Chapter 274

“Tell your boss I need to see him—once I see him, I’ll hand over the item in person!” Wu Haibo said with an unshakable tone.

The man’s eyes rolled around for a moment—he clearly couldn’t decide, or dared not make a decision on his own.

After a pause, he spoke: “I can’t decide this. My orders from the boss were to retrieve the item. You’d better cooperate.”

Wu Haibo stubbornly retorted: “I must see the boss! Otherwise, kill me! The item isn’t even with me—if I die, it’ll go straight to the media and the police!”

The man hesitated, glared at him fiercely, and snapped: “Hmph! Wait!”

He pulled out his phone, and moments later, the call connected. He looked up at Wu Haibo and said: “Boss, the guy says he won’t hand it over unless he sees you.”

The other side seemed displeased; the man added: “The item isn’t on him—probably…”

There was a silence on the line, then the call ended.

Ten minutes later, the man’s phone rang. He glanced at the number and answered immediately: “Boss!”

In just a few seconds, the call ended. The man tucked away his phone, grabbed Wu Haibo’s right arm, yanked it outward sharply, then pulled it back—there was a sharp *crack!* Wu Haibo cried out in pain, but the man had already reset his dislocated arm.

“Come on. Come with me to see the boss,” the man ordered.

In a Chinese courtyard, an elderly man with snow-white hair and ruddy skin sat motionless on a red sandalwood armchair, eyes closed. Before him stood a delicate red sandalwood table, upon which a golden incense burner emitted wisps of gray smoke.

Three men stood side by side three meters away from the elder: Wu Haibo and the man who brought him were two of them; the third was tall and powerfully built, his gaze cold and menacing.

All three stood in silence, eyelids lowered, like monks in deep meditation.

After twenty minutes, the elder’s eyebrows twitched slightly. The tall man, though seemingly staring at his toes, had noticed the subtle movement.

“Master,” the tall man bowed low and spoke softly, “Wu Haibo has been brought.”

The elder slowly opened his eyes, a faint smile appearing: “Wu Haibo? The former traffic police captain? I remember you.” His voice was deep and calm, yet carried an undercurrent of quiet dread.

Wu Haibo kept his head down, still silent, but his heart raced. He swallowed hard, then whispered: “Y-yes, Boss.”

He knew only that outsiders called the elder “Boss.” His real name? No one ever mentioned it—as if he had never appeared in the secular world. Yet many powerful figures in Zizhen’s political and business circles maintained close ties with him; rumors even claimed he was Zizhen’s “Underground King.”

When handling the Fang Jie case, Wu Haibo’s rank should have kept him far from the elder. But back then, he schemed relentlessly to seize the opportunity—finally securing his son’s overseas education at a top university. He himself remained stuck as a squad captain until retirement.

That was how he learned of the king of Zizhen’s underworld—the mysterious elder.

“I hear you’ve been close to a junior officer from the Qinghe District Public Security Bureau. What? Is your retirement too dull? Looking for excitement?”

The elder’s voice remained calm, but to Wu Haibo, it sounded like a bomb detonating.

He shuddered, beads of sweat breaking out on his forehead. But years of guilt overwhelmed him. He clenched his teeth, raised his head, and stared directly into the elder’s eyes: “I did wrong back then—but I won’t live a lifetime of guilt. I won’t die with it. So I chose to tell the truth.”

The elder threw his head back and laughed heartily, pointing at him as he laughed: “Do you know why no one has investigated this all these years? Do you think Lu Haoxuan and Gu Changzheng never suspected?”

Wu Haibo gaped, staring at the elder.

“Because they’re smart. They could have uncovered the truth of the accident back then—but what then? They might have lost their jobs as police officers! How would they solve major cases? How would they fulfill their ambitions?”

“I never thought you’d grow more foolish with age. Has life in Canada been too good for Wu Yifeng? So good you’ve forgotten how he got there?”

The elder suddenly mentioned his son—a blow that caught Wu Haibo completely off guard.

“Yifeng? Yifeng’s a Canadian citizen—you—you…”

“Hmph! Don’t forget—I’m a Chinese-Canadian too. I’m even chairman of the Chinese Chamber of Commerce over there. Do you think gaining foreign citizenship makes your son immune? Remember this: no matter where you are, you’re both ants!”

Wu Haibo staggered and collapsed to the ground.

His only son, Wu Yifeng, was his weakness. Back then, he chose to betray his conscience largely because the offer was too tempting. Under the pretense of securing his son’s future, he embraced the bribe with a “if you don’t look out for yourself, heaven will punish you” mindset, surrendering his principles and conscience without remorse.

Now, he wanted to atone before death—does the world offer such easy redemption?

The elder looked at Wu Haibo with disdain, contempt, and cold indifference.

“If you want to protect your son, you shouldn’t have done this! Perhaps I’m ruthless—but I kept every promise I made to you. What you’re doing now is unjust! You once sold your faith and duty for personal gain—that’s disloyalty! You knew the victim was murdered, yet showed no mercy—that’s cruelty! A man who is cruel, unjust, and disloyal—what meaning is there in his life?”

The elder’s words struck like blades into Wu Haibo’s heart. Wu Haibo suddenly lifted his head and roared: “What are you, to lecture me on loyalty, righteousness, benevolence, and filial piety? I’m just a small man forced into this! Did I have a choice back then? Did I?”

Facing the broken Wu Haibo, the elder spoke calmly: “Why didn’t you have a choice? What do you mean ‘forced’? These are just excuses for your greed and desires! You could have refused us back then. You could have reported us. You could have upheld the law. But you didn’t. Why? Because you’re not a good man at heart. You’ve always wanted to join my side—just never had the chance. All these years, your son’s lavish lifestyle in Canada—could your salary possibly afford it? How many benefits have you reaped under our protection? Don’t you know?”

As the elder’s questions piled up, Wu Haibo broke into a cold sweat, his body limp, his limbs weak.