Chapter 176

"Ruined!"

Li Ya patted his forehead and gritted his teeth, feeling a bit panicked for a moment.

He didn't intend to kill Dong Cheng.

But for some reason, seeing that damn smile reminded him of the bitter days in Yancheng.

Over there, there were many people like Dong Cheng.

Clearly hungry and cold, yet able to be full of incomparably firm power for life.

This damn atmosphere made him deeply worried for the Party-State, every day feeling like living in a nightmare.

Because Li Ya understood.

That kind of power is invincible.

Therefore, he hated and feared the Red Tickets very much.

Dong Cheng's smile triggered this fear, to the point that Li Ya's emotions were completely out of control.

"Dong Cheng, Dong Cheng?"

Li Ya shook him.

After confirming he had stopped breathing, after a brief moment of panic, he began to clean up the paper scraps on the ground.

"Brother Wu, you're back."

Voices came from outside the door.

Li Ya hadn't finished cleaning up when Lao Wu and a few others pushed the door and walked in.

"Captain Li, did this old thing confess?" Lao Wu asked with a smile, cigarette in his mouth.

"No, I just came over to take a look." Li Ya laughed dryly.

"Didn't confess."

"Then it's not ruthless enough, I'll give him another set of exciting ones."

Lao Wu laughed dryly and walked up to Dong Cheng.

Seeing Dong Cheng beaten beyond recognition, Lao Wu touched his breath, his expression changed drastically, and he said tremblingly:

"Captain Li, the person, the person is dead!"

"Dong Cheng is dead!"

"This is the golden treasure of the headquarters, you, you..."

"I know, hurry and report to the Station Chief." Li Ya regained his calm.

The person was already dead.

Could only take it one step at a time.

Intelligence Division office.

Lu Qiaoshan was organizing data.

Yuan Peilin couldn't be found.

Rather than waiting for Li Ya to rise and be squeezed out and ridiculed, it was better to pack up and go to Jingling early.

It just so happened that his son was in the Second Department, and father and son could see each other often.

Wandering in Jinhai for nearly two years, it was time to live a life of family reunion.

Just as he was packing, he saw Xiao Li from the interrogation room running toward the Station Chief's office in a panic; Lu Qiaoshan frowned slightly, put down the data in his hand, and chased after him:

"Xiao Li, what happened?"

"Section Chief Lu, Dong, Dong Cheng is dead!"

Xiao Li replied, hurried outside the Station Chief's office: "Secretary Hong, I, I have an urgent matter to see the Station Chief."

"Come."

Hong Zhiyou led him in.

Entering the office, Wu Jingzhong was hugging his arms and dozing off.

"Station Chief, something big happened!" Xiao Li shouted.

"Panicking, what kind of behavior is this." Hong Zhiyou scolded him.

"Something up?" Wu Jingzhong opened his eyes and asked indifferently.

"Dong Cheng is dead!"

"He was, he was beaten to death by Captain Li!" Xiao Li said.

"Dong Cheng is dead?" Wu Jingzhong stood up abruptly.

"What happened, speak quickly."

"Don't know."

"Lao Wu and I went to the cafeteria to eat, and when we came back, Dong Cheng was dead."

"Station Chief, you should go take a look."

Xiao Li said in a panic.

"Call Qiaoshan, Zecheng, yes, and Section Chief Xiao."

"Go to the interrogation room immediately!"

Wu Jingzhong was overjoyed, but his expression was as cold as frost.

Hong Zhiyou called Lu and Yu.

The three of them walked slowly, whispering.

"Secretary Hong, how could Dong Cheng suddenly die?" Yu Zecheng asked in a low voice.

"Who knows?"

"Anyway, it's a huge good thing for us."

"This is Dong Cheng, a treasure just like Yuan Peilin."

"The person Li Ya caught."

"Now that the person is dead, Li Ya has one less card."

"Maybe we can turn the corner, and have a chance to turn things around."

Lu Qiaoshan's original dejection vanished, and he was suddenly full of fighting spirit.

Yu Zecheng looked at Hong Zhiyou.

Hong Zhiyou shook his head, indicating he didn't know anything.

Actually, he had probably guessed some of it.

This should be the Station Chief secretly feeding moves to Li Ya.

As expected of an old hand, one move was a fatal blow.

Even if it couldn't kill Li Ya, it would be enough for him to suffer.

Arriving at the interrogation room, Li Ya stood straight with his hands in his pockets, a bloodstain on his white shirt.

Lao Wu stood tremblingly on the side.

Wu Jingzhong strode forward, checked his breath, touched his neck, frowned, and sighed painfully:

"Oh, it pains my heart, such a good trump card was ruined just like that!"

After saying this, he turned his head and scanned Lao Wu and Li Ya's faces coldly:

"What exactly is going on here!"

Lao Wu looked at Li Ya and didn't say anything.

"Speak!" Wu Jingzhong roared.

Lao Wu was startled, and quickly stammered his confession:

"Just now I went to the cafeteria to eat, and when I came back, I saw Captain Li alone in the interrogation room."

"Dong, Dong Cheng was like this."

Li Ya beat him to death.

Lu Qiaoshan's eyes lit up, his heart wild with joy.

In an instant, many flashes of inspiration flickered in his mind; he seemed to have found a way to topple Li Ya.

Yu Zecheng and Hong Zhiyou were silent.

Especially Old Yu, his heart was bleeding, and the sourness in his throat rushed into his eye sockets several times uncontrollably, which he forcibly held back.

Mr. Dong was not only his guide in the revolution.

But also a wise teacher and a good friend.

When he was in Yangjia Village, every time he came, he would tell him about the freedom and brilliance of the border area, spreading kind and progressive new forces.

If Zuo Lan was the inducement for him to join the revolution.

Then Mr. Dong was the catalyst.

Making him go from yearning, to pursuing, to firm belief.

Just last night, Yu Zecheng was still discussing rescue strategies with Luo Anping.

Unexpectedly, in just one day, they were separated by life and death.

He didn't know what happened in the interrogation room.

But seeing Mr. Dong tortured to death, Yu Zecheng's anger grew wildly like wild grass.

He was very sad now.

Wanted to cry.

Wanted to kill.

But Yu Zecheng knew better that Mr. Dong was using his death to protect him, and the paper scraps on the ground, with the incomplete characters of "Emei", were his final resistance.

Suppress the sadness.

Continue to lurk, continue to fight.

For himself, for Mr. Dong!

Hong Zhiyou looked at Yu Zecheng, took off his coat, walked to Mr. Dong's body, and covered his head to show respect.

A flash of tacit approval and appreciation crossed Wu Jingzhong's eyes.

"My Captain Li, shouldn't you explain?" He turned his head and asked Li Ya.

"I wanted to interrogate him alone to confirm some things."

"Unfortunately, he didn't cooperate with me."

"Then, I accidentally beat him to death."

Li Ya answered very calmly, his expression still arrogant.

"Captain Li, are you sure it was an interrogation, not silencing him?"

Lu Qiaoshan on the side, like a poisonous snake hiding in a corner, launched a fatal attack.

"Section Chief Lu, what do you mean?" Li Ya looked at him coldly.

"Captain Li, you returned from Yancheng; I heard that the Red propaganda over there is very powerful, capable of washing away people's thoughts, even Mr. Sun's widow Lin Tai is very admiring of them."

"I have reason to suspect you are a Red Ticket's move of killing two birds with one stone."

"Not only rescuing Jiang Aimei and Huang Zhong, but also being able to openly enter and exit the interior of the Party-State as a hero."

Lu Qiaoshan smiled unhurriedly.

Unfortunately, he didn't meet Ma Kui; Li Ya didn't panic, but instead smiled and said:

"Very exciting, continue."

Lu Qiaoshan felt like he had punched cotton; he looked at Wu Jingzhong and said:

"Station Chief, I am not speaking empty words."

"First, Captain Li just returned and deliberately killed the representative of the Dangtong Bureau's Economic Investigation Mission; as soon as he took office, he occupied half of the Intelligence Division's equipment and recruited troops."

"He has personnel if he wants personnel, and equipment if he wants equipment."

"Can't he even investigate this little matter clearly?"

"He clearly wants to deliberately provoke the struggle and consumption between the Dangtong Bureau and our station, to facilitate his fishing in troubled waters and stealing important intelligence from Jinhai."

"Hmm, there is such a possibility." Yu Zecheng nodded and echoed.

"Continue." Wu Jingzhong said expressionlessly.

"Secondly, the Chairman and Jianfeng were preparing for the secret mission of the Zhangjiakou Battle; how did he know, and he even colluded with Sun Lianzhong to almost destroy the Chairman's great military plan."

"For such a plan that misleads the Party and the country, how much means and how wide a network of contacts it takes; calling it a misunderstanding is too childish."

"I believe this was absolutely not Jianfeng's order."

"And this time, Dong Cheng is a special-grade key member of the Red Tickets; what he came to Jinhai to do, who he was meeting, not a single word was confessed."

"He was about to be sent to Jingling for trial, and he was inexplicably beaten to death."

"Isn't this clearly silencing him?"

Lu Qiaoshan was glib, and the toxicity was extremely high.

"Three mysterious and unpredictable big moves in a row, Qian Zhuangfei was nothing more than this."

"Station Chief."

"If you told me Yuan had already arrived in Yancheng at this time, I wouldn't be surprised at all."

Lu Qiaoshan continued to attack.

"Lu Qiaoshan, you don't need to put a shit pot on my head to provoke me."

"I don't buy it."

"Yuan is in my hands, I have already reported to Jingling, Jianfeng will send someone to pick him up personally."

"Your little thoughts, better forget it."

Li Ya raised his eyebrows, his arrogance remained.

"Station Chief, I have nothing to say." Lu Qiaoshan smiled and shook his head.

"Send Dong Cheng's body to Jingling, to be autopsied and handled by headquarters."

"Li Ya, come with me!"

Wu Jingzhong glared at him coldly and walked out first.

Returning to his office.

Li Ya closed the door.

"Li Ya, oh Li Ya, how do you want me to talk to you?"

"Dong Cheng was exchanged by you using Yuan Peilin; it's wealth, it's merit!"

"You could have done nothing and handed him over to headquarters for a shocking achievement."

"Is your brain pinched by a door panel?"

"You had to beat him to death!"

"Simply stupid and clumsy to the extreme!"

Wu Jingzhong pointed at him, both hating and pitying him.

"Teacher, I didn't want to either."

"I just wanted him to identify if Yu Zecheng was Mount Emei; he had a ghost in his heart and suddenly tore up my materials."

"And smiled at me."

"I couldn't stand his damn smile, so I punched him a few times."

"Who knew he would stop breathing."

Li Ya took his hand out of his pocket, brushed his forehead, and explained depressedly.

"You call that 'just punched a few times', those few punches of yours could go abroad to box."

"Internal fighting, internal consumption again, why don't you listen to repeated injunctions."

"The Party-State's resources, such a good card as Dong Cheng, was wasted in vain."

"It pains my heart."

Wu Jingzhong said, slapping the table angrily.

"Station Chief, it was indeed my impulse, I am willing to take responsibility."

"Report to headquarters."

"Whether Jingling wants to kill or skin me, I accept it."

Li Ya didn't talk nonsense and said directly.

"Wait."

Wu Jingzhong picked up the phone and dialed a number:

"Connect to headquarters, Residence No. 2."

Soon, Jianfeng's voice came from the other end.

"Yes, yes!"

"He was just angry for a moment, punched a few times, and accidentally beat the person to death."

"Yes, yes!"

"Okay."

Li Ya saw him shielding himself everywhere on the side and felt quite moved.

He could almost be sure.

Wu Jingzhong loves money like his life, cheating him out of money, understandable.

Liu Xiong's matter should have nothing to do with him.

After all, the Station Chief and Liu Xiong were old brothers who went through life and death together.

The Station Chief must have been blinded by Yu Zecheng and Hong Zhiyou.

That's why he believed the ghost story about collusion with the Zhongtong.

Yes.

It must be like this.

Must avenge the mentor, and "clean the side of the emperor" for the Station Chief!

Hanging up the phone, Wu Jingzhong looked at Li Ya:

"You found a good backer."

"What did Comrade Jianfeng say?" Li Ya said.

"He said two sentences: Suspect when using, use when suspecting."

"Take this as a warning, make up for the fault with merit!"

Wu Jingzhong sighed with deep brows.

He was extremely disappointed in his heart.

Dong Cheng is dead, such an important figure, Jianfeng actually doesn't let him investigate, and is shielding Li Ya.

Even Dong Cheng's body is handled by Jinhai.

Sigh!

All that busy work, wasted.

"Thank you, Comrade Jianfeng, for your trust."

"Li Ya will definitely make new merits to make up for the fault."

Li Ya was overjoyed, quickly straightened his clothes, and bowed deeply toward Jingling.

"Oh, and thank you, Teacher, for your protection, I'll keep this favor in my heart." Seeing the Station Chief's complex expression, he quickly bowed to Wu Jingzhong with a smile.

"I don't need you to keep any favor."

"I only hope you communicate with me about everything; investigating Yu Zecheng is not impossible, but you must do it privately, and speak only when you have solid evidence."

"Otherwise, you will be very passive."

"Understand?"

Wu Jingzhong narrowed his eyes and pointed out with a look of concern.

"Student has been taught."

"Teacher, nothing else, I'll go handle Dong Cheng's body." Li Ya said.

"Go." Wu Jingzhong smiled.

Just as Li Ya left, Hong Zhiyou walked in: "Teacher, how was it?"

"Sigh!"

Wu Jingzhong slapped the table with both hands, shook his head left and right, and sighed:

"Jianfeng trusts this person very much."

"He said something to me like, 'The dead cannot be brought back to life, the rest must strive.'"

"Strive my ass!"

"If this can't topple him, didn't Director Zheng go to deliver a message?" Hong Zhiyou asked.

"If he was going to deliver a message, he would have done it long ago."

"Probably it would have caused harm; the Chairman and his son have always played by their own rules."

"What others oppose, he must support."

"What others support, they must persecute."

"So many people are going after Li Ya, Jianfeng might trust Li Ya even more because of this."

"The superior's mind, we can't guess."

"Or maybe leaving Li Ya in Jinhai has a more important secret mission."

"Or Yuan Peilin might have a more important chip than Dong Cheng."

"Especially the latter, these are all very possible."

"Don't forget, Yuan is one of the heads of the Red Ticket intelligence network; just a little leak is Xu Yuanshan, Dong Cheng, and if he bites out a big fish from the Ministry of National Defense, it's completely possible."

Wu Jingzhong walked with his hands behind his back, analyzing cautiously.

"What are Teacher's plans next?" Hong Zhiyou didn't bring up Xie Ruolin's plan.

"Judging by Jianfeng's attitude, he will probably call Zheng Jiemin back soon and finalize Li Ya's position as Deputy Station Chief."

"We don't have two days."

"At most, we have tonight."

"Whether we can find and eliminate Yuan Peilin depends on this night."

Wu Jingzhong was used to considering things in the worst-case scenario.

"Teacher, the situation is not optimistic, it's like Captain Li has monopolized all the luck in the world." Hong Zhiyou joked.

"Can't think like that."

"Dong Cheng is dead, Jianfeng must also be furious."

"It's just that because of Yuan Peilin's plan, thinking of the big picture, he won't deal with him."

"But if Yuan dies."

"These dissatisfied emotions will explode exponentially."

"Not to mention the military court, Li Ya's position as Deputy Station Chief is something he can forget about for the rest of his life."

"One must keep hope; until the last moment, only heaven knows who wins or loses."

"This is a sentence Mr. Zhongfu often said to us when I joined the Red Ticket organization in my youth."

Wu Jingzhong reminisced about the past and encouraged Hong Zhiyou gently.

"Teacher is right."

"Actually, my luck has always been very good, maybe I can be a blind cat bumping into a dead mouse and bump into something."

Hong Zhiyou smiled.

He didn't say, and Wu Jingzhong didn't ask; everything was understood without words.

After he left, Wu Jingzhong called Xiao Guohua in:

"The plan to eliminate Lao Wu must be advanced."

"Li Ya is very cautious; once he comes to his senses, he will definitely go to Lao Wu to question him."

"When eliminating him, the reason must be reasonable."

"Doesn't he like to gamble?"

"Kill him at the casino, and Xiao Li from the interrogation room must be present; that's Li Ya's person, equivalent to a corroborating witness."

"Otherwise, if Lao Wu suddenly disappears, Li Ya will be even more suspicious."

"Understood." Xiao Guohua accepted the order.

Hong Zhiyou returned to his office; Lu Qiaoshan and Yu Zecheng were already waiting in the confidential room.

"Zhiyou, how was it?"

"What did Jingling say?" Lu Qiaoshan asked happily.

"Suspect when using, use when suspecting."

"Dong Cheng's body, Jinhai handles it."

Hong Zhiyou shrugged.

The smiles on Lu and Yu's faces froze instantly.

Lu Qiaoshan seemed to have his strength drained, slumping on the sofa:

"Ho, how could it be like this?"

"Such an important person, and Jianfeng just said that?" Yu Zecheng felt it was unbelievable.

"I don't believe it either."

"But this is the fact; I suspect Jianfeng is letting Li Ya do something more important, related to Yuan Peilin." Hong Zhiyou revealed the Station Chief's words.

"Should be like that." Yu Zecheng said.

"Two, we probably only have tonight."

"If we can't find Yuan Peilin tonight,"

"once Li Ya's bigger plan succeeds, this person might be promoted to colonel; at that time, don't talk about Deputy Station Chief."

"The Station Chief also has hope."

"You and I can just wait to pack up and leave."

Hong Zhiyou looked at the two and said.

"Then what are we waiting for, let's split up and act." Yu Zecheng patted the dazed Lu Qiaoshan.

"Yes, yes."

"Must act."

Lu Qiaoshan pulled himself together and said.

7:00 PM.

Li Ya came to the Army Hospital and called in the autopsy examiner, Director Liu Li:

"Director Liu, is the autopsy report out?"

"Out."

"Mainly severe internal bleeding, and brain damage from a heavy blow to the head."

Liu Li replied.

Brain damage, Li Ya admitted it was his doing.

But severe internal bleeding?

Shouldn't be.

The one who did the torture was Lao Wu.

This was an experienced guy.

Like Dong Cheng, a key criminal focused on by headquarters, he couldn't have killed him.

"Was the internal bleeding caused by the beating?" Li Ya asked.

"Yes."

"However, the patient himself was of age and had illnesses."

"So it could also be caused by other complications."

"With our hospital's current equipment and technology, I can only check this much."

Liu Li answered truthfully.

"Fine, I know."

"Thanks."

Li Ya nodded with a smile and turned to leave the hospital.

Intuition told him Dong Cheng's death was a bit suspicious.

And, not to mention.

When he went for a secret interrogation, why was it so coincidental that only one of his own people, Xiao Li, was left?

Could this be a trap Lao Wu deliberately set for him?

But thinking about it again.

He felt he was overthinking.

In a thousand words, if he had restrained his temper at the time and not beaten Dong Cheng, he might not have died.

Sigh!

A huge headache.

But none of it mattered.

Yuan Peilin still had a more important trump card in his hand.

As long as this errand is handled well.

That is the true shocking achievement.

It's still early, thinking of going to see the opera troupe now, having to listen to boring operas, yiyi-yaya, it's so ugly.

And have to send flowers and gifts to Xiao Yunxian.

It's all money.

Better wait until the singing is over to go.

Mentioning money, Li Ya slapped his thigh, almost forgetting a big thing.

He had an appointment to meet the American shill introduced by Hong Zhiyou.

US bonds.

At the thought of money, Li Ya's heart surged, and he quickly drove to the Donghai Teahouse.

(End of Chapter)