Chapter 214: Traitors Must Die

Lin Tian arrived at the back street.

Zhou Yan was eating noodles, adding a large heap of chili and cilantro, sweating profusely as he ate while it was still piping hot.

"Brother Zhou, I found him."

"There is a secret passage under the bed boards in the woodshed; Yuan Peilin is hiding inside."

"The signal: knock five times heavily, then three times lightly; that's exactly how Li Ya knocked."

Lin Tian demonstrated on the table, then waved his hand to order another bowl of noodles.

"The opera troupe is about to finish."

"I'm going to get to work; you notify Section Chief Lu in a moment."

After finishing his meal, Zhou Yan wiped his mouth, set down a thick stack of legal tender, and stood up to leave.

"Brother Zhou, you could at least pay for mine," Lin Tian shouted.

"Forget it."

"You're following Young Master Hong, so you're richer than me; it's good enough that I didn't make you pay."

Zhou Yan glared at him and quickly disappeared into the night.

Li Ya left the woodshed and returned to the theater, asking Mi Zhiguo, who was on duty nearby: "How is it? Nothing unusual, right?"

"Nothing," Mi Zhiguo replied respectfully.

"I don't know what I ate tonight, but my stomach is acting up something fierce."

"I'm heading back first."

"Little Yunxian is about to finish her performance; tell her."

"If she wants to see me, tell her to take a rickshaw to my place herself."

Li Ya intentionally misled Mi Zhiguo; using the latrine could cover the gap in time while he was away, saving him from suspicion.

More than that, thinking about how he would have to treat Little Yunxian to a late-night snack after the show made his heart ache.

Anyway, old Yuan was about to be taken away.

Who would ever come to this low-class place again? It was noisy, and a bunch of bottom-feeding scum were always making a racket.

As for whether Little Yunxian was willing to come find him.

Getting a girl for free was still better than looking at photos of Ma Kui's wife.

After calculating the costs, Li Ya stood up and left.

"So he went to the latrine."

Mi Zhiguo curled his lip and muttered, patiently waiting for Little Yunxian to finish.

The backyard.

Dressed in black, Zhou Yan vaulted over the courtyard wall, his footsteps light and swift as he crept toward the woodshed.

Because Li Ya had given the word.

Very few people came to the woodshed.

Even Zhang Wenshun, who had lived here before, didn't know there was a tunnel under the bed boards.

Zhou Yan quietly closed the door, walked to the bed, lifted the bedding, and knocked five times.

He paused for a few seconds.

Then he knocked three times lightly.

Sure enough, a rustling sound began beneath the bed boards.

With a creak, the secret compartment moved aside.

A head poked out from inside, and the man asked impatiently: "What is it now?"

Zhou Yan raised his oil lamp and shone it on him.

It was indeed the thick-browed, large-eyed Yuan Peilin.

Yuan Peilin also saw the masked Zhou Yan, gasped, and shivering, said in a trembling voice: "Good man, who, who are you?"

"Are you a Red, from the Bureau of Investigation and Statistics, the Party Investigation Bureau, or the underworld?"

Zhou Yan looked at him expressionlessly: "I kill thieves, and I oppose Jiang!"

"Good man!"

"We can talk this over; since you aren't a Red, name your terms."

Yuan Peilin swallowed hard, forcing himself to stay calm.

"Shameless wretch, do you think everyone is as greedy for wealth and glory as you?"

"Look at your pathetic state."

"Bah!"

"I heard those rumors about you before, and they were an insult to my ears."

"A degenerate like you isn't even as good as Gu Shunzhang!"

Zhou Yan spat a mouthful of thick phlegm onto his face and flicked his wrist, revealing a gleaming short axe.

Yuan Peilin felt as if his heart were being pierced by a knife.

Once upon a time, he had followed Mr. Wu to take down Gu Shunzhang, going into the deepest dens of danger, hailed as the backbone and iron spirit of the organization, and single-handedly built most of the red underground intelligence network.

Now, he was living like a hamster, clinging to life.

Recalling the past, he was in agony.

Taking a deep breath, Yuan Peilin calmed down:

"I deserve to die ten thousand times."

"Before I die, I ask that you pass on a message: the Military Statistics Bureau has a high-level spy in Yancheng, and this person is very likely hidden within the organization's headquarters."

"Because he has seen Yancheng Number One."

"He knows the addresses and the locations of the headquarters' meeting facilities perfectly."

"Furthermore, this person has special channels and is under the direct command of Mao Renfeng."

"The Jiangs, father and son, have already ordered Mao Renfeng to carry out a targeted elimination plan soon, and it is highly likely they will bomb the organization's facilities, especially Yancheng Number One."

"Li Ya taking me to Jingling tonight was for the final verification and confirmation of these addresses."

"But even without me, Yuan Peilin, they could verify them through the Americans, or through reporters and progressives who have been to Yancheng."

"This concerns the life and death of the organization, so I beg you, righteous man, to pass this on."

Between life and death, Yuan Peilin made the final choice of his life.

His hands were already stained with the blood of his comrades; there was no turning back.

He only hoped for peace of mind, that his soul might return to his homeland.

"Slash!"

Zhou Yan's eyes sharpened, and he swung the short axe toward Yuan Peilin's neck.

Puchi!

Yuan Peilin clutched his neck, making a muffled sound in his throat.

"In this life, I hate traitors most of all."

"Traitors must die!"

Zhou Yan grabbed him by the hair, pulled him out with one hand, and threw him onto the bed boards.

He delivered two more blows with the short axe.

He placed Yuan Peilin's head on the side table.

Then he tore off a piece of white cloth.

Dipping his finger in blood, he wrote four characters: "Traitors must die!"

The reason for doing this was simple.

The enemy of an enemy is a friend.

After Mr. Wang died, the Axe Gang disbanded, and Zhou Yan was getting on in years; he no longer had his old soaring ambitions.

He didn't dare dream of assassinating Jiang anymore.

But helping the Red's execution squad regain their morale and crushing the arrogance of those dog secret agents—that little task he could still manage.

Lin Tian finished his noodles, circled into the alley, and knocked on the car window.

Then, he left quickly.

Sitting in the car, Lu Qiao waved at his men: "Go, tell the police station to enter the theater and make arrests."

"Yes!" the subordinate acknowledged the order.

Li Dong, a detective from the police station, was smoking in a corner outside the theater.

Ever since he met Secretary Hong, that noble person, in the alley and helped collect the body for Ke Chengwu.

Li Dong's official career had been smooth sailing.

First, he was promoted from acting detective to full detective.

With Hong Zhiyou's patronage, Lu Qiao had treated him well when he was the Police Commissioner.

Now that the Bureau of Investigation and Statistics had been kicked out of the police system, the new Police Commissioner and the Chief both treated him with great care.

People from all walks of life came seeking favors, and with Hong Zhiyou backing him, Li Dong could handle almost anything, lining his pockets in the process.

Li Dong knew full well that tonight's play concerned the wealth and glory of Hong, Lu, and himself, so he didn't dare be the least bit negligent.

He hadn't even eaten dinner before coming to stake out the area.

"Inspector, we're ready," a trusted subordinate approached and whispered.

"Let's go!

"Follow me to catch the criminal!"

Li Dong, sporting a thick handlebar mustache, waved his hand and led his seven subordinates straight toward the theater.

"Move aside!

"Inspector Li is on official business."

His subordinates were quite savvy, clearing the way with loud, imposing voices.

"Oh, what wind has blown Inspector Li our way?"

You Da, the theater manager, came up to greet them, bowing low.

"We are tracking a murderer; it is highly likely he took advantage of the chaos to run into your theater.

"We are going in to search now.

"Move aside!"

Li Dong adjusted his belt with both hands and shouted.

At his shout, the surrounding audience stood up one after another, and many of the timid ones ran away immediately.

In an instant, the scene was in chaos.

The actors, the gongs and drums, and the suona all stopped.

A perfectly good performance was ruined in an instant.

"Inspector Li, you've already searched the place several times in these past few days.

"If this keeps up, we won't be able to do business."

You Da cupped his hands in a gesture of supplication, his face full of bitterness.

He took out a few silver dollars and quietly slipped them over: "Inspector Li, please have a cup of tea for your hard work, and give us a break this time."

"Give you a break?

"This is a murderer; I think you value money more than your life.

"Move aside!

"Follow me inside to search for the criminal."

Li Dong didn't even bother to look at such a small amount of money; he pushed You Da aside with his hand.

"My lord Inspector, our theater is under the protection of Captain Li of the Juntong Bureau.

"His girlfriend is Xiao Yunxian.

"I ask that you please show some respect for Captain Li..."

Seeing that money didn't work, You Da had no choice but to bring up Li Ya.

"Since it's under Captain Li's protection, then I must search even more thoroughly.

"If the criminal is hiding inside and commits murder in the middle of the night, how am I supposed to answer to Captain Li?

"Move!"

Li Dong stopped wasting words, drew his service pistol, and walked inside first.

"Hey!

"What on earth is going on? I don't know what kind of evil spirit we've offended!

"Lately, we've been attracting nothing but monsters and demons!"

You Da stomped his feet, shaking his head and sighing bitterly.

Since the start of the month, not only had the police and the inspection team come repeatedly, but the troupe leader, Zhang Wenshun, had also been dragged into the Juntong Bureau and given a sound beating.

This business was simply impossible to run.

Upon reaching the backyard, Li Dong first pretended to search each room.

Then he headed straight for the woodshed.

He pushed the door open.

Under the dim oil lamp, the bloody head of Yuan Peilin was placed on a table.

Beside it was a piece of white cloth with blood-written characters:

"Traitors must die!"

Li Dong fanned away the pervasive stench of blood and waved his hand, calling out: "Bring the camera."

"Ugh!"

A police officer nearby had already rushed out the door to vomit.

Li Dong took the camera and photographed the scene:

"Collect the body and take it to the Lujunyi Academy morgue. Remember, it must be guarded by specific personnel; no one is allowed to visit without my orders."

"Yes!"

Subordinates immediately moved the body, secured the head, and cleared the scene.

The performance ended and the crowd dispersed.

Wu Jingzhong and Hong Zhiyou's group walked out of the Shengping Theater.

"I wonder how the play went over there?" He sighed while walking with his hands behind his back.

Hong Zhiyou was just about to speak.

When he saw fireworks shooting up into the sky over the city, brilliant and eye-catching.

"It's done!" Hong Zhiyou said in a low voice.

"Excellent.

"Go back and wait first; you and Qiaoshan keep a close watch.

"Especially the body.

"Don't let Li Ya tamper with it."

Wu Jingzhong let out a long sigh of relief.

"Understood!" Hong Zhiyou nodded.

"I can finally get a good night's sleep tonight." Wu Jingzhong smiled and stepped lightly into the car.

Yu Zecheng and Hong Zhiyou watched them leave.

"Zhiyou, is it done?" Yu Zecheng asked impatiently.

"It's done.

"The fireworks were the signal I agreed upon with Old Zhou.

"If I remember correctly, the body is being transported to the Lujunyi Academy morgue right now. Old Lu will go take pictures in a moment, and the news will be on the front page tomorrow morning.

"By then, even if Li Ya wants to cover it up, he won't be able to!"

Hong Zhiyou said.

"Junior brother, I knew your brain wasn't just for show.

"Tomorrow morning, I'll teach you the leg techniques.

"From today on, I won't hold anything back; I'll teach you everything."

Wang Cuiping raised her hand and gave his shoulder a hearty slap.

"Oof!"

Hong Zhiyou's expression changed, and he let out a muffled groan.

"Cuiping, you, you take it easy." Yu Zecheng frowned and hurriedly reminded her.

"I, I'm sorry.

"I was just too excited. Junior brother, you, you still need to practice more.

"In half a year's time, it won't hurt when you get slapped."

Wang Cuiping apologized with a simple, honest smile.

"Thanks to you, it's a good thing you didn't slap my head," Hong Zhiyou said.

Leaving the theater.

Hong Zhiyou arrived at the Mu residence.

Wanqiu was practicing her vocals.

A big mansion is great; even if you're wailing like a cat in the middle of the night, you don't have to worry about disturbing the neighbors.

"You look good today." Hong Zhiyou hugged her from behind and kissed her.

"With your nourishment, of course I look good," Wanqiu said with a face full of sweetness.

"Are you sure you're ready to be nourished?"

Hong Zhiyou whispered into her ear with a wicked smile.

"I am.

"If you don't nourish me, this flower of mine will wither, and your little bird will have nowhere to land."

Wanqiu's speech remained full of poetic charm.

"It won't go anywhere.

"Where else in the world could I find a voice as beautiful as yours?"

Hong Zhiyou scooped her up in his arms and ran upstairs.

The maids and servants in the house were long since used to such sights and were secretly amused on the sidelines.

"You're annoying, you're making people laugh at us," Wanqiu said shyly in his arms.

"Who dares? I'll fire them tomorrow."

"You're annoying, you haven't bathed yet, you stink to high heaven."

"I can't help it."

"Who told you to keep calling me a stinky man!"

"I'll just be stinky for once today."

Li Ya took a bath and lay on the bed.

Just as he picked up the photo of Zhou Gendi, he thought that if Xiao Yunxian were to come later, he should save some energy, so he put the photo back down.

He was in an exceptionally good mood today.

First, headquarters had received top-secret intelligence, and Yuan had sent it to headquarters in the middle of the night; once confirmed, perhaps tomorrow he would hear the good news that the people and organizations in Yancheng had been blown to smithereens.

Without those immortals pointing fingers at the country, the million-strong army of the Nationalists could sweep away the bandits like dry wood.

The world would soon be at peace.

By then, he could marry a local wealthy young lady or a woman from a high-ranking official's family at headquarters, and his future would be smooth sailing—wouldn't that be delightful?

There was another piece of good news that made him happy.

That stuttering fool Xie Ruo really did have connections that reached the heavens; he actually managed to pull in a truckload of white sugar for him.

It was currently stored at the Delong Inn.

The strategic significance of white sugar at this moment far outweighed its civilian significance.

He could double his money just by flipping it.

It was just that Li Ya's happy troubles had arrived.

He didn't know who to sell this truckload of white sugar to.

He had to sell it and cash out as soon as possible.

Just then, the phone suddenly rang.

His luck had been exploding lately, so it must be good news.

Li Ya quickly grabbed the receiver:

"I am he."

"What?"

"Where is the person?"

"Where was he taken!"

"Damn it!"

Hanging up the phone, Li Ya scrambled to put on his clothes, not even bothering to fix his hair, and rushed toward the Lujunyi Academy.

Lujunyi Academy.

Lu Qiaoshan was taking photos of Yuan Peilin's corpse.

A smile hung on his face, as if he were admiring a flawless work of art, his mood incomparably pleasant.

That's right!

It was Yuan Peilin!

This lingering nightmare had finally dissipated.

Li Ya, oh Li Ya!

Dong Cheng was dead, and Jiang Jianfeng had sent a suspicious person to be used.

Now Yuan Peilin was dead.

Let's see how he uses you, this suspicious person, now!

After taking the photos, he didn't rush to leave, waiting until he saw Li Ya walk out of the car.

Only then did Lu Qiaoshan leave unhurriedly from the other side.

Heading straight for the next stop.

Jinhai Daily!

Li Ya walked quickly to the morgue, with Song Fei and Gao Yuan following behind him.

Yuan Peilin's corpse was covered with a white sheet.

"Hoo!"

He took a deep breath and violently pulled back the white sheet.

Yuan Peilin lay on the iron bed.

On his neck was the cut left by an axe.

"Captain Li, this, this was found at the scene." Song Fei handed over the white cloth strip with writing on it.

"Traitors must die!

"The Traitor-Elimination Squad!"

Li Ya gritted his teeth, crumpled the white cloth strip into a ball, and slammed it onto the ground.

Yuan Peilin was dead!

Jiang Jianfeng had entrusted the most important task to him.

Now it had all gone to ruin in his hands.

There was no hope for the deputy station chief position.

Adding in the events of the previous two times, he might really have to face a military tribunal.

Ah!

He kicked the iron bed hard and backhanded a slap across Song Fei's face:

"What exactly happened?"

Song Fei received this slap inexplicably, covering his face as he said, "Captain Li, I was on duty at the office tonight, and I rushed over after receiving news from Inspector Li of the police station."

"Captain, the person was discovered by Li Dong.

"He was originally tracking a murderer who had fled to the theater, and ended up finding Mr. Yuan in the woodshed in the backyard.

"According to Li Dong, when he arrived, Mr. Yuan had already been killed.

"The cloth strip was also left at the scene."

Gao Yuan answered from the side.

"Besides the police station, who else has seen him?" Li Ya asked.

Yuan Peilin's identity was confidential.

The people at the police station might not necessarily know who he was.

Perhaps there was still room for maneuver.

"Director Lu was just here," Gao Yuan said.

"Where is he?" Li Ya shouted.

"Just two minutes before you arrived, he left," Gao Yuan said.

Slap!

Li Ya raised his hand and gave him another slap:

"You bunch of useless trash, why didn't you notify me sooner?

"It's over.

"It's over."

He suddenly felt the world spinning, one hand supporting the wall, the other rubbing his forehead in distress.

Lu Qiaoshan knew.

That meant the whole world knew.

He believed that Zheng Jiemin was already clapping his hands in bed at this moment, and might even be sipping a glass of champagne.

Such a huge incident had occurred.

Even if Jiang Jianfeng and Mao Renfeng wanted to protect him, it would be difficult.

Falling short of success.

Everything was over.

"Watch the body well."

Li Ya walked out, looking dejected.

Returning home, he saw Xiao Yunxian standing in front of the steps.

"Brother Ya."

Xiao Yunxian walked over with concern.

Li Ya ignored her completely.

He opened the door, slammed it shut with a bang, and returned inside.

He was in no mood to play with women now.

He didn't need a woman's useless concern and nagging.

He pulled out the telephone cord, opened a bottle of liquor, and began to gulp it down.

He only hoped to get drunk, and when he woke up tomorrow morning, this would all be nothing but a nightmare.

……

The next day.

Li Ya climbed up, drunk and groggy; the headache and dizziness from the hangover made him dry-heave in the bathroom for quite a while.

After washing up.

He put on a neat suit, combed his hair, and got into a car, heading straight for the station.

"Extra, extra!

"Red traitor Yuan Peilin bleeds at the Drum Tower."

"Extra, extra..."

A newsboy on the street corner was shouting at the top of his lungs.

"Give me a paper." Li Ya fished out some money, carefully counted a handful of legal tender, and handed it to the newsboy, making sure the amount was exact.

"Thank you, sir."

The newsboy counted the money and handed over the newspaper.

Li Ya opened it; the front page featured a photo of Yuan Peilin and the blood-written note.

"Damn it!"

It wasn't a dream.

Yuan Peilin had really been assassinated.

Li Ya hammered the steering wheel hard, and after composing his emotions, he drove toward the station with his mind in a chaotic mess.

Upon arriving at the station.

Lu Qiaoshan was standing at the office entrance holding a coffee cup, waiting:

"Deputy Station Chief Li, would you like a cup of coffee?

"Freshly brewed, guaranteed fresh."

"Thanks." Li Ya gave him a cold smile and walked past him quickly.

"Ah!

"So fragrant." Lu Qiaoshan's snide voice came from behind him.

Li Ya clenched his fists and stopped in his tracks, then bit his lip and continued walking forward.

Arriving at his office.

Li Ya rested his chin on his clasped hands, pondering exactly where the loophole had appeared.

Suddenly, he realized there were loopholes everywhere.

It was as if the whole world was his enemy.

How was the person leaked?

Did he reveal his tracks during his visit last night?

That was highly likely.

If the Reds or the Dangtong Bureau had wanted to find him, they would have killed him long ago; there was no need to wait for this critical moment.

The problem was, how did the people from the police station happen to be so timely?

Yuan Peilin had just died, and they went to collect the body.

Right after that, Lu Qiaoshan went to the hospital.

Lu Qiaoshan had only just stepped down as the police chief not long ago.

These were his people.

There was only one possibility: after the killer committed the murder, they tipped off Lu Qiaoshan immediately.

Perhaps the killer was even sent by Lu Qiaoshan.

For the sake of the Deputy Station Chief position, this man actually disregarded the interests of the Party and State; he was truly shameless to the extreme.

"Gaoyuan.

"Go and bring Li Dong to me." Li Ya ordered.

"Captain Li, that might not be a good idea.

"We no longer have jurisdiction over the police system now; to arrest a detective, we need the Station Chief's approval.

"Otherwise, they will definitely make a scene."

Gaoyuan said.

"You dog, even you dare to oppose me now?

"What are we?

"The Secret Service!

"Never mind arresting a detective, what if we arrested their bureau chief? What could they do?

"Go.

"Bring the man back to me.

"If you can't bring him in, I'll put you in the electric chair."

Li Ya slammed the table and said angrily.

To think how majestic the Military Statistics Bureau used to be; damn it, now they were hesitant even to arrest a small-time detective.

"Yes!" Gaoyuan bit the bullet and went to carry out the order.

Li Ya paced back and forth in his office with his hands on his hips.

He had to calm down.

Dong Cheng was dead.

Yuan Peilin was dead.

He had two good cards in his hand, and he hadn't managed to keep either one.

This was definitely not something one single party could have accomplished.

Right now, the most important thing was not finding the real killer.

It was how to explain this to the Station Chief, the headquarters, and Jiang Jianfeng.

How to escape and protect himself.

Just as he was pondering, Hong Zhiyou walked in: "Captain Li, the Station Chief wants you to go to his office."

"Brother, you've come at the right time.

"Have you heard?"

Li Ya asked.

"Heard what?" Hong Zhiyou asked.

"Yuan Peilin is dead." Li Ya said.

"It was in the paper this morning, this... is this true?" Hong Zhiyou couldn't quite believe it.

"It's true.

"He was killed at the theater last night, and the body is being held at the Lujunyi Academy.

"Brother, you have a sharp mind and you're the Station Chief's favorite.

"Think of a way for me, how do I spin this?"

Li Ya had lost his usual arrogance, and his eyes showed a rare panic and desperation.

Spin it for you.

It's a miracle I didn't have someone slit your throat myself.

"The Station Chief is easy to handle.

"The key is Beiping, and the headquarters.

"For this matter, you'd better go pray to the Bodhisattva yourself."

Hong Zhiyou shook his head and sighed.

The two arrived at the office.

Hong Zhiyou closed the door and walked out.

Wu Jingzhong stared at Li Ya with a gloomy face, not saying a word.

Li Ya kept his head down.

After staring for a full half-minute, Wu Jingzhong grabbed the newspaper and threw it in Li Ya's face:

"How do you explain this?

"Qiao Jiacai came to me first thing this morning asking for the man, and Mao Renfeng and Jiang Jianfeng are also asking me for him!

"You tell me, how am I supposed to give him to them!"

"Station Chief, I failed, I take full responsibility!" Li Ya said.

"It's good that you know.

"What did I say? Return this Yuan to Beiping early, or transfer him to headquarters.

"You insisted on keeping him like a treasure.

"That broken theater was full of people everywhere; is that a place to hide someone?

"Li Ya, oh Li Ya."

"You are simply even more stupid and inept than Ma Kui!"

Wu Jingzhong had been stifled for many days, and having finally caught an opportunity, he naturally unleashed a torrent of scathing abuse.

"Master."

"You must help me," Li Ya said, raising his head.

"Help you? How?" Wu Jingzhong asked coldly.

"You have also seen how much influence Lu Qiao has."

"In order to promote him to Deputy Station Chief, Zheng Jiemin did not hesitate to stand against Mao Renfeng and Jiang Jianfeng, even leaving Jingling under a pretext."

"If I fall."

"Hong and Yu at the station lack the seniority."

"Then Zheng Jiemin would have sufficient reason to install Lu Qiao as Deputy Station Chief."

"You have suppressed him repeatedly these past few times."

"Previously, Lu even conspired with Fourth Master Zhang to assassinate you."

"I know you are closer to Hong and Yu than you are to me."

"I love to show off and often speak insolently, causing you displeasure."

"But even if I am a mad dog, I can at least take a bite out of that man surnamed Lu for you."

"Look at Hong and Yu; they are now calling Lu Qiao brother. Once Lu becomes Deputy Station Chief, or if one day Zheng Jiemin topples Mao Renfeng."

"If they join forces, will there still be a place for you in the Secret Service Bureau?"

Li Ya looked at Wu Jingzhong and said with a sense of shared grief.

Wu Jingzhong fell silent.

He knew Li Ya was sowing discord.

Hong and Yu were of one mind with him, grasshoppers on the same string.

Li Ya's provocation was useless on this point.

But Lu Qiao was a notorious smiling tiger.

Back when Dai Li wanted to arrest him, this fellow had acted as if he were the Station Chief, sitting in his chair and issuing orders.

Once he became Deputy Station Chief, he would not necessarily be any better than Li Ya.

Especially since Zheng Jiemin had gone to such great lengths to protect Lu Qiao this time; thinking about it now, Wu Jingzhong could not help but break out in a cold sweat.

He had to be on guard.

Li Ya was Jiang Jianfeng's man.

He was a sharp sword to keep Mao Renfeng and Zheng Jiemin in check.

With him there, Mao Wanli and Mao Sen would have to think twice if they wanted to seize the seat.

At the same time, Zheng Jiemin would also be constrained; even if he truly took charge of the Secret Service Bureau one day, he would still have to account for the existence of Jiang Jianfeng.

It was true that Hong and Yu were his trusted aides, but they could not bite Lu Qiao.

Because their backer was himself.

The only one who could fight Lu Qiao was Li Ya.

This point also happened to align with Wu Jingzhong's original intentions.

From beginning to end, he had never intended to truly appoint a Deputy Station Chief.

This was a "peach."

Specifically meant to incite "brave warriors" to fight.

Only in this way could he firmly control the overall situation at the Jinmen Station.

Dong Cheng and Yuan Peilin had died one after another at the hands of Li Ya.

Wu Jingzhong did not know what punishment Li Ya would receive.

But there was definitely no chance for the Deputy Station Chief position.

This had already achieved the effect he wanted.

No.

He had to protect this mad dog, Li Ya, and let him stay to continue tearing at Lu Qiao.

"Li Ya, back in the Qingpu Class, I watched you grow up and trained you myself."

"Especially your master, Liu Xiong, who shared a bond of life and death with me."

"He treated you like a son."

"How could I have the heart to watch you fall into trouble?"

Wu Jingzhong's tone softened as he played the emotional card.

"Sit!"

He sat down on the sofa and poured a cup of tea for Li Ya.

After taking a sip of tea, Wu Jingzhong stared at Li Ya and said:

"Just report it to headquarters like this, say that Yuan..."

(End of chapter)