"A hundred billionaires are being offered bounties for their assassination?" Hu Qing asked in astonishment.

"You don't know?"

"I don't. What's going on?"

"Come on, let's talk as we go," Wang Lan said, pulling Hu Qing out the door. They got into the car, and Hu Qing drove towards the incident scene.

"Half a month ago, a bounty worth a total of three billion appeared on the international black market, targeting the top one hundred tycoons from Suzhou City. No one knows who issued these bounties, but it's certainly a declaration of war on Suzhou City. The Tianjian Bureau reacted immediately, deploying a large number of personnel to protect these tycoons. So, when I heard about the human bomb attack, the first thing I thought of was this bounty. Human bombs are a common tactic used by terrorist organizations, and Juntin Mansion is a top-tier villa district in the new area, inhabited by the city's wealthiest and most influential."

"So what's the purpose of the person who initiated the bounty? To spend three billion to cause chaos in Suzhou City? And since when did terrorists become so wealthy?"

"That's why the real mastermind behind this definitely isn't a terrorist. At least, not the one providing the money."

After concluding this topic, Wang Lan and Hu Qing arrived at the crime scene at Juntin Mansion. The site was already secured by the mansion's security, who had even set up professional barricade tape.

The incident had occurred in the front garden of a villa. The explosion had a radius of fifteen meters, indicating a very powerful bomb. Most of the villa's windows were shattered, and by the time Wang Lan and Hu Qing arrived, the owner of the villa still hadn't appeared.

"Wang Lan, what brings you here?" a voice called out. At the villa's entrance, Lige, dressed in a black suit, asked with a hint of surprise.

"Lige? Did the Bureau send you to handle this?"

"No, I was assigned to protect Mr. Wan seven days ago. I was his bodyguard when the attack happened," Lige explained, then waved to the security guards at the entrance. "They're with us, let them in."

Entering the villa, Wang Lan finally saw a middle-aged man sitting on the couch. His hair was slick and meticulously combed, and he exuded the imposing aura of a powerful figure.

"This is Mr. Wan, the chairman of Tongming Jewelry Group. Mr. Wan, this is my colleague Wang Lan, and this is Hu Qing, a Senior Inspector from the police department."

"Greetings, officers. Please, have a seat. Zhang, serve tea for the officers…"

"What exactly happened today?" Wang Lan asked, getting straight to the point after sitting down.

"This morning, around seven, a girl who looked like a student, appearing to be seventeen or eighteen years old and with a large pregnant belly, came and sat down at the villa's entrance. When a security guard inquired, she claimed to be Wan Qirui's girlfriend. She said he had gotten her pregnant and was refusing to take responsibility, so she had come to seek justice. By the way, that girl wasn't ordinary either. She is the only daughter of the president of Golden Circle Entertainment Company. Due to her identity, I wasn't overly cautious and accompanied Mr. Wan outside. Unexpectedly, the girl was actually there to carry out a suicide bombing; her protruding belly was strapped with explosives. Luckily, I was alert and evacuated Mr. Wan just in time."

"The only daughter of the president of Golden Circle Entertainment?" Hu Qing's expression suddenly darkened. He took out a photo of a middle-school student from his breast pocket. "Is it her?"

"Yes, it's her."

Hu Qing and Wang Lan's faces turned grim, and they let out a long breath. "Truly ruthless!"

"What? Are you also investigating her?" Lige asked.

"Last night, we cracked a case. Li Dongliu, the president of Golden Circle Entertainment, might have been colluding with Wang Mingling. Li Dongliu was arrested last night. According to his confession, he was forced to obey the terrorist organization only because his family had been kidnapped. Although they had anticipated such an outcome, witnessing it firsthand was truly distressing for them."

"Are there surveillance cameras around the villa? Is there a recording of the human bomb attack?"

"Yes!" Mr. Wan quickly replied.

The terrorist attack had not succeeded, and the motive for the attempted assassination of Mr. Wan seemed unrelated to him personally. The attacker had already been blown to pieces by the bomb, leaving no further leads to pursue regarding them.

Hu Qing copied the surveillance footage and drove back to the police department, leaving the follow-up work to his subordinates.

「 」

Inside the interrogation room, a guard was still tirelessly questioning Li Dongliu, repeating the same questions.

At this moment, Li Dongliu was in a terrible state; his eyes, vacant and bloodshot, held a fierce glint.

"Stop asking. I won't say anything more; you might as well kill me. My entire family's lives are in their hands. If you're so capable, then rescue my entire family.

"As long as my family is safe, I'll tell you whatever you ask. By forcing me to talk now, you're just pushing them to kill my entire family."

"They are ruthlessly violent terrorists. Do you think they will honor any promise to you? Think about it: what were they trying to do before you were arrested? They were trying to kill you to silence you, weren't they?"

"I wish they had silenced me. If I had been killed, my family might have been spared…"

"Really? As cruel and murderous as they are, they might have already killed your entire family by now... Don't you want to avenge them?"

"Don't push me... Don't push me... This is my last thread of hope... My very last..."

BANG—

The door was pushed open, and Hu Qing entered the interrogation room, his face grim. Without a word, he activated a control panel on the wall, and a projector screen slowly descended.

He inserted a USB drive into the projector. The image lit up, a timestamp in the bottom right corner showing: Today, 6:50 AM. In the video, a girl with long hair appeared within the surveillance camera's view.

"Sisi—" Li Dongliu's eyes suddenly widened, becoming even more bloodshot.

"Officer, that's my daughter, Sisi… My daughter, she's still alive… She's still alive… Where is this? Go save her, quickly, go save her…"

In the video, a security guard approached and questioned the girl. A short while later, Mr. Wan, protected by Lige, walked up to her.

"Officer Hu, what are you waiting for? Save her! If you save my daughter, I'll tell you everything I know… Please…"

Suddenly, Li Dongliu's expression twisted violently. He had already had a premonition, but he hadn't dared to believe it.

BOOM—

In the video, an explosion suddenly erupted. The young girl was instantly engulfed by flames, blown to pieces in the fire.

CRACK—

A sound like a misfiring bullet seemed to catch deep in Li Dongliu's throat. His eyes, wide and staring, nearly bulged from their sockets. He gazed blankly at the screen, all light gone from his eyes.

"My daughter… She… What happened to her…"

"As you can see, blown to bits!" Hu Qing's cold voice mercilessly shattered Li Dongliu's last shred of hope, causing him to collapse helplessly.

"I didn't say anything… I really didn't say anything… Why? Why did you have to do this?"

"Dancing with wolves, making deals with tigers—did you expect a happy ending? Terrorists have no humanity. Were you still expecting mercy from them? Or are you still unwilling to confess?"

"I'll talk… I'll talk…" Li Dongliu closed his eyes in despair, two streams of tears flowing down his cheeks.

"But I don't know much. They wanted me, as the dragon head of Ancient City District, to spend seven days eliminating disobedient forces. Then, I was to quickly expand into the surrounding areas and sweep through and consolidate Suzhou City's underworld."

"Their purpose?" Wang Lan asked.

"I asked them. They said it was to throw Suzhou City into complete chaos, to prevent it from hosting this year's provincial martial arts meeting."

Hearing this, Wang Lan's eyes showed he'd suspected as much. It had been speculation before, but now it was confirmed. Given Suzhou City's performance over the past year, it was highly probable they would be chosen to host the provincial martial arts meeting. The event had been held in Jin City for the past few years; if it were held there again this year, the current candidate selection process would be meaningless. Among the thirteen cities in Jiang Province, the top five were quite close in standing.

To the Demon Clan, Jin City was a hard target they wouldn't dare attack rashly. And Suzhou City? Despite its recent heavy losses, the Demon Clan still didn't want the event held there. Therefore, although they were causing trouble in Suzhou City, their true aim was to prevent it from hosting the provincial martial arts meeting. What a clever ploy of misdirection.

"Have you ever thought about what you'll face, even if the terrorists achieve their goal?" Hu Qing pressed. "When they're gone, having dusted off their hands, what awaits you?"

"I know… but what could I do? My whole family is in their hands; they are as unpredictable as ghosts. No matter how I hide or escape, they can find me whenever they want. What choice did I have?

"Besides, I still held onto some wishful thinking, hoping that if I moved fast enough and became the underground emperor of all Suzhou City, the government might not dare to touch me…"

"What a fool's dream!" Wang Lan rebuked coldly, arms crossed.

The subsequent questioning focused on details, but Wang Lan didn't stay for it. He left the interrogation room, found a secluded spot, and dialed Wang Qianfeng's number.

"Wang Lan, what's the progress?"

Wang Lan recounted everything that had happened over the past two days.

"Director Wang, based on the current clues, it seems the Demon Clan's goal is to make Suzhou City lose its eligibility to host the provincial martial arts meeting. Has the host city for the meeting not been decided yet?"

"It was supposed to be Suzhou City, but due to the recent undercurrents there, the Provincial Education Department has been hesitant. The intelligence you've gathered is a strong boost for Suzhou City's bid. I'll report this to the Jin City headquarters later. If you're able to continue following up, do so. If not, then let it be. The provincial martial arts meeting is about to start, and getting into a good Star Martial Academy is your top priority now."

"Yes! Well then… Director Wang, I'll hang up now."

"Assisting the police in solving a murder case: Reward 3,000 experience points, 200 skill points." As Wang Lan hung up the phone, a system notification sounded in his mind.

Earning 200 skill points in two days wasn't bad.

The case could largely be considered closed at this point. While there was still more to unearth, any further investigation would undoubtedly require caution and meticulous, long-term effort. Just as Wang Lan was about to tell Hu Qing he was leaving, his phone suddenly rang.

"Hello? Lige? Is there new information on your end?"

"Mr. Wan just received news. His son was stabbed by a delivery person at Yaqi Academy and has been rushed to the hospital for emergency treatment. Mr. Wan insists on going to the hospital."

"It's obviously a trap…" Wang Lan responded immediately.

"We all know that, but Mr. Wan's son's life is on the line, and he's determined to go. So…"

"Understood. Luring the snake out of its hole, then. Which hospital? I'll be right there."

"Jiaoxiao Affiliate Hospital."

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