164: Chapter 164 Zhang Mingde Arrested

His godfather, Deputy Director Wang Hao, had been operating in Yuntian City for over a decade; there was no connection he couldn't pull.

His father, Zhang Shouren, ran a substantial business and had plenty of money in his hands—money makes the mare go.

So what if Bureau Chief Sun Tao wouldn't release him?

So what if Secretary General Cao Yun was suppressing it?

There was always a way.

Once he got out, the first thing he would do was settle the score with Wang Yang.

And there was Zhao Yaqin, the woman who made his heart itch; neither of them would be able to escape.

Just as he was thinking this, footsteps echoed in the corridor.

Leather shoes clicked against the concrete floor—clack, clack—step by step, unhurried and steady.

Zhang Mingde straightened up and stubbed his cigarette out against the wall, leaving a black smear.

The door opened.

Station Chief Wu Neng walked in, wearing a crisp uniform, his hair combed neatly.

There was an indescribable smile on his face.

It wasn't polite, nor was it serious; it was a kind of, how should he put it...

The kind a cat gives a mouse.

When Zhang Mingde saw him, he curled his lips and tilted his mouth, revealing a standard "Dragon King crooked-mouth" smile.

"Director Wu, what's this? Here to invite me out?"

His voice was languid, laced with smugness.

"I told you, it was only a matter of time before I got out. You insisted on locking me up, and now look, you have to come and invite me out personally."

Station Chief Wu Neng looked at him without saying a word, that smile still hanging on his lips.

Zhang Mingde stood up and brushed the dust off his clothes.

"Alright, don't just stand there. Open the door."

Station Chief Wu Neng finally spoke, his voice not loud, but very steady.

"You can indeed go out now."

Zhang Mingde laughed, looking very smug.

"That's all there is to it."

Station Chief Wu Neng continued.

"However, you can't go home."

Zhang Mingde's smile froze.

"What do you mean?"

Station Chief Wu Neng looked at him, that smile slowly transforming into an ambiguous expression.

He didn't answer directly; instead, he pulled a piece of paper from his briefcase, unfolded it, and displayed it in front of Zhang Mingde.

It was a document, densely packed with printed text, with large black characters at the top.

"Notice of Criminal Detention."

Below, it was listed clearly, point by point.

Zhang Mingde's gaze fell on those words, his pupils slowly contracting.

"Zhang Mingde, male, twenty-eight years old. Suspected of the crimes of rape, forcible molestation, intentional injury, picking quarrels and provoking trouble, gathering a crowd for promiscuity..."

One by one, they drove into his eyes like nails.

He had almost forgotten some of these things himself.

Getting a female student pregnant, throwing money at the problem; when her family made a scene, he had people beat them until they were too afraid to cause trouble.

That was a small matter.

And there was more.

In the KTV, that Waitress who refused to serve drinks.

He had Baldy and Yellow-hair hold her down, went first himself, and then let his brothers take turns.

The woman later called the police, but Deputy Director Zhou Xiong helped him suppress it.

And more.

In the bar, that drunk woman—Zhang Mingde had people drug her and drag her into a private room.

He filmed a video and threatened that if she dared to call the police, he would post the video online.

The woman later dropped out of school; no one knew where she went.

And more.

One by one, they were all written there.

Time, location, victims, witnesses, evidence.

Clear and unmistakable.

Zhang Mingde's face turned pale, his lips trembling, his fingers shaking.

"Fake. These are all fake. You're framing me!"

Station Chief Wu Neng looked at him without speaking, that smile still hanging on his lips.

Zhang Mingde lunged to grab the paper, but Station Chief Wu Neng took a step back, and he missed.

"I want to make a call! I want to call my dad! Call my godfather!"

His voice was trembling; he was like a dog with its tail stepped on, fierce yet terrified.

Station Chief Wu Neng smiled.

"Make a call? Your dad? Your godfather?"

He folded the paper back up and put it into his briefcase, his movements slow and composed.

"No need to call. They're both already inside."

Zhang Mingde froze.

"You, what did you say?"

Station Chief Wu Neng looked at him, enunciating every word.

"Your father, Zhang Shouren, tax evasion, commercial fraud, bribery—the evidence is conclusive. He was taken away by the Economic Investigation Brigade yesterday. His company has been sealed, and all assets frozen."

Zhang Mingde's mouth hung open, unable to close.

Station Chief Wu Neng continued, his tone unhurried.

"Your godfather, Deputy Director Wang Hao, used his position to accept bribes and abused his power, involving a particularly huge amount of money. The Municipal Commission for Discipline Inspection, the Supervisory Commission, and the Procuratorate handled the case jointly, and he's inside too."

He paused and added.

"Oh, right. And your mother, Wang Feng. Your father knows about her affair with Deputy Director Wang Hao now. But knowing doesn't matter anymore; they're all inside."

Zhang Mingde's legs gave way; he took a step back, bumped into the iron chair, and collapsed into it.

The iron chair scraped against the floor with a harsh, screeching sound.

"Impossible, impossible. You're lying to me. My dad knows so many people, my godfather has been in Yuntian City for over a decade, they can't be."

Station Chief Wu Neng looked at him; there was no sympathy or pity in his eyes, only the coldness of official duty.

"The people your father knows are all distancing themselves from him now. The connections your godfather cultivated were all severed the moment he went inside."

He patted his briefcase.

"Your whole family, all together, will be inside eating the state's food and operating sewing machines. None of you can escape."

Zhang Mingde slumped in the chair, his whole body as if the bones had been pulled out, turning into a puddle of mush.

His eyes were vacant, his lips trembling, muttering the same sentence over and over.

"Impossible, impossible."

Station Chief Wu Neng looked at him for a few seconds, then turned and waved toward the door.

Two uniformed officers walked in, grabbed Zhang Mingde's arms from left and right, and dragged him up from the chair.

Zhang Mingde was dragged out, his feet dragging on the ground, his leather shoes scraping against the concrete floor with a harsh, grating sound.

He kept muttering, his voice getting softer and more fragmented, like a madman.

"Impossible, impossible."

The lights in the corridor were ghastly pale, shining on his face; his face was swollen, and the wound at the corner of his mouth split open again, seeping a trace of blood.

His eyes were completely hollow.

The iron door closed behind him with a dull thud.

Station Chief Wu Neng stood in the detention room, looking at the closed iron door, silent for a while.

Then he took his phone out of his pocket, found a number, and sent a message.

"Mr. Wang, the matter regarding Zhang Mingde has been taken care of."

After sending it, he put his phone back in his pocket, straightened his collar, and walked out of the detention room.

In the corridor, Zhang Mingde was dragged further and further away, the sound of his leather shoes scraping against the floor getting fainter and fainter.

Finally disappearing at the end of the corridor.

Only the ghastly pale lights remained, illuminating the empty corridor.

...

On the other side.

The black X5M parked steadily in the space, the engine cut, and the car cabin fell silent.

Wang Yang had just unbuckled his seatbelt when his phone vibrated.

He picked it up and saw a message from Station Chief Wu Neng.

"Mr. Wang, the matter regarding Zhang Mingde has been taken care of."

Short, concise, without any unnecessary words.

The corners of Wang Yang's mouth slowly curled up.

The action was truly fast.