Chapter 1417
If Luo Fei is a spy, I'll eat this police uniform.
At the same time, Luo Fei's uncle, Li Guo, was also found in the company office. It wasn't the police who came; it was a team of three from the Counter-Espionage Bureau stationed in Jiangcheng—two men and one woman—dressed in plainclothes, but each with an increasingly serious expression.
Li Guo is a well-known building materials merchant in Jiangcheng, owning three building materials companies and a construction team. His net worth is at least thirty to forty million yuan. In Jiangcheng, a city of moderate size, he can be considered a prominent figure.
But he was nothing that day.
When the counter-espionage officers flashed their badges, Li Guo was discussing a business deal with a client. Seeing the national emblem on the badges, his heart skipped a beat, but he maintained his composure, apologized to the client, and got up to follow the three officers out of the office.
In the corridor, his secretary and several employees stood by, watching their boss being taken away, their expressions varied—some shocked, some curious, and some vaguely gloating.
The investigation was conducted very thoroughly.
In the following days, the disciplinary inspection team and the counter-espionage bureau thoroughly investigated Zhou Gang and Li Guo's background.
Zhou Gang had worked in the police force for over thirty years. His resume, family, social relationships, bank statements, and call records were all pulled out and laid out on the table for review.
Li Guo's situation was similar; from the company's equity structure to the background of her partners, from the source of her personal assets to her family's travel records abroad, nothing escaped the eyes of the investigators.
It took four whole days to investigate.
In the end, nothing was found.
Zhou Gang's resume is spotless; he has never been disciplined or accepted anything he shouldn't have in over thirty years. His bank account only contains his monthly salary, and his total savings amount to less than 200,000 yuan.
His call logs showed that he didn't talk to Luo Fei very often, and each call was short. They talked about everyday things, and there was nothing suspicious about it.
No problems were found with Li Guo either. He had been in the building materials business for over a decade, with every transaction meticulously recorded and complete tax records, showing no signs of tax evasion. His partners were all legitimate businessmen, and no clues were found linking them to foreign forces.
He didn't have much contact with Luo Fei; they would call each other and send red envelopes during holidays, and that was about it.
The investigation concluded in an internal report with only eight words: "No violations of rules or regulations were found."
Even if they couldn't find out the problem, they still couldn't completely extricate themselves.
Luo Fei was, after all, a wanted criminal, and his crimes were treason and murder, which were extremely serious.
As Luo Fei's mentor and direct superior, Zhou Gang and Li Guo, as Luo Fei's uncle and immediate family member, could not withstand the organization's preventative measures even if they themselves had no problems.
The Dali Division has issued a directive that all those associated with Luo Fei must be dealt with severely, and no potential threats should be allowed to remain within the system.
As a result, Zhou Gang was officially suspended from his post.
It wasn't a temporary suspension pending investigation; it was a direct suspension order. The document stated, "Due to involvement in the case of Luo Fei, a wanted criminal for treason, all duties are temporarily suspended to cooperate with subsequent investigations." Everyone knew exactly what that word "temporarily" meant.
Once you get involved in this kind of thing, even if no problems are found in the end, you won't get promoted, and it might even be a question of whether you can stay in the public security system.
Li Guo's situation was more complicated. Although the counter-espionage bureau hadn't found anything wrong with him, his company had been jointly inspected by several departments, including tax, industry and commerce, fire protection, and environmental protection.
These inspections came quickly and frequently, clearly targeting Luo Fei's identity as his uncle.
Although no substantial problems were found, Li Guo's reputation in Jiangcheng's business circles has been affected. Two of the projects that were under negotiation fell through, and although his partners did not say it explicitly, their attitudes have clearly become more subtle.
Li Guo was a sensible man. He knew this was pressure on him, forcing him to distance himself from Luo Fei and sever ties with him. But he said nothing, cooperating with the inspection as required and answering questions as required, his expression remaining unchanged from beginning to end.
When asked if he believed Luo Fei was a spy, he only said four words: "I don't believe it, I don't admit it."
Meng Haonan's troubles came earlier.
As the former captain of the Criminal Investigation Team 2 of the Jiangcheng Public Security Bureau, Luo Fei was promoted by him. From auxiliary police officer to regular police officer, from ordinary police officer to squad leader, and from Team 2 to the provincial department, every step of the way had his recommendation and signature.
After Luo Fei was put on the wanted list, the responsibility for this "negligence in recommending" naturally fell on his shoulders.
But to his surprise, the scope of the investigation was much larger than he had imagined.
The investigation team that came to investigate him was not only the disciplinary inspection team, but also an investigation team directly dispatched by the Kyoto Counter-Espionage Bureau.
The investigation team consisted of six people, led by a veteran counter-espionage officer in his fifties named Fan Zhengqing. He was of a high rank and had reportedly worked in the counter-espionage field for thirty years, handling at least eight hundred to a thousand cases. His experience was frighteningly rich.
Fan Zhengqing and his men were stationed at the Jiangcheng Public Security Bureau. They spent a whole week digging out all of Meng Haonan's files, records, and case files from his more than 20 years of police service and checking them one by one.
Check his case handling records to see if he has ever harbored suspicious individuals. Check his financial management to see if he has any income of unknown origin. Check his family members to see if his wife and son have any records of dealings with foreign forces.
Check his social circle to see if he has any suspicious friends or relationships.
Even Meng Haonan himself couldn't stand by and watch this investigation unfold.
It's not because he feels guilty, but because the intensity of this investigation clearly shows a lack of trust in him.
But he endured it.
He knew these were the rules, and he knew he was innocent. He had never taken a penny from anyone, never handled a case against his conscience, and never contacted anyone he shouldn't have.
His wife teaches Chinese at Jiangcheng No. 3 Middle School, where she has taught for twenty years. Her salary is not high, but it is stable. His son attends Jiangcheng No. 1 Middle School and ranks among the top 30 in his grade. He is an honest and well-behaved child.
The family of three lived in an old apartment building of about 80 square meters, allocated by the Public Security Bureau, and had lived there for more than ten years without moving.
The family's total savings amounted to less than 500,000 yuan, which wasn't even enough to buy a decent apartment in Jiangcheng.
After completing his investigation, Fan Zhengqing signed his name on the investigation report. The report was very simple: "During his tenure, Comrade Meng Haonan had no record of violating any rules or regulations, no record of embezzlement or bribery, and no suspicious connections with foreign forces."
Regarding his recommendation of Luo Fei, it was a normal organizational procedure, and there was nothing improper about it.
After the conclusion was submitted, the Dali Division remained silent for two days before finally replying with "Agreed".
Meng Haonan is out of danger. But the impact of this incident on him is far from over. Although he withstood the organization's investigation and test, proving his innocence, his prestige and reputation within the Jiangcheng public security system have suffered irreversible damage.
The way people look at him has changed. Before, they would greet him as "Captain Meng," but now they would subconsciously take a detour when they see him, as if he carries something unclean with him.
When the bureau held meetings, his former colleagues, who used to be his sworn brothers, now barely exchanged a few words with him. Everyone knew he was innocent, but no one dared to get too close to him at this time.
They were afraid of being implicated, afraid of being targeted, and afraid that their names would appear on the next list of investigators.
Meng Haonan didn't care about any of that.
He sat by the office window, flipping through case files while sipping strong, bitter tea, his face expressionless. Someone whispered to him, "What do you think about Luo Fei's situation?"
Without looking up, he replied, "I've seen what I needed to see, and I don't want to see what I shouldn't. Who is Luo Fei? My eyes aren't blind."
After he finished speaking, he turned to the next page of the case file and continued reading.
Compared to those who were investigated and implicated, the attitude of the Jiangcheng public security system towards Luo Fei's case was surprisingly unified.
No one in the Criminal Investigation Team Two, from top to bottom, believed that Luo Fei was a spy.
Luo Fei has worked in the second team for so many years, and he has handled countless cases. They know his investigative style best—fast, accurate, and ruthless, without dragging things out or beating around the bush.
The number of people he's arrested could stretch from Jiangcheng to the provincial capital, and the forces he's offended are countless. But if you were to accuse him of treason or of being a spy for Japan, the people in Team Two would only think that's the biggest joke in the world.
Zhao Yong, the current deputy captain of the second team, said something to a few young team members in his office, which was then relayed by someone nearby.
"If Luo Fei is a spy, I'll eat my police uniform."
When this reached the ears of the disciplinary inspection team, they called Zhao Yong to ask if he had said those words. Zhao Yong replied slowly and deliberately on the phone, "Yes, I did. Did you record it? If not, I'll say it again now."
The disciplinary inspection team was silent for a few seconds, then said "Be mindful of the impact" and hung up the phone.
Li Ya, the woman at the center of the twins case, has also made a public statement on social media.
She now lives in Jiangcheng Rehabilitation Hospital, and her health has improved considerably since she was discharged. She can walk on her own now, although she still gets a little breathless when she walks fast. She was imprisoned in the cellar for several years, and her rescue was entirely due to Luo Fei's unwavering support for her back then.
She remembered it clearly. Back then, everyone thought the twin sisters were dead, and their families had given up hope. Only Luo Fei persisted, re-examining the case from beginning to end and finding the cellar where they were imprisoned based on extremely small clues.
If Luo Fei hadn't persisted, she would still be in the cellar, or she would already be dead.
So when she saw the arrest warrant, she cried for a long time in her hospital bed. The nurses thought she was feeling unwell, but she was actually heartbroken.
She posted a video on her Douyin account. In the video, she was sitting on a hospital bed, her face still a little pale, and she was wearing a woolen hat to cover her hair, which had not yet fully grown back.
Her voice was soft and somewhat weak, but she spoke each word very clearly.
“I am Li Ya, the Li Ya who was imprisoned for several years. Luo Fei saved my life. I don’t believe he is a spy, I never will.”
After the video was posted, it garnered eight million likes in a single day, and the comments section was flooded with supportive voices. However, some people criticized her for trying to ride the wave of popularity, saying she was being used and was even helping others count the money.
Li Ya did not reply to these comments, but simply pinned the video to the top of her chat list.
Former colleagues at the Xiahegou Police Station reacted even more directly.
Most of the people who worked with Luo Fei as auxiliary police officers at the Xiahegou Police Station back then are no longer in Xiahegou. Some have been transferred to other places, and some have left the public security system to do other jobs.
But after the news of Luo Fei being wanted spread, the few of them chatted in a WeChat group all night long.
At the end of the conversation, Old Zheng, a retired auxiliary police officer who had once supervised Luo Fei's night shifts, sent a voice message.
"You all know what a mess that place was like when we were in Xiahegou. It was poor, chaotic, and you could get to the police station for every little thing. How old was Luo Fei back then? Just a young man in his early twenties, doing more work than anyone else, but getting paid less. If he really was some Japanese spy, would he have stayed in that godforsaken place for years? Don't you think so?"
After the voice message was sent, there was silence in the group for about ten seconds.
Then everyone below replied, "Yes."
But the most surprising ones were Zhou Xuan and Zeng Jian.
Their initial entry into the National Security Bureau was facilitated by Luo Fei's connections. Although they followed the proper procedures, Luo Fei's influence certainly played a role, a fact both of them were well aware of.
A few days after Luo Fei's incident, a document appeared on the desk of Jiang Yunfeng, the director of the Jiangcheng State Security Bureau. The document was issued by the Provincial State Security Department, and the wording was very polite. The content was "regarding the organizational relationship of comrades Zhou Xuan and Zeng Jian".
To put it bluntly, it boils down to one sentence—these two people have questionable backgrounds, so you'd better figure it out yourself.
Jiang Yunfeng sat in his office, staring at the document for a long time.
He knew Zhou Xuan and Zeng Jian, as well as Luo Fei. When Luo Fei was working in the national security system, Jiang Yunfeng had dealt with him a few times and knew what level this young man was at.
He knew that although Zhou Xuan and Zeng Jian had joined the National Security Bureau, they were reliable workers who had never caused any trouble. Normally, he would definitely have stood up for these two young men. But this time was different; this matter was far too serious.
Luo Fei is a wanted criminal with an A-level warrant issued by the Dali Division, and a traitor officially removed from the list by the National Security Headquarters. Even if Jiang Yunfeng were the director of the Jiangcheng National Security Bureau, let alone the provincial National Security Department director, he wouldn't be able to withstand the pressure from the Dali Division.
He hesitated for a whole day, but finally picked up the pen.
Signatures and seals were affixed. Zhou Xuan and Zeng Jian's national security affiliations were officially revoked just like that.
The termination notices were delivered to the two men that afternoon. The wording was polite, stating that "due to organizational reasons, the labor relationship with Comrade Zhou Xuan is terminated," but the two men immediately understood what it meant.
Zhou Xuan's hand trembled slightly as she held the admission notice. Zeng Jian stood beside her for a long time without saying a word, his expression as if he had been slapped in the face.
None of them expected that they would be implicated to this extent because of Luo Fei's matter. But upon closer reflection, it seemed as if there had been warning signs all along. (End of Chapter)