Chapter 2374: This Matter Smacks of Strangeness

The detention cell was small, measuring only five or six square meters, and aside from the radiator hanging on the wall, it was completely empty. There wasn't even a window; the only source of light was a square ventilation opening, twenty centimeters wide, on the iron door, reinforced with steel bars as thick as a thumb.

At this moment, the sunlight from outside passed through the corridor window, then through the ventilation opening of the iron door, casting a grid of light and shadow onto the wall.

These intersecting light and shadows brought a sliver of brightness and change to the cramped, oppressive space, making the tiny area seem a little less suffocating.

Jiadai leaned against the wall, sitting on the floor with his knees bent, staring unblinkingly at the light and shadows on the wall. In his mind, he was constantly replaying the events of the night before last, every detail unfolding frame by frame like a movie.

Although Chang Shengli was his man, he truly had no prior knowledge of the bar-smashing incident. At the time, he had suspected Chang Shengli might smash the bar, so he had brought men to the scene to prevent him from committing a crime. Who could have guessed that not only did he fail to stop it, but he ended up getting himself dragged into it as well?

However, he had assumed that since the whole affair had nothing to do with him, being brought to the branch bureau was just a formality—a few questions and he would be released before dawn.

But the development of events completely exceeded his expectations. The moment he was thrown into the detention cell, he realized the situation was far more serious than he had imagined.

For an entire day yesterday, aside from the officer who brought his meals, no one else had come. He seemed to have been forgotten, left alone in this small, dark space.

This sparked a flicker of doubt in his heart, and a sense of inexplicable unease began to well up. He had spent the whole night like this, his mind flashing through various possibilities, trying to piece together a logical explanation.

But he had racked his brains until they were smoking and still couldn't find a reasonable answer. There was one other possibility: some past case had come back to haunt him. He tried hard to recall what he had done over the years, but aside from fighting, he didn't seem to have committed any other illegal acts.

However, when something happens contrary to the norm, there must be a demon; when a person acts contrary to the norm, there must be a blade. This matter smacked of strangeness. Such an abnormal phenomenon made him feel that something must be hidden here, only he couldn't see through it.

Jiadai's thoughts were like a wild horse off its leash, galloping incessantly as he combed through the details of the incident, trying to find a clue, but he found nothing.

*Creak—bang! * Accompanied by a harsh grinding sound, the iron door of the detention cell was pushed open. An officer stood at the entrance and said coldly, "Ren Jiazhong, family visit."

Jiadai turned his head. Against the light, he saw his father appear at the door. The sunlight spilled over the old man, stretching his shadow long. His head seemed to have even more silver strands, which shimmered faintly in the sun.

Jiadai was stunned. He had never looked at his father so closely as he did now. In his memory, his father had always been tall, upright, and straight-backed, as if he would never grow old. Yet, the father standing before him now made him feel a sense of unfamiliarity.

His father's hair had turned gray, and those white strands were particularly jarring in the sunlight. His back was no longer as straight as Jiadai remembered; it was slightly hunched.

"Dad!" Jiadai called out softly, then slowly stood up. "Why are you here?"

Ren Baolin walked in and stood before his son, trying hard to straighten his back. He looked up slightly at his son, who was half a head taller than him, a smile appearing on his face.

"It's nothing, I just came to see you." Ren Baolin's tone was calm as he reached out to pat his son's shoulder lightly. "Seeing that you're alright, I can rest easy."

Jiadai was a bit bewildered. It wasn't the first or second time he'd been in the station, but his father had never come to see him like this before. This sudden visit, coupled with these inexplicable words, filled his heart with doubt and unease.

Various thoughts flashed through his mind, and he began to let his imagination run wild. Had he committed some grave error that even his old man felt the situation was dire, that he was going to be executed, and had come to see him one last time?

But immediately, he felt that wasn't right. Even if he were to be executed, there had to be a charge, right?

Yet, a day and two nights had passed, and no one had bothered with him. They hadn't asked questions, hadn't interrogated him, hadn't even gone through the motions. Could the branch bureau really be so sloppy as to pin a charge on him just like that?

That was impossible!

"Dad!" Jiadai said with a smile. "This matter really has nothing to do with me. I thought they just brought me back to ask a few questions. Who knew they'd just throw me in here and ignore me? I don't understand what's going on either."

Jiadai kept a smile on his face the whole time, and his tone was relaxed, but in reality, he was deliberately putting on a show for his father so the old man wouldn't worry too much.

For Jiadai, entering the station was like visiting his own backyard; he knew the ropes inside. And since the whole affair reeked of something unusual, he couldn't help but feel nervous inside.

Who was Ren Baolin? He had spent half his life in the military and half in local government, retiring as a department-level official. He was an absolute expert in human nature.

Furthermore, Jiadai was the son he had raised himself; his understanding of Jiadai was bone-deep. So, Jiadai's feigned relaxed expression and tone couldn't possibly escape the eyes of a father like Ren Baolin.

"Don't overthink it!" Ren Baolin looked at his son and said slowly, "Just stay here peacefully for ten days or half a month, and you should be able to get out. At most, it won't exceed a month. However, during this time, no matter who comes to see you, you must not meet them, understand?"

Jiadai's heart jolted. The smile on his face vanished instantly. He knew there must be a major issue here. He tried to ask in a calm tone, "Dad, what do you mean by that?"

Ren Baolin hesitated. He didn't know whether he should tell Jiadai. However, although this matter seemed to have little to do with Jiadai on the surface, it was actually extremely dangerous.

If Jiadai met the wrong people and made the wrong decisions while completely in the dark, the consequences would be unthinkable; he might face immediate disaster. So, he decided to give him a bottom line.

"In the past, when you were caught fighting, I didn't interfere because I knew you'd be fine. But this time is different. Even as an old man, I've heard a thing or two about the reputation of the First Bar.

It's said that the owner of that bar has an extremely deep background. Chang Shengli smashed their bar; one can imagine that the other party definitely won't let this go.

The night before last, a young man named Hong Wu suddenly came to my door to inform me that you had been taken by the branch bureau, and he told me the whole story from beginning to end, which kept me up all night.

At dawn yesterday, I started making phone calls non-stop. However, as soon as the other party heard it involved the First Bar, they all brushed me off or gave me the runaround.

Helpless, I had to seek help from my old leader in the military. Fortunately, the old leader still remembered our past ties and called Bureau Chief Huang at the branch bureau directly.

Then, I received a definitive reply: you need to stay here for ten days or half a month, and at most, it won't exceed a month before you can get out."

Jiadai felt his brain wasn't working fast enough. He asked in confusion, "Why? Shengli is indeed my man, but I didn't know he was going to smash the First Bar. Why lock me up for a month?"

"At first, I didn't understand either. Since you're innocent, it's illegal for them to insist on locking you up for a month." Ren Baolin's tone was very calm, but a trace of imperceptible lingering fear flashed across his face. "I didn't leave the house all yesterday, and I spent the whole day pondering it before I figured it out."

Jiadai asked hurriedly, "Why?"

Ren Baolin leaned forward slightly and lowered his voice: "Because the other party is about to swing a blade."

His words were soft, but they exploded like a thunderclap in Jiadai's ears, making his heart tighten.

"Dad..." Jiadai shouted in shock, but before he could finish, Ren Baolin waved him off.

"Chang Shengli is definitely done for, and those few people who came in with you probably won't be getting out either. So, no matter who comes to see you, you absolutely must not meet them." Ren Baolin warned sternly, "If you meddle in this matter, the blade they've already raised will be the first to fall on your neck."

Jiadai immediately felt a chill run down the back of his neck. He finally understood why they had grabbed him and thrown him into the detention cell without a word.

Ren Baolin looked at his son and said earnestly, "Son, you value loyalty; I'm proud of that. But you can't sacrifice yourself for the sake of loyalty. You must know that no matter what you do, you must act according to your ability, because you still have to provide for my old age."

Jiadai fell silent. After a long while, he said slowly, "I understand, Dad!"

Ren Baolin raised his hand, paused slightly in mid-air, and finally, as if he had made up his mind, let it fall heavily onto his son's shoulder. "After you get out, I'm going to Shenzhen with you."

When Jiadai heard this, he was stunned. He couldn't believe his ears. He had been trying to persuade the old man to go to Shenzhen with him, but the old man had never agreed. Having lived in Beijing for half his life and being familiar with all the neighbors, he naturally didn't want to leave.

Now, the old man had taken the initiative to suggest going to Shenzhen. Jiadai knew very well that the old man must have been frightened by this incident.

The old man was definitely worried that he would encounter something like the First Bar incident again in Shenzhen, and if he accidentally offended someone he shouldn't, the consequences would be unpredictable. That was why he wanted to go to Shenzhen—to keep an eye on him and feel at ease.

But regardless, it was a cause for celebration that the old man was willing to go to Shenzhen with him.

"Alright!" Ren Baolin continued, "I'm leaving. I need to go pack up."

Watching his old man leave the detention cell, and hearing the *bang* of the iron door closing, he was left alone in this cramped, narrow space once again.

Jiadai stood there without moving. He wanted to smoke, reached into his pocket out of habit, then remembered his cigarettes had been confiscated.

He stood in a daze for a long time, then took two steps back, leaned against the wall, and slowly slid to the floor. Once again, he stared at the light and shadows on the wall, a sense of powerlessness he had never felt before washing over his entire body.

At the same time, Zhou Andong pushed open the heavy door of his office, which let out a *creak*. Gu Bing followed him in and sat down on the sofa.

Zhou Andong said irritably, "It's early in the morning; why aren't you in your own office? What are you doing in mine?"

Gu Bing took out a cigarette from his pocket unhurriedly, lit it, and then said slowly, "Of course, I have something important to discuss with you."

Zhou Andong snatched the cigarette Gu Bing had just lit and sat down opposite him. "If you have something to say, say it fast. I don't have that much time to waste with you."

Gu Bing lit another cigarette in a leisurely manner. "If they really want to bribe me, what should I do?"

"Do you even need to ask?" Zhou Andong took a puff of the cigarette and said, "Since they want to bribe you, let them bribe you."

"Ah?" Gu Bing sat up straight. "You want me to defect?"

Zhou Andong rolled his eyes at Gu Bing. "You should know that accepting a bribe is a crime, and offering one is also a crime. No matter what they give you, just take it. When the time comes, just report it to the organization."

"It's fine if they try to lure me with money, but what if they try to lure me with sex?" Gu Bing's eyes suddenly lit up like two lightbulbs. "There's no way to report that."

Zhou Andong chuckled. "If they try to lure you with sex, you don't need to report it to the organization; just report it to Huilin."

Hearing Zhou Andong's words, Gu Bing looked like a deflated balloon, leaning back against the sofa helplessly. "Then can I refuse their bribe?"

"No, absolutely not." Zhou Andong's expression turned serious, his tone firm. "If you refuse directly, they will become even more frantic and might take risks regardless of the consequences, which will bring us trouble.

Therefore, you must play along with them and make them feel they still have a chance. Only then can you keep them steady so they don't resort to extremes. Besides, you can infiltrate their inner circle and take the opportunity to gather important information, or even uncover evidence of their illegal activities!"

Gu Bing curled his lip, mocking, "You always say my IQ is only eight-tenths of a tael. Look at you now; you're not even as good as me—probably not even half a catty. They're bribing me just to use me against you; how could they possibly believe me?"

"So what if they don't believe you?" Zhou Andong took a leisurely puff of his cigarette and exhaled slowly. "What does it matter? Them offering you a bribe is, in itself, evidence of their illegal act.

Besides, you can take the opportunity to squeeze them hard—ten thousand, twenty thousand, keep asking for more. If they really cough up the money, then their problems will be even bigger!"