Chapter 34

Li Ming flipped through the documents in his hand, feeling increasingly chilled to the bone. The dirty deeds he had done, which he thought no one knew about, were all listed out, even more clearly than he himself remembered.

Gu Chengyuan snorted coldly and said, "Li Ming, as the chief of the Longcheng Linjiang police station, during your tenure, you have repeatedly abused your power for personal gain and violated the law! To help your brother-in-law Wang Chao deal with his competitors, you have unjustly sealed multiple construction material companies on several occasions. You have also received bribes from various sources, totaling over five million yuan, which you laundered through Wang Chao's construction company! Three years ago, you raped a female college student and later gathered a group of idle people to threaten her, preventing her from reporting the crime. Six months ago, you led a violent raid that resulted in one death and three serious injuries. Two months ago... Li Ming! Each of these crimes is backed by solid evidence. Not only will you lose your position, but these crimes alone could land you a minimum of twenty years in prison!"

"Finished..."

Li Ming shook his head, muttering, feeling as if all his strength had been drained from him. He slowly slid to the ground, leaning against the wall. He raised his head, his eyes lifeless, and suddenly, as if he had lost his mind, he lunged at Gu Chengyuan, grabbing his pant leg and shouting, "Why? Why are you suddenly investigating me? What is this all about!"

"Bang!"

Gu Chengyuan kicked Li Ming to the side and then bent down, whispering in Li Ming's ear, "I could have turned a blind eye to you, but who made you offend my benefactor?"

"Benefactor?"

Hearing this, Li Ming was initially stunned, then suddenly remembered something. He struggled to crawl to the door of the interrogation room, and Lin Fan happened to be walking out. Li Ming craned his neck to stare at Lin Fan, his face full of disbelief: "You? Who are you!"

At this moment, Li Ming was still in a daze. He couldn't understand how this shabbily dressed young man could be connected to the city bureau chief, and how the city bureau chief himself would personally come to the station to protect him, even exposing all his dirty deeds! What was this all about!

"Chief Li, do you remember what I said to you when you had me arrested?" Lin Fan stood at the door of the interrogation room, holding Qiqi, looking down at Li Ming from above and said calmly, "Don't think that just because you are the chief of the police station, you can twist the truth and cover up your crimes! The truth cannot be distorted by you, and the sky cannot be covered by you!"

Hearing Lin Fan's words, Li Ming punched the ground hard, feeling a deep sense of regret. If he hadn't gone to Jiangnan Waterfront, hadn't arrested Lin Fan, and hadn't taken personal revenge, he would still be the secure chief of the police station, living a carefree life.

But there was no such thing as a regret pill, and no "ifs" in this world. It was too late.

Li Ming felt as if all his strength had been drained from him, and he collapsed on the ground, dispirited.

"Take him away, and the one inside too." Gu Chengyuan waved his hand casually, as if swatting a fly, giving the order.

The former police officers, who had bullied people under Li Ming's command, were now afraid of being implicated. When they heard Gu Chengyuan's order, they immediately sprang into action, dragging the limp Li Ming away. Two others entered the interrogation room to carry Li Dongmei.

When the two police officers went to carry Li Dongmei, she had just woken up, and the effects of the Heavenly Soul Capture Technique had worn off. She regained her senses and, upon seeing Lin Fan holding Qiqi at the door of the interrogation room, immediately became agitated, demanding that the police officers arrest him. However, the police officers ignored her and carried her out of the interrogation room without hesitation.

Li Dongmei was dragged away, screaming and thrashing all the way.

Soon, only Gu Chengyuan, Lin Fan, and Qiqi were left at the door of the interrogation room.

Gu Chengyuan looked at Lin Fan, smiled, and extended his right hand, saying, "You must be Lin Fan, I'm Gu Chengyuan."

Lin Fan extended his right hand and shook Gu Chengyuan's, nodding and smiling, "Hello, Chief Gu."

Gu Chengyuan glanced at Lin Fan a few times and asked, "Are you okay? Did they mistreat you?"

Lin Fan said calmly, "I'm fine, thank you, Chief Gu."

"Don't be too formal." Gu Chengyuan waved his hand carelessly and then said seriously, "Meijuan is my sister. This time, you helped cure her illness, which has fulfilled one of my wishes. I should be the one thanking you."

"I see." Lin Fan nodded, maintaining a respectful but not overly humble demeanor, "I have a good rapport with Brother Zhang, so there's no need for formalities."

Gu Chengyuan nodded in approval, thinking to himself that this young man was indeed extraordinary. If an ordinary person had the opportunity to make the city bureau chief owe them a favor, they would be boasting about it. But Lin Fan showed no signs of pride or arrogance, which made him a good young man. No wonder Zhang Haitian was so attentive to him.

What Gu Chengyuan didn't know was that the reason Lin Fan remained so calm was that, in his mind, a mere city bureau chief was not a significant figure. As a cultivator, he viewed secular power as no different from that of an ordinary person, regardless of their status or power.

No matter how brilliant and beautiful one may be, in the end, they are just a pile of bones; no matter how great and powerful one may be, in the end, they will turn to dust.

Lin Fan, having come from the cultivation world, would not be content with just a few decades of life. What he sought was immortality, the freedom to roam the universe, not just for himself but also for the little one in his arms, and perhaps for others he cared about.

Gu Chengyuan laughed heartily and said, "Since you call Hai Tian 'Brother Zhang,' don't be formal with me. I'm a few years older than you, so calling me 'Brother Gu' shouldn't be a problem, right?"

Gu Chengyuan, a former military man, had a straightforward and unpretentious personality, which Lin Fan appreciated. So, without being overly formal, Lin Fan nodded and said, "Brother Gu, I won't be formal."

"Ha ha, Brother Lin, I'm a straightforward person, and I really like you, ha ha ha." Gu Chengyuan patted Lin Fan's shoulder and laughed.

At this moment, the mischievous Qiqi blinked her big, watery eyes and looked at Gu Chengyuan with caution, saying in a childlike voice, "Uncle, you can't like Daddy, only Mommy can like Daddy."

"Ha ha ha..."

Hearing the innocent and naive words of the child, both Gu Chengyuan and Lin Fan laughed.

"Buzz----Ring!"

At this moment, Gu Chengyuan's phone rang. He took it out, glanced at it, and answered the call. As soon as he answered, he heard Zhang Haitian's anxious voice through the receiver:

"Brother, how is Brother Lin's situation?"

"Look, my brother-in-law is worried." Gu Chengyuan glanced at Lin Fan and smiled, then said into the phone, "Don't worry, Li Ming is just a small-time chief. How much trouble can he cause? I'm here personally, and if anything happens to Brother Lin, I might as well quit my job."

"Phew, that's a relief." Zhang Haitian clearly sighed in relief.

"Since I'm here, what else do you have to worry about?" Gu Chengyuan said jokingly, then looked at Lin Fan and asked, "Brother Lin, shall we go to my brother-in-law's place?"

"Sure." Lin Fan nodded. Zhang Haitian had previously invited him to his home, but he had declined to avoid causing trouble. This time, he felt he owed Zhang Haitian a favor, so he should go and thank him in person.

"Great, let's go then." Gu Chengyuan smiled, said a few words to Zhang Haitian, and hung up the phone. He and Lin Fan left the police station and drove to the Tianshui Xiangquan villa.