Chapter 785: The Most Powerful Person in Long’an

“Where did you grow up when you were little?”

“Do your birth mother and He Taiyang still keep in touch?”

“Do He Taiyang and his wife argue often?”

Lin Qiupu flipped open his notebook again, checking the questions he had prepared. Song Lang had asked him to invite He Jingjing out for a drink and casually ask these questions. It sounded simple, but it was difficult for Lin Qiupu. He didn’t know how to chat “casually” with a woman his age. As a detective, asking mundane questions might seem suspicious.

Arriving near Taiyang Pawnshop, he found it unexpectedly closed. Three identical black cars were parked in front, giving Lin Qiupu a bad feeling.

Approaching the pawnshop, he heard the sound of things being smashed inside. A man shouted, “Apologize? How will you compensate me? Just swallow this and I’ll forget everything happened.”

Trouble was brewing!

Lin Qiupu pushed open the unlocked door and entered the office. Inside, several men in black suits were blocking the way. Some vases and pottery lay smashed on the ground. He Jingjing and He Jun knelt on the floor, blood on their faces.

These mysterious men, upon seeing a young policeman enter, became less aggressive. One of them with long hair smirked, “Oh, you dare call the police! Let’s see how this plays out.”

Lin Qiupu shouted, “Nobody move! Come with me to the station and explain yourselves.”

“Chief, what’s there to explain? He Jun and I are buddies just fooling around,” said Long-haired Man with a half-smile, “You can ask Little Jun.”

“Yeah, Feng-ge was just kidding with me. He didn’t hit me,” He Jun said, trembling, clearly under pressure from Long-haired Man.

Lin Qiupu wasn’t armed. He took out his handcuffs and said, “Come with me to the station!”

“Back to the station? Don’t waste time. Do you think they dare sue us?” Long-haired Man walked out. Lin Qiupu blocked their path, but a large man in a suit unexpectedly pushed Lin Qiupu aside.

The group walked out arrogantly. Lin Qiupu chased after them, and as their three cars started, he gritted his teeth and snapped a photo of one car’s license plate with his phone.

They noticed his action and quickly reversed the car, seemingly intent on ramming him.

The car sped backward, kicking up dust. Though frightened, Lin Qiupu kept repeating to himself, “I am a policeman, I am a policeman!”

He stood his ground. When the car’s rear bumper was just centimeters from him, it slammed to a stop. Long-haired Man poked his head out of the driver’s seat, thumbs up, “Little cop, you’ve got guts!”

Then the car sped away, leaving Lin Qiupu covered in exhaust and dust.

After the ordeal, Lin Qiupu felt a wave of relief. If the car hadn’t stopped in time, he might have been seriously injured. He walked back into the shop in a daze, trembling. He took several cups of cold water from the water dispenser to calm down.

“Thank you. If you hadn’t come, we might not have made it through today,” He Jingjing said gratefully as she came out.

“It’s… it’s nothing. I’m a policeman, it’s my duty…” Lin Qiupu noticed the blood on He Jingjing’s forehead. “Did they hurt you?”

“They pushed me. This is from hitting the table. He Jun got it worse!” He Jingjing said. She retrieved a plastic bowl from the office, containing jelly. On closer inspection, the jelly had small, shiny shards mixed in. “They wanted He Jun to eat this, and then they’d pretend nothing happened. If he had eaten it, he might have died!”

“Why are you telling everyone everything?” He Jun complained.

“Why shouldn’t I say it? You brought this trouble upon yourself!” He Jingjing retorted.

“Yeah, I brought it upon myself. I’ll deal with it alone! There’s no need for outsiders to get involved. Even if it’s glass shards, I’ll eat them myself. If you’re in this life, you have to have this kind of awareness!” He Jun declared angrily, perhaps hitting a sore spot, as he took a sharp breath and held his waist.

“You should say less!” Lin Qiupu interrupted. “Are these people from ‘Old Man’?”

“Yes, they are Lietguoxiao’s men! They came today to settle the painting matter. He Jun wanted to use a knife to kill He Taiyang, but now He Taiyang is dead, they came directly to him. They are shooting themselves in the foot!” He Jingjing said.

“Don’t mention his name!” He Jun stared.

“I’ll mention it, I’ll mention it!” He Jingjing said stubbornly. “Do you not know who Lietguoxiao is? He is the most powerful person in Long’an. No one dares to offend him. His godsons are the richest and most influential people in Long’an. If he wants someone to disappear, that person will evaporate from the earth, and even the police won’t find evidence.”

Lin Qiupu widened his eyes, unable to believe that after twenty years of fighting crime, there was still such a big boss figure.

He pulled out his notebook. “Lietguoxiao? How do you write these three words?”

“Liet as in fierce fire, guo as in country, and xiao as in hero,” He Jingjing said.

“Don’t you want to live anymore?” He Jun slapped the wall. “Tell the police his name and we’re all done for.”

“Why should I be afraid of him? Why should I be afraid of him! An old man is nothing to fear!” He Jingjing retorted angrily.

He Jun sighed and covered his chest before heading into another room.

Though he stumbled upon this explosive information, Lin Qiupu didn’t forget his mission. He hesitated for a long time before taking out a napkin. “Wipe the blood off your head.”

“Thank you, you’re really kind,” He Jingjing took it and wiped the blood off her head, crumpling the napkin and throwing it into the trash can.

I need to find a way to get that piece of paper.

“Do you need anything else?” He Jingjing asked.

“Ah, no, nothing. I’ll have another glass of water,” Lin Qiupu said.

“I’ll pour it for you,” He Jingjing went to the water dispenser to pour him some water. She wanted to steal the paper ball during this time, but her phone unexpectedly rang. Song Lang said on the phone, “Have you got He Jingjing’s DNA?”

“It’s almost done!”

“‘Almost done’ means what?” Song Lang laughed on the phone. “Plans have changed. Bring He Jingjing directly to the station. There are things that need to be discussed face to face with her.”

“In that case… do I still need to take it?” Lin Qiupu glanced at He Jingjing.

“Young man, you’re so straightforward. Since people are calling you, you don’t need to collect DNA anymore. Hurry up and bring the person over,”