Anti-gang campaign: Female bureau chief

Jiang Ruolan and Lu Zheng exchanged a glance. She retracted the endoscope and said towards the opening:

"I am Jiang Ruolan, Director of the Yi'an City Public Security Bureau. Who are you?"

There was a few seconds of silence in the cavity, then a hoarse chuckle was heard.

"Jiang Ruolan. I know you. You're the one who captured Brother Shan. You also chased Tang Laomao to the stone bridge and forced him to his death."

I heard it on the radio. The Yi'an radio station has been broadcasting your news on repeat these past few days.

There was no hatred in his voice, but rather a hint of something indescribable. "My name is Liao Guangcheng. You may not have heard of this name, but Qian Shouyi and Ren Pengfei must have mentioned it to you."

Jiang Ruolan's pupils contracted slightly. Liao Guangcheng—this name did indeed appear in Qian Shouyi's confession.

He was the old foreman of Fengmao Sand and Gravel Plant, and the only person who knew the location of all the illegally dug mine shafts in Chenjiagou Mining Area.

Fengmao's entire illegal mining operation in Shiqiao passed through his hands. He was the only one who could find all those black mine entrances hidden deep in the mountains and forests without any blueprints.

Qian Shouyi said that Liao Guangcheng's relationship with Shen Wangshan was very special - he was not Shen Wangshan's henchman, nor was he Shen Wangshan's confidant, but a pure "technical partner".

Shen Wangshan provided protection and sales channels, while Liao Guangcheng provided mining technology and human resource management. The two cooperated for nearly twenty years.

Within Fengmao's entire criminal empire, the mining area was Liao Guangcheng's independent kingdom.

However, Liao Guangcheng suddenly disappeared more than a month before Shen Wangshan was arrested.

The task force searched for him for a long time, thinking that he had gotten wind of the situation in advance and escaped to another province. Unexpectedly, he had been hiding in the mine he had dug himself.

"Liao Guangcheng, how long have you been hiding here?" Jiang Ruolan asked.

"It's been almost two months."

Liao Guangcheng said in a calm and unhurried voice, "I hid here before Brother Shan was arrested. It's not that I have good connections, it's that I know him too well."

He has changed in the past few years. Before, he prioritized making money and safety, but later he became someone who trusts no one and tries to guard against everyone.

Especially with Gu Changhe pressuring me so much, he's becoming increasingly ruthless and unscrupulous. I knew that if I continued to associate with him, I'd inevitably get myself into trouble sooner or later. So I ran away.

"Run? You run into the mine you dug yourself, is that what you call running?"

"For me, this is the safest place."

Liao Guangcheng's voice carried a hint of mockery, "I've been exploring these alleyways for twenty years, and I know every inch of the rock face like the back of my hand."

If you police want to arrest me, you won't be able to find me in any cave for ten days or half a month unless you blow up the whole mountain.

"Donald Cat delivered supplies for over ten days, and you only found out today?"

Jiang Ruolan didn't beat around the bush with him any longer:

"Tang Yuanqing is dead. Your supply lines have been cut off."

If you stay hidden in that cave any longer, you'll either starve or die of illness. Rather than wait to die, you'd better come out now and come back to the city bureau with me to tell them everything you know.

The cavity remained silent for a long time.

When Liao Guangcheng spoke again, the cynicism in his voice had vanished, replaced by a deep weariness:

"Director Jiang, it's easy for me to get out. But even if I do, I'll still die—not the death penalty, but at someone's hands."

Shen Wangshan has indeed fallen, but his downfall doesn't mean I'm safe. Some secrets are far more valuable than my life, Liao Guangcheng's.

"What secret?"

Another silence fell. Then a hand emerged from the hole in the brick wall—skin and bony, with thick knuckles and black mineral dust embedded in its fingernails.

The hand handed over a notebook wrapped tightly in a plastic bag. Jiang Ruolan took the notebook, opened the plastic bag, and turned to the first page.

The notes were written in pencil, the handwriting dense but clearly organized.

Each page includes the date, location, and event description, and some sections also include simple floor plans and numerical records.

This is not just a personal diary, but a complete work log—recording the time, type of mineral, quantity, and sales channels of every illegal mining operation conducted by Fengmao Group in the Chenjiagou mining area over the past twenty years.

It records the specific composition and discharge volume of the toxic waste that was illegally discharged into the tailings pond.

It records the time, number of casualties, and handling methods of each mining accident; it also records which officials Shen Wangshan bribed and what gifts he gave them in order to smooth things over these accidents.

Each page of these records is evidence of a crime.

Jiang Ruolan turned to the second half of the notebook, and her fingers suddenly stopped.

That page wasn't about the mine, but about people—

In July 2010, Liu Zhenguo and He Dayong discovered excessive levels of radioactivity in the tailings dam and said they were going to report it. Shen Wangshan told me to keep them calm and said he would handle it.

Tang Yuanqing came to the mine that night, and the two of them disappeared the next day. Shen Wangshan told me they went back to their hometown, but their phones could no longer be reached.

In March 2011, Lin Xiaomei, a waitress at Golden Coast, saw something she shouldn't have seen in a private room—Shen Wangshan and Gu Changhe were looking at a batch of rare earth ore test reports together in the private room.

Afterwards, Shen Wangshan told me that Lin Xiaomei couldn't be kept alive. A month later, Lin Xiaomei also disappeared, reportedly having eloped. Her son was only three years old.

In August 2012, Meng Zhaoyang secretly printed the company's accounts, which was discovered by Qian Shouyi.

Shen Wangshan interrogated him personally all night, and Meng Zhaoyang disappeared the next day. Tang Yuanqing kept going to the bluestone pavement those days, and his shoes were covered in red mud when he returned.

Jiang Ruolan turned the pages one by one, each page of records like a knife, pulling out the wronged souls buried under the stone slabs behind Qingshipu Mountain.

She closed her notebook and looked up at the person in the hole.

"Liao Guangcheng, why did you write all this down?"

Liao Guangcheng remained silent for a long time before answering. His voice was low and slow, as if he were saying something he had kept hidden for many years and could finally say:

"Director Jiang, I have done a lot of bad things in my life. I helped Shen Wangshan hollow out the mountain in Shiqiao, helped him dump toxic waste into the water source, and helped him cover up and lie about the deaths in the mining accident."

I should have died long ago. But I was a miner too. What are miners most afraid of? They're most afraid of digging their whole lives and not even knowing where they're buried.

I wrote these things down so that one day, someone would know how these people died and who killed them.

I'm not trying to atone for my sins; I don't deserve that. I just... just want to leave a record.

The alleyway remained quiet for a long time. Only the sound of the wind leaking through the crack overhead and the dripping of water in the corner kept the man, who had been hiding underground for sixty days, company.

Jiang Ruolan carefully put the notebook into the evidence bag she carried with her, then said into the hole:

"Liao Guangcheng, this diary of yours will become the answer these victims' families have been waiting for for more than a decade. Come out now, and I will take coercive measures against you in accordance with the law."

Your past crimes will be investigated, but your cooperation will also be taken into account by the court. That's the only promise I can give you.

..............