others might suspect that they had colluded beforehand, Chang Erbing's answers would deliberately not be completely consistent with Li Xiang's statements, leaving subtle differences in several details.

For example, Li Xiang would explain in detail why he decisively jumped into the sewer, while Chang Erbing might only say that he subconsciously wanted to escape, but before he could turn around, Li Xiang pulled him down.
For example, Li Xiang claimed that he was "patrolling nearby" at the time, while Chang Erbing would honestly confess that they were actually "slacking off" and were planning to sneak off to a nightclub not far away for some fun.

Such minor, harmless discrepancies from different perspectives can actually enhance the credibility of testimonies, making them less likely to raise suspicion.

The only flaw is that the special envoy jumps out at this moment to expose him.

Besides, if [Mask], Feng Ju, or Ma Bin were to jump out and expose him, he would be confident that he could confront them face to face and prove the fake to be true.

Hou Wendong naturally wouldn't go to great lengths to interrogate Chang Erbing, who was also in a coma, since he didn't really suspect Li Xiang.

His questions were merely formalities, a perfunctory exercise, so that when he reported to Councilor Wang Xinfa later, he could reconstruct the "complete" picture of the incident in great detail, thus demonstrating his thoroughness and efficiency as a secretary.

We are all "good comrades" working for Councilor Wang, we are all in the same boat, and we should be of one mind and one heart to overcome difficulties together. How can we so easily become suspicious of each other?
These inquiries were nothing more than normal pleasantries between colleagues.

Therefore, after listening to Li Xiang's thrilling and logically consistent statement, Hou Wendong's face showed just the right amount of emotion and lingering fear, and he let out a long sigh:

"Captain Li, there's an old saying from the old era: 'Those who survive a great calamity are destined for good fortune.' This accident has proven your resilience and luck."

Now, with the strong support and deep regard of members of parliament, this is your greatest backing.

Once we handle this thorny issue properly and get through this hurdle, the road ahead will be smooth. The position of police chief has been vacant for too long; the councilor knows perfectly well who has the ability and loyalty to fill it.

Li Xiang's facial muscles twitched slightly, forcing a grateful yet heavy smile.

Hou Wendong, ever the considerate one, helped Li Xiang prove his innocence by saying:
"In that case, it makes perfect sense that your official car inexplicably appeared at the entrance of Emerald Garden."

It must be [Masked]. After attacking you at the chemical plant, they hijacked your car and drove to Emerald Garden to carry out their next crime.

Li Xiang immediately seized the opportunity, a "that's right" expression on his face, and echoed:

"Secretary Hou is very perceptive and his deduction is absolutely correct. That must be the case."

Hou Wendong nodded slightly in satisfaction, pondered for a moment, and then his expression turned extremely serious:

"Okay. I understand your situation. I will report everything to the councilor in detail. All you need to do is go to the scene immediately and take over the investigation."

However, I must remind you of two things…

Li Xiang's heart tightened, knowing that the real test and instructions had arrived. He quickly straightened his still somewhat weak body and said respectfully:
"Secretary Hou, please speak."

Hou Wendong slowly extended his index finger and said:

The person currently in charge of the on-site investigation is a special envoy directly dispatched by the Executive Government's Security Department, named Zheng Geng. This person…

He paused, seemingly choosing the right words, before finally a subtle smile curved his lips.

"He has a notoriously bad temper and is stubborn. He may have some professional skills, but he doesn't know how to be flexible and often disregards the big picture. He only cares about his so-called procedures and evidence, and often loses sight of the bigger picture for the sake of small things."

The councilor's intention was to solve the case as soon as possible, eliminate its impact, and allow the matter to be resolved smoothly.

The stability of District Nine is paramount.

Li Xiang immediately understood; the implication in those words couldn't be clearer. He stated without hesitation:

"Secretary Hou, rest assured, I understand. I will definitely 'assist' Commissioner Zheng well, keep a close eye on every aspect of the investigation, and resolutely prevent him from acting recklessly."

Hou Wendong's face showed a satisfied expression, indicating that the student was teachable, and he nodded. He paused briefly, his gaze becoming even more profound:
"Secondly, the special envoy's identity is sensitive, and his incident caused a great shock."

Now, countless eyes are fixed on Emerald Garden, on our Lower Town.

Moreover, the city will definitely send people over. Unless we can find the special envoy immediately, and he is alive, this case will become much more complex than just a simple case.

Li Xiang still possesses this most basic political awareness.

As the "future director" of the police station, he deeply understands a truth—the bigger and more important the case, the more he needs to know how to make it serve political purposes.

Anyone who doesn't understand this principle is not qualified to sit in the chair of the police chief.

Hou Wendong observed Li Xiang's expression and, seeing that the latter seemed to understand, continued to offer his advice:

"[The masked man may or may not be the murderer; it's up to you, the detective, to decide. But... well, let me ask you in a different way."

"Captain Li, do you think that if you only reveal one 'mask' to close the case, will it be convincing to everyone and satisfy Uptown?"

Li Xiang's expression suddenly became extremely solemn; he understood everything he had heard.

[Mask] may be a household name in District 9, but in reality, he is nothing more than a monstrous evil that cannot see the light of day. [Mask] may be strong enough to kill the special envoy, but in terms of identity, he is... far from qualified.

For the case to be "satisfactorily" closed, a "murderer" whose status and position are comparable to that of the special envoy must be identified.

Otherwise, if the lower city authorities simply pushed out a scapegoat to shirk responsibility and deceive the upper city, then it goes without saying what would happen to Li Xiang, as the "prospective director" of the police station.

In that instant, Li Xiang completely solidified his approach to the case.

In summary, it's quite simple—the goal is to ensure that Councilor Wang Xinfa lands smoothly in this storm, and even use it as an opportunity to rise to a higher position.

At the same time, we should divert the trouble eastward, precisely targeting Councilor Wang's political enemies, causing them to fall into chaos.

Having figured this out, Li Xiang took a deep breath. Just as Hou Wendong had repeatedly reminded him, he was already labeled as Councilor Wang, and that label couldn't be washed away.

Therefore, he had no choice but to obey for the congressman to protect him and for his perfectly logical testimony to be accepted.

Otherwise, no matter how eloquent he is, the fact that his car appeared at the entrance of Emerald Garden means that he has in fact helped [Masked] commit a crime and is a damned "accomplice".

Li Xiang took a deep breath. Without realizing it, he had recently gotten used to the feeling of risking his life, and had become somewhat desensitized to it.

His eyes, now frozen in a numb, desperate light, flashed as he declared resolutely:

"Please tell the councilor that even if Li Xiang risks his life, he will certainly not let the councilor down."

The police will investigate thoroughly, root out the protectors behind [the mask], and completely eradicate these corrupt officials who have eroded the foundation of District Nine and plotted against the special envoy, restoring a truly bright and just environment to District Nine!

.......
(End of this chapter)