Chapter 30: The Qian Family's Measures
The two younger brothers of the Fat Man were still brimming with excitement when a middle-aged man emerged from the second-floor staircase. The man scanned his surroundings with a quick glance and proceeded straight into a nearby room. The two Fat Men, having each found new acquaintances, made their way separately to two guest rooms.
...
Heyue City Criminal Investigation Division.
Every time they saw Ma Cheng at this hour, the younger members of the Third Squad couldn’t help but feel a sense of helplessness. There was simply no way around it—their captain was a workaholic to a fault.
“Bring that guy out for me. I want to interrogate him again.”
It was the weekend, and in truth, only two squad members were on duty at the time. Upon hearing Ma Cheng’s order, one of them sprang into action without hesitation. Without another word, Ma Cheng quickly entered the interrogation room, leaving the two duty officers to exchange glances.
“Our captain truly lives up to his reputation as a workaholic. It’s the weekend and he’s still insisting on an interrogation,” one of the young men muttered, shaking his head in resignation.
“Well,” his companion replied with a sigh, “we lost a second-rank martial artist from our squad during the recent pursuit of those cultists. The incident even came to Captain Mo’s attention in the First Squad.”
“I imagine the captain isn’t taking it well these days.”
His companion spoke softly, “But before I joined the Third Squad, I heard something about the captain’s family...”
At this, the other quickly lowered his voice. “Don’t ever mention that in front of the captain. His wife and daughter—those bastards from the cult were the reason they died in that conflict three years ago. Ever since then, the captain has harbored a deep hatred for cultists. Now, with the loss of a comrade, I’m sure he’s been deeply shaken.”
The two sat in the office, chatting quietly.
...
Inside the interrogation room.
“Still not ready to talk?”
Ma Cheng took a deep drag from his cigarette, his eyes fixed intently on the cultist seated before him. The man shook his head helplessly. “Brother, I swear, you’ve seen me more times this week than you’ve seen your own wife. You know exactly what kind of small fry I am—do you really think I’d know anything else?”
At those words, Ma Cheng’s bloodshot eyes shot up, a sharp pain stabbing through his heart. Seeing his reaction, the cultist grew a little fearful himself. But Ma Cheng quickly mastered his emotions, his voice once more calm.
“Let me give you a reminder.”
“Heyue City No. 6 High School—”
The cultist’s pupils contracted sharply.
“You... how did you know...?”
...
Changping Village.
Upon learning that Zhang Ze would arrive tonight, the Blind Man led a group to Erlong’s residence. It’s worth mentioning that after the previous fire, Chen Family Village had been all but razed. As a result, the Blind Man had brought the villagers from Chen Family Village to temporarily settle in Changping. Now, the young men from Chen Family Village often trained together with those of Changping.
With the roar of an engine gradually fading, Zhang Ze and Wang Chao stepped out of the car.
“So, you’re Zhang Ze?”
The middle-aged man was truly imposing—though he wasn’t quite two meters tall, he must have been at least one meter ninety. And though he was known as the Blind Man, both of Chen Fugui’s eyes were very much intact. His burly arm landed heavily on Zhang Ze’s shoulder; even with Zhang Ze’s impressive physique, he felt a considerable weight of pressure.
“That’s me.”
Erlong, standing by, hastened to smooth things over. “Why don’t we all go inside and talk?”
As soon as everyone was inside, the Blind Man spoke up, “I like the way you handle things, kid. Erlong has told me about your proposal. As for the pills, I have no objections. Chen Family Village, and some neighboring villages as well, will all take their supply from you.”
They had barely sat down when Zhang Ze heard these words, and couldn’t help but feel a surge of delight.
“Hah! You old Blind Man,” Erlong shook his head with a laugh. Then, looking at Zhang Ze and Wang Chao, his voice grew serious. “The Blind Man’s right. Including Changping, every village we can mobilize will get their pills from you.”
Zhang Ze was about to reply when Erlong raised his hand to interrupt him.
“But there’s something you should know. The Qian family has already noticed something odd about the pills. Since we broke with the Lin family, Jia Yao—the one who used to supply us—has come to visit both of our villages several times.”
Hearing this, Zhang Ze fell silent.
...
Mengyang County.
“Miss, there’s news,” Uncle Wen reported respectfully at Qian Xiaoyun’s side. She looked up from the pile of documents before her.
“Those boys went to the countryside?”
“Yes,” he replied. “Jia Yao sent word—Zhang Ze and Wang Chao just arrived at Changping Village. It’s highly likely they’re there to discuss the pills with Erlong and the Blind Man.”
Gently setting her documents aside, Qian Xiaoyun was quiet for a moment, then asked, “Uncle Wen, the strongest among them is just a second-rank martial artist. Where are they getting their pills? If they’re supplying Erlong and the others, the quantity must be significant.”
Her question left Uncle Wen in silence as well.
“Could it be something from the neighboring province?” she wondered. “There’s been some movement with Star Gate in Nanhe Province, and their supply of pill ingredients has improved...”
Uncle Wen ventured a guess, but Qian Xiaoyun shook her head. Though she was just nineteen, she had been managing the family’s pill business for quite some time.
“In my view, it’s unlikely to be from Nanhe Province. Unlike Anqing, their pharmaceutical companies there operate with distributed shares and the controlling shareholder rotates annually. No one would dare extend their reach into Anqing Province...”
Her analysis seemed to bring them back to where they started. Unbidden, images of Zhang Ze, Liu Fatty, and the others floated into her mind.
As the two pondered in silence, Fifth Uncle entered.
“Miss—at the press conference earlier, that reporter Feng Xu was killed.”
“Killed?” Qian Xiaoyun was taken aback. “He was just a reporter—who could he have crossed? Could it have been an enemy seeking revenge?”
Fifth Uncle shook his head slightly and replied in a low voice, “We don’t have close ties with the Investigation Division, so there’s no way to confirm anything else at this stage.”
“Any movement from Lin Ziwei?”
Though she was suspicious, Qian Xiaoyun was reluctant to draw any conclusions.
“Since the Heyue City incident, Lin Ziwei has seldom appeared at the Investigation Division. Most matters are handled directly by Luan Yuan.”
Even the usually silent Uncle Wen couldn’t help but chuckle at that. “That Luan Yuan really has become the Lin family’s most loyal retainer.”
Qian Xiaoyun shook her head, unable to make sense of the situation for the moment. “Have Jia Yao sound out Zhang Ze and the others—see what kind of scale they’re operating. And maintain active contact with the Nanhe Province press. After all, Huang Xu was attending our press conference.”
“Understood.”