Chapter 19

"Hey, it's Director Ren. What big case are you handling that requires such a large force? Are you interrogating a suspect?"

A middle-aged police officer with three stars on his shoulder, just like Ren Yuanpeng, walked over with a smile on his face.

"Old Liang, we just caught a few arson suspects. Not only did they refuse to confess, but they even openly attacked the police in the station!"

Ren Yuanpeng explained. The Old Liang he mentioned was the deputy director of the bureau. Before Ren Yuanpeng was transferred to the county bureau, Old Liang was the recognized successor to the director. However, after Ren Yuanpeng's arrival, Old Liang wisely withdrew from the competition. He usually smiled at Ren Yuanpeng, so Ren didn't take him seriously.

"Attacking the police, that's outrageous! I want to see who has the nerve to do such a thing!"

Old Liang looked shocked and glanced into the interrogation room. When his gaze fell on Mo Yongxing, a strange expression flashed across his face. After a long pause, he said, "These young guys dared to attack the police?"

"Who said we attacked the police? The police acted without investigating and tried to rough us up. Besides, we are just suspects. Why can't we even make a phone call?"

Qin Yu didn't care about the officer's background; this was a good opportunity, and he couldn't let Ren Yuanpeng pin all the blame on them.

"Director Ren, these people are just suspects, no evidence?"

Old Liang seemed very surprised, which annoyed Ren Yuanpeng. Police investigations often didn't require much evidence, and Old Liang should know this. Why was he acting this way?

"Since it's just an investigation, they should be allowed to make phone calls, right?"

Old Liang's tone changed, and all the police officers looked at him in shock. What was Old Liang up to? Couldn't he see that these people were targets of Ren Yuanpeng? There was no reason for this.

Ren Yuanpeng was also puzzled. What was Old Liang up to today? He usually smiled at him in the bureau, acting like a good old man. Why did it feel like he was trying to undermine him?

"Hmph, even if there's no evidence for the arson, the attack on the police is real. That's enough to charge them."

Ren Yuanpeng decided that once he became the police chief, he would sideline Old Liang. What he didn't realize was that Old Liang was already challenging his position, and the people in front of him were his chips, specifically Mo Yongxing.

"About the attack on the police, there needs to be evidence. Why don't we check the surveillance footage?"

Old Liang smiled, knowing he had no choice but to go all in. If he couldn't bring down Ren Yuanpeng this time, he would have no say in the bureau.

The tricks in the interrogation room were well-known to him after years as a police officer. Sometimes, the cameras were turned off during interrogations. He was sure Ren Yuanpeng had used some underhanded methods and hadn't turned on the cameras.

"Old Liang, what do you mean?"

If Ren Yuanpeng couldn't see that Old Liang was openly challenging him, he wouldn't have made it to deputy director. Although he didn't understand why Old Liang was doing this, he suspected it had something to do with the people inside.

"Don't waste time at the door. Give me my phone!"

Mo Yongxing also noticed the tension between Old Liang and Ren Yuanpeng and shouted directly.

"Here are your phones!"

A police officer heard the voice, pushed through the crowd, and quickly handed the three phones to Qin Yu and the others.

"Wang Ming, what are you doing? Do you have any sense of discipline? How can you just give them their phones?"

The police officer who brought the phones was none other than the squad leader, Wang Ming. He turned around, a fake smile on his face. Seeing Ren Yuanpeng's dark expression, he gritted his teeth and said, "Director Ren, they are just suspects. According to the rules, they can make phone calls if there's no evidence."

Wang Ming was also betting his future on this. If he succeeded, Old Liang would rise, and he would advance with him. If he failed, he would face Ren Yuanpeng's wrath.

Sigh!

Old Liang's move was unexpected and shocking. The police officers present realized that this wasn't a coincidence. The two most powerful deputy directors in the bureau were finally in open conflict.

However, everyone was puzzled about why Old Liang chose this moment. It was clear that the three inside had attacked the police. Even if Ren Yuanpeng had acted without evidence, trying to protect the attackers would be difficult.

"Old Liang, you're really something!"

Ren Yuanpeng said to Old Liang with a sinister tone, "I don't know what made you jump out, but the fact that these three attacked the police is clear. You need the ability to save them."

"Hmph!"

Old Liang snorted and ignored Ren Yuanpeng. His eyes were fixed on Mo Yongxing's hand holding the phone. He and Wang Ming had secretly checked Mo Yongxing's call history and found a call to the city bureau director's office.

"Call the big boss quickly!"

At this moment, both Old Liang and Wang Ming were staring intently at Mo Yongxing, their hearts racing.

"Hello, is this Secretary Wang? Yes, it's me. Where am I? I'm at the police station. They arrested me as an arson suspect and charged me with attacking the police... Okay, I'll wait for you."

Mo Yongxing hadn't made his call yet, but Qin Yu had already reached Secretary Wang. After the call, Secretary Wang didn't dare to delay and immediately reported to the county magistrate. Qin Yu was a guest of the county magistrate and was helping with the ancestral tomb. If he was upset, he might leave, which would be disastrous.

"How is Zhang Gengliang, the police chief, doing his job? Qin Master just came out of Tongba Mountain, how could he be involved in an arson case! Delay the next meeting, go to the police station with me, and call Zhang Gengliang."

Hao Jianguo, the county magistrate, was also furious after hearing the report. Qin Yu had been busy with the ancestral tomb for several days. Now, he was arrested by the police station. How could he explain this to Qin Yu? He immediately left the office building, and the Audi driver had already started the car. Hao Jianguo got in, and the car sped towards the police station.

"Secretary Wang?"

Qin Yu didn't lower his voice when he made the call, and all the police officers heard it clearly. However, Mo Yongxing understood the most. He knew about Qin Yu's recent work on the county magistrate's ancestral tomb and who Qin Yu was calling.

Thinking about this, Mo Yongxing didn't rush to make the call. Instead, he looked around the room with interest, but no one noticed him. Everyone was wondering who Secretary Wang was.

After the public attack on the police, daring to make a phone call openly, if he wasn't a fool, it meant that Secretary Wang had significant influence. Old Liang and Ren Yuanpeng's minds were the quickest, and they began to recall the names of secretaries in the county.

"Could it be Director Wang, the secretary of the county magistrate?"

Old Liang's pupils contracted. He had been in the county for a long time and knew more about the county's leadership than Ren Yuanpeng. He quickly realized that the only influential Wang secretary in the county was this one. Considering Qin Yu's direct call to Secretary Wang, this person must be related to the county magistrate. Otherwise, he would be called Director Wang or Secretary Wang.

"That makes sense. They are all so young and can be together, so they must have significant backgrounds."

Old Liang thought about the "big boss" number on Mo Yongxing's phone. His smile grew wider. The county magistrate alone would be enough to give Ren Yuanpeng a hard time, and with the big boss, his chances of winning were even higher.

Ren Yuanpeng's reaction was only a moment slower than Old Liang's. His face darkened as he thought, "No wonder Old Liang dared to challenge me. It turns out this young man has the county magistrate's backing. This case is going to be difficult to handle."

However, Ren Yuanpeng wasn't too worried. The police system had its special nature. Although local leaders had jurisdiction, the city bureau leaders ultimately controlled their fate. Besides, he had the support of the county party secretary, who was not on good terms with the county magistrate. If the secretary found out he was dealing with the county magistrate's people, he might secretly reward him.

"What are you all standing here for? Is this a market?"

Shortly after Qin Yu's call, a stern voice echoed. A middle-aged police officer with graying hair walked over, his tone unfriendly. The police officers gathered at the interrogation room door quickly dispersed. This was the county police chief, Zhang Gengliang.

"Chief Zhang!"

Ren Yuanpeng and Old Liang called out simultaneously, but Zhang Gengliang ignored them and walked straight into the interrogation room, asking, "Who is Qin Yu?"

"I am Qin Yu. Who are you?"

Qin Yu was puzzled. He didn't recognize this police officer, but he seemed to be of high rank.

"I am the chief of the county police bureau!"

After hearing Qin Yu's response, Zhang Gengliang smiled and quickly walked to Qin Yu, extending his hands to shake Qin Yu's, but he noticed that Qin Yu's hands were cuffed.

"What's going on? Who put the handcuffs on him?"

Zhang Gengliang turned and glared at the police officers at the door. One of them hurriedly handed over the key, and Zhang Gengliang personally unlocked Qin Yu's handcuffs, smiling and saying, "Mr. Qin, I'm sorry. There must be some misunderstanding."

As a chief, personally unlocking handcuffs and smiling, Zhang Gengliang was inwardly cursing. He had to smooth things over for Ren Yuanpeng's mess. The county magistrate had called him and scolded him without saying a word. Zhang Gengliang, as a chief, was criticized without knowing what was happening. Where could he go to complain?

After unlocking Qin Yu's handcuffs, Zhang Gengliang went to Ah Long. Ah Long glanced at Qin Yu, who nodded, and then extended his hands to be uncuffed. However, when Zhang Gengliang approached Mo Yongxing, he was rebuffed. Mo Yongxing ignored him and said with a sneer, "Don't unlock my cuffs. This lock isn't that easy to open. I won't let this go until I get a proper resolution!"