Chapter 25

Lin Dongfan

Li Hengbo

Leng Chuan

He Yanqing

Liang

Liu

Jian Si Ning

Yang Tao

Yang Shou Shan

Xiao Yun Ce

Places:

Jianglan Province

Far away, the horizon was filled with rolling dark clouds, as if about to devour the earth. A minibus and an Audi, one ahead of the other, sped along the highway. It felt as if they were about to drive into a bottomless black hole.

Jing

Changnan City

Jianglan Zhengfa University

Green Bamboo Ridge

Green Bamboo Village

Organizations:

Public Security Bureau

Anti-Corruption Bureau

Discipline Inspection Commission

Procuratorate

Provincial Party Committee

Forest Public Security Bureau

Housing and Urban-Rural Development Bureau

Eternal Sand Real Estate Group

Eternal Sand Group

Jianglan Province Anti-Corruption Bureau

Jianglan Province Discipline Inspection Commission

Lin Dongfan slowly opened his eyes and smiled: "Qingzhu Ridge caught fire, and the dead are being blamed. Yang Tao appealed beyond his superiors, and his whereabouts are now unknown. This is not merely anti-corruption; it's a matter of life and death. Behind the 9·28 case lie tangled and complex interests. I actually want to take it easy—who will give me this chance?"

Prosecutor General

Executive Vice Mayor

Mayor

Executive

Section Chief

Deputy Bureau Chief

Division Chief of Comprehensive Guidance

Investigation Division Chief

Investigation Team Captain

Group Leader

Deputy Group Leader

Secretary

Check if any missing: "Provincial Party Committee Secretary Liang" includes "Provincial Party Committee" and "Secretary". Already have both.

"Jianglan Province Procuratorate's Prosecutor General Liu" includes "Jianglan Province Procuratorate" and "Liu Prosecutor General". We have both.

"Jianglan Province Anti-Corruption Bureau Deputy Bureau Chief" includes Jianglan Province Anti-Corruption Bureau and Deputy Bureau Chief. We have both.

"Jianglan Province Anti-Corruption Bureau Division Chief of Comprehensive Guidance" includes Jianglan Province Anti-Corruption Bureau and Division Chief of Comprehensive Guidance. We have both.

"Jianglan Province Anti-Corruption Bureau Investigation Division Chief" includes Jianglan Province Anti-Corruption Bureau and Investigation Division Chief. We have both.

"Jianglan Province Discipline Inspection Commission" we have.

"Jianglan Province Procuratorate" we have.

"Jianglan Zhengfa University" we have.

"Eternal Sand Real Estate Group" we have.

"Eternal Sand Group" we have.

Changnan City Forest Public Security Bureau

Now we need to ensure we didn't miss any other named entities like "9·28 Special Task Force". This is a named entity (task force). Should we include? It's a named organization. The instruction says list every named entity / coined term. So we should include "9·28 Special Task Force". Also "9·28 Case" maybe as "9·28 Case". Also "First Half-Year Work Summary and Commendation Conference" maybe not needed. But the task force is definitely a named organization.

Let's add:

- 9·28 Special Task Force / 9·28 Special Task Force

- 9·28 Case / 9·28 Case

Also maybe "Investigation Division One" (Investigation Division One) appears as a named division. Should we list? It's a named unit within the bureau. Could be considered an organization. We have Investigation Division Chief but not the division itself. Might be good to list "Investigation Division One" / "Investigation Division One". Similarly "Comprehensive Guidance Division" (Comprehensive Guidance Division). We have Division Chief but not the division. Might be good to list.

Also "Special Task Force" appears as "Special Task Force" generic; but we already have specific "9·28 Special Task Force".

Also "Anti-Corruption Bureau" we have.

Also "Discipline Inspection Commission" we have.

Also "Procuratorate" we have.

Also "Provincial Party Committee" we have.

Also "Jianglan Province Anti-Corruption Bureau" we have.

Also "Jianglan Province Discipline Inspection Commission" we have.

Also "Jianglan Province Procuratorate" we have.

Also "Jianglan Zhengfa University" we have.

Also "Changnan City Forest Public Security Bureau" we have components but not the combined; maybe we should add "Changnan City Forest Faction" / "Changnan City Forest Public Security Bureau". But we already have Forest Faction and Changnan City separately; but the combined is a named entity. Safer to add.

Also "Eternal Sand Real Estate Group" we have.

Also "Eternal Sand Group" we have.

Also "Green Bamboo Ridge" we have.

Also "Green Bamboo Village" we have.

Also "9·28 Special Task Force" we will add.

Also "9·28 Case" we will add.

Also maybe "First Half-Year Work Summary and Commendation Conference" we could skip.

Also "Advanced Workers" we could skip.

Also "National Top Ten Anti-Corruption Bureau Chiefs" we could skip.

Now we need to ensure we don't duplicate.

Let's add these organization entries:

9·28 Special Task Force

9·28 Case

Investigation Division One

Comprehensive Guidance Division

Lin Dongfan collected his emotions, calmly analyzed with He Yanqing:

"The truth is simple:"

"Hengsha Real Estate Group wants to develop Green Bamboo Ridge into a holiday village, building a high-end villa cluster."

"The problem is that Yang Shoushan had already signed a 20-year contracting agreement with Green Bamboo Village, contracting Green Bamboo Ridge to raise black-haired pigs, having invested a considerable cost."

"One wants to develop and build villas, the other wants to raise pigs."

"The two sides failed to reach an agreement, and eventually the tragedy we see now occurred. A great fire burned Green Bamboo Ridge, and Yang Shoushan was burned to death."

"The dead man takes the blame."

"Afterwards, Green Bamboo Ridge became something easily obtained by Hengsha Group."

"This corruption case mainly involves Hengsha Real Estate, Changnan City Forest Faction, the Housing and Construction Bureau, and Executive Vice Mayor Xiao Yunce, who oversees urban construction and development."

"As for who is above Xiao Yunce, I'm not sure about that for now."

After hearing these words, He Yanqing's expression grew much graver.

The thick stack of whistleblower materials in his hand also seemed to have become insignificant scraps.

There's a feeling of something tasteless to eat, a pity to discard—like a chicken rib.

Actually, what Lin Dongfan said is merely the general outline of the 9·28 case.

If we really investigate, the inner situation can be far more complex than this.

For instance, the rise history of Hengsha Real Estate Group is none other than a thick‑black history of money‑sex deals and plundering of state assets.

Seeing He Yanqing lost in thought and silent, Lin Dongfan smiled and asked, "Section Chief He, may I close my eyes and take a nap? I'm really sleepy—I only got a little over four hours of sleep last night."

Hearing this, Tang Xia and the others sitting in the back couldn't help but feel admiration for Lin Dongfan.

Thinking, "My brother Fan is awesome," haha, he actually dares to turn around and mock the hardworking, ambitious Section Chief He—no wonder he's got a big head and thick neck, unafraid of hatchets or tears.

A schadenfreude-filled atmosphere instantly spread throughout the car.

He Yanqing, who had been mocked, showed a slight embarrassed expression on his face, but he did not directly answer Lin Dongfan's question.

Nor did he rush to retort against Lin Dongfan.

He turned his gaze to Leng Chuan: "Old Leng, what do you think of this case?"

Comrade Dongfan's analysis is logically sound; the key is how to find evidence of mutual benefit exchange between officials and businessmen.

Leng Chuan cut straight to the core of the problem—without evidence, knowing the truth is useless.

He Yanqing followed Leng Chuan's point and immediately put the responsibility on Lin Dongfan's shoulders: "Comrade Dongfan, you've heard that—now is not the time to nap. As the investigation team captain, you have a heavy burden and Along road ahead."

"Fine, then let's talk about something to wake us up." Lin Dongfan said bluntly, "I plan to first arrest the director of the Housing and Urban-Rural Development Bureau, Cheng Dao, then slowly unravel the clues, finding a breakthrough from him."

"Right now we don't have a shred of evidence—what a joke." He Yanqing said.

Lin Dongfan pointed to the wound on his head: "A few days ago, the mentally ill son of Bureau Chief Cheng hit me with a wine bottle, and Chief Cheng rushed to the provincial capital overnight to apologize to me. A deputy bureau‑level official voluntarily came to apologize—don't you think that's a sign of guilt?"

"Even if he feels guilty, where's the evidence?" He Yanqing countered.

Lin Dongfan analyzed calmly: "Cheng Dao is nothing but a sly old fox with a keen sense of smell. Now that our task force is stationed in Nanzhou, if we don't act decisively to arrest him, he's very likely to flee at the first hint."

"You need evidence to make an arrest!"

He Yanqing's attitude was firm, with no hint of compromise, leaving Lin Dongfan speechless.

Objectively speaking, Cheng Dao is no small fry; after all, he holds a deputy bureau‑level position.

If we arrest the wrong person, the consequences would indeed be serious.

He Yanqing has worked in the Anti‑Corruption Bureau for over a decade, with a good reputation; he is seen as diligent and eager to learn, not seeking credit, not rash, and steady and rule‑following in his work.

Today, I don't know whether he's truly afraid of arresting the wrong person or if he has some other concern.

Unable to read his mind, Lin Dongfan also couldn't be bothered to guess.

Lin Dongfan looked at Leng Chuan, who had always held expectations for him: "Boss Leng, I recall you said you'd delegate authority to me, letting me take charge……"

"I ask you, if we arrest the wrong person, who will bear the responsibility?"

Before Leng Chuan could answer, He Yanqing jumped in to speak first.

Lin Dongfan was left speechless again; it seems Section Chief He has taken a stand against him today, this aggressive, pushy posture clearly intended to force him to bow down and repent.

Today he must either admit to acting rashly, admit that he doesn't think before acting.

Or else stand firm to the end.

Lin Dongfan looked hopefully at the silent Leng Chuan, waiting for him to express his stance.

For a moment, Leng Chuan also felt a bit torn.

In Leng Chuan's view, Old He repeatedly hanging the phrase "bear the consequences" on his lips shows a determination that is not merely about forcing Lin Dongfan to bow his head.

Old He is also implicitly criticizing Leng Chuan.

In other words, if Chief Leng dares to agree to Lin Dongfan's reckless arrest today and we happen to nab the wrong person, all future consequences will fall on Chief Leng.

Compared to the cautious Old He, Lin Dongfan's actions do indeed carry a suspicion of rashness.

But Lin Dongfan wasn't wrong either—Cheng Dao is indeed a crafty old fox with a sharp sense of smell; if we don't move tonight, the old fox is very likely to flee at the first hint, making it impossible to catch him later.

He fell into deep thought for a while.

Leng Chuan asked Lin Dongfan solemnly, "Making an arrest is easy, but finding evidence of Cheng Dao's corruption is not; how confident are you that you can uncover his wrongdoing?"

"100%."

As soon as those words left his mouth, He Yanqing gave a light laugh and said nothing.

This Old He obviously doesn't believe it.

Lin Dongfan smiled and conceded: "Section Chief He, I greatly admire your steady, by‑the‑book work ethic. But please trust me once on the matter of arresting Cheng Dao."

"Since you're confident, then go ahead and take charge." Leng Chuan turned, smiling, and urged He Yanqing: "Old He, anti‑corruption work is a thankless job that offends people; nobody's afraid of it, so what do we have to fear? Let him give it a try."

"I'm only saying this because I'm afraid he'll fall flat on his face."

He Yanqing pushed up the glasses on his nose, and since Leng Chuan had already hammered out a decision, he couldn't very well say anything more.