Chapter 725: with translation of chapter title

Wu Zhou Municipal Public Security Bureau

The palm print on Liu Shu's face had been treated with an ice pack, but the redness and swelling were still obvious.

He sat behind the desk.

On the desk lay the preliminary investigation materials for the traffic accident case, including the scene inspection report, vehicle inspection records, Chen Dazhi's bank transaction records, and copies of communication records.

Xiao Wang from the Technical Section stood by the desk, looking uneasy: 'Chief Liu, the truck's brake system has indeed been tampered with. It's not a simple failure; someone installed a remote control device that can cause the brake hydraulic pipe to rupture at a specific time. We found a residual micro receiver and battery.'

'How far does the remote control work?' Liu Shu asked in a hoarse voice.

'It's effective within 500 meters.' Xiao Wang further reported: 'But we've searched the entire 500-meter radius around the scene and found no trace of the suspect.'

Liu Shu stared at the scene photo.

On the north section of Binjiang Road, at 3:21 a. m., the road was empty and vehicle-less. The killer needed to precisely grasp Li Zhenyang's vehicle's travel time and route, and also activate the remote control device before the collision...

This was not a spur-of-the-moment act; it was meticulously planned.

'Have you cleared up Chen Dazhi's social connections?' Liu Shu asked the criminal investigation team captain beside him.

'Checked.' The team captain opened his notebook: 'Forty-two years old, divorced, with a ten-year-old son from his ex-wife. He had been driving a truck for eight years at Chengnan Logistics Company, with a good record and no prior convictions. But three months ago, his son was diagnosed with leukemia, leaving a treatment funding gap of about 800,000. He has been borrowing money everywhere, mortgaging his house.'

'After the two million yuan arrived in his account yesterday, what did he do?' Liu Shu pressed.

'He transferred it out in three installments.' The team captain reported: 'One installment of 500,000 repaid a loan, another of 300,000 paid off hospital arrears, and the remaining 1,200,000... was transferred to a medical relief account of a public welfare fund, designated for his son's subsequent treatment. In his own account, he left less than 1,000 yuan.'

Liu Shu furrowed his brows.

A father who would do anything to save his son received two million yuan in emergency funds, yet kept only one thousand for himself, using the rest to settle debts and cover his son's medical expenses.

This doesn't look like the work of a professional hitman.

It's more like...

He was exploited for his weakness and forced to participate in this 'accident'.

'What did he say during the interrogation?' Liu Shu asked.

'He repeatedly insisted the brakes failed, claimed he didn't know there was money in the account, and suggested someone else might have transferred it by mistake.' The team captain sighed: 'But we retrieved his movement trajectory from yesterday. At 3 p. m., he received a strange call that lasted two minutes. Then he used a mobile app to log into an encrypted chat room. After the conversation ended, he deleted that mobile app. The Technical Section has already recovered part of the cached data, including the chat logs.'

'What was the content?'

'The other party demanded he go out driving last night, with the specific route to follow remote instructions. They promised him five million if successful. Chen Dazhi initially refused, but the other party sent him a photo of his son in the hospital bed, along with a threat: "If you don't do it, your son will die tomorrow in the hospital due to a medical accident."'

Upon hearing this, Liu Shu's anger flared from his heart.

Threatening a father with his child's life is damn vicious.

'Can we trace the threatener's location?' Liu Shu pressed.

'That mobile app uses an overseas cloud server, making the investigation difficult...' The team captain paused, then shifted tone: 'However, we found a whitened hair in the gap of the passenger seat of Chen Dazhi's truck. It's not his, and DNA testing is underway.'

'Speed up.'

Liu Shu rubbed his temples and added: 'Also, increase police presence at the hospital; Li Hengbo's ward must be under 24-hour surveillance, and no one may approach without my order.'

'Understood.'

The team captain was about to leave when Liu Shu called him back: 'Wait, assign someone to watch Lin Dongfan closely. Who did he contact before and after yesterday's accident?'

The team captain blinked: 'Lin Dongfan? He's been with the inspection team personnel before and after the accident...'

'The inspection team people are all his partisans and cannot be trusted.' Liu Shu's eyes sharpened: 'Thoroughly check his communication records, and act swiftly.'

…… -> No.

Two days later.

Outside Wu Zhou Municipal First Hospital.

Lin Dongfan sat in a black sedan and dialed Li Mingtang's phone.

The phone rang six times before being answered.

A voice thick with morning grogginess came from the phone in his hand: 'Do you know what time it is? It's the weekend! It's 8:30 a. m., and you're waking me up?'

'Section Chief Li, buried in work, when does he ever have the concept of a weekend?' Lin Dongfan said, 'Your remark seriously diminishes the towering image I hold of Section Chief Li in my mind.'

'Annoying, just spit it out.' Li Mingtang replied impatiently.

Lin Dongfan chuckled: 'Nothing much, I just want you to personally take charge and control the overall situation.'

'I knew it!' Li Mingtang complained on the other end of the line: 'Anytime you actively seek me out, nothing good ever comes of it! Spill it—what mess have you stirred up now?'

'Li Hengbo has woken up; the doctor says he's out of mortal danger.' Lin Dongfan stated concisely: 'Someone here in Wu Zhou wants to silence him; it's unsafe to keep him here. I hope you can, in the name of the Z Discipline Inspection and Supervision Commission, send a letter to the Wu Zhou Municipal Party Committee requesting that Li Hengbo be escorted back to the capital for unified interrogation by the Special Case Team.'

The other end of the line fell silent for three seconds.

Li Mingtang's tone suddenly turned grave: 'Li Hengbo is a criminal suspect apprehended by the Wu Zhou police; by procedure, he should fall under the jurisdiction of the judicial organ where the crime occurred. On what grounds can I demand him across provinces?'

'Just because he's suspected of colluding with a foreign intelligence organization and endangering national security.' Lin Dongfan said calmly: 'Is that enough grounds for cross-provincial action?'

'You...' Li Mingtang choked, unable to speak.

'Section Chief Li, I'm not consulting you.' Lin Dongfan's tone turned cold: 'Li Hengbo is now a ticking time bomb; staying in Wu Zhou, he could at any moment be "suicided" or die in an "accident." Only by escorting him back to the capital and keeping him under your watch can we ensure he lives to tell everything he needs to.'

Li Mingtang fell silent again.

After Along while, he sighed: 'Lin Dongfan, do you realize you're giving me a difficult problem? Li Zhenyang just lost his daughter; if I now go demand a person, it's like slapping him in the face. He's a regional governor, after all—if things really blow up...'

'The deceased is his daughter—that's the point.' Lin Dongfan said: 'Li Zhenyang is both the father of the victim and a stakeholder in this case; he should recuse themselves. Having a higher authority take over would follow procedure and avoid public criticism. Section Chief Li, I'm actually helping you improve the investigative procedure.'

'Thanks a lot!!!' Li Mingtang snapped: 'Every time you "help" me, I end up losing a layer of skin!'

'The more capable, the more work.' Lin Dongfan chuckled: 'Can the document be sent out before the end of today's workday?'

'I'll do my best.' Li Mingtang paused, then added: 'But give me a straight answer—does Li Shuting's death have anything to do with you?'

'If I say yes, would you arrest me?' Lin Dongfan countered.

'I will personally escort you back to the capital and lock you up in Qincheng Prison!' Li Mingtang shouted sternly.

'Damn, I need to clear this up right away.' Lin Dongfan chuckled: 'Li Shuting's death was purely an accident; the other party's true target was Li Hengbo. Therefore, this couldn't have been my doing. Because I don't want Li Hengbo to die so easily—he's still involved in many undeciphered cases.'

'It had better not be you pulling the strings behind the scenes.'

Li Mingtang let out a breath, then said: "I will send the letter, but Wu Zhou may not cooperate. If Li Zhenyang stubbornly refuses to release the person, I can't forcibly take them away."

"He will let go." Lin Dongfan said firmly, "Because now, he wants Li Hengbo dead more than anyone else. And I am giving him a 'reasonable' opportunity to silence him."

"What opportunity?" Li Mingtang asked doubtfully.

"During the escort." Lin Dongfan laughed, "From Wu Zhou to Jingcheng, a journey of over a thousand kilometers is enough for many 'accidents' to happen. If Li Zhenyang wants to act, that is the best time. And once he does, we can catch them all in one net."

On the other end of the phone, Li Mingtang remained silent for Along time.

Finally, he only said six words: "You are just a lunatic."