Chapter 844: Movements After Death

All right.

Having heard that all the secrets were hidden in Zhao Tianyu's mind, with no other leverage left, Zhou Zheng also breathed a sigh of relief and proceeded to handle the matter officially.

Zhou Zheng pulled out a cigarette pack from his inner coat pocket, handed one over, and said, "Have a smoke to calm down; both the car and the people need time to arrange, the earliest being after midnight."

Zhao Tianyu hesitated for a moment, but ultimately took the cigarette.

Zhou Zheng then took out a lighter and helped light the cigarette.

In the flash of firelight illuminating their faces, Zhao Tianyu suddenly caught a glimpse of Zhou Zheng's eyes—something was off. The Zhou's gaze held no warmth, only a calm that was almost terrifying in its indifference.

Zhao Tianyu's heart sank, and he instinctively wanted to step back.

But it was already too late.

Zhou Zheng, using the motion of lighting the cigarette, flashed his other hand to pull a gun from his waist; with their bodies close together providing cover, he pressed the muzzle directly against Zhao Tianyu's abdomen.

You……

Zhao Tianyu widened his eyes, having just uttered a single word.

Bang!

The muffled gunshot and Zhao Tianyu's choked grunt sounded almost simultaneously.

The next second.

Zhao Tianyu collapsed to the ground, his hand pressing over the bleeding wound in his abdomen, his eyes locked on Zhou Zheng, full of anger and unwillingness.

Damn…… you bastard, this is killing to silence……

I'm just using the same method you used to execute others, executing you; this world is fair. Only when you're dead for good will some things become true secrets.

No sooner had the words left his mouth than another 'bang' rang out.

This shot hit Zhao Tianyu in the heart, ending his sinful life. Zhou Zheng stepped forward and kicked the corpse, making sure he was truly dead before lowering his guard.

Next, Zhou Zheng skillfully staged the crime scene.

He put on white gloves, took out an evidence bag from his briefcase, inside which lay a handgun!

He then fired a shot with this gun at a discarded metal can ahead, leaving a bullet mark, then placed the gun in Zhao Tianyu's hand, posing him as if he had been shooting.

Having done all that, Zhou Zheng calmly pulled out his own phone.

He dialed the number.

Hello?

A low, male baritone came from the other end.

"Old chief, I've run into a bit of a situation here." Zhou Zheng gazed at Zhao Tianyu's corpse and reported in detail to the superior: "Zhao Tianyu resisted arrest with a gun and has been shot dead on the spot by me."

The other end fell silent for two seconds: "Where?"

"Northern suburbs, the abandoned old cement plant site." Zhou Zheng replied.

The voice on the phone continued: "Since the person is already dead, wrap up the case quickly. The province places great importance on Wuzhou's affairs and does not want to see another homicide."

Understood.

The phone hung up.

Zhou Zheng put away his phone, took one last look at Zhao Tianyu's body, then called the City Bureau leadership to report the situation, notifying the forensic doctor and his subordinate criminal officers to come take over.

In Wuzhou, Zhao Tianyu was also a figure of some standing.

He was no nobody.

His death still caused quite a stir in Wuzhou's official circles; within a single night, the news spread like wildfire, giving off the sense of a single stone stirring up a thousand waves.

The next day.

Municipal Party Committee building.

In Wang Qigang's office, the curtains were drawn tight, only a single desk lamp lit. Lord Wang sat at his desk, gripping a freshly delivered copy of the Wuzhou Daily.

In the lower-right corner of the front page was an inconspicuous note: "Yesterday, our city police, while pursuing a black‑market suspect Zhao Mouyu, encountered armed resistance and shot the suspect dead on the spot……"

Just a few dozen words, written offhandedly.

Wang Qigang tossed the newspaper onto the table, leaned back in his chair, and closed his eyes.

He did not feel relieved.

Instead, he felt a chill akin to the sorrow of a rabbit's death felt by a fox.

Zhao Tianyu was the pawn he had advanced across the river on his chessboard; the pawn's life and death ought to have been under his control, but now the game was not unfolding as he had expected.

The phone rang; it was a call from the province.

Wang Qigang took a deep breath, steadied himself, then answered the call, his tone returning to its usual calm: "Deputy Provincial Deng."

"Qigang, ah."

Deng Chunning's voice lacked any emotion: "The matter of Zhao Tianyu, your Wuzhou police have handled it in a timely manner. Involving gangs and evil, resisting arrest with a gun, killing him is lawful and compliant."

"Yes, Captain Zhou acted decisively, eliminating a major safety hazard." Wang Qigang went along with what was said.

Deng Chunning suddenly shifted tone: "However, the Zhao Group's issues cannot be hastily closed just because the main suspect died. What needs investigating must be clarified, and those responsible must be firmly held to account—especially the public officials involved in the case; not one can be let off."

Wang Qigang's heart sank as he thought of Secretary Luo Xiang of the Provincial Political and Legal Affairs Commission, who was Lin Dongfan's mentor.

He couldn't help but ask: "Yesterday's Standing Committee meeting, I missed it due to work and haven't had a chance to read the minutes. Secretary Luo's side—are they still holding on?"

"Whether he loosens up or not, those responsible must be pursued to the end—that's the province's decision." Deng Chunning deliberately sidestepped the contradiction.

Wang Qigang replied helplessly: "Understood; the city will certainly investigate to the bottom."

"Understood is fine." Deng Chunning added: "By the way, Comrade Lin Dongfan has been doing outstanding work lately. He's handling the Wuzhou affair in an orderly, lawful manner. Qigang, you should support him more."

"The series of measures he's taken since taking office are indeed commendable; I will support whatever deserves support."

……

After finishing that call, Wang Qigang's face darkened completely.

He sat in his chair, lost in thought.

Deng Chunning's remarks seemed to be affirming Lin Dongfan on the surface, but actually they were a warning to Wang Qigang! The hidden meaning was that although Zhao Tianyu was dead, the game was not over yet.

In a situation where they had already lost a move.

Whether they can turn defeat into victory from now on depends on who understands cooperation better and who understands how to finish things better! Finishing is a technical skill; if done well you can reap the rewards, if not you'll drag yourself down.

……

On the other side, the Zhao family villa.

Zhao Linlin sat on the living-room sofa, with several documents spread before her: Zhao Tianyu's death notice, body identification form, and the police-issued "Situation Explanation."

Although the deceased was her own older brother, she did not cry, and even showed hardly any change in expression.

She merely glanced briefly at those documents.

The assistant standing beside her asked cautiously, "General Manager, how should we handle the body…?"

"Cremate it as soon as possible." Zhao Linlin didn't even look up, speaking bluntly: "Don't bother holding a memorial service; it's not only troublesome, it's also embarrassing."

"What about… the group side…?" the assistant asked weakly.

Zhao Linlin lifted her eyes at him, her gaze icy: "Hasn't the group already been sold to Mortal Group? What does it have to do with me now?"

The assistant, choking on embarrassment, lowered his head and dared not speak another word.

Zhao Linlin continued flipping through the documents; when she reached the last page, her fingertip paused for a moment.

These were photocopies of photos taken by the police at the scene—Zhao Tianyu lay in a pool of blood, with gunshot wounds to his chest and abdomen, and he still gripped a gun in his hand.

She stared at those photos for Along time, then closed the folder.

She also told the assistant, "Go handle the body handover; I've already signed where needed. Also, please contact Captain Zhou of the City Bureau."

"Captain Zhou?"

"My brother…" Zhao Linlin paused, then corrected herself: "The last person Zhao Tianyu saw before he died was him; I have some things I want to ask him in person."

The assistant hesitated: "General Manager, at a time like this, contacting people from the police…"

"Just go if I tell you to." Zhao Linlin, a little impatient, said: "My brother's dead, the Zhao family's collapsed—what trouble could I still stir up? I just want to know how he died."

The assistant could only nod and withdraw.