Chapter 582

After dinner, Lin Dongfan and Jian Sining launched a second round of interrogation of Jiang Lin.

The light in the interrogation room.

The light laid bare every trace of Jiang Lin's haggard look; after a brief breakdown and wiping her tears, she was replaced by an almost exhausted calm, a numbness that came from knowing there was no way back and only forward to go.

Lin Dongfan did not rush to urge her on; instead, he gave her a moment to catch her breath, like a hunter watching prey already fallen into a trap, patiently waiting for the final struggle to subside.

This silence was more oppressive than any harsh questioning.

Jiang Lin wiped the tears from her face with the back of her handcuffed hand, then took a deep breath.

In fact, she herself knew very well that she no longer had the bargaining power to discuss terms; her only hope lay in showing sufficient 'sincerity'.

"Director Lin." She lifted her head, her voice hoarse but her eyes no longer evasive: "You want to know about Wu Changsheng, right?"

Lin Dongfan gave a slight nod: 'Just now you said you saw Wu Changsheng come to Lv Yizhi's door. What I want to know is, in Lv Yizhi's scheme, what kind of role does Wu Changsheng play?'

"Before, it was like seeing flowers through mist; now, after thinking it over carefully… this matter…"

Jiang Lin pondered briefly, then answered earnestly: 'Lv Yizhi has many shady dealings. Especially those requiring outside influence, he never handles them personally; I estimate Wu Changsheng is his instrument.'

"Elaborate." Lin Dongfan's eyes blazed as he fixed his gaze on Jiang Lin.

Jiang Lin recalled thoughtfully: 'Earlier, when Qiao Xu was diagnosed and needed a lung transplant, and the hospital's regular channels had no news for Along time. I went frantic and sought Lv Yizhi. He gave me no definite answer then, just told me to wait. Two days later, he asked me to go to his study. When I arrived, I happened to see Wu Changsheng coming out of it, his complexion unnatural, hurrying away.'

"What did you hear then? Or what did Lv Yizhi say to you?" Lin Dongfan pressed.

Jiang Lin said:

"Lv Yizhi seemed in decent spirits then; he told me that Xu Xu's matter had some leads, though the risk was great. He also told me not to worry, saying Old Wu would arrange everything."

"At the time I foolishly asked, Wu Changsheng is Wang Daochen's secretary—can he be trusted?"

"Lv Yizhi chuckled, didn't directly answer my question, but meaningfully said, "Little Wu's methods are wild; when the proper way fails, you have to rely on the wild way.""

"Looking back now, the "wild way" he referred to had two aspects: offense and defense."

"The offensive aspect was to secure the cooperation of He Zhiqiang, director of the provincial people's hospital, so that he would facilitate transplanting Zhu Siming's organs into my son."

"The defensive aspect was to prevent the anti‑corruption bureau from intervening."

"In short, it was to guard against you."

"Because you displayed decisive, forceful tactics in Haishan Shi, these provincial officials know you don't yield to power, so they still harbor some wariness toward you."

"Earlier you asked me who tricked your wife into transferring 500,000 to Liu Wen."

"If I'm not mistaken, this was likely Lv Yizhi's doing, using Wu Changsheng to pull you into trouble, hoping you'd be deterred and back off."

"But nobody expected that this would not be enough to hold you down."

"Hearing this, Lin Dongfan finally understood several things that had puzzled him. Although there is currently no evidence proving the "500,000 dirty water" was splashed by Wu Changsheng, Jiang Lin's speculation is not without basis."

"Lv Yizhi is an old fox who has been marinating in officialdom for over a decade."

"An old fox always leaves himself an escape route; preparing in advance and guarding ahead is a habitual tactic of foxes."

"The power operations of the patronage network now also clearly reveal their ferocious side."

"If Wu Changsheng is Lv Yizhi's pawn, then it also means Lv Yizhi has been secretly monitoring the top official Wang Daochen!"

"What the hell is this called?"

"This is ambition!"

"If Wang Daochen knew he had been under Lv Yizhi's surveillance all along, would Lord Wang stand by his office window, feeling gloomy and regretful?"

"Thinking of this, Lin Dongfan couldn't help but chuckle."

"Seeing Lin Dongfan's smile, Jiang Lin instantly grew tense and at a loss: "Director Lin, everything I said is true, truly without any concealment…""

"Understood, don't panic."

"Lin Dongfan set aside unrelated thoughts and returned to the interrogation topic: "Tell me about Wu Changsheng—what else do you know of him?"'

"Jiang Lin recalled earnestly: "I don't know much—just a few fleeting impressions. But I had also worried that if Lv Yizhi ran into trouble he might act against me. So, while he wasn't looking, I secretly slipped a USB drive with built‑in listening capability into his study. That drive should contain records of their conversations."'

"Hearing this, Lin Dongfan's eyes lit up: "Where is that USB drive now?"'

""In Lv Yizhi's study," Jiang Lin said. "I put it on the top shelf of the left‑hand bookcase, and since my arrest I haven't had a chance to retrieve it."'

""Sining, stay here and continue the interrogation; if any new leads turn up, inform me at once."'

"Before his words had finished, Lin Dongfan had already hurriedly risen and left the room."

"The corridor lights were cold white, casting his complexion as sharp as a blade. He strode quickly, pulling out his phone to call Li Mingtang without exchanging any pleasantries."

""Chief Li, we have a major breakthrough. Jiang Lin confessed that she hid a USB drive with listening function on the top shelf of Lv Yizhi's study bookcase; it likely recorded the key conversation." Lin Dongfan spoke extremely fast, each word clear: "I must immediately lead a team to search Lv Yizhi's residence, seek crucial evidence, and request emergency authorization."'

"On the other end of the line, Li Mingtang was clearly shaken by this sudden lead."

"The silence lasted only a second."

"Then came a firm order: "Understood. I'll handle this specially here; the electronic search warrant will be sent to your phone within five minutes. Dongfan, act fast and precise. Although Lv Yizhi is under our control at a designated location, his household may not be clean—beware of a cornered dog jumping the wall."'

"Understood."

"Lin Dongfan ended the call, his steps unhalted, and continued by calling Peng Tianhua, instructing him to immediately summon prosecutorial officers to assemble at the entrance."

"Ten minutes later."

"Three official vehicles belonging to the procuratorate sped forward through the night, their destination clear: Lv Yizhi's residence—the detached house deep within the provincial committee's residential compound."

"At this moment."

"Lv Yizhi's young daughter, Lv Shuting, was at home inquiring about news."

"After her father was summoned for questioning and then lost contact, Lv Shuting was as anxious as ants on a hot pan, pacing the hall with her phone in hand."

"On the other end of the line was Chen Gang, whom she had finally managed to reach."

"Lv Shuting pleaded on the phone: "Uncle Chen, my dad was taken away by your people. I just want to know how he's doing—this isn't too much trouble for you, is it?"'

""Shuting, coming to me about this is really useless," Chen Gang's weary voice came through the phone."

"Lv Shuting, feeling disheartened, sneered: "They say when a person leaves, the tea grows cold; my dad hasn't even left yet, and the tea's already gone cold. These provincial officials are all rushing to distance themselves from my dad. Has anyone considered that maybe he's fine? Uncle Chen, do you think that's possible?"'

""Right now it's the Bureau's special task force questioning your dad, not our provincial office; even I have no authority to intervene in this case. I hope you can understand more."'

Chen Gang was still the smooth‑handled Chen Gang, and nobody wanted to offend him.

Lv Shuting held back her anger and gave a light laugh: "Uncle Chen, you should know what kind of person I, Lv Shuting, am. Push me too far, and I'll really do anything."

"Shuting, your father is already in trouble now—don't add fuel to the fire and act recklessly."

"Now the whole world won't give me, Lv Shuting, any face—what's the point of keeping them around!"

Saying that, Lv Shuting hung up the phone directly; this icy, aloof demeanor made even the high‑ranking Chen Gang seem inferior by three parts.