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

Zhao Donglai stubbed out his cigarette, strode forward, and grabbed the phone from the table.

"Comrade Liang Lu, I am Zhao Donglai, the director of the Jingzhou Public Security Bureau."

There was a pause on the other end of the phone, and the tone softened slightly:

"Director Zhao, what brings you here?"

"Qi Tongwei is guilty, the organization will determine the nature of his crime, and the law will deliver a verdict. But the disposal of his remains is a matter of legal procedure for the public security and civil affairs departments."

Zhao Donglai's voice was calm and businesslike, but his words carried a sharp edge: "You can hate him, but as his legal wife, please cooperate with our work."

"Haven't I cooperated enough?!" Liang Lu's temper flared up again, and her attitude became firm.

"He's involved in such a huge scandal, and I didn't go to the scene to make things worse; that's already giving the organization face! I only ask for one thing: don't link me to that criminal anymore!"

Zhao Donglai suppressed his anger and reminded him, "Your marriage is still legally valid."

"That was his talisman, but it's my shame!" Liang Lu gritted her teeth.

"Director Zhao, you don't need to persuade me. I completely relinquish my right to handle this. Send someone to my home with the written documents, and I'll sign them. But you want me to go to the funeral home to see him one last time? Absolutely not!"

"Bang!" The phone was abruptly and unilaterally hung up.

No one spoke inside; only the busy tone came from the speakerphone.

Zhao Dong glanced at the detective next to him who was taking notes, and asked in a low voice, "Was that phone call recorded?"

"Recorded, Chief Zhao, the whole thing was recorded." The detective nodded.

Zhao Donglai sneered inwardly.

Liang Lu is such a spoiled and foolish woman.

She thought that by not meeting or signing anything, she could completely sever ties with Qi Tongwei and save face for the Liang family?

She had no idea that at this critical juncture, her cold-blooded, ruthless, and aloof demeanor, if exploited by someone with ulterior motives, could completely burn away the Liang family's last bit of political capital.

"Then let's proceed with the public announcement process as if the family has relinquished their right to dispose of the property, and then contact Qi Tongwei's relatives in his hometown."

The elderly comrade from the Civil Affairs Bureau sighed, breaking the silence.

Zhao Donglai put down the phone, feeling a tightness in his chest.

Zhao Donglai is not some saint, and he has no intention of whitewashing Qi Tongwei.

Qi Tongwei's crimes of murdering Chen Hai, corruption, and involvement in organized crime, as well as acting as a protector for the Shanshui Group, all warrant execution.

But when a person dies, it's like a lamp going out.

Once a dignified provincial public security bureau chief and a drug enforcement hero of Handong Province, he has come to this point, ending up committing suicide by swallowing a bullet, with even his wife finding him disgusting and refusing to collect his body. It is truly a tragic end.

The head of the criminal investigation team leaned over and whispered, "Director Zhao, we've made contact with Yantai. Qi Tongwei has a cousin and two nephews, and they were stunned when they heard the news. They're currently chartering a van and heading to Jingzhou."

Zhao Donglai nodded and decisively gave the order:

"Arrange for our people to pick you up at the highway exit. Remember, take the internal passage into the funeral home, and absolutely do not let the media or any unauthorized personnel get close."

Qi Tongwei cannot be treated like a public official; there can be no memorial service, no ceremonies, but the Public Security Bureau must preserve his basic dignity. Also, prepare a side hall and set up a simple farewell room.

The branch captain hesitated for a moment, then looked troubled: "Director Zhao, what about the hall... should we ask for instructions? Setting up a farewell room like this, what if the higher-ups blame us..."

"Which department should I ask?" Zhao Donglai glared at him, his tone laced with dark humor.

"Secretary Gao is wrapped up like a mummy in the hospital, Secretary Sha has been suspended from his duties and questioned by the supervisory team, and Hou Liangping has had his phone confiscated and is being held in a guesthouse. The leadership team in Handong could fill a mahjong table now; who do you expect to give you instructions?!"

The squad leader shrank back and didn't dare to say a word.

Zhao Donglai slammed the forensic documents shut: "Follow the law! The more chaotic things get above us, the more we on the ground must adhere to the rules. Whoever asks, that's the same thing we say!"

No sooner had he finished speaking than there was a knock on the office door.

A police officer strode in and handed Zhao Donglai an encrypted phone: "Director Zhao, this is a call from Zhou Zhengming, the deputy leader of the supervisory team."

Zhao Donglai's eyelids twitched suddenly.

It's truly a case of speaking of the devil and he appears.

He took a deep breath, took the phone, and walked to a deserted corner of the corridor: "Team Leader Zhou, this is Zhao Donglai."

On the phone, Zhou Zhengming went straight to the point without any pleasantries: "Comrade Donglai, immediately make a copy of all the procedures and materials related to the handling of Qi Tongwei's remains, and send a special person to deliver it to the supervisory team."

Zhao Donglai's heart skipped a beat, and he tentatively replied, "Team Leader Zhou, the on-site investigation for this case has just been completed, and the official forensic report is still going through the process, so it may take some time..."

"Even the initial steps are necessary," Zhou Zhengming interrupted him bluntly.

"The on-site video footage, autopsy report, family contact records, and especially Comrade Liang Lu's phone conversation transcripts and recordings—none of these can be missing!"

When Zhao Donglai heard the name "Liang Lu," his mind went blank, and he instantly understood everything.

The supervisory team isn't asking for materials from dead people; they're asking for the lives of living people!

Zhao Donglai was a smart man; he knew what stance to take at this moment: "Understood. I will personally prepare the materials and deliver them to you."

"Yes, the organization trusts Comrade Donglai to handle things. Also, Team Leader Qin just said that Comrade Gao Yuliang will be going to offer his condolences. You will personally oversee the security work; there can't be the slightest mistake."

Zhou Zhengming's voice softened a bit, but then he dropped an even bigger bombshell, "There's one more thing. Make a separate copy of the law enforcement video footage from the scene at Guying Ridge, especially the complete video footage of Hou Liangping entering that small house before and after, and bring it with you."

Zhao Donglai was truly taken aback this time.

"Team Leader Zhou, this...this involves personnel from the Supreme People's Procuratorate handling the case, and procedurally..."

"It doesn't matter who's involved." Zhou Zhengming coldly uttered these words, each one as firm as iron. "Comrade Donglai, remember this: in Handong today, there are no products exempt from inspection!"

"Beep—beep—"

The phone call ended. Zhao Donglai stood in the drafty corridor, not moving for a long time.

I don't know when, but a layer of cold sweat had seeped out on my back.

The team leader walked over and asked cautiously, "Director Zhao, what's wrong? What does the supervisory team need?"

Zhao Donglai handed the phone back, glancing at the direction of the refrigerated area with a complicated expression: "Go, copy the video from the body camera."

Which section?

"The scene where Hou Liangping enters the room, and the scene where Qi Tongwei fires his gun at the end—not a single second of that is allowed to be cut; copy it all out!"

The squad leader quickly covered his mouth, too scared to even breathe.

Zhao Donglai turned around and looked at the cold storage area through the thick soundproof glass.

Qi Tongwei lay in that freezer at minus ten degrees Celsius, and he would never again shout "To hell with God!"

But Zhao Donglai knew that this corpse was even more terrifying than when it was alive.

His death was not the end, but just the beginning of digging up the bloodiest old stories in Handong Province.