Cao Dabiao and others returned with the evidence and voluntarily delivered it to Yan Chen's office.
Possibly setting foot in the Bureau Chief's office for the first time, Cao Dabiao was visibly trembling.
As he placed the sealed evidence down, he almost knocked over Yan Chen's water glass.
But Yan Chen, in a good mood, didn't mind, and even encouraged Cao Dabiao with a few words after examining the evidence.
And Yan Chen, who had obtained evidence of Commissioner Qin's collusion with United Front and long-term provision of supplies and placements of spies for them, finally felt at ease....
He went to the inner office and solemnly locked the evidence in the safe, sealing it away.
Secretary Bai once again came to Yan Chen's office.
This time, he brought with him the second list of people arrested by the Security Department.
This time, although the number of people on the list had decreased compared to the first one, the quality was in no way inferior.
Out of the 12 people, there was 1 Commissioner, 2 Deputy Commissioners, and 9 Chiefs and Deputy Chiefs.
With the first batch, in just one short hour, the Security Department had arrested 33 middle and senior officials from the City Hall.
Especially that Commissioner.
After all, there were only seven Commissioners in City Hall, responsible for various works in Xinjie City. Theoretically, even the Investigation Bureau and the military had to be supervised and directed by these Commissioners.
But now.... one was directly arrested by the military! This was a blatant slap in the face of the Municipal Committee!
It was said that Commissioner Jiang from the Municipal Committee was furious, and personally called General Ye from the military to confront him!
But General Ye, known for his iron-fisted approach, showed no fear of Commissioner Jiang's threats. With a single remark, "The Security Department is a national security organ directly under Sanctuary with the authority to monitor and investigate officials at all levels," he effectively shut down the argument.
Rumor has it that Commissioner Jiang, in a fit of anger after the call, smashed his favorite antique porcelain vase in his office!
That was an antique from before the Cataclysm, with craftsmanship long lost. Each piece destroyed meant one less in the world, and its value was beyond measure.
Upon hearing about this, Yan Chen also laughed and smoked two cigarettes in a row, even offering one to Qiu Tu and specially permitting him to smoke in the office.
It was Ji Chen, who had once had a brief encounter with Qiu Tu, that came to the office this time.
He reported to Yan Chen a piece of explosive news: Director Dai of the Security Department had submitted evidence of Vice President Tian colluding with United Front and engaging in illegal activities to Sanctuary and had applied for a "special investigation warrant."
Just now, Sanctuary had responded to the request, agreeing to Director Dai's application and temporarily revoking the Peak Third-Level Medal previously awarded to Vice President Tian, stripping him of his immunity and the right to participate in and discuss politics.
The Security Department immediately took coercive measures against Vice President Tian. He has now been arrested and detained.
For Yan Chen, this news was neither particularly good nor bad.
However, the bigger the case was handled, the more spotlight the military would gain, the more likely it was to become a target for various powers.
And as the initiator of the case, the Investigation Bureau, always hiding behind the military, not only had protection from the military's presence but could also profit quietly—no matter how much credit the military took for this case, they had to share the spoils with the Investigation Bureau.
Such tactics also made Yan Chen once again increase his appreciation for Qiu Tu who had come up with the plan. And even Jia Shu, who had hinted at the plan, seemed more pleasing to the eye.
The rain continued to "pitter-patter" outside, and the tremors among Xinjie City's middle-rankings persisted.
At 8:30 p.m., Qiu Tu and Yan Chen left the Investigation Bureau together in a car, heading back to Yan Chen's Garden Villa in City Center Garden.
Perhaps due to the presence of Yan Chen and surrounding guards, no one attempted to assassinate Qiu Tu.
By 9 o'clock, the two arrived at Yan Chen's villa.
At 9:10 p.m., they got out of the car and entered Yan Chen's study.
Qiu Tu naturally boiled water for tea, attending to Yan Chen as attentively as a real assistant.
But.... just when everything seemed to be going smoothly.
Suddenly, a series of urgent knocks on the door rang out.
Yan Chen, who had been writing documents accompanied by the sound of the rain, "swoosh, swoosh, swoosh," was jolted from his thoughts.
He glanced at Qiu Tu standing by his side, already yawning with fatigue, and signaled to him.
Qiu Tu quickly stifled his yawn and hurried to open the ornate door of the study.
Standing outside was a very anxious Ji Chen.
Seeing the door open, he didn't even bother to greet Qiu Tu but rushed straight into the study, swiftly walking over to Yan Chen, bent down, and whispered a few words.
Hearing his words, Yan Chen, who had been busy writing, suddenly turned pale; a "snap!" was heard as the steel pen in his hand broke unintentionally!
But without caring about the pen, he looked up abruptly, his eyes furiously fixed on Qiu Tu, who was just closing the door!
In that instant, with his back to both men, Qiu Tu felt a dreadfully oppressive aura enveloping him, as if preyed upon by a massive beast, causing goosebumps all over his body and leaving him petrified!
The dark study was like a devouring monster with an open maw. The dim light of the desk lamp only illuminated a small area beneath the desk.
Yan Chen was seated in that spot, his hands smeared with black ink from the pen, his face as dark as the rain outside, motionlessly staring at Qiu Tu....
At that moment, Qiu Tu also became aware of the imminent danger. He dared not make any movements and could only slowly turn around, staring at Yan Chen with a face filled with shock and suspicion. Tentatively, he asked, "Director... what happened?"
Yan Chen was clearly infuriated by the message he had received. He slammed his hand on the table with a thunderous "Bang!" causing everything on the table to jump a few centimeters!
Then he glared at Qiu Tu and demanded, "Qiu Tu! What on earth is going on with the Security Department!"
Hearing Yan Chen's words, Qiu Tu deliberately put on a look of confusion and asked in puzzlement, "The Security Department? What happened with the Security Department?"
Seeing Qiu Tu's "feigned ignorance," Yan Chen took a deep breath to suppress the rage within him and then gestured to Ji Chen with a wave of his hand.
Ji Chen, expressionless, stood up and faced Qiu Tu, saying, "Chief Qiu, just a moment ago, the Security Department took Commissioner Qin away from the Qin Family."
"At the same time, they have deployed troops to seal off the entire Qin Family, prohibiting anyone from entering or exiting."
Upon hearing Ji Chen's words, Qiu Tu's heart remained perfectly calm, but his face displayed an expression of disbelief, "They took Commissioner Qin away?! Why?!"
"Is it because of the Yin Caimei case?"
Qiu Tu exclaimed in surprise, "But do they have any evidence? Without evidence, isn't this wrongful arrest?"
Seeing Qiu Tu's convincingly genuine expression, Yan Chen's face gradually softened, and he asked in a deep voice, "Do you really not know what this is about?"
Qiu Tu hastily shook his head and swore with his hands raised, "Director, I really have no idea what's going on!"
Yan Chen, upon hearing this, took a deep breath.
His demeanor was grave, his gaze penetrating as if he were making some sort of judgment.
After a moment, he picked up the desk phone and dialed a number.
Soon, the call connected and a somewhat sinister voice came from the other end, "Director Yan?"
Upon hearing this, Yan Chen replied with a forced smile, "It's me, Director Dai. I heard you've just taken Commissioner Qin away? And you've also sealed off the entire Qin Family?"
"May I ask for the reason?"
Hearing the conversation between the two, Qiu Tu immediately guessed that Yan Chen was calling Dai Yukang, the head of the Security Department, who was Qin Shuman's immediate superior.
Despite his title as "Director," Dai Yukang's position was of high rank. He held the military rank of Senior Colonel in the military, second only to General Ye as the second-in-command of the Xinjie City Military Department.
If placed within the Investigation Bureau, he would be at the position of the first Deputy Director. His status was even higher than that of Tang Feifei.
This was why Yan Chen would speak to him directly, and even why his tone was so nuanced.
As Qiu Tu thought this, Dai Yukang began to speak.
He stated in an indifferent tone, "Director Yan, if we dare to arrest an official of such a high level, it is certainly because we have conclusive evidence."
"However, since you've asked personally, I will speak frankly. The Qin Family is likely a nail planted in Xinjie City by the United Front. The United Front is not only the Qin Family's financial backer, having supported them to rise to prominence, but over the years, they have also been loyally serving the United Front."
"Much of Xinjie City's intelligence has been leaked by the Qin Family, and many spies from anti-government armed forces have been implanted by the Qin Family."
"We dared to act and arrest them because we have ample evidence. In fact, before making the arrest, I even wrote a report to the Sanctuary and obtained approval before proceeding."
Having said that, Dai Yukang paused for a moment, then added cautiously, "Director Yan, I know you have some personal ties with Commissioner Qin."
"But... I still need to remind you. This time, you may have misjudged the person."
After that, Director Dai found an excuse and hung up the phone.
After the call, Yan Chen didn't erupt in rage as Qiu Tu had expected. Instead, he sat quietly in his chair for a while.
Then, he opened a drawer and took out a cigarette and matches.
"Strike... strike..."
Scraping a match, he brought the flame to the cigarette in his mouth, Yan Chen squinted his eyes as he took a deep inhale.
Surrounded by swirls of smoke, his face appeared faint and elusive.
The atmosphere in the study became serene for a time.
After a while, Yan Chen picked up the desk phone again and dialed a few numbers.
The call connected shortly after.
With a raspy voice, Yan Chen said, "Go check my safe. See if there's a black iron box with evidence inside."
After giving the instruction, Yan Chen hung up and continued to smoke.
A few minutes later, the desk phone rang and Yan Chen answered it.
A man's deep voice came through, "Bureau Chief, the safe contains the black iron box you mentioned, but… it is empty. There is no evidence!"
Upon hearing this, Yan Chen's face grew even more troubled.
Qiu Tu, upon seeing this, still maintained a confused and puzzled expression on his face, but inwardly he was bursting with joy...
It looked like his plan for the evening had been executed perfectly!
This stab in the back should leave Director Yan completely befuddled!
Three chapters with 10,000 words each, updated continuously. The daily 10,000-word update continues tomorrow! Asking for your Monthly Ticket!