Chapter 151: Exposed

Chapter 151 Exposure

It was deep autumn.

Guan Yingjun brought back ingredients and set up a hot pot in the dining room, filling the dining room with steam.

The aroma of mushroom chicken soup drifted through the air, occasionally mingled with the fresh scent of tomatoes, making one’s mouth water irresistibly.

Jian Ruochen walked over step by step, his legs aching as if he had run 20 kilometers.

He pulled out a chair. "Why didn't you get the spicy soup base?"

Guan Yingjun chopped the celery and added it to the tomato broth along with the beef. His gaze coolly swept over. "Your hand, your..."

Jian Ruochen raised his palm, cutting him off. "I know."

The tips of his ears felt as if they had been boiled in the broth, burning hot.

The two slowly finished the hot pot meal.

Jian Ruochen was drenched in sweat from the steam, yet the broth was surprisingly fragrant, as if simmered for hours. After cooking the meat and vegetables, it had a unique flavor that made it hard to put down the spoon.

As he drank the soup, he recounted the details of Lu Rong's failed bids to Guan Yingjun.

Guan Yingjun thought about Lu Rong being unable to invest in any projects, his painstakingly laundered funds sitting idle, and couldn't help but smirk.

After discussing Lu Rong's failed bids, the conversation naturally turned to the University of Hong Kong Preludin suicide case.

The case had been closed beautifully, not only dealing the final blow to Oliver Keith but also capturing Cao Youfang, a peripheral underling in Lu Rong's network.

Most importantly, they had made contact with Li Feiquan.

He had voluntarily become an informant, with leads on Lu Rong.

Jian Ruochen asked, "Has Li Feiquan passed on any information since becoming an informant? Is he safe? Why hasn't there been any news? How do you stay in contact?"

Guan Yingjun took the leftover greens from Jian Ruochen's bowl into his own. "It's always like this for new informants. They don't gain much trust in the first year, so every step is taken with caution. Li Feiquan still has his followers—they're both helpers and potential vulnerabilities."

"I won't reach out to him first, and I haven't asked for his contact details. When he feels safe, he'll find a way to reach us."

As he spoke, he scooped some diced celery for Jian Ruochen.

Jian Ruochen didn't care for soft leafy greens but didn't mind stem vegetables like crown daisy stalks, celery stalks, or cauliflower.

He drank the soup off and on, his brow furrowed with slight displeasure. "Lu Rong... are we really going to need several years to catch him?"

Guan Yingjun chuckled. "Since you joined the West Kowloon division, even though you've often walked the line between life and death, solving cases has been relatively smooth for you. Actually, long-term investigations like the one with Lu Rong are the norm for the Major Crimes Unit."

It's common for a case to take half a year, a year, or even three years to solve.

Jian Ruochen opened his mouth to speak.

In the 1990s, Sky Eye surveillance hadn't yet been implemented.

Without surveillance or facial recognition technology, police investigations were difficult, and criminals acted boldly, fearless of consequences.

By 2030, surveillance and DNA identification systems were well-developed.

If a case reported in the morning wasn't solved by evening, concerned citizens would not only question the police but also step in to help find clues.

With GPS coverage worldwide, a single photo could pinpoint a location.

Police academies even included this skill in their required coursework for all criminal investigators to learn.

If a case remained unsolved after half a year, the police chief would likely face scrutiny from provincial oversight groups, along with checks for corruption.

The main reason Lu Rong was hard to investigate was the lack of tangible evidence of his crimes.

"By the way, what about Huang Youquan?" Jian Ruochen said softly. "Li Feiquan is getting more than double what Huang Youquan receives. That's not good."

Huang Youquan was, after all, a long-time informant who had risked his life for the West Kowloon division, providing crucial information about Lu Qian.

Now that Lu Qian had been executed, Huang Youquan no longer had a primary task. If not for Li Feiquan, his reduced pay would be a minor issue.

But inequality breeds discontent.

If news of Li Feiquan's higher pay reached Huang Youquan, it might foster disloyalty.

An experienced informant turning disloyal could be disastrous for the police.

"At the very least, they should be paid the same," Jian Ruochen said, thinking of the projects he had taken over. "Give Huang Youquan a raise—a significant one, more than Li Feiquan."

Guan Yingjun paused, then quickly understood.

Informants had their own networks, and news traveled fast.

Once word got out that Huang Youquan's pay had skyrocketed, everyone would know that working with Detective Guan meant greater rewards for loyalty and experience.

Huang Youquan had been with him the longest, so other informants wouldn't begrudge him the raise.

He had earned it.

By raising one person's pay, he could gain the loyalty of all his informants.

Guan Yingjun had never understood why people said his uncle had become smoother and more agreeable after marrying, his career soaring effortlessly.

Now...

He glanced at Jian Ruochen.

Jian Ruochen propped his chin on his hand. "Brother Jun, as a leader, you have to be generous. Your informants are my informants—don't worry about saving money for me."

I can’t spend it all, really.

Those inexplicable investment opportunities, the inexplicably expanding family businesses, the inheritance that stubbornly remained at 10 billion no matter how much he spent, even growing instead of shrinking!

It was baffling, utterly absurd!

He pressed his fingers to his temples and murmured, "You have to help me spend it."

This 10 billion couldn't be taken with him in life or death—better to spend it on something meaningful.

Guan Yingjun:...

For the first time in his life, he felt like he was living off someone else.

"I'll give him a raise."

After finishing the hot pot, the two took a couple of days off to rest before returning to work once the Police Force had ensured proper security measures were in place.

At that time, the West Kowloon Regional Police Headquarters had been back at work for a week, and they were already overwhelmed by Lu Rong's impenetrable defenses.

Even the new dishes from the *cha chaan teng* didn't taste good anymore.

Zhang Xingzong lay on his cot, eating the *cha chaan teng*'s new crispy fried fish with shiitake mushrooms, with a look of utter despair. "Where's Consultant Jian? Why did Detective Guan come back alone?"

Ever since Little God of Wealth left, their luck at West Kowloon had taken a turn for the worse.

They couldn't find any clues when they went out!

"He's preparing for his finals," Bi Wanwan said, munching on a fry while struggling with hunt-and-peck typing on the team's newly installed computer. Her words were as sharp as ever. "If everyone fails their electives like you did in your second year, West Kowloon is sunk."

Zhang Xingzong wailed, "Bi Jie, have mercy on me!"

Ding Gao chuckled, picking a piece of crispy fried fish from Zhang Xingzong's plate. "Is this fish sourced from the fishing village? It's fresher than usual."

"Of course. Du Luoxin gave the police station's *cha chaan teng* a discount, and the shiitake mushrooms are grown in his backyard. In the whole of Hong Kong, only our West Kowloon Regional Police Headquarters has this crispy fried fish with shiitake mushrooms."

Zhang Xingzong guarded his food. "Don't take mine. Buy your own if you want some. Have you learned how to use the computer yet?"

Ding Gao laughed smugly. "Easy peasy."

He wore a look of superiority, as if to say, "I may not be admin staff, but I'm already better than you."

·

Jian Electronics Technology recently donated a batch of computers to the West Kowloon Regional Police Headquarters. Both the Major Crimes Unit and the clerical department had been upgraded, and they even invited an electronic information technology teacher to give lectures on the emerging electronic information crimes abroad.

Attendance was voluntary.

Most of the older staff, set in their ways, struggled to accept new things and were reluctant to learn. The higher-ups didn't force them, but the West Kowloon Major Crimes Unit would have its own internal network, with information and identity records separate from those of the regular clerical departments.

It wasn't hard to imagine the future scene when all police stations in Hong Kong would have interconnected criminal investigation and major case information.

While Jian Ruochen was busy with exams, the officers at the West Kowloon Regional Police Headquarters were also suffering through lectures.

A different kind of shared misery.

Exams ended on December 20.

On December 23, Jian Ruochen officially left school.

Before leaving, he helped Teacher Li organize the lecture notes needed for transferring departments and new student enrollments. Then he returned to the police station to lend a hand and got to try the *cha chaan teng*'s new crispy fried fish with shiitake mushrooms, which was far better than any British-style fish and chips.

Christmas Eve was just around the corner. The *cha chaan teng*'s sign was adorned with Christmas decorations, and a beautiful pine tree decorated with colorful balls stood in the corner.

Despite the peaceful and relaxed atmosphere, the Major Crimes Unit felt stifled.

Since Lu Rong lost the election, he had retreated into his shell like a turtle, leaving no trace of unusual activity!

Guan Yingjun had been pulling weeks of overtime, his eyes bloodshot.

Lu Rong used MI6 confidential files to manipulate Jiang Hanyu into committing espionage.

He swapped out the execution video of Lu Qian.

He orchestrated the building explosion case, resulting in dozens of victims.

He also pushed Preludin on Hong Kong campuses, causing jumping deaths.

From the very beginning, he knew about Lu Jingchen's method of killing Jian Ruochen's mother. Even pushing Preludin on Hong Kong campuses was part of his plan to repeat his tactics, aiming to manipulate or kill Jian Ruochen without leaving a trace.

These charges were airtight, yet not a single clue or piece of evidence had been left behind.

They couldn't secure a conviction.

There was no word from Li Feiquan either.

The case had hit a dead end.

They didn't even have a peaceful Christmas Eve or Christmas Day.

Until January 1, 1994, New Year's Day morning.

10 a.m.

Everyone in West Kowloon's Major Crimes Unit A received a text message from the chief commander.

"Someone with a bomb strapped to their body is preparing to jump from the top floor of the new Victoria Harbour Casino at Kowloon Centre in Yau Ma Tei!"

"There's an armed clash inside the casino. Eyewitnesses say the leader is Li Feiquan. Initial assessment suggests it might be a triad retaliation. Move out!"

Li Feiquan?

Jian Ruochen frowned. "Isn't he an informant? How could he be leading a fight?"

Guan Yingjun stared at the lines of text filling the screen and murmured, "This is bad."

As everyone knew, Lu Rong was money laundering.

The methods of money laundering were constantly shifting.

One of them involved funneling money through casinos, then using part of it to bribe officials and part of it to funnel back into his own hands.

This casino was likely the operation controlled by Li Feiquan.

But how could this operation, unknown even to West Kowloon, suddenly blow wide open?

Had Li Feiquan been exposed?