Chapter 52

After cleaning up, Hu Ying took Yunnan Baiyao from home and went upstairs. She tore off the bandage and wrapped Liu Handong, circling his shoulder and body several times, and finally tied a bow.

Liu Handong took the safety pill from the Yunnan Baiyao and felt much better. He picked up his phone and sent a text to Ma Ling: "I got injured, but it's not serious. I'm lying at home."

Soon, the phone rang. Liu Handong braced himself for Ma Ling's scolding, but when he picked up, it was a long-distance call from the United States.

"Hello, is this Xiaofan?"

"Brother, it's me... I'm sorry, because of Xia Zhou, I got you fired from your job..." Shu Fan's voice, despite the vast Pacific Ocean, was so clear, as if she were whispering beside him.

"It's okay, I didn't want to do it anyway. Don't worry about me, everything is fine," Liu Handong reassured her. Shu Fan was kind-hearted and must have felt very guilty about this.

Hu Ying, standing nearby, shouted, "What's fine? You got stabbed in the back and hit on the head, and you're saying it's fine? They almost beat you to death!"

Liu Handong covered the mouthpiece and scolded her, "What are you talking about? Don't let her hear."

Hu Ying said, "I want her to hear. Which of your good sisters is this? Does Ling Sister know?"

Liu Handong walked to the balcony with his phone, deciding to avoid the confrontation.

Shu Fan's voice was tense, "Brother, what happened? Are you hurt? Are you in the hospital?"

Liu Handong said, "Just a minor injury, it's bandaged up, I'm fine."

The phone beeped, indicating an incoming call.

"Alright, I have another call, I'll talk to you later." Liu Handong hung up on Shu Fan and answered Ma Ling's call.

"Are you trying to get yourself killed? Fighting all the time! Where are you hurt? Is it serious?" Ma Ling scolded him.

"I'm fine, Hu Ying bandaged me up."

"With her skills, you should go to the hospital right away! I'm driving, I'll talk to you later!" Ma Ling's voice was fiery, making Liu Handong's eardrums hurt.

"Understood," Liu Handong replied, and the call was already hung up.

"Got scolded by Ling Sister, didn't you? Serves you right," Hu Ying laughed, showing no intention of leaving. Her white skin between her tank top and low-rise pants was blinding.

Liu Handong turned his face away.

...

At a hospital in the suburbs, a black Land Cruiser was parked at the far end of the parking lot, taking up two spaces. The four men inside the emergency room were being treated: one with a broken bone from a car accident, one with a broken wrist, one with a knife wound in the stomach, and the least injured had multiple bruises.

They cursed and smoked, filling the emergency room with cigarette smoke. The doctors and nurses dared not intervene, as these four men were tough and intimidating.

"Damn it, we need to find him and cripple him!" one of them said angrily.

"Jiao Brother said to send over 20,000 yuan, 5,000 for each of us," the leader said.

"Brother Cao, just 5,000? That's like giving money to beggars?" another man complained.

Brother Cao's face darkened, "This 5,000 is for you to have a drink. Jiao Brother is a big shot, he wouldn't treat you badly."

Everyone nodded in agreement.

Brother Cao took out a hundred yuan and called out, "Nurse, come here, go buy me some pickled chicken feet, peanuts, and two bottles of white wine."

A young male doctor approached, "Sir, no smoking or drinking in the ward."

"Fuck you!" Brother Cao slapped the doctor, sending his glasses flying.

The other medical staff were silent, retreating and reporting to the hospital security, who immediately called 110.

Soon, a police car arrived at the hospital. As it passed the parking lot, the police, out of habit, glanced at the black SUV, recognizing the license plate as one the command center had requested to intercept.

The police immediately reported to the command center, which confirmed it was the right vehicle.

The 110 officers, following the command center's instructions, did not act rashly but instead worked with the hospital security to cordon off the area and evacuate the crowd.

The men in the emergency room were still unaware of the impending danger, continuing to brag and chat.

Fifteen minutes later, four large black SUVs arrived at the hospital, marked with "SWAT." Twenty fully armed SWAT officers, wearing helmets and carrying shields and submachine guns, formed a combat formation and surrounded the area. Two Iveco police vans parked outside, and a group of armed police with 07 rifles began to provide security.

The provincial police department had explicitly stated that this was an extremely serious assassination attempt on a high-ranking official, and the criminals were extremely dangerous and possibly armed. They must be treated with the utmost seriousness and not taken lightly.

The men were still smoking and chatting when a cylindrical object was thrown into the room. Brother Cao looked down and nearly wet himself.

"Shit! A grenade!"

The object thrown in was not a grenade but a flashbang.

The flashbang exploded, and the emergency room was like a miniature atomic bomb had gone off. The intense light temporarily blinded everyone, and the loud explosion made their ears ring and their minds go blank, almost losing their sight and hearing.

The SWAT team quickly stormed in, pinning the criminals to the ground, immobilizing them with their hands and feet. They quickly put black hoods on the four men, handcuffed them, and carried them out in pairs. Brother Cao, dazed, felt his feet leave the ground as he was dragged along.

"What's going on? I just asked the nurse to buy some chicken feet and white wine," Brother Cao felt more wronged than Dou'e.

The four criminals were loaded into police cars and quickly taken to the provincial police department's second division for separate interrogations by criminal experts. The results were obtained with minimal effort.

The confession was immediately sent to Song Jianfeng's desk. The case was simple: Jiao Shihong, from the Transportation Department, had hired these men to intercept the three young men's car to find out who was targeting Director Jiao. The details were provided by the Shuidu Hotel.

"Should we immediately arrest Jiao Shihong?" Secretary Shen asked.

Shen Hongyi reminded his leader that Jiao Shihong's position was special. He was a section-level official in the Transportation Department with real power and was rumored to be about to be promoted to deputy department level. Moreover, the forces behind him were not simple, and touching him could have far-reaching consequences.

Song Jianfeng had his own considerations. Normally, he would choose to gather evidence of Jiao Shihong's corruption and let the disciplinary committee handle him. However, this time was different. Jiao Shihong had attempted to harm his daughter, and whether it was intentional or not, this was a red line that could not be crossed.

"Immediately arrest Jiao Shihong on charges of hiring a hitman to commit murder," Song Jianfeng was determined to bring Jiao Shihong down. He would start with a major charge and then follow up with other aspects, but the decisive factor would be Jiao Shihong's economic crimes. How many of the leaders in the Transportation Department had clean hands? A simple touch would reveal a hand full of dirt.

...

At this moment, Jiao Shihong was unaware of the danger approaching. He walked out of the Transportation Department building with his hands behind his back, got into a Land Rover, and drove away. The provincial party committee and government had instructed that leaders should set an example by not using large-displacement official cars. To show his low profile, Director Jiao rarely used his Audi and instead used the Land Rover, which, though more expensive, was considered a public service vehicle for grassroots work, not a personal car, and others could not criticize it.

"Pigs have been released from the pen," a man in a plainclothes car in the parking lot said into a hidden radio microphone.

The Land Rover drove toward the gate. The gatekeeper saluted and pressed the button, and the electric gate slowly opened. Just as the Land Rover was about to proceed, two cars suddenly rushed out from the road, screeching to a halt and blocking the Land Rover.

The driver slammed on the brakes, and Director Jiao, who had been resting with his eyes closed, nearly fell out.

"What are you doing!" the driver shouted angrily, jumping out of the Land Rover and demanding an explanation.

Six detectives, wearing police vests and holding guns in one hand and police IDs in the other, quickly approached and pinned the terrified driver to the car. One of them opened the door and showed an arrest warrant, "Jiao Shihong! You are under arrest."

Jiao Shihong was confused but quickly realized that his worst fears had come true. However, it was not the disciplinary committee but the police who had come for him.

Trembling, he signed the arrest warrant and was handcuffed and taken away in a police car. The entire process took no more than three minutes and was captured by the cameras at the entrance of the Transportation Department.

The news spread quickly: Jiao Shihong from the Construction Management Office had been arrested! He was taken away by detectives right at the entrance of the Transportation Department. This caused a stir among the leadership, who feared being implicated.

Jiao Shihong was taken to the interrogation room of the provincial police department's second division and left alone for about an hour. The police had plenty of experience dealing with corrupt officials, who were either extremely bold and lawless or extremely timid and would spill the beans without much pressure.

During this hour, Song Jianfeng received many calls, including pleas for leniency, inquiries, and dinner invitations. He could imagine the upheaval in the Jiangdong political scene. Although Jiao Shihong was only a section-level official, the scope and number of people involved were more extensive and numerous than he had imagined.

Secretary Shen blocked all the irrelevant calls, but some were unavoidable, such as the call from Jin Mudust, the mayor of Jinjiang and a member of the provincial party committee.

Mayor Jin called and, after some pleasantries, said, "Old Song, you've put me in a difficult position."

Song Jianfeng replied, "Mayor Jin, what are you talking about? We in the Public Security Department are here to support you. How could we put you in a difficult position?"

Jin Mudust laughed heartily, "Here's the thing. I'm in charge of the city-wide road expansion and renovation project, and the Transportation Department is responsible for the implementation. Jiao Shihong is in charge of the specific work. He has some capabilities. You should have informed me before arresting him so I could arrange for someone to take over. Now everything is in chaos, and my phone is ringing off the hook, hahaha."

Song Jianfeng said, "It happened suddenly. I didn't plan to move against him."

Jin Mudust said, "Old Song, what kind of mistake did Jiao Shihong make? Give me a hint so I can plan the next steps."

Song Jianfeng said, "He attempted to hire a hitman to commit murder. My daughter is still in the hospital."

Jin Mudust was silent for a moment, then said firmly, "We must firmly and strictly punish such criminals. Anyone who pleads for leniency will be dealt with first. Old Song, I support you!"

Song Jianfeng put down the phone and rubbed his temples. He knew Jin Mudust had profited from the road project, and Jiao Shihong was his man. Mentioning his daughter in the hospital was to shut his mouth and deter those who might plead for leniency through Mayor Jin.

After all, as the head of the provincial police department and a vice-provincial-level leader, if he couldn't protect his own daughter or deal with a section-level official, he would lose all credibility.