At thirty, I started my comeback from the intelligence system.

The three of them worked together to carry Yang Yongchao upstairs.

Although Lin Xiaoxiao was only a nurse, she had solid basic skills and quickly checked Yang Yongchao's vital signs:

"His body temperature is very low, his pulse is weak, his breathing is shallow and slow, and he has a head injury. However, his unconsciousness is mainly due to lack of oxygen and hypothermia, and there may be internal injuries. He must be taken to the hospital immediately!"

"Don't go to the hospital!"

Chen Geng quickly explained, "He's a policeman, killed by his enemies. Going to the hospital might be more dangerous for him!"

Looking at Chen Geng's anxious eyes, and then at the unconscious Yang Yongchao, Lin Xiaoxiao gritted her teeth and said, "I'll try contacting my senior brother. He's at a private hospital, reliable, and has a private room. But the cost..."

"Money is no problem! Contact me quickly!" Chen Geng said immediately.

Under the arrangement of Lin Xiaoxiao's senior brother, they used special channels to send Yang Yongchao, who was still in a coma, to a VIP ward in a private hospital, bypassing the formal registration process.

The hospital, named Renhe Hospital, is not far from here and looks quite high-end.

After a series of tests, the results brought a sigh of relief to everyone:

Apart from head trauma (mild concussion), multiple soft tissue contusions, severe dehydration and electrolyte imbalance, and mild organ dysfunction caused by prolonged hypoxia, Yang Yongchao had no fatal internal injuries, and his vital signs gradually stabilized after intravenous fluid and oxygen administration.

"She's really lucky... If it had been any later, even if she hadn't been buried, the low temperature and lack of oxygen would have..." Lin Xiaoxiao's senior brother sighed.

Chen Geng then took a break to call the company and ask for leave, but Yang Yongchao was still unconscious, so he didn't dare to leave.

She simply asked Zhang Jiaxiao to find her a clean set of clothes and took a quick shower at the hospital.

Around 2 p.m., Yang Yongchao slowly woke up.

He stared blankly at the unfamiliar ceiling for a few seconds, then tried to sit up, but was overwhelmed by the pain and dizziness.

"Don't move! I'm Chen Geng, you're safe now!"

Chen Geng's voice rang out from the side.

Yang Yongchao turned his head and saw that although Chen Geng had changed into clean clothes, there were still unwashed stains and small wounds on his face and hands, and his eyes were full of exhaustion and lingering fear.

Zhang Jiaxiao and Lin Xiaoxiao were also present.

"Chen Geng... was it you who saved me?"

Yang Yongchao's voice was hoarse and dry as memories flooded back—the attack, the knocking unconscious, the stuffing into a bag, the jolting, the suffocating darkness and cold...

"Nonsense, who else would go to the garbage dump to rummage through you besides me?" Chen Geng said irritably, but his eyes were a little red.

Yang Yongchao took a deep breath, and even this tough man's eyes welled up with tears.

He didn't say thank you; some feelings are more important when kept in the heart than when spoken aloud.

"What exactly happened?" Chen Geng asked.

Yang Yongchao's eyes sharpened with pain as he glanced at Zhang Jiaxiao and Lin Xiaoxiao.

Chen Geng understood: "They're all our people, we can trust them. Jiaxiao, Xiaoxiao, you two go out for a bit and hold the door for us."

Only two people remained in the ward.

Yang Yongchao spoke slowly, his voice low: "It's Hou Guoan..."

As he spoke, a chilling truth gradually unfolded before Chen Geng's eyes.

While investigating an old case involving illegal mining and forced demolition, Zhang Guowei unexpectedly discovered some clues that vaguely pointed to the Lu family, and... his former boss, Hou Guoan, who was both his mentor and father figure.

Zhang Guowei is a policeman with principles. After his initial painful struggle, he began to investigate privately and tried to get close to Lu Jiahao, who had close ties with the Lu family, in order to obtain more evidence.

However, he underestimated the vigilance and ruthlessness of his opponent, and his actions were quickly exposed.

"Captain Zhang... he's too conflicted and too sentimental."

Yang Yongchao's voice choked with emotion.

"He obtained some evidence and still held a sliver of hope for Captain Hou, thinking that he might have been forced or had some hidden reason."

"He arranged to meet Captain Hou at a teahouse, intending to confront him and persuade him to turn himself in, or at least stop."

"He was afraid that something would happen to him, and he was also afraid that the evidence would be stolen, so he temporarily used a mobile app to call a deliveryman to send me the USB drive containing some of the evidence, specifying that it would be delayed by one day."

"His thinking was that if Captain Hou was willing to back down, he would cancel the order; if something happened to him... then I would continue. After all, the criminal investigation department had countless connections with Captain Hou, and only a hothead like me was more reliable."

The results speak for themselves.

Zhang Guowei was silenced; the murderer disguised himself as a food delivery worker and left behind a note framing Yang Yongchao.

Hou Guoan then used his authority and influence to try to steer the investigation astray and discovered the express delivery sent by Zhang Guowei.

He personally intercepted and killed Yang Yongchao, who was picking up the package. Perhaps the old man had a moment of weakness and wanted to leave Yang Yongchao with a complete corpse.

What was thought to be a foolproof burial alive turned out to be a "variable" – Chen Geng, with his "precognitive" abilities, pulled them back from the brink of death.

"So what do you plan to do now? Do you have anyone in the police force that you trust?" Chen Geng asked.

"The only person we can trust is Director Wang; he wasn't here at the Luohu branch for long! Where's my phone? He's the only one who can help us right now!"

Half an hour later, there was a knock on the ward door, and a middle-aged man with a stern face and an imposing presence walked in, led by Zhang Jiaxiao. It was Wang Hua, the director of the branch office.

When Director Wang saw Yang Yongchao's appearance, a look of regret and fury flashed in his eyes.

After listening to Yang Yongchao's retelling and Chen Geng's supplementary account of the rescue, which of course concealed the source of the intelligence, Director Wang's face was so gloomy it could drip water.

"Hou Guoan... how could he..."

Director Wang clenched his fists.

He immediately deployed through confidential channels, sending people to control Hou Guoan and arranging for people to protect Yang Yongchao.

However, news soon came back: Hou Guoan shot himself in his office, leaving behind a vague suicide note that admitted to some irregularities but made no mention of the Lu family.

No direct evidence pointing to the Lu family was found at the scene.

The USB drive sent by Zhang Guowei contained some fragments of financial transactions related to illegal mining and records of Hou Guoan's contact with certain intermediaries, but it was not enough to form a complete chain of evidence to directly accuse the Lu family.

The trail seems to have gone cold with Hou Guoan's death.

The Lu family, like a great tree, has only had a few insignificant leaves blown off by the wind.

Yang Yongchao remained silent for a long time after learning of Hou Guoan's suicide.

There was anger, there was sorrow, and there was also a deep sense of powerlessness.

He looked at Director Wang: "Director Wang, Captain Hou... he's gone, and some things are impossible to prove now. But Lu Jiahao, and the Lu family behind him, are definitely not innocent! The grudge against Captain Zhang, and my own score, can't just be left like this!"

Director Wang patted him on the shoulder, his tone heavy:

"Yongchao, I understand how you feel. But the Lu family... is deeply entrenched, and without solid evidence, we can't touch them."

"Focus on recovering from your injury and get back to work as soon as possible. As for the case... I'll keep an eye on it personally. If they make any further moves, we'll catch them red-handed!"

"I will organize trusted people to conduct a secret investigation into this USB drive and Zhang Guowei's belongings."

He then looked at Chen Geng, his gaze complex: "Xiao Chen, we owe you a great deal this time. Your alertness and... your decisiveness saved the life of an outstanding police officer. On behalf of the branch office, I thank you!"

He hesitated for a moment: "Regarding your contribution and... how you learned the details of Yongchao's danger, given the special circumstances, Yongchao and I decided not to delve into it further."

"Everyone has their own channels and abilities that they are not comfortable talking about, as long as they are used for the right purpose."

"We will remember this kindness."