Chapter 42: A New Case
Chapter 42: Chapter 42: A New Case
Liu Qin quickly brought the detailed files on the three companies to Yang Wenqing’s desk, then clocked out and left. In the blink of an eye, Yang Wenqing was the only one left in the office.
He skimmed through the files for all three companies before singling out the one for Zhenyuan Mining. The company was located in the Port District, and one of its warehouses wasn’t far from the pier where Chen Dayong’s body was discovered.
The company’s legal representative was Wang Zhenhai, a fifty-eight-year-old native of Qianjiao County. According to the branch office’s records, he had started out in the stone business in the Port District when he was young, eventually growing it into the mining company it was today.
Wang Zhenhai had only one son, Wang Lei, who was thirty-two and currently the company’s general manager. The file noted that he was in constant contact with a deputy director in the general affairs department of the County Civil Affairs Bureau.
More interestingly, the County Inspectorate had opened investigations into Wang Lei twice, but both cases had come to nothing. The County Inspectorate was similar to the City Defense System’s Internal Affairs Inspection and, like the Court, was independent of the Civil Affairs Bureau, granting it the authority to oversee all Civil Affairs Bureau officials.
The deputy director from the County Civil Affairs Bureau’s general affairs department, who kept in touch with Wang Lei, was named Zhou Cheng. He was forty-five years old. His file showed he had entered the Civil Affairs Bureau system through the standard examinations and had been working in the general affairs department for nearly twenty years. His main responsibility was the preliminary review of certain commercial and industrial applications in the Port District.
It was a critical position. Many business applications involving the Port District had to pass his preliminary review before moving on to the next stage.
Yang Wenqing’s gaze darted back and forth between Zhou Cheng’s and Wang Lei’s names.
The general affairs department here was far more than the simple office of scribes Yang Wenqing remembered from his past. Its duties included assisting the county magistrate in managing the county’s agriculture, lumber mills, aquatic products, education, personnel archives, water conservancy, and commercial trade.
Under normal circumstances, the City Defense Bureau’s authority was lower than that of the Civil Affairs Bureau, and they had no power to investigate its officials. Every official with a formal rank possessed a seal-badge from the United Council, which fused with their consciousness the moment they entered the Civil Affairs Bureau.
The United Council was an alliance of the Wanxuan Nation’s cultivation systems. They established the nation’s system of order, electing five Cabinet members every twelve years. From among these Cabinet members, a Chief Minister was chosen to govern the vast country.
The City Defense System held a permanent seat in the Cabinet, second only to the Chief Minister, but was barred from holding the position of Chief Minister itself. This was a convention established since the founding of the United Council.
It was worth noting that the county’s City Defense Bureau branch also had quotas for the United Council, though typically one needed to reach at least the rank of police commissioner to be eligible to run. The Civil Affairs Bureau was different. As long as an official was ranked, they automatically gained membership in the United Council. This was because the bureaucratic system was enormous, and many low-level officials often died under mysterious circumstances.
Later, the Cabinet gathered hundreds of great Cultivators in the capital to build a national altar. They used the faith of the masses to protect low-level officials and steadily raised their status and position. Then, the authority of the City Defense Bureau was gradually separated, transforming what were once military fortresses into the vibrant commercial and residential cities of today, which finally brought stability to society.
In summary, Yang Wenqing couldn’t investigate their relationship, and he would have to be extremely careful when looking into Zhenyuan Mining.
As for the other two companies, he didn’t have the energy to spare. He would have to rule out this one first.
After making his decision, Yang Wenqing didn’t act immediately. He carefully locked the files in his drawer, gathered his things, and left work.
Back home in Dongning Community, he made a simple dinner. Afterward, he wrote a letter home explaining the matter of the recommendation quota. Once the letter was finished, he sat in meditation as usual, circulating the Nine Refining Secret Skill to advance his progress in the Second Refinement, ’Skin Like a Drum.’ After his cultivation, he nurtured his shortsword and inscribed the day’s quota of Rune paper.
The next morning, Yang Wenqing mailed the letter home before heading to the branch office. When he entered his office, no one else had arrived yet. Looking at the quiet room, he truly felt that his team was far too lazy.
He had just sat down at his desk when a frantic pulse of Spiritual Power emanated from the badge on his chest. A message from the dispatch center sounded directly in his mind:
"Sergeant Yang Wenqing, urgent bulletin. A Cultivator riot has occurred in Fuan Community, West City District. Five deaths have been confirmed so far. Please proceed to the scene immediately to handle the situation!"
Yang Wenqing’s brows furrowed slightly. According to standard procedure, the dispatch center shouldn’t be contacting him directly unless the case was extremely urgent. Just then, he saw Wu Yan walk into the office.
"Old Wu, grab your gear! We’re heading to a scene!" Yang Wenqing said succinctly, simultaneously checking his Type 1 military pistol before inserting it into his shoulder holster.
"Yes, sir!" Wu Yan didn’t hesitate.
A moment later, the two boarded the old "Wind-Walker B" Flying Shuttle. Wu Yan skillfully activated the Array. As the Flying Shuttle was leaving the branch office, another communication came in from the dispatch center: "Sergeant Yang Wenqing, the situation on-site is a bit complicated. The Operations Division will send two combat teams to reinforce you."
"Understood!"
Yang Wenqing nodded in acknowledgment, but suddenly felt something was wrong. He didn’t hesitate and immediately tried to contact Vice Director Gao.
"Stop the shuttle!"
Yang Wenqing’s voice was loud.
Wu Yan seemed startled and instinctively brought the Flying Shuttle to a halt.
The connection to Vice Director Gao went through, but he explicitly rejected the call. This meant he was currently tied up with someone, and such an unhesitating rejection was clearly a warning.
Suddenly, Yang Wenqing remembered being reprimanded in the director’s office when the Port District submerged corpse case was botched. Combined with the fact that the Third Squad had accomplished almost nothing this past month, there was definitely something wrong with this case he was suddenly being assigned to.
Even more critically, the West City Public Security Office was the director’s own territory. Although he might be in a tight spot at the moment, causing trouble for someone like Yang Wenqing would be as easy as lifting a finger.
’Is all this necessary? I’m just a nobody...’
Yang Wenqing gave a bitter smile inwardly, but on the surface, he remained calm and composed. His gaze fell on Wu Yan beside him. He recalled Wu Yan’s file, and a flurry of ideas flashed through his mind in an instant. Then he said, "Old Wu, go to the East City Public Security Office. Find Xiao Liang, the captain of the Second Squad, and tell him to find Wang’s Office. Tell Wang’s Office about my case here."
He was already getting out of the Flying Shuttle as he spoke.
Hearing Yang Wenqing’s command, a flicker of confusion crossed Wu Yan’s eyes, but his long-ingrained habit of obedience kept him from asking questions. He simply nodded gravely and said, "Captain, be careful."
Then, he turned the Flying Shuttle around and sped off toward East City.
Yang Wenqing, meanwhile, straightened his collar and began walking unhurriedly toward Fuan Community in West City. He stuck to the main road, his pace steady, as if he were just on a routine patrol.
About five minutes later, a low hum echoed from the street corner ahead. Two Flying Shuttles, painted with the City Defense Bureau’s insignia and clearly a faster model than the Wind-Walker B, approached rapidly in a near-combat formation and stopped precisely in front of Yang Wenqing.
The shuttle doors slid open. Six fully armed members of the Operations Division jumped out of the first shuttle. The man in the lead was tall and stern-faced, dressed in a form-fitting combat uniform. His shoulder insignia showed he held the rank of sergeant.
Yang Wenqing recognized him. It was Zhou Yong, captain of the Operations Division’s Third Squad—the very person Director Zhang Qiming had tried to shove into the Major Case Team!
At that moment, Yang Wenqing was certain his suspicions were correct.