Official statement: Tongwei is dead! You chose Ruijin, didn't you?

As night fell, the gates of the Mountain and Water Manor were once again illuminated by the powerful flashlights of several police cars.

This place had actually been sealed off long ago. Hou Liangping had come with people from the Anti-Corruption Bureau, and the special investigation team from the Provincial Commission for Discipline Inspection had also come; the gate was sealed with layers upon layers of seals.

But the previous searches were, frankly speaking, aimed at economic issues.

The people in the anti-corruption bureau are all preoccupied with embezzlement, bribery, and power-money transactions. Naturally, their eyes are only on the visible ledgers, bank statements, and valuable paintings and calligraphy.

However, Gao Yuliang's words in the hospital room directly upgraded the nature of Shanshui Manor from a "club for power and money transactions" to a "den of iniquity involving organized crime and death."

Lei Ming, along with the supervisory team and special police officers transferred from other parts of the provincial department, directly cut the door lock.

"Director Lei, the Anti-Corruption Bureau searched this basement thoroughly, even registering the bottles of 1982 Lafite in the wine cellar. What else can we find?" Xiao Lin, flashlight in hand, followed Lei Ming into the basement.

"Those pampered young men in the Anti-Corruption Bureau are too refined when they investigate cases."

Lei Ming stopped in front of a European-style decorative wall at the deepest part of the wine cellar. "They don't understand. These people who walk the line between the legal and illegal worlds don't value money the most. What they value most is the ability to hold leverage over others. This kind of deadly thing is never kept in a safe."

Lei Ming took a step back and pointed at the wall: "Smash it."

Several fully armed special police officers swung sledgehammers and smashed a large hole in the seemingly sturdy wall in just a few blows.

This is not a load-bearing wall at all, but a hidden compartment that has been treated to maintain a constant temperature and prevent moisture.

The special police dragged out three heavy iron boxes from inside.

Upon opening it, one would find old video discs neatly categorized, handwritten receipts, security duty rosters, and even several batons and machetes stained with dark red blood.

Xiao Lin casually picked up a yellowed receipt with the words "Dean Chen" written on it in a flamboyant style.

"Chen Qingquan?" Xiaolin read aloud.

"Seal it off." Lei Ming said expressionlessly.

Xiao Lin continued flipping through the forms, and one after another, names appeared on the signed forms: "General Manager Liu (Liu Xinjian)," "Deputy Mayor Ding," "Director Xiao," "Chengdu," and so on.

Xiao Lin clicked his tongue twice and couldn't help but complain, "Good heavens, I only knew this place as Shanshui Manor before, but now that I see it, it's clearly the joint office sub-center of the Handong Political and Legal Committee and the Municipal Party Committee. These people talk about Party spirit and rules on stage during the day, but after work they all run here to walk into the trap."

The technician in charge of taking photos couldn't help but laugh, then quickly coughed twice and went back to work.

Lei Ming didn't laugh. His gaze was fixed on the bloodstained batons and the security duty roster: "Notify the outer arrest team, Chang Hai, Dr. Fan, tonight, take them all in. Don't let a single one escape."

……

When Chang Hai was brought into the interview room, he was still wearing a white silk exercise uniform for practicing Tai Chi.

This former director of the Yueyahu police station and now a retired deputy director of the public security bureau has excellent mental fortitude.

As soon as he entered, Chang Hai preemptively launched into a tirade, his face full of grievance: "Leader, I've been retired for years, spending my days in the park leading elderly people in Tai Chi. The Crescent Lake case was just a simple neighborhood dispute back then. Local police stations handle eighty such cases a day. How come your supervisory team is meddling in such trivial matters?"

Lei Ming ignored his evasive tactics and directly pushed a medical report on his injuries: "Ordinary public security dispute? Ma Chunsheng's son suffered comminuted fractures in both legs, is this a trivial matter? The suspect was released on bail that day, and the case was dropped three months later. Your local police station is indeed efficient in handling cases."

Chang Hai remained unfazed: "Both parties later reached an understanding and signed a settlement agreement. The victim's family received compensation and decided not to pursue the matter further. We, the public security bureau, can't just force them to open a case, can we?"

"A settlement agreement?" Lei Ming sneered. "Who presided over the settlement?"

"The neighborhood committee staff mediated the dispute."

"Who from the neighborhood committee?"

Chang Hai pretended to think for a moment, then sighed and said, "It's been too long. There's a lot of turnover among grassroots cadres, and my memory really can't remember."

Xiao Lin flipped through a social security record and read aloud, "The mediator from the neighborhood committee who signed the settlement agreement back then was named Wang Qiang. Interestingly, less than six months after the case was closed, Comrade Wang Qiang resigned from his public office and went directly to become the vice president of a property management company under the Shanshui Group, quadrupling his annual salary."

Xiao Lin looked up and grinned at Chang Hai: "Director Chang, this street-level cadre is not only good at mediation, but also quite good at planning his career."

Chang Hai's facial muscles twitched twice, but he forced himself to say, "Where he goes to work is his personal freedom, and it has nothing to do with my case."

"Alright, let's talk about what's related to you." Lei Ming took out a security duty roster for Shanshui Manor and a receipt for a private room. "The night before Ma Chunsheng's son was beaten, you met Cheng Du in the Peony Hall of Shanshui Manor. The room number, your license plate number, and the signed receipt for the free meal are all here."

Chang Hai lowered his head and remained silent.

"Chengdu has already confessed everything." Lei Ming stared at him, his tone extremely threatening. "Zhao Ruilong ordered him to arrange for someone to intimidate Ma Chunsheng and retrieve that crucial land assessment comparison sheet. Chengdu contacted you, asking you to downplay the intentional injury as a minor public order incident. You acted as his protector. What benefits did Zhao Ruilong give you?"

Chang Hai's lips began to tremble.

As a seasoned veteran, he knows best that when one-way evidence becomes a closed chain of evidence, continuing to resist will only lead to certain death.

"I'll tell you," Chang Hai finally deflated, his Tai Chi uniform looking somewhat disheveled, "it was Cheng Du who contacted me. He said Ma Chunsheng has the trump card of the Crescent Lake mortgage loan, and President Zhao is in a very urgent situation, we absolutely cannot let it see the light of day."

"Who did it?"

"Three unemployed individuals who normally work under the name of the Shanshui Manor Security Company and receive wages."

"Does Xiao Gangyu know about this?"

Chang Hai hesitated for a moment before confessing truthfully: "Director Xiao knew that Cheng Du was doing dirty work for General Manager Zhao. He didn't question it or stop it. In Handong, if the leaders don't speak up, it's tantamount to tacit approval."

Lei Ming nodded, signaling the recorder to take notes. Another piece of the puzzle regarding the crime of organizing and leading a mafia-style organization was now perfectly in place.

……

On the other side, in Lüzhou.

Dr. Fan, the deputy director of the emergency department who issued Liu Qingzhu's death certificate for myocardial infarction back then, is now the president of a high-end private hospital in the area.

When he was taken away by the special task force, Dean Fan still acted like an expert, insisting that Liu Qingzhu died of acute myocardial infarction.

It wasn't until Lei Ming smashed the missing pages of the emergency medical records from that year, the repair order for the deliberate damage to the hospital's surveillance system, and the case file of Chen Qingquan's intervention in his medical dispute all on the table that the renowned doctor's psychological defenses completely collapsed.

"I didn't kill anyone! I really didn't kill anyone!"

Dean Fan's voice trembled, his hands gripping his thighs tightly. "When Liu Qingzhu was brought in, he was already dead. But he had obvious blunt force trauma and bruises, it wasn't just a simple heart attack. I wanted to call the police, but Chen Qingquan made the call himself..."

"What did Chen Qingquan say?"

"He said that Liu Qingzhu was an important investor in Luzhou, and his sudden death would affect the city's overall investment attraction efforts. He told me not to escalate the matter and not to tarnish Luzhou's development. He assured me that if I signed the document, he would cover for me if I encountered any problems in the medical system in the future."

"What about the autopsy procedure?"

"They didn't leave. The family initially demanded an autopsy, but they were later appeased privately by people from the Shanshui Group."

"Who stepped in to appease them?"

"Huang Sanbao. He used to be the project manager of the food court, and Zhao Ruilong's henchman."

Lei Ming immediately ordered: "Deploy a province-wide search and arrest Huang Sanbao."

Three hours later, Huang Sanbao was arrested in a run-down hotel on the border of a neighboring province.

When he was pinned down, he was holding a forged ID card, preparing to head south overnight.

Besides cash and a few gold bars, the most crucial piece of evidence in his suitcase was a moldy old ledger.

The first page of the ledger clearly states: "[Liu Qingzhu's Public Relations Processing Fee]".

Below is a clear and organized list of several expenditure details:

- Security personnel (three people): 150 million.

- Director Fan of the hospital (sealing the mess and coordinating subsequent disputes): 80.

- Family appeasement (waiver of autopsy and compensation): 300 million.

- Dean Chen's coordination fee (cash equivalent of antiques and calligraphy): 200 million.

At the very bottom, Zhao Ruilong's signature read "Agree".

Looking at the ledger, Lei Ming couldn't help but curse, "These beasts, they even have to do cost accounting and go through financial approval procedures to kill someone."

Kobayashi whispered, "This is what a corporate-run mafia is like. They not only have thugs, but also strict financial systems and performance evaluations."

"Stop talking nonsense, seal it up and report it immediately." Lei Ming closed the ledger.

……

That night, the hidden files of Shanshui Manor, the violent demolition at Crescent Lake, and the murder chain in Luzhou were all brought to a close simultaneously.

After reviewing the summary report delivered overnight by the special task force, Qin Yuanzhou directly wrote the following instructions on the document: [Zhao Ruilong is suspected of organizing and leading a mafia-style organization, intentional homicide, illegal business operations, and money laundering. The chain of evidence has been preliminarily closed. Continue to investigate the Lingang funding channels and sever his connection with his agents in Beijing.]

The next morning, in the hospital's intensive care unit.

Gao Yuliang had just swallowed a mouthful of warm Chinese medicine when his brows furrowed deeply.

Xiao Lin stood in front of the hospital bed and gave a brief report on the arrest.

Gao Yuliang put down the medicine cup, wiped his mouth with a tissue, and chuckled softly, "This time, Zhao Ruilong won't even be able to leave with a whole corpse."

Wu Huifen, who was peeling an apple, paused and frowned slightly: "Old Gao, you're supposed to be an official cooperating with the investigation now, so watch your words and stop talking about violence."

Gao Yuliang readily agreed, "Okay, let's listen to Teacher Wu and put it more politely. Comrade Zhao Ruilong is currently facing extremely high legal risks, and his vital signs will most likely be wiped out along with his political career."

Xiao Lin solemnly held up his notebook at the door: "Secretary Gao, your statement is very precise. I can write it into the conversation record verbatim."

Gao Yuliang ignored Xiao Lin's teasing and turned to look out the window.

Today is a cloudy day in Handong. Thick clouds are pressing down on the direction of the provincial party committee compound, preventing any light from shining through.

"Xiao Lin, does your supervisory team now think that once Zhao Ruilong's involvement in organized crime and murder is confirmed, the case is closed?" Gao Yuliang suddenly asked.

Xiao Lin put away his joking attitude: "Team Leader Qin said that Zhao Ruilong is just a breakthrough point."

"Yes, he's just a breakthrough point." Gao Yuliang sighed, his gaze deep. "Whether Zhao Ruilong is finished or not is just the surface. What's truly deadly is the logic behind these cases."

Gao Yuliang turned to look at Xiao Lin: "When you investigate corruption, you always habitually assume that the bosses use money and women to corrupt those high-ranking officials. But after seeing how Shanshui Manor operates, don't you understand?"

Kobayashi paused for a moment, then asked, "Understand what?"

Gao Yuliang said, enunciating each word clearly, "Those high-ranking people back then weren't dragged down by money at all. They thought the money was flowing too slowly, so they voluntarily jumped in, helping capital build a canal straight to the national treasury. Zhao Ruilong was nothing more than a vicious dog in that canal, responsible for biting people."