Reborn in 1993, Dark Sea

"Director, who is this guy? Why is he so arrogant? Is he from the National Security Bureau?" Wang Tiejun found Zhou Zhengguo hiding in the conference room and asked him bluntly.

"Oh, stop asking so many questions! What good does it do you to know so much? It's better to mind your own business! Honestly! You're so old, yet you're still so impulsive and easily alarmed!"

Zhou Zhengguo was making tea when Wang Tiejun suddenly rushed in, startling him so much that he almost dropped the teacup he was holding.

"How can you, an old comrade, do this? How can you be a bureau chief like this! I'm one of your people, we've worked together for so many years, and you won't even give me a single honest word?" Wang Tiejun persisted.

"Don't ask anymore. They're not from the National Security Bureau, but they're not much different from them! Just don't worry about it. Just cooperate and get rid of them."

Why invite this trouble? Don't you have enough trouble already? Take care of yourself first!

I haven't even said anything yet. What was the point of you leading the charge at the front lines during the arrest of Jia Ming? Dude, you're a narcotics officer. Why risk your life like that to catch a fugitive?!

Those who know you, Wang Tiejun, are fiercely opposed to evil; those who don't might think you're trying to steal credit! Over a hundred people against one person—do you think you can let him escape? Why are you doing this?!

"Alright, alright, here we go again! Forget it, I'm not going to argue with you about this anymore, I'm busy!" Seeing that Zhou Zhengguo was about to start nagging again, Wang Tiejun fled in panic.

"Heh heh, you're still too green to mess with me!"

Zhou Zhengguo chuckled, blew away the tea leaves floating on the water, and took a sip. Although it wasn't any particularly good tea, the temperature and subtle aroma still made Zhou Zhengguo feel comfortable all over.

"This kid, after all these years, he hasn't changed at all? Always the same, how can I trust you with the police station? He's a real headache..."

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Haizhou, Baiyun Villa

It was still that luxurious villa, but the atmosphere in the hall was somewhat somber.

"Brother Zhou, what exactly happened? Why did you suddenly call me over in such a hurry?" Liu Ming asked cautiously.

Zhou Jianhong did not answer immediately, but instead sighed and lay back on the sofa.

"Have you made any moves against that An Xiaohai lately?" Zhou Jianhong finally asked after a long pause.

"No, brother, didn't you say we should postpone it until the team is reorganized? Of course, I will keep your instructions in mind."

In fact, Liu Ming had taken action. He secretly instigated several young men to pursue Lin Xuan'er, but he did not intend to tell anyone about it until the matter was resolved.

"That's good! That's good!" Zhou Jianhong stroked his hair. "Don't touch this person for now. Don't touch him at all during his entire time in prison!"

"What... what's going on now?"

"Don't ask anymore, this is very strange. Somehow, this bastard has gotten involved with the security department."

"What security department?" Liu Ming's heart skipped a beat. If there was any security department that Zhou Jianhong, the vice governor, was so wary of, it was probably only that one.

"Which security department could it be? A state-owned one!" Zhou Jianhong glared, seemingly angry at someone.

"Forget it, revenge is a dish best served cold. We're not in a hurry. They're very efficient over there; they shouldn't drag this out for too long. Let's wait until things calm down. Wait for my news."

"I see...that's fine!" Liu Ming nodded. "But during this period, whether we take action or not doesn't really make much difference."

"How so?"

"That kid An Xiaohai has probably gone astray in prison. He's either in the infirmary or in solitary confinement every few days. I heard he's even become some kind of gang leader now."

A few days ago, he got caught up in a gangland feud and was stabbed in the chest with a dagger. He almost died and is still in the hospital. I wonder if he survived. Hehe.

"Really? Haha! Heaven has eyes!" Zhou Jianhong punched his palm. "It's good that you've gone astray! Only by going astray can you keep playing! Keep playing for a long time! Hehe!"

Zhou Jianhong's laughter sent chills down Liu Ming's spine.

"Great news! This news is wonderful; it makes me feel so much better, thank you, Brother Liu!"

"It's all I should do, Brother Zhou, you flatter me!"

"Hehe, that's too kind of you! You really did a great job. I didn't misjudge you!" Zhou Jianhong's worry turned to joy, and he immediately became sunny and refined.

"But Brother Zhou, didn't we talk about last time that there's another group of people who want to deal with An Xiaohai? Do you have any leads on this? I'm thinking that if this group goes up against the State Security Department, they might suffer a loss!"

Here's what I'm thinking: since we share similar goals, we should be on their side. Shouldn't we find a way to subtly remind them?

Zhou Jianhong glanced at Liu Ming with slight surprise:

"I've confirmed it on my end; there are indeed people doing the same thing as us, but they're a bit difficult to deal with. This is a tough situation! I'll figure something out; you don't need to worry about it."

"Let me be frank with you, those people are on our side. If we run into each other in the future, it's best to be polite!"

"Understood, thank you for the reminder, brother! By the way, Brother Zhou, the First Prison has submitted a report to the Prison Administration Bureau, saying that An Xiaohai acted bravely and saved a prisoner's life, and they want to commend him and reduce his sentence."

A copy of this report was also sent to me, you see…”

"Approve it, approve it right away. Don't stop them. You can even hint to them to increase the sentence reduction. I'm even looking forward to An Xiaohai's release now!"

But we don't need to rush. Isn't there still Xiao Yang in the First Prison? Go find him and get a detailed understanding of An Xiaohai's situation to ensure he can be released at the right time. Do you understand what I mean?

"Understood, understood!" Liu Ming nodded repeatedly.

Zhou Jianhong's meaning was crystal clear: he wanted to ensure that An Xiaohai could be completely dragged down by those prisoners.

It's actually quite simple to do this; all you need to do is make sure that An Xiaohai is released around the same time as several serious offenders he's particularly familiar with.

In this way, it will be extremely difficult for An Xiaohai to get rid of their entanglement.

Yes! That's the plan. I'll go back and make an appointment with Yang Yuanbing. It's been a while since I've been to Paradise on Earth...

Oh, and one more thing, I need to hint to those rich kids in the compound that it's time to stop. The State Security Department isn't someone to be trifled with; if they notice us, things will get complicated...

As Liu Ming smiled and dealt with Zhou Jianhong, he thought to himself, "This is what I'm thinking."

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Shenhai People's Hospital

After seeing An Xiaohai, Chen Shuifen held his hand and cried without saying a word.

"Mom, what are you doing? I'm perfectly fine..." An Xiaohai pleaded, but to no avail. Chen Shuifen remained the same, just staring at him with tears streaming down her face, without saying a word.

Chen Shuifen had been like this for two days, and her condition terrified An Xiaohai. Clearly, under these circumstances, it was impossible to ask Chen Shuifen about her father and uncle.

"An Xiaohai, our leader has come to see you."

After the prison guard who had been standing guard at the door opened the door and finished speaking, a group of prison leaders in uniform filed in.

Leading the group was Warden Wang Tao, followed by two deputy wardens and some prison management personnel. Yang Yuanbing was also mixed in with the crowd.

"How is the prisoner?"

Li Wei, the newly arrived deputy warden, asked the attending physician who had come in with him. After receiving an affirmative answer from the attending physician, he nodded and looked at An Xiaohai.

"An Xiaohai, you acted bravely this time and successfully prevented a violent incident that was about to occur in the First Prison. You did a great job and deserve praise!"

Those who commit crimes should be punished, and those who perform meritorious deeds should certainly be rewarded!

The prison has already recommended you for commendation, and the leadership has approved it as quickly as possible. You've received a six-month reduction in your sentence. Congratulations, An Xiaohai!

Holy crap...

An Xiaohai was speechless. Damn it, he never expected that this would turn out to be a blessing in disguise.

But something seems off. Did things go too smoothly? The reduction in sentence seems a bit too drastic. What about the mastermind behind it all? Did they fall asleep, or did something unexpected happen and they died?