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

At two o'clock in the afternoon, the sky over Jingzhou was gloomy and oppressive, making it hard to breathe.

A dilapidated Wuling Hongguang van, its chassis caked with yellow mud, chugged and raked into the backyard of the city funeral home.

This is an internal passageway, usually used only by special vehicles. This bread truck, with half of its logo missing, stands out conspicuously among the rows of police cars.

The car door creaked open, and three travel-worn people stepped out.

The man at the front was an old man with a slightly hunched back, wearing a faded old-fashioned shirt and mud-covered canvas shoes.

Two young men in their early twenties followed behind. They entered the magnificent VIP reception area of ​​the funeral home, unsure of what to do with their hands and feet, their eyes revealing a sense of timidity from the lower class.

Zhao Donglai stubbed out his half-smoked cigarette and went to greet him personally.

Upon seeing Zhao Donglai in his high-ranking police uniform, the old man quickly took off his tattered straw hat, his rough hands gripping the brim tightly and rubbing it nervously.

"Leader..." The old man's voice trembled slightly, carrying a heavy Yantai accent.

"We're not here to cause trouble. We're just... here to take Tongwei back."

Zhao Donglai looked at the old man, his heart filled with mixed feelings.

He pointed to the leather sofa next to him: "Sir, please sit down and talk."

"I'm not sitting here anymore, I'm dirty, I don't want to get the public chairs dirty."

The old man stood stubbornly, straightening his back with force, as if trying to retain the last shred of dignity on this imposing public property.

"We know he broke the law. It's on TV every day, and the village loudspeaker has announced it too. He's disgraceful, he's brought shame to the Qi family. But... but when a person dies, everything is extinguished. We can't just leave him frozen in the freezer in Jingzhou forever."

A young man next to him, head down, interjected in a muffled voice: "My uncle's family was so poor when he was a child that they couldn't even afford pants. Everyone in the village knew that. Later, he became a high-ranking official, and so many people benefited from his influence. Now that he's in trouble, people avoid him like the plague..."

"Shut up! Don't spout nonsense in front of the leaders!" Another young man quickly pulled him aside.

Zhao Donglai waved his hand, took out a pack of Zhonghua cigarettes from his pocket, pulled one out and handed it over: "It's alright, let him talk."

The young man didn't take the cigarette. He suddenly raised his head, his eyes already red, and shouted, his neck stiff, "I just feel so wronged! The Liang family thinks he's dirty and doesn't want him, but we do!"

The spacious reception room fell silent instantly.

The police officers and staff from the Civil Affairs Bureau who were taking statements all stopped what they were doing.

These words were like a resounding slap in the face to the high-ranking officials and dignitaries of Handong.

When Qi Tongwei was alive, he climbed the social ladder by associating with the Liang family, followed the Zhao family's connections, and amassed a fortune from the Shanshui Group.

But when the day actually came for him to commit suicide and his family to scatter like leaves in the wind, it was still these few poor relatives who were willing to charter a car from afar to collect his body.

This exposé of officialdom would have made Pu Songling so eager to write it into his "Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio."

An older colleague from the Civil Affairs Bureau cleared his throat, breaking the awkward silence: "We understand the feelings of the Qi family. According to regulations, Qi Tongwei is a serious offender who violated discipline and the law. After his cremation, his ashes can be taken back to his place of origin by his relatives."

"We know the rules." The old man nodded repeatedly, a glimmer of hope flashing in his cloudy eyes. "We'll take him back to Yantai, make a small grave on the back mountain, and bury him next to his parents, so he can rest in peace. Boss, where's the form? I'll sign it."

The old man stepped forward and eagerly extended his calloused hands.

"Sir, please don't rush, the document can't be signed yet." Zhao Donglai sighed, pressing down on the documents on the table, his tone filled with helplessness.

"The spouse is the first priority family member. I just called Comrade Liang Lu, and she clearly stated that she is relinquishing her right to dispose of the body, but she requires us to deliver the 'Declaration of Relinquishment of Right to Dispose of Body' to her home before she will sign it. As long as she doesn't put pen to paper and sign this, you, as the second priority family member, cannot proceed with the cremation process. This is the legal principle."

The old man was stunned: "What? His wife doesn't care about him anymore, she won't even come to see him, and we're not allowed to care? That's outrageous!"

"Sir, this is the rule." Zhao Donglai said with a wry smile.

The old man lowered his hands in despair, his eyes red-rimmed: "Then... sir, could we see him one last time?"

The room fell silent again.

Qi Tongwei committed suicide by shooting himself. The bullet entered through his mouth and exited through the back of his head. Although the forensic doctor performed preliminary suturing and cleaning, the gruesome scene was something that most people could not bear.

"You can see it, but the body is not in good condition, so be prepared."

"I'm not afraid." A tear glistened in Qi Yougen's cloudy eyes. "When he was little, he fell into the wild river at the entrance of the village and almost drowned. I was the one who pulled him out of the mud and carried him home. I've seen everything he looks like."

The door to the cold storage area was pushed open, and a blast of bone-chilling cold air rushed out.

The forensic doctor pulled open the heavy freezer drawer, and a corner of the white cloth was lifted.

After just one glance, the two young men turned pale on the spot. One of them covered his mouth, turned around and rushed out the door, where he leaned against a trash can in the corridor and vomited violently.

Qi Yougen did not dodge.

He stood in front of the freezer, staring at the face that was severely distorted and ashen white for a long time.

Then, he slowly extended his rough hand and gently patted Qi Tongwei's stiff shoulder through the white cloth.

"Tongwei, go home."

Just this one sentence.

There was no crying or wailing, no tantrums or protests, and not a single word in defense of the nephew.

Standing at the door, Zhao Donglai listened to the hoarse murmur, and the anger that had been building up inside him from working non-stop for the past few days suddenly dissipated completely.

In this life, when you're surrounded by flowers and brocade, you're greeted by smiling faces offering comfort and care. But when you fall into an abyss and are shattered to pieces, is there still someone who stands up for you, undeterred by your blood and grime, and says, "Go home"?

For Qi Tongwei, a desperate outlaw from Lone Eagle Ridge, this ending wasn't too bad at all.

Just then, Zhao Donglai's encrypted phone suddenly started vibrating loudly.

Caller ID: Zhou Zhengming.

Zhao Donglai strode to the ventilation shaft at the end of the corridor and pressed the answer button:

"Team Leader Zhou, this is Zhao Donglai. The video is being copied; I'll send someone to deliver it to you shortly."

"There's no rush to record the video." Zhou Zhengming's voice on the other end of the phone was unreadable.

"Comrade Donglai, Team Leader Qin listened to the recording of the phone call you just sent over about contacting Comrade Liang Lu. Comrade Liang Lu is playing 'nonviolent non-cooperation' with the organization."

Zhao Donglai continued, pouring out his grievances:

"Yes, Team Leader Zhou, the relatives from our hometown have arrived and are eagerly waiting to receive the ashes. But Liang Lu refuses to come to the funeral home and insists that we send the 'Declaration of Waiver of the Right to Dispose of the Body' to her home for her to sign."

Did she think this was ordering takeout? But if she doesn't sign, the body will just stay frozen in the freezer; the process is stuck.

On the other end of the phone, Zhou Zhengming chuckled softly, a laugh that sent a chill down Zhao Donglai's spine.

"Comrade Donglai, is this the style of your Jingzhou Public Security Bureau? Have you failed to implement the 'streamlining administration, delegating power, and improving services' reform properly?"

"The public is upset, doesn't want to run errands, and is demanding door-to-door service. Can't you do your job a little more meticulously and meet their needs?"

Zhao Donglai's heart skipped a beat, and he cursed under his breath, "Old fox!"

This isn't "providing door-to-door service," it's clearly sending him to test the waters!

Although Liang Qunfeng has retired, his influence remains, and his protégés and former subordinates are everywhere in the political and legal system of Handong.

His two sons are now also influential figures.

If I lead a group to smash up the Liang family's gate, how will I be able to get along in Handong after this?

Zhao Donglai quickly dodged the question: "Team Leader Zhou, the Liang family compound has a high threshold; I'm afraid I, as the director of the municipal bureau, can't even get in. If it causes any emotional turmoil among the older comrades, the political repercussions..."

"Comrade Donglai, are you concerned about the feelings of the veteran comrades, or are you concerned about your own job?" Zhou Zhengming interrupted him mercilessly.

"I'm reminding you, you're holding legal procedures in your hands, and the supervisory team is behind you! No matter how high the Liang family's standards are, are they higher than Party discipline? Higher than national law?!"

A thin layer of sweat appeared on Zhao Donglai's forehead, and he didn't dare to respond.

Zhou Zhengming's words were like knives, issuing a direct ultimatum: "Since Miss Liang wants to put on airs, then you personally lead a team to give her 'door-to-door service'! Bring body cameras, two cameras! Doesn't she look down on Qi Tongwei? Doesn't she think Qi Tongwei is her disgrace? Make her sign this document in front of the cameras! Record every word she says, along with her attempts to distance herself, verbatim! The supervisory team is currently lacking such 'vivid' material!"

Zhao Donglai understood instantly.

This is not about making funeral arrangements at all!

The supervisory team is using Qi Tongwei's corpse as a battering ram to smash the Liang family's hypocritical political facade!

Immortals fight, mortals suffer.

But Zhao Donglai has no way out now and can only be this gun.

"Understood! I'll lead the team to handle it immediately!" Zhao Donglai stood at attention, his voice firm and resolute.

After hanging up the phone, Zhao Donglai turned and walked towards the reception room, his face ashen, and coldly ordered the criminal investigation team leader behind him: "Go to the Liang family."

The squad leader was stunned, and subconsciously asked, "Now?"

"Now!"

"Who's going?"

"Damn it!" Zhao Donglai grabbed his police uniform jacket from the back of the chair, put it on as he quickly walked out.

"Bring Qi Tongwei's body disposal notice and Liang Lu's statement relinquishing her right to dispose of the body, along with all of them! Fully charge the body cameras, turn them to the highest resolution, and record the entire process with dual cameras!"