Yang Xiao spent the afternoon alone in his office when suddenly the telephone inside rang; it was Nalan Shuo calling, asking him to co to the office.
After Yang Xiao arrived, he found Nalan Shuo holding a brush, practicing calligraphy. The room was filled with the fragrance of ink. Seeing Yang Xiao co in, Nalan Shuo put down the brush, wiped his hands with a damp cloth, then gestured for him to sit down before pulling out a cigarette and lighting it.
"You went to see Xi nxiu?"
"I did," answered Yang Xiao.
"What did he say?"
"He’s just being stubborn, but deep down he still understands your good intentions, Chief. He just can’t co to terms with it right now," Yang Xiao replied calmly.
Hearing this, Nalan Shuo took a deep breath and slowly exhaled, "Xi nxiu has a close relationship with Zhi Jie, and the fact that he would co argue with on Zhi Jie’s behalf, to be honest, I am quite moved. Personal relationships are politics, and politics is the human heart. Those who don’t understand personal relationships don’t deserve to be my brothers," Nalan Shuo said.
"The Chief’s words are very true. Although Xi nxiu tends to act impulsively, his loyalty to friends is beyond question, and the sa goes for Beibei and the others," nodded Yang Xiao.
"Everyone’s quite emotional about , aren’t they?" Nalan Shuo asked casually.
Yang Xiao hesitated for a mont, then shook his head, "No."
"It doesn’t matter if they are. Authority trumps everything else," Nalan Shuo gave Yang Xiao a look, then instructed, "Go release Xi nxiu. Don’t say it was my order. This incident should serve as a lesson for him. Inside the bureau, he can do as he pleases without anyone holding him accountable, but once he steps out of the Lin’an Patrol Bureau, there will be no one to protect him."
Yang Xiao took his leave, but whatever Nalan Shuo said to him, nothing could stop what he had to do. Pang Cai had to die.
Having stood up and taken two steps, Yang Xiao glanced over at the desk out of habit. There were two long pieces of paper laid out, precisely a pair of couplets, written with dynamic strokes, each character exuding skill, slashing and thrusting like blades and spears, the ink not yet dry.
The first line: Good and evil will eventually be repaid.
The second line: The just path in life is ever-changing.
This was the first ti Yang Xiao had seen Nalan Shuo writing with a brush, and he didn’t expect that Nalan Shuo’s calligraphy would be so majestic and powerful.
Fourteen characters written by one person sohow conveyed the feeling of a vast and mighty army.
In the evening, Yang Xiao received a reply from Fu Qingzhu. The two agreed to et at the usual place at 8 o’clock.
After they t, Fu Qingzhu gestured for Yang Xiao to sit down and handed him a dossier, which naturally concerned Pang Cai. The dossier detailed all the evil deeds he had committed, one by one, each showing that this individual was a scoundrel who took advantage of his family’s power to commit acts of wrongdoing.
Fu Qingzhu took a sip of his drink, set down the glass, and said, "This guy is a downright scoundrel, a waste of a second-generation heir, with a bad reputation, cruel and cunning by nature. Many locals know about him."
Yang Xiao flipped through the dossier page by page, pausing when he reached a particular page. It ntioned that tonight at midnight, a masquerade ball would be held in a bar in Yun Qi City and that Pang Cai would be there.
"Is this information reliable?" Yang Xiao picked up the docunt, feeling sowhat doubtful. After all, the efficiency was too high—it had all been clarified in just one day.
He wasn’t worried about Fu Qingzhu hurting him; his concern lay with the source of the docunt.
"Rest assured, everything is true. This guy is very high-profile, and it’s easy to find information about him. This bar owns a share of his assets. This kind of party isn’t the first they have organized—it’s set up by a group of rich playboys. This Pang Cai is also one of the organizers. They invite many young girls over, and each girl has a number tag on her," Fu Qingzhu explained.
Upon hearing this, Yang Xiao frowned, "What is this, so kind of selection process for concubines?"
"Pretty much, I guess. It’s definitely not clean, but to each their own. Being chosen by these rich kids might also be seen as a shortcut. After the party starts, only those with an invitation can enter. They have bodyguards guarding the door, not receiving any unfamiliar n that night," replied Fu Qingzhu, clearly knowledgeable about the intelligence in the report.
Yang Xiao took out his phone to check the ti. It was already past 8, and he was afraid it was too late to go now. Missing this opportunity would truly be a pity.
Fu Qingzhu was extrely astute and imdiately saw what Yang Xiao was thinking. He laughed, "Are you thinking of heading over there right now?"
"Yes, I have a score to settle with him," Yang Xiao got straight to the point.
"No problem, there is a plane at the airport that takes off in 1 hour. You can definitely make it if you go now," said Fu Qingzhu.
Shaking his head, Yang Xiao declined, "No, the plane would require identity checks and leave behind evidence of my identity."
"It won’t. This is a private plane, owned by an aquaculture boss who wants to ingratiate himself with . I’ve already notified him in advance to arrange a trip to Yun Qi City. You’ll go through a special channel and won’t leave any traces. Get what you need to be done and then fly back. If all goes well, we can still be sitting here drinking tomorrow," Fu Qingzhu said with a smile.
With that said, Yang Xiao no longer objected and got up to leave. Fu Qingzhu also stood up, picking up his windbreaker from the back of the chair, which confused Yang Xiao. He stopped in his tracks, "What are you doing?"
"I’m coming with you," said Fu Qingzhu naturally.
"I appreciate the thought, but I can handle this myself. Besides, you’ve just settled into your position, and there’s still a lot you need to deal with," Yang Xiao advised.
"Your business is the most important. Another helper wouldn’t hurt."
However, at Yang Xiao’s insistence, Fu Qingzhu gave up the idea. He reminded Yang Xiao that while the bodyguards around Pang Cai were not too remarkable, he must still be careful. Yun Qi City was not Rongcheng; it was a proper first-tier city with complex and intertwined powers. So large families there had more say than the Patrol Defense Office or the United Federation Chamber of Comrce. They were the true local snakes.
Yang Xiao called a car and headed straight to the airport. Half an hour later, he was smoothly on the plane. At 11:30, the plane landed smoothly. Following the information Fu Qingzhu gave him, he easily found the bar.
Enchanted Night.
Looking up, Yang Xiao saw the four characters written on the fancy billboard, flanked by big, eye-catching directional signs adorned with colored lights, outlining several ladies. As the lights flickered, the ladies changed into seductive dance poses.
In front of the bar stood four individuals in black suits. It wasn’t clear whether they were being professional or just trying to look cool, but each of them wore sunglasses and had a Bluetooth earpiece, appearing very cold, professional, and not to be trifled with.
Yang Xiao watched from across the street for a while and noticed many scantily-clad young girls entering the bar one after the other. Before they went in, they handed an invitation to the bouncers at the door. Only after verification were they let in.
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