Chapter 1385
The supervisor was actually imprisoned!
Although the main culprit in the Zhu Dafa case has been apprehended, his influence remains. The network of relationships behind him is intricate and complex, and many doubts have not yet been fully clarified. Issues such as asset transfers and the concealment of personnel also require further investigation. The Ministry and the Provincial Party Committee attach great importance to the thorough investigation of this case and have sent me here in the hope that, based on the previous work, we can dig deeper to ensure no blind spots are left and eradicate this scourge. As a newcomer, I am unfamiliar with the local situation, and I earnestly request the support and guidance of my colleagues in the subsequent work.”
His words not only explained his purpose and highlighted the seriousness of the case and the importance attached to it by higher authorities, but also humbled himself, placing himself in a position where cooperation was needed. His words were reasonable, well-founded, and neither arrogant nor servile. The atmosphere in the meeting room eased slightly, and many people nodded in approval, feeling that although Director Luo was young, he spoke and acted with composure and propriety, displaying the demeanor of someone from a high-ranking government agency.
Soon, someone couldn't contain their curiosity any longer. A branch bureau chief, who was older and had a straightforward personality, sitting in the middle, couldn't help but ask.
"Director Luo, you're too kind. Cooperating with you is our duty. But... sigh, to be honest, we old guys have been completely worn out these past few days. Thousands of police officers have been deployed throughout the city, day and night, practically turning Dongguan upside down, but we still haven't found a trace of you. Where... where have you been these past few days? How did you manage to leave so many of us completely baffled?"
He voiced the question that had been on everyone's mind, and dozens of eyes once again turned to Luo Fei, filled with curiosity.
Zhong Baoyu also looked at Luo Fei. Although he had already sensed from Luo Fei's previous vague words that there might be some inside story, he was also eager to know exactly what had happened.
Upon hearing this, Luo Fei's face showed a slightly complicated smile, a smile that seemed to carry a hint of helplessness, a hint of mockery, and a hint of indescribable emotion.
He took a deep breath, his gaze slowly sweeping across the room, and finally uttered a sentence that left everyone speechless and almost doubting their own ears.
"Actually... I stayed at our bureau the night before last."
"what?"
"Living in the bureau?"
"How is this possible?!"
A chorus of barely suppressed gasps and whispers erupted in the conference room.
Everyone was stunned.
They searched almost every corner of Dongguan, including hotels, guesthouses, rental houses, and even some hidden places, but they never expected that the person they were looking for was right in their own base of operations! This was the biggest irony of their search efforts over the past few days!
Zhong Baoyu was also stunned, staring at Luo Fei in disbelief.
"Director Luo, you...you were at the bureau the night before last? Where? The guesthouse? Or..."
He couldn't understand how there could be no news about Luo Fei if he was in the bureau. Was the notice for assistance issued by the command center just for show?
Under the gazes of the crowd, filled with doubt and a hint of mockery, Luo Fei began to recount the events. His tone was calm, as if he were narrating a past event unrelated to himself, but every word was like a heavy stone, striking the hearts of the people.
I arrived at Dongguan Airport the day before yesterday afternoon.
According to the original plan, I should first report to the Municipal Bureau, contact Director Zhong, understand the preliminary case files, and then begin my work.
However, when I arrived at the city bureau, it was still early, and the office hadn't started its opening hours yet.
Luo Fei's voice wasn't loud, but it clearly reached everyone's ears.
"I saw a noodle shop across the street and thought I'd go in and grab something to eat before I went to work."
It was at that "Old Chen's Noodle Shop" that I ran into some trouble.
He paused, his gaze seemingly recalling the scene from that time.
"A few young men with blond hair and a sleazy appearance were harassing and harassing a young female employee in the store. Their actions and words were very offensive. The female employee was clearly very scared and kept trying to dodge, but the men were persistent and even touched her inappropriately. The other customers and the owner of the store seemed to be angry but dared not speak out."
The meeting room fell silent as everyone imagined the scene. For frontline police officers, this type of harassment by street thugs was nothing new.
"I couldn't stand it, so I stepped forward to stop it."
Luo Fei continued, his tone still calm.
"Make them let go of the girl and leave the noodle shop."
Those blond-haired guys were very arrogant; not only did they ignore him, but they also surrounded him, ready to fight. That's how the conflict started.
He briefly summarized the conflict without exaggerating his own skills.
"The process was quick, they didn't gain anything, and two of them fell to the ground and couldn't get up. I took control of the situation and asked the noodle shop owner to call the police."
Hearing this, many veteran detectives nodded slightly. Seeing injustice, stopping illegal acts, and calling the police are standard procedures for acts of bravery—nothing wrong with them.
Some people even secretly applauded, thinking that Director Luo was not only of high rank, but also seemed to be quite skilled and had guts.
However, Luo Fei's next words made everyone's hearts sink, and their faces began to turn ugly.
"The police arrived quickly; they were officers from the nearby police station."
They gathered a preliminary understanding of the situation, took away the troublemakers, and called an ambulance. The female shop assistant, the noodle shop owner, and I were all taken to the police station to give statements.
There wasn't much emotion in Luo Fei's voice.
"After giving my statement, I thought everything was over and was about to leave to continue my business in Dongguan."
But unexpectedly, things took a sharp turn for the worse.
His gaze seemed to glance unintentionally at Chen Yunfei, who was still standing frozen in place, head down, trembling slightly, before he looked away and faced the crowd.
"The police station received instructions that the injured person's condition had changed and the injury assessment might be very serious."
Then, my status changed from 'a party who stopped an unlawful infringement' to 'a criminal suspect accused of intentional injury'. The reason...
A barely perceptible smile appeared on Luo Fei's lips.
"It is said that eyewitness testimonies at the scene indicate that I provoked them first, it was out of jealousy and rivalry, and then we fought each other, resulting in serious injury."
The testimony of the female shop assistant who was victimized was deemed insufficient to be taken as sole evidence, as it was believed she might have been traumatized and had impaired memory, or that her testimony was biased out of gratitude.
"absurd!"
One of the hot-tempered squad leaders couldn't help but mutter a curse under his breath.
Luo Fei glanced at him and nodded.
“I also find it absurd. But what’s even more absurd is what followed. I was criminally detained, and then, on the grounds of ‘serious case and possible heavy sentence,’ the procedures were quickly completed, and I was transferred to…”
He slowly uttered four words.
Xishan Detention Center.
The moment the words "Xishan Detention Center" were uttered, it was like a bomb had been dropped into the conference room! Everyone knew what that place was—it was a place where serious offenders and those awaiting trial were held!
A director of the Ministry of State Security was actually imprisoned as a criminal?!
Zhong Baoyu's face had turned ashen, and his hands on the table were clenched into fists, the veins on the back of his hands bulging.
He had only guessed that Luo Fei might be in trouble, but he never expected that it would be such an absurd and outrageous encounter!
Luo Fei's voice remained calm, but beneath that calmness lay a chilling anger and a deep sense of helplessness.
"I spent a few days inside and witnessed some... well, very special 'inside situations'. I tried to explain the situation and contact the outside world, but various 'accidents' and 'regulations' made all these efforts futile."
"If it weren't for the last time, under certain special circumstances, I wouldn't have had to reveal my true identity and identification..."
He paused for a moment, then his gaze swept over Chen Yunfei again, causing Chen Yunfei's shoulders to tremble almost imperceptibly.
“I seriously doubt whether I can still ‘get out’ of that place through normal legal procedures. Perhaps, a ‘resistance to discipline,’ ‘sudden illness,’ or ‘accident’ could bring everything to a reasonable close. After all, I’m just a ‘naive young man from out of town suspected of serious assault,’ isn’t I?”
Luo Fei's words were not impassioned, and his tone was not particularly dramatic, but the danger and darkness he conveyed sent a chill down the spines of every veteran police officer present.
They know all too well how many ways there are to make someone "reasonably" disappear or shut up in some places, especially in a place like Xishan, where management is strict and self-contained.
And this Director Luo actually experienced all of this firsthand, starting with such an absurd reason!
What a shame!
This is not only a great disgrace to Luo Fei personally, but also a great disgrace to the entire Dongguan police force!
A superior official who came to handle the case was arrested by his own police force in broad daylight for his act of bravery, and was thrown into a detention center, where he even faced a life-threatening situation!
If this gets out, the Dongguan police will become a laughing stock in the national public security system, and their prestige will be completely ruined!
"boom!"
With a loud bang, Zhong Baoyu finally lost control of his anger and slammed his fist hard on the heavy solid wood conference table, making the teacups on the table jump.
He stood up abruptly, his face flushed red with extreme anger, his eyes bulging like copper bells, and the veins on his forehead throbbing.
He stopped looking at Luo Fei altogether and instead shot his fiery gaze directly at the figure who had been trembling since Luo Fei began speaking and was almost shrinking into a corner—Chen Yunfei!
"Chen, Yun, Fei!"
Zhong Baoyu's voice was forced out through clenched teeth, filled with thunderous rage.
"Get over here right now! Tell me!"
What exactly happened?! Director Luo, was this case handled by you?! Did you take charge of it?!
The air in the entire venue seemed to be ignited by Zhong Baoyu's anger, and the temperature soared.
Everyone held their breath and looked at Chen Yunfei.
Chen Yunfei was startled by Zhong Baoyu's roar. His face turned pale, his lips trembled, and he practically shuffled from the wall to the front of the conference table. He stood in front of Zhong Baoyu and Luo Fei, his head bowed low, not daring to meet anyone's gaze.
"Chief...Chief...I...I..."
Chen Yunfei's voice trembled uncontrollably, and he spoke incoherently.
"Answer me! Was it you?!"
Zhong Baoyu questioned him sharply, his spittle almost landing on Chen Yunfei's face.
"It was...it was me...I was in charge of approving...the cases that were reported from below..."
Chen Yunfei reluctantly admitted it, but immediately tried to defend himself.
"But Director! I really didn't know at the time! I didn't know he was Director Luo! If I had known he was a leader in the Ministry of State Security, I wouldn't have dared to do it even if I had a hundred lives! The report I received at the time was just an ordinary case of intentional injury with serious circumstances. The suspect was aggressive, and the victim's injuries were likely extremely serious... I... I was following procedures and evidence!"
He looked dejected and repeatedly emphasized that he "didn't know his identity," as if this was the only lifeline he could grasp.
"Follow procedure? Follow evidence?"
Zhong Baoyu was so angry that he was trembling all over, and he pointed his finger at Chen Yunfei's nose.
"What kind of procedure can turn a good Samaritan's act of fighting into intentional assault?! What kind of evidence allows you to ignore the testimony of the female shop assistant and accept the false accusations of those thugs' accomplices?! Chen Yunfei, after all these years as a police officer, has your professional competence been eaten by dogs?! Have you thrown the most basic investigative principles and judgment to the winds?!"
Chen Yunfei was verbally abused so badly that he almost buried his head in his chest, but he still struggled to defend himself.
"At the scene... many diners said that... this statement is unfavorable to the suspect... the noodle shop's surveillance... the surveillance hard drive was broken and didn't record anything... there is a lack of direct evidence to prove that he acted bravely... moreover, the two people who were injured were later diagnosed in the hospital as being in a vegetative state! Their injuries were extremely serious!"
How can this be so easily classified as legitimate self-defense?
His last words were almost shouted, carrying a twisted flavor of trying to emphasize the seriousness of the case in order to exonerate himself.
"So what if someone is in a vegetative state?!"
Zhong Baoyu was furious and shouted back.
"As long as it is determined to be an act of bravery and self-defense, even if the person is in a vegetative state or even killed, the defender should not be held criminally liable!"
These are basic legal principles! Don't you understand?! And Director Luo, an investigator from out of town, unfamiliar with the area, went to a small noodle shop and got into a fight with a bunch of local thugs over a girl? You actually believe that nonsense?! Where's your brain?! Have you been blinded by greed?!
Zhong Baoyu's roar echoed in the conference room. Every question he uttered was like a whip lashing at Chen Yunfei, and also at the hearts of every person in charge present. Everyone understood that Director Zhong was right.
The handling of this case was fundamentally bizarre and brutal.
Chen Yunfei was speechless after being refuted, and could only repeat himself.
"I don't know his identity... I really don't know... Even if I knew, I wouldn't dare..."
At this moment, Luo Fei, who had been calmly observing, suddenly spoke up.
He ignored Zhong Baoyu's rage and Chen Yunfei's explanations, instead walking directly to Chen Yunfei. The distance was so close that Chen Yunfei could clearly see the deep, calm light in his eyes—a light that sent a chill down Chen Yunfei's spine. (End of Chapter)