leonardwarren Chapter 54 Special Agent
Chapter 54 Special Agent
Meanwhile, at the Xikou County Government Building.
The atmosphere in the office of the Folklore and Antiquities Investigation Department was oppressive.
Lin Xiu sat behind his desk, the ashtray in front of him overflowing with cigarette butts.
Sitting opposite him was a middle-aged man in his early forties, wearing a black Zhongshan suit, with a square face, thick black eyebrows, and an aura of superiority.
This man is Ding Hongzhi, an investigator from the Folklore and Antiquities Survey Department of the Southern Bureau of China.
Ding Hongzhi held a thick stack of files in his hand, flipping through them page by page, his brows furrowing more and more tightly.
When he turned to the last page, he slammed the file onto the table.
"Lin Xiu, you've only found this much in a month?"
Lin Xiu frowned: "Commissioner Ding, there are too few clues in this case. Liu Mang and Chen Da, two key figures, are both dead, and Tengshe Nilin is missing. I..."
"Missing?"
Ding Hongzhi interrupted him, his gaze sharp and cold.
"Do you know how much effort Sheng Hai put into this? The ancient tomb of Xuan Shang in northern Jiangnan Province took three months to excavate, and seven investigators died before they finally unearthed those artifacts."
"The Tengshe's Reverse Scale is the most crucial item; the coordinates of Emperor Zhouyuan's divine treasure are engraved on it. Such an important item, and after a month there's still no clue?"
"How could you do such a thing?!"
Lin Xiu sneered: "It's only a possibility; the scales of the Teng Snake aren't necessarily in Xikou."
"Hmph, not necessarily. How do you know it's not necessarily true if you don't even check?"
Ding Hongzhi wanted to reprimand Lin Xiu, but considering Lin Xiu's background, he swallowed his harsh words.
He suppressed his anger, paced around the office a couple of times, and stopped in front of the map of Xikou County posted on the wall.
"The case file says that Zheng Yuanpei's granddaughter, Zheng Shulan, may also have had contact with the Tengshe Nilin?"
"That's right."
"According to our investigation, Liu Mang had contact with Zheng Shulan at a temple fair a few days before his death."
Ding Hongzhi turned around and looked at him with a deep gaze.
"If that's the case, why don't you bring Zheng Shulan back? Under torture, wouldn't she confess?"
"Zheng Shulan is Zheng Yuanpei's granddaughter. Commissioner Ding should be aware of the Zheng family's influence in Xikou County. Without solid evidence, we cannot arrest her..."
"Can't we arrest them?"
Ding Hongzhi sneered, picked up the hat on the table, and put it on his head.
"Let's go to the police station."
"Go to the police station?" Lin Xiu was taken aback.
"The investigation department has the ability to make on-the-spot decisions. They can mobilize the military and police, and have the Public Security Bureau bring people in for questioning. What's so difficult about that?"
After saying this, Ding Hongzhi strode out of the office.
Lin Xiu opened his mouth, watching the other person leave as if he were an idiot.
He finally gave a cold laugh and sat down again.
The Public Security Bureau's reception room.
Zheng Kui, dressed in a dark blue bureau chief uniform, sat in the main seat, holding a cup of hot tea and slowly blowing on the foam.
Ding Hongzhi sat opposite him with a formulaic smile on his face, but the anxiety in his eyes was impossible to hide.
"Director Zheng, we've come to ask for your cooperation in requesting that Ms. Zheng Shulan come to the Investigation Department to give a statement."
Zheng Kui took a sip of tea, put down the teacup, and glanced at him.
"Commissioner Ding, are you referring to my daughter, Shulan?"
"Your Shulan?"
Ding Hongzhi stopped mid-sentence.
Suddenly I realized something seemed to be wrong?
The Zheng family is very powerful in Xikou County!
It seems that Zheng Shulan's investigation report states that the director of the Public Security Bureau is also a member of the Zheng family.
"Shulan is my elder brother's daughter, and also my niece, Zheng Kui's own daughter. Commissioner Ding, if you want to summon my child, you should at least give me an explanation, shouldn't you?"
Ding Hongzhi's expression changed, and he cursed himself for being stupid.
"Director Zheng, don't worry, she's just here to give a statement."
"To take a statement?"
Zheng Kui interrupted him, frowning and staring coldly at Ding Hongzhi.
"Commissioner Ding, please leave."
"Guards, see the guest out. We regret that we cannot entertain you!"
Ding Hongzhi opened his mouth, but before he could say anything, he was asked to leave.
......
A moment later,
Ding Hongzhi stood on the steps outside the gate of the Public Security Bureau.
He glanced back at the sign above the door that read "Xikou County Public Security Bureau," his lips curled down, and he let out a cold snort.
"Local powerful families, they deserve to die!"
He jogged over, opened the car door, and cautiously asked, "Commissioner Ding, where are we going?"
"Back to the office!"
Ding Hongzhi bent down and climbed into the car. The car door slammed shut, making the car windows vibrate.
The car drove through Xikou County in the night, the dim yellow light casting blurry shadows on the windows.
The Zheng family...
On the bus, Ding Hongzhi repeated those two words to himself several times, and the more he thought about it, the more his teeth ached.
Zheng Yuanpei,
The former martial arts champion, the number one expert in Xikou County.
Although he is old, it is said that he still possesses considerable martial arts skills. When a Grandmaster of Transformation Realm does not appear, no one dares to be presumptuous in front of him.
Zheng Kui, the director of the Public Security Bureau, commands hundreds of police officers in Xikou County.
The Zheng family has been operating in Xikou for decades, and they have connections in the business, political, and even military circles.
Do they think they can take down Cheng Shu-lan with just the power of the Xikou Investigation Bureau?
It seems like there's no chance now.
Ding Hongzhi opened his eyes, his gaze falling on the flowing night outside the car window, his mind racing.
If Zheng Shulan can't move, then the clue to the Tengshe Reverse Scale is broken.
Are we just going to go back empty-handed?
wrong.
There is another name on the file.
Fang Shuwen.
The car stopped in front of the county government building.
Ding Hongzhi got out of the car, walked quickly upstairs, and opened the door to the office of the Folklore and Antiquities Survey Department.
"Commissioner Ding is back? What did Director Zheng say?"
Lin Xiu looked up at the newcomer and asked in a mocking tone.
Ding Hongzhi ignored him, walked to his desk, picked up the stack of files and started flipping through them again.
He flipped through the pages quickly, scanning them one by one, his eyes darting rapidly between the lines.
When he turned to Fang Shuwen's page, his hand stopped.
"Fang Shuwen... son of the gatekeeper of the Zhao family, failed six out of seven subjects, but his grades suddenly soared after the summer vacation, and he entered the elite class, ranking ninth... I have no doubt that this person is hiding his true abilities."
"In terms of martial arts, after half a month at the martial arts school, I heard two cracking sounds from my bones after the summer vacation, and I was able to lift a 150-pound stone weight..."
He put down the file and looked up at Lin Xiu.
"You've ruled out this person?"
"The instrument isn't responding, that's ruled out." Lin Xiu flicked his cigarette ash, his tone calm.
"The instrument isn't responding?"
Ding Hongzhi sneered and tapped the few lines of text with his finger.
"The son of a gatekeeper, transformed from a failing student who failed six out of seven subjects into the ninth-ranked student in the elite class over a single summer vacation? From a complete novice in martial arts into a skilled martial artist with cracking bones? Tell me, is this something a normal person could do?"
Lin Xiu frowned: "Commissioner Ding, this doesn't really explain the problem..."
Ding Hongzhi put down the case file and stood up.
"What I mean is, there's something wrong with Fang Shuwen, and a lot of problems."
"Send your men to bring this person back. Fine, I'll go with them!"