Chapter 19 - Option

"Hey, Director Ren, what big case are you working on? Why is there such a commotion? Interrogating a suspect?"

A middle-aged police officer with three stars on his shoulder walked over, wearing a smile on his face.

"Director Liang, we just caught the masterminds behind the arson case. Not only did they refuse to confess, but they also openly assaulted the police inside the station!"

Ren Yuanpeng explained. Director Liang, as he mentioned, was Vice Director Liang, who was considered the successor to the director before Ren Yuanpeng was transferred to the county bureau. However, Vice Director Liang tactfully withdrew from the competition after Ren Yuanpeng's arrival. He always wore a smile whenever he saw Ren Yuanpeng, so Ren Yuanpeng didn't pay much attention to him.

"Assaulting the police? That's outrageous! I'd like to see who has the audacity to do such a thing!"

Vice Director Liang looked shocked. He glanced into the interrogation room, and when his eyes landed on Mo Yongxing, a trace of inexplicable excitement flashed across his face. After a while, he spoke, "These few young lads dare to assault the police?"

"Who said we assaulted the police? It was this officer who made a move without any justification. Moreover, we are merely suspects. Why can't we make a phone call?"

Qin Yu didn't care about the identity of the appearing officer. This was a good opportunity for him. He couldn't let Ren Yuanpeng pin all the blame on them.

"Director Ren, these individuals are still suspects. Do you have any evidence?"

Vice Director Liang seemed genuinely surprised. Ren Yuanpeng didn't like the questioning. In police work, evidence was often not necessary, and Vice Director Liang knew the ins and outs of the matter very well. As for his expression, well...

"Since it's just an investigation, they should be allowed to make a phone call!"

Vice Director Liang's tone changed, leaving all the police officers astonished. What happened to Vice Director Liang? Couldn't he see that these individuals were the ones Director Ren wanted to deal with? There was no reason for this.

Ren Yuanpeng was also puzzled. What was going on with Vice Director Liang today? He had always been friendly and amiable at the station, acting like a good person. But today, he seemed like he wanted to undermine him.

"Hmph, even if there's no evidence for the arson case at the moment, the assault on the police is real. That alone is enough to prosecute them."

Ren Yuanpeng decided that once he became the director after the election, he would definitely sideline Vice Director Liang. However, what he didn't realize was that Vice Director Liang had already challenged his position as the director, and the individuals in front of him were Vice Director Liang's bargaining chips, particularly Mo Yongxing.

"Well, if you claim they assaulted the police, shouldn't there be evidence? Why not retrieve the recording from the interrogation room and take a look?"

Vice Director Liang smiled slyly. At this point, he knew he had no way out. If he couldn't use this incident to bring Ren Yuanpeng down, he would have no voice in the county bureau in the future.

He was well aware of the tricks in the interrogation room. After so many years in the police force, he knew that sometimes during interrogations, the surveillance cameras would be turned off. He was confident that Ren Yuanpeng wanted to use some covert methods, so he hadn't turned on the camera in the interrogation room.

"Lao Liang, what do you mean by this?"

If Ren Yuanpeng couldn't see that Vice Director Liang had torn off the mask and confronted him directly, then he wouldn't have made it to the position of vice director. Although he didn't understand why Vice Director Liang had suddenly emerged, he had a vague feeling that it seemed to be related to the people inside.

"Enough with the chit-chat at the door. Hand over my phone!"

Mo Yongxing, realizing that Vice Director Liang and Ren Yuanpeng were at odds, called out towards the door.

"Hey, here are your phones!"

A police officer heard the voice, pushed through the crowd, and handed three phones back to Qin Yu and the others.

"Wang Ming, what's wrong with you? Has organization and discipline completely disappeared? How can you just hand them their phones like that?"

The police officer who brought in the phones turned out to be none other than Captain Wang Ming. Wang Ming turned his head, wearing a hypocritical smile. Seeing Ren Yuanpeng's dark expression, he gritted his teeth and said, "Director Ren, they are only suspects for now. According to regulations, they are allowed to make phone calls in the absence of evidence."

Not only Vice Director Liang but also Wang Ming had staked their futures on this. If they succeeded, Vice Director Liang would rise to power, and Wang Ming would progress as well. If they failed, Ren Yuanpeng's wrath would likely befall them.

Hiss!

Vice Director Liang had made an unexpected move. Everyone present could see that his appearance was not coincidental. The two most powerful vice directors in the bureau had finally torn off their masks and started fighting.

But what puzzled everyone was why Vice Director Liang chose this moment to emerge. Even if Director Ren didn't have evidence, it was clear to anyone that these three individuals had assaulted the police. Even if you wanted to protect them, it would be incredibly difficult.

"Vice Director Liang, well done!"

Ren Yuanpeng said sarcastically to Vice Director Liang beside him, "Although I don't know what made you unable to bear it and come out, the fact that these three individuals assaulted the police is obvious to all. If you want to save them, you'll need the ability to do so."

"Hmph!"

Vice Director Liang snorted and ignored Ren Yuanpeng. His gaze was fixed on Mo Yongxing's hand holding the phone. Just now, he and Wang Ming had secretly glanced at the call records on Mo Yongxing's phone and discovered that there were indeed records of calls to the Municipal Bureau Chief's office.

"Quick, call the big boss!"

At this moment, Vice Director Liang and Wang Ming both stared intently at Mo Yongxing, their hearts screaming!

"Hello, Secretary Wang? Yeah, it's me. Where am I? I'm currently at the police station. They've arrested me as the main suspect in the arson case and even charged me with assaulting the police... Okay, sure, I'll wait here."

Mo Yongxing hadn't dialed the call yet, but Qin Yu had already connected with Secretary Wang. After listening to Qin Yu's call, Secretary Wang didn't dare to delay and quickly entered the county chief's office to report the situation. You see, Qin Yu was an honored guest of the county chief and was currently assisting him with the ancestral grave matter. If Qin Yu became displeased and decided to abandon the task, it would be disastrous.

"How did Zhang Gengliang become the Public Security Bureau chief? Qin Dasheng just came out of Tongbo Mountain today. How could he be related to the arson case? Delay the upcoming cadre meeting and come with me to the Public Security Bureau. Also, call Zhang Gengliang and inform him."

After hearing the report, Hao Jianguo's face was filled with anger. Qin Yu had been busy with his ancestral grave matter at Tongbo Mountain for several days, and now he was being arrested by the police right after coming out. How could he, as the county chief, explain this? He walked out of the office building directly, and the Audi driver had already started the car. Hao Jianguo got into the car, and the vehicle quickly headed towards the Public Security Bureau.

"Secretary Wang?"

When Qin Yu made the call, he didn't lower his voice. The police officers present could hear everything clearly, but the one who understood the most was Mo Yongxing. He knew that Qin Yu had been dealing with the county chief's ancestral grave matter recently, and he also knew who Qin Yu was calling.

With these thoughts in mind, Mo Yongxing didn't hurry to make the phone call. Instead, he looked around with an interested gaze, but nobody paid attention to him at the moment. Most people were more focused on figuring out who the Secretary Wang on the phone was.

To openly assault the police and still dare to make a phone call so confidently, if one wasn't a fool, it meant that the Secretary Wang on the other end of the line had considerable influence. Vice Director Liang and Ren Yuanpeng were the quickest to process this information. They started recalling the names of the secretaries working in the county government.

"Could it be Director Wang, the head of the County Government Office and the county chief's secretary?"

Vice Director Liang's pupils contracted sharply. He had been in the county for a long time, so he knew more about the local officials than Ren Yuanpeng. It didn't take him long to figure out that there was only one influential secretary with the surname Wang in the county. And considering Qin Yu's direct address of the person on the phone as Secretary Wang, could this person be connected to the county chief? Otherwise, most people would refer to Secretary Wang as Director Wang or Chief Wang.

"That makes sense. They're both young and can associate closely. They must have influential backgrounds."

Vice Director Liang thought of the number of the big boss on Mo Yongxing's phone and his smile grew wider. Just dealing with the county chief was enough to give Ren Yuanpeng a hard time. But with the words of the big boss, his chances of winning were even higher.

Ren Yuanpeng's reaction was only slightly slower than Vice Director Liang's. His face darkened as he thought, "No wonder Liang dares to step forward. So this young man has the county chief backing him. It seems this matter won't be easy to handle."

However, Ren Yuanpeng wasn't overly worried either. He had his own uniqueness within the public security system. Although local leaders had jurisdiction, the fate of individuals like him was ultimately in the hands of the city bureau leaders. Moreover, he had the support of the county party secretary behind him, who wasn't on the same side as the county chief. If things went wrong, the secretary might secretly reward him for taking action against the county chief.

"Why are you all standing here? Is this a vegetable market?"

Not long after Qin Yu made the call, a stern voice sounded, and a police officer with half-white hair walked over. His tone was unpleasant, and the police officers who had gathered around the interrogation room quickly dispersed. It was none other than Zhang Gengliang, the director of the county bureau.

"Director Zhang!"

Ren Yuanpeng and Vice Director Liang simultaneously called out, but Zhang Gengliang ignored them and walked straight into the interrogation room. He asked, "Which one of you is Qin Yu?"

"I am Qin Yu. And you are?" Qin Yu was puzzled. He didn't recognize this police officer, but he seemed to hold a high position.

"I am the director of the county public security bureau!" Zhang Gengliang replied with a smile when he heard Qin Yu's response. He quickly approached Qin Yu and reached out his hands to shake Qin Yu's hand, only to realize that Qin Yu's hands were handcuffed.

"What's going on? Who put handcuffs on him?" Zhang Gengliang turned to glare at the police officer standing at the door, and one of them quickly handed over the keys. Zhang Gengliang personally unlocked the handcuffs on Qin Yu's hands and said with a smile, "Mr. Qin, I apologize for this misunderstanding."

As a director, personally unlocking handcuffs and putting on a smiling face, Zhang Gengliang was cursing in his heart. Ren Yuanpeng caused this trouble, but now Zhang Gengliang had to come out and handle it. When the county chief called him earlier, he didn't say anything and just reprimanded him. Zhang Gengliang was also a director. How could he be criticized by the county chief without knowing anything? Whom could he reason with?

After releasing Qin Yu from the handcuffs, Zhang Gengliang approached Ah Long. Ah Long glanced at Qin Yu in confusion, and Qin Yu gave him an affirmative look. Only then did Ah Long raise his hands to let Zhang Gengliang remove the handcuffs. However, when Zhang Gengliang approached Mo Yongxing, he encountered a setback. Mo Yongxing completely ignored him and sarcastically said, "Don't bother unlocking mine. These handcuffs aren't that easy to open. If you don't give me a resolution, this matter isn't over!"