This is no small matter!

Tang Ye first used reverse psychology and then showered him with flattery, knowing all too well that Wan Ming was a sucker for that approach!

Sure enough, Wan Ming's long-buried passion was instantly re-ignited!

After hanging up the phone, Wan Ming felt a surge of fighting spirit, as if he had been transported back a decade to his younger, more vibrant days—a time when he championed justice and galloped forward without looking back.

"Brothers, follow me."

"Chief, where are we heading in the middle of the night?"

"It's been a while since we busted a gambling ring. Let's go raid a gambling den today!"

"The year is coming to an end, and we haven't met our quota for gambling busts yet. Who knows which unlucky bastard is going to walk right into our sights!"

Wan Ming gathered his men together and, before setting off, pulled out a plastic bag with a smile and proposed, "Hand over your phones and pagers, everyone! If anyone tries any funny business, don't blame me for turning hostile."

Only then did the men realize that tonight's operation wasn't just a simple gambling bust!

Wan Ming led his brothers straight to the sand and gravel plant.

Drawing on his rich experience, Wan Ming anticipated that the other side would have lookouts posted. When they were still several hundred meters away from the plant, he ordered everyone out of the vehicle to proceed on foot.

Two young men were smoking near the shore. Wan Ming crept up behind them, pinned them to the ground, and then directed his brothers straight into the factory grounds.

Inside a room of less than twenty square meters, with the force of a thunderbolt, they detained a dozen people.

"Chief Wan, the stakes here are quite high. The total gambling money comes to one hundred thousand."

Wan Ming gave a wave of his hand. "Confiscate the lot. Bring everyone from the plant in, even those who didn't gamble!"

Back at the police station.

Through preliminary interrogation, Wan Ming gathered some crucial facts.

He dialed Tang Ye's phone to report the situation. "All the suspects have been brought into the station. Initial screening reveals that the hit-and-run driver is a young man without a driver's license, and the engineering vehicle he was driving was uninsured."

Inside the van, Tang Ye was already on his way back to Pinghu. He said coldly, "No wonder that fellow tried to run away after the accident."

If the paperwork had been in order, they could have simply let the insurance company handle the compensation. But without the proper documentation, the sand and gravel plant would have to bear the full responsibility.

Furthermore, driving without a license meant this was no longer a mere traffic accident, but a criminal offense.

As for the employer who maintained a hiring relationship with the driver, they would also bear corresponding liability.

Wan Ming frowned and said in a deep voice, "The pressure is quite high. A leader from the county bureau just called me, demanding that I transfer the suspects over."

The so-called transfer was actually a disguised form of protection.

Tang Ye sighed, "Hold your ground against the pressure. I'm heading back right now."

***

Gu Wenqin was sitting beside Tang Ye. Overcome with exhaustion, her body swayed from side to side until, unconsciously, her head leaned against Tang Ye's shoulder.

He carefully adjusted his sitting posture, hoping to ease the numbness in his arm just a little.

Gu Wenqin's body was soft, resembling a wisp of cotton that would seemingly surrender upon the slightest touch.

The road was bumpy, and her soft, delicately fragrant body bounced up and down with the motion.

When they hit a large pothole, Tang Ye instinctively extended his left arm to steady both of them, pulling it away as quickly as he could.

***

Tang Ye hadn't expected the ride to be so bumpy without waking Gu Wenqin up. True to the saying, you can never wake someone who is pretending to be asleep.

A pillow is a pillow, he figured, so he might as well let her use him as one!

As Tang Ye had anticipated, Gu Wenqin was not actually sleeping very soundly. Even through their clothes, she could feel the warmth of his skin and catch a special scent in his breath, one that emanated a profound sense of security.

Although she knew their occasional physical contact was merely due to the rough road conditions, she couldn't help her heart from racing.

Gu Wenqin knew that Tang Ye only viewed her as a business partner.

Yet, deep inside her heart, she regarded Tang Ye as someone far more important—akin to a spiritual pillar.

***

They arrived at the police station at two in the morning.

Tang Ye entered the interrogation room to see the criminal suspect, reviewing the previous transcript to understand the young man's background.

The hit-and-run driver was quite young, only twenty years old, with dyed yellow hair and a nervous, uneasy expression.

He had dropped out of middle school, drifted around the streets as a petty hoodlum, and eventually entered the sand and gravel plant through a relative's introduction. Because he continually failed the written exams, he had never managed to get a driver's license, yet he was daring enough to drive without one regularly.

"Xiao Liu, you know why you've been brought here today. If you cooperate with us now, you can expect a lighter sentence," Tang Ye asked calmly.

"I was indeed the one who hit the person. I confess. It has nothing to do with anyone else."

Xiao Liu was a street-smart punk who placed loyalty above all else. He had made up his mind: since he was the one who did it, he would take the full blame. The worst that could happen was a few years in prison.

"Make a clear statement. Whose vehicle was it, and who gave you permission to drive?"

Tang Ye's gaze remained fixed on Xiao Liu's face.

Through Xiao Liu's expressions, he could read the thoughts running through the young man's mind.

"I already told you, I did it all by myself," Xiao Liu said, showing clear signs of impatience.

Tang Ye frowned, then offered a faint smile. "You're going to take the fall? What do you think you're taking the fall with? There have been at least ten hit-and-run cases in Pinghu Town over the past few years, resulting in eight deaths. Is that worthless life of yours enough to carry all of that?"

"What do those other accidents have to do with me?" Xiao Liu stared at Tang Ye in disbelief.

Tang Ye deliberately exaggerated, "Since those hit-and-run cases were never solved, they've been classified as a series of connected crimes. We strongly suspect that you are the serial perpetrator."

Xiao Liu was finally pushed to the edge. "Nonsense! You're trying to frame me!"

Tang Ye sneered, "If you're eager to confess, confess to all of them, and we can close all those cases at once. Of course, for you, it won't just be a matter of spending a few years in jail anymore. You're still young, only twenty. If you get sentenced to death, it would be such a pity."

Hearing Tang Ye's words, Xiao Liu's face turned instantly pale.

He hadn't studied much, but he had often heard stories on the streets—tales of corrupt police officers who, upon finding a suspect with a criminal record, would directly plant evidence to boost their case-clearing rates.

At that thought, cold sweat broke out profusely across Xiao Liu's back.

His voice trembled as he said, "I swear to heaven, I've only hit someone this one time. Whatever happened before has nothing to do with me."

Seeing Xiao Liu's psychological defense gradually crumbling, Tang Ye pressed further. "Let me ask you, late last year near Xiahe Village, an engineering vehicle struck a motorcycle. The victim died on the spot, and the truck fled the scene. Who was the real culprit behind that accident?

"If you can provide a lead, I will fight for a chance of leniency for you."

Tang Ye deliberately slowed his pace and said with a note of regret, "Actually, the victim you hit today has already been rescued. As long as you shoulder the compensation costs and secure their forgiveness, you might not even have to go to prison!"

Xiao Liu's facial muscles twitched repeatedly, a clear sign of the intense struggle raging within his mind.

On one side was loyalty;

On the other was rotting away in prison—

Or perhaps even facing the firing squad.

Tang Ye smiled meaningfully. "I know what you're thinking. Do you think Boss Bi is going to save you? Don't be delusional. You're all just hired hands risking your lives for him. When something goes wrong, he'll just spend a bit of money to have you take the fall. He's not going to waste any extra energy on you."

Wan Ming watched Tang Ye's interrogation rhythm from the sidelines, inwardly astonished. Although the questions seemed simple, every single step manipulated the suspect's psychology as if he could read the man's every thought.

Tang Ye felt a sense of sorrow for Xiao Liu's ignorance and youth.

In truth, Xiao Liu was nothing more than a tool.

For the sake of so-called loyalty, he had driven himself into a dead end.

A subordinate leaned close to Wan Ming and whispered, "Chief, people from the county bureau have arrived."

Wan Ming glanced at Tang Ye. "Understood! I'll go out and handle them."

Tang Ye knew the pressure from above was mounting.

The time he had left for the interrogation was running short.

Stepping into his office, Wan Ming put on a smile. "Why did you come in person, Chief! If there's anything you need, a simple phone call would have sufficed."

Guo Chuan, the deputy director of the county public security bureau, looked at Wan Ming with a stern expression. "Old Wan, collect the fines, issue a penalty, and release the prisoners right now."

Wan Ming spread his hands helplessly. "This involves a homicide case. It can't be resolved simply by paying a fine."

Guo Chuan stared at Wan Ming in astonishment. "How did it get tied to a homicide? Weren't you just busting a gambling den?"

Wan Ming patiently explained to his superior:

"Last night in Qianjin Village, a man was severely injured by an engineering vehicle, and the driver subsequently fled the scene. We captured the perpetrator at the sand and gravel plant. At the same time, we discovered that the plant is linked to multiple hit-and-run traffic accidents. Bureau Chief Guo, this is no small matter!"

Guo Chuan furrowed his brows. "Isn't it just a few people gathering to gamble? Don't make a mountain out of a molehill! Listen to me immediately and release them. You've merited honors multiple times recently, and the bureau is currently considering promoting you. Don't be foolish and ruin your future."

Before Wan Ming lay not only the intimidating authority of his superior, but also his own uncertain future.

Wan Ming remained unswayed and was just about to make his stance clear to Guo Chuan.

The suspects absolutely could not be released!

At that moment, the door was pushed open, and a subordinate softly reported, "Chief Wan, the suspect has confessed. Last year's hit-and-run traffic accident is also tied to the sand and gravel plant."

Wan Ming let out a breath of relief.

In the end, Xiao Liu had told them everything...

Guo Chuan suddenly realized that this raid in Pinghu Town had an ulterior motive!

What seemed like a gambling bust was actually targeted at the sand and gravel plant!

Or rather, it was aimed directly at "General Bi"!