At night, still at the tea house next to the New District Branch, Qi Yun and Zhang Dayong met here.

While pouring tea from a teapot, Zhang Dayong said, "At the time you mentioned, there indeed was a black SUV appearing at the entrance of Tugou Village, and the surveillance captured it clearly, we already know who took the person away."

"Who?"

"The captain of the city bureau's XJ team."

Qi Yun's brow instantly furrowed upon hearing this, which aligned with his prior suspicions. Although the captain acted, the person behind it must be Deputy Squad Leader Zhou.

He originally thought that if the slicked-back man took the person away, Luo Yang could step in and retrieve Old Ghost.

Now, he could only dismiss this idea. It wouldn't be feasible to snatch someone from the authorities; if things went wrong and guns started firing, it would be a scandal of unimaginable proportions.

After a brief reflection, he pondered aloud, "What's your relationship with this captain like?"

Zhang Dayong shook his head, sighed, "You still don't understand how the system works; even if I were his brother, he wouldn't release the person."

This sentence made things clear, and Qi Yun naturally understood the implication.

"Is the person behind you influential?"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Dayong fell silent, picked up a cigarette from the table and lit it, exhaled a smoke ring and replied, "You know the current situation is sensitive, such a request is like asking someone to change allegiances."

"Even if he intervenes, he might need to make some promises."

"Honestly, I don't have the influence to make him speak."

Qi Yun wasn't surprised by this, pulling a pre-prepared note from his pocket, which recorded the address of a luxurious estate in the suburbs.

He pushed the note to Zhang Dayong, speaking in a deep voice, "In the study room of this house, there's a secret compartment with thirty million in cash, and the owner of the house is also surnamed Zhou."

Zhang Dayong stared at the address on the note, and the cigarette filter he was about to place in his mouth paused in mid-air.

He looked up at Qi Yun, eyes full of surprise, "Is this the information you mentioned?"

Qi Yun nodded in acknowledgment.

Zhang Dayong took a drag of the cigarette, cautiously confirming, "Is this information accurate?"

"It's been over a month, but I guess they wouldn't have moved such a large sum of cash unless something unexpected happened, so it's likely still there," Qi Yun replied.

After hearing this, Zhang Dayong's fingers tapped on the table. If the information was accurate, he wouldn't be just helping Qi Yun but benefiting alongside him.

Thirty million! If this matter were to be investigated quietly and verified, it could directly corner the other party.

Of course, the person controlling the matter needs to be sufficiently powerful, like the one behind him. If it were an ordinary person...

"You wait here for my news, I'm going to see him now." Zhang Dayong said, preparing to get up.

Qi Yun waved his hand, interrupting him, "Have you thought of a reason? Try not to get me involved."

Zhang Dayong laughed, "Don't worry, we all have informants, and Old Ghost is also my informant."

"Alright, you handle it," Qi Yun finally stopped interrupting.

"Just wait for me here, I'll come find you once it's done." With these words, Zhang Dayong walked towards the private room door.

...

Meanwhile, in a humble residential building nearby.

Old Ghost, who hadn't slept well for several days, appeared somewhat dazed, his head drooped powerlessly to his chest, and his eyes were bloodshot.

Two spotlight lamps not far away shone brightly like the sun, his skin felt the scorching heatwave.

"I'm telling you, dragging this out is useless, you're the one suffering, just confess and we'll let you go," a young man nearby endlessly repeated into his ears.

But Old Ghost was like a deaf-mute, he didn't respond to anything the man said.

No wonder Shi Feng thought so highly of him—just for this professional integrity, it's worth doubling the reward.

Gradually, the young man questioning him was also losing patience. Just as he was about to erupt, a noise of the front security door opening unexpectedly sounded.

The young man hurried to the living room.

The newcomer was still the middle-aged man from last time, carrying a plastic bag filled with grilled lamb skewers.

"How's the questioning going?" The middle-aged man went straight to the point.

The two young men shook their heads in frustration, "Haven't gotten anything out yet."

The middle-aged man placed the bag on the coffee table, removed the cigarette clamped between his lips, and asked sternly, "How much longer will it take?"

The young men kept their heads down, not responding, uncertain of how long it would take.

"They're already pressing us from above. I can only give you one more day, can you get him to confess?"

The two young men exchanged glances, one of them responding quietly, "The guy's tight-lipped, no matter how we ask, he doesn't say a word, and we don't have the equipment here..."

"That's not what I want to hear," the middle-aged man interrupted by waving his hand, "Just tell me whether you can or can't do it, if you can't, I'll have someone else come."

Upon hearing this, the two men dared not say anything else, quickly nodding and promising, "We can, we'll definitely make him confess by tomorrow."

Only then did the middle-aged man's stern demeanor slightly soften, he went into the room where Old Ghost was, and observed his condition.

"Still planning to hold out without speaking? This is your last chance, I advise you to recognize reality."

Old Ghost remained unchanged from before, not even lifting an eyelid.

Seeing this, the middle-aged man let out a few cold laughs, "Oh well, if you like holding out, you can continue. There will come a time when you regret it."

With that, he didn't waste any more time on Old Ghost, turned and walked outside.

Closing the door, he went to the living room, and reminded the two young men once more, "As I said, I don't care how you question him, but he better not end up dead, got it?"

"Understood!" The two young men replied, standing straight.

The middle-aged man nodded slightly, preparing to leave with his hands behind his back.

Before reaching the door, a call suddenly rang from the phone in his pocket, and seeing the display, his expression became one of surprise.

He didn't immediately pick it up but went outside, closed the door behind him, then pressed the answer button.

It was unclear what was said on the other end, but the middle-aged man's expression changed continuously, from a supportive fake smile to hesitation, finally settling into determination...

After a few minutes, he returned indoors and instructed the two young men, "No more questioning, send him back."

The two young men were stunned, not reacting for a moment.

One of them bravely asked, "Where do we send him?"

"Send him back where he came from!" The middle-aged man shot them a glance, snapping.

"No more questioning?"

"No more questioning, you had your chance but couldn't seize it, now send him back!"

"Yes!"

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