After the secretary left, Li Beijue did not sit down.
His brows furrowed, he paced back and forth restlessly. After a few steps, he still felt uneasy, so he returned to his office desk, picked up the phone, and dialed out.
âHello, Military Commander?â
âUsing my personal authority, I need the Intelligence Bureau to help me investigate someoneâ¦â
20 minutes later.
In an old residential community in Rainy City, a middle-aged woman in her fifties was bringing her grandson home from school.
Seeing so many cars parked in front of her unit block, her initial reaction was surprise.
Immediately after, she saw a man in military uniform and her heart skipped a beat; terror appeared in her eyes as she picked up her clueless grandson, whispering, âLele, behave, Grandma will take you to find your mother.â
âGrandma, why arenât we going home?â The little boy, being young, didnât understand why she was acting so evasively, and with his childlike voice, he asked, âIâm hungry, I want to go home and eat cake.â
The little boyâs voice was not small, especially since there were only a few people in front of the unit block, his voice became even clearer.
The middle-aged woman turned pale with fear, wishing she could cover the boyâs mouth; she was afraid that covering his mouth would be too abrupt. She was so anxious that she broke out in a cold sweat on her forehead, coaxing softly, âLele, be good. Weâll go outside to eat. Grandma will buy you a cake from the bakery. Donât speak now; we can talk once we are outside.â
âWhy?â he asked.
âBecauseâ¦â She didnât know how to explain, âBecause Grandma wants to play a game with you where the first person to speak loses.â
âOkay!â The little boy giggled, âThen letâs start now!â
He made a face pretending to seal his mouth shut.
The middle-aged woman breathed a sigh of relief and hurriedly tried to head outside. But what she didnât know was that the moment she entered the community, she was already under surveillance.
The man sitting in the military Land Rover slightly raised his eyebrows, and without any orders, two soldiers stepped in front of the woman, âSorry, you cannot leave.â
The middle-aged womanâs heart trembled, yet she retorted forcefully, âWhy canât I leave? Are you soldiers looking to bully people in broad daylight? Would you believe if I record this with my mobile phone and expose you!â
âYou may, and by the way, also expose what you have done,â Li Beijue came from behind. Despite not wearing a military uniform, his broad shoulders and narrow waist exuded an intense oppressive aura typical of someone high-ranking.
He hadnât said much, but the middle-aged woman was so frightened that she went pale and could not even pretend to be tough, âI⦠I donât know what youâre talking about.â
âIâve found you. Do you think playing dumb is going to work now?â Li Beijue didnât want to waste his time with her, as Chi Enen was still waiting for him!
With a meaningful look, the soldiers nearby took the little boy from the womanâs arms. Before she could scream and make a fuss, with unyielding authority he said, âI only need ten minutes of your time to have a chat. If you cooperate with me, itâll be as if I never sought you out today. But if you donât cooperateâ¦â
His falcon-like eyes were as cold as ice, as if they could freeze someone solid.
The middle-aged woman was so intimidated by his gaze that her mouth opened and she trembled, âWhatever you need me to cooperate with, as long as I donât end up in jail, anything goes.â
âTell me, that woman you helped deliver a baby for, Lin Mu, twenty years agoâwhat exactly happened to her, how did she die!â