Chapter 160: Preparing to Make a Move (Seeking Monthly Tickets)

Ning Zhiheng was well aware of Wu Quanjiang's true identity; his rank and standing within the underground party were extremely high.

Connected to Wu Quanjiang! That meant the Central Party Affairs Investigation Commission was certainly not just stirring up trouble for no reason, but was genuinely investigating the underground party!

What if this Du Qian was truly an operative under Wu Quanjiang? Such a possibility was not out of the question—in fact, the probability was quite high!

If this were indeed the case, Ning Zhiheng could never simply stand by and watch Du Qian fall into the hands of the Central Party Affairs Investigation Commission. Even if there was only the slightest chance that Du Qian was a member of the underground party, Ning Zhiheng was unwilling to give up on him. If it were true, the importance of having an underground party member serving as a police station chief to the entire organization could well be imagined!

He had to take action. Fortunately, he had plenty of excuses at hand; this matter fell right into that gray area of being either manageable or ignorable. After all, the police department fell under the jurisdiction of the Military Statistics and Investigation Bureau, and his intervention would be entirely justifiable.

Furthermore, the Military Statistics and Investigation Bureau and the Central Party Affairs Investigation Commission had always been at odds with each other. If he chose to butt heads with the Central Party Affairs Investigation Commission, the high-ranking officials within his own bureau might even secretly rejoice. After all, letting the Party Affairs Investigation Commission casually arrest their subordinates reflected poorly on the Military Statistics and Investigation Bureau's prestige.

Moreover, the Central Party Affairs Investigation Commission was currently facing comprehensive suppression from top to bottom. Given the overwhelming dominance of the Military Statistics and Investigation Bureau, the Party Affairs Investigation Commission agents generally avoided confrontation whenever they could and were reluctant to cross swords.

Coupled with his own background and status, he truly had nothing to fear from those people in the Central Party Affairs Investigation Commission. The only question was whether it was worth the trouble.

Now that the safety of an underground party member and the security of the underground organization were at stake, he could not simply sit back and let this danger materialize!

Seeing that Shao Wenguang was about to step out of the office door, Ning Zhiheng suddenly said, "Twenty thousand!"

Shao Wenguang already had one foot outside the office door when he suddenly heard Ning Zhiheng's words. He froze for a moment, then slowly pulled his foot back inside.

He turned around, closed the door, walked back to stand in front of Ning Zhiheng, and asked with surprise and delight dancing in his eyes, "Zhiheng, you're agreeing to this!"

A look of disdain crossed Ning Zhiheng's face. Acting lazy and dismissive, he pointed at Shao Wenguang and said, "Old Shao, it's not that I want to criticize you, but your vision is a bit too short-sighted! As the chief of the West City Police Station, is he really only worth ten thousand national currency? I recall that the West City Police Station controls two major transport checkpoints, Ping'an Port and Kangyuan Estuary. The cash flow passing through there every year must be astronomical! His personal fortune is definitely substantial. Here is what you will do: tell him that your cut is ten thousand national currency, but mine is twenty thousand. As you know, I only fancy British pounds and US dollars, so convert it to thirty thousand US dollars. If he wants to save his skin, that is the price!"

Naturally, Ning Zhiheng would not rashly step in and take over this matter without finding a proper pretext for himself. By intentionally driving up the price, he made others assume that his sole motivation for stepping in was to line his pockets.

In the official circles of the Republic of China, using one's official position for personal enrichment and corruption was the norm. Everyone was doing it, so it was hardly considered a major scandal; the only difference lay in how refined or crude one's eating manners appeared!

Some people had no table manners whatsoever, grabbing from top to bottom and making a disgraceful spectacle of themselves, willing to sell their own ancestors for money. Such individuals were universally condemned, yet as long as they didn't offend anyone high-up, they usually managed to stay out of trouble.

Others still cared about their reputation, acting more discreetly, accepting only customary tributes while refraining from exploiting the common people and their subordinates. Such individuals could already be considered upright officials!

Therefore, Ning Zhiheng had to put on this exact facade. That way, should anyone ever pursue the matter relentlessly, he could easily brush it off with the excuse that he was merely trying to acquire some wealth, thus avoiding a worst-case scenario.

"Alright, wonderful! Haha, Zhiheng, as long as you are willing to step in, those people from the Party Affairs Investigation Commission wouldn't dare to overreach. This money is practically falling into our laps like a windfall! As for the price, I'll go talk to him; it certainly won't be a problem. Old Du is not someone who doesn't know what's good for him; he has always been generous with his money. He can definitely tell whether money is more important or his life is!" Hearing that Ning Zhiheng was willing to act and had even raised his cut to ten thousand, Shao Wenguang could not contain his joy. He knew Ning Zhiheng's capabilities; if Ning Zhiheng was truly willing to protect a minor police station chief, it would be a breeze!

As for whether Du Qian was an underground party member? Let us not forget that Shao Wenguang was a veteran agent who had spent half his life in intelligence work. The keen eye he had honed through years of service was not just for show.

Judging by Du Qian's usual demeanor and the trace of greed flickering in his eyes, could the underground party possibly want such scum in their ranks? If Du Qian genuinely possessed that level of acting skill, Shao Wenguang would simply resign himself to his own bad luck!

Thus, he was certain that this was just the Party Affairs Investigation Commission playing games. Regardless of the circumstances, as long as Du Qian was genuinely not an underground party member, everything else could be managed.

Having secured Ning Zhiheng's definite promise, Shao Wenguang left joyfully to deliver the good news to Du Qian!

Watching Shao Wenguang depart in high spirits, Ning Zhiheng stood up and walked over to the window, soon catching sight of Shao Wenguang's briskly retreating figure.

That very evening, Shao Wenguang hosted a banquet at the Deyun Grand Restaurant. Having been transferred back to the Military Statistics and Investigation Bureau only late last year, he had not made many friends or acquaintances within the bureau. All told, it was just a single table of guests, among whom Wei Liangbi and Ning Zhiheng held the highest status.

Everyone raised their glasses in celebration, drinking toasts and exchanging pleasantries until they were thoroughly satisfied before dispersing. In the end, Ning Zhiheng and Wei Liangbi returned together.

In the car, Wei Liangbi asked Ning Zhiheng, "Did Old Shao come looking for you? Did you agree to help him with that matter?"

Ning Zhiheng had no intention of hiding it; Wei Liangbi was every bit as astute as he was, and such a matter could not be kept from him.

He nodded and said, "I agreed! Old Shao has helped me a great deal, and since this is the first time he's asked me for a favor, I have to give him this face. Besides, it's not without its benefits!"

"That Old Shao, I saw how radiant he looked today, so full of joy, and I knew right away you must have agreed to his request," Wei Liangbi said with a wry, bitter smile, shaking his head. "It's not that I wouldn't help him, but I just feel that meddling in underground party affairs brings us no good! Yet he refused to give up and ended up going to you after all."

"Actually, I think Senior Brother, you are worrying too much. It's nothing more than a corruption case. This police station chief, Du Qian, took bribes from someone to do favors, which at worst makes him someone being exploited! Besides, whether that pharmacy owner is truly an underground party member remains debatable. Furthermore, Du Qian is still technically our subordinate; if we just throw him to the wolves like that, others will say our Military Statistics and Investigation Bureau is afraid of the Party Affairs Investigation Commission. If Du Qian really were an underground party member, he wouldn't have been left roaming free until today—the Party Affairs Investigation Commission would have moved against him long ago. There won't be any major trouble, so Senior Brother, rest easy!" Ning Zhiheng appeared unconcerned, implying that Wei Liangbi was being overly cautious.

Wei Liangbi shook his head inwardly. How could he not know that Du Qian, the police station chief, was merely a petty character knee-deep in corruption? His reluctance to cross swords with the Party Affairs Investigation Commission on account of such a small-time player stemmed from the simple fact that it just wasn't worth it.

Yet now, they were riding a tiger and found it hard to dismount. Both his trusted confidant and his junior brother intended to shoulder this messy affair, making it difficult for him to remain entirely aloof. Fine, if it came to a confrontation, then so be it; when all was said and done, Wei Liangbi was not afraid of those thugs from the Party Affairs Investigation Commission either.

"I am not being overly cautious; I simply think it's not worth it! Old Shao has disappointed me this time. Still, having spent half his life in obscurity, he has finally managed to promote to major and wants to make some money to secure his future—that I can understand. He has his pride, too; I tried giving him money directly, but he stubbornly refused it. Perhaps I've been too harsh on him after all," Wei Liangbi said softly, his mood rather subdued.

When Shao Wenguang and he had shared hardships in the past, Shao Wenguang had taught him and helped him, yet he had still grown somewhat negligent toward him, failing to see things from Shao Wenguang's perspective.

"Go ahead and handle it boldly. If anything comes up, I'll back you up. You and I are brothers who share everything; if anyone wants to make a move against us, they'd better weigh their options carefully!" Wei Liangbi patted Ning Zhiheng on the shoulder and said with arrogant confidence.

"Understood. It's not as serious as Senior Brother imagines. Believe me, once I flash my credentials, those fellows won't even need me to lift a finger—they'll pack up their bags and clear out on their own!" Ning Zhiheng said with a smile.

After dropping Wei Liangbi off at his residence, Ning Zhiheng hurried back to his own home, washed up, and prepared to rest. Just then, a knock sounded at the door. Ning Zhiheng opened it to find none other than Shao Wenguang.

"Old Shao, come on in!" Ning Zhiheng stepped aside to let him enter.

Closing the door behind him, Shao Wenguang smiled and said, "There were too many people at the banquet today, so I didn't mention this to you. Du Qian has sent word: as long as you are willing to save his life, money is no object!"

"Very well, have him come to my office tomorrow morning. I have a few questions for him!" Ning Zhiheng nodded and said.

"You still want to see him?" Shao Wenguang asked.

"Of course. I need to verify whether he is truly an underground party member! If he really is from the underground party, then there is no way I can take this money—how could I rest easy without asking him myself?" Ning Zhiheng stated.

"Alright, I'll go inform him right now!" Shao Wenguang nodded in agreement. Ning Zhiheng was right; they couldn't just rely solely on his own unilateral word before rushing blindly into action. Knowing Ning Zhiheng as he did, Ning Zhiheng was a meticulous person who would never let a single grain of sand pass through his eyes!

What Shao Wenguang did not know was that while Ning Zhiheng certainly needed to verify the facts carefully, his intended course of action was the exact opposite of what Shao Wenguang assumed. If Du Qian was an underground party member, Ning Zhiheng would undoubtedly cover for him and protect him with all his might. However, if Du Qian turned out to be nothing more than a corrupt official, then Ning Zhiheng would show no mercy. How else could he live up to his fierce reputation if he didn't strip the skin right off Du Qian's back?