Bai Ming walked to the door, slightly dizzy from the sight of Han Lingfei's lieutenant general rank on his shoulder. Bai Ming recognized Han Lingfei immediately and, not daring to be negligent, quickly stood at attention and saluted, saying:
"Hello, Commander! I am Bai Ming, Deputy Director of the Beijing Public Security Bureau."
The difference in rank was too great. Bai Ming was merely a deputy director-general, while Han Lingfei was a deputy regional leader, a member of the Beijing Municipal Party Committee Standing Committee, and the sole military representative on that committee.
Han Lingfei nodded slightly and said:
"Director Bai, there is an officer from my garrison inside. Please take me in to see him!"
Although Han Lingfei didn't know exactly what had happened inside, seeing the scene, he knew it must be Xu Haoran and his gang causing trouble. Han Lingfei knew all too well the habits of spoiled brats from aristocratic families.
Moreover, Xu Haoran was a troublemaker who thrived on chaos, and with Liu Zhengyi from the Liu family added to the mix, it would be strange if the Changjie branch didn't turn the place upside down!
"This…" Bai Ming hesitated.
Although Han Lingfei was nominally a municipal party committee leader, his position was special—he was a representative of the military. Therefore, in matters not involving the military, Han Lingfei was essentially a figurehead, not in charge of any actual work.
If Han Lingfei were allowed in, and something went wrong, Bai Ming wouldn't have enough heads to lose. Bai Ming was acutely aware of the terrifying power of Han Lingfei and the Han family behind him.
Han Lingfei saw through Bai Ming's thoughts. He smiled slightly and said kindly,
"Director Bai, I've already called Secretary Weng of the Political and Legal Affairs Commission. He'll be here soon. Perhaps… you could call Secretary Weng to ask for instructions first?"
"Uh… no need, please, sir!" Upon hearing Han Lingfei's words and glancing at the two burly bodyguards beside Han Lingfei, Bai Ming quickly made a decision.
"Thank you, Director Bai!" Han Lingfei smiled and nodded, then turned to his secretary, Chen Xiuqi, and said, "Xiuqi, greet Secretary Weng at the door!"
"Yes, sir! Political Commissar!" Chen Xiuqi replied crisply.
"Sir, this way, please!" Bai Ming gestured for the police on both sides to clear the way, then personally led the way for Han Lingfei. ...
In interrogation room number two, Chen Yang heard hurried footsteps coming from the courtyard outside. He cautiously peeked out and saw three men in military uniforms led in by a policeman. They were some distance away, and Chen Yang couldn't make out their faces clearly.
Chen Yang glanced at Xu Haoran with some surprise and said,
"Haoran! The people you found are pretty efficient! They've arrived in just a few minutes… Oh! They're from the military! I have to say, you've got some nerve! Did you send an entire army over?"
Upon hearing this, Xu Haoran jumped up from his chair, wailing,
"Damn it! I didn't contact any military personnel, what's going on?"
Liu Zhengyi shrugged innocently and said,
"Don't look at me, I saw you make the call, I didn't contact anyone at all…"
Xu Haoran couldn't stay calm either. He quickly walked to the door and looked outside. What he saw almost made him jump up again. He shouted,
"Political Commissar Han… Holy crap! How did I alert him? Who the hell informed on me?"
"Political Commissar Han?" Chen Yang, hearing Xu Haoran's words, also had a thought and leaned over to look out the small window. Just then, the group arrived in front of the office building. Chen Yang recognized the leader as none other than his uncle, Han Lingfei, from this life. Seeing Han Lingfei, adorned with the rank of lieutenant general and surrounded by a retinue, Chen Yang's face showed a complex expression.
"What the hell is going on here?" Xu Haoran muttered under his breath, still looking puzzled.
Seeing this, Chen Yang laughed and said,
"Alright! Stop whining like a broken record! Get your spirits up and prepare to welcome our distinguished guests!"
Han Lingfei arrived at the building, his gaze casually glancing at the tall buildings opposite. He half-jokingly said to Bai Ming,
"Director Bai, I'll go tell them to open the door! Those who notified you, put down your guns! Those inside are the precious darlings of several powerful families. If you accidentally hurt them, you'll be in big trouble."
Bai Ming broke out in a cold sweat upon hearing this. When he saw Han Lingfei appear, he realized that the guys inside were probably quite influential; otherwise, they wouldn't have alarmed a leader of Han Lingfei's rank. But he never expected that those armed robbers were actually from several powerful families. This is troublesome…
Bai Ming didn't dare to be negligent. He picked up the walkie-talkie and issued the order:
"Attention everyone! This is Commander No. 1! No one is allowed to fire without my order! I repeat, no one is allowed to fire without my order!"
After saying that, Bai Ming personally picked up the megaphone and shouted into the building:
"Listen up, everyone inside. Political Commissar Han from the Beijing Garrison Command is coming to speak with you. Please do not fire. Open the door. I guarantee no one will harm you!"
After shouting twice, Bai Ming put down the megaphone and said to Han Lingfei:
"Commander, let me accompany you inside!"
Han Lingfei smiled and nodded, saying:
"Thank you, Director Bai."
Han Lingfei and Bai Ming, escorted by two highly vigilant guards, entered the Changjie Branch Office building. The interrogation room was on the first floor, and the four of them quickly turned into the corridor leading to the interrogation room.
Chen Yang smiled and said to Xu Haoran,
"Haoran, your superior is here. Open the door!"
Xu Haoran glared at Chen Yang and muttered,
"You'll get me killed sooner or later..."
Chen Yang couldn't help but laugh out loud. His gaze drifted intentionally or unintentionally towards the door. He was also a little curious about his uncle, whom he was about to meet.
Why did he know about this so quickly and rush to the scene? Did he even know my identity? Several questions arose in Chen Yang's mind.
A moment later, Han Lingfei's tall figure appeared at the interrogation room door. He and Bai Ming walked in one after the other, with two guards following closely behind, their wary eyes fixed on Chen Yang and his companions.
Liu Zhengyi had already lowered his gun. After Han Lingfei entered, Liu Zhengyi and Xu Haoran simultaneously stood at attention and shouted,
"Good morning, Commander!"
Because they were in civilian clothes, the two did not salute. Han Lingfei nodded expressionlessly and asked calmly,
"What happened?"
Although Han Lingfei didn't fly into a rage, his expression remained calm, and his tone was even quite gentle, Chen Yang and the others felt an immense, invisible pressure bearing down on them. Han Lingfei's mere presence exuded a powerful aura.
This was the authority cultivated by long-term high-ranking positions. The higher the rank of a leader, the more approachable and kind they are, often giving people a gentle, welcoming feeling, yet no one dared to underestimate them.
"This… Boss, let Chen Yang speak! He knows the whole story best!" Xu Haoran said, pointing at Chen Yang rather unceremoniously.
Upon hearing this, Han Lingfei turned his gaze to Chen Yang, his expression softening slightly. He said amiably,
"Your name is Chen Yang? Then you speak! Director Bai of the Beijing Public Security Bureau is here too. Speak freely about whatever's going on; I'm sure they will handle it impartially!"
Bai Ming could only manage an awkward dry laugh. He had been quite displeased upon entering and seeing Liao Yongchang, his face swollen like a pig's head, beaten by Chen Yang. After all, seeing his subordinate so badly beaten by these young men was a disgrace to him as their leader.
However, he dared not offend Han Lingfei, so he could only offer a noncommittal smile.
Chen Yang gave Han Lingfei a meaningful look, then pulled Su Jun in front of him and said in a composed but not servile manner:
"Distinguished leaders, this is a long story. Everything that happened tonight started because this young man was being extorted by some thugs..."
Chen Yang then recounted how Zheng Laoxi and his gang had staged an accident to extort money from Su Jun that evening. Of course, he wouldn't mention that he had overheard the phone call while in the restroom; he only said that he, Xu Haoran, and Liu Zhengyi had passed by the area after dinner and, seeing injustice, stepped in to help.
After finishing speaking, Chen Yang glanced at the dejected Liao Yongchang and continued:
"Originally, this wasn't a big deal, but what happened next was something I couldn't understand. We took Su Jun home, and before we even left, police officers from the Changjie Branch Public Security Bureau came to our door, saying we were suspected of intentional assault, and took us to the branch office. That's fine; assisting the police investigation is a citizen's duty! But when we got to the branch office, we realized that things weren't so simple..."
He paused here before continuing:
"As soon as we arrived at the branch office, we were assigned to four..." "I don't know about the other interrogation rooms, but I was in interrogation room number one, where Director Liao personally interrogated me. My first thought was that Zheng Laoxi and the others were making false accusations, and I also presented video evidence we had taken at the scene. Unexpectedly, Director Liao not only didn't stop the interrogation, but he also smashed my phone containing the video, and shouted that in the Changjie branch, he was the law! He even tried to torture me to extract a confession! I had no choice but to take action..."
"Director Bai! He's talking nonsense and making false accusations!" Liao Yongchang, now free from the threat of the gun, suddenly interrupted Chen Yang loudly.
Liao Yongchang knew that if he let Chen Yang continue, his situation would become increasingly passive. Therefore, he decided to play the victim, saying:
"Director Bai, this leader! Just now in the interrogation room, I was trying to reason with him, urging him to confess to the crime. Who knew he would suddenly smash his phone, then, taking advantage of my unpreparedness, violently attack the police, and finally even take me hostage..."