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

When Zhao Donglai arrived at the provincial party committee guesthouse, it was already dark.

He didn't rush to get off the bus, but instead sat in the back seat, placed the brown paper document bag on his lap, and gently rubbed it with his fingers.

This thing is a hot potato right now; you can't throw it away, and you can't keep it either.

The head of the criminal investigation team in the passenger seat didn't dare to breathe and asked in a low voice, "Director Zhao, this... this bag of things, should we just hand it over?"

"Otherwise what?" Zhao Donglai glanced at him, then gave a self-deprecating laugh.

"Keep it at home as a family heirloom? Believe me, if we keep this bag of stuff for even a minute longer, the supervisory team will put both of us into their file folders tomorrow."

The squad leader shuddered in fright and immediately shut his mouth.

Zhao Donglai pushed open the door and got out of the car. The cold autumn wind blew, and he felt that the heat in his heart had subsided a lot.

When I was an official in Handong, I used to employ the strategy of "delaying" and playing the game of "Tai Chi".

But the moment Gao Yuliang jumped from the sixth floor, Zhao Donglai had an epiphany—

The times have changed.

In this murky water, those who try to be opportunistic will only end up being crushed into mincemeat by both sides.

The supervisory team handed him a gun. He didn't want to be a hero, but he had to at least choose a way to shoot that would save his life.

The meeting room was on the third floor. Two expressionless staff members checked his credentials at the door without even glancing at the police rank insignia on his shoulder.

This is what real rules are.

Pushing open the conference room door, the air pressure inside felt even colder than the late autumn outside.

Qin Yuanzhou sat in the main seat, holding a cup of tea, and was slowly blowing on it.

Zhou Zhengming leaned back on the sofa, legs crossed, the ashtray in front of him was spotless, but his two fingers were habitually fiddling with it, as if he were holding an invisible cigarette.

Sitting next to him was Lao Liu, who had been sent by the Supreme People's Procuratorate.

This discipline inspection cadre, who usually commands respect in the cities and prefectures, was now huddled in his chair, his face long and his forehead covered in fine beads of sweat.

"Comrade Donglai, you've arrived?" Zhou Zhengming raised his eyelids, pointed to the empty chair opposite him, and teased with a smile.

"Has the Pandora's box of officialdom in Handong been opened?"

Zhao Donglai's heart tightened, and he forced a wry smile as he stepped forward and gently placed the file bag on the table.

"Team Leader Zhou, please don't belittle me. This isn't a magic box; it's a package of directional explosives. Wherever it's placed, a section of the area will collapse."

"Scared?" Qin Yuanzhou, who was in the main seat, asked.

"I'm afraid," Zhao Donglai replied, his back straight, neither humble nor arrogant.

"But being a policeman in Handong probably won't put food on the table. I still have to do what I'm supposed to do."

Upon hearing this, Zhou Zhengming exchanged a glance with Qin Yuanzhou and smiled, "Alright, that's encouraging. Comrade Donglai, it seems you prepared a draft for your self-criticism report in advance."

"Yes, Team Leader Qin, today's live performance is even more exciting than the recording."

Zhao Donglai proactively reported to his superior.

"Old Liang originally wanted to smooth things over, saying, 'When a person dies, the debt is settled; don't use a corpse to torment the living.' I replied, 'These days, Handong only cares about rules, not personal relationships,' and he didn't say anything more, directly forcing Liang Lu to sign the document."

"What a fine 'rules-based, no-personal-sparing' attitude!" Zhou Zhengming chuckled.

"Comrade Donglai, are you saying this to Liang Qunfeng, or to us?"

"This is for everyone who still wants to smooth things over," Zhao Donglai replied succinctly.

"That old fox Liang Qunfeng, he's really good at shedding his tail like a gecko," Zhou Zhengming sneered.

"To preserve the Liang family's reputation, he sacrificed his daughter's dignity. It's a pity he cut his losses too late."

Qin Yuanzhou ignored the bureaucratic banter, his slender fingers tapping on the catalog of the Lone Eagle Ridge law enforcement videos on the table, his expression darkening:

Where is Hou Liangping?

"A serious violation." Zhao Donglai immediately switched to the professional mode of a police chief, his voice ringing out firmly.

"Before the scene was fully under control, he approached the suspect alone and conducted a highly provocative interrogation. These actions directly led to Qi Tongwei's emotional breakdown, which ultimately resulted in him shooting himself."

Zhou Zhengming slowly turned his gaze to Old Liu in the corner, his eyes like a cat looking at a trembling mouse:

"Comrade Liu, this 'lone hero' from your Supreme People's Procuratorate has a very unique style of handling cases. This isn't just an anti-corruption bureau chief; he's clearly a Hollywood superhero!"

He solves cases entirely with his mouth and a surge of enthusiasm, not even bothering to turn on a body camera. Is he aiming for an Oscar, or just heading straight to Qincheng Prison to collect his rice bowl?

Old Liu broke out in a cold sweat, stood up abruptly as if electrocuted, and stammered his statement:

"Team Leader Zhou! The institute's attitude is very clear: we will investigate this thoroughly and show absolutely no leniency!"

We firmly oppose Comrade Hou Liangping's style of disregarding procedural justice and engaging in personal heroism!

I suggest... that he be immediately suspended from his duties pending investigation and interviewed at a designated location!

Zhao Donglai's heart skipped a beat when he heard this.

Within the system, everyone tries to protect their positions. When the words "suspension from duty" came from the disciplinary inspection department of his own unit, it was basically a death sentence with a reprieve for Hou Liangping's political career.

The Supreme People's Procuratorate is about to cut things off at lightning speed.

Qin Yuanzhou didn't respond to that question. Instead, he pulled out a few yellowed photocopies from a pile of materials and pushed them to the center of the table.

"Comrade Donglai, Gao Yuliang pointed us in the right direction at the hospital, saying that some things will speak for themselves." Qin Yuanzhou stared intently at him.

"Come and see what these files say."

Zhao Donglai picked up the document with a puzzled look, and after just one glance, his pupils suddenly contracted.

That was Qi Tongwei's job assignment file after graduating from university.

Original suggestion: Stay at the university or join the provincial procuratorate.

Final allocation: Yantai County Judicial Office.

Below is another document, which is Qi Tongwei's promotion request after his meritorious service in drug enforcement. On the approval column, three words are signed in a flamboyant style:

Liang Qunfeng.

Next to it was an even more glaring red annotation: Young man, you need to exercise more, postpone it for now.

"Liang Qunfeng's blatant suppression is no secret in Handong," Zhou Zhengming scoffed, tapping his fingers on the table.

"But take another look at the situation statement below; that's the real mind-blowing stuff."

Zhao Donglai turned to the next page, which was a photocopy of a handwritten letter from decades ago.

The letter was addressed to the Party Committee of Handong University. The gist of the letter was: Although the student (Qi Tongwei) came from a poor family and had a certain drive, he had been influenced by the utilitarian habits of society and was extremely immature in his thinking.

It is recommended that he not be allowed to stay at the university, but instead be sent to the most difficult grassroots level to receive re-education from the poor and lower-middle peasants and temper his character.

The signature at the bottom clearly reads three characters: Chen Yanshi.

Zhao Donglai's mind went blank, feeling as if his worldview of more than twenty years had been shattered by these few pieces of torn paper.

His eyes widened, and he blurted out incredulously, "Old Chen?! He...he's always hated privilege the most, hasn't he?"

"Hate privilege? That's because you haven't used privilege on yourself!" Zhou Zhengming's smile vanished completely, his tone turning icy.

"Back then, Qi Tongwei and his daughter Chen Yang were dating, but Chen Yanshi looked down on this poor young man. To break them up, he wrote a grand plan, using the lofty and righteous banners of 'testing young people' and 'for the revolutionary cause,'"

They directly exiled Qi Tongwei to a remote mountain valley in Yantai, where there wasn't even a proper police station! What do you call that? That's using the noblest reason to do the most despicable private work!

The meeting room was deathly silent.

Zhao Donglai felt a chill run down his spine.

Who would have thought that this old revolutionary, who always talked about "the people," was once a ruthless executioner who killed without shedding blood!

"Liang Qunfeng was the mastermind, Liang Lu was the instigator, and Chen Yanshi was an accomplice." Qin Yuanzhou closed the documents and delivered his final verdict.

"Qi Tongwei later became a bastard, and he wanted his head. But that doesn't mean the people who drove him to become a bastard are innocent. Two accounts must be kept separate, and neither can be omitted!"

Zhao Donglai felt his blood boil upon hearing this.

This is what you call investigating a case!

What is meant by "thunderous measures"?

This is!

Whether you're a high-ranking former secretary of the Political and Legal Affairs Commission or a veteran revolutionary who's been elevated to a pedestal, we'll strip you bare!

After presenting the core materials, Zhao Donglai swallowed hard and added:

"Team Leader Qin, Team Leader Zhou, there's another little incident. Today, outside the funeral home, my men spotted a car. Chen Yang was in it. She didn't get out; she just parked it some distance away for about ten minutes before driving off. Should we send someone to make contact with her?"

Zhou Zhengming raised an eyebrow: "Chen Yang? Chen Yanshi's daughter?"

"Yes." Zhao Donglai nodded.

Qin Yuanzhou waved his hand, rejecting the idea without hesitation:

"No need. Chen Yang is just a passerby swept up by the times and the power of her parents. Her return now is nothing more than a tribute to her dead youth."

Talking to her, aside from listening to a few sentimental and pointless words, offered absolutely no real help to our case. The supervisory team isn't here to film a melodramatic soap opera.

"Team Leader Qin is right." Zhou Zhengming nodded in deep agreement.

"The focus now isn't on those old, messy emotional entanglements. The real drama is yet to come."

Qin Yuanzhou stood up, walked to the window, and looked at the quiet night in the courtyard of the guesthouse.

"At 9 a.m. tomorrow, the supervisory team, the discipline inspection team, and the Supreme People's Procuratorate will jointly conduct a formal inquiry into Hou Liangping."

Qin Yuanzhou turned around and looked at Zhao Donglai with a sharp gaze. "Comrade Donglai, bring the complete video recording of Lone Eagle Ridge and arrive on time."

Zhao Donglai stood at attention with his feet together and saluted: "Yes, sir!"

Zhou Zhengming picked up his teacup, took a sip, and looked at Zhao Donglai with a half-smile:

"Donglai, remember to dress smartly tomorrow. Don't be nervous, you're not going to see a play."

He paused, then said, word by word:

"It's to let you witness how this 'embodiment of justice,' who talks about 'the people' all the time, actually portrays himself as a political clown in the face of irrefutable evidence."