Come to see me in person

Peng Wei clenched his hands together, causing a series of loud cracks to echo from his knuckles. He then walked up to Lu Ming and said with a grim, sinister smile, "Kid, still refusing to talk?"

Lu Ming glanced at him and said slowly, "What, planning to get physical? You'd better think this through."

"Hahaha! For trash like you, a tough exterior is just a natural defense until you get a taste of real pain."

With that, Peng Wei raised his hand, preparing to strike Lu Ming.

Lu Ming narrowed his eyes. The moment Peng Wei dared to lay a hand on him, he would break whatever limb Peng Wei used.

Right at that critical moment, a flurry of hurried knocks sounded at the door, and Lu Qi rushed back into the room.

Seeing Lu Qi’s panicked expression, Zhang Shaofeng frowned with displeasure.

"What is the meaning of this? Why are you in such a panic? Don't you know I'm in the middle of official business?"

Lu Qi was a top-tier graduate from the police academy, interning directly under him. Normally, she was quite composed, so her uncharacteristic rashness today only added to Zhang Shaofeng's mounting agitation.

Lu Qi hurried over in two quick steps and said, "Captain, Secretary Yun's secretary is here. He's in your office right now and wants you to go over immediately."

Pausing for a moment, Lu Qi added, "Secretary Zhang looks extremely displeased."

Zhang Shaofeng frowned, deep in thought. He signaled Peng Wei with a glance to step outside first.

Matters like this were best kept away from outsiders.

Immediately after, Zhang Shaofeng stood up and instructed Lu Qi, "Keep an eye on him. I'll be right back."

Lu Qi nodded, and Zhang Shaofeng rushed out of the room.

He simply could not afford to offend Secretary Yun Shengguo’s chief secretary.

Although Zhang Kai only held a department-level rank, he was a close confidant of Secretary Yun. Rank alone did not tell the whole story; even high-ranking provincial officials treated Zhang Kai with utmost courtesy.

Upon returning to his office, Zhang Shaofeng saw through the window that Zhang Kai was pacing back and forth anxiously inside.

Zhang Shaofeng composed his thoughts, knocked on the open door, and walked in.

"Secretary Zhang, what rare wind blew you all the way to my humble office?" Zhang Shaofeng greeted him with a wide, flattering smile.

Zhang Kai frowned, his face cold, and snapped, "Cut the crap. Release Mr. Lu immediately."

Zhang Shaofeng was momentarily stunned. Even if Zhang Kai was Secretary Yun's right-hand man, he had no right to be this rude to him. Had something else happened?

After a brief pause of confusion, Zhang Shaofeng replied, "Secretary Zhang, Mr. Lu is suspected of being involved in the theft of the dragon's head artifact and is currently under interrogation. It wouldn't be appropriate to release him right now."

"Let me make this clear: this is a direct order from Secretary Yun. Stop wasting my time with nonsense. If you ruin Secretary Yun's important matters, neither of us will be able to bear the consequences," Zhang Kai said sternly.

"This—very well. I'll bring him over right away."

Hearing that it was a direct order from Secretary Yun, Zhang Shaofeng was dumbfounded.

He had originally assumed that this Lu Ming was just an insignificant nobody. But now, it seemed his relationship with Secretary Yun was extraordinary. A wave of deep anxiety began to creep into his heart.

Just then, Zhang Kai spoke up, "Never mind, I'll go with you."

Time was of the essence; Zhang Kai could not afford any further delays.

With no other choice, Zhang Shaofeng led Zhang Kai toward the interrogation room.

As soon as they stepped inside and saw Lu Ming locked in an interrogation chair as if he were a hardened criminal, Zhang Kai flew into a rage.

"Who authorized you to lock Mr. Lu up like this?" Zhang Kai roared.

Zhang Kai didn't know Lu Ming's exact identity, but as a secretary, reading people's expressions and status was a fundamental skill.

Having served beside Yun Shengguo for so long, he could sense from subtle details that this Mr. Lu was by no means an ordinary person.

Even Secretary Yun always maintained a humble attitude in his presence, occasionally even displaying a near-reverent posture without realizing it.

In Zhang Kai's eyes, this was unprecedented. Therefore, in his heart, he had concluded that Mr. Lu was a figure of immense and terrifying influence.

Whenever trouble arose, Secretary Yun's very first thought was always of this Mr. Lu, which only further confirmed his judgment. Hence, his attitude toward Lu Ming was vastly different from that of a fool like Zhang Shaofeng.

Seeing Zhang Kai's furious expression, Zhang Shaofeng defended himself, "Secretary Zhang, this man is a prime suspect. We had no choice; we had to be strict."

"Hmph! Release Mr. Lu at once!" Zhang Kai barked furiously.

Zhang Shaofeng felt that things were going terribly wrong. While desperately trying to figure out how to handle the situation, he reached for the keys to unlock Lu Ming.

However, just as Zhang Shaofeng approached him, Lu Ming said coldly, "Get lost."

Zhang Shaofeng froze. He turned to look at Zhang Kai, completely at a loss as to what to do.

Seeing this, Zhang Kai hurried to Lu Ming's side and placated him, "Mr. Lu, Secretary Yun has some urgent matters to discuss with you. Let's put this unpleasantness aside for now. Whatever demands you have, bring them up later—I am sure Secretary Yun will agree to all of them."

"Heh, I'm not walking out of here looking like some kind of criminal with an unresolved cloud over my head," Lu Ming replied coldly, closing his eyes to rest his mind.

Seeing this, Zhang Kai was filled with frantic anxiety. The dragon's head artifact had been stolen once again, Secretary Yun was waiting for news, and yet here Mr. Lu was, clearly holding a grudge and refusing to leave.

At that moment, Zhang Kai had cursed Zhang Shaofeng, that utter blockhead, at least ten thousand times in his mind.

If Secretary Yun's business was ruined, forget about Zhang Shaofeng—not even he would escape severe punishment.

Frowning deeply, Zhang Kai racked his brain for a quick solution. A moment later, he snapped, "Zhang Shaofeng! Why aren't you apologizing to Mr. Lu right now?"

Zhang Shaofeng was stunned once more. Asking him to apologize to Lu Ming was completely unacceptable to his pride.

However, looking at Zhang Kai's grim and unrelenting expression, Zhang Shaofeng knew he had no other choice. Moreover, he needed to completely re-evaluate the relationship between Lu Ming and Secretary Yun.

Putting on an awkward, strained smile, Zhang Shaofeng turned to Lu Ming and said, "Mr. Lu, I am truly sorry. I was just too eager to crack the case. Please try to understand. I sincerely apologize."

Yet, Lu Ming kept his eyes closed tight, completely ignoring him.

Zhang Shaofeng stood there in excruciating embarrassment.

Nearby, seeing Lu Ming remain completely unmoved, Zhang Kai was frantic with worry. It was clear that Mr. Lu was still burning with anger and had no intention of letting Zhang Shaofeng off the hook so easily.

Yet, now was definitely not the time to investigate and punish Zhang Shaofeng—Secretary Yun's side was an absolute emergency!

Zhang Kai had no choice but to try again. "Mr. Lu, Secretary Yun really has an urgent matter. Let's discuss everything else later, alright? I give you my personal guarantee that whatever requests you make, Secretary Yun will fulfill them."

As he spoke, Zhang Kai closely watched Lu Ming's facial expressions.

Hearing these words, Zhang Shaofeng felt a profound and chilling sense of dread wash over him.

For Zhang Kai to lower himself to such a degree clearly meant he was begging Lu Ming for a favor on behalf of Secretary Yun. Yet, he had gone and locked this very man up. Connecting the dots, Zhang Shaofeng broke out in a cold sweat.

Only now did he realize the magnitude of his mistake. This person was simply untouchable, and he had committed a catastrophic blunder.

Standing in the corner, Lu Qi's face was painted with utter shock.

Zhang Kai's status was by no means ordinary. Regardless of his official rank, even those ranked much higher than him treated him with courtesy and never dared to slight him.

Yet now, he was lowering himself almost to the point of begging, while Lu Ming remained completely indifferent. It was something she simply could not comprehend.

At that moment, Lu Ming slowly opened his eyes and dropped a bombshell that stunned everyone in the room even further.

"Tell Yun Shengguo to come and see me himself."

With that, Lu Ming closed his eyes again, as if drifting off to sleep.

Upon hearing this, Zhang Kai's expression twisted into one of extreme difficulty.

Secretary Yun was still hosting a banquet at the Xijing Hotel and certainly could not slip away easily at a moment's notice. This demand was simply too difficult to meet.

As for Zhang Shaofeng and Lu Qi, hearing those words felt like a direct bolt of lightning from a clear sky.

He dared to address Secretary Yun by his full name?!

A young man in his early twenties dared to call a powerful provincial governor by his full name and demanded that the governor come in person to see him. Just how immense must one's backing be to utter such words?

After a moment of hesitation, Zhang Kai looked at Lu Ming, who sat there as still as a meditating monk, and realized that he had no choice but to notify Secretary Yun. He pulled out his phone, dialed the secretary's office, and cast a fierce, venomous glare at Zhang Shaofeng.

This incident had practically signed Zhang Shaofeng's death warrant.

A moment later, the call connected. Zhang Kai briefly explained the situation, and Yun Shengguo instructed him to bring Lu Ming over immediately.

Zhang Kai hung up the phone. Although Secretary Yun hadn't said much, having served him for many years, Zhang Kai could hear that the governor was on the verge of erupting into fury.

He then cast a pitiful glance at Zhang Shaofeng, whose eyes were darting around in panic, wondering how the captain would ever survive the impending storm.