Chapter 35: Doubts Within

Shortly after, Director Shang and Officer Yang arrived at the interrogation room of the Anti-Narcotics Brigade, where Officer Yang had been holding Zhang Heng.

Upon entering, Director Shang discovered that not only was Zhang Heng being detained, but the hotel owner was also being held there. Seeing this, Director Shang immediately ordered Officer Yang to release the hotel owner on the spot. Officer Yang complied.

Once the hotel owner had left, Director Shang instructed Officer Yang to close the door, and the three of them began to converse. Director Shang looked at Zhang Heng and asked directly, "Comrade Zhang Heng, how did you end up in this state?"

Officer Yang was stunned to hear the Director address the suspected drug trafficker as "Comrade," as he was completely unaware of the relationship between them. "Director Shang, you mean... this drug trafficker is?"

Seeing Officer Yang’s confusion, Director Shang turned to him and said, "Oh, Old Yang, I forgot to tell you something. I should tell you now so you aren't kept in the dark."

"Go ahead, Director. I'm listening."

"This man is Zhang Heng, a criminal investigation expert sent by our superiors in Beijing to investigate the sensational case that went viral online years ago in our province."

"Director, you say he is an expert sent by the superiors to solve the case? Are you mistaken? He is a drug trafficker! We confiscated several kilograms of narcotics from him!"

Director Shang ignored him, turning instead to Zhang Heng. "Comrade Zhang Heng, did you get yourself arrested and carry those drugs on purpose as part of an undercover operation to fool the criminal syndicate?"

Zhang Heng looked at Director Shang and replied, "Director, to tell you the truth, you are correct. I discovered a drug-related syndicate operating within Taiyuan City. They have complex identities, and I have just managed to infiltrate their ranks and have already obtained some information on them."

"Director, please rest assured. I plan to continue my undercover work until the timing is right, at which point I will report back to you so we can take them down together." Zhang Heng paused, then added, "Oh, Director Shang, I forgot to ask a crucial question."

"Go ahead."

"I wanted to ask, how is Comrade Liang Song?"

"Him? We have already transferred his remains to the police in Beijing. Our tests confirmed that he passed away due to excessive blood loss. Our province has already awarded Comrade Liang Song a special contribution medal."

"Has the suspect been identified and captured?" Zhang Heng pressed.

"We are still investigating, but progress is going smoothly."

"I see. That’s good."

At this point, Officer Yang interjected, looking somewhat flustered. "Director, sir, I forgot to mention, we are currently waiting for our bureau to provide a result regarding Comrade Zhang Heng."

"What result?" Director Shang asked in surprise.

"When I led the team to arrest him, we were spotted by the media—several outlets, including the *Taiyuan Evening News* and the *Shanxi TV Comprehensive Report*. They even conducted live interviews. I told them that the public should follow our bureau’s official account for follow-up investigation results."

Director Shang fell into deep thought. "Old Yang, do you have a cigarette?"

"Yes, yes, I do." Officer Yang immediately pulled one from his pocket and handed it to the Director. The Director took it, and Officer Yang lit it for him before lighting one for himself. They paced the room, deep in contemplation.

Suddenly, Director Shang’s phone rang. He answered it in front of them. The Director of the Provincial Public Security Department was on the other end, ordering him to attend an urgent meeting immediately. After hanging up, Director Shang told Officer Yang that he had to go, leaving him in charge of the situation and instructing him to stall the media. He then left to drive to his destination.

***

Director Shang soon arrived at the provincial police headquarters. To his surprise, he saw several police vehicles from other cities in the province parked in the courtyard. Thinking that officers from other cities were likely there for a professional exchange, he headed straight to the second-floor conference room as instructed by the Provincial Director.

Inside the meeting room, he found Director Zhang from the Datong Municipal Public Security Bureau and his team. The Provincial Director had not yet arrived. After exchanging greetings and hugs with Director Zhang and his team, Director Shang asked why they were there. Director Zhang spoke plainly: "We have spotted signs of Yang Xiaoqiang, the international drug lord who was reported online recently for smuggling people across the border using local farmers. We are here to report this to the provincial authorities and discuss our next steps."

Upon hearing this, Director Shang felt a strange coincidence, linking it to the situation with Zhang Heng and the person known as "Dragon Lord" currently detained in his city. However, he remained silent.

He took his seat and waited. Soon, the Provincial Public Security Director arrived, signaling the start of the meeting. After the staff served tea and left, the meeting commenced.

A middle-aged man in a police uniform from the Datong team stepped onto the podium with his laptop to connect to the projector. He addressed the Provincial Director, "Good day, Director." Then, facing the room, he continued, "Distinguished leaders, I am Ren Zhengxiang, Chief of the Anti-Narcotics Brigade of Datong. I would like to represent our brigade and report on our recent work..."

After reporting for several minutes, he moved to the main point: "Now, let’s discuss the priority..."