Chapter 1110: Dragon Group?

While Tong Zhenbang and Chen Shijie were talking, Zhao Fusheng was also asking Zhang Qian about the whole affair.

“Why so ruthless?”

Zhao Fusheng glanced at Zhang Qian and asked in surprise.

Based on his understanding of Zhang Qian, he was not a cruel person; in other words, there must be a reason for such heavy-handedness.

Hearing Zhao Fusheng’s words, Zhang Qian said in a low voice, “Chen Shijie told me to do it.”

Zhao Fusheng was taken aback, then after a moment’s thought, he understood Chen Shijie’s intention—he was planning to start cutting off Tong Zhenbang’s wings.

After all, with Xiao Bao around, Tong Zhenbang had an extra capable man at his disposal. Now that Zhang Qian had put him in the hospital, in the short term, Chen Shijie would become the person Tong Zhenbang had to rely on for everything.

He had to admit, his old classmate’s calculations were indeed meticulous.

“But you were still too harsh,” Zhao Fusheng said with a smile to Zhang Qian. “I thought you were about to put Chen Shijie in the hospital too.”

Zhang Qian shrugged. “Couldn’t hold back.”

He meant it sincerely. In that situation, if he had held back, he could easily have been hurt by the opponent. Between getting hurt himself and hurting others, Zhang Qian wisely chose the most appropriate option.

“How did your talk go?” Zhang Qian asked Zhao Fusheng, seeing no one around.

Zhao Fusheng smiled. “The bait has been cast. Now we’ll see if any big fish takes it.”

He meant it. After all, the decision in the whole matter was not in his hands. All Zhao Fusheng could do was make the plan look as convincing as possible to tempt Mr. Li into taking the bait.

After that, he wouldn’t need to be responsible; the police would naturally step in.

Zhang Qian understood this too. After a moment of silence, he said to Zhao Fusheng, “In the future, it’s better to have fewer meetings like this.”

His thinking was simple: whether it was Xiao Bao or Tong Zhenbang and his ilk, they were all desperadoes who risked their lives for money. Someone of Zhao Fusheng’s stature shouldn’t have to share their fears.

If it were just him alone, Zhang Qian was confident he could take down all of Tong Zhenbang’s men. But with Zhao Fusheng around, he was genuinely worried something might happen to him.

Zhao Fusheng nodded, indicating he understood.

He also knew that Zhang Qian was worried about him. This matter seemed simple, but in reality, it was extremely risky. One slip-up and they could easily discover his true identity, and then getting out unscathed would not be so easy.

“Don’t worry, I know what to do,” Zhao Fusheng said to Zhang Qian.

Zhang Qian nodded and said no more. They weren’t children anymore; Zhao Fusheng understood the principles better than he did. Saying too much was pointless.

The two drove off. Zhao Fusheng initially wanted to call Cao Jianguo, but then thought better of it. After all, he didn’t know if Tong Zhenbang was up to any tricks. If the man had two teams working overtly and covertly, he might already be under surveillance.

But when Zhao Fusheng got home, he was stunned.

Because Cao Jianguo was actually at his doorstep.

“Why are you here?” Zhao Fusheng asked Cao Jianguo in surprise. He really hadn’t expected a deputy director of the Narcotics Control Bureau to have so much free time.

“Of course I can be here,” Cao Jianguo said with a smile. “This case is now the top priority I’m personally overseeing. All my work revolves around it.”

Zhao Fusheng nodded; he could understand that. But he still wasn’t sure how Cao Jianguo could be certain that the area around his house was safe.

“Obviously, because I’ve deployed people to keep watch here,” Cao Jianguo said flatly to Zhao Fusheng.

Zhao Fusheng fell silent instantly.

There was no helping it—the authorities were just that impressive. He had to accept it.

“Tell me, how did the meeting go today?” Cao Jianguo asked Zhao Fusheng.

Zhao Fusheng was taken aback. “Right here? Not going inside?”

He had assumed Cao Jianguo would come into his house to talk, since this wasn’t exactly a suitable place for a conversation.

Cao Jianguo shook his head and smiled. “Just give me a brief rundown. I’ll see if there’s anything that needs improvement. The main thing is your safety—don’t let this matter drag you down.”

He meant it sincerely. After all, Zhao Fusheng was only so enthusiastic because of his relationship with Chen Shijie, plus Xue Yuanfang’s connections. If something went wrong and a billionaire got into trouble while working for the country…

Well, just that one point alone, Cao Jianguo knew he would definitely lose his police uniform.

People often talk about taking the fall, thinking that the higher up you go, the more they like to use subordinates as scapegoats. Actually, that’s quite unfounded. Maybe some officials like to use their subordinates to take the blame, but that’s only a minority. Most leaders are quite good.

More importantly, officials with backgrounds like Cao Jianguo’s couldn’t afford to make mistakes casually. If they made a mistake, even if they could keep their position, their career path would inevitably be affected.

In other words, Cao Jianguo wasn’t about to sacrifice decades of a bright future for this one matter.

This was something Zhao Fusheng didn’t know.

Or rather, he wasn’t part of officialdom and didn’t understand the intricacies involved.

But regardless, it wasn’t a bad thing that someone was looking out for him. Zhao Fusheng naturally had to express his gratitude.

“Thank you for your concern, Director Cao,” Zhao Fusheng said with a smile to Cao Jianguo.

Cao Jianguo waved his hand. “Don’t be so polite. Come on, tell me, what’s the situation with Tong Zhenbang now?”

As Zhao Fusheng recounted the details of today’s meeting, Cao Jianguo slowly nodded. After pondering for a moment, he said, “Although this approach is a bit reckless, I have to say, putting Xiao Bao in the hospital was a good move.”

Then he explained to Zhao Fusheng, “You don’t know the situation. Xiao Bao and Chen Shijie are now Tong Zhenbang’s right-hand men. But the problem is, even among trusted aides, there are degrees of closeness.”

Zhao Fusheng nodded, thought for a moment, and said, “Director Cao, do you mean that Xiao Bao is more trusted by Tong Zhenbang than Chen Shijie?”

Cao Jianguo smiled bitterly. “Yes, Xiao Bao has been with him for nearly ten years, while Chen Shijie has only been around for two or three years. Naturally, they can’t be compared. It’s only because Chen Shijie pulled off a few major successes that he earned Tong Zhenbang’s appreciation.”

Zhao Fusheng finally understood. No wonder Chen Shijie was willing to take risks, even getting hurt himself, to have Zhang Qian cripple Xiao Bao.

Cao Jianguo glanced at Zhao Fusheng, then at Zhang Qian not far away, and said in a low voice, “But I’m quite surprised. Your driver managed to take down both Xiao Bao and Chen Shijie at the same time. In that situation, Chen Shijie couldn’t have held back. It seems you have hidden talents around you.”

Zhao Fusheng looked speechless and explained, “Director Cao, don’t misunderstand. You should have the file on this brother of mine, right?”

Cao Jianguo blinked, a bit puzzled. “Why would I have that?”

What?!

This time it was Zhao Fusheng’s turn to be dumbfounded. He thought to himself, aren’t the authorities supposed to be everywhere?

Apparently, this time, he was wrong.