Chapter 286 - 286 285 Throwing a Stone to Probe the Path

Words : 1830 Updated : Oct 1st, 2025

286: Chapter 285: Throwing a Stone to Probe the Path 286: Chapter 285: Throwing a Stone to Probe the Path Dong Peng took a small USB drive out of his pocket and placed it on the table, then said to Liu Hun, “This gadget is the video evidence of Li Tianyang taking bribes. Originally, this item was in the hands of a journalist named Chen Yuanxin. Later, Qiao Guangbi killed the journalist and got a hold of it himself.” Liu Hun was greatly startled! After such a roundabout journey, it turned out the USB drive had been switched like this, and he stared at Dong Peng, asking, “Then why is this thing in your hands?” Dong Peng gave a cold smile before continuing, “Because Qiao Guangbi wants to use every means to deal with you, and he himself does not want to show his face.” Liu Hun felt there were some illogical aspects here. He pointed at the USB drive and asked Dong Peng, “Sell it to me? Why didn’t you just use it to blackmail Li Tianyang?” “Humph, I’m not a fool. Do you think I haven’t tried? I’m now like a rat crossing the street, chased by both sides of the law. Who is Li Tianyang? A powerful County Party Secretary. He only needs to lift a finger, send a couple of junior policemen to catch me and torture me. Below him are his henchmen, above him are his protectors! I’m just a stray dog. What can I do?” Dong Peng said somewhat emotionally to Liu Hun— now even going out to eat a bowl of noodles on the street requires caution, let alone directly confronting Li Tianyang with these items. It would be akin to suicide. Liu Hun nodded slightly. He then asked Dong Peng, “What about your boss, Yang Guang?” “Hmph!” Dong Peng’s eyes revealed a ruthless look as he said to Liu Hun, “He has no need for a dog that can’t bite. I’ve set you up many times, but not once have I succeeded. So, he kicked me away just like one would discard trash.” Liu Hun, looking at Dong Peng in this state, really seemed like a wild dog wanting to bite someone, and he was inclined to believe Dong Peng somewhat. Dong Peng pushed the USB drive on the table towards Liu Hun, then said, “Take this thing and have a look. If you believe me, I have even more interesting things in my possession. If you want to kill me and then take what you want from me, I can only tell you that a starving wild dog cares about meat more than life.” Liu Hun hadn’t expected Dong Peng to actually offer up the USB drive directly—it seemed the things he had must be even more explosive and valuable. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have done it. Since things had already come to this point, Liu Hun, not wanting to risk losing the opportunity to obtain Dong Peng’s hidden items by killing him and having to search high and low like finding a needle in the ocean, simply said to Dong Peng, “Name your price!” “A Singaporean passport and ten million. I’ll give you a week. Same private room, same time after a week, I will wait only ten minutes,” Dong Peng said, leaving the USB drive for Liu Hun and then stood up and left. Holding the USB drive, Liu Hun thought that spending ten million to bring down a County Party Secretary who was constantly opposing him and who wanted to level Wanbao Village was a worthwhile deal, especially since Dong Peng had even more valuable things in his hands. As for the passport, he thought of someone—Bai Lingfei! “Passport? I’m not in the business of making fake documents! What do you take me for? Why not look for those little ads posted on telephone poles? Really... This steak is good though! Hmm... Wow, the cheese flavor is really rich! And this eel soup... Alright... I’ll help you...” Bai Lingfei initially complained, but after finishing her meal, she completely lost her principles. A week later, Liu Hun met Dong Peng again in a coffee shop. After their transaction, Dong Peng got what he wanted, and Liu Hun gained something far greater than what he had hoped for. Having obtained the materials, Liu Hun did not plan on telling anyone else, especially Xiao Yanzi, because he did not know just how many entanglements there were in the political field. Digging deeper might just harm Xiao Yanzi. Thus, Liu Hun backed up the USB drive and then directly submitted it to the local discipline inspection department. This was the stone he had cast, and he quietly waited to see just how big of a splash it would cause. Three days later, an old Buick stopped outside Liu Hun’s two-story building, and two men, a middle-aged and a young one, both dressed in simple business suits and completely expressionless, came out. “Knock, knock, knock!” The younger man knocked on the partially open door and asked, “May I ask who is Comrade Liu Hun?” “It’s me. Who are you two?” Liu Hun hurried to the door. “We are from the Yuhua City Discipline Inspection Committee. Regarding your report on the County Party Secretary of Anchang, Li Tianyang, we would like to ask you to come back with us to cooperate with further investigations,” the middle-aged man said to Liu Hun, his tone steady and calm without any excess emotion or movement, effectively embodying the typical daunting presence of a discipline committee officer seen on television. Liu Hun settled some affairs in the village and then directly followed the two discipline committee members onto the car. The two did not speak half a word to Liu Hun during the ride, and the car did not head towards the Yuhua Municipal Committee, but instead went to an elementary school for children of migrant workers on the outskirts of Yuhua City that had ceased classes. “Comrade Liu Hun, our principle is to work offsite, not from government offices, and not to make contact with related personnel. Please understand,” the middle-aged man said to Liu Hun before asking him to get out of the car. Liu Hun had some understanding of the issue: the discipline inspection committee usually conducted their investigations at small motels or other discreet places to avoid pressure from stakeholders and to sever certain connections. Liu Hun sat in a not-so-large classroom together with two discipline inspection committee members. Then, the two sat opposite him and started questioning Liu Hun. Their questions revolved around Li Tianyang’s case. Liu Hun responded fluidly, as he had thoroughly prepared these answers when he reported Li Tianyang. After a series of questions, the middle-aged man said to Liu Hun, “Comrade Liu Hun, please wait here for a few minutes. We will go next door to discuss. Is that okay?” Liu Hun nodded, thinking how secretive the discipline inspection committee was. After the two left, he pondered; if this probing into Li Tianyang succeeded completely, he could continue this path and eliminate another potential threat. As Liu Hun was calculating in his head, suddenly! Sirens blared outside the school. Startled, he rushed to the window... Four or five police cars stopped inside the school, and over a dozen police officers carrying guns were charging towards the classroom. Conspiracy? Trickery? A set-up? Countless thoughts and ideas flashed through Liu Hun’s mind. However, he didn’t plan to confront the law enforcement authorities of Canghai. If he fought these officers now, he would probably face a Class A wanted order tomorrow. “Boom! Boom!” After two loud noises, the police kicked open both the front and rear doors of the classroom, then pointed their guns at Liu Hun and shouted, “Hands on your head, kneel down!” Liu Hun complied; he knelt on the ground with his hands on his head. While he was still pondering the situation, cold handcuffs were locked around his wrists, and the officers lifted him up. “What is this?” An ashen-faced police officer held a large plastic bag filled with a white powdery substance and asked Liu Hun. Liu Hun wanted to say, “Do you believe it’s washing powder?” but instead, he replied, “I don’t know; this has nothing to do with me.” “If it’s got nothing to do with you, then I’ve seen a ghost! Take him away!” The officer said, then directly took Liu Hun and the bag to the police car. Back at the Yuhua City Public Security Bureau again, but this time Director Cao had been transferred due to implications from the death of a Hamela virus patient. The new director, He Jiahui, didn’t care for Liu Hun at all and took him directly for interrogation. “Name! Age! Place of birth...” He Jiahui asked Liu Hun with a cold face. Seeing the police officers in the room fully on guard, Liu Hun could only speak the truth; he confessed everything truthfully. “What? You’re cooperating with the discipline inspection committee investigation, and then went to that elementary school?” He Jiahui asked Liu Hun skeptically. Liu Hun didn’t say much, just nodded and replied, “Yes, I truly went there to cooperate with the discipline inspection committee’s investigation.” “What investigation?” He Jiahui asked with a smirk. Liu Hun openly said, “I reported the Anchang County Party Secretary, Li Tianyang, to the Yuhua City Discipline Inspection Committee for accepting bribes. Thus, I was cooperating with their investigation.” “Are you pulling my leg? Accepting a discipline committee investigation, running to that location? Well, even if you were accepting an investigation, why there? Do you know that we had been monitoring that place for months, planning to make an arrest there?” He Jiahui eyed Liu Hun, curious to see what Liu Hun would counter with. Liu Hun’s eyes shifted, now understanding, he had been completely set up. It seemed that the so-called discipline inspection committee members were merely bait. He asked He Jiahui, “Director He, have you seen an old Buick car?” “Smack!” He Jiahui placed a transparent plastic bag containing a homemade gun on the table and said to Liu Hun, “See this? This was retrieved from that Buick.” “Answer the question now, where is the money? Do you have any higher contacts? Who drove you here? Do you have more goods?” He Jiahui asked sternly, as this was a major case that couldn’t tolerate any negligence. “Director He, I am being framed and set up. If you insist on an answer, I can only tell you that this matter is almost certainly related to Li Tianyang!” Liu Hun directly told He Jiahui. He felt dazed by Li Tianyang’s clever move, never expecting to be set up in a drug transaction that seemed flawless.

Chapter 286 - 286 285 Throwing a Stone to Probe the Path

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