Volume 4: The Great Net (Revised Edition) Chapter 3: Smoke and Dust Begin to Appear

  The so-called "walking home against the sunset glow" is this scene in front of me, when Longbiao's police car drove out of the Public Security Branch Bureau and rushed straight to Changhan Detention Center, the western sky was hanging with a shallow light red afterglow.

  Since entering the downtown area of Changhan, Longbiao has been appreciating the scenery and people along the street, not wanting to think about anything. In fact, this month, it's still as familiarly prosperous and bustling, roughly looking around, even many world-renowned brand billboards are still standing in their original positions, exaggerating the content they carry. At first glance, there seems to be no change, nor any difference.

  If there's any change, it's that now I'm wearing handcuffs and looking through the car window at that narrow field of vision; if there's any difference, it's that in the past I could freely ride a bicycle or sit on a bus, and rotate my eyes 360 degrees to appreciate the surroundings through physical movement.

  As a fugitive, Longbiao had to be immediately transferred to the Changhan City Detention Center. After completing the formalities at the police station, the police drove into the detention center. The handover procedure for the prisoner was not complicated, and the only regret was the procedure for entering the prison cell.

  The police who returned in triumph simply chatted for a while and left, and the two police officers guarding the detention center took Longbiao away. First, they took out all the things on his body and registered them before handing them over to the detention center for safekeeping. Then, they changed places and shaved Longbiao's head with clippers in just a few minutes. Finally, they conducted a full-body search of Longbiao, including his mouth and anus, leaving no possible place where a sharp object could be hidden unexamined.

  After changing into prison clothes, a policeman took him to cell 08, shouting at the people inside: "Punk, no one can move this guy! Take good care of him for me! If anything happens, I'll make you pay!"

  A man named Biaozi with a stout waist loudly responded: "Director Luo, what you've entrusted us with goes without saying!"

  Long Biao remained silent, his voice cold. It seemed that this "Biaozi" was the so-called leader of the gang. As soon as Long Biao stepped through the iron gate, it clanged shut behind him, and he could still hear the shouts of the guard: "You bunch of bastards, remember! I'm not joking!"

  A sharp and strange voice came from the corner of this dimly lit cell: "Yo, new recruit reporting for duty, quite a big shot, huh!"

  "Shut up! You son of a bitch!"

  Long Bao stood still, looking around the environment, there were not many people in this room, only about ten or so, and each person's eyes were staring at him like a snake.

  He walked right up to Long Bao's face, looking at Long Bao's 1.8-meter-tall stature and steel-like physique, and asked in a cold voice: "What's your name? What crime did you commit to come in here? And what's your relationship with Luo Guan?"

  "Dragon scales, intentional injury crime."

  The gangster continued in a gloomy tone: "I'm asking you what's your relationship with Luo Guan? He wants to protect you like this!"

  Long Bao's mouth twitched with a slight smile, but he didn't say anything. He calmly stared at the young punk.

  "Listen up, kid," said the thug. "Whatever you're doing, first you gotta hand over 300 bucks to the authorities..."

  Long Bao smiled lightly and said faintly: "Sorry, I don't have a single penny on me right now."

  The gangster scolded fiercely: "Damn your ancestors!" After that, he punched towards Longbiao's chest.

  Long Beng swiftly raised his hand to block, and with a flip of his palm, he grasped the pulse point of the young thug. Taking advantage of the momentum, he pulled him in close and whispered in his ear, "I can kill someone with just three punches, I've practiced it before, you won't have the upper hand. We're all people who have suffered together, why must you make things so awkward between us?"

  Long Bao changed his hand from a slap to a grasp, smiling and grasping the hand of the young man, but secretly using force.

  The several dead party members of the "Flying Youth" shouted: "**Dare to fight back?! I'll teach you a lesson!**"

  The gangster loudly stopped the other prisoners who were about to rush up, he was also using all his strength to compete with Longbiao's hand strength, his face was getting redder and redder. Longbiao knew it was almost time, so he gave the prison head a way out by revealing a very painful expression: "Biao Ge, Biao Ge, my hands are almost crushed by you, do you want to smoke or not?"

  The prison has its own dark rules, Zhou Jing used to be a guard at the labor reform farm, he is familiar with the situation in the prison, and had told Long Bao beforehand how to deal with those thugs. It's nothing more than having to give gifts while not showing weakness, pulling and pushing at the same time can quickly establish a good relationship, and also must never reveal one's bottom line.

  The prisoners in the cell were most lacking in money, and all the goods in the small sales department were actually one or two times more expensive than those outside. The food was also extremely unpalatable. After Longbiao exchanged the money for vouchers to buy a lot of cigarettes from the small sales department and gave them to the fellow prisoners, he quickly resolved their hostile intimidation and gained the emotional recognition of the prisoners. They all believed that Longbiao was not a simple character and became extremely interested in him.

  Biaozi really wanted to make friends with Longbiao, so he arranged for Longbiao to be in the stall closer to the door. The air inside was very stuffy, but here they could get some ventilation. Longbiao remembered that Shi Wei had said before that Zheng Xue was also being held in this detention center, and it seemed that some of Da Ge's men were also being held here.

  Prisoners always like to ask about the crime, no matter how they asked, Longbiao refused to describe his criminal process.

  The dragon's ear was filled with the dull yellow jokes and profanities of the prisoners who had lost their freedom and were waiting for judgment, sitting with their hands around their knees and their backs against the wall, trying to guess the number of heartbeats and counting the seconds.

  Through the iron window on that high wall, it's gloomy, without stars or moon, and even clouds are invisible. This row of tightly wrapped prisoners is sleeping soundly, but in their dreams, they are free to roam the sky, with no prison bars separating life from the colorful world of dreams. Sleeping people are unaware of their physical location, wherever they are, it's all the same, sleep is just sleep, and all that's needed is a patch of land to rest body and mind, without any concept of freedom, only when awake can one understand that everything is restricted by certain limitations.

  Rubbing temples, puffed up, smoking, continuing to indulge in aimless wandering thoughts.

  Someone was scratching their itchy skin with a rustling sound, someone was grinding their teeth with a crunching sound, someone was muttering incoherently, and occasionally someone let out a fart or two, accompanied by the sound of turning over.

  Should I be punished by law? From a legal perspective, this is unquestionable. But does such significance have value for myself? In relation to the spiritual needs of life, perhaps freedom of life is more important. Does morality then also lose its meaning in life?

  In a special period where moral integrity is ignored and material desires are rampant, this case of mine is also special, with special relationships and backgrounds. Shouldn't there be special operations? With so many things to do, how can precious time be wasted in such a special place?

  ……

  The guy was actually quite annoyed in his heart, woke up before dawn, saw the red glow of Longbiao's cigarette butt and took out a cigarette from under the pillow to smoke, saying: "You little devil, haven't you ever been locked up? How come I see you didn't sleep all night?"

  "Uh-huh, I'm still not quite used to it, and I just can't help but think of some things."

  "Think you can get out? You have connections and a way out, so go! If not, just get a medical parole or a suspended sentence, and that's it!" The thug lit up with his lighter again and asked, "Damn, kid, didn't even cover yourself with a blanket, sat like this all night? It's freezing outside!"

  Long Bao chuckled lightly and said in a low voice, "Hey, Biao Ge, I'll ask you something. Do you know if there's a young man named Zheng Xue here? He's got a pale complexion. His father used to be an official, but later committed suicide out of fear of punishment."

  The dude paused for a moment, then sneered: "That idiot? He's locked up in cell number four! A complete waste of space! If the cops hadn't protected him, he'd have been beaten to death long ago!"

  This night, it was not just Long Bao who couldn't sleep all night, there was another person who also didn't sleep all night, and that was Zheng Xue.

  Zheng Xue saw with his own eyes a prisoner in uniform, bald-headed and handcuffed, walking into cell 08. For a moment, he simply couldn't believe his eyes! This was what they called "Heaven has eyes"!

  Zheng Xue suppressed the hatred in his heart and carefully planned. In the detention room, to punish and retaliate against someone must rely on the management staff and the cell head, only they have the ability, and they are just for money. Zheng Xue's relationship with the cell head of this detention room and a management staff is not bad, he is a capable person who can mobilize prisoners and arrange various treatments.

  Zheng Xue secretly negotiated with the prison head and finally agreed on 3,000 yuan. The prison head patted his chest and said that he would guarantee Zheng Xue's safety and let him enjoy the glory and wealth of being a "dragon". The next day, Zheng Xue asked the guard to call his mother and have her send in the 3,000 yuan.

  Two days later, Zheng Xue's side was ready and waiting for that instructor to take over the shift.

  Zhou Jing and Xue arranged for two people to rush to Changhan by plane, quickly taking action. In order to protect Long Bao from harm in the prison cell, Zhou Jing decided to enter the prison cell where Long Bao was being held as soon as possible.

  Two days later, with Shi Wei's cooperation, Zhou Jing was taken to the Public Security Bureau by Shi Wei, claiming that Zhou Jing had stolen property. The police were immediately informed and Zhou Jing was about to be sent to Long Bao's cell. The two people sent by Xue also used their connections to get in touch with several leaders of the detention center, who promised to ensure that Long Bao would not be harmed while in custody, and would be comfortable and safe.

  On the third day after Long Biao was put in jail, the police came to interrogate him. Long Biao wore handcuffs and sat in the interrogation room, while the two police officers were very polite, with kind eyebrows and eyes, without any fierce body language or piercing eyes that could see through a criminal's lies. The whole process didn't even have a harsh word, and Long Biao guessed that a rescue operation had already begun outside. During the interrogation, Long Biao answered flawlessly.

  Money can make a ghost grind. The next afternoon after the trial, the most famous and powerful lawyer in Changhan City came forward, and Long Han was naturally arranged to meet with the lawyer. They had a long conversation in the reception room for an hour, during which the lawyer asked some very pointed questions before leaving satisfied.

  In the hotel, everyone sat together to discuss and investigate the case.

  The big-name lawyer said, "Firstly, what is beneficial to the defendant Long Bao is that he insists he was taking justifiable self-defense against Zheng Xue's crime against Wen Li; the two of them were together fighting and it was inevitable that they would collide with each other. Secondly, he emphasizes that he has difficulty walking, has injuries on his body, and limited strength, so we can make use of excessive defense and accidental injury."

  "Based on what you've said about this case, there are four key figures: Liu Guanghua, Wu Wenli, Liao Ye and Chang Cheng. It seems possible that Long Bing was framed by someone's conspiracy. However, this conspiracy is not supported by evidence. Even if the conspiracy is true, it would only make the judge think that the parties involved had a motive for intentional harm, which would weaken the persuasiveness of self-defense. For now, it's better not to mention it first. Wenli is a key witness and her testimony is crucial. If it's beneficial to the parties involved, then the case is half won."

  ……

  De Lao had been listening silently, without making a sound, but with a somewhat heavy gaze at everyone. However, he didn't see Zhou Jing, so he asked Shi Wei suspiciously: "Xiao Shi, where's Zhou Jing? Why can't I see him?"

  Shi Wei's smile froze instantly, and he immediately said with a awkward smile: "Hehe, yeah, Zhou, Zhou Jing, why haven't I seen him? Where did he go?"

  Long Bao looked at Zhou Jing with a mix of anger and amusement, but more so with emotion. To be honest, it was really impressive how quickly they had arranged for Zhou Jing to be put in the detention center, and even more surprising that he was in the same cell as Long Bao himself. The theft case wasn't big or small, but supposedly Shi Wei would make sure the police couldn't find the owner of the stolen goods, so as long as Long Bao was okay, the owner would immediately report to the police: "The diamond ring has been found, it was all a misunderstanding earlier, Zhou Jing is a good person and didn't steal anything." The theft case would naturally be dismissed.

  Long Bao gazed at Zhou Jing's bald head, while Zhou Jing stared back at Long Bao's own shiny scalp. Both of them were bald, and upon glancing around the entire detention room, everyone else was too. They couldn't help but burst into loud laughter. Long Bao handed Zhou Jing a cigarette and chuckled, "Where's Shi Wei? Why didn't that guy come in with us?"

  Zhou Jing lit a cigarette, took out the lighter and first lit Long Bao's cigarette, also smiling: "Hehe, I asked him, he said he had more important things to do outside!"

  ……

  Zheng Xue exerted herself to stick her face against the iron gate, trying to hear any movement on the other side.

  Zhou Jingxiang was demonstrating a standard set of military boxing moves in the narrow range of the prison cell, causing the prisoners to cheer loudly. Zhou Jingxiang did 50 push-ups with four fingers and felt it wasn't enough, so he used his two thumbs to do 20 extremely difficult push-ups, completely stunning all the prisoners!

  Those two prisoners who were just arranged by the prison head to carry out the task of beating Longbiao, found that the target Longbiao was actually in good terms with this martial arts master and had lost their will to fight, forgetting about their mission.

  Zheng Xue was puzzled and asked the prison head, "Why haven't I heard the enemy's scream of agony all this time?"

  After learning about the situation, the prison head found that things were not simple and tried to transfer Longbiao to his cell through a relationship. The warden said that Longbiao was no ordinary person and could not be transferred out of Cell 08 without the consent of the superior leaders.

  The money is non-refundable, the boss's tone is very fierce. Who knows you're dealing with such a special person? I'm not taking the money and not doing anything, it's just that this thing can't be done! You've lost both people and effort, and you still want to get a refund? Refund your mom!

  Zheng Xue feared the thug's ferocity, this rascal had no sense of justice to speak of, he could only shrink aside and secretly grind his teeth in anger, cutting him down with a thousand knives and ten thousand cuts.

  Wen Li is sitting on a long bench outside the Maoye Mall in Shenzhen, watching the crowds of people coming and going, watching couples walking hand in hand, looking at this bustling street scene, her heart filled with sorrow: Why is my love always so fragile? Why can't my love be like Cinderella's fairy tale? Why can I only sit alone like that little match girl in the cold wind and rain, hopelessly searching for warmth of emotions?

  ……

  At this moment, Wenli's phone rang, it was Jing'er calling, and she had only told Jing'er about this number.

  Jing'er first spoke in a soft voice, asking how she was doing and chatting for a while before her tone became extremely sorrowful. "Wenli jie, there's something I must tell you, and at the same time, I sincerely hope that after listening to it, you will agree to my request. This matter is too important."

  Wen Li had never seen Jing Er so serious before, so she agreed.

  "Jing'er said in a nearly pleading tone: 'Wenli sister, Longbiao is your fellow townsman. He's now been arrested by the police and locked up in a dark cell where he's being subjected to all sorts of torture! Don't tell anyone about this, can you come to Changhan City right away? We've already hired a lawyer, and as an important party involved, we need your help.'"

  Longbiao, a name that is both infinitely distant and infinitely close, the face, infinitely vague yet infinitely clear, faint impressions and deep memories, forgetting and remembering, inexplicably becoming a pair of antonymous synonyms. Xiongshan, Tianlei Township, No. 12 Middle School, Shancheng, Changhan, and Shanghai, these vastly different place names can overlap at one point in the brain, who is who and who is not?

  Wen Li sat stupidly on the hotel bed, her ears filled with Autumn Ya Jing's words, but her mind was full of Long Bao, Zheng Xue and Chang Cheng's images.

  ……

  Wen Li thought for a long time and finally asked the company for leave to return to Changhan. Jing Er and Qiu Ya personally went to pick her up and arranged for her to stay in a hotel, without living in the school dormitory.

  Wen Li's expression was complex, her eyes darting back and forth, as if she didn't dare face Autumn Leaf. Jing Er understood Wen Li's emotions and softly comforted her: "Wen Li, why don't you take a rest first? We'll talk again after you wake up, okay?"

  Qiu Ya had a lot of words to say, but seeing Wen Li's silly expression, she could only give up and bid farewell with Jing Er.

  To facilitate everyone's discussion of the case, Mr. Xue's people specially rented four adjacent rooms, and they had to report their progress to Mr. Xue every day. Sitting in the room, Shi Wei was quite indignant, muttering: "Damn it! You guys don't dare say it, I'll say it! Let's just make it clear to her and ask how much money she wants!"

  Du Ci fiercely poked Shi Wei's head with her finger and said, "Pighead! Do you think others are like you? You think changing your testimony is just a matter of saying so? This involves legal responsibility! Perjury is also a crime!"

  Jing'er hastily covered her mouth with her hand and whispered, "Du Cui, don't say anything about changing testimony or perjury!" After a pause, she continued, "Actually, I think Wen Li is still in a very conflicted state of mind. Think about it, Long Bao is her hometown friend, classmate, and even first love, while Zheng Xue is the person for whom she attempted suicide as an intimate lover. No matter how she testifies, she will inevitably cause irreparable harm to one of them. Don't pressure her; she's actually suffering more than anyone else right now. If you were in her shoes, you wouldn't know what to choose either."

  Shi Wei cursed in a low voice: "If it were me, I would have made a good choice. Long Bao has never hurt her, but what about Zheng Xue? Come on, what's so difficult about this?"

  "However, your testimony must be credible to the judge, isn't it?"

  The Liheng Group has undergone a major change in its corporate structure due to the equity restructuring. In order not to harm the interests of other shareholders and the general public, the board of directors officially announced a new board composition plan to the outside world. All old shares will be exchanged for new Liheng stocks at a ratio of 1:1.8. For those who do not wish to exchange, the group announced that it will buy back the old shares at a price of HK$8 per share. The deadline for the buyback is March 30th.

  Suddenly, all sorts of rumors sprang up.

  "Li Heng Group has been hollowed out! Sell quickly!"

  "Yes, half of our assets are gone! Who knows if they'll have the funds to buy back my stocks later? What if they go bankrupt, won't I be completely finished?"

  "What's the panic? Let me tell you, Qian Zhengsheng is a man of his word! If he promises something, he'll definitely do it! He's not like those other unscrupulous listed companies! I trust him!"

  "I heard that he is now making every effort to rectify the group's enterprises, why don't you think about it, this old man can do great justice and annihilate his relatives, how could he cheat us small shareholders?"

  "Alas, what if he dies? Wouldn't Li Heng be finished then?"

  "Joke! If I were to throw you all away, I'd wait a bit longer and see! Which company doesn't have problems?"

  ……

  However, rumors are just rumors and public opinion is just that. The stock trading was surprisingly calm.

  Because Zheng Xue and Long Bao are involved in the same case, they have never met face to face. However, Long Bao urgently needs to talk to Zheng Xue.

  On the third day after Zhou Jing's arrival, Long Bao was smoking and staring at the two prisoners who were said to have been transferred from cell 04, where Zheng Xue was being held. He felt that these two people looked at him with suspicious eyes, so he turned to Zhou Jing beside him and said: "Zhou Jing, I always feel that these two guys are not honest, as if they have some conspiracy. You go and call them over for questioning."

  Biaozi had long become sworn brothers with Zhou Qing, and admired his martial arts skills immensely. He immediately cooperated with Zhou Qing to shout at the two men, who stood up straight in a disciplined manner.

  Zhou Jing looked up and down at the armed police officer with a stern expression, suddenly shouting: "What's going on?! You two, come clean with me, what was your purpose in coming from No. 4?! If you don't tell me the truth, I'll make you useless!"

  These two people were extremely afraid of Zhou Jing's kung fu and deeply understood the means by which the guards controlled the prisoners, but they didn't dare to reveal their purpose. Zhou Jing then asked them about Zheng Xue's behavior in cell number four, and they said that Zheng Xue had behaved very honestly and obediently.

  They didn't know that the more they said Zheng Xue was well-behaved in cell number four, the more it would arouse Long Biao's suspicion: What kind of person is Zheng Xue? They said Zheng Xue had suffered a lot in prison and he believed it, but no matter what, he wouldn't not have any intention to kill himself! Hiring thugs to take revenge was Zheng Xue's strong point!

  Zhou Jing used verbal intimidation, a 1,000-yuan voucher as bait, and a guarantee that they would not be held responsible to get the two people to surrender and tell the truth. After all, with 1,000 yuan, one could live comfortably for two months; who knew how long they would be locked up?

  ……

  Long Wan concentrated his mind in contemplation.

  It seems that Zheng Xue is really a pig! How to tell him? He has no awareness of the sadness of being a victim of conspiracy at that time, and he is completely deceived by Liao Ye and Chang Cheng. Can we make him aware of it and transfer his hatred towards himself to Liao Ye and Chang Cheng?

  Zheng Xue has also committed a crime, and the punishment is absolutely not light. What he wants most now must be to escape from his crimes, and what he longs for must be freedom. If using money and freedom as two conditions simultaneously, can it change his testimony against himself? The victim's testimony is the most crucial.

  ……

  The next day, the lawyer came and told Longbiao that two key witnesses, Liu Guanghua and Wenli, had been found and had basically promised to make statements consistent with Longbiao's confession based on facts. Longbiao nodded slightly, hinting that the lawyer should arrange for Zhou Qing to be transferred to cell number four where Zheng Xue was being held.

  Early in the morning, the gangster had already greeted the head of cell No. 4 through the iron door, claiming that a friend was going to be transferred to cell No. 4 and asking him to take good care of him, implying that he would not be shortchanged. Later, he forced two so-called prisoners who were following the head of the cell to shout and demand that Zhou Jing must not be treated unfairly. The head of the cell had a handle on them and could only respond enthusiastically.

  Zhou Jing stuffed several thousand yuan worth of coupons into his pocket and swaggered into cell 04 under the escort's lead. At a glance, he recognized Zheng Xue. Zheng Xue instinctively felt that this person who had just come from the enemy Long Bao's cell was absolutely not benevolent. He watched Zhou Jing's every move with extreme tension. Zhou Jing, on the other hand, acted as if he hadn't seen him and chatted with the prisoners about the fresh news outside.

  Zheng Xue waited anxiously until nightfall, when Zhou Qing finally moved to sit beside him, tossing him a pack of cigarettes and saying, "Hey, we're all brothers, have a smoke, chat for a bit, and talk about nothing in particular."

  Zheng Xue squeezed out a bitter smile with a hint of hatred and lit a cigarette for Zhou Jing.

  "Hey, bro, I've got a story to tell you, want to hear it?" Zhou Jin said in a hushed tone. As he spoke, his eyes fixed on Zheng Xue's face, and he continued in a non-stop flow: "Once upon a time, there was a college student who got beaten up by someone, and he held a grudge against that person for a long time. But what he didn't know was that it was all a setup by someone else, and the person who set him up was actually his best friend. What do you think, is this guy stupid or not?"

  Zheng Xue's whole body hair stood up at this time, and he nervously asked: "Brother, what does your story mean?"

  Zhou Qing chuckled and said, "Don't be tense, we're just chatting. I'm only doing someone a favor, hoping you'll think carefully about it yourself. First, why did the university student coincidentally get caught by the person who hit him? Is there someone leaking information? Second, why did the university student come to Shanghai to seek refuge with his so-called best friend after getting into trouble, but got caught by the police right away? Think about it carefully, seeking revenge is a matter of course, but you need to know who the real culprit is. Sometimes the enemy isn't just the one who's been found out, there might be many more. You can't be foolish when dealing with people. Haha."

  Zhou Ding finished the first stage of what Long Bao had entrusted him to say. According to Long Bao's arrangement, this matter must be let Zheng Xue think about for a day, and it would be best if Zheng Xue himself came to talk to him. Zhou Ding immediately turned to that group of prisoners and enthusiastically started chatting about yellow stories.

  Zheng Xue could confirm that Zhou Ding was definitely sent by the Long Bao faction. He also knew that Zhou Ding's words must have had a purpose, and he didn't want to think about it, but in this detention center, there was really nothing else to think about. Every time he recalled the past, it was all things that made his heart ache, such as "You can't be a fool when dealing with people" - these words were like a knife stabbing deep into his internal organs.

  Zheng Xue carefully thought back and forth, and it seemed that the logical reasoning was indeed established!

  ……

  Zheng Xue really wanted to find Zhou Jing to ask him what was going on, but the next day Zhou Jing simply ignored Zheng Xue. Zheng Xue hesitated until evening when he took the initiative to ask Zhou Jing, who instead asked Zheng Xue to tell him about his experiences that day.

  Zheng Xue then told in detail about the details of those things, and Zhou Qing also told Zheng Xue about the content on the tape. Zheng Xue was shocked: isn't this exactly what he had discussed with Chang Cheng before? How did he know? And even if he was caught, it could only be because Chang Cheng and others reported him! Wait a minute, even if it's a conspiracy designed by Chang Cheng and others, but in the end, Long Bao is still the one who directly harmed me! Otherwise, I wouldn't have ended up like this! Trying to sow discord and shift my attention, making me forget my hatred? No way!

  Zheng Xue suddenly lost interest in continuing the conversation after making up his mind.

  The second phase is over, and Zhou Qing also ignored him.