thefictionvixens Chapter 45 Only magic can defeat magic
Chapter 45 Only magic can defeat magic
As Hou Liangping walked out of the city's Public Security Bureau, he felt a chill run down his spine.
The briefing on Ding Yizhen in my hand felt light, yet like a red-hot branding iron.
He glanced back at the imposing office building. The setting sun cast a blood-red hue on the glass curtain wall, making it resemble a giant beast's eye, coldly watching the ant that had intruded into its territory.
"Qi Tongwei..."
Hou Liangping gritted his teeth, suppressing the inexplicable chill.
Admitting that his old classmate was better than him was more painful than death. But he had to admit that just now, he felt like a naive young man who hadn't even graduated yet, holding a wooden sword and about to slay a dragon, while Qi Tongwei was already sitting on the dragon's back, even thoughtfully handing him a dragon-slaying guide.
This feeling of being completely crushed is really frustrating.
"Okay, if you want to play chess, I'll play with you."
Hou Liangping opened the car door and slammed his briefcase onto the passenger seat, as if venting some kind of emotion.
"I refuse to believe that you can really cover the sky in Handong with one hand!"
With its engine roaring, the black Passat, like an angry bull, charged into the congested traffic of Jingzhou.
……
At the same time, at the top level of the municipal bureau.
Qi Tongwei stood in front of the floor-to-ceiling window, an unlit cigarette between his fingers.
From the perspective of "insight into people's hearts," Hou Liangping's car was like a firefly emitting red light, plunging headlong into an endless dark forest.
"Director Qi, the technical investigation team is in position."
Chen Hai pushed open the door and entered, looking somewhat nervous. This was a secret surveillance operation targeting the deputy mayor; if it were leaked, it would be a catastrophe.
"Tell them."
Qi Tongwei turned around, his voice as calm as if he were discussing what to have for dinner, "Just bring your eyes and ears, don't bring your mouth, and definitely don't bring your hands."
"I want all of Ding Yizhen's call records and whereabouts, even details like how many sheets of toilet paper he used in the bathroom."
"but--"
Qi Tongwei's gaze instantly sharpened like a knife, causing Chen Hai to instinctively straighten his back.
"You absolutely must not alert him. Even if he's committing murder and arson right under your nose, you must remain silent."
"Do you understand?"
"Yes!" Chen Hai saluted and turned to leave.
The door closed.
Qi Tongwei brought the cigarette to his nose and smelled it, a playful smile curving his lips.
In his previous life, Ding Yizhen was like a slippery eel, swaggering onto a flight to the United States five minutes before the arrest operation began.
That mysterious phone call, that "ghost" who tipped them off.
In that lifetime, Qi Tongwei never saw that face clearly until his death.
In this life, he not only wants to see things clearly, but also wants to personally tear off that mask.
"Don't let me down, my... teacher."
……
For the next three days, the officialdom of Jingzhou felt like it had been thrown into a meat grinder.
Hou Liangping has gone mad.
He wielded the imperial sword, using his privileges as an "imperial envoy" to the fullest extent. He investigated accounts, sealed off areas, and questioned officials, causing chaos and disorder wherever he went.
He's not investigating a case; he's frying fish.
This haphazard yet exceptionally fierce fighting style did indeed throw some people off balance.
Shanshui Manor, Golf Course.
"Snapped!"
An expensive crystal goblet was smashed hard onto the grass, sending shards flying.
Zhao Ruilong was so angry that his face was trembling, and his sinister eyes were bloodshot.
"Is this monkey out of its mind? It's clinging to Ding Yizhen and won't let go; does it want to die?"
He paced back and forth like a raging wild beast trapped in a cage. "If Ding Yizhen vomits, none of us will escape! Even my brother-in-law will be implicated!"
Gao Xiaoqin sat under a parasol, holding a grape in her hand, but hesitated to put it in her mouth.
"Brother Long, how about... we let Old Ding go into hiding for a while?"
"Hide?" Zhao Ruilong whirled around, his eyes fierce. "There are eyes everywhere. Where can he hide? Unless…"
He made a throat-slitting gesture.
Gao Xiaoqin's hand trembled, and the grapes rolled to the ground.
……
The Provincial Party Committee compound, Building No. 1, family quarters.
Gao Yuliang is pruning his favorite Podocarpus macrophyllus.
"Click."
The cut was off-center.
The decorative branch that was originally intended to be kept was cut off at the base.
Gao Yuliang stared at the cut, remaining silent for a long time before slowly putting down the scissors.
"It's all in chaos, complete chaos."
He took off his glasses and rubbed his throbbing temples.
Hou Liangping's knife was supposed to be used to strike Qi Tongwei, so why is it being used to cut flesh off his own body now?
Ding Yizhen cannot fall. At least not now.
He picked up the red secure phone on the table, his finger hovering over the buttons, but he hesitated to press them.
Call Hou Liangping? That would be like protesting too much.
Who should we call?
Qi Tongwei's cold and stern face suddenly flashed into my mind.
This kid... has been too quiet lately.
It was as calm as the sea before a storm, unfathomable.
"Could it be..." Gao Yuliang's heart skipped a beat, a chill running from his tailbone to the top of his head, "...that he was behind all of this?"
If that's the case, then this student who used to be so obsequious to him has probably reached a level of monstrous cunning and scheming.
……
The storm finally arrived on the fourth night.
The night was dark and the wind was high.
A dead-end road under construction in the suburbs of Jingzhou.
The streetlights were half broken, flickering like will-o'-the-wisps.
Hou Liangping was driving his Passat at a slow pace, but his mind was in turmoil. Ding Yizhen's accounts were too perfect, like an iron barrel; he had been scrutinizing them for three days without even managing to pry open a crack.
Just as I was getting impatient, two blinding beams of light suddenly appeared at the fork in the road ahead!
Those are modified xenon headlights, so bright they can blind someone instantly!
"boom--!"
Then came the deafening roar of the engine, like a steel behemoth bursting out of hell.
A heavy truck loaded with construction waste was driving against traffic, accelerating, and without any sign of braking, it crashed straight into the driver's cab of the Passat!
That was pure, naked killing intent!
"Grass!"
Hou Liangping's pupils shrank to the size of pinpoints, and his blood froze instantly.
When life hangs in the balance, instinct takes over the body.
He suddenly turned the steering wheel all the way to the right and slammed the accelerator to the floor!
"squeak--!!!"
The tires screeched violently against the ground, and a burnt smell instantly filled the air.
The Passat swerved like a drunkard, narrowly avoiding a head-on collision.
"Bang!"
The dump truck scraped hard against the side of the Passat, sending sparks flying!
Immediately following was a loud bang as the Passat went out of control and crashed into the concrete guardrail on the side of the road. The airbags deployed with a "bang" and slammed hard into Hou Liangping's face.
The world fell silent in that instant.
The tinnitus sound was sharp and piercing.
Hou Liangping gasped for breath, his nostrils filled with the smell of blood and gunpowder. He touched his face with trembling hands; it was covered in cold sweat.
Even just 0.1 seconds later.
He turned into a pile of minced meat.
The dump truck didn't stop at all, not even its taillights turned on, and disappeared into the night like a ghost.
This was not an accident.
This is a warning.
It was a death notice from the dark depths of Handong.
"Ring ring—"
Just then, the cell phone that had fallen under the passenger seat suddenly rang.
In the dead of night, the ringing of the bell sounded like a death knell.
Hou Liangping struggled to pick up his phone, and the name flashing on the screen made his pupils contract again.
Qi Tongwei.
connected.
There were no pleasantries, no idle chatter.
"Alive?"
Qi Tongwei's voice was frighteningly calm, even carrying a hint of indifference that he had already anticipated.
"I...I'm fine..." Hou Liangping's voice trembled, it was physiological fear that he couldn't control at all.
"The license plate number is Han A-XXXXX, it's a fake plate. The driver is called 'Old Third,' and he just received 500,000 yuan in cash half an hour ago."
Qi Tongwei spoke as if reciting a pre-written script, "I've already had Qin Chuan detain the person; they're on their way to the border."
Hou Liangping's knuckles turned white as he gripped his phone, and he breathed rapidly.
It turns out that his every move, even the murder itself, was under Qi Tongwei's surveillance.
"Ryohei."
Qi Tongwei's voice deepened, carrying an undeniable sense of oppression.
"In the capital, you are the one who wields the sword; you must abide by the rules and procedures."
"But in Handong, in this jungle."
"Only magic can defeat magic."
"Procedural justice may not save your life, but it can."
beep...beep...beep...
The phone hangs up.
Hou Liangping slumped in the deformed driver's seat, looking at the pitch-black night outside the window, and suddenly laughed.
His smile looked worse than his tears.
This lesson was really lively.
……
The next morning.
Enlarged meeting of the Standing Committee of the Hantong Provincial Party Committee.
The atmosphere was as oppressive as a volcano about to erupt.
Sha Ruijin sat at the head of the table, his face ashen. He slammed his teacup heavily on the table with a loud bang, startling the bureau chiefs at the back.
"Outrageous! Utterly outrageous!"
Sha Ruijin's voice wasn't loud, but it carried a chilling intensity: "A comrade from the Supreme People's Procuratorate was almost killed by a dump truck while handling a case in Handong? What kind of situation is this? This is a declaration of war against Party discipline and national law! It's a slap in the face to our Handong Provincial Party Committee!"
He surveyed the surroundings with a gaze as sharp as a knife, and no one dared to meet his eyes.
"Investigate! No matter who's involved, no matter how powerful their background, investigate to the end!"
It was at this meeting that an arrest warrant, jointly supervised by the Supreme People's Procuratorate and the Provincial Party Committee, was stamped with a red seal.
Target: Ding Yizhen.
Operation time: 8 PM that evening.
……
7 PM.
There was one hour left before the operation began.
The Municipal Public Security Bureau, three underground floors, top-secret monitoring room.
Qi Tongwei sat alone in front of the huge display screen. The screen's pale blue light reflected off his face, flickering and making him look like an emotionless statue.
On the screen, a red dot is flashing inside the Jingzhou Municipal Government building.
That was Ding Yizhen.
"Still not moving...?"
Qi Tongwei tapped his fingers lightly on the table, making a rhythmic "tap, tap" sound.
The system interface flickered slightly on his retina.
[Key plot point detected: Ding Yizhen's escape.]
[Dignity value assessment in progress...]
Just then.
In the surveillance footage, Ding Yizhen's phone suddenly lit up.
An encrypted number originating from overseas.
At the same time, on another device in front of Qi Tongwei, the waveform was fluctuating violently, capturing this top-secret call.
"Feed?" Ding Yizhen's voice trembled slightly, clearly indicating that he had also sensed danger.
A voice, processed by a voice changer, came through the receiver; it was hoarse, rough, and carried an air of superior indifference.
"Yi-jin, you've been exposed."
Seven simple words, yet they struck like a thunderbolt.
"Wh...what?" Ding Yizhen's wine glass wobbled, and red wine spilled onto his white shirt, looking like blood.
"The arrest warrant has been signed, and there's one hour left."
The voice continued, speaking quickly yet clearly, "Go downstairs, get in a black Passat, license plate ending in 666. Go to the airport, use the VIP lane, someone will be there to meet you."
"Where to?" Ding Yizhen asked, trembling.
"USA."
The voice paused, then chuckled eerily, "That's the air of freedom, perfect for you."
"Remember, don't look back. Looking back means death."
beep……
The phone hangs up.
On the screen, the red dot representing Ding Yizhen began to move.
They were very fast, heading straight downstairs.
Qi Tongwei looked at the red dot as if he were looking at a mouse desperately trying to escape a mousetrap.
He did not order the arrest.
He simply leaned back in his chair, a cold, cruel smile playing on his lips.
"Finally... I caught you."
He pressed a red button, which was the encrypted dedicated line to Qin Chuan.
"The net is broken, the fish are out."
"Prepare to close the net."