Volume Four: Renowned Far and Wide Chapter 109: The Charges

The phone rang incessantly. The originally spacious police station was now packed with people. Han Zihua, seeing that the situation had spiraled beyond his expectations, took advantage of the chaos and slipped away unnoticed.

Tang Dongliang, the Chief of the Beihai City Police Department, held the power of life and death in his hands. Though it was well past office hours, he had rushed over immediately upon hearing of the incident.

"What is going on here?" Tang Dongliang asked, his face darkening at the sight of the noisy, chaotic scene.

"Chief, why are you here?"

"Hmph, if I hadn't come, I suspect this precinct would have been torn down." Tang Dongliang looked at the officers holding their service weapons, his expression stern. "Isn't there only one person inside?"

"Is such a massive show of force really necessary?"

Ma Hou heard this and nodded quickly. "Chief, you are absolutely right."

Just then, the door swung open. The tension in the room spiked again. Gao Jingjing walked out first, and everyone waited for the second person to appear.

Tang Dongliang let out a cold snort. "Ma Hou, tell your men to put their weapons down."

"Put your weapons down, all of you!"

"Heh, I must say, there are still some reasonable people in this police station. If I didn't see these uniforms, I would have thought I’d walked into a bandit's den!"

Qin Yang walked out with a smile, showing no fear—only nonchalance. He sat down on a chair and began playing a game on his phone.

"Enemy troops will reach the battlefield in one minute. Please prepare."

The sound from the game echoed in the room, creating a comical contrast. Given the presence of so many armed police, an ordinary person would have been paralyzed with fear, yet here he was, playing games with total composure. His nerves were extraordinary.

"Um, Jing Ping is still inside," Gao Jingjing said, her voice trembling as she faced the high-ranking officials.

Tang Dongliang stood still, silent. Since the man dared to stand there so openly, he clearly had something to rely on. There were likely many hidden complexities behind this affair.

Ma Hou had someone take Jing Ping to the hospital, then turned to Qin Yang. "A thug, an absolute thug! Chief Tang, shouldn't a person like this be severely punished?"

Hearing them discuss him, Qin Yang looked up with a smile. "Oh? And how exactly would you like to punish me?"

The question left Ma Hou speechless. The investigation wasn't complete, and he dared not speak recklessly for fear of offending the Chief. Yet, if he remained silent, he would appear cowardly in the face of such a criminal. He felt a throbbing headache coming on.

"Young man, what is your name?"

"Qin Yang."

Tang Dongliang did not recognize the name. Assuming the young man lacked any significant backing, he was just about to order Ma Hou to make an arrest when a roaring sound suddenly erupted from outside.

Wang Qiang and Gao Jingjing looked toward the windows and the sky. Was this a blockbuster movie? It surpassed anything Hollywood could produce.

Helicopters and armored vehicles swarmed the area, and armed soldiers quickly seized control of the scene.

Ma Hou was bewildered. They were all serving the country—what was this about? He had never heard of the military surrounding a police station; it would be the biggest joke of the century.

Ma Hou walked out. "Is there some mistake?"

At that moment, Yao Ji approached, dressed in black leather, looking at the crowd with a sneer. "There is no mistake. A Major General from our department was brought here without cause and subsequently lost contact."

A Major General?

Damn it, that was an incredibly high rank. If a Major General visited the police station, they would usually be treated with the utmost reverence.

Yao Ji had only learned of the honor their leader had bestowed upon Qin Yang after the incident occurred.

"Ahem, they are here for me." Finally finishing his game, Qin Yang looked at Yao Ji outside. "Yao Ji, couldn't you have come a little earlier? Look, they had their guns pointed at me."

"Sigh, I’m carrying state secrets. Do you think these people knew about that and came specifically to steal them? Betraying the country and selling information—that's treason."

His words caused everyone’s expression to change drastically. If that were true, everyone present, without exception, was doomed.

Wang Qiang’s eyes widened in shock, his heart churning. Was this really the "Third Brother" he knew?

The word "treason" echoed in their minds, pounding against their nerves. Tang Dongliang could no longer maintain his composure. He had only come to investigate a simple matter; if he were to be slapped with such a trumped-up charge, he would have nowhere to cry for justice.

"Young man—Major General, could there be a mistake?" Tang Dongliang asked, his face stiff.

"Ahem, just a joke. Don't take it seriously, please, don't take it seriously." Qin Yang waved his hand, his smile fading. "However, I feel that Jing Ping is very suspicious, as is Han Zihua. I hope you investigate thoroughly and provide me—no, provide my department—with an explanation."

"To be honest, my personal honor is trivial, but if my department is humiliated, someone will surely come to remove the hats of you officials."

*Hiss.*

Gao Jingjing and Wang Qiang stood beside Qin Yang, their faces filled with excitement.

"Oh, right, this young man is quite good and worth cultivating," Qin Yang said, patting Gao Jingjing on the shoulder and winking before calling Wang Qiang to walk outside.

Gao Jingjing’s face flushed red. He hadn't expected Qin Yang to put in a good word for him before leaving. This would bring him into the sight of Beihai’s elite, and for years to come, his career would be smooth sailing. In the depths of his heart, he would always be grateful to one person: the Major General named Qin Yang.

Propellers whirred as the helicopter took off.

The general public remained oblivious. The following day, the Beihai police claimed it had been an exercise, and the matter was put to rest. But Han Zihua and Jing Ping were in miserable straits; Han Zihua, in particular, had tried to flee home, only to be ruthlessly dragged back. He recalled Qin Yang's words and was filled with regret, but it was far too late.

At the Zhou family home, Zhou Ming asked his father to pull some strings and make inquiries, only to be told that the entire incident was top-secret. Zhou’s father was baffled. Wasn't it just a brawl? How had it become a classified affair? Was there something deeper hidden behind it?

"Zhou Ming, what kind of background does your classmate have? Even I am powerless here," his father said, shaking his head and heading upstairs, leaving his son alone in the living room.

Zhou Ming quickly grabbed his phone and called Wang Qiang.

"Zhou Ming, I'm in the sky right now. If you have something to say, say it fast! I'm busy!"

What the hell? They were in the sky and could still answer the phone?

"Boss, when did you die? Why are you answering the phone if you're dead? That's terrifying!"

Wang Qiang paused, realizing he hadn't explained himself clearly. "I'm not dead. I'm just looking at the view with Third Brother from a helicopter. I have to say, looking at Beihai from up here is quite nice."

Upon hearing that they were alive and well, Zhou Ming hung up the phone. Damn it, they didn't even bother to notify him when they were fine—didn't they know he was worried sick? He prepared to call back to give them a piece of his mind.

"The number you have dialed is currently out of service."

"Damn it!"

"This is ridiculous."

***

The helicopter landed in an open field. After Wang Qiang, Yao Ji, and Qin Yang disembarked, the chopper slowly lifted off and vanished into the night.

Wang Qiang patted Qin Yang on the shoulder. "Third Brother, what is going on? I thought you were off working in a mine, so how did you become a General?"

"Sigh, Boss, I was just messing with them. You actually believed that? These were just rented by my friends."

"Holy—"

"Is that true?" Wang Qiang’s eyes went wide. He couldn't believe his ears. If they were rented, then this was a massive disaster; he should probably run for his life. "Third Brother, if they find out, will they come to arrest us?"

*Cackle.*

Yao Ji laughed as she looked at Wang Qiang. "Don't worry. Qin Yang is indeed a Major General—that identity is beyond doubt. As for how he became one, that is a state secret, you understand."

"Understood. Don't ask what shouldn't be asked, don't listen to what shouldn't be heard, don't say what shouldn't be said. These are the old tropes from the TV shows," Wang Qiang said, standing at attention and looking dead serious at the breathtakingly beautiful Yao Ji.

He then leaned over to Qin Yang and whispered with a grin, "Third Brother, is this my sister-in-law? She's beautiful. You're a lucky man."

Yao Ji’s ears were sharp; despite Wang Qiang’s hushed tone, she heard every word. A faint blush touched her cheeks before vanishing.

"Hmph, don't talk nonsense. I brought her here for important business." Qin Yang turned to her. "Yao Ji, help me investigate the Guo family thoroughly. Gather evidence of their crimes and uncover everyone connected to them so they don't become an obstacle. After all, the Guo family is deeply rooted in Beihai."

"Also, I have already instructed Ye Mei'er and Gong Hai to move against the Guo family. Do not interfere or stop me. You've investigated me before; you should know a few things, so I won't say more."

He stared into the distance, his eyes cold. If it were only he who had been humiliated, it might not have mattered, but they had involved his boss's family. This grudge would be settled, no matter what.

Wang Qiang stood behind Qin Yang, his fists clenched, but he did not try to dissuade him. Two tracks of tears were clearly visible on his cheeks.