Chapter 92

Lu Haoxuan said: “Speak. No matter who’s behind this, I recognize only the law!”

Li Jun glanced around uneasily, and Lu Haoxuan smiled: “Relax—I had the equipment shut off. No one but you and me can hear this conversation.”

“Good! Captain Lu! I’m placing my entire family’s lives in your hands!” Li Jun said solemnly.

An hour later, Lu Haoxuan stepped out of the interrogation room. Gu Changzheng, waiting anxiously outside, hurriedly asked: “Master, what’s the situation?”

Lu Haoxuan smiled faintly: “Let’s go handle Li Jun’s transfer paperwork. The Long Guangsheng case has taken a new turn!”

Gu Changzheng widened his eyes, about to ask for clarification, when Lu Haoxuan clapped his shoulder: “Come on—we’ll explain everything back at the office.”

Gu Changzheng looked at his master, sensing there was more to it, and fell silent.

Li Jun was immediately transferred back into custody under the pretext that the Long Guangsheng case had uncovered major new leads requiring his re-examination.

Back at the Jiangdong Branch, barely inside the office, Gu Changzheng, who had held back all this time, asked again: “Master, what happened? Why is Li Jun back as a suspect in the Long Guangsheng case? Didn’t we already clear it up?”

Lu Haoxuan spoke calmly: “Li Jun has now confessed—he poisoned Long Guangsheng. Luo Xiaoshuai, Lin Yun, and Zhu Haitao were all paid by him to take the blame.”

“Impossible! If that’s true, he’s insane—or does he just want to die?” Gu Changzheng looked utterly stunned.

“Exactly. Anyone would think the same. But what if new evidence emerges proving Li Jun is the killer? What then?”

“No way! Luo Xiaoshuai has already confessed. The syringe used to inject Long Guangsheng was found. Zhu Haitao’s testimony confirms they were ordered by Chang Huazhong to kill Long Guangsheng and frame Li Jun—to warn Zhang Shaojie! The facts are clear. How could this case be overturned?”

“What if Luo Xiaoshuai reports that the interrogators engaged in coercive interrogation?” Lu Haoxuan suddenly said.

“What? Master, what did you say?” Gu Changzheng seemed not to have heard clearly. Then he shot to his feet: “Coercive interrogation? You mean coercion?!”

Lu Haoxuan looked at Gu Changzheng’s incredulous face and gestured for him to sit.

“Changzheng, I trust you absolutely—that’s based on my knowledge of your character and our bond,” Lu Haoxuan said slowly. “What I just told you is about to happen. Someone is orchestrating the entire case. To overturn a settled case, you need an entry point, a sacrifice—and you are that sacrifice.”

Gu Changzheng shuddered. He was grateful for Lu Haoxuan’s trust, but the idea that someone could manipulate a murder case, using the framing and destruction of a police officer as a tool—that person’s power was terrifying.

He understood that if Lu Haoxuan had told him this, it meant his trust remained unchanged. And to control all this, the Chang family alone could not do it. Could it be…? He dared not think further, waiting for Lu Haoxuan to continue.

Seeing Gu Changzheng had calmed from his initial shock without becoming overly emotional, Lu Haoxuan smiled with satisfaction and continued: “Someone wants to control this—but not the Chang family. It’s the Zhang family.”

“Oh? Then I don’t understand—what’s their goal?” Gu Changzheng asked, puzzled.

“Changzheng, before I tell you the rest, come with me to one place,” Lu Haoxuan said seriously.

Gu Changzheng, seeing his master’s solemn expression, sensed something critical was about to unfold. He nodded.

The two drove to a former municipal service company guesthouse on Daqing Road in Jiangdong District.

This guesthouse had always been quiet, mostly hosting officials from county-level cities coming to conduct official business.

Gu Changzheng found it strange that Lu Haoxuan had brought him here. When they reached the door at the end of the second floor marked “Conference Room,” Lu Haoxuan stopped and gently knocked. Soon, the door opened, revealing a young man in a black jacket.

The young man saw Lu Haoxuan and smiled: “Captain Lu, good to see you. And this is?” He glanced at Gu Changzheng behind him.

“Xiao Xu, this is Gu Changzheng, an investigator from our Criminal Investigation Unit. I’ve already briefed Group Leader Huo on his background,” Lu Haoxuan said to the young man.

“Oh, welcome, welcome—come in!” Xiao Xu stepped aside to let Lu Haoxuan and Gu Changzheng enter.

The 200-square-meter conference room held only a central table; the rest was filled with ordinary desks—some paired, some grouped into large tables—all piled high with file folders and documents. At a solitary desk near the back, a man around sixty sat bent over a thick stack of papers.

“Group Leader Huo!” Lu Haoxuan called softly.

The old man looked up, saw Lu Haoxuan, and waved: “Lao Lu, sit!” Lu Haoxuan replied, “Yes!” Then gestured to Gu Changzheng behind him: “Group Leader Huo, let me introduce you—this is Gu Changzheng from our Jiangdong Criminal Investigation Unit.”

“Changzheng, this is Group Leader Huo of the Provincial Public Security Bureau’s Criminal Investigation General Team.”

Gu Changzheng immediately stood at attention and saluted: “Comrade Leader, hello!”

Huo Weihua removed his glasses, stood up, returned the salute, and smiled: “Relax, Xiao Gu. Come, sit.”

Gu Changzheng pulled out a chair and sat upright directly behind his master, Lu Haoxuan.

“Lao Lu, is this the disciple you’ve been telling me about?” Huo Weihua joked.

Lu Haoxuan laughed heartily: “Comrade Deputy Director, we Communists don’t do master-disciple rituals. Don’t go putting hats on me!”

Gu Changzheng, seeing Lu Haoxuan speak so casually to this high-ranking official, felt puzzled.

“Hmph! I know you too well—when you spot a good prospect, you want to snatch them into your own hands!” Huo Weihua chuckled.

“Alright, Big Director! How about ‘Comrade Huo’? Changzheng here is truly a promising investigator—that’s why I recommended him to you over the phone for the special task force!”

Huo Weihua dropped his playful tone, glanced at Gu Changzheng’s rigid posture, and said gravely: “Good. Lao Lu, brief Xiao Gu on our task force’s situation and discipline. Let him integrate quickly.”

“Yes!” Lu Haoxuan stood straight, gave a sharp, formal gaze salute—completely shedding his earlier casual demeanor.