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

The following morning at nine o'clock, in the conference room.

Zhao Donglai was wearing a crisp police uniform, and the rank insignia on his shoulders was polished to a shine.

He sat at the very end of the conference table, with a laptop connected to a projector in front of him.

Zhou Zhengming told him to "dress smartly" last night, and today he even used hair gel to style his hair, aiming to "maintain a proper attitude and enjoy the show with peace of mind."

The door opened, and Hou Liangping was "invited" in by two staff members.

Having not slept all night, Hou Liangping had dark circles under his eyes and a layer of bluish-black stubble on his chin.

But he still kept his back straight and his chin slightly raised, trying to maintain the aloof and authoritative demeanor of the head of the Anti-Corruption Bureau of the Supreme People's Procuratorate.

When he saw Zhao Donglai sitting in the corner, his brows furrowed sharply.

"Director Zhao? What are you doing here?"

Hou Liangping's tone was unfriendly, as if he were still the imperial envoy who wielded great power in Handong.

Zhao Donglai, eyes downcast and seemingly unmoved, said calmly, "Director Hou, I'm here today to provide technical support and will be responsible for playing the video recordings."

"Alright, have a seat." Zhou Zhengming tapped the table.

"Today is not a Standing Committee meeting, so there's no need to worry about the order of precedence. Comrade Hou Liangping, today's conversation with you is a joint effort by the Central Supervision Group, the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection, and the Supreme People's Procuratorate. You know the rules, so let's get straight to the point."

Zhou Zhengming flipped through the documents, his eyes sharp as knives: "At the Lone Eagle Ridge site, did you obtain authorization from the highest-ranking commander before entering the core area?"

Hou Liangping pulled out a chair and sat down, saying in a deep voice, "The situation was urgent at the time. Qi Tongwei was armed and extremely emotionally unstable. As the head of the anti-corruption bureau, I knew him, and it was my responsibility to go in and stabilize the situation."

Zhou Zhengming looked up at him and asked, "I'm asking if you have authorization?"

"Under special circumstances, we cannot mechanically follow procedures!" Hou Liangping raised his voice, speaking with conviction.

Zhou Zhengming laughed: "Director Hou, have you noticed that the phrase 'emergency situation' is particularly prevalent in your case-handling career? Wherever procedures are lacking, it's there. What, do you think the law is your private property, that you can just manipulate it however you want?"

Zhao Donglai almost couldn't hold back his laughter in the corner, so he quickly lowered his head and pretended to be adjusting the mouse.

Old Liu was so anxious he was practically fuming. He thought to himself, "Why is this ancestor so stubborn right from the start? He's been taught nothing!"

Hou Liangping's face darkened: "Team Leader Zhou, are you mocking me?"

"It's not sarcasm, it's a summary." Zhou Zhengming turned to Zhao Donglai, "Comrade Donglai, play the video."

Zhao Donglai pressed the Enter key.

The projection screen lit up, displaying footage from the law enforcement recorder outside the Lone Eagle Ridge cabin.

The wind howls in the scene.

Hou Liangping crossed the police line, and staff members shouted off-screen, "Director Hou, there are guns inside. Wait for the negotiation experts!"

Hou Liangping roared without turning his head, "We can't wait! He's my senior, I know him!"

"Qi Tongwei, you have nowhere to run!"

"How could you do this to Chen Hai?!"

"Stop using fate as an excuse; nobody owes you anything!"

......

After the recording finished playing, the conference room became eerily quiet.

Zhou Zhengming placed his hands on the table, crossed: "Director Hou, is this what you call 'stabilizing the situation'? Are you sure you're trying to persuade him to surrender, not killing him? Every word you're saying is stabbing him in the back. If you're standing on his head and telling him not to get agitated, do you think he won't shoot himself?"

Hou Liangping became agitated and slammed his fist on the table: "Qi Tongwei is a prime suspect, a corrupt official! Am I supposed to kneel down and beg him to lay down his weapon? His final act of firing was his own choice!"

"Gao Yuliang jumping off the building was his own choice, right?" Zhou Zhengming casually added.

Hou Liangping froze instantly, as if someone had grabbed his neck.

"You were in Gao Yuliang's office, there was no audio or video recording, and no disciplinary committee members were present. You said you went there to offer advice, but Gao Yuliang said you went there to conduct an interrogation-style interrogation."

Zhou Zhengming's tone turned cold. "Now there's no way to verify anything—oh wait, Gao Yuliang isn't dead yet. Who do you expect the organization to believe?"

Hou Liangping gritted his teeth: "Gao Yuliang is an old fox, of course he'll turn around and bite me! He's manipulating the organization!"

"Then why did you give him the chance to turn the tables on you?" Zhou Zhengming asked pointedly.

"The program isn't a constraint, it's a protective charm! You usually find this outfit troublesome to wear, but now someone's stabbed you in the back, and you realize you're naked. Who's to blame?"

Old Liu couldn't stand it any longer and quickly stepped in to smooth things over:

"Liangping, calm down! The organization is looking for you today with the intention of helping you. You've just arrived in Handong and are unfamiliar with the area. Could it be that you were... misled in obtaining certain clues?"

As Lao Liu spoke, he silently prayed in his heart.

Admit your stupidity!

Admit to being a fool who has been deceived!

If you shift the blame to the Liang family and Sha Ruijin, you'll still have room to maneuver!

Hou Liangping, of course, understood Lao Liu's implication.

But the pride in his heart, or rather, the extremely distorted sense of self-esteem, held him up like a steel bar.

What he was most proud of in his life was his intelligence and intuition for solving cases.

If he admits to being used as a pawn by the Liang family and to being used as a chamber pot by Sha Ruijin, then what is he?

A political clown being manipulated by others?

A fool who doesn't even realize he's a pawn?

This is worse than killing him!

"I have not been misled by anyone!" Hou Liangping took a deep breath, raised his head, and declared loudly and righteously.

"I investigated Gao Yuliang and Qi Tongwei based entirely on solid evidence! Are the account books of Shanshui Manor genuine? Is it true that Qi Tongwei is involved in organized crime?"

I don't need anyone to feed me, and I haven't been used by the Liang family! I don't care where the clues came from; I only care if they're true!

Old Liu closed his eyes in despair.

You can't reason with a damned devil; this person is completely beyond saving.

Zhou Zhengming sneered and was about to take out the contact list of Liang family disciples when Hou Liangping had completely lost control.

He felt he had been greatly wronged and pointed at Zhou Zhengming, shouting at him.

"You're all being led by the nose by Gao Yuliang!" Hou Liangping's eyes were bloodshot, like a raging wild beast.

"It's the Liang family again! It's Sha Ruijin again, and now they're trying to force me to admit I was used! Who's really handling this case? The supervisory team, or Gao Yuliang?!"

Upon hearing this, time seemed to stand still in the conference room.

Old Liu's mind went blank for a moment, and he was so startled that he almost slipped off his chair.

Pointing his finger at the supervisory team and accusing them of being remotely controlled, is he trying to get himself killed already?

Zhao Donglai silently moved his chair back half an inch in the corner.

This Director Hou's IQ and EQ are truly at opposite extremes; even when facing certain death, he still dares to act recklessly.

"Bang!"

A muffled thud.

Qin Yuanzhou, who had been silent all along, slammed the stainless steel thermos he was holding heavily onto the table.

The sound wasn't loud, but it was like a thunderclap, silencing Hou Liangping's roar.

Qin Yuanzhou slowly raised his eyelids; his deep eyes, usually so gentle, were now devoid of their usual warmth.

Instead, there was a chilling sense of oppression.

That was the terrifying aura of a high-ranking official who had long held power over life and death.

"Hou Liangping," Qin Yuanzhou spoke, his words as firm as iron, "Do you think you're the only clean person in the world? That you're the only one who represents absolute justice?"

Hou Liangping was breathing rapidly, his neck stiffened, and he didn't speak, but his eyes remained defiant.

"You keep talking about facts and evidence, but what do you rely on to handle cases? You rely on privileges that disregard Party discipline and national laws!"

Qin Yuanzhou's eyes were sharp as he stared intently at him.

"You use the banner of anti-corruption to do things that trample on procedural justice! You don't even follow the most basic rules, so what are you talking about in terms of substantive justice?!"

"You're not ignorant of the law; you're treating it as your personal property, Hou Liangping, to be manipulated however you like!"

Hou Liangping's face turned pale, and his lips trembled as he tried to retort, "Team Leader Qin, I..."

"Shut up!" Qin Yuanzhou interrupted him without any mercy.

"The central government sent a supervisory team to Handong to reshape the political environment here, not to listen to your stories of lone heroes!"

Since you think you've done nothing wrong and believe the organization is trying to smear you, fine, then go to the detention room and think it over carefully before you speak!

Qin Yuanzhou turned to look at Zhou Zhengming and Lao Liu, his tone icy, making a definitive statement:

"The Central Authorized Supervisory Group has acted arbitrarily and without restraint in Handong. I now propose that, given Comrade Hou Liangping's refusal to cooperate with the investigation and his open resistance to organizational review, he should be placed under disciplinary investigation immediately!"

Old Liu trembled all over, no longer daring to utter a single word of "no," and nodded repeatedly:

"The Supreme People's Procuratorate's Discipline Inspection Team fully agrees with Team Leader Qin's decision!"

"implement."

Zhou Zhengming decisively pressed the button on the phone on the table.

The door was pushed open instantly, and four burly staff members strode in, each holding a red-headed document stamped with a red seal.

"Comrade Hou Liangping, please cooperate."

The leader spoke in a flat, emotionless tone.

Hou Liangping was struck dumb, frozen in place, his previous arrogance instantly crumbling.

Two staff members stepped forward and supported his arms on either side.

"I won't accept this! I'm going to call Xiao Ai! I'm going to report this to Elder Zhong! The Zhong family won't abandon me!"

Hou Liangping struggled desperately, and finally, in despair, he shouted out his biggest trump card from his subconscious.

"Save your energy." Zhou Zhengming stood up, walked up to him, and looked at him with a hint of pity.

"The people behind you won't fare any better."

Hou Liangping's face instantly lost all color, and he was carried out of the conference room by the staff, his body limp.

The door closed.

The meeting room was silent for a few seconds.

Old Liu took out a handkerchief, wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, and breathed heavily, still shaken.

Qin Yuanzhou screwed the lid on the thermos, not even glancing at Hou Liangping who was being dragged away, his deep gaze turning directly to Zhao Donglai in the corner.

"Comrade Donglai."

"exist!"

Zhao Donglai immediately straightened his back and responded loudly.

"Take your people with you. Next step: interrogate Gao Xiaoqin."