Chapter 171: Everything That Should and Shouldn't Have Been Done, He Did It All

When a person grows old, they need less sleep.

With old wounds throbbing with a dull ache, Li Chunnan turned over.

His wife opened her eyes, dazed: "Is it hurting again? I'll get you some medicine..."

"I already took some before bed, you go back to sleep!"

Tucking the quilt in for his wife, Li Chunnan left the bedroom.

The living room curtains were half-open; under the orange streetlights, heavy snow was Floating, drifting, and swirling about.

Sitting on the sofa, Li Chunnan turned on the electric heater.

As the temperature rose, the aching, swollen pain seemed to ease just a tiny bit. But to be honest, it was a drop in the bucket.

Picking up his phone, it was barely five o'clock.

He still had to endure two more hours.

Sighing, Li Chunnan put down the phone. He glanced at it unconsciously and let out an "Eh": When did Chen Peng send this text message?

Before he went to sleep, it didn't seem to be there yet?

He opened it casually and felt suspicious: The master is still the best; when the old general takes the field, one is worth two.

He scrolled down: Master, the China Construction security department has escorted Wang Qiwen and Chen Tao to the Municipal Bureau. The General Assistant who sent them over even said, interrogate them as you should, investigate them as you should...

Li Chunnan froze.

The meal last night was precisely because of this matter.

That Vice President Zheng seemed very polite, but there was a Needle hidden in the silk: Director Li, the General Engineer and the General Manager only accepted a few gifts and contracted a few projects. They were truly unaware, and certainly didn't participate in the Grave-robbing.

Look, can the local authorities lift their hands and let them off the hook?

Whether they were truly unaware and whether they truly didn't participate, one would only know after an interrogation.

Therefore, it ended on a sour note.

Li Chunnan also knew that the relationship between China Construction and the local authorities was intricate and complex; getting those two to surrender would likely be very difficult. He had even prepared himself for a long-term struggle.

But after just one night, they were suddenly escorted to the Municipal Bureau?

No, not even a night.

Looking at the time, Chen Peng's text was sent at 11:30 last night. At that time, he hadn't been home long and had just laid down on the bed.

Calculating further, it had been less than an hour since he parted ways with that General Manager Zheng at the hotel?

So what exactly happened to cause such a massive shift in General Manager Zheng's attitude, and indeed China Construction's, and for it to happen so quickly?

Li Chunnan pinched the bridge of his nose and pondered carefully.

His focus was so intense that the soreness in his shoulders and legs eased significantly.

Suddenly, he thought of the scene when they walked out of the private room as they were parting.

Wang Qi Zhi, Lin Sicheng... it must be because of Wang Qi Zhi.

No, the one who played the primary role was still Lin Sicheng...

The video playback—he had watched it together with that General Manager Zheng; if he could recognize Lin Sicheng, could the other not?

Thinking back to the scene when they met at the hotel: the teacher and student stood together, looking like father and son.

Thinking back to Wang Qi Zhi's father, and his grandfather...

Li Chunnan was stunned for a moment and let out a "Ha": Mountains multiply, streams double, I doubt there is a way; past the dark willows and bright flowers, another village appears?

He had always scolded Chen Peng, but he never expected that one day, he would also bask in the light of Lin Sicheng?

In this way, it meant that apart from Yu Dahai and Gao Zhengang, who were hiding overseas and directing from afar, all other suspects had been brought to justice.

More crucially, with these two taking the fall, the portion of responsibility for which the Municipal Bureau might have been held accountable by those above would be reduced by at least half.

Of course, it was still early to close the case, but what remained was nothing more than interrogation and pursuing the fugitives. At the very least, he could now take the report and brief his superiors.

Li Chunnan felt a surge of energy and lifted the blanket to sit up.

He put on his clothes in a few quick motions and was just about to change his shoes when his wife heard the commotion and chased after him.

He smiled: "Can't sleep, going to the bureau to take a look!"

His wife moved her lips, sighed, and helped him pick up his coat: "Be careful on the road!"

"Okay!"

The cold night watch ended, the snow fell like broken jade.

Snow pellets pelted the glass, and the tires crushed the road, making a crisp "creak" sound.

The car was moving very slowly, only about thirty yards, and slowly drove into the courtyard of the Municipal Bureau.

Breathing out mist as he entered the lobby and shaking the snow off his body, Li Chunnan went straight to the fourth floor and walked toward his office.

Passing by the door of Chen Peng's office, he had already walked past it, but Li Chunnan stepped back.

The light in Chen Peng's office was still on.

He didn't knock, just pressed the door handle and pushed it open. Chen Peng looked up in astonishment: "Master?"

The room was full of smoke, as if it had caught fire; Chen Peng's eyes were bloodshot, and his hair was as messy as a bird's nest.

Li Chunnan glared at him: "Staying up all night after night, aren't you afraid of burning yourself out?"

Chen Peng grinned: "Too excited, I couldn't sleep even if I went back!"

Li Chunnan paused and nodded.

The arrival of Wang Qiwen and Chen Tao was indeed heartening.

Why did you think China Construction wouldn't release them? They even flew a Vice President in from Beijing, using both soft and hard tactics, racking their brains to demand that no case be filed against that General Engineer and Vice President?

Because those two bastards took money.

It was just a demolition; who knows how many times the small demolition teams were subcontracted by the branch bureau, just for that little bit of work, they sent gifts to the company's General Engineer and Vice President. Even with your butt, you could guess there was something fishy going on.

Unaware? You and your "unaware," you don't know the half of it.

And that's putting it mildly. To put it bluntly: a Vice President and a Deputy Chief Engineer of the Municipal Public Security Bureau Branch participating in grave-robbing—is that a pot heavy enough to crush them?

As the old saying goes, when the sky falls, the tall ones hold it up. Is this one tall enough?

So, it's not about how good the relationship is between General Manager Zheng and those two; it's that once verified, the liability for the Municipal Public Security Bureau Branch is too great, and the impact is too damaging.

But then again, is the Public Security Bureau's liability any less?

Chen Peng stood up to brew tea, his face full of confusion: "Watching the footage yesterday, I felt that General Manager Zheng was quite certain, composed, and unflappable. I even thought, this time it's looking grim... Master, how did you pull it off?"

Li Chunnan caught the Tea Cup and sighed: "It wasn't me; it was Wang Qi Zhi and Lin Sicheng... It was also a coincidence that we happened to run into them while eating last night..."

Chen Peng's eyes widened bit by bit: This was more than just a coincidence.

But suddenly, he frowned again: "But that Director Wang (Wang Qi Zhi's father) is already retired! Besides, he's an old leader (the Municipal Public Security Bureau Branch is a subsidiary of the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission), he can't just turn his elbow outward, right?"

"You idiot!" Li Chunnan glared at him, "Director Wang is retired, that's true, but Director Wang's father (Wang Qi Zhi's grandfather) is still alive..."

Chen Peng was startled and pursed his lips, saying nothing.

Among the revolutionary elders of the older generation, who wasn't filled with hatred for evil? It's a pity that there are only a few of them left.

Li Chunnan took a puff of his cigarette: "It must have been a family dinner; Professor Wang's wife was there too. There were also three girls, one of whom looked very much like Professor Wang; she must have been the child of his second older sister... At the time, he and Lin Sicheng were standing quite close..."

Quite close?

He had been a police officer for so many years; if his master said "quite close," then it was definitely "quite close."

But if it was the child of Wang Qi Zhi's second older sister, wouldn't her surname be Ye?

No, why hadn't Lin Sicheng mentioned it?

Chen Peng was suddenly stunned, not knowing what to say: the teacher's surname was Wang, the master's wife's surname was Shan, and the cousin who was "quite close" to him was surnamed Ye... Just looking at Wang Qi Zhi's family, how many layers of armor had they stacked for Lin Sicheng?

How much Fire Qi must have risen from the ancestral graves of that Chief Engineer Wang's family for him to be so muddle-headed as to lead people to strike at Lin Sicheng?

Well, look at this now; no one even dares to vouch for them...

Thinking back on it: he himself had coaxed Lin Sicheng into taking the fall for so much, and Wang Qi Zhi had only scolded him twice over the phone—that was already generous enough.

But to say they would stop here... that was impossible.

If Lin Sicheng didn't help, Yu Dahai would absolutely never be brought back...

Pondering secretly, Chen Peng rolled his eyes: "Master, Lin is useful, isn't he?"

Li Chunnan was holding his Tea Cup and nearly spat a mouthful of tea onto his face.

Knowing exactly what his disciple was thinking, Li Chunnan gritted his teeth in anger: "You rascal, you don't want your face, but I still want mine!"

Chen Peng shrank back and smiled shamelessly: "Master, I want my face too, but if I keep my face, he won't be able to solve the case, right?"

Afraid that Li Chunnan wouldn't believe him, he hurriedly pushed the papers on the table: "If you don't believe me, look... not to mention anything else, just these grave-robbing jargons alone—I've been pondering them for two days, and my head is spinning..."

"Look, just take 'matching codes': when buying goods, they say 'matching codes'; when selling goods, they say 'matching codes'; when inviting people to talk business, they still say 'matching codes'... and when accomplices meet up, gather, or negotiate with rivals, they all say 'matching codes'... but you can't just say 'matching codes,' you have to coordinate it with other jargon..."

"And there's this: 'Mausoleum' is a grave, 'Sleeping Chamber' is a grave, 'Scroll' is also a grave, 'Pit,' 'Palace,' 'Tower,' and 'Hall' are all still graves... but which one refers to which grave? I've turned my brain into mush."

"And this 'hole': it's a Tomb Tunnel, it's a tomb passage, it's a tomb chamber, it's a subterranean palace, yet there's no prefix; you have to rely solely on tone and emphasis to distinguish which kind of hole is which... Master, you tell me how I'm supposed to distinguish..."

Li Chunnan was stunned, staring at those sheets of paper: "Zhao Xiuneng can't do it either?"

"He's far off!" Chen Peng shook his head, "To say he's only fit to carry his shoes might be an exaggeration. But at most, he can only help Lin Sicheng with the peripheral work..."

Li Chunnan paused: During that time when they were looking for the grave, wasn't Zhao Xiuneng just helping Lin Sicheng with the peripheral work?

This was indeed a dilemma.

To tell the truth, although Li Chunnan often scolded Chen Peng, the master and disciple were clear on one thing: as long as the case could be solved, face meant nothing. Not to mention Chen Peng, if necessary, throwing his own old face on the ground and stomping on it a few times wasn't out of the question.

The key was that constantly making the kid help out as a volunteer was truly a bit unscrupulous.

Furthermore, no matter how good the safety measures were, they were still dealing with vicious, cold-blooded criminals. Even a clay figurine has a bit of Fire Qi, and Wang Qi Zhi wasn't just some stray cat or dog, was he?

Li Chunnan rubbed his chin and thought for a long while: "Like this, don't you worry. I'll organize the materials in a bit and make a trip to the Provincial Department!"

With a "Tch," just as Chen Peng was about to say something snide, Li Chunnan glared at him.

Chen Peng gave a sheepish smile and thought again: "Master, the Provincial Department is mostly technical police; they don't have much manpower. At most, they'll provide guidance... The actual investigation still has to fall to the city, right?"

Nonsense, guidance is exactly what is needed...

"I know!" Li Chunnan nodded, "Stop staying up, go get some sleep..."

As he stood up and reached the door, he remembered something: "Did those two (the moles) confess yet?"

Chen Peng's expression dimmed: "They confessed, with tears and snot everywhere..."

"Heh..." Li Chunnan sneered, "When they were taking dirty money, why didn't they think about regretting it?"

It was fortunate that Chen Peng had been quick on his feet: right at the beginning, when the Municipal Cultural Relics Bureau and the Municipal Bureau's attention and manpower were still concentrated on Duling and its surroundings, Chen Peng had already taken precautions:

He had kept the main Person in Charge of Weiqu Town and Chang'an District as far away from the core circle of knowledge as possible.

Otherwise, let alone Yu Kejie, they wouldn't have even caught a single chicken feather this time.

If you ask why Chen Peng was so sharp: this guy didn't believe in science, he believed in metaphysics, and he was quite articulate about it: every time Lin Sicheng came to the Municipal Bureau, the Municipal Bureau had a stroke of great luck... Since he said the grave was west of Duling, then it might very well be west of Duling.

Not only did he send people to help Lin Sicheng find the grave, but he also started making arrangements early... and as it turned out, he hit the mark!

Li Chunnan thought for a moment: "That bounty notice I mentioned the day before yesterday, have you finished it?"

"It's done. The Political Commissar and the Executive Vice Mayor have both signed it, and I put it on your desk."

Li Chunnan nodded: "And what you mentioned last time, about the paid buy-back from the Cultural Relics Bureau, have you communicated that?"

"Communicated, Director He Zhigang said it can be executed at any time!"

"Good."

It was a bit small, perhaps not even as much as Lin Sicheng earned from picking up a single leak, but whether it was small was one thing, and whether to reward him was another...

With these thoughts, Li Chunnan left Chen Peng's office.

Chen Peng chased after him: "Master, I'll probably get scolded, why don't I go with you?"

"I've already been scolded into having a thick skin, you still want to go? Go to hell..." Li Chunnan roared, "Get back and sleep!"

……

Two hours later, at about 8:30, Li Chunnan drove to the Provincial Department.

The sky was already bright, and the office door was ajar; Li Chunnan knocked lightly.

After a shout of "Come in," Li Chunnan pushed the door open.

The Department Head was holding a pen, in the middle of signing some documents; he looked up and let out a secret sigh of relief: Finally here?

"Old Bureau Chief? Please, come in, please..."

While signaling the secretary to pour tea, the Department Head glanced behind him.

"Leader, I'm the only one here to report this time!" Li Chunnan smiled, "I accept the criticism!"

The Department Head didn't know whether to laugh or cry.

Indeed.

If you didn't bring the Political Commissar, you should have at least come with the Executive Vice Mayor. If that really wouldn't work, bringing Chen Peng would have been fine too.

With someone there to take the blame for you, some things are easier to say, right?

But scolding Li Chunnan was truly difficult to do... The two were actually not many years apart in age, and the Department Head respected his meritorious service.

The secretary brewed the tea, and the Department Head handed it to him personally; once Li Chunnan took it, he added half-jokingly:

"Old Bureau Chief, do you know that the Municipal Cultural Relics Bureau sent their report to the province four days ago, and then it was sent to Beijing overnight... I was just thinking, no matter how slow we are, there has to be a limit, right?

As it turned out, I waited for four days... Honestly, if you hadn't sent someone today, I would have called you... Fortunately, I finally waited for you!"

"At the beginning (when the case was first reported), I can understand why you didn't report it; after all, such a major case occurred within your jurisdiction, and the comrades were under great pressure and very anxious. It's the tendency to report the good news and not the bad; even if you report it, you have to find some leads first."

"I can also understand why there was no report in the middle: the investigation was very difficult, and there were no leads, so even if you had come, you wouldn't have been able to explain anything... Although the Department had heard rumors at the time, we thought the comrades at the Municipal Bureau were all very capable, so we didn't inquire..."

"But Old Bureau Chief, the people have been caught for several days now; this is surely good news, so why was it dragged out for several more days?"

After a slight pause, the Department Head sighed again, "Of course, the main ringleader (Yu Dahai) fleeing overseas is indeed not easy to catch. Although the looting wasn't severe, the fact that some Cultural Relics were smuggled out and the tomb of the main figures (Zhang Anshi and his wife) was damaged (coffin opened and remains desecrated) is an undeniable fact..."

"Furthermore, there must have been internal rot working from the inside out... So the higher-ups (the Ministry) will definitely inquire, they will definitely investigate backwards, responsibility will definitely have to be borne, and the relevant Person in Charge will definitely have to write a self-criticism... But the Municipal Bureau and the Department are two sides of the same coin; how can there be a reason for the grandfather to beat the grandson while the father just stares and doesn't protect him?"

The Department Head smiled again: "Old Bureau Chief, we share the same honor and disgrace; if the Municipal Bureau gets criticized, can the Department really escape it?"

"Yes! Department Head, I will write a self-criticism..."

As he spoke, Li Chunnan stood up, and the Department Head pressed him back down.

"Old Bureau Chief, I didn't mean to criticize you; I just wanted us to communicate early and discuss how to shoulder this together. If we wait until the hammer falls to discuss it, we won't know how to smooth things over... That's why I was anxious... Old Bureau Chief, tell me, am I right?"

Li Chunnan smiled and nodded: "The leader is right!"

The Department Head smiled and took the Folder: "I heard Chen Peng is still in charge; how is the case going?"

"Quite fast: except for the main culprit, the rest of the perpetrators have basically been brought to justice, especially the core technical personnel who opened the shafts and entered the pits, as well as the violent thugs guarding the pits—they have almost all been rounded up!"

The Department Head's eyes lit up: "How many were caught?"

"Twenty-two people who went down into the tombs to loot; nine violent thugs who resisted arrest with guns and explosives were shot dead, and five were captured. In addition, sixteen peripheral personnel involved in fencing stolen goods and acting as lookouts were captured... We recovered over 20 million in illicit funds, more than 30 firearms including Type 81 Automatic Rifles, Type 54 Pistols, and homemade guns, over a thousand rounds of ammunition, and over 300 kilograms of ammonium nitrate explosives..."

The Department Head's eyelids twitched: Was the criticism too early?

A gang of over fifty people, more than thirty guns, over a thousand rounds of ammunition, and over three hundred kilograms of explosives... These aren't just looters; these are armed militants.

With this scale of the gang, if reported to the Ministry, even the Minister's eyelids would twitch...

Thinking of this, the Department Head's heart hung in the air again: "What about our casualties!"

"Zero casualties!"

"What?"

Seeing the Department Head didn't believe him, Li Chunnan emphasized,

"Leader, it really is zero casualties... The reasons are manifold: first, before the operation, we had already determined the hideout of the criminal gang, and they were extremely concentrated... Second, the location of the encirclement happened to be farmland and a demolition zone, with no people around, so there was no need for large-scale evacuation..."

"Third, we mobilized in advance and deployed secretly: in addition to the Criminal Investigation Division, communications, and public security detachments, we dispatched almost half of the Armed Police detachment, equipped with Riot Vehicles and sniper rifles... From the start of the arrest to the end, it took less than forty minutes..."

The Department Head's eyes grew brighter and brighter: Fifty-some people, thirty-some guns, and it took just over half an hour... Chen Peng is capable, isn't he?

But this isn't right...

"With such a large operation, how did you avoid the mole? Did you turn them (turncoat)!"

"No, but Chen Peng took precautions in advance and excluded the mole from the circle of knowledge and decision-making; it was a lucky strike!"

Huh... It feels like Chen Peng has suddenly grown more capable?

To be honest, whenever there is a large-scale investigation or arrest operation, the hardest part is the mole: the difficulty lies in the fact that the scope is too wide to determine, and even harder is how to deal with them once identified.

If you don't control them in advance, they will definitely tip off the suspects.

But if you do control them, people like this are tighter-lipped than iron. If you can't break them in a short time, and you don't contact them for a long time, the main culprit will definitely become alert.

It's a huge headache and very difficult to handle... So, regardless of whether it was a lucky strike or not, being able to hit the mark is Chen Peng's ability.

And based on this extremely conspicuous battle record, even if the higher-ups come to hold people accountable, the Department Head has a 50-60% chance of smoothing it over. At most, he'll give the province a document and a written criticism. If things go well, it might just be a verbal reprimand...

"Not bad... Old Bureau Chief, really not bad... You drink your tea first, let me look at the specific process..."

The Department Head praised him several times and opened the Folder.

The first page was the report receipt... Lost strategy, Jade Wenming... Seems to have some impression?

But that's not the point; the point is that after receiving the report, Chen Peng made deployments: searching the antique markets and Cultural Relics shops in the city, focusing on searching for Cultural Relics with the same characteristics and from the same period.

Simultaneously notifying the Cultural Relics Bureau: suspected theft of the Zhang Anshi Tomb.

Not bad, the sense of smell is very keen, the arrangements were very comprehensive, and very decisive.

The second time, another report receipt: Qingbai Mirror, Seven-Star Board?

Chen Peng once again increased the intensity of the investigation, even expanding the scope to neighboring cities and provinces.

Only then did the Cultural Relics department take it seriously, organizing an Inspection Department team and simultaneously surveying the area around Duling.

This meant the Municipal Bureau's investigation time was more than half a month earlier than the Cultural Relics Bureau's.

But this still wasn't the point...

The Department Head looked suspicious for a moment, then flipped back: "Huh... Old Bureau Chief, two reports, are they from the same person?"

"Yes, Lin Sicheng!" Li Chunnan nodded, "There is more later!"

What else could there be? Did this Lin Sicheng report another case?

The Department Head continued to flip forward, and then, his eyes widened:

Chen Peng actually assigned a team to this Lin Sicheng to go find a tomb?

No... Police looking for a tomb, Chen Peng, how could you even think of that?

But that was exactly how he arranged it...

It was also based on this Lin Sicheng's deduction that Chen Peng suspected the active area of the grave-robbing gang should be around Weiqu Town. It was also from that time on that Chen Peng consciously began to guard against internal personnel...

However, it was just a tiny bit of speculation; the key was that this Lin Sicheng, it seemed he had never heard of him. How did Chen Peng manage to believe whatever this Lin Sicheng dared to say?

It is no exaggeration to say that if this were not a post-case report, but a reconnaissance plan, the Department Head would have already started cursing...

He became increasingly curious and continued reading, his eyes growing wider and wider.

It was this very Lin Sicheng who, leading a few laymen assigned to him by Chen Peng, managed to narrow the scope of the tomb down to the area around Weiqu Town.

At the same time, he provided the public security department—or accurately, Chen Peng—with a complete investigation direction and reconnaissance strategy. This included the organizational model of the grave-robbing gang, its main composition, sources of funding, the chain of fencing stolen goods... and so on and so forth.

Just as before, Chen Peng believed it implicitly, adjusted on the spot, and revised the reconnaissance plan overnight.

Even stranger was that Li Chunnan actually approved it?

The Department Head didn't know what to say, so he raised his head and glanced at Li Chunnan.

Li Chunnan gestured, meaning for him to keep reading.

The Department Head let out a breath and continued flipping through.

Because of the mole, although the investigation made progress, it was extremely slow. It was again Lin Sicheng who suggested a slight adjustment to the reconnaissance strategy: stop looking for people, stop looking for the tomb, and look for Cultural Relics instead.

Then, the most brilliant part came: Lin Sicheng took two plainclothes officers and entered the tiger's den three times.

The goal was very clear, just as he had suggested to Chen Peng: find Cultural Relics.

The first time, he found a bronze mirror, narrowing the tomb's location from the dozen-square-kilometer Weiqu Town to between two villages of a few square kilometers.

The second time, it was still to find Cultural Relics... the most brilliant and most important part was this time.

He bought a Silver Crown and then bought a Changshi Seal... It was precisely because of these two Cultural Relics that Lin Sicheng confirmed this was the same gang that robbed the Zhang Anshi Tomb.

You could call it luck, or you could say he stumbled into it, but he did indeed crash into the thieves' nest.

He even caught the tail of the grave-robbing gang before he had even touched the shadow of the tomb.

It was as if, suddenly, an invisible hand had descended from the sky, parting thousands of meters of leaden clouds to let a beam of light shine down.

It allowed Chen Peng and Li Chunnan, who had been losing handfuls of hair from worry, to suddenly see hope.

But if Li Chunnan and Chen Peng were to ask themselves:

If not for the first Registration Book and the Jade Wenming, and without the second Tang Dynasty Phoenix Mirror, how could they have made Fan Qiang believe implicitly that this Zhe Boss, who drove a car with Shaoxing license plates, claimed to be from Zhejiang Province, and had the surname Zhe, was a wealthy Cultural Relics criminal from out of town?

Only then did they take him to the farmhouse.

Therefore, there is no such thing as luck; it was merely inevitable.

Because of this, the classic scene of "the fake Zhe Boss uses a few tricks, and the real Grave Robber treats him like a god" came to be.

And then, naturally yet miraculously, even Yu Dahai was fished out...

The report only glossed over it, but the Department Head could imagine: just how professional must this Lin Sicheng be, and how much like a Cultural Relics trafficker and Grave Robber must he have acted, to make an old hand as slippery as a ghost and as vicious as a viper like Yu Dahai show his face?

Even when the gang was completely wiped out, Yu Dahai still sent a text message to Lin Sicheng to explain: the reason his subordinates at the farmhouse were taken in one fell swoop was just a small accident. He still had people under him, and the cooperation with "Zhe Boss" could certainly continue...

Then flipping further down: it was still this Lin Sicheng who, in order to force the China State Construction to stop work, found four large tombs in a row. One was a Yuan Dynasty official's family tomb, and three were Ming Dynasty Junwang Tombs...

But since when did the royal tombs of Xijing start appearing one after another?

The Department Head was beyond shocked.

He flipped to the last page and glanced at it, and the Department Head's eyes bulged again: the General Engineer and General Manager of the China State Construction Branch were involved in the case and had already been brought in.

At the end, a line was written in pencil: Last night, discussed with General Manager Zheng of China State Construction at Xi'an Restaurant, and happened to encounter Lin Sicheng and Wang Qi Zhi. Subsequently, Wang Qiwen and Chen Tao turned themselves in...

This part would definitely be erased by the end, and it was written vaguely, but the Department Head could imagine the sequence of events: General Manager Zheng of China State Construction wouldn't budge an inch, until after the meal, when he suddenly encountered Lin Sicheng and Wang Qi Zhi...

It meant that this massive scapegoat had been cast off by Li Chunnan by half... no, more than half.

For example, if the higher-ups came to hold them accountable, the Department Head could take the report and say: "Leaders, look, it's a centrally-managed unit; it's not that we didn't want to investigate, but the resistance was too great."

What, China State Construction doesn't admit it?

Your people took money from Grave Robbers and also took Cultural Relics; that is true, isn't it?

Thinking secretly, the Department Head flipped back to the first page and read it all over again. After finishing, he was silent for a long time.

Before seeing this report, who could have imagined that the case was solved this way, or even, solved to this extent?

After a long while, he tapped the table: "Lin Sicheng, is he Wang Qi Zhi's student?"

Li Chunnan nodded: "Yes, a student, only a senior... graduating next summer!"

"A student... a student?"

The Department Head stared at the report, his eyes revealing shock and disbelief:

"Old Bureau Chief, he is just a student, but how does it feel like the entire case was pushed forward by him, and even guided by him? Everything that should and shouldn't have been done, he did it all? Compared to him, Chen Peng seems more like he was just tagging along?"

Li Chunnan was silent.

That was a bit of an exaggeration, and Chen Peng certainly wasn't just tagging along. But Lin Sicheng's role in the entire investigation process was indeed irreplaceable.

All the main Cultural Relics were discovered by him, and it was also he who deduced and confirmed that they originated from the "Zhang Anshi Tomb".

The reconnaissance directions for the first and second times were both pushed by him, and the organization and modus operandi of the criminal gang were also analyzed by him.

The scope of the tomb was determined by him, the tomb was found by him, and even forcing China State Construction to stop work and making the important suspects turn themselves in was his doing.

As for Chen Peng, his role was certainly significant; Lin Sicheng provided the ideas, but someone had to execute them, right?

Besides, the final roundup, didn't Chen Peng handle that beautifully and brilliantly?

"Right, I wouldn't have remembered if you hadn't mentioned it... Counting it all up, Lin Sicheng didn't participate in the final encirclement... but if he had to do everything, what would we be here for?"

A gleam appeared in the Provincial Department head's eyes, "A genius detective, an elite at solving cases... Old Bureau Chief, don't you feel like you're watching a movie?"

Li Chunnan did not speak.

It was indeed quite miraculous; if this report were submitted as is, it would be a wonder if the other leaders in the Provincial Department, as well as those in the Ministry, believed it.

But it definitely had to be reported this way; Li Chunnan felt his conscience would be burdened if he left out even a single detail...

"Right, report it just like this: It doesn't matter that Lin Sicheng isn't a Police officer; Chen Peng, who is effectively his superior, is a Police officer, right? And this case was solved by the Municipal Bureau, that's correct, right? That's enough!"

"Of course!" Li Chunnan nodded and smiled, "And it couldn't have been done without the guidance of the Provincial Department!"

The Provincial Department head smiled: "Old Bureau Chief is really... too good at this!"

The case had been going on for so long, and it was only reported today; the Municipal Bureau hadn't given the Provincial Department any chance to provide guidance at all.

And besides the main culprit not being in custody, the rest of the work had basically been finished by the Municipal Bureau. They had even offloaded most of the blame.

It amounted to the Provincial Department lying back and collecting the credit...

He sighed again: "Old Bureau Chief, what I said just now was a bit harsh..."

Li Chunnan was just about to stand up when he was pressed back down: "If I had known the case had reached this point, I wouldn't have made you come; I would have gone to the bureau myself..."

"The Provincial Department head is too kind!" Li Chunnan smiled, "Actually, besides the report, there is indeed a difficulty I'd like to ask the leader to help resolve!"

What other difficulty could there be?

The Provincial Department head was suspicious for a moment, then suddenly realized: "Yu Dahai?"

"Right!" Li Chunnan nodded, "He is a loach that has become a spirit; not only is he hard to catch, but he is also extremely cautious. Unless it's someone highly proficient in Cultural Relics and Grave-robbing, we simply can't hook him."

"What's more, this time the fundraising channels, the fencing chains, and the core members have almost all been wiped out, and Yu Dahai has become even more like a bird startled by the mere twang of a bowstring... So I think it's best to strike while the iron is hot and take him down in one go..."

Li Chunnan's meaning was very clear: it wasn't that the bureau lacked talent, but that time wouldn't allow it. Setting everything else aside, could Yu Dahai wait for the Police to learn the jargon and secret codes before making contact?

Moreover, jargon is at most superficial; locating tombs, digging pits, retrieving goods, fencing stolen items, and identifying artifacts are the most important tasks.

Not to mention whether such people exist, even if they did, where would one find such professional and comprehensive talent on such short notice?

Counting it all up, we still have to rely on Lin Sicheng...

The Provincial Department head pondered for a moment: "What about him personally?"

"He is full of a sense of justice: in order to find clues and gain the trust of the criminals, he paid for the Jade Wenming, the Bronze Mirror, and the Changshi Seal out of his own pocket first. Later, when we confiscated the illicit funds, I handled it as a special case to pay him back..."

"You mean he isn't short on money?"

"Of course he isn't... Every time he picks up a bargain, he makes tens or hundreds of thousands!"

Li Chunnan sighed, "He isn't lacking in reputation or status either... Leader, do you remember the Inverted Pot?"

The Provincial Department head was startled: "No wonder the name sounded so familiar?"

But this makes it difficult, doesn't it?

Because it's not just a question of whether he lacks something, but that Lin Sicheng's agreement alone isn't enough; his teacher, Wang Qi Zhi, must also agree.

"In that case..."

The Provincial Department head rubbed his chin, "I'll try from the top down first; I'll contact the school... At the same time, you work on Wang Qi Zhi's thinking... He's a child of the compound, and with his elders still alive, he must have received plenty of red education since childhood. I imagine he should still have great respect for a war hero like the Old Bureau Chief..."

"We aren't asking young Lin to personally negotiate with the criminals, just to help lure Yu Dahai back to the country... Of course, safety measures must be guaranteed!"

Li Chunnan nodded: "Rest assured, leader..."

No sooner said than done, the Provincial Department head picked up the desk phone: "I'll contact them right now!"