105: Chapter 105 Stirring up the enemy

Linjiang Municipal Public Security Bureau building, sixth-floor conference room.

The exhaust fan hummed.

The ashtray was piled high with cigarette butts.

The door was pushed open, and Police Chief Li Jianguo strode in. "Comrades, I have some good news."

"I just returned from the hospital. Comrade Su Qinghan from the Municipal Commission for Discipline Inspection has woken up."

Around the conference table, a dozen people looked up.

Criminal Investigation Deputy Captain Zhang Meng stubbed out his half-smoked cigarette in the ashtray.

"Director Li, that's great!"

"I'll arrange for a forensic sketch artist to go over right now to help Comrade Su Qinghan with a suspect profile. As soon as we have a sketch, we'll launch a city-wide dragnet."

Zhang Meng pulled back his chair, preparing to leave.

"These bastards are too cunning; they specifically choose blind spots in the Skynet surveillance system."

"The few times we've caught them on street cameras, they're always disguised with masks, hoods, and sunglasses. We haven't been able to get any valuable clues."

"Now that she's awake, the case has life again."

"Don't rush off just yet. The bad news is coming."

Police Chief Li Jianguo reached out and pressed down, signaling him to sit.

"The attending physician has made a diagnosis: due to post-traumatic stress, Comrade Su Qinghan is suffering from temporary amnesia."

"She can't remember any details from the night of the incident. However, the psychological intervention team has already stepped in to provide treatment."

At these words, Zhang Meng, who had just lifted his rear, sank back down.

He let out a heavy sigh.

The enthusiasm in the room was extinguished.

Several criminal police officers lowered their heads to flip through the headless case files before them.

"In case work, ups and downs are the norm."

"However, I have another piece of good news in my hand."

Police Chief Li Jianguo played his trump card.

Someone below muttered to themselves, wishing the bureau chief wouldn't drag things out.

"According to the technical team's examination of the wreckage left at the scene, the car that Su Qinghan was driving, which was burned, was equipped with a dashcam that has real-time cloud uploading."

"Although the physical hard drive was destroyed, the footage from the night of the incident was synchronized and uploaded to an independent foreign server."

Zhang Meng perked up. A close-range view from a dashcam would be enough to record the perpetrators' faces clearly.

Even with facial coverings, they could identify them through physical characteristics.

"Don't get too happy too soon."

"To protect customer privacy, the foreign provider has an extremely high security mechanism. If the cloud key is entered incorrectly five times, the system automatically locks."

Police Chief Li Jianguo leaned on the table with both hands.

"The Cybersecurity Brigade is currently going through the mutual assistance procedure, doing everything possible to contact the equipment manufacturer for technical guidance."

"We are preparing for both scenarios: either wait for Su Qinghan to recover her memory and provide the account password, or wait for the results from Cybersecurity."

He scanned the room.

"Everyone, get back to work and continue analyzing the peripheral videos. As soon as I have the latest news, I'll bring it back immediately."

The crowd dispersed.

Executive Deputy Director Liu Qing sat in the corner of the long table, head bowed.

Police Chief Li Jianguo walked over and pulled out the chair next to him to sit.

"Old Liu, what's wrong?"

Liu Qing screwed the cap onto his cup and stood up.

"It's nothing, just exhausted from staying up these past few days. I'm going to analyze the case."

Police Chief Li Jianguo didn't try to stop him, letting him walk out the door.

His gaze remained locked on that retreating figure.

Liu Qing's pace was fast, carrying a sense of urgency.

At the end of the fifth-floor corridor, in the innermost stall of the men's restroom.

The door latch clicked into place.

Liu Qing sat on the toilet lid.

He fished an old, candy-bar style mobile phone out of his inner pocket.

He pulled out the original SIM card, replaced it with an unregistered burner card, and turned it on.

His thumb pressed rapidly on the keypad, entering a string of characters.

He hit send.

After the screen indicated the message was sent successfully, he pulled out the card.

He used both hands to snap it in two, threw it into the toilet, and pressed the flush valve.

The water swirled away the plastic fragments.

Inside the Municipal Public Security Bureau's information technology brigade's core server room, a red warning flashed on the main screen.

At the same time, the Provincial Public Security Department's technical reconnaissance equipment simultaneously captured this faint radio wave.

Police Chief Li Jianguo pushed the door open and entered.

The brigade leader pointed to the computer screen, speaking rapidly.

"Director Li, we've intercepted an abnormal frequency band. A text message was just sent from inside our building. Both the sender and receiver numbers are using unregistered burner cards."

Police Chief Li Jianguo pulled over a swivel chair and sat down.

"Continue pulling the internal surveillance for the entire Public Security Bureau. Check who was using a phone during this time frame and mark them all."

"Also, pull the base station data for the recipient's signal source."

The brigade leader complied.

The entire information technology brigade sprang into action.

Police Chief Li Jianguo took out his phone, walked behind the fire door outside the server room, and dialed a number.

"Zhu Wenhao, you were right; this method is truly accurate. Someone really took the bait."

Police Chief Li Jianguo lowered his voice and recounted the progress of the information brigade's tracking.

Zhu Wenhao sat beside Su Qinghan's hospital bed, phone pressed to his ear.

After hearing Police Chief Li Jianguo's report, his expression remained calm.

"Director Li, keep playing the long game to catch the big fish."

"Let me give you the inside scoop. The Provincial Public Security Department has fully intervened."

"The abnormal signal from inside your Public Security Bureau just now was also simultaneously monitored by the Provincial Public Security Department's technical reconnaissance unit."

Police Chief Li Jianguo's grip on the phone tightened.

The Provincial Public Security Department had intervened directly, and he, the head of the Municipal Public Security Bureau, had been completely unaware.

If he hadn't made this report call just now, he would have been half a beat behind in his actions this morning, and the consequences would have been unimaginable.

"Director Li, don't overthink it. Continue with your operations."

"The Provincial Public Security Department has another SWAT squadron hiding and waiting in the vicinity of Linjiang City."

"They will support your arrest operation at any time to prevent anyone from acting out of desperation."

After a pause, Zhu Wenhao continued, "The situation of the case has changed; the criminal underworld has openly ambushed a cadre from the Discipline Inspection Commission."

"Director Qi of the Provincial Anti-Gang Office has already submitted a request to the Provincial Party Committee. To thoroughly eradicate the criminal underworld in Linjiang City, they have requested the Provincial Party Committee to let the Inspection Team also hold the title of 'Provincial Anti-Gang Office Second Steering Group'."

"Combined with the authorized establishment of the Criminal Investigation Brigade Deputy Captain, Team Leader Qiu Rui of the Inspection Team will concurrently serve as the leader of the Second Steering Group."

Zhu Wenhao analyzed the situation clearly.

"In the past, the Inspection Team only inspected to find clues; now that they hold the title of a Steering Group, they have the justified authority to intervene in local cases."

This was using superior political and legal authority to forcibly cut into the power landscape of Linjiang City.

Inspection Team plus Anti-Gang Office.

This imperial sword was enough to cut through any local administrative interference and also provided legal support for completely eradicating Linjiang's black industry network.

"The Steering Group will officially move into the Public Security Bureau in the next few days. Keep that in mind."

"Understood."

Police Chief Li Jianguo hung up the phone, returned to the server room, and stared fixedly at the surveillance screen.

In the suburbs, a detached villa.

Wang Juan sat on a leather sofa.

In her hand, she held a special satellite phone, the screen displaying a decoded string of code.

After reading the content, she tossed the phone onto the coffee table.

"Lili." She called out.

At the corner of the stairs on the second floor, Wang Lili walked down quickly and stood by the coffee table.

"This time, it's a bit troublesome. That car we burned was equipped with a dashcam that has upload capabilities."

"We must find a way to deal with it."

Wang Lili stepped forward, making a forceful gesture across her throat with her right hand.

"Sister, why don't we sneak in and just… take her out?"

"Use your brain."

Wang Juan interrupted her mercilessly, pointing at her forehead.

"Su Qinghan is definitely being treated as a top priority right now. The special care ward is surrounded by the Municipal Public Security Bureau like an iron barrel. You're going to take people in there to die?"

Having been scolded, Wang Lili withdrew her hand, her eyes darting around as she tried a different approach.

"If we can't force our way in, we'll take the hidden route."

Wang Lili stepped closer.

"In a place like a hospital, there are many eyes. We can threaten the nurse in charge of changing the medication and add something that shouldn't be there into Su Qinghan's medicine."

"If there's an issue with the medication for a concussion patient, it's possible she'll never wake up again, or it could cause irreversible brain damage. What do you think?"

Wang Juan picked up her red wine glass and took a small sip.

"That's feasible."

"Go do it. Be smart. Don't let your subordinates handle it; I don't trust them."

Wang Lili accepted the order and was about to turn to make arrangements, but her footsteps stopped in place.

"Sister, do we need to talk to Brother-in-law, the Mayor, about this?"

Wang Lili asked tentatively.

After all, Mayor Su Changming was Su Qinghan's biological father; they had to be somewhat cautious about dealing a lethal blow.

Wang Juan sneered, looking at Wang Lili with a mocking expression.

"You're going to ask for his instructions?"

"Who do you think went to such lengths to leak the news about the dashcam to me?"

"This news was leaked from that side."

"If he really wanted to protect his daughter, do you think this news would have reached me?"

Wang Juan stood up and walked to the floor-to-ceiling window, looking at the withered branches and fallen leaves in the courtyard.

"In the face of absolute interests, blood ties are worthless."

"Don't go touching his bad luck; let him keep his hands clean. Go get to work."

Wang Lili dared not say anything more and walked quickly out of the villa.