Chapter 422: Zeng Qing (Two-in-One)

Yan Jing studied the newspaper photo of Zeng Qing's arrest, his eyes flashing.

In the photo, Zeng Qing's hands were shackled. As Enforcers in protective suits escorted her into a vehicle, she turned to look at the quiet street, her gaze perfectly calm.

Yan Jing gave a gentle wave of his right hand. Weird energy flowed out like a babbling stream, and Xiao Xin appeared beside him.

"Iya, iya~~"

Having not seen Yan Jing for a while, Xiao Xin affectionately rubbed her cheek against his.

Her workload had been heavy lately. She had to help Yan Jing keep an eye on both Zeng Qing and Boss Rat, while occasionally hopping over to the Surface World to monitor his physical body's surroundings.

Fortunately, Fei Yu and Fear Bird had used the latter's secret technique to significantly boost her strength. Not only could she now easily transport payloads of nearly half a ton, but her speed had also vastly improved.

Yan Jing smiled and patted Xiao Xin's head. "You've worked hard."

"She wasn't hurt during the arrest, was she?"

"Iya, iya~~" Xiao Xin shook her head.

Just as Yan Jing had instructed, Zeng Qing had fully cooperated the entire time.

"How are things on Pops' end?"

"Iya, iya~~" Xiao Xin gestured with her hands.

"He's already close to finding the pollution source?" Yan Jing nodded.

He truly lived up to his name as Papa Rat.

Though Yan Jing didn't know exactly how he managed it, he wasn't the least bit surprised that Papa Rat had been the first to locate the pollution source.

He handed Xiao Xin an apple, then activated his Information Component and opened a live-streaming website called Public Vision.

After Yan Jing killed the two Seventh Rank experts, everyone previously under Zeng Qing's protection had immediately been tracked down.

With Zeng Qing's downfall and the loss of her protection, they had been swiftly taken into custody.

Yan Jing had originally been prepared to take action right then.

But Crocodile had beaten him to it.

Arguing that "the public is innocent," Crocodile had used legal procedures to transfer the group—including Li Zhiyuan and Li Ya—to a Semi-Open Holding Institution.

Here, at the very least, no one would dare make a rash move against them.

Yan Jing skillfully located the live stream of the room where the group was detained. He saw a crowd of people scattered across the cold floor, looking dejected.

Channeling his weird energy, he targeted the Holographic Screen's speaker and began to "adjust" the audio.

Certain voices, initially drowned out by background noise, gradually became clear.

"What day is it?" someone asked, sounding depressed.

"Third or fourth day, I think. I can't remember..."

The old man who had developed a liking for strawberry juice paired with braised pork because of Yan Jing spoke up.

He looked equally downcast.

They didn't serve strawberry juice and braised pork here.

They didn't even provide the classic blueberry juice alternative.

There was only synthetic bread and mushy beans.

"What exactly do they want to know?" someone grumbled indignantly. "We don't even know where Director Cat is..."

"Besides—" The person lowered his voice even further. "I don't think Director Cat is a bad person at all."

"When we were at the previous Sanitarium, people would go missing every now and then. But here, only a few people ever discharged themselves, and every single one of them came back to visit us."

"And those two Seventh Ranks—how could Director Cat possibly beat Seventh Rank experts? I think that video is completely fabricated."

Hearing this, someone muttered, "They're saying Director Cat and Mr. Luo are just using us to drum up hype and shoot ads for money."

"Are you new here?! Wasn't that the deal from the very beginning?! It's not like we paid any admission fees to stay at the Sanitarium!" The old man grew unhappy. He walked over to the young man who had just spoken, deciding to set him straight.

"But they say Director Cat is making way more money than what's being spent on us..." the young man mumbled under his breath. The old man paused, turned right back around, and returned to sit next to Li Zhiyuan.

"Why did you stop?" Li Zhiyuan asked with a smile.

"It just makes me mad. He's old enough to know better, but he won't listen."

The old man lowered his head and picked at a loose thread on his undershirt. "How can people be so rotten? Director Cat said everyone here was vetted, yet just a few days in, they're acting like this. We were all part of the bullied crowd—we only came here because we couldn't survive on the outside. And now they're infighting? If they act like this, who's ever going to help us again?"

"I just feel it isn't worth it for Director Cat and Mr. Luo."

"They went through all that effort to help us, and they don't even get a thank-you."

"Damn it, why are there so many bad people in this world..."

Li Zhiyuan smiled. "Yeah. It's hard. Really hard."

"Some problems just don't have solutions."

He recalled a book he had read before. It stated: The truth about why it is so difficult for this world to become a better place lies in the diversity of humanity. Bad, selfish, and ignorant people are pervasive. They are scattered across every social stratum. Whether rich or poor, noble or lowly, they become the 'holes in the net' within any group, dragging down the progress of any positive endeavor.

He reached out and patted the old man's shoulder, smiling. "You're worrying yourself too much, old-timer. But... let's just wait."

"It's the only thing we can do right now."

"..."

Yan Jing watched for a while longer before closing the live stream.

He handed Xiao Xin a few items he had prepared in advance.

"Go put these in the place we agreed on."

"Iya, iya." Xiao Xin nodded and instantly vanished into thin air.

In just a few seconds, she arrived inside a heavily guarded cell and dropped a USB Flash Drive and a Miniature Camera from above into the hands of Zeng Qing, who was crouching in the corner.

Zeng Qing was currently wearing a Blue Prison Uniform. Her hair was disheveled, and her gaze appeared somewhat vacant.

If someone could observe her closely through the dim lighting, they might catch the glint of sharpness hidden beneath that vacant look.

The instant she caught the USB Flash Drive and the Miniature Camera, she took a deep breath, popped open a small storage compartment on her arm—hidden behind her back—and slipped the items inside.

The first round of interrogation hadn't started yet. Her mission was to ensure this USB Flash Drive was exposed to the interrogators.

This was a game of chess.

She was the first piece played, and also the most important one.

She closed her eyes, her heart perfectly calm. This was a high-stakes gamble, and she intended to win.

It was just a bit strange. According to her estimates, there should be multiple rounds of interrogation, and the first round should have started long ago. For some reason, it seemed even the preparatory work hadn't begun.

Three hours later.

"It is with deep sorrow that I announce that Mr. Zhu Qiao, the Minister of the Former Strategic Coordination Headquarters, suffered an unimaginable attack this morning. After a thorough investigation, the perpetrator has been identified as Mao Si. Mr. Zhu Qiao was the War God of our Peace Heavenly Kingdom. He weathered countless battles throughout his life, yet now..."

Quan Dazhong delivered a deeply mournful speech for a full half hour before finally stepping off the podium.

He pushed through the crowded venue and, surrounded by security guards, got into his car, returning to his office in Peace Mansion.

At the door, Ding Xunchun, the Minister of the Central Intelligence Department, was already waiting.

"Mr. President." Ding Xunchun was still wearing his usual gray suit and black-framed glasses today, his expression entirely serious.

"Mm."

Quan Dazhong walked into the office. Ding Xunchun followed behind him and closed the door.

"Mr. President, Zhu Qiao has been dealt with. We should now be able to redirect all our personnel to investigate this plague—"

"You were the one who moved against Zhu Qiao?" Quan Dazhong raised an eyebrow, looking at Ding Xunchun.

"..." Ding Xunchun was bewildered. After their last meeting, he had secretly monitored Zhu Qiao and discovered that the man was privately training his own soldiers and wooing quite a few officials in the command headquarters. Something had obviously been wrong.

He had sought instructions from Quan Dazhong several times regarding the matter, but Quan Dazhong had never given a clear response.

It wasn't until Mao Si killed those two Seventh Rank experts that Quan Dazhong had finally spoken up, telling him to "handle Zhu Qiao as he saw fit."

He had thought Quan Dazhong meant for him to eliminate Zhu Qiao.

Was that not the case?

He stared blankly at Quan Dazhong. To his shock, in the very next second, Quan Dazhong subjected him to a blistering tirade.

"Minister Zhu rendered outstanding service to our Peace Heavenly Kingdom, and you just went and killed him?! Who gave you permission? Who authorized this?! Are you a cold-blooded animal?!"

Quan Dazhong's sharp, monkey-like face was flushed with fury.

"No, I thought you—"

Just as Ding Xunchun spoke, he caught sight of Quan Dazhong's gloomy glare and instinctively shut his mouth. He lowered his head. "I am truly sorry. I acted too impulsively."

"...Forget it." Quan Dazhong waved his hand and loosened his tie, his tone softening considerably. "Xunchun, you know I value you the most, right?"

"Yes," Ding Xunchun replied.

"When I took office for my second term and you appeared, I realized you had great potential. For certain matters, you need to think more deeply about what I truly mean..."

"Understood." Ding Xunchun lowered his head.

"Let's move past this." Quan Dazhong sighed. "Do you think we have a high chance of winning the upcoming election?"

"Mr. President will undoubtedly secure victory." Ding Xunchun seized the opportunity to add, "The plant disease is spreading aggressively right now. If we can resolve it, I believe the public will support us completely."

"Mm." Quan Dazhong nodded. "Alright, dispatch a portion of your personnel to investigate it. But dedicate the majority of your forces to hunting down the killer."

"But—" Ding Xunchun hesitated. He wanted to point out that relying on such a small team wouldn't be enough to uncover the cause of the disease. Catching the killer was important, but controlling the epidemic should clearly be their top priority right now.

"But what?" Quan Dazhong raised his eyes, his voice quiet. "My concern is that if we let Mao Si and his people continue to run wild, the situation with the disease will likely deteriorate further. Or are you having the same thoughts as last time, believing I want to leave our residents to die?"

"N-no, not at all," Ding Xunchun said, bowing his head.

"Mm." Quan Dazhong nodded.

Ding Xunchun was just about to leave the room when Quan Dazhong suddenly called out to him again. "Oh, by the way. Liao Junliang has been a bit too noisy lately. He barely listens to my input anymore. Handle him, will you?"

Ding Xunchun froze, raising his head in disbelief. "You mean to...?"

"Mm. Handle it as you see fit." Quan Dazhong repeated the exact same phrase.

"...Understood." Ding Xunchun's face looked a little grim as he walked out of the office.

He headed toward the elevator, only to bump into a familiar figure at a corner that lacked surveillance cameras.

Wearing a sharp suit and exuding an aura of absolute righteousness.

It was exactly the man he had been told to handle—Liao Junliang.

"Well? What did the President say?" Liao Junliang approached him anxiously.

"What do you mean, what did he say?" Ding Xunchun replied heavily.

"The plant disease!" Liao Junliang looked somewhat surprised. "Did you not ask about it? That can't be right, can it?"

Ding Xunchun took a deep breath. "The President already has his own arrangements."

Hearing this, Liao Junliang's face lit up with joy. "What arrangements? How many people did he assign? How many medical resources is he mobilizing—"

"Prime Minister Liao." Ding Xunchun abruptly cut off Liao Junliang's words, causing the man to stall.

"There are some things you shouldn't press too far. You'd be better off focusing on your own work."

A flash of realization crossed Liao Junliang's eyes. Then he let out a cold laugh. "I get it. He still didn't assign anyone to the medical side, did he? Is he trying to use this plant disease to kill off a bunch of anthill residents—"

"Liao Junliang!" Ding Xunchun's voice suddenly spiked. He glared furiously at Liao Junliang. "How dare you think of the President that way?"

He was highly sensitive to this topic; back when Quan Dazhong had shown him that half-dead rose, he had said almost the exact same thing as Liao Junliang, only to be angrily rebuked by Quan Dazhong for failing to understand his intent.

"Heh." Liao Junliang chuckled coldly, then dropped a question that left Ding Xunchun even more incredulous. "You were the one who took out Zhu Qiao, weren't you?"

"Bullshit!" Ding Xunchun lunged forward, grabbed Liao Junliang by the collar, and slammed him against the wall, his face twisting with rage.

Liao Junliang was only at the Fourth Tier himself, making him completely powerless before the Seventh Rank Ding Xunchun. Pinned by his collar, he struggled to breathe, yet he still forced out the words. "Heh... Ding Xunchun... I thought you were different from the rest. But now I see you're all exactly the same. Did he tell you to handle it 'as you saw fit,' and so you went and did it? Heh... I was there with him from the very beginning. No one knows him better than I do."

"Ding Xunchun, sometimes I wonder if he's even the same Quan Dazhong I used to know."

"When he first took office, he was so upright and noble. If the plans we proposed had even the slightest hint of corruption or rule-breaking, he'd reject them outright. But look at him now."

"Be careful, Ding Xunchun. The next one to go will either be me... or you."

Bang. Ding Xunchun forcefully shoved Liao Junliang against the wall again before hurrying down the stairs, not even bothering to take the elevator.

His mind was in utter turmoil right now. He just wanted to find a place to be alone for a while.

He got into his private car and, when the driver asked, casually gave an address. By the time he snapped out of his daze, he had arrived at the entrance of the First Law Enforcement Department.

The Law Enforcement Bureau also fell under his jurisdiction. Beneath it lay the various regional Law Enforcement Agencies.

He stood dazed for a moment before pushing the doors open and walking right in.

"Where is Zeng Qing?" he demanded directly, his face dark, startling everyone in the room.

The interrogation was immediately arranged and begun.

Under his orders, he and Zeng Qing were placed in the same interrogation room. However, he had the glass partition separating them removed, and he left her hands unshackled.

He wasn't afraid of Zeng Qing lashing out.

In fact, if she did attack, it would only prove there was a deeper issue.

"Talk. Where is Mao Si?" he asked in a deep voice.

"I'm a victim too, officer." Zeng Qing smiled. "Didn't you hear what Mao Si said in that live broadcast? He hates people like me the most. Besides, I have no ties to the Zeng Family anymore, and my tier isn't high. Why would you think he'd still contact me?"

Faced with Zeng Qing's logical defense, Ding Xunchun scoffed coldly. "After Mao Si's live broadcast that day, we sent people to find you, but we came up entirely empty. Where exactly have you been these past few days? If not for the help of Mao Si and Luo Sheng, how could someone like you be so difficult to track down?"

"Hey, hey, officer, your people being inefficient is hardly breaking news. Are you really blaming that on me?" Zeng Qing's expression remained unchanged. "If you were truly that efficient, why hasn't the plant disease raging outside been resolved yet?"

Bang!!!

Like a sudden crack of thunder, Ding Xunchun slammed his hand on the table and roared, "Answer the question!!!"

"Where did you go?!!!"

"I knew you'd come looking for me, so I hid," Zeng Qing replied nonchalantly.

"Hid where?!"

"Muke District. The Sanitarium. The one that used to belong to Chen Xiaojing's family."

"Go check the surveillance," Ding Xunchun ordered the personnel outside through his Information Component.

While he waited for them to investigate, he stared coldly at Zeng Qing across from him. "Where exactly is Mao Si?"

"I don't know. I really don't know."

Their conversation stalled in a deadlock for over ten minutes.

That was until someone returned to report that they had indeed found traces of Zeng Qing on the surveillance cameras near that Sanitarium.

"You pack of useless trash!!"

Unable to contain himself, Ding Xunchun stormed out of the interrogation room and viciously slapped the leader of the search team.

"She was right there, and you couldn't find her?!!"

Then, he ordered in an icy tone, "Bring out the Truth Serum."

"..." The personnel didn't dare dawdle. The Central Intelligence Department using Truth Serum was an everyday occurrence, so they immediately went to fetch it.

But just as they were bringing the Truth Serum in, Ding Xunchun's eyes suddenly narrowed. Through the glass, he caught Zeng Qing making a subtle movement, and he violently charged into the room.

"What are you holding? Hand it over!!!"