Chapter 272

“Oh?!” Though he had braced himself, Luo Fei was still stunned to hear Wu Haibo say it aloud.

His shock was understandable—how could a government official, a captain of the traffic police squad, be threatened or ordered to keep silent? The answer seemed obvious.

“Who?” Luo Fei pressed.

Wu Haibo clenched his lips, thought for a moment, then said: “That pickup had already been parked there ten minutes early. My position gave me full surveillance of the intersection.”

Seeing Wu Haibo dodging the question but mentioning the pickup’s arrival time, Luo Fei knew he had evidence. “Do you have proof?”

Wu Haibo nodded. “The intersection’s camera failed that night, but the pharmacy across the street had its own camera—those video files are in my hands.”

These words struck Luo Fei hard. He suppressed his excitement: “Where is the video? Why didn’t you retrieve the pharmacy’s footage when you handled the accident?”

“I retrieved it myself. You know—I was the lead investigator. So in the case file, I never mentioned the pharmacy’s camera could see the road in front.”

“Why?” Luo Fei asked. He had a guess, but he wanted Wu Haibo to say it himself.

“I knew if anyone else found out about the pharmacy’s video, it would disappear. So I made a private copy, then deleted the footage from the hard drive during a routine inspection of the pharmacy’s camera system.”

After speaking, Wu Haibo pulled a small cloth bundle from his inner pocket, carefully opened it, and revealed a black USB drive inside.

“Captain Luo, I know your connection with Director Gu. But so many years have passed—what’s the point now?”

Luo Fei sensed hidden meaning. “What do you mean? Who ordered you that night? Why didn’t you speak up about the accident back then—why now?”

He remembered how, after the Chang brothers and the Zhang siblings were arrested, their protector—City Bureau Chief Guo Shuqing—had also been legally detained. But Wu Haibo’s true master must be someone else. Who? Someone higher-ranked than Guo Shuqing?

Wu Haibo gave a bitter smile—guilt and fear mingled in his eyes. He whispered: “I’ll accept full responsibility for what I did. Punish me however the law demands. But that person—I’ll never name him. You’ll have to find him yourselves.”

Luo Fei said: “Why? If that’s the case, you could’ve just stayed silent about the whole thing.”

Wu Haibo looked up at him, his expression complex: “I have my reasons. My time is short—but I have children.”

“Did you ever consider how Director Gu felt when he lost his wife and child back then?”

Wu Haibo fell silent. His fists clenched tightly, as if making a final, crushing decision. After a long pause, he sighed deeply: “Take the USB drive. Use it to overturn the old verdict. As for my punishment—follow the law. I have nothing else to say.”

With that, he lowered his eyelids and said no more. Seeing his resolve, Luo Fei knew further questioning was useless. He reached out, took the USB drive, and stood to leave.

———

Meanwhile, in Tang Xiaofeng’s tobacco shop, the elderly man with the surname Yue blinked slightly at his words, then waved a hand: “Say whatever you must. It’s your affair—no one can replace you. If it’s not yours, you have nothing to fear.”

Tang Xiaofeng bowed obediently and withdrew.

Once the old man was alone, he pulled out a phone, dialed a number, and as soon as the call connected, the man who had seemed so enigmatic before now slumped his shoulders, visibly tense: “Boss, forgive me for disturbing your cultivation. I’m worried something might go wrong…”

After hanging up, the old man exhaled heavily, relief washing over him—but his eyes gleamed with a cold, chilling light.

———

Luo Fei opened the USB file. The video showed a night of torrential rain; a pickup truck sat parked on the road. The timestamp confirmed it was exactly ten minutes before Fang Jie’s accident. Luo Fei froze and zoomed in on the front windshield—but the driver’s face remained blurred.

Moments later, the traffic light at the intersection ahead turned green. From the opposite direction, a green-cabbed taxi came to a smooth stop at the red light.

The next instant, the parked pickup’s headlights blazed on. The engine roared as it surged forward—directly toward the taxi.

When the crash came, the pickup reversed dozens of meters, then slammed into the taxi again, shoving it all the way to the center median, where it was finally stopped by a thick ginkgo tree.

Though the video couldn’t confirm whether Tang Xiaofeng was the driver, it was unmistakable—this was no accident. It was murder, plain and clear.

Luo Fei slammed his fist onto the desk. “Damn it! Absolutely insane! Now! Sun Jiahui! Go bring Tang Xiaofeng in!”

Seeing Luo Fei in a rage, Xiao Sun dared not speak. But after his outburst, Luo Fei calmed down. “Follow that kid. I’ll report to Director Gong and request a case review. Go.”

———

After seeing off Luo Fei and the others, Wu Haibo checked the time—it was nearly his appointment with the doctor. He glanced around, then dragged his weary body toward the hospital.

At almost the exact same moment Wu Haibo met Luo Fei in the small park, an ordinary-looking middle-aged man appeared at Wu Haibo’s doorstep. He knocked lightly. When no one answered, he pulled out a key, fiddled with the lock a few times—and the door swung open.