86: Chapter 86 Conspiracy Plan

A man in black picked up her bag, rummaged for her phone, and dialed the first number in the recent call log.

Xiao Bei was reviewing documents when his phone rang again; the caller ID displayed Su Yun.

"Hello?"

"Secretary Xiao, is that you?"

A mechanical voice, distorted by a voice changer, came from the other end of the line. "Your little girlfriend is in our hands."

Xiao Bei's heart sank. "What did you say?"

"Su Yun, that beautiful reporter! Didn't she just bring you snacks earlier?"

The person on the other end sneered, "If you want her to live, do as we say."

Su Yun's screams and sounds of struggle came through the phone, followed by the sharp sound of a slap.

Xiao Bei's knuckles turned white as he clenched his fists. "Don't you touch her! If you have a problem, come after me!"

"It's simple. Within 24 hours, drop the investigation into Xiang Jinlong and destroy all evidence."

The voice continued coldly, "Otherwise, prepare to collect her corpse."

The call ended. Xiao Bei stood frozen, a chill running through his body. Outside the window, the setting sun bathed the entire office in the color of blood. He picked up the unfinished osmanthus cake on his desk, suddenly feeling his stomach churn violently.

He knew who was behind this. Mou Zhengping had finally bared his fangs.

Xiao Bei grabbed his coat and rushed out of the office; he had to race against time. On one side was legal justice, and on the other was an innocent life—a cruel choice. But he knew, no matter what, he had to rescue Su Yun first.

Xiao Bei's fingertips tapped rapidly on the desk, like a high-speed computer processing a dilemma. The last ray of sunset vanished below the horizon outside, and the office plunged into darkness, just like his mood at that moment.

"24 hours..."

Xiao Bei muttered to himself, his gaze falling on the nearly completed evidence compilation on his desk. Only the testimonies of a few key witnesses were missing to completely nail down the corruption network involving Mou Zhengping and Xiang Jinlong.

But now... Su Yun's life had become a bargaining chip for the opposition.

His phone vibrated again; it was a message from Police Chief Zhao Zhigang:

[Standing Committee Member Xiao, Xiang Jinlong has confessed to three more bribery accounts, one of which is under the name of Mou Zhengping's niece.]

Now, Mou Zhengping's illegal activities could be definitively proven! But Su Yun was still in their hands!

A gleam of determination flashed in Xiao Bei's eyes, and he quickly dialed Mayor Qin's private number.

"Mayor Qin, I need to meet you. Now."

Xiao Bei lowered his voice and continued, "Su Yun has been kidnapped."

There was a two-second silence on the other end. "The usual place, in half an hour."

Xiao Bei locked the evidence files in the safe, taking only the three most critical pages. As he walked out of his office, he noticed a figure quickly dart into the breakroom at the end of the hallway—it was the mole Mou Zhengping had planted near him.

"So, I am being watched." Xiao Bei sneered inwardly.

He then deliberately spoke loudly to the staff on duty, "I'm heading to the city to see Mayor Qin. There's a major breakthrough in Xiang Jinlong's case!"

On the way to the city, Xiao Bei constantly checked the rearview mirror to see if he was being followed. After confirming it was safe, he turned into a quiet side road and finally stopped at the back door of the city library, where Mayor Qin's car was already waiting.

"Get in and talk."

Mayor Qin rolled down the window, her expression grave.

Inside the car, Xiao Bei gave a concise report of the situation. After listening, Mayor Qin tapped her fingers on her knee.

"Mou Zhengping is cornered and desperate. Actually, the Provincial Commission for Discipline Inspection has been watching him for a long time, but they have always lacked direct evidence."

"I have a plan."

A flash of resolve appeared in Xiao Bei's eyes. "We'll turn his own scheme against him."

Mayor Qin raised an eyebrow. "Tell me."

"Tomorrow is the first trial for Xiang Jinlong's case, and Mou Zhengping will definitely have people watching. We'll pretend that the evidence chain is only complete for Xiang Jinlong, making a big show of preparing for the trial to draw him out... In reality, I will use that window of opportunity to rescue Su Yun."

"That's too risky. The kidnappers might just kill her."

Mayor Qin shook her head, rejecting Xiao Bei's plan.

"That's why I need your cooperation."

Xiao Bei took the three pages from his coat and handed them to Mayor Qin.

"This is the core evidence I've compiled regarding Mou Zhengping's involvement. Please pass it to the comrades at the Provincial Commission for Discipline Inspection. During tomorrow's trial, have them lie in ambush at The Court, waiting for Mou Zhengping's people to appear."

Mayor Qin pondered for a moment. "You want to... create the illusion that you've succumbed to their threats, to lure Mou Zhengping into verifying whether the evidence has been destroyed himself?"

"Exactly."

Xiao Bei nodded.

"He asked me to destroy the evidence against Xiang Jinlong simply to protect himself. So, I'll go along with it and announce that only Xiang Jinlong will be tried, while I track the kidnappers. Su Yun's iPhone can be tracked; as long as they keep it on, I can find their location."

"Are you sure about this?"

Xiao Bei clenched his fists. "No, but I have no other choice."

Mayor Qin sighed deeply. "Fine, I'll cooperate with you. I'll arrange to spread the news that only Xiang Jinlong will be tried. But remember, no matter what happens, you must contact me before 12:00 PM tomorrow, or I will initiate the emergency protocol."

It was late at night when he returned to Bishi Town. Xiao Bei deliberately stayed in his office until the early hours of the morning, letting those monitoring him see that he was "working overtime to organize evidence." At 3:00 AM, he feigned exhaustion and left, but in reality, he secretly contacted Police Chief Zhao Zhigang.

"Police Chief Zhao, I need you to do me a favor."

Xiao Bei met with Police Chief Zhao Zhigang in the shadows of the back door of the County Government. "For tomorrow's trial, I need you to help me put on a show."

After hearing the plan, Police Chief Zhao Zhigang's expression changed drastically. "Standing Committee Member Xiao, this is too dangerous! Let me go and rescue Reporter Su!"

"No, Mou Zhengping knows you too." Xiao Bei shook his head.

"Only if I go will he lower his guard. Remember, no matter what happens during the trial tomorrow, you must act as if it's all real."

Just as dawn broke, Xiao Bei "rushed" to his office, deliberately letting the mole see him burn one sealed file folder and hand another to a bailiff.

At 8:00 sharp, dressed in a suit, he appeared at the entrance of the County Government and announced to the reporters who surrounded him, "The evidence in the Xiang Jinlong case is ironclad. Today's trial will reveal even more shocking inside information!"

These remarks quickly reached Mou Zhengping's ears. In the office of the Municipal Party Committee Office Director, Mou Zhengping smashed yet another teacup.

"Is this kid playing me? Isn't only Xiang Jinlong supposed to be tried? What other inside information is there to reveal!"

He roared and dialed a number. "Take good 'care' of that woman, record a video, and send it to him!"

Subsequently, Mou Zhengping dialed another number. "Send people to the trial site! If there's any unexpected situation, you know what to do."

At 9:30 AM, Xiao Bei "punctually" appeared at the entrance of The Court, drawing a flurry of camera flashes. After entering The Court, he quickly left through a side door, changed into casual clothes, and drove a car with ordinary license plates, disappearing around the street corner.

Meanwhile, his phone received a video—Su Yun was tied to a chair, with blood at the corner of her mouth, yet her eyes remained stubborn. The video was accompanied by a message: "Last warning."

Xiao Bei suppressed his anger, connected his phone to his laptop, and launched the tracking program. The signal showed the kidnappers' last call location was in the industrial zone in the east of the city.

"Hold on, Su Yun, I'm coming."

...