Chapter 283: Driving Someone onto a Dead End

Zhao Xiong hammered the steering wheel with force, his whole being in a hysterical state.

The police are after him now, the troops are after him too, the matter has escalated so much that Manager Zheng, that fat sheep, can only let it slide for now.

He isn't worried about people fleeing; it's like flying a kite—loosen it a bit, and the other side becomes even more anxious, eager to jump into the trap.

Zhao Xiong scratched his head, dandruff scattering everywhere, thought seriously for a while, then devised a plan: "I need to get out and hide for a while, wait for the heat to die down. Let Manager Qian watch the shop; if they can't find me, they can't charge me, so I'll be fine."

"Shut down the underground casino for now, deal with it after the heat passes, and ease a few accounts a bit; don't chase too tightly."

"Got it, boss." The subordinate on the other end asked, "What about Ding Yongxin's account, still need it?"

"Of course we need it!"

"But he's already out of money?"

"Who said that? Ding Yongxin is the most family‑oriented, most death‑afraid kid; he got drunk before and unintentionally mentioned that years ago he bought himself a huge accidental insurance, coverage over three million."

Zhao Xiong's eyes filled with malice: "He ruined my plan, making it impossible for me to rest; I'll make him hand over his life!"

He gritted his teeth and said, "Find an anonymous SIM card, contact him; tell him if the money isn't repaid in a day, his family will never know peace. His father died of his anger; we know where he's buried, so later we'll dig up his grave!"

The subordinate on the other end fell silent for a moment and said, "Boss, isn't this too ruthless......"

Zhao Xiong shouted into the phone, "To hell with you, he cut off my money flow, I wish I could kill him right now! If he doesn't die, how will the insurance company compensate? If there's no payout, what money are we making?"

"Let the interest roll into next month, it'll be just over three million; use it all to offset the debt!"

He hung up, took several deep breaths to calm himself, then redialed a number and said respectfully into the line.

"Sheng Ge, something's come up; the police have traced me, the troops are involved, I may have to go hide for a while."

"Go ahead."

"I'm worried they'll uncover the Yuanbao explosion incident, and then they might …"

"Why panic? The sky won't collapse."

"Yes, yes, yes."

"I'll give you a number; contact this person, he'll help you run."

"Got it, thanks, Sheng Ge."

He hung up, and Zhao Xiong exhaled.

Sheng Ge could cover the sky with one hand; with him, any matter could be settled.

Even with troops involved, it probably wouldn't stir up much trouble.

He pulled a spare license plate from the trunk and swapped it on.

He started the car and slipped away from the city in complete silence.

"How's it going, is the matter resolved?"

After leaving the police station, Lu Yang went home.

He reported the situation here to the troops over the phone.

When they heard thugs ransacking the funeral hall, refusing to let the old man be buried, Gao Feng and He Zhen Tao on the other end of the line were so angry their veins popped.

"Which family doesn't have an elder, which family doesn't face some trouble, committing such a ruthless act—aren't they afraid of retribution?"

"Actually, they already got their retribution."

Lu Yang also recounted what happened later.

The two of them almost had their eyes bulge out.

They could even imagine the mindset of the thugs after being caught in a sting operation.

It absolutely felt like the sky was falling, because attacking a soldier is a grave crime, especially since Lu Yang was a wounded officer returning home to visit family.

Lu Yang said, "The Armed Forces Department will supervise the case from start to finish; we must get a justification, only heavy punishment, no leniency."

He Zhen Tao asked with concern, "Were your injuries serious, have you been to a hospital?"

"I have a superficial skin wound; if the police had arrived a bit later, the wound would have started healing. Ding Tengfei's injury is worse; he was stabbed in the shoulder, the wound is quite deep. I think I'll give him the award later; his family just went through a huge incident, and a bit of honor might lift their spirits."

"One case at a time; rooting out evil is good, and both of you are injured, so the award must be one per person."

"Alright, I won't be polite then~"

"By the way, his father—any news?"

"Not yet."

Lu Yang was indeed a bit helpless.

Memories of his past life were rather hazy.

Back then his father only mentioned it in passing at the dinner table, without specifying where he jumped.

With so many tall buildings there, he couldn't possibly go asking each one; it's simply unrealistic.

Nevertheless, Lu Yang voiced his worry: "What I'm most concerned about now is that Ding Tengfei's father might contemplate suicide; when a person is cornered, they're most prone to extremes."

"Sigh, He Zhen Tao and I thought of that too," Gao Feng said, frowning, "Even if the usurious loan is forgiven, the guilt over his father's death and self‑blame toward his family can push someone to a dead end."

"Regardless, whether you find him or not, in two days you still have to bring him back to the troops together."

"Then we'll do some psychological work with him; we can't let this incident halt his life and waste our previous efforts."

Lu Yang naturally understood this reasoning.

Regardless of his father's ultimate fate, Ding Tengfei must keep moving forward.

With his father gone, he is the family's sole pillar, his mother's only hope moving forward.

Only if Ding Tengfei thrives and the road smooths can his family emerge from this shadow and step into a new life.

He hung up, steadied his mood, and ran to the kitchen to help his mother prepare the ingredients needed for the night's stall.

Because he kept thinking about the recent events, he was absent‑minded while working and almost got pricked by a wooden skewer.

Yuan AiQin felt terrible and said, "Go rest over there, watch some TV; I'll handle it. Your leg's still injured."

Lu Yang shook his head, "Mom, I have to return to the troops in two days; I want to spend more time with you, help you with more chores."

Seeing her son being sensible, filial, and possessing a manly spirit.

He can both suppress evil and protect the good, and also bear the responsibility that the uniform bestows on him; as a mother, she feels very gratified.

She is not a spoiling mother, and she understands what it means to don a uniform and become an officer; she is also proud that her son can bravely step forward in a moment of crisis.

At that moment, father Lu YongQiang rushed back riding his little electric mule, and before stopping the vehicle he shouted to Lu Yang.

"Yangyang, Yangyang, guess who I saw on the way back?"

"Who?"

"Ding Yongxin!"

"What, you saw him? Where did you see him? Did you call out to him?"

Lu Yang hurriedly put down the work he was doing and rushed out.

Lu YongQiang pulled a box of old goose claw wings from the vehicle's basket: "At the entrance of the smoke shop, I called out to him but he didn't answer. I was at Zhang Laosan's house on Hongqi Road, chopping a goose, and at first I wondered if I had mistaken him for someone else?"

"Later I was sure I hadn't mistaken him; he looked like a soul lost, as skinny as a bamboo pole. I rushed back on my bike to tell you. Do you think we should inform Ding Tengfei's family, or what?"

"Hongqi Road, Hongqi Road......!"

Lu Yang's mind started racing, but after being away from home for a year he was still unfamiliar with the city's architecture.

His father passes that place every day on his way to work, but to him it remains a blur.

"On Hongqi Road, what high‑rise buildings are there?"

"There's a newly topped‑off residential area nearby called Hengyuan International, what's up?"

"Hey, where are you going?"

"We'll talk after we get back!"

Without a word, Lu Yang dashed into the house, grabbed a parcel, mounted his father's little electric mule, and bolted out the door.

On the way, he promptly notified Ding Tengfei, called the police, the fire department, and even dialed 120.

Lu Yang knew why Ding Yongxin was in the vicinity and what he was about to do; since he knew, he had to do everything possible to prevent such a tragedy.

Whether because of his connection to Ding Tengfei or the principle that soldiers must protect civilians, he must try to save the person.

Near evening, Chengbei New District.

In the unfinished Hengyuan International residential area, workers were gradually leaving work.

The complex had just topped out; the green safety net outside had not yet been removed, and the red promotional banner on the roof reading "Ultra‑low down payment, premium luxury" shone like fire.

In the shadow of the vacant lot in front of the building, a middle‑aged man with a full beard, hollow eyes, and a weary demeanor stood idly below for a long time.

He carried a plastic bag containing a bottle of white liquor, a pack of peanuts, and two packs of pickled mustard greens.

He tilted his head upward, looked at the sufficiently high rooftop, and smiled inexplicably.

He smiled in a wicked way, a tragic way, a desolate way.

He didn't know how he ended up on this path, but perhaps it was the last one.

After hesitating and struggling for a long time, Ding Yongxin finally stepped onto the stairway leading to death, only to secure a future peace for his family, leaving a guarantee......