Chapter Sixty-Nine: S-Class Fugitive

Chapter Sixty-Nine: S-Class Wanted Criminal

After a round of deep, calming breaths, Xu Yun finally managed to settle his mind. It seemed he had no choice but to find a way to break through his inner demon; otherwise, he might spend the rest of his life as a half-baked talent. Sighing at the thought, Xu Yun couldn’t help but feel a touch of regret. He was such a gifted young man—his master once said his future was limitless, and every brother around him envied his natural aptitude.

There weren’t many who could reach the rank of top-tier master by the age of eighteen, but Xu Yun was one of them. Over the years, everyone had anticipated that Xu Yun would be the first in the world to become a super master before the age of twenty-five. But no one expected that the brutal death of Silver Dragon would shackle him with a heart demon, stalling his progress for an entire year.

Just a single step away, Xu Yun still wore his usual carefree, nonchalant smile, but in his heart, he wanted more than anyone to break free from this inner restraint. That was why he left in the first place—the tremendous pressure forced him to withdraw.

Because of this subtle shift in his state of mind, Xu Yun barely slept throughout the night. He heard Qiu Yan entering and leaving the medicated restaurant three times, clearly worried and wary of the S-class criminal Qin Wan’er had mentioned.

The next morning, everyone fell into their routine. Sunday was a cherished day for those with weekends off, but for Xu Yun and his group, it was far busier. By ten o’clock, customers were already arriving for meals, and those who rose late simply combined breakfast and lunch.

Aside from Qin Wan’er, who had left early, everyone else was busy at the shop. Their branch in Hongnan District had been forced to close, so Qiangzi and Xiao Fei were also helping out at this location.

Even though it was supposed to be Qin Wan’er’s day off, after arresting so many of Jin Biao’s men from the Eastern District the day before, she was uneasy and hurried to the station early.

But by the time she arrived, it was too late. Xiao Wu informed her that those people had already been bailed out the previous night, and it was all arranged with Director Liu. They didn’t dare ask too many questions.

Upon hearing this, Qin Wan’er nearly exploded. “Liu Guangming actually released all of them?!”

Xiao Wu was startled by her reaction and quickly gestured for her to keep quiet. “Sister Qin, could you please lower your voice? Honestly, you’re like my own sister. Director Liu came in early today; he’s upstairs right now. Aren’t you afraid he might overhear?”

“So what if he does? I’m going to question him myself!” Qin Wan’er had tolerated things at the Tuoshan District station yesterday, but she would not stand for this in her own jurisdiction. Without another word, she turned and marched upstairs to confront Liu Guangming.

Xiao Wu was left dumbfounded. Was Sister Qin really going to challenge Director Liu head-on?

Qin Wan’er didn’t even bother to knock. She pushed open Liu Guangming’s office door and entered.

Liu Guangming was on a call. Seeing Qin Wan’er’s stormy expression, he paused. “I have something to attend to. We’ll talk later.” He hung up, and before he could say another word, Qin Wan’er demanded, “Director Liu, why did you release everyone we detained yesterday?!”

“Xiao Qin, I was just about to discuss this with you.” Liu Guangming’s face was clearly uneasy. As the station chief, being spoken to in such a manner was nothing short of disrespectful.

Qin Wan’er’s tone did not soften. “I just want to know why you released them. Is provoking public disorder not a crime? We caught them yesterday, and you let them go the same day. How powerful are their connections that you would do this?”

Liu Guangming straightened his face. “Qin Wan’er, I am the director here. I have the authority to make these decisions! It’s not your place to point fingers.”

“And being the director means you can bend the law for personal gain?” Qin Wan’er’s words were sharp.

Bang!

Liu Guangming slammed his hand on the desk and stood up. “Qin Wan’er, do you really think you can do as you please just because you’ve made a few achievements? Let me be clear—the release was at the request of Director Qi from Tuoshan District. These were minor scuffles, and I was just doing him a favor. I asked Xiao Wu and the others—those men didn’t cause any real trouble for the restaurant! We had no evidence to detain them! In fact, the restaurant staff hit them, and the men didn’t even press charges. That was already a concession.”

“Is this what society has become?” Qin Wan’er sneered. “As long as you have connections, you can turn the tables and play the victim?”

Liu Guangming snorted. “Qin Wan’er, I haven’t even asked you—why were you at the Tuoshan District station yesterday? And since when do you have informants? Do you think you’re in a Hong Kong cop movie? This is China! Your informant assaulted an officer, you know? I even cleaned up the mess for you. What else do you want?!”

Qin Wan’er was unfazed. “My informant reports directly to me; the fewer people who know, the better. And you just believe their claim that my men assaulted them? Where’s the evidence?”

Liu Guangming pulled out his phone, found a multimedia message, and tossed it on the desk. “Here’s your evidence!”

Qin Wan’er glanced at it and was stunned—her jaw almost dropped. The men in the photo were indeed the ones from yesterday, each sporting a fist-sized bruise on their abdomen. But there hadn’t been any marks the day before… Just how had Xu Yun managed it?

“Nothing to say now, is there?” Liu Guangming saw her calm down a bit before continuing, “Xiao Qin, you’re still young. In everything you do, learn to be tactful. Show others some respect, and they’ll do the same for you.”

Qin Wan’er understood the implication. “So, Director Liu, what you’re saying is that everyone just turns a blind eye to Qi Yishan’s collusion with the criminal underworld in Tuoshan District?”

Liu Guangming neither confirmed nor denied it. “Xiao Qin, my advice is to mind our own district’s affairs. Lately, there’s been gossip about a certain underworld ‘big sister’ in our area—you’ve heard of it, right?”

Qin Wan’er knew exactly whom he meant. “If I find out who’s spreading rumors, I won’t let them off. Now I need to ask Director Chen at the municipal bureau—Qi Yishan is acting as a tiger’s accomplice and is unfit to be the Tuoshan District chief!”

“You… you’re going to report this to Director Chen?” Liu Guangming could hardly believe his ears.

Without a backward glance, Qin Wan’er left Liu Guangming’s office. He stood in silence for a long while, but did not stop her. In fact, this might not be a bad thing for him. After all, during the last reshuffle, Qi Yishan had been his main rival for promotion to the municipal bureau. If Qi became infamous for colluding with the underworld while Liu was known for fighting crime, the difference would be plain for all to see. When the time came, who would become deputy director would be a foregone conclusion.

...

Because of her repeated achievements, Qin Wan’er had made a name for herself at the Hedong City Public Security Bureau. Many people greeted her with smiles and friendly nods, certain she would eventually be promoted to a leadership position thanks to her outstanding work.

Qin Wan’er responded to all with a polite smile.

“Xiao Qin, what brings you here today?” The head of the Legal Affairs Division greeted her with a smile.

Qin Wan’er couldn’t remember all the names but recognized his rank. “Hello, Chief. I’m here to report something to Director Chen.”

“Today? But it’s Sunday.” The division chief was surprised. “Director Chen is off today.”

Only then did Qin Wan’er realize her mistake—she’d been so anxious she’d forgotten it was the weekend. She could only give up and wait until tomorrow. “My apologies, I forgot. I won’t disturb you further—I’ll be going now.”

“Won’t you stay for a while?” the chief offered politely.

“Thank you, but no need. Goodbye.” With that, Qin Wan’er hurried out.

As she stepped out of the building, a police car pulled up. The door opened and Chen Wei stepped out. He paused when he saw her. “Xiao Qin? What brings you here?”

Qin Wan’er’s heart leapt for joy—what luck!

Before she could reply, Chen Wei spoke first. “I was just looking for you. Come with me to the office—I have something to show you.”

“You were looking for me?” Qin Wan’er was puzzled. Why would the bureau chief need to report anything to her? She realized she was flattering herself.

Chen Wei was a modest man. Hedong wasn’t a small city—at least a prefecture-level city—and as police chief, his rank was not low, yet he drove an old Passat. Compared to those county chiefs who drove luxury cars worth hundreds of thousands or even millions, Chen Wei was a model of fairness and integrity.

“What are you daydreaming about? Come on,” Chen Wei called again, snapping her out of it.

Qin Wan’er nodded and followed, thinking that if every director in the country were like Chen Wei, the nation’s public security would rise by several levels.

Soon, they arrived at his office. Chen Wei made a call, and within a minute a fax came through—a photo with a few lines of text beneath it.

Chen Wei handed the fax to Qin Wan’er.

The photo showed a man of about thirty, unattractive, but with a piercing, venomous look in his eyes.

Below was a line of clear text:

Hao Kai, male, thirty years old, Han ethnicity, registered address unknown, height 1.75 meters, medium build, square face, full beard, high cheekbones, broad nose, deep-set eyes, thick outward-turning lips, and dark red hair. National S-Class wanted criminal. The public security authorities offer a reward of 500,000 yuan for information leading to his capture. Anyone with information should call 110 or report to the nearest police station. Anyone who conceals or harbors the suspect will be prosecuted under the law.

Qin Wan’er was stunned after reading it. So the S-class fugitive rumored to have entered Hedong City was this man?!

“It’s now basically confirmed that he’s hiding in our city,” Chen Wei said calmly. “Xiao Qin, the higher authorities have ordered wanted posters to be put up. This is the mastermind behind last year’s August 12 prison break.”