Half an hour later, Jiangong highway.
Yan Xie was driving in his car while talking on Bluetooth, his black frowning eyebrows were reflected in the rearview mirror: "Old Fang, how come the longer you live, the more impulsive you become? Everyone can be considered grasshoppers tied to the same rope now. No matter what clues you think of, at least tell us first. Just in case something happens to you that causes the clues to be interrupted, don't you think so?"
The next moment Fang Zhenghong's roar sounded on Bluetooth: " You're the grasshopper! The grasshopper after autumn!"
"Tsk, okay, okay, am I still not good enough?" Yan Xie said helplessly, "What do you mean by the sentence that you may have thought of some clue?"
Fang Zhenghong hesitated, obviously reluctant to go into detail, and scolded in a hurry: "Who is tied to the same rope as you, who knows what you do in private! I won't tell you. I'm in a taxi right now. Let's get in touch after reaching Jianning again!"
Yan Xie raised his voice: "Yo, you dare to call an online car-hailing service! Let's share a real-time location. Even if you're not a big girl but a bad old man, safety is still…"
Fang Zhenghong angrily hung up the phone.
"Tell me, he has a problem with hyperthyroidism, right? He's angry all day long." Yan Xie shook his head and sighed: "My kind heart is treated as a donkey's liver and lungs for nothing — even if he has neither money nor looks, and it's not as risky as you two taking an online car-hailing service, but he should at least have a little bit more awareness of safety."
Yang Mei and Qi Sihao in the back row looked at each other.
"You mean Captain Qi is rich and has good looks?" Finally, Yang Mei asked with uncertainty.
"Oh no, I mean you and your Brother Jiang." Yan Xie held the steering wheel with one hand and pointed back at Yang Mei: "You have money." Then he pointed to Jiang Ting: "He has good looks."
Yang Mei: "... "
"Fang Zhenghong is not yet sure that you are completely innocent." Jiang Ting in the front passenger seat didn't seem to hear him at all and remained calm, saying, "Many old police officers have trust issues, plus he's extremely sensitive, and it is normal for him to hold a prejudice against you for many years. So until he completely rules out your suspicion, he probably won't share clues easily."
"Let's just follow him closely for now!" Yan Xie habitually took out a cigarette from his pocket, but before he could put it in his mouth, he suddenly remembered something. Throwing the cigarette back into the glove box, he said regretfully, "F*ck."
Qi Sihao diligently took out the lighter: "Not smoking Captain Yan? Here I am…"
Jiang Ting and Yang Mei blurted out at the same time: "No!"
They stopped it too late.
"No, no, no, I don't need fire," Yan Xie rejected Qi Sihao's lighter with joy, but the next moment he took over the stage, lights, and microphone handed over by the other party:
"Come on, you see, if you are looking for a boyfriend then look for someone like me—"
Jiang Ting took a deep breath and leaned back in the chair, and Yang Mei covered her ears miserably.
"As a mature and sensible boyfriend, what matters is not what you do for your partner, but what you're willing to not do for your partner. For example, your brother Jiang is not in good health, so it's best not to smoke too much. As a good boyfriend, I voluntarily put the danger of second-hand smoke in the cradle. I restrict him from eating sweets and force him to eat more meat and rice, all out of consideration for his health. Only a mature and rational man like me is the best choice for your Brother Jiang as a spouse… Do you understand? Don't you think that I am the best interpretation and template of the word boyfriend? Learn from me, the two of you, learn a little!"
Jiang Ting: "..."
Yang Mei: "..."
Qi Sihao's face was blank.
Yan Xie was triumphant, and the car rushed toward the toll station of Jianning highway.
...…
With a loud bang, Fang Zhenghong rushed into the house, startling his wife, who was preparing to cook: "Hey! Didn't you go on a business trip?"
"The pants I wore a while ago when it wasn't cold, the dark blue cut ones. You haven't sent them to dry cleaning, have you?"
"Of course not, isn't it impossible to wear them now?" His wife pointed to the outer room with the vegetable basket: "I was just thinking about what to do with it; it would be a pity just to throw it away. So I was thinking about waiting for the female dog downstairs to give birth and cutting it to make a nest for her cubs…"
Fang Zhenghong didn't say a word and rushed to the outer room. Ignoring his wife's repeated inquiries, he opened the cupboard and began to rummage through the pile of sundries. After a while, he finally caught a glimpse of the familiar dark blue clothing, and hurriedly pulled it out.
"What are you doing? Scaring me to death! Oh, you are not eating at home at night, huh?"
Fang Zhenghong didn't answer. He took out a sealing bag from the study, stuffed the pair of pants into it, and sealed it.
"You don't have to wait for me to eat at night!" Fang Zhenghong shouted without looking back. Then he abruptly turned around and rushed out the door, leaving only his wife standing in place inexplicably.
Fang Zhenghong, with the airtight bag under his arm, hurried out of the community and walked toward the silver Hyundai Elantra parked downstairs on the opposite side. He took out his mobile phone, opened the address book, and called "Technical Investigator Old Huang" subconsciously,
"Hello?" It was picked up just after two rings, and Huang Xing's voice sounded very surprised: "Captain Fang, what's the matter?"
"Oh, I have a…" Fang Zhenghong was about to continue when he suddenly thought of something and stopped.
Huang Xing: "What? Hello Captain Fang, Old Fang?"
Is the technical investigation safe? Fang Zhenghong was standing at the gate of the community, and suddenly such a thought appeared in his mind.
Just now, his mind was chaotic, and before he could think about it carefully, he dialed the number. But the moment he heard Huang Xing's voice, he suddenly realized a terrifying fact: if his guess was not wrong, then the murderer was probably…
As long as it was him, there was no department or even corner of the city bureau that could be said to be 100% safe, and the suspicion of the kid with the surname Yan was not clear at all.
"Old Fang, what happened, is the signal not good? Hello?"
Fang Zhenghong's face was expressionless, and he pressed the hang-up button.
Who else can I find? Who else is safe?
Fang Zhenghong had worked in the Jianning Municipal Bureau for most of his life, and now that he was old, he realized that the nest he had built in half his life turned out to be a dangerous trap. The fear, panic, and cowardice that he didn't want to admit were like layers of cobwebs densely wrapped around his heart. He couldn't even find the right frequency for breathing, and his hands and feet turned even more soft and numb.
Who else is safe? Who else can I turn to?
—Yes, that person!
Fang Zhenghong's eyes lit up, and he even scolded himself for the panic just now. He immediately found the other party's number and dialed it. The phone rang about eight or nine times, and then a tired voice came from the other side: "Hello, may I ask who is it…"
"Hello, I'm Fang Zhenghong, from the Municipal Public Security Bureau, do you remember me?"
When the other party heard the word Municipal Public Security Bureau, his mind went blank for two seconds, and then he reacted to the name "Fang Zhenghong":
"Ah, yes, Officer Fang! I haven't seen you for a long time. I was a little confused just now, hahaha — how are you doing at home recently? Is everything okay?
Snap!
Fang Zhenghong looked in the direction of the sound.
Only to see a figure leaning back against the door of his silver Elantra car. His two slender legs were folded, one hand was in his pocket, and with the other, he took off his sunglasses. The brows on his pale face were slightly raised, showing a vague expression of disapproval.
—It was Jiang Ting.
Fang Zhenghong wanted to continue talking but had no choice but to stop. He sighed, and in the end, hurriedly said to the mobile phone, "There is someone here; I'll talk about it later."
The other party agreed, and Fang Zhenghong hung up the phone.
Jiang Ting lowered his head and sent a text message to Yan Xie: [I've blocked Captain Fang at the front door of the community.]
"What about the surname Yan?" Fang Zhenghong came over and asked cautiously.
"Yan Xie doesn't know which building you live in, so we blocked you separately. He probably went to the back door of the community." Jiang Ting put away his mobile phone, looked up at Fang Zhenghong, and knocked on the Elantra's door behind him: "You drove your own car to follow Yan Xie, and hoped that he would not find out?"
"..." Fang Zhenghong's face was blue, red, and yellow: "This car is my son's. He drove home for vacation some time ago, and I had put on the informant's license plate…"
Jiang Ting said, "You have great doubts about Yan Xie's character, morality, and IQ."
Fang Zhenghong didn't speak angrily.
Seeing that he was an old police officer, about 20 years older than him, Jiang Ting couldn't say anything else and sighed, "Who did you call just now, where are you going?"
Fang Zhenghong stubbornly said nothing.
"I don't know why you trust me, Captain Fang, but Yan Xie is right. If you're not the poisoner and you're not the mole in the Jianning Municipal Bureau, then we are indeed grasshoppers tied to a rope. You were picked as a scapegoat for no reason. It doesn't make any sense for you to hide from us or even beware of Yan Xie at this time."
A car horn beeped twice in the distance, and Yan Xie's car came driving from the back of the community.
"Yue Guangping had an accident when he was about to tell me the clues. He had already found out who the mole who leaked the information on Operation 1009 was, but until he died, he had no chance to say that name." Jiang Ting looked at Fang Zhenghong's turbid eyes, and each word he said passed through the optic nerve and skull and knocked heavily in his brain: "I don't think I would be lucky enough to wake up after being in a coma for three years the second time. Do you want to take the same risk as Yue Guangping did three years ago when the mole was around?"
The car stopped abruptly, and Yan Xie walked out of the car door with a stern look.
"..." Fang Zhenghong was silent for a long time, and finally let out a sigh of relief under the gazes of the two of them, asking back, "You don't know why I think you are innocent?"
Jiang Ting stared at him, only to hear him ask: "Do you still remember 'Monkey', a drug dealer who looks a bit like a monkey and has half of his little finger missing?"
Judging from Jiang Ting's expression, he obviously didn't remember it.
"'Monkey' was my best informant. He was almost exposed in an undercover operation but escaped after a thrilling experience. Afterward, he told me that he had been covered by a police officer from Gongzhou called Captain Jiang; otherwise, he would've died." Fang Zhenghong shook his head: "It happened many years ago. I guess you don't remember it. It's common for teammates to cover during police operations, so I had no other ideas at the time. But the impression and judgment I have about you as a person have always been buried in my heart. Until three years ago, when you 'died' in the line of duty, I always had some doubts in my heart: you were the one who led the 1009 operation so cleverly, and you were also the one who leaked the information and caused the 1009 operation to fail. It didn't make sense."
Jiang Ting pondered for a moment, then said, "Although I don't remember the informant,…"
"Even so, I still can't fully trust you, nor can I immediately trust this surnamed Yan." Fang Zhenghong changed the subject, patted the sealed bag in his hands, and said coldly: "I am going to the research institute to find an acquaintance. The key evidence is in the bag in my hands right now. If you really dare to come, come with me. But if the evidence shows that you are not innocent, don't blame me for calling the police immediately."
Jiang Ting frowned and looked at Yan Xie, who just happened to also look at him. The two discussed silently with their eyes for a few seconds.
Fang Zhenghong had already gotten into his Elantra, slammed the door, and started the car.
"Yang Mei and Qi Sihao went to the side gate of the community separately. Call and tell them to come over. Let's go to the research institute with Fang Zhenghong first." Yan Xie made a quick decision: "Get in the car!"
Jiang Ting called Yang Mei and got into the car. Yan Xie fastened his seat belt and started the engine. In this half-minute time difference, Fang Zhenghong's Elantra had already passed through the gate. As long as he drove 50 or 60 meters forward along the driveway in front of the community gate and then made a sharp turn, he would be able to get on the busy main road.
"Hello, Brother Jiang?" Yang Mei asked excitedly on the other end of the phone, "I'm hiding in the bushes downstairs in the community in full disguise. Did you block the little old man named Fang?"
"You came here at the main entrance of the community with Qi Sihao, we're going to…"
Bang!!
A loud noise came from the front. Jiang Ting suddenly seemed to have lost his voice, and Yan Xie's movements froze.
"Brother Jiang?" The stupid Yang Mei was puzzled: "What's the matter with you?"
Pedestrians not far away stopped one after another and looked back. Everyone stopped as if the pause button had been pressed—
A silver Elantra slammed into a telephone pole at the end of the driveway with no sign of slowing or turning, and the entire front of the car was dented in shards of broken glass!
The discussion and exclamation began to sound slowly after a few seconds, and the buzzing filled all directions.
"Old Fang…Old Fang?"
Yan Xie got out of the car, his eyes full of disbelief. He suddenly shivered fiercely, and roared at passersby, who was in a daze: "Call 120! Come and call 120!
Bang— the sunken car door was forcibly opened. Yan Xie gasped while witnessing the situation in the car, and even Jiang Ting's face was ashen. Fang Zhenghong's head and face were covered in blood. He was trapped in the airbag, and it was impossible to tell whether he was alive or dead. The dashboard of the steering wheel was chaotic and twisted; glass fragments were scattered throughout the car, and the hood was completely twisted into scrap metal!
This is not the effect of traveling at 30 to 40 kilometers per hour. Who has touched the braking system of this car?!
"Old Fang! Wake up! Hold on!" Yan Xie roared, "Old Fang!"
However, Fang Zhenghong was buried under the airbag and did not respond.
A few pedestrians in the distance were talking and did not dare to approach. The sound of an ambulance approaching came from the distance. Yan Xie turned back suddenly, facing Jiang Ting's eyes, both of them were clearly stunned and shocked.
"…that bag," Jiang Ting hoarsely squeezed out his voice: "Bring that bag to me."
As if lightning had pierced the sky, Yan Xie reacted abruptly and took out that sealed bag from under the badly damaged passenger seat. Through the airtight bag, he didn't have time to see what the dark blue fabric was inside. He hurriedly stuffed it into Jiang Ting: "Run."
"Then you—"
"Run!" Yan Xie pushed him. He acted sharply and decisively, roaring in a low voice: "Don't tell anyone that you have appeared at the accident scene; run with the evidence!"