Reborn in 1993, Dark Sea

"You two! You just brazenly came here like this, do you really want to ruin me?!" Li Wei said irritably as he slammed two cups of tea in front of Gao Zheng and Wen Qingzheng.

"How could that be? Old Li, what are you talking about!" Wen Qingzheng laughed it off.

"How is that impossible?!" Li Wei's eyes widened.

"You finish your work and leave, but I still have to work in the prison system. If they find out I'm involved with you, how am I supposed to work after this?"

"Old Li, look at what you're saying, it's like we're sworn enemies!" Gao Zheng said with a smile.

"We wouldn't call each other enemies, but we're definitely adversaries!"

"Alright, you guys finish your tea and get out of here. I'm so regretful, I shouldn't have agreed to come to the First Prison and get involved in this mess!"

"How can this be called wading into troubled waters? This is all to cooperate with the prosecutor's office!"

"I'm sorry, that's your job, not mine!"

You are the procuratorate, and I am the prison administration bureau. I am the person under your supervision. I don't know what I was thinking when I agreed to your crazy idea!

Now look what's happened! We haven't even figured out the important stuff, and now we've got this mess on our hands. I feel like if this gets out, my future is ruined no matter what!"

"Is it that serious? It can't be that bad!" Gao Zheng frowned deeply, his expression suddenly becoming much more serious.

"It can't be that bad!" Li Wei rolled his eyes at Gao Zheng. If it weren't for their past as classmates, he would have already turned and left. "It is, it's very bad!"

Could you elaborate?

"I don't know the details, since I've only been here a short time. But I do know the general situation, which I can tell you. As for the specific details, you'll have to find out for yourselves."

At the same time, I want to emphasize that I cannot come forward to testify against them; I still have to work in the prison system!

"Old Li, stop emphasizing this. I've been working on the inspection system for so many years, I know very well what you're facing."

Don't worry, just tell us what you know, and we'll find a way to investigate ourselves. We won't make things difficult for you.

Gao Zheng's expression became extremely serious. Judging from Li Wei's reaction, the matter at the First Prison was no small matter!

"This is Lao Gao, you said it yourself. If you keep lying to me, I'm cutting ties with you, we're not even classmates anymore!"

"Alright, alright, just say it. Hurry up and finish, then we'll get out of here so you don't become a suspect."

"I'm already a suspect, okay? You two, really! We agreed to meet outside, but instead, you two barged into my office! That's so unfair!"

"Alright, Lao Li, stop complaining and just tell me. The longer you delay, the worse it will be for you."

"You guys knew it would be detrimental to me?! Fine, I'll tell you now, everything I've said is hearsay, I have no evidence whatsoever!"

"Alright, just hurry up and tell me, you're driving me crazy..."

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Gao Zheng and Wen Qingzheng talked in Li Wei's office for a full hour before leaving. For Wang Tao and Yang Yuanbing, that hour felt like an eternity.

When Gao Zheng and his group left, they made a point of visiting Wang Tao's office to say goodbye. The two of them looked very natural, as if nothing had happened.

But precisely because of this, Wang Tao and Yang Yuanbing's worries grew even stronger.

The fact that the chief prosecutor and deputy chief prosecutor of the municipal procuratorate visited at the same time could not possibly be a casual chat. The more natural they acted, the bigger the problem behind it!

Yang Yuanbing was too lazy to waste any more time with Wang Tao. Not long after Gao Zheng and the others left, he also left in a hurry.

The situation is already very urgent, and we can't worry about anything else. We must mobilize all available resources to get out of the current predicament as soon as possible.

Yang Yuanbing is not going to sit idly by and wait to die!

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Shenhai City Procuratorate, Chief Prosecutor's Office

"Old Gao, what happened at the First Prison is outrageous! I really didn't expect it to be this rotten!"

"Yes, who could have imagined it?" Gao Zheng stirred the tea leaves with the cup lid. The tea had been in his hands for half an hour and was long since cold.

"So what should we do next? It's a pity. Although Old Li provided a lot of information, he refused to come forward to testify against these people, nor would he hand over the evidence to us. It will be very difficult for us to investigate them!"

"Yes, it's very difficult! Based on the information we have now, we don't even have enough to open their files."

But Lao Wen, don't misunderstand Lao Li. It's not that he's unwilling to stand up and testify against them, nor that he's unwilling to hand over the evidence to us.

He lacks concrete evidence, so even if he comes forward to testify against these people, it won't be of much use.

I know Old Li quite well. He's cold on the outside but warm on the inside, and he hates evil. He's just a bit stubborn and has a strong desire for power. Otherwise, he wouldn't have given up his comfortable job at the Prison Administration Bureau to voluntarily go down to the First Prison to help us with the investigation.

"That's true, but according to Lao Li, the problems at the First Prison aren't just internal; the underlying issues are probably even bigger. If we want to investigate further, we'll likely face tremendous resistance. I'm really not confident."

"Don't say that, Lao Wen!" Gao Zheng put down his teacup and stood up. "This isn't the first time we've handled a case like the one at the First Prison. If we can handle it the first time, we can handle it the second time!"

I have no doubt that we will be the ultimate victors!

We may seem like people that are hated by gods and ghosts, but that's not actually the case.

I won't bother with any grand theories about good triumphing over evil. We're all part of the system, and there are many other comrades in the same system as us.

You could say that we are all people who have benefited from this system, and most people within the system have benefited from it.

Therefore, once certain corrupt elements within the system threaten the security of the entire system, they will inevitably be suppressed by the entire system, and we are precisely the ones who will take action.

So, Lao Wen, don't be too pessimistic.

We are not at odds with everyone, nor will everyone dislike us. On the contrary, those who rely on the system the most are more likely to support us.

Do you understand what I'm saying?

"Of course I understand. Hearing you say that gives me a lot more confidence."

"That's more like it! So, our task is arduous, but our future is bright, and we must be full of fighting spirit!"

"Alright, Lao Gao, that's enough. You don't need to sing anymore. What should we do next?"

"The next step is indeed a bit difficult, but don't worry, we went to visit Lao Li this time, which is equivalent to stirring up trouble."

They'll definitely react; let's see how they react.

"So you're saying we just do nothing and wait like this?"

"Of course not," Gao Zheng shook his head. "By the way, doesn't the First Prison also have a deputy warden? That one named Zhong Zhen, Warden Zhong."

"Warden Chung-chen? Didn't Old Li say he had no problems? And he's incredibly low-key, so low-key that you can hardly feel his presence in the First Prison."

"Yes, that's him. How about we go visit him together tomorrow?"

"Visit him?... " Wen Qingzheng was slightly taken aback at first, then immediately understood: "I say, Lao Gao, you're a really wicked person!"

"Hahaha, how could you say that to me? Really!" Gao Zheng said as he stood up and began to change his clothes.

"What are you doing?"

"I'll go find Wang Tiejun."

"Looking for him?"

"Yes, the reason we noticed the problems at the First Prison was because of him. I'm going to ask this guy out for a talk; maybe we'll get some unexpected insights."

"That makes sense. Wang Tiejun is quite capable; he might have something useful on him. Lao Gao, is it convenient for me to come along?"

"Of course it's convenient. Let's go. You should change your clothes too. It's too conspicuous for us to go in these uniforms."

"Okay, I'll go change right away!" Wen Qingzheng immediately stood up and ran off to change.