I Cultivate in a Government Office

Chapter 51: Chapter 51: A Clever Opponent

But the turn of events took Yang Wenqing by surprise. Just as he instinctively started flipping through the case file, Wu Yan cut straight to the point. ”The Zhenyuan Mining smuggling case is closed.”

Yang Wenqing froze. He could hear the resignation in Wu Yan’s voice, and also noted the emphasis Wu Yan placed on the ”smuggling case.” After a quick glance at the file, he looked up at Wu Yan and asked, ”What exactly happened?”

Wu Yan quickly reported, ”The Port Security Office cracked the case. When they started a file, they saw the Major Case Team already had one open, so they contacted me. We ended up closing it jointly. There really was a smuggling operation, and it was carried out by one of their business managers, a man named Wu Fu.”

Yang Wen flipped to the interrogation records, scanned them quickly, and asked, ”That’s it? Just common minerals? Nothing... more sensitive involved?”

Liu Rong shook her head and picked up the explanation. ”We questioned him over and over, and we also checked the smuggling ledgers and shipping routes he provided. It’s true—just some high-value metal ores. He’s adamant that he acted out of personal greed and that it has nothing to do with the company’s senior executives.”

Wu Yan added, ”According to him, the whole thing came to light because of an uneven split of the profits from their last job. He was reported anonymously by an accomplice. We’ve confirmed that the contents of the tip-off letter are consistent with his confession.”

Yang Wenqing closed the file and leaned back in his chair. He looked at Wu Yan. ”You know I didn’t have you investigate the Wang father and son just for some petty smuggling case.”

Wu Yan nodded, then said in a low voice, ”So, doesn’t this prove that Zhenyuan Mining really does have a problem?”

Yang Wenqing didn’t jump to conclusions. ”It only proves they’re resourceful. This company has a lot of complaints filed against it within the City Defense System. Do you think we should open a case for every single one?”

Wu Yan was taken aback, then offered a reminder. ”A lot of companies have similar complaints. If we really go down that road, our own team might get reported. After all, it would look a lot like we were corrupt officials trying to shake them down for money.”

Hearing this, Yang Wenqing placed the file on his desk. ”Since the suspect has confessed, we can officially close this smuggling case.” He took out his work notebook and said to the two of them, ”You did good work on this case. Five merit points for each of you.”

”Thank you, Captain.”

They both beamed.

Wu Yan hesitated for a moment before asking, ”Captain, what about the covert investigation into Zhenyuan Mining and the Wang father and son...”

”Put it on hold for now,” Yang Wenqing ordered decisively. ”Don’t pursue it any further without new leads. We don’t want to tip them off.”

”Understood.” Wu Yan nodded. He understood the need for discretion. Then he added in a low voice, ”The Wang father and son reached out to us through the West City security office. They want to invite us to dinner. So... should we go?”

A glint appeared in Yang Wenqing’s eyes as he met their gazes. ”What are your thoughts?”

Wu Yan answered, ”They probably think we’re just looking for a handout. After all, Team Three has a reputation for being poor.”

Yang Wenqing thought for a moment. ”Go, then.”

Gifts and favors were common within the City Defense System—in fact, they were common throughout Wanxuan’s entire bureaucracy. As long as they weren’t tied to a specific case, Internal Affairs Inspection wouldn’t investigate, because there were always ways to make the payments appear legitimate. But once those expenses started to pile up, Internal Affairs would be all over them. It was a delicate balance.

And how one walked that line was up to the individual.

As he spoke, Yang Wenqing produced two more files. He handed them to Wu Yan. ”Find a reason to look into these two companies, too. See if there’s anyone behind them who’s desperate to prolong their life.”

Having given the order, he turned to Liu Rong. ”What’s the status of the investigation into those illegal warehouses?”

Liu Rong answered, ”I was just about to report on that. We found a shipment of White Dragon Ginseng, seized a portion of it, and have already filed it away in the team’s private fund.”

A faint smile touched Yang Wenqing’s lips. ”Good. If any of you need some, you can buy it back from the fund at a discount. Let’s try to save up enough for a new vehicle as soon as possible.”

Wu Yan and Liu Rong both smiled. Team Three’s Flying Shuttle was indeed pathetically shabby, and they only had one.

”Alright, get back to work.”

Yang Wenqing waved them away.

The two of them gave a reflexive nod of acknowledgment and left. They conferred briefly by their desks before hurrying out of the office.

Just as they were leaving, Yang Wenqing received a call from Vice Director Gao, summoning him to his office. Not daring to delay, Yang Wenqing immediately stood up and made his way there.

After knocking and entering, Yang Wenqing found Vice Director Gao standing with his back to the door, gazing out the window. The director turned at the sound of his entrance.

”Sit.”

Vice Director Gao gestured to the sofa and sat down across from him. He looked directly at Yang Wenqing and got straight to the point. ”Are you privately investigating the Wang father and son from Zhenyuan Mining?”

Yang Wenqing’s heart skipped a beat, but he admitted it openly. ”Yes, Director Gao. It stems from the Chen Dayong case—the body found at the port. We discovered that the family has connections to several Yin Attribute mineral veins, so I wanted to do some indirect probing.”

Hearing this, Vice Director Gao tapped his fingers twice on the armrest of the sofa. He said contemplatively, ”An old friend of mine from the General Affairs Department of the Civil Affairs Bureau just reached out to me. He was... unsubtle... in his suggestion that our City Defense Bureau, and the Major Case Team in particular, should stop keeping tabs on Zhenyuan Mining.”

Hearing this, Yang Wenqing recalled Zhenyuan Mining’s string of maneuvers. ’Clever,’ he thought.

’First, they serve up a scapegoat for an insignificant smuggling case. Then, they try to rope in the investigating officers with a dinner invitation, binding them with shared interests. And finally, they get someone from the Civil Affairs Bureau to apply pressure from the top.’

’The whole sequence was executed seamlessly, blocking almost every possible avenue of investigation. But they were too eager. It only deepened my suspicions, which makes them seem not so clever after all.’

”Director Gao!”

Yang Wenqing leaned forward slightly and lowered his voice, laying his suspicions bare. ”The fact that they reacted so quickly and their methods were so meticulous just makes me more suspicious.”

He didn’t mention the Spirit-Sucking Crystal by name, but his implication was obvious.

Vice Director Gao listened quietly, his expression inscrutable. After a moment of silence, he spoke. ”Your suspicions aren’t unfounded. Sometimes, the more flawless the cover-up, the more guilty the party. It’s a good thing you’ve been discreet so far and used a proper pretext.”

At this point, Vice Director Gao’s tone shifted, becoming cautionary. ”However, we have to give the Civil Affairs Bureau face. The official investigation must stop. But our City Defense Bureau cannot completely ignore the potential threat of an Evil Skill. Your investigation will have to become even more covert.”

”I understand, Director Gao,” Yang Wenqing nodded gravely.

”Report any significant findings to me immediately, no matter the hour.” Vice Director Gao finished with a wave of his hand. ”You’re dismissed.”

”Yes, sir!”

Yang Wenqing rose and respectfully exited the office. Afterward, he contacted Wu Yan. ”Old Wu, want to grab a drink after work tonight?”

’Wu Yan was the best person he had for secretly investigating the Wang father and son. Plus, Wu Yan also had a line of communication with Vice Director Gao.’