Xu Ze got into the police car, filled with curiosity. He wasn’t sure what was going on, but he wasn’t worried either. As the saying goes, when soldiers arrive, you send generals to meet them; when floodwaters come, you use earth to block them. He’d go along and see what this was about first. He had never actually been to a police station before and was genuinely curious about why the police wanted him today!
Xu Ze reflected on his own actions—he hadn’t done anything illegal or against the rules. Yet today, he had actually managed to get the police involved. That was certainly something to be curious about.
He wasn’t in a hurry, but Secretary Zhang, who was waiting at the school gate, was growing anxious. He was anxiously waiting for Xu Ze to take him to see Secretary-General Lin for medical treatment. He was wondering why Xu Ze still hadn’t arrived when his phone suddenly rang.
Seeing it was Xu Ze’s number, he felt a surge of excitement. He was just about to answer when the phone rang only once and then disconnected. Secretary Zhang couldn’t help but be taken aback, thinking to himself, “What is Xu Ze playing at…”
Holding his phone, he started to redial Xu Ze’s number while helplessly looking around…
Fortunately, as he glanced around, he spotted a somewhat familiar figure about a hundred meters away being led by two people into a Santana police car, which then quickly drove off.
“Huh? What’s going on?” Secretary Zhang stared at the figure, momentarily stunned, then shocked. “Isn’t that Xu Ze? Didn’t he just agree to meet me here? Why is he being taken away in a police car?”
Recalling the scene he just witnessed, with the two plainclothes officers seeming to flank Xu Ze, Secretary Zhang felt a jolt of alarm. A bad feeling settled in: “What’s wrong with Xu Ze? Has he gotten into some kind of trouble? How did he end up attracting police attention?”
Even though it seemed hard to believe, the situation before his eyes truly suggested something had gone wrong.
“Grandfather Tang’s god-grandson was taken away by the police? This is no small matter. And Secretary-General Lin is still waiting…” Secretary Zhang didn’t dare delay any longer. He immediately called Secretary-General Lin to report.
“What? Xu Ze was taken away by the police?” Secretary-General Lin was also stunned upon hearing Secretary Zhang’s words. Could Xu Ze really have run into some problem? How did he get involved with the police?
However, Secretary-General Lin quickly snapped out of it in response to his secretary’s inquiry over the phone. No matter what, Xu Ze was Mayor Tang’s nephew, and he was still counting on him for a solution to his back pain…
He couldn’t let anything happen to Xu Ze. If his secretary was right there watching and something did happen to Xu Ze, it would be hard to explain to Mayor Tang.
Secretary-General Lin immediately responded in a serious tone, “You follow them and see what’s going on… Find out the details. Absolutely do not let anything happen to Xu Ze. Figure out the situation and then report back to me…”
Upon receiving Secretary-General Lin’s orders, Secretary Zhang quickly acknowledged and got into his car, urging the driver to chase after the police car…
However, by the time he got in the car and gave chase, the police car had already merged into the traffic and quickly disappeared from sight.
Secretary Zhang frowned, looking at his phone as it repeatedly showed the call couldn’t be connected. A sense of foreboding washed over him—it seemed something really had gone wrong.
He glanced at the traffic ahead and couldn’t help but let out a quiet snort. “The monk can run, but the temple can’t.” This was the Tianyuan District. He could just go to the district police station. Could he really not find him there? He immediately instructed the driver, “Head to the Tianyuan District Police Station…” At the same time, he pulled out his phone, frowning as he dialed a number.
Soon, the call connected, and a hearty laugh came through from the other end: “Secretary Zhang… To what do I owe the honor of your call today?”
Hearing the laughter, a slight smile also appeared on Secretary Zhang’s face, completely erasing the anxious look from moments before. He chuckled lightly and said, “Chief Wang… Long time no see. You know I usually don’t contact you unless there’s something… There’s actually a small matter I need to trouble you with…”
Chief Wang had initially felt a bit nervous upon receiving Secretary Zhang’s sudden call. He wasn’t very familiar with Secretary Zhang—they had only been introduced and shared a meal together about half a year ago. However, he had carefully saved Secretary Zhang’s number at the time.
Although Secretary Zhang himself wasn’t some hugely important figure, the influential person behind him was someone very few people in Xing City could afford to cross, let alone someone like him, the chief of a district police station.
Hearing that Secretary Zhang had something to ask of him, Chief Wang naturally felt pleased. If he could do Secretary Zhang a favor, it would be a good thing. He quickly replied warmly, “Secretary Zhang, please feel free to ask. If there’s anything Wang can help with, don’t hesitate…”
“Mmm… Chief Wang, a leader has asked me to find someone, but that person was just taken away by your police officers… I’d like you to help me ask what exactly is going on?” When speaking to the district police chief, Secretary Zhang didn’t beat around the bush and stated it directly.
“Ah? There’s such a thing?” Chief Wang was startled upon hearing this, thinking to himself: Could his subordinates have mistakenly arrested some important person? Secretary Zhang usually didn’t reach out without a reason.
He quickly responded, “Secretary Zhang, please hold on for a moment. I’ll check right away and call you back immediately…”
“Alright… Thank you, Chief Wang. I’m on my way to your station now. Please confirm this matter as soon as possible. His name is Xu Ze, a student at Xing University. It is imperative to ensure his safety. If there really is any problem, wait until I arrive before proceeding…”
“A student from Xing University?” Hearing Secretary Zhang’s urgent instructions, Chief Wang was even more alarmed. It seemed they had really gotten into trouble this time. Xu Ze must have some connection to a certain leader. They absolutely could not let anything happen to him. If he suffered any mistreatment, it would be difficult to explain later.
He quickly acknowledged and hung up, then immediately called his station and several subordinate police stations to inquire if such a thing had indeed happened.
However, after several calls to subordinate stations and various departments within the station, everyone reported there was no such incident—no one had taken away a person named Xu Ze.
Chief Wang was stunned by his subordinates’ responses. Could Secretary Zhang have made a mistake? Just as he was puzzling over it, one of his subordinate officers walked in with someone.
“Secretary Zhang, you actually came in person! Please, have a seat, have a seat…” Seeing the other party’s somewhat gloomy expression, Chief Wang quickly stood up, gestured for Secretary Zhang to sit on the sofa, and was about to make tea when Secretary Zhang urgently asked, “Chief Wang… How is it? Is Xu Ze alright?”
Hearing Secretary Zhang’s anxious question, Chief Wang promptly replied, “Secretary Zhang, regarding this Xu Ze… I just asked. Our station did not take him away…”
“No?” Secretary Zhang was startled. He had thought that just by calling Chief Wang, he could definitely ensure Xu Ze’s safety. But Chief Wang was saying this hadn’t happened. He was alarmed—if they couldn’t even find the person, then things were truly troublesome.
His expression immediately darkened, and he quickly pressed further, “Chief Wang, are you absolutely sure neither your station nor any subordinate stations have him? Could there be any concealment from below?”
“No… Absolutely not, Secretary Zhang. I can guarantee that no one in our station, from top to bottom, would dare hide anything from me, and we definitely did not take this Xu Ze…” Seeing the other party’s unpleasant expression and doubtful look, Chief Wang immediately pounded his chest to give his assurance. If Secretary Zhang got a bad impression of him and casually mentioned it to his superiors, he’d be in big trouble.
Seeing Chief Wang’s confident demeanor, Secretary Zhang’s expression grew even darker. A thought that made him extremely tense surfaced in his mind: If the Tianyuan District Police Station couldn’t find Xu Ze, but Xu Ze was clearly taken away by two plainclothes officers in a police car… Could someone have dared to impersonate police officers?
Xu Ze was Grandfather Tang’s god-grandson. If some fool with no sense actually dared to lay a hand on Xu Ze… then this could really turn into a major problem.
Secretary Zhang was so frightened by his own thought that his face turned pale. Fortunately, Chief Wang beside him understood these matters much better. Seeing Secretary Zhang’s extremely troubled expression, he naturally understood that Xu Ze must be someone of significant background. He quickly suggested, “Secretary Zhang, should I help you ask other district stations to see if they have taken him…”
“Other district stations?” Secretary Zhang felt a surge of hope upon hearing this. If another police station had taken Xu Ze, that would still be okay—as long as he wasn’t kidnapped by impersonators.
He asked eagerly, “But I saw him being taken away right in front of Xing University with my own eyes. Xing University is under your Tianyuan District’s jurisdiction. Could another district station have crossed boundaries?”
Crossing jurisdictional lines for law enforcement was naturally not allowed, but how could he casually talk about matters concerning other units? If something really went wrong, wouldn’t it end up offending people?
Chief Wang wore an awkward smile and hurriedly explained, “Well… Secretary Zhang, if it’s for some special operation, sometimes we unavoidably cross boundaries a little, so it’s not necessarily the case…”
“Oh… I don’t understand the intricacies of your police system, but you need to help me ask quickly… Is there such a thing or not? We must find Xu Ze as soon as possible. We absolutely cannot let anything happen to him!” Secretary Zhang naturally didn’t understand the nuances. He was only worried about Xu Ze’s safety and urged hastily.
Meanwhile, as Secretary Zhang was anxiously searching for Xu Ze’s whereabouts, Xu Ze was also sitting in an interrogation room, utterly baffled. When he arrived, he saw the sign for the Fuping District Police Station and was even more confused. Why was it the Fuping District Police Station, not Tianyuan District?
“What have I done that they brought me directly to an interrogation room?” Xu Ze blinked, his eyes full of bewilderment. However, he would soon find out what was going on…
After sitting in the interrogation room for nearly half an hour, someone finally pushed the door open and walked in. Watching this police officer—wearing his uniform jacket but no hat, a cigarette dangling from the corner of his mouth—as he looked at Xu Ze with a fierce glint in his eyes, pulled over a chair, and sat down right in front of him, Xu Ze suddenly felt that things might not go well…
