Chapter 687: with translation of chapter title

The news of Qian Youcai's "car accident death" was like a stone dropped into a still lake, sending ripples through a specific circle.

Li Hengbo, in his own safe house, held a glass of red wine, repeatedly viewing the on-site photos and text-message reports of that "car accident".

Flames shot up into the sky at the car accident scene!

The wrecked vehicle, along with the unrecognizable charred corpse, made everything appear flawless.

"Confirm it's Qian Youcai?"

He swirled his wine glass and casually asked He Qixi, who stood with his hands at his sides beside him.

"The wallet, watch fragments, and vehicle identification number found at the scene all point to him; the police's preliminary report said the same." He Qixi answered meticulously: "Our people watched from afar as the fire brigade extinguished the flames and carried out… indeed, there was no human shape left, all burned to black charcoal."

Li Hengbo took a sip of wine, a flicker of delight on his face: "Died well! A snake in the grass gets exactly what he deserves!"

He paused for a moment.

A familiar suspicion flickered in his eyes again: "But… any movement from Lin Dongfan's side?"

"Quite calm." He Qixi said: "He doesn't seem to have any special reaction; perhaps he thinks that with Qian Youcai dead, this lead is cut off."

"Cut off?" Li Hengbo scoffed: "Lin Dongfan isn't the type to give up so easily. Before his death, Qian Youcai must have spilled a lot."

He stood up and paced a couple of steps.

Suddenly shifting tone, he said: "But without a corpse, spilling is pointless! The crucial evidence— that old fox Qian Youcai might not even have had it. Even if he did, it's now burned to ashes along with his old bones."

The more he thought about it, the more he felt his "severing the tail" action was decisive and correct: it not only eliminated the traitor but also cut off Lin Dongfan's investigative leads.

A sense of pride at regaining control of the situation welled up spontaneously.

"Lin Dongfan, now it's your turn to suffer!" Li Hengbo laughed sinisterly: "Losing the Qian Youcai pawn, let's see how you make your next move!"

……

At the same time, inside a highly confidential interrogation room of the West City Branch.

The lighting was soft, starkly different from what people imagine an interrogation room to be.

Qian Youcai wore an ill-fitting casual outfit; his face was still somewhat pale, but his emotions had stabilized considerably.

Sitting before him were no longer Lin Dongfan, but the stern expressions of Xu Qing and Peng Tianhua.

Xu Qing and Peng Tianhua had just returned from Wu Zhou, dusty and weary, when Li Mingtang called them back by phone to urgently take over this "special mission".

"Qian Youcai, tell us again, in full detail, everything you previously instructed Mr. Lin about regarding Li Hengbo, Li Zhenyang, and that James."

Xu Qing opened her recorder and notebook, her tone calm yet carrying an undeniable authority.

Qian Youcai looked at the two investigators from a higher level before him and knew this was for real.

He took a deep breath and began to organize his memories.

From how Li Hengbo used James to set a trap and drag him in, to how he coerced him into signing an unequal agreement, to the secret profit transfers between Li Hengbo and Li Zhenyang and those shady "cooperations"…

After escaping death, people often burst with astonishing memory and a desire to confess, especially when seeking protection!

Qian Youcai spoke in great detail.

Including time, place, the people involved, and even some seemingly trivial conversational details.

Xu Qing recorded rapidly beside him, occasionally interjecting with one or two key questions, her eyes sharp.

Peng Tianhua, maintaining a leader's posture, listened quietly, his mind racing, cross‑checking these fragments with the leads he had uncovered in Wu Zhou.

"……Li Hengbo has said more than once that his uncle Li Zhenyang has deep roots in Wu Zhou, with people above him; as long as he helps settle things, there will definitely be benefits for me in the future……"

Qian Youcai licked his dry lips and continued: "He also hinted that the disappearance of Duan Xinhua was something Li Zhenyang gave the nod to, which emboldened him to act ruthlessly……"

Xu Qing and Peng Tianhua exchanged a glance, both seeing the gravity in each other's eyes.

The Duan Xinhua case was indeed a breakthrough!

……

Meanwhile, Lin Dongfan was not idle; he had arranged a meeting with Li Mingtang, the head of the Z Discipline Inspection and Supervision Commission's group, at an inconspicuous private tea house.

"Qian Youcai 'died', Li Hengbo should be feeling pretty pleased right now." Lin Dongfan poured Li Mingtang a cup of tea, his tone calm.

Li Mingtang took the cup, snorted, and said: "He won't stay pleased for long. The things Qian Youcai spilled, plus the leads Xu Qing and the others picked up in Wu Zhou, are enough to weave a big net. That Wu Zhou tiger, Li Zhenyang, doesn't have a clean backside."

"The key is to have a solid evidence chain capable of a killing blow." Lin Dongfan said: "Li Hengbo is merely a pawn; taking him out means little. If we act, we must uproot the whole thing."

"All understood."

Li Mingtang's expression turned solemn: "A special task force has already been set up, code-named 'Qingfeng', with me directly in charge; now we just wait to see how much solid information Old Peng and his team can extract from Qian Youcai's mouth."

Lin Dongfan nodded: "Qian Youcai's side is no problem. He's terrified of death and, to save his life, will spill everything he knows. The key is Wu Zhou— Li Zhenyang has been operating there for years, with tangled connections; investigative resistance will definitely not be small."

"No matter how great the resistance, we must investigate!" Li Mingtang's eyes were firm: "There's already been talk from above; they're dissatisfied with the Wu Zhou situation. This is an opportunity."

The two talked at length in private, finalizing the next steps of their plan.

Using the information and time gaps created by Qian Youcai's "death", they tightened internal and external investigations to lock down evidence.

At the same time, they began covertly pressuring and investigating Li Hengbo's Rebirth Group on the business front, attacking from both angles.

Outside the tea house, the night grew deeper.

Seeing Li Mingtang off, Lin Dongfan stood alone under the eaves, gazing at the distant city lights.

He knew this contest had entered its most critical stage.

Li Hengbo thought he had eliminated the hidden danger and was feeling pleased, unaware that his every move was already under surveillance, and that the seemingly solid backing behind him was beginning to loosen at its foundation.

"Go ahead and be pleased, indulge yourself." Lin Dongfan murmured to himself, the corner of his mouth curling in a satisfied smile: "The higher you climb, the harder you fall. Li Hengbo, your good days are coming to an end."

A sweeping dragnet operation, centered on the clues provided by the "deceased" Qian Youcai and targeting Li Hengbo and his protective umbrella, was quietly accelerating beneath the apparently calm surface.

Li Hengbo's "golden cicada shedding its shell" and "killing to silence" paradoxically became the biggest boost driving all of this.

Let the bullets fly for a while first.

Lin Dongfan set aside this series of combat thoughts and called his wife Chu Lingxi: "Honey, I'm coming home for dinner tonight; I'd like to have braised pork."

Since the love‑child issue came to light, although Chu Lingxi hasn't said anything, Lin Dongfan can clearly feel an invisible, intangible barrier arising between husband and wife.

Last time, under Ye Jiaying's counsel, he went home and apologized to Chu Lingxi for his mistake.

But a wounded heart—can its wound just be said to heal and actually heal?

These days, Lin Dongfan didn't know how to mend the emotional rift; he thought about going home more to keep his wife and child company, which is certainly not wrong.