Huo Tingzhou nodded, "Tonight they have one last batch of goods to transport to Sheshan Commune. By my estimate, they should be about to return to the city now."
"Wait, let me think this through."
Director Hu ran through all the details in his mind before speaking frankly.
"You should know that our Military Commission doesn't have the authority to conduct raids or enforce the law. Even if we take people there now, if Director Qi blocks us from entering, there's nothing we can do."
Most importantly, Director Qi was the top leader of the Red Committee.
Without concrete evidence, higher-ups would never approve any charges against him.
Huo Tingzhou had already considered this problem on the way here.
"We don’t need to go to Director Qi’s home. We just need to set up a checkpoint on the road to Sheshan and detain them along with their vehicle."
"Setting up a checkpoint isn’t a problem," Director Hu said.
However, after nearly two years of outmaneuvering each other, he knew the old fox’s tactics all too well.
"Let me tell you, unless we catch him red-handed, Director Qi will definitely find someone to take the fall for him—"
Before he could finish, the phone on the desk rang abruptly.
Director Hu picked up the receiver and answered, "Who is this?"
After a pause, he handed the receiver to Huo Tingzhou. "It’s the Public Security Bureau—they’re asking for you."
Director Hu was puzzled. Why would a call for Huo Tingzhou be directed to his office?
Huo Tingzhou listened briefly, said "Understood," and hung up.
The two men exchanged a glance, and Director Hu immediately grasped the meaning in his eyes.
Once everything was arranged, Director Hu looked at him with curiosity.
"The men have been deployed, and the checkpoint is set up as you requested. Now, stop keeping me in suspense—what exactly are you planning?"
Huo Tingzhou explained.
Truthfully, he hadn’t done much. Before coming here, he had first gone to the Public Security Bureau.
He had provided Deputy Director Li with the license plate number of the truck and the details of the operation.
After assessing the situation, Deputy Director Li immediately dispatched officers to the only road leading back to Hu City from Sheshan.
An hour ago, the truck had returned to Hu City.
Afterward, the group had gone to three locations.
One was an abandoned warehouse under the Red Committee’s jurisdiction.
The other two were private residences with standalone courtyards.
Huo Tingzhou said, "Deputy Director Li has already confirmed that both properties are registered under Director Qiao’s wife’s name."
"Additionally, during the unloading process, Director Qiao came out and spoke with the men."
"We don’t know exactly what was said, but Deputy Director Li managed to photograph their conversation."
Hearing this, Director Hu slammed the table in excitement. "This guy is good!"
But then he frowned. "If Deputy Director Li already had men there and caught them in the act, why didn’t they make the arrest?"
Huo Tingzhou pressed his lips together. "You said it yourself—this man is a crafty old fox. If Deputy Director Li had confronted him then and there, don’t you think Director Qi would’ve claimed he was just relocating the goods to a new warehouse?"
Director Hu thought about it. "You’re right. He absolutely would’ve done that."
According to regulations, all confiscated items under the Red Committee’s authority had to be registered and stored in designated warehouses on the same day.
Currently, the Red Committee managed seven warehouses and three secondhand markets.
As long as the goods remained within the city, Director Qi could indeed use this excuse to cover his tracks.
Huo Tingzhou had anticipated this, which was why he had specifically instructed Deputy Director Li before leaving.
For this operation, their only task was to gather evidence. The rest would be handled by the Military Commission.
Glancing at the time, Huo Tingzhou said, "Once that truck enters Sheshan’s jurisdiction, no amount of excuses will save Director Qi."
Director Hu nodded repeatedly. "Let’s go see for ourselves."
...
Unbeknownst to Qi Lei and his men, the Military Commission had already set up an inescapable trap near Sheshan Commune.
"Brother Lei, we can’t thank you enough!"
The man named Chen Dashan spoke with deep gratitude. "If it weren’t for you giving us this opportunity, we’d never have made this much money."
He never expected Director Qi to be so generous. Originally, they had agreed on three yuan per person per day.
But after settling accounts, Director Qi had given each of them an extra ten yuan!
On top of that, he had handed out two packs of premium-grade cigarettes to each of them.
Rumor had it that even the commune’s Party secretary wasn’t qualified to smoke these.
What an honor!
Thinking this, Chen Dashan quickly pulled out the cigarettes.
"Brother Lei, it’d be a waste for me to smoke these. You take them—consider it our way of showing appreciation."
"And if you’ve got more work like this in the future, don’t forget about us."
Qi Lei crossed his arms and replied lazily, "Noted."
Chen Dashan didn’t mind his dismissive tone. He patted the twenty-some yuan in his pocket, feeling completely at ease.
Just then, blinding headlights suddenly flashed ahead.
Qi Lei slammed on the brakes, barely stopping in time. "Damn it, who the hell is shining lights in my face at this hour?"
Before he could storm out of the car in anger, several uniformed soldiers approached and knocked on the window.
"Routine inspection. All of you, step out with your identification ready."
An ordinary person might’ve been terrified by this show of force, but Qi Lei had been at Director Qi’s side for nearly two years. He’d seen it all.
Hell, he’d even met high-ranking officials from Capital City.
A few soldiers in uniform thought they could order him around?
Rolling down the window, Qi Lei said coldly, "We’re from the Red Committee. We’re in a hurry to get back to Sheshan. If you’ve got business, come see our director tomorrow morning."
"Now, step aside and don’t waste our—"
Before he could finish, two soldiers swiftly yanked open the car door.
Qi Lei didn’t even have time to react before being pinned to the ground.
"What the hell are you doing? You dare lay hands on Red Committee personnel? Have you lost your minds? Get your superior here now!"
Qi Lei thrashed and shouted, but the soldiers gave him no chance to speak further. They hauled him straight into the back of a military vehicle.
With Qi Lei taken away, the others in the truck didn’t dare resist.
One by one, they all stepped out.
In less than half an hour, the operation was successfully completed.
However, everyone involved knew the real challenge wasn’t the arrest—it was the interrogation and confrontation that would follow.
Director Hu rubbed his aching back, looking ready to work straight through till dawn.
Suddenly remembering something, he turned to Huo Tingzhou. "Aren’t you supposed to return to Qiongzhou Island tomorrow morning? You don’t need to stick around for the rest. I’ll call you once we have results."
Huo Tingzhou was silent for a moment. "Since I’m already here, a little longer won’t make a difference."
Director Hu didn’t respond, just gave him a sidelong glance.
There were many things he didn’t know about Huo Tingzhou, but one thing was certain:
When it came to certain matters, Huo Tingzhou never compromised.
There was just one thing—if anyone dared to lay a finger on his wife, all rationality would vanish from this man’s mind.
"Fine, have it your way."
As soon as Director Hu finished speaking, Huo Tingzhou handed him a document.
"What’s this?"
"Shen Xiuwen’s confession."
Director Hu wasn’t illiterate; of course, he knew it was a confession. "I’m asking why you’re giving this to me."
Hearing this, Huo Tingzhou lifted his gaze, his tone calm and measured.
"During the four months Shen Xiuwen was detained, the Red Committee took over a dozen crates of belongings from him."
"In cash alone, it amounted to more than ten thousand yuan—all of it was the fixed interest originally granted to the Jiang Family by the state, their legitimate income."
"Now that the Jiang Family’s class status has been officially classified as 'red capitalists,' shouldn’t these items and the money be returned to them?"
Director Hu’s expression shifted to one of understanding. He should’ve known.
This guy was only sticking around because of his wife’s affairs.
