41: Chapter 41 Reported to the Provincial Department

Zhang Huaijing had already anticipated this, but his expression still hardened: "Is there evidence?"

"Yes, not much, but based on years of criminal investigation and legal experience, he made a reasonable deduction and showed me some evidence. However, it couldn't be put into writing, nor could it be brought over, as it would be bad if it leaked. So, after digesting it, I'm relaying it to you," Wen Di said, her clever eyes twinkling.

"Di, stop keeping me in suspense. Tell me quickly."

Wen Di slapped him with her chopsticks and chided: "I'm starving! Can't I eat something first?"

She was different from others; whenever she ate Western food, she would always ask the waiter for a pair of chopsticks and then use them to eat her meal with complete confidence.

"Hurry up and wolf it down." Zhang Huaijing cut the steak into countless small pieces and dumped them onto her plate.

This girl loved meat and ate a lot of it every time. The key was that she didn't gain weight, nor did she get flabby. Her secret was her love for running and yoga, which gave her a high metabolic rate.

"Hate you, you're the one who's wolfing it down."

After her divorce, Wen Di had taken the initiative to climb into Zhang Huaijing's bed, seemingly without any sense of guilt; she possessed a strong psychological constitution.

After eating a few bites of beef, Wen Di said: "The driver who caused the accident is named Ah Shui, a loyal lackey of the county magistrate's son, Du Zitong. That night, Ah Shui, Ah Shun, and two other lackeys were drinking together at a KTV owned by Du Zitong, which was only five minutes away from the scene of the incident."

"The group drank until 2:30 AM before getting on the road in that black BMW 540. It had a six-cylinder engine, and after being modified with two extra exhaust pipes, it accelerated very quickly and had immense impact force."

Zhang Huaijing listened intently. While his face remained calm, a raging storm was already brewing inside him.

Wen Di continued:

"The driver at the beginning was Ah Shun, who hadn't drunk much. They drove around the county town for a while in the heavy rain and parked on Dongfeng Street, at the intersection of Renmin Road and Dongfeng Street. At this point, the driver was switched to Ah Shui, who had been drinking the most."

"During this time, one of the lackeys got out of the car and snuck over to Renmin Road to keep watch. After waiting for 22 minutes, Cui Liming rode over on his electric scooter. The lackey reported to Ah Shui over the phone."

Zhang Huaijing recalled that night when he rode his electric scooter past Renmin Road; he had noticed a man holding an umbrella and talking on the phone by the side of the road. It must have been to report to Ah Shui that Cui Liming had entered the attack zone. He muttered: "It really was a meticulously planned conspiracy!"

Wen Di nodded and said: "Yes. What followed was that Cui Liming crossed the road, and Ah Shui suddenly accelerated and rushed over at a speed of over 100 kilometers per hour, with no headlights on and without honking the horn."

"Cui Liming heard the noise and was stunned for a moment. He was hit squarely, flipped several times in the air, and landed heavily more than a dozen meters away, dying on the spot."

"Ah Shui braked the car, got out, walked back to look at the body, and then fled. The BMW appeared again at an intersection in the north of the city, where a Camry was parked. Ah Shui got into the Camry and drove off. That intersection was less than a kilometer away from the highway."

"At eight o'clock the next morning, Ah Shun took the two lackeys and drove that BMW to the traffic police station to surrender, claiming that his brother had been driving under the influence and hit someone, that he had tried to persuade him to turn himself in but his brother wouldn't listen, and that after they parted ways, he couldn't reach Ah Shui anymore."

Zhang Huaijing's tense body relaxed slightly. He leaned back in his chair, his expression cold.

"My senior brother showed me some internal documents. Cui Liming was hit at 3:11 AM. Thirty minutes later, a passerby discovered him and called the police. The cameras near the intersection were all broken, but the camera at the intersection itself was functioning normally and happened to capture the footage of the car speeding over and hitting Cui Liming," Wen Di said.

"The traffic police's first on-site inspection showed that the car suddenly accelerated from an idle state to a high speed of 110 kilometers per hour. About five or six minutes after the accident, the rain stopped, so the skid marks and tire tracks left behind were quite clear. They showed a sudden acceleration straight towards the victim, with no signs of braking or slowing down. In short, that was not the reaction one would expect from an experienced driver driving under the influence."

Zhang Huaijing's anger flared up, and he secretly suppressed his grief and indignation as he asked: "Is this reliable?"

"Reliable. My senior brother used internal connections to obtain some police surveillance footage, interrogation records, case files, etc. He pulled several all-nighters, conducted interviews and investigations, and compiled the information to reach this conclusion," Wen Di said. "The problem is that the Public Security Bureau and the traffic police are in collusion with the perpetrator, so after a hasty investigation, they concluded it was an accidental traffic incident caused by drunk driving, and the perpetrator, having fled, has never been caught."

The County Magistrate, the Police Chief, and the Magistrate's son along with his underworld gang formed a closed loop for committing murder.

Zhang Huaijing asked: "Is there any news on Ah Shui?"

"Wang Meng is investigating. According to him, he's likely in Yuezhou. As soon as the situation eases up a little, this kind of person will come out and cause trouble. It's actually quite easy to catch him. It's just that you Haizhou police aren't willing to get serious about it," Wen Di said, feeling somewhat indignant. "Honestly, it's just too dark. The truth must be exposed, and the bad guys must be brought to justice!"

Zhang Huaijing sighed: "Ah Shui, Ah Shun, and Cui Liming had no grudges against each other and didn't even know one another. Why resort to such a vicious act?"

"They must have been instigated by someone," Wen Di deduced. "Based on the information you provided, I think the County Magistrate's son has sufficient motive and means. At the same time, he also has the ability to get the police and traffic police to help cover up his crime."

"You are absolutely right. So, regarding this, Di, do you have any good ideas?"

Wen Di's clever eyes twinkled as she said: "The Wanghai County Public Security Bureau cannot be trusted, and I feel your municipal bureau isn't reliable either. Therefore, have that person report it to the Provincial Department, and bring along the findings from Wang Meng's investigation and some evidence."

"The Police Inspection Corps of the Provincial Department is specifically responsible for reports and complaints regarding such underworld-related criminal cases. The deputy director in charge, Qi Hongyuan, is a man of integrity, decisive and tough. He is a deputy director at the department level, in charge of daily operations; the office, auditing, and petitions are all under his management. If he sees this case, he will definitely order the Criminal Investigation Corps to establish a special task force to investigate."

Zhang Huaijing nodded: "I know him; he has a good reputation and high prestige. However, will he personally handle such a small matter?"

"That's how he is; he handles everything personally, big or small, and sees it through to the end, especially in cases involving internal police corruption and criminal abuse of power." At this point, Wen Di stuck out her tongue and said, "To tell you the truth, my dad and he are close comrades-in-arms, and he often comes to our house for dinner. I know him quite well. He was the one who helped pull strings when I transferred to the municipal bureau for a civilian position."

"So there's that connection. You should have told me sooner."

"For these kinds of things, it's best not to use personal relationships if possible; handling it officially is best."

"Understood. In any case, I found the right person for this. Thank you, Di, you've helped me a lot." Zhang Huaijing raised his red wine glass.

Wen Di raised her glass as well, smiled sweetly, and said: "Actually, last week when I heard your introduction, I knew there was a backstory to this. I really wanted to investigate it myself, but I'm too far away and it's inconvenient for me to step forward. Wang Meng is the right person. Huaijing, I am a people's police officer, and I also have a heart that strives to uphold fairness and justice."

"Cheers!"

After finishing a glass of wine, Wen Di said: "The relevant evidence, materials, and so on—Wang Meng put together a file, and it's in my suitcase. I'll give it to you before I leave. Have that person go and report it."

The key question was, who was "that person"? Zhang Huaijing felt a bit troubled in his heart.