Chapter 23: You Have Your Strategy, I Have My Countermeasure

Qin Chuan had underestimated the bottom line of these people.

Or perhaps... was there something fishy about Zhou Xuexi as well?

Two days ago, Qin Chuan had expressed his disagreement when Song Hui was sent to the Municipal Bureau to deliver the test samples. Yet, Zhou Xuexi had sent Song Hui anyway. Now, the criminal investigation detachment of the Xing'an Municipal Public Security Bureau had returned results stating that there were no traces of drugs in Dong Zhijun's blood sample.

There were three possibilities for this outcome.

First, Qin Chuan’s judgment was wrong, and Dong Zhijun’s death had absolutely nothing to do with the so-called "dog walnut."

Second, the Xing'an Municipal Criminal Investigation Detachment had falsified the results.

Third, Song Hui had swapped the samples while delivering them, which was why the detachment couldn't detect any drug residue.

The first possibility was ruled out; Qin Chuan’s judgment could not be flawed unless his "Criminal Investigation Field Survey" skill from the system lottery was a sham. The second possibility was also unlikely, as the Xing'an detachment was Qian Guobin’s territory. Falsifying results there would be far more difficult than Song Hui pulling a stunt. The third possibility was the most probable. Through the "Eye of Sin," it was clear that Song Hui was not clean and had been in league with Xinhai Mining from the start.

What puzzled Qin Chuan was Zhou Xuexi. When he had subtly suggested that Song Hui was not the right person to deliver the samples, Zhou Xuexi had dismissed his advice. Could the man be compromised too? That didn't seem right. The "Eye of Sin" showed no sin value for Zhou Xuexi, nor any connection to Xinhai Mining. Furthermore, Zhou Xuexi was on the County Magistrate’s side, standing in opposition to Sun Tao and Gao Qingshan. Was it simply a matter of incompetence?

No! He could not sit still and wait for his doom!

With the Xing'an detachment’s results now public, if Qin Chuan didn't take action, he would fall into an abyss from which there was no return. If that happened, everything would be over.

In his previous life, Qin Chuan had learned one truth before he died: when money speaks, the truth remains silent. But when power speaks, even money must retreat! Qin Chuan had no money, but he did know one person in power. Wang Xuebing naturally understood the severity of the situation. If Qin Chuan lost his police badge, they would all suffer.

"Those bastards, they’re playing dirty!"

Wang Xuebing was merely the chief of a remote police station; the fact that he received this news in time was due to decades of cultivated connections. Qin Chuan gritted his teeth. The opposition was indeed efficient. From Dong Zhijun’s death to filing complaints at the County Committee office, then having Song Hui swap the samples, and finally burning down the county hospital morgue—everything was calculated. The person behind this was no simple opponent.

Now that the body had been burned, they had destroyed the evidence, leaving Qin Chuan with no way out. But did they really think they could frame him this easily? What a joke!

"Chief Wang, I need to go to the county hospital morgue. I need to get the remains of Dong Zhijun’s body!"

Even if the body was burned, it couldn't have vanished into thin air. If Qin Chuan could obtain the remains, he could still turn the tide. Wang Xuebing didn't ask why. Though Qin Chuan had only been in the force for a few days, Wang Xuebing understood his capabilities better than anyone.

"Alright! I’ll stake my reputation on this and find a way!"

At 1:30 PM, in an empty room behind the county hospital, Qin Chuan and Wang Xuebing met a middle-aged officer. The man said nothing, hurriedly shoved a small paper packet into Wang Xuebing’s hand, and left.

"That's Old Huang, a grunt from the criminal investigation brigade. We served in the army the same year," Wang Xuebing explained. "Hehe, I once took a bullet for him back in the day."

Wang Xuebing had won a second-class merit award during his service, which was how he entered the Public Security Bureau upon retirement. Even Qin Hui had three friends; Wang Xuebing had spent his whole life in the Zhulin County Public Security Bureau.

Once he had the packet, Qin Chuan immediately made a call. However, he did not know that minutes later, someone informed Zhou Xuexi about this.

"It seems the officer under my command doesn't trust his own bureau chief."

"Chief Qian, I apologize for the embarrassment."

The voice on the other end was hearty and deep: "Enough. If you don't want the kid, I'll have him transferred to the city."

Zhou Xuexi panicked: "Old leader, don't! The Zhulin County criminal investigation brigade would have no one to lead it. If you take him away, I'm done for..."

After hanging up, Zhou Xuexi leaned back in his chair and lit a cigarette. "Dou Sihai... you have your stratagems, but I have my own ways to counter them!"

The shift between hunter and prey often happens in an instant. A hunter without a gun is no different from a rabbit in the eyes of a tiger. But guns come in different sizes. Long guns are intimidating, but they are rarely lethal. A short gun hidden in one's sleeve is what kills.

"Old Hu, go now. Go to the Xing'an Municipal Public Security Bureau and hand this to Chief Qian Guobin personally. Remember, it must be delivered to him directly!"

Outside the county hospital, Qin Chuan handed the remains of Dong Zhijun’s body, retrieved by Old Huang, to Hu Jianguo. He had already called Qian Guobin; once these remains reached the municipal bureau, their technicians would surely detect the residual traces of datura. What Song Hui and his cohorts didn't know was that once datura is absorbed by the human body, it deposits into the bones in a very short time—even if the body is incinerated, it can still be detected.

Hu Jianguo understood the importance and set off immediately.

"Chief Wang, they will take action soon. Help me buy some time!"

Qin Chuan hatefully canceled the "Hundred-Mile Tracking" on the "Ghost Fear" and took a taxi straight to the County Committee government compound. "Ghost Fear" would have to wait. He needed to use this skill on someone else. The "Hundred-Mile Tracking" was still a primary skill; not only was the range limited, but it could only be used on one person at a time.

"Damn it, I don't believe you people have no weaknesses!"

Qin Chuan was right. Less than twenty minutes after he left, Wang Xuebing received a call from the county criminal investigation brigade. Song Hui personally demanded that he and Qin Chuan report to the brigade for investigation!

"Captain Song, isn't Qin Chuan injured? He's on leave, and I really can't get in touch with him."

...

At 6:30 PM, Qin Chuan, who had been squatting in the shade outside the county committee compound, saw a flash of light in his eyes.

"Finally!"

Qin Chuan put on a newly bought duckbill cap, pulled up his mask, and walked straight through the gate. As soon as the target was within ten meters, he activated "Hundred-Mile Tracking" and turned around to leave!

Sun Tao looked to the right with some confusion, feeling like the man in the cap was somewhat familiar, yet not quite.

"Secretary Sun! Over here!"

As Sun Tao hesitated, a middle-aged man stepped out of a black BMW 7-series parked on the roadside and waved at him. Shaking off his doubts, Sun Tao walked quickly toward the car.