Chapter 318: Until Hell Is Empty

"Devils?"

Li Li Xuewu nodded and said, "I used to hear people praise me like that often; later, after I started working, I heard it less."

Zhao Zhao Linglong looked into Li Li Xuewu's eyes and said, "You want me to turn my dirty side inside out for your commentary? Dream on!"

"Fine."

Li Li Xuewu nodded, pointed to the large conference room opposite, and said, "Ling Ling Degui is over there; I estimate he will confess thoroughly, and then I'll let you taste the flavor of betrayal again."

"He won't speak."

Zhao Zhao Linglong looked at Li Li Xuewu mockingly and said, "Aren't you looking for that money? You will never find it."

"Hehe."

Li Li Xuewu smiled and nodded, as if his secret thoughts had been seen through, and said with a smile, "I do want to find that money, because how could such a small amount possibly be called the starting resources by Fu Fu Haibo?"

"Fu Fu Haibo won't speak, and Fu Changhua won't speak either, because neither of them knows where it's hidden."

"Mm-hmm, I believe you."

Li Li Xuewu nodded and said, "There's no rush about these things; they'll be found later. Even if they've gone to heaven, they're either on the ground or underground; it doesn't matter. If I can't find them, I lose nothing myself."

Seeing Zhao Zhao Linglong glaring, Li Li Xuewu continued asking, "What's the story with that Zhu Zhu Laoba? Why does he always believe you were played by him, and even insists that you were also played by Fu Changhua? He nearly misled us."

"Hmph~"

Seeing Zhao Zhao Linglong turn her head away, Li Li Xuewu chuckled, "Your Fu family is truly interesting; don't tell me Fu Fu Haibo's illness has something to do with you."

"Don't be too despicable."

Unable to bear Li Li Xuewu's teasing remark, Zhao Zhao Linglong turned back to look at him and said, "Is this all the skill you have? Playing the provocation game?"

"How could that be!"

With his hands in his overcoat pockets, Li Li Xuewu smiled and said, "I don't really care about these things; even when reporting upward, I just glossed over them."

"You!"

Li Li Xuewu turned to Shen Fang and asked, "Director Zheng said we get off work at four in the afternoon, right?"

Shen Fang nodded without speaking.

Li Li Xuewu turned back to Zhao Zhao Linglong and said, "Let's set it for three in the afternoon; if you want to confess before three, we'll come back, but if you're unwilling to confess, then take this piece of history with you; anyway, we don't care much about it."

Ignoring Zhao Zhao Linglong's glaring eyes, Li Li Xuewu led Shen Fang out.

Once in the corridor, Shen Fang asked Li Li Xuewu, "When did you start investigating her?"

Without turning his head, Li Li Xuewu walked forward and replied while walking, "Before we set out, I had someone monitor Fu Bin; unexpectedly, there was a discovery. Last night when I went to report my work, the leader told me."

Shen Fang wore an expression of complete shock and said, "That's hardly possible, isn't it? Fu Bin's daughter ending up in that kind of place?"

"In chaotic times, human lives are worth less than dogs; what couldn't happen? Even stranger things have occurred, but you're right; I'm pondering this question too."

Logically speaking, if Fu Changhua could be sent back to his hometown in Gangcheng to be raised, what was Zhao Zhao Linglong lacking?

Since Zhao Zhao Linglong was unwilling to speak, then let's just ask Fu Changhua, the most cowardly and playful member of the Fu family.

Pushing open the door, Li Li Xuewu led Shen Fang into the interrogation room where Fu Changhua was held.

"I've brought Fu Fu Haibo back."

The first sentence upon entering the room, Li Li Xuewu reported his achievements to Fu Changhua, then, without waiting for Fu Changhua's expression to change, continued, "Just now, I also found your older sister."

"You...!"

"No need to thank me."

Li Li Xuewu stood directly in front of Fu Changhua and said, "Your father and mother are both under our surveillance; do you know why we haven't arrested them?"

Fu Changhua looked into Li Li Xuewu's eyes without speaking, only feeling a chill from that sinister expression.

"Because I am very angry; I traveled a thousand li to the Northeast to fetch him, yet not only did he not surrender, he dared to shoot at us!"

Seeing the playful look in Fu Changhua's eyes, Li Li Xuewu stared into Fu Changhua's eyes, wanting to see this person's limits.

"You knew Fu Fu Haibo would never surrender, didn't you? You knew something would happen once I went there, right? So you're letting me guess?"

Fu Changhua looked at Li Li Xuewu's eyes and said, "Your eyes are spitting fire; were you injured, or is someone dead?"

Seeing Li Li Xuewu's expression grow colder and colder, Fu Changhua sneered, "I thought you might have been taken down in Gangcheng; Fu Fu Haibo is indeed good for nothing!"

"Mm-hmm."

Li Li Xuewu nodded and said, "Your last sentence was actually correct; he is indeed good for nothing, and moreover, a good-for-nothing with no sense of responsibility."

Exhaling a breath, Li Li Xuewu walked halfway around Fu Changhua and continued, "When I caught him, he was preparing to flee; he even said you had implicated him and that he planned to take his wife and children overseas—hehe, wishful thinking."

"I know that, so I never expected his so-called plan to succeed."

"So what are you hiding?"

"What?"

Leaning forward slightly, Li Li Xuewu stared into Fu Changhua's eyes and said, "One Luo Jiaping isn't worth being this secretive about; who exactly is it?"

"Hehe."

Looking into Li Li Xuewu's eyes with a playful expression, Fu Changhua said, "You'll have to guess that yourself."

"Slap!"

Struck suddenly by Li Li Xuewu's massive slap, Fu Changhua's head snapped sideways, blood trickling down from the corner of his mouth.

Straightening up, Li Li Xuewu pointed at Fu Changhua and said, "I'm fucking most annoyed when people make me guess; let me tell you why I didn't arrest your father."

"He wanted to kill me, so I will torture him to death; I won't arrest him, but I will make him watch as you all get arrested, including that person you're hiding."

Fu Changhua glanced sideways at Li Li Xuewu, stirred his tongue inside his mouth, then spat a mouthful of bloody phlegm to the side.

"Pah!"

In the pool of blood on the ground, two teeth rolled a couple of times.

Rubbing his hand, Li Li Xuewu turned around, drew a sheathed dagger from a guard team member's waist, held it in his hand, and tossed it up and down a few times.

"In the South, I was a reconnaissance soldier."

Li Li Xuewu introduced to Shen Fang, who stood behind the interrogation table: "After capturing a tongue, we need to quickly and accurately obtain the intelligence we want, but the enemy is cunning after all and won't let us succeed easily, so we invented some little crooked tricks."

Speaking, he walked back to Fu Changhua's side, looked at Fu Changhua who was staring wide-eyed at him, and said, "I will use this dagger to dig out your ribs."

Speaking, he pressed the dagger's scabbard against Fu Changhua's ribs and asked, "Does it feel a little itchy?"

Fu Changhua looked at Li Li Xuewu and said, "You want to use this trick on me?"

"It seems you understand very well; did your father teach you?"

"Ah~~!"

Li Li Xuewu gave Fu Changhua no chance at all and acted immediately; the tip of the dagger's scabbard thrust directly between two of Fu Changhua's ribs, hurting so much that tears streamed down Fu Changhua's face.

"Ah!"

"Your father certainly didn't tell you how painful this is, did he?"

Li Li Xuewu's action not only made Fu Changhua feel pain, but even Shen Fang, standing aside watching, felt pain in his own chest.

As for the guard member standing at the doorway, he felt nothing, because Li Li Xuewu had already taught these techniques at the Rolling Steel Factory; they were just not to be used lightly.

"Fuck your mother!!!"

"Cursing!? Still have strength left?"

Li Li Xuewu forcefully jabbed the tip of the dagger's scabbard downward; the crushing between bone and flesh and the nerves of the ribs made sweat appear on Fu Changhua's head, his head looking as if it had been caught in the rain.

"Is Zhao Zhao Linglong your older sister?"

"Mmm~~~"

Fu Changhua gritted his teeth, stared wide-eyed at Li Li Xuewu, and emitted a beast-like roar from his mouth.

Li Li Xuewu slowly increased the force, saying aloud, "You have twenty-four ribs, so I can pry twenty-two times; tell me, how long can you endure?"

"Ah!"

"Hehe, it hurts, doesn't it? Good that you know pain."

Seeing Li Li Xuewu's ruthlessness, the cigarette dangling from Shen Fang's mouth began to tremble.

Previously, when seeing Li Li Xuewu's ruthlessness, it was only in handling affairs or speaking harshly; he had never seen him act so viciously with his hands, not even during that incident at Kao Rou Ji.

He knew Li Li Xuewu came down from the south, but Shen Fang had never asked in detail what Li Li Xuewu had done; he seemed like an honest and amiable person, merely someone whose speech was a bit witty.

Previously, Fu Changhua thought the same, but now Fu Changhua only wanted to slap himself twice.

"I'll ask you one more time; if you don't speak, I'll snap this rib of yours, and then we'll move to the next one."

Li Li Xuewu stared into Fu Changhua's eyes and asked, "Is Zhao Zhao Linglong your older sister?"

"Yes! Yes! Yes! Ah! ~~~~"

"Very good."

Li Li Xuewu continued to increase the force of his hand and asked aloud, "Ling Ling Degui is Zhao Zhao Linglong's husband, isn't he?"

"Ah! Yes!"

"The money belonging to you and Fu Fu Haibo is all in your sister's hands, isn't it?"

"Ah! ~~~"

"No?"

Li Li Xuewu frowned slightly and continued asking, "Is it in your mother's hands?"

"Fuck your mother!"

"Then that's it."

Li Li Xuewu grabbed Fu Changhua's hair with his left hand, pulling it backward, while continuing to apply force with his right hand as he asked, "Let me guess: Zhao Zhao Linglong is your mother's daughter, yet Zhao Zhao Linglong does not recognize Fu Bin as her father, so she must be your half-sister by the same mother."

Fu Changhua's eyeballs were already bloodshot as he stared fixedly at Li Li Xuewu.

"The money is also in your mother's hands, and you told me before that it was your mother who caused your father to reach his current state; thus, this matter is clear."

"Ah!"

As Li Li Xuewu withdrew the dagger, Fu Changhua gritted his teeth and struggled to arch his body.

But Li Li Xuewu, still gripping his hair, had no intention of giving him a chance to catch his breath; he thrust the dagger back into the spot where he had just pried, pressing the previously lifted rib back down.

"Mmm~"

At this moment, Fu Changhua's face had become a messy stew: sweat on his crown, tears and snot on his cheeks, saliva and blood at the corners of his mouth, all smeared across his face simultaneously.

"Now it's your turn; tell me, what backing does Fu Fu Haibo truly have that makes him think he can develop in Jingcheng?"

"Just kill me!"

Fu Changhua gritted his teeth and spoke to Li Li Xuewu.

"I'd like to, but it doesn't comply with regulations; I must handle cases according to the law. If you don't confess, it makes things very difficult for me."

Li Li Xuewu applied force with his hands while smiling on his face; that scar now appeared even more ferocious and terrifying.

"Do you know why I interrogated your older sister first?"

Looking at Fu Changhua's face contorted in pain, he said, "Because I only wanted to get information from her on whether you were lying; I had no intention of asking her anything else. Whether you confess or not, I have enough confidence and sufficient information to interrogate Fu Fu Haibo, because..."

While speaking and increasing the force of his hand, Li Li Xuewu chuckled, "Because Fu Fu Haibo has someone he cares about, someone far away in Gangcheng."

"Fuck your mother! You are not human!"

"Thank you."

Li Li Xuewu strained hard, prying with the dagger in his hand, and said aloud, "I often tell my team members that the enemy's insults are the best compliment to us."

Fu Changhua stared into Li Li Xuewu's eyes, gritted his teeth, and said, "Don't waste your effort; if I confess, won't I still die? If I confess, will you spare me?"

"No."

Li Li Xuewu shook his head and said, "I cannot let you go; you know this yourself. I won't deceive you, nor can I deceive you."

"I have the ability to arrest you, but not the ability to release you; I don't have the power to decide whether you live or die during interrogation, but I can write a case-closing report recommending that you not be executed; that power lies in my hands."

"And if you don't confess, I will continue to torture you; once you recover, I will continue torturing you."

After staring into Li Li Xuewu's eyes for about a minute, Fu Changhua gritted his teeth and said, "I'll talk, I'll talk, just let go!"

"Hiss~"

Fu Changhua spoke toughly, but the moment Li Li Xuewu released his strength, he couldn't help but double over.

Tossing the dagger in his hand onto the table, Li Li Xuewu turned around, leaned against the table, and looked at Fu Changhua, waiting for him to confess the truth.

Hissing and gasping for a while, Fu Changhua slowly lifted his head, for now, any movement of his body caused pain in his ribs.

Finally, with his spine resting against the chair back, Fu Changhua let out a long sigh of relief.

The interrogation room of the branch bureau wasn't warm; facing away from the sun, the air temperature inside was cold enough to see one's breath as white mist.

But right now, Fu Changhua looked as if he had just steamed in a sauna, his collar soaked all around with sweat.

"Zhao Zhao Linglong is my mother's daughter."

Fu Changhua's first sentence answered Li Li Xuewu's question, and he immediately added, "She was my mother's first child."

Li Li Xuewu pulled a pack of cigarettes from his pocket, took one out, held it between his lips, lit it with a lighter, walked over to Fu Changhua, gestured with it, and then stuffed it into Fu Changhua's mouth.

After lighting the cigarette for Fu Changhua, Li Li Xuewu lit one for himself, then fetched a chair and sat down beside Fu Changhua.

Standing off to the side, Shen Fang muttered frantically in his heart: Here it comes! He's doing it, this is the "bandit logic" Li Li Xuewu mentioned earlier!

Shen Fang watched helplessly as Li Li Xuewu first waged psychological warfare against Fu Changhua—stating his own guesses the moment he entered, then observing Fu Changhua's expression to judge their accuracy.

Next came forced intimidation and a focused assault, directly prying out what Fu Changhua had been hiding.

Finally, leveraging the situation, he used subtle tactics to begin psychological intervention on Fu Changhua.

Even the seating arrangement for the interrogation had its intricacies; Li Li Xuewu, striving to avoid triggering the prisoner's antagonism, chose to sit at the prisoner's side, applying psychological pressure while still leaving emotional space.

Learned it, learned it; only today did Shen Fang finally see through the tricks of Li Li Xuewu's interrogation techniques.

Fu Changhua took a drag of the cigarette, then trembling, reached out his hand and struggled to pinch the cigarette between his lips.

Staring at the trembling ember at the tip of the cigarette in his hand, Fu Changhua continued, "My mother was from Jingcheng; after finishing girls' school, my maternal grandfather married her off, but having received a modern education, my mother disliked her rigid, conservative first husband and fled."

After speaking for a while, Fu Changhua took another drag of his cigarette and continued, "Afraid of being punished by my maternal grandfather, my mother ran to my uncle's house to hide and simultaneously reestablished contact with her classmates."

"But unexpectedly, she was already pregnant at that time; my uncle wanted to send her home, but my mother refused, so she gave birth to my older sister at my uncle's house—that is, Zhao Zhao Linglong."

Leaning sideways against the back of the chair, Li Li Xuewu asked, "So Zhao Zhao Linglong took your mother's surname?"

"Yes."

Fu Changhua said, "My sister was handed over to my uncle to raise immediately after birth; my mother returned to school, and the following year, participated in the movement of '35, subsequently leaving Jingcheng with her classmates for Yan'an, where she met my father."

"And afterwards?"

"Later, after liberation, my father was transferred due to lung disease and assigned to work at the Rolling Steel Factory, while when my mother went to find my sister again, she learned that due to the war, my uncle's family had long since scattered, and my sister, by a twist of fate, was recognized by my mother from the review files of the reformatory, which is how she was brought back home."

Fu Changhua lifted his head, looking at Li Li Xuewu, and said, "But by that time, my sister was already... she was twelve years old..."

Hesitating for a moment, Fu Changhua continued, "My mother felt she owed my sister too much, so she desperately tried to compensate her; since my sister couldn't stand the sight of me, I was sent to live with my eldest uncle's family."

"But my sister hated my mother; she found a man and married him herself—that is the Ling Ling Degui you arrested."

"Tell me about what happened later; why did things reach this point?"

Fu Changhua took a drag of his cigarette and said, "It was my sister, this sister of mine, who led our entire family into the abyss."

"Relying on my mother's protection, starting from doing business with Ling Ling Degui, she swindled and cheated all the way along, while my mother cleaned up the mess behind her."

"To wipe her ass, my mother exhausted every connection she could beg for, while her 'business' grew larger and larger, even dragging that Zhu Zhu Laoba in as a scapegoat, sigh~"

"What's the situation with Zhu Zhu Laoba?"

"Just an old fool!"

Fu Changhua mocked, "He thought he was playing with my sister, but in reality, my sister used him as a scapegoat to stand in front; she was afraid of death too, hehe."

Taking another drag of his cigarette, Fu Changhua continued, "I, being her half-sibling from the same mother but different father, wasn't close to her; instead, she was close to Fu Fu Haibo, since they were only a year apart in age."

He gestured toward Li Li Xuewu with the cigarette butt in his hand, indicating that the cigarette was finished and he wanted another.

Li Li Xuewu first flicked away the cigarette butt in his own hand, handed one to Fu Fu Haibo and helped light it, then lit another for himself.

As long as Fu Changhua confessed, Li Li Xuewu was willing to sit here smoking with him all day.

"At first, when my sister made mistakes, my mother could still handle them, but later, when all favors were exhausted and my father was worn down by my mother with no other choice, he also began helping my sister deal with troubles."

While speaking, he raised his hand and gestured toward Li Li Xuewu, saying, "You should understand this; once you make a mistake, there is no chance to stop."

Li Li Xuewu smiled and nodded; at this moment, he certainly wouldn't tell Fu Changhua that he himself was as clear as water and as bright as a mirror.

"My mother began wildly amassing wealth together with my sister; through my father's connections and her own old contacts, they bribed bit by bit, which is how the current scale was formed."

"What's the story with Fu Fu Haibo?"

Li Li Xuewu gestured to Shen Fang to get a cup of hot water; Shen Fang nodded to show he understood and went out.

"Fu Fu Haibo got involved with my sister after coming to our house; seeing that my sister had money and he liked fashionable things, my sister bought everything for him, and after he started working, he relied on the power of my father and my sister to climb higher and higher."

"The division of labor was very clear; did they not take care of you?"

"Me? I was just good for nothing."

Fu Changhua self-mocked, "My sister looked down on me, my father looked down on me, Fu Fu Haibo looked down on me, and even my mother had eyes only for my sister, hehe."

Taking the teacup handed over by Shen Fang and drinking a sip, Fu Changhua felt much more comfortable.

"So you only got involved later?"

"Yeah, it was my father who, seeing what a mess I was making of my life, found someone to arrange a job for me at the vegetable market."

Li Li Xuewu nodded and asked, "Then did your mother weave a huge web for your sister and for Fu Fu Haibo?"

"Yeah, that web wasn't small; do you know about the Pigeon Market by Haizi?"

"Your sister set that up?"

"Yeah, it's been going on for many years."

Lowering his head and exhaling a puff of smoke, Fu Changhua said, "She accounted for one share, but there were others too; the primitive accumulation you found in Fu Fu Haibo actually came from this."

"How did it come about?"

"What other way could it be? It came from the Northeast, the profits came out through my sister, and all the profits are with her. Fu Fu Haibo wanted to use my sister's network to advance, and my sister wanted to use Fu Fu Haibo to continue weaving her broken net, so the two are of a kind."

"Do you know where your sister's money and Fu Fu Haibo's money are kept? Do you know who is in this net?"

Li Li Xuewu looked at Fu Changhua, hoping to hear this important news from Fu Changhua's mouth.

"Would you tell your brothers and friends about the dirty money you got?"

Hearing Fu Changhua's answer, Li Li Xuewu frowned, but it wasn't all bad news.

"My mother must know. My sister and Fu Fu Haibo are in your hands; just interrogate them slowly."

Seeing Fu Changhua, who had confessed everything and looked completely relaxed, Li Li Xuewu straightened his spine and asked with a smile, "You seem not... not worried about them?"

"Hehe."

Fu Changhua chuckled lightly, "If I worry about them, who worries about me? From beginning to end, I never thought of playing with them; they insisted on dragging me into the game."

Li Li Xuewu reached out, lifted Fu Changhua's clothes to look, and saw two purple-red marks on the ribs, some turning black.

"Do you want to go to the hospital?"

"Pfft! Don't joke with me!"

Fu Changhua turned his body, broke free from Li Li Xuewu's hand, and his clothes fell back naturally.

"Would you take me to the hospital? If you had the compassion to take me to the hospital, you wouldn't have targeted my ribs."

Looking at the somewhat awkward Li Li Xuewu, Fu Changhua said, "Actually, I hate you quite a bit. You don't know, I am damn afraid of pain. Because I'm afraid of pain, I don't even dare to get injections, yet you damn well stabbed me with a dagger."

Handing the teacup on the table to Shen Fang, Li Li Xuewu forced a scumbag-like apologetic smile onto his face.

"I'm truly sorry; I couldn't help myself, I didn't mean to."

Saying this, he stood up and asked Fu Changhua, "Is there anything else to say?"

Fu Changhua asked with a smile, "Do you want to hear about me sleeping with women? That's all I can tell."

"Hahaha."

Li Li Xuewu said to Shen Fang, "It's noon. Arrange a meal for him, get something good. I quite like his personality."

"By the way, write down the stuff about you sleeping with women too; some people want to read it."

After finishing speaking, Li Li Xuewu nodded to Fu Changhua as a signal and walked out of the interrogation room.

Shen Fang followed Li Li Xuewu out and, looking at him, said admiringly, "Now I finally understand what Director Zheng meant by that sentence this morning."

"What the hell?"

Li Li Xuewu was thinking about the next matters when Shen Fang suddenly muttered behind him, so he couldn't help but ask.

"This morning, Director Zheng told me to learn from you with Old Chief Duan: if a man isn't ruthless, he can't stand firm. Now I've seen your ruthlessness."

"Bullshit, are you cursing me or praising me?" Li Li Xuewu said with a laugh as he walked toward the door.

He was walking toward the door because Li Li Xuewu had already seen He Yu Shui coming to deliver the meal; at this moment, she was standing at the door with Seeing Sha Zhu, looking over here.

After walking two steps and seeing Shen Fang hadn't followed, he turned his head and said to Shen Fang, "Check the progress of the exam site, arrange meals for the examinees, tell the guards to take turns eating, and tell the comrades handling the case to go eat now; the sooner they finish, the sooner they can work."

"Oh, by the way, those I haven't interrogated don't get to eat, and Zhao Zhao Linglong doesn't get to eat either!"

After finishing speaking, Li Li Xuewu turned his head and continued walking toward the door.

Shen Fang looked at Li Li Xuewu's back and muttered in his heart: This kid not only holds a grudge but is also damn petty.

"What delicious food did you make?"

As he approached and saw Yu Shui staring in the direction he came from, Li Li Xuewu stood to block Yu Shui's line of sight.

Seeing Sha Zhu held the handlebars of the tricycle and said, "My sister really went all out today; she even borrowed the tricycle from Lao Lao Biaozi, otherwise she couldn't have brought it."

With her line of sight blocked by Li Li Xuewu, Yu Shui asked with a Solemn expression, "Li..."

Seeing Yu Shui hesitate, Li Li Xuewu smiled and said, "Calling me Li Li Xuewu is fine, calling me Li Xuewu together with your brother is fine, just don't call me Li Li Erbala."

Yu Shui grimaced, forced a smile, and immediately asked, "How is the interrogation going?"

Knowing Yu Shui was about to ask this, Li Li Xuewu pointed toward the interrogation room and the conference room and said, "I started interrogating as soon as I got here, just had a major breakthrough, and then you arrived, so what do you call this?"

"What?"

Being spoken to like this, Yu Shui didn't know what Li Li Xuewu meant by his words.

Li Li Xuewu looked at Yu Shui with a smile and said, "Timely Rain, of course."

"Thank you."

Hearing Li Li Xuewu's joke, Yu Shui also knew he was comforting her.

Seeing Sha Zhu stood aside and said softly, "They can't reveal case details while handling a case; don't make things difficult for Li Xuewu."

Yu Shui nodded and smiled at Li Li Xuewu, saying, "I made Kung Pao Chicken, Mapo Tofu, Twice-Cooked Pork, and Spicy Chicken; the ingredients were even taken from your warehouse."

Li Li Xuewu touched the box wrapped in a cotton quilt and joked with a smile, "Whoa, four dishes, and all Sichuan cuisine, but the ingredients are mine! This doesn't count; you still have to treat me once!"

"Hehehe."

Yu Shui was also amused by Li Li Xuewu and argued, "You said to taste my cooking, you didn't say whose ingredients to use, right, brother?"

Seeing Sha Zhu naturally chose to stand on his sister's side now and, lifting his face, said to Li Li Xuewu, "Exactly, you didn't make it clear either."

"Alright~"

Li Li Xuewu said to the two with a smile, "I miscalculated; who knew a traitor would appear in our ranks."

Saying this, he punched Seeing Sha Zhu on the shoulder, then turned to Shen Fang and the others who had come over and said, "Comrade Yu Shui added four dishes to our noon meal to encourage us; take them to the cafeteria."

"Okay."

The few people who had come over to prepare for the meal reached out and carried the jars wrapped in cotton quilts on the tricycle to the cafeteria.

Today, very few people were on duty at the branch bureau; most were the personnel handling this case.

He Yu Shui and the other two were led by Li Li Xuewu into the cafeteria, where preparations for the meal were already underway; at this time, Gao Ju and Director Zheng Fuhua, who were on duty at the branch bureau, also walked in.

Li Li Xuewu introduced to Gao Ju and Zheng Fuhua, "Leaders, this is Comrade He Yu Shui, and this is Comrade He He Yuzhu. Knowing how hard we worked on the case on New Year's Eve, they specially brought us food."

"Oh?"

Following Li Li Xuewu's introduction, Zheng Zheng Fuhua whispered softly from behind Gao Zhen.

Gao Zhen nodded and said, "Thank you both, comrades, for your hard work, bringing New Year greetings to those of us who cannot return home; I wish you both a Happy New Year."

Standing beside He Yu Shui and Seeing Sha Zhu, Li Li Xuewu introduced them: "These are Director Gao and Director Zheng from our sub-bureau."

He Yu Shui spoke with grace and composure: "Thank you, Director Gao and Director Zheng, for your blessings; my brother and I represent Jing Yongjie, and on his behalf, we thank you for your concern."

"No need for politeness; we are all one family."

Director Gao waved his hand at He Yu Shui, then gestured to Li Li Xuewu: "You speak on behalf of us, and on behalf of these two comrades as well."

After instructing Li Li Xuewu, Gao Zhen and Zheng Zheng Fuhua took their seats at the dining table.

Seeing the dishes brought by Seeing Sha Zhu and the other being distributed, Li Li Xuewu led the two to stand before the tables and addressed the crowd preparing to eat: "Today is New Year's Eve, yet we remain fighting at our posts, unable to reunite with our families, unable to show filial piety to our parents, unable to care for our wives and children."

"But such is our mission, because countless families and peace require our defense, because there are those for whom passing this New Year's Eve is even harder than for us!"

As Li Li Xuewu's words spread across the several tables in the canteen, everyone stopped what they were doing, looking at Li Li Xuewu, looking at He Yu Shui.

"If it benefits the country, I will give my life; how could I avoid danger or seek fortune for myself! Comrades, facing vicious and ferocious criminals, we are their bane, their nightmare, ever-present, everywhere-present; until hell is empty, I vow not to become a Buddha!"

"Kill! Kill! Kill!"

Upon hearing Li Li Xuewu finish speaking, the guard squad members eating in the canteen leaped to their feet and roared.

The personnel involved in the case were also stirred to boiling blood by Li Li Xuewu's few words; rising along with the guard squad members, they too roared together.

Watching the scene before her, He Yu Shui could no longer hold back; covering her mouth, she began to weep.

Sitting at the very back, Director Gao and Director Zheng watched as Li Li Xuewu's few words ignited the canteen's atmosphere with passionate vigor; Gao Zhen looked at Zheng Zheng Fuhua and nodded with satisfaction.

Zheng Zheng Fuhua returned Gao Zhen's glance, then turned his gaze to Li Li Xuewu, his eyes filled with appreciation.

Li Li Xuewu saluted the canteen personnel; after completing the salute, he turned sideways to address the crowd: "Comrade Jing Jing Yongjie's fiancée heard that we are still working on this case today and specially prepared her signature dishes to send over, using this form to continue Jing Jing Yongjie's participation in solving this case; next, let Comrade He Yu Shui say a few words to us."

Seeing Sha Zhu nudged Yu Shui's arm; composing her emotions, Yu Shui walked to Li Li Xuewu's side, and looking at the pairs of serious eyes standing by the tables, it was as if she saw Jing Jing Yongjie standing right among this group.

"Thank you."

Choking with emotion, Yu Shui said to everyone: "I am proud of Jing Yongjie, proud of all of you, proud of Jing Yongjie's comrades; thank you!"

Having spoken that single sentence, she could say no more; allowing Seeing Sha Zhu to support her, she walked out of the canteen.

Li Li Xuewu waved his hand to signal everyone to sit and eat, then walked over to Director Zheng and Director Gao to request permission before exiting the canteen.

At the canteen entrance, Seeing Sha Zhu was supporting Yu Shui, who was wiping away tears.

Li Li Xuewu approached the two and said, "You've worked hard today; take Yu Shui back, and we'll gather again tonight."

Seeing Sha Zhu nodded, helped his sister onto the tricycle, then pedaled the vehicle himself out through the main gate.

Only after watching the two depart did Li Li Xuewu return to the canteen, where he picked up his rice bowl and sat opposite Director Gao and Director Zheng.

"Did you see them off?"

"Mm, she was a bit overcome with grief."

After replying with that one sentence, Li Li Xuewu sat down and began to eat.

The dishes Yu Shui had brought were divided and placed on each table; the quantity was not large, enough for each person to eat only one or two bites.

Gao Zhen and Zheng Zheng Fuhua were both people accustomed to life and death, and Li Li Xuewu was no different; each bore the weight of responsibility, having no time to pause and mourn comrades, able only to press forward.

"Leaders, the case has made progress; after finishing the interrogation of Fu Fu Haibo this afternoon, I plan to arrest Zhao Dong Wenhua, also known as Fu Bin's wife; I do not intend to let her pass this New Year."

Gao Zhen glanced at Zheng Zheng Fuhua, then said to Li Li Xuewu: "Go ahead and do it; handle the case boldly, do not fear making mistakes; you are still so young, your future path is very long."

"Thank you, Director Gao."

Zheng Zheng Fuhua instructed Li Li Xuewu: "Director Gao's meaning is not for you to act recklessly; making such a mistake once is enough; in future case handling, you must continue to grasp the rhythm properly; as for the specific handling of this case, Director Gao and I have consistently supported you."

Li Li Xuewu was promoted solely through Zheng Zheng Fuhua's efforts; as the top leader, Director Gao could afford to be lenient.

However, in occasions where all three were together, Zheng Zheng Fuhua naturally demanded strictness from Li Li Xuewu, offering encouragement while also giving Li Li Xuewu a reminder.

"Understood, Director Zheng; the case details might exceed the line; I am afraid I won't be able to judge accurately when the time comes."

Frowning, Zheng Zheng Fuhua asked: "Do you know how high the line is?"

Li Li Xuewu shook his head and said: "According to Fu Bin's son's confession, the couple Fu Bin and his wife wove a very powerful large net to protect Zhao Zhao Linglong; this net even drew Fu Fu Haibo, currently in Gangcheng, to risk his life trying to return and borrow its strength."

"No matter how high the line, we will handle it!"

Looking at Li Li Xuewu, Director Gao stated firmly: "I do not believe he can reach higher than the heavens? Go ahead and handle it boldly; I want to see if you can pierce through this sky; even if you do pierce it, I will cover for you; if I cannot cover it, there are leaders even higher up; I just want to see who dares to act recklessly on my turf."

With one decisive stroke, Gao Zhen set the tone for this case: unlimited investigation.

Indeed, truly no one would dare make such a massive move; their audacity was simply too great.

Although Gao Zhen usually presented the image of a nice old man, kind and fond of encouraging others, anyone who crossed his taboos would find him a figure ready to bare his tiger claws.

Could a nice old man ever become the top leader? Absolutely impossible, let alone in a powerful department like the Dongcheng Sub-bureau.

After the meal, Li Li Xuewu walked two laps around the courtyard with Shen Fang, then went to check on the examination hall.

The "examinees" were working diligently; some were writing while eating, others were so pressed for time they couldn't even eat, still scribbling furiously while letting their rice bowls sit aside growing cold.

Skipping one meal was nothing; failing this exam meant they wouldn't get to eat any meals in the future.

When they strolled over to the interrogation rooms holding Zhu Zhu Laoba and the others, these people were listless and drooping; skipping two meals had left them utterly depleted.

The food of this era lacked oil and fat; skipping even one meal was unbearable, let alone two.

Arriving before Zhao Zhao Linglong's interrogation room, Li Li Xuewu took a look but did not enter.

At this moment, Zhao Zhao Linglong appeared as if asleep, sitting motionless in the interrogation chair with her eyes closed; were it not for the white vapor from her breath, Li Li Xuewu would have thought she had committed suicide.

On second thought, that was impossible; how could someone greedy for wealth and lust be willing to take their own life?

Fu Changhua had eaten lunch at noon, so he was spirited at this moment; since the guard had thoroughly wiped his face with a Mao Jin, Li Li Xuewu could now see Fu Changhua smoking a cigarette, head bowed, thinking about something.

The cigarettes were left by Li Li Xuewu in the interrogation room, a reward for Fu Changhua's cooperation.

Finally, Li Li Xuewu and Shen Fang arrived at Fu Fu Haibo's interrogation room.

Pushing open the door, they saw Fu Fu Haibo lifting his head to look over; with a cold expression, Li Li Xuewu asked: "How was your rest last night?"

Fu Fu Haibo looked at Li Li Xuewu, then shook his head and said: "Not too good; I am a bit particular about my pillow."

Li Li Xuewu nodded and said, "I'll speak to the guard in a moment and get you a more suitable pillow."

"Thank you."

Fu Fu Haibo calmly thanked Li Li Xuewu, then asked, "What do you plan to do with my wife and child?"

Instead of answering Fu Fu Haibo's question immediately, Li Li Xuewu turned to Shen Fang and said, "I'd like to speak with Fu Fu Haibo alone; take the guard and wait outside for a while."

Shen Fang glanced at Fu Fu Haibo, then nodded and led the guard squad members out.

But Shen Fang kept his wits about him; he didn't go far, ordering the guard squad members to stand right at the doorway.

The guard squad members had been brought by Li Li Xuewu from the Rolling Steel Factory; they could put Li Li Xuewu at ease while also protecting him, for Shen Fang feared Fu Fu Haibo might cause trouble.

Only after the door was securely closed did Li Li Xuewu lean against the interrogation table, reach into his pocket, pull out a pack of cigarettes, gesture toward Fu Fu Haibo with them, and ask, "Want a cigarette?"

Fu Fu Haibo shook his head and said, "My throat has recovered; I can't smoke."

Seeing that Fu Fu Haibo wouldn't smoke, Li Li Xuewu put the cigarettes away, tucked them back into his pocket, and said, "Then I won't smoke either; Fu Changhua and I smoked a bit too much this morning."

At the name Fu Changhua, Fu Fu Haibo furrowed his brow, looked at Li Li Xuewu without speaking, and waited for an explanation.

But Li Li Xuewu offered no explanation; instead, he addressed the question Fu Fu Haibo had asked earlier.

"When I came out, your son was still looking for his father."

With his arms folded across his chest, Li Li Xuewu said in a somewhat low voice, "After you left, your wife was also crying; it seems she cares deeply for you."

Fu Fu Haibo shook his head, lowered his gaze to the handcuffs, and spoke in an equally low tone.

"She is a good woman, a good wife, but I am not a good husband or a good father; I have ruined things for her and our child."

"Her assessment of you is rather high."

Li Li Xuewu paused briefly, then continued, "It's clear there were problems between you two, yet before I left, she was still thinking of using the family's money and house to secure your redemption, and she even said she could support the child on her own."

Fu Fu Haibo kept his head down in silence for a long while, then finally spoke: "I'd like to ask a favor of you."