Name: My father is Zhao Dehan, and I hope he will become a dragon!

I took a deep breath.

Zhao Chongming made a phone call to his father directly.

After recounting the general course of events, Zhao Dehan was already furious.

Less than twenty minutes after hanging up the phone, a black Audi A6 sped up and screeched to a halt in front of Lin Wei's villa.

Zhao Dehan didn't wait for the driver to open the door; he pushed the door open and got out of the car himself. His suit jacket wasn't buttoned, and his tie was crooked, clearly indicating that he had gotten up in the middle of the night and rushed over.

He strode into the room, his gaze sweeping across the living room. He nodded to Zhao Chongming, then his eyes fell on Tang Xiaoli, who was curled up in the corner of the sofa.

As soon as the girl saw a stranger enter, she immediately shrank into the depths of the cushions, hugging her knees tightly with both hands, her eyes filled with fear like a trapped little animal.

"Don't be afraid."

Zhao Chongming said softly to her, then turned to his father: "She has suffered too much trauma and dares not trust anyone."

Zhao Dehan nodded, not daring to approach rashly.

He slowly sat down on the single sofa opposite the coffee table, maintaining a distance of three meters from Tang Xiaoli. His voice was extremely soft, yet carried an undeniable composure: "Young lady, my surname is Zhao, and my name is Zhao Dehan. I am currently the Executive Vice Governor of Handong Province and a member of the Provincial Party Committee Standing Committee. You should have seen me on television!"

Tang Xiaoli glanced at Zhao Dehan, feeling somewhat relieved.

Zhao Dehan continued, "I am here today not as an official, but as a father—I also have a son, and if he were to suffer such a misfortune, I would want to turn the sky upside down."

Zhao Chongming glanced at his father.

You're really something, cursing your son.

Forget it, let's not dwell on these things.

Zhao Dehan paused, then looked directly into Tang Xiaoli's eyes: "I'll stand up for you. Your father's life, your brother's life, your innocence—no one in Handong will take that for free!"

Tang Xiaoli trembled, and tears welled up instantly.

Her lips trembled as she tried to speak, but only managed to sob.

"You don't need to say it now."

Zhao Dehan continued, "But you need to know—"

As long as I come here, someone will dare to investigate;

As long as someone dares to investigate, someone will dare to make a judgment;

As long as someone dares to sentence, no one can escape!

At this point, Zhao Dehan sneered, "I fucking refuse to believe that anyone can control the sky over Handong Province!"

These words were like a key, finally unlocking the tightly closed door to her heart.

Tang Xiaoli suddenly threw herself in front of the coffee table, her fingernails digging into the wood, and cried her heart out:

"Governor Zhao...please...save me!"

Qi Tonghai… he’s not human! He locked me in the warehouse… in turns… in turns…

Her words were incoherent, yet every word was uttered with anguish.

In the end, he collapsed to the ground, trembling uncontrollably.

Zhao Dehan's eyes reddened, and he slammed his fist heavily on the coffee table, causing the teacup to fall and shatter.

But he suppressed his anger, got up and walked to Tang Xiaoli, squatted down, and gently held her shoulder—his movements were extremely light, as if he was afraid of startling her.

"Child, look at me."

His voice was low but firm: "Are you willing to testify? To identify Qi Tonghai, Chen Guodong, and everyone else involved?"

Tang Xiaoli raised her tearful eyes and stared at Zhao Dehan for a full ten seconds, then suddenly nodded forcefully, her bitten lip bleeding slightly.

"I'm willing! I'm not afraid of death! As long as they also experience... what it means to not be able to live!"

……

……

The night breeze was slightly cool on the balcony of Lin Wei's small villa.

Zhao Dehan stood by the railing, a cigarette between his fingers, his knuckles white from the force.

He had just finished listening to Tang Xiaoli's fragmented account.

Tang Xiaoli was already asleep by now.

Zhao Dehan, however, couldn't sleep.

What the hell is this?!

"Beasts! They're all beasts!"

Zhao Dehan stubbed out his cigarette fiercely. "Qi Tongwei! That good 'brother' he brought up! He's acting like a local tyrant in Luzhou, doesn't he have any respect for the law?!"

Zhao Chongming was also smoking, even though he doesn't usually smoke. He was feeling a bit down right now.

He paused, then said calmly, "Dad, I think... Qi Tongwei might really not know about this."

Zhao Dehan was taken aback, then turned his head sharply: "What did you say?"

"Qi Tonghai is a desperate man now, not a pawn."

Zhao Chongming's gaze was deep: "The fact that he dared to take back the hush money and kill to silence witnesses shows that he has lost control. If this was at Qi Tongwei's behest, it would never be so crude and stupid—directly forcing people to flee and leaving them alive."

"You mean, this has nothing to do with Qi Tongwei!" Zhao Dehan was taken aback.

"No matter how stupid Qi Tongwei is, he wouldn't do something like that; his subordinates must be idiots!"

Zhao Chongming paused, his tone growing even colder: "It's precisely because he doesn't know that it's even more terrifying!"

Zhao Dehan pondered for a moment, then said, "You're right! A distant cousin, using his name, runs rampant in Luzhou, disregarding human life, even daring to take bribes to suppress cases... What does this show? It shows that in Luzhou, the name 'Director Qi' is a get-out-of-jail-free card!"

"Cases like Tang Xiaoli's are probably not isolated incidents, but no one dares to escape, and no one dares to speak out."

Zhao Chongming said, "Gao Yuliang previously served as the Party Secretary of Lüzhou City, and Qi Tongwei also worked in the Lüzhou City Public Security Bureau. Guess how many shady things happened here? How many people did Qi Tongwei and Gao Yuliang actually protect?"

"You mean...?"

Zhao Dehan's voice was hoarse: "This underground order that Gao Yuliang and Qi Tongwei have allowed to flourish is completely rotten?"

"It's not just about order."

Zhao Chongming smiled and slowly said, "The entire ecosystem is rotten to the core. To be honest, I now feel that Luzhou is all show and no substance. How much of it is shady and how much is simply accepted as normal?"

"indeed!"

Zhao Dehan nodded: "Gao Yuliang and Qi Tongwei are both condoning these criminal forces. As long as they don't fall, there will always be people in Luzhou who dare to commit evil under their names. Miao Qingzheng is the knife of public opinion, and Qi Tonghai is the knife of the underworld—every knife is aimed at the country and the people."

"My opinion is that we still need to consult with Sha Ruijin about this matter first!" Zhao Chongming stubbed out his cigarette and continued, "We absolutely, absolutely cannot let Gao Yuliang and Qi Tongwei find out that we are investigating. What I mean is, we should have the procuratorate protect Tang Xiaoli first, secretly collect evidence, and not mobilize the public security system. Qi Tongwei might know something!"

"Secondly, we need to obtain the autopsy reports and accident reports of her father and brother. At the same time, we need to have the Discipline Inspection Commission investigate all of Chen Guodong's bank statements, property registrations, and call records for the past six months. We don't want to arrest Qi Tonghai; we want to expose the corruption in the entire Luzhou."

Zhao Dehan nodded, a cold glint in his eyes: "Alright. I'll talk to Sha Ruijin myself."

Zhao Chongming said, "This matter cannot be delayed, and it certainly cannot be handed over to Luzhou for investigation—it must be handled directly by the province. Again, we must not alarm Qi Tongwei; the entire Han University clique probably controls everything in Luzhou!"

"Trying to cover up the sky with one hand? I'd like to see if the Han University gang can really cover up the sky in Handong!"

"Gao Yuliang, Qi Tongwei, your death is near!"

The two exchanged a glance, their understanding unspoken.