Chapter 357: Chapter 357

"The implications of what you’ve said are huge." Heizi immediately caught on to something, his sharp gaze fixed on him. "Alright! You’re my catch, so I have the authority to make that call!"

He then gave Songzi a look. The two of them had known each other for years and understood one another well. Songzi nodded—it was clear he agreed.

The young man gritted his teeth and said, "I don’t know whether he’s the one you’re looking for. We all call him Da Zhi. He says he’s an orphan, controlled by someone named Ah Fa. Because he refuses to steal from the poor, he’s been beaten countless times. But each time, he grits his teeth and never begs for mercy.

"I fought with him once, and we became good buddies after that. But there was one time he avoided us, acting all suspicious. Out of curiosity, I followed him quietly and saw him kneeling before someone’s grave. The tombstone had the name ’Zhou Feng’ on it.

"That’s when I started suspecting—maybe he’s the one you’re looking for!"

Inside, the young man apologized to Da Zhi. For the sake of his little sister, Da Zhi couldn’t afford to get caught. If he didn’t return tonight, those people might sell his sister off!

Moreover, he could tell the two men in front of him, despite their tough exterior, were righteous and wouldn’t harm anyone. Maybe they could even help Da Zhi in some way.

"Where is he now?" Heizi’s emotions surged. This was unbelievable—he had just gotten off the train and already found a lead? Could it be fate?

The young man led them to find the boy they called Da Zhi. When they arrived, he was in a dilapidated hut, recuperating from injuries. His leg had been broken by Ah Fa and was crudely fixed with two broken wooden planks. He looked pitiful.

When Da Zhi saw strangers suddenly appear, his eyes were full of wariness. This was his weakest moment—he couldn’t even put up a fight. His father’s death was still unavenged. Was this the end for him...?

Seeing the young man signaling him with his eyes, Da Zhi glared at him with resentment. He called himself a buddy, yet he had completely abandoned their bond.

Heizi got straight to the point. "I’m a police officer! Don’t be afraid. Are you Zhou Zhi?"

Da Zhi hesitated for a moment before nodding. As long as they weren’t the bad guys, it was fine.

"We’ve uncovered doubts about the accident your father was involved in back then. Can you tell us what you know?"

The moment Heizi laid eyes on him, he had a hunch the kid definitely knew something.

Da Zhi glanced at the young man standing by the door, remained silent for a moment, then started speaking about the events he knew from back then.

It turned out his father had been a truck driver. His mother ran off with someone else when Da Zhi was just a few years old, leaving father and son to rely on each other.

If life had carried on peacefully, they might have lived decently. But later, his father turned to drinking and gambling, losing nine times out of ten, accumulating more and more debt, until he had to pawn his truck.

Da Zhi’s grades had been excellent, but because of the family’s troubles, they started slipping; he had no heart for studying anymore. This content belongs to N()velFire.net

Then one day, his father suddenly started behaving better—no drinking, no gambling. Da Zhi thought his father had finally changed. Even his grandma said heaven had eyes, and maybe they could finally live in peace.

One day, while Da Zhi was listening to an English cassette on his portable player, there was loud banging on the door. His father panicked and told him to hide. Left with no choice, he hid under the bed.

By instinct, he pressed the record button on his cassette player. He could hear several men enter the house, asking where his son was. His father said he wasn’t home. The men immediately resorted to foul language, demanding his father repay the debt. His father said he didn’t have the money.

The men laughed and said, "No money? No problem. Your life will do."

He was terrified, trembling under the bed, just hoping the men would leave quickly.

Soon, he heard them discussing something about Boss Jia saying everything should be staged to look like a car accident, with Ah Fa as the driver.

Maybe his father’s anxious glances toward the bed gave away the hiding spot. The men found Da Zhi and pulled him out. Before they did, Da Zhi managed to stash the cassette player in a corner.

At the time, he thought it might be important. He didn’t expect that it really would be.

During this, one of the men received a phone call. He explained the situation, and the voice on the other end ordered the group to threaten Da Zhi’s father—if he didn’t comply, they’d throw his son into the river to feed the fish.

His father finally agreed. Da Zhi noticed his father’s tearful eyes, perhaps full of regret for the mistakes he had made and for bringing trouble upon himself.

This was the last time Da Zhi saw his father. After the men knocked him unconscious and carried him away, they threw him into the river not long afterward.

Fortunately, he woke up in the water just in time. His swimming skills saved him, allowing him to narrowly escape death.

However, when he snuck back home, he learned his father had died, labeled the victim of a car accident.

His grandma passed away only a few months later.

At first, Da Zhi lived his life in hiding, fearful. Only when he grew older did he dare to show his face, driven by the desire to avenge his father. But he was powerless to track down those responsible.

He handed the cassette he had preserved for years to Heizi, hoping to clear his father’s name.

Heizi instructed Songzi to arrange for Zhou Zhi to be taken to a safe location. With Ah Fa nowhere to be found, Songzi assigned two officers to keep watch.

Later, Songzi mobilized a team. With the young man leading them, they raided the criminal group’s hideout, rescuing his little sister and several other boys around the same age who were either runaway children or abducted victims, unable to recall their families. Most of them were covered in wounds.

The young girl was only slightly over ten years old, but given her frail appearance, she looked more like a six- or seven-year-old, her eyes full of terror.

The young man was endlessly grateful and insisted on kneeling to Heizi and Songzi, knocking his head three times to the floor. Heizi refused to accept the gesture, simply urging them siblings to live well and steer clear of illegal activities.

Feeling sorry for them, Heizi also asked Songzi to arrange proper care for the siblings. The other rescued children were either sent back to their hometowns or temporarily placed in welfare centers while their families were located. Everything was handled appropriately.

The trip to C City had turned out better than Heizi himself anticipated. One lead connected to another, allowing them to locate the boy and uncover the child-trafficking operation. It was undoubtedly a positive outcome.

Heizi took Zhou Zhi back to Beijing and made arrangements for him. Then, without stopping, he began a new investigation.

The tape was sent to the forensic audio center for voiceprint analysis. Unfortunately, Zhou Zhi was too shaken to recall the men’s faces, only vaguely noting their accents as coming from C City.

Currently, the evidence wasn’t enough to prove that Boss Jia was actually Leng Mohao.

Heizi gathered Leng Mochen and the others to discuss the case’s progress. Together, they plotted how to pressure Leng Mohao into making a mistake, forcing his hand and leaving behind incriminating evidence that could lead to his conviction.

At the moment, there simply wasn’t enough evidence. Xu Er hacked into Leng Mohao’s computer, only to find nothing useful.

Long Wu was also feeling stumped. Leng Mohao carried himself openly now, brazenly appearing before the public.

Regarding Mr. Leng Sr.’s decision to expel him from the Leng Family, everyone had heard about it. But so what? Leng Mohao’s skin was so thick, even a bullet couldn’t pierce it. Rumor had it Leng Qianhan had attacked him during a fit of rage, but Leng Mohao continued to deny everything, even accusing Leng Mochen of framing him.

In truth, Leng Mohao was well aware that without evidence, the police couldn’t arrest him.

Leng Mochen stroked his chin. "That boy might just be the key!"

Leng Mohao was likely most concerned about Zhou Zhi. If he discovered the boy was alive, his next moves would undoubtedly center on this fact.

Xu Er’s eyes lit up. "I’ll handle this with Shasha!" Bai Shasha had earlier complained about not being involved in the major developments, missing out on all the action.

This time, Xu Er intended to let her shine and enjoy the thrill.

This earned him an exaggerated eye-roll from Long Wu, who was certain Xu Er was up to something fanciful again.

Soon, a post mysteriously appeared on a domestic forum with the title: "Exclusive scoop: L’s scandalous story that must be revealed! Let’s make the title as long as possible."

The content wasn’t just about L’s "glorious" deeds with Mr. Qian but also detailed L’s involvement in a tragic traffic accident in C City years ago, where his younger brother narrowly escaped death.

The post claimed that the colliding vehicle’s driver had died on the spot—and the person posting was the driver’s son.

The post alleged the driver had been threatened into compliance but was silenced after his death. It was only by sheer luck that his son survived to tell the story. Now, the poster hoped to rally netizens to clear his father’s name, claiming to have crucial evidence in hand.

The post quickly ignited the internet, drawing countless responses.

XX scandal? Everyone knew about that—it wasn’t just anyone, it was from a certain family.

New material? Was it fabricated for fame? A troll? Or a ghostwriter?

Soon enough, the online community was ablaze.

(To be continued. If you work, please consider visiting Qidian (qidian.com) to vote for recommendations and monthly votes. Your support is my biggest motivation! Mobile users, please visit m.qidian.com to read.)