Once Li Gang, Yin Jianping, and the others had taken Liu Dongping and his gang away, only Li Yi, Wang Anguo, Zhou Wen, and a few others remained at the Wang residence.
After quickly tidying up the iron bars and wooden clubs scattered around the courtyard, Wang Anguo invited Li Yi inside.
Once inside, Wang Anguo looked at Li Yi and said, “Liu Dongping has been taken into custody. We’ll have a confession soon…”
Before he could finish, Li Yi cut him off: “Brother Wang, you’re being too optimistic. If I’m not mistaken, your interrogation won’t go smoothly—or rather, the outcome won’t be what you expect!”
“Brother Li Yi, what do you mean by that?” Wang Anguo asked urgently.
Li Yi paused to think for a moment, then said, “Brother Wang, the Liu family dared to let Liu Dongping turn himself in—they must have made thorough preparations.”
“What do you mean?”
“If things go as expected, the Liu family has already bribed those small-time thugs. During your interrogation, someone will inevitably step forward to take the fall for all the serious crimes. Not only will Liu Dongping not be the organizer or mastermind behind those criminal acts, but he might even have been coerced!” Li Yi said.
“Liu Dongping was coerced? Who would believe that? Who would dare to coerce him?” Wang Anguo said with a sneer.
“It doesn’t matter if people believe it or not. As long as someone is willing to take the fall and there are others to corroborate it, that’s enough! And for the Liu family, that’s a piece of cake!” Li Yi said.
Wang Anguo slammed his fist on the coffee table and said, “I knew there was a reason that bastard Liu Dongping turned himself in so easily. Turns out he was planning to find someone to take the fall for him. What a clever move!”
At that moment, Li Yi said coldly, “They want to find someone to take the bulk of the blame, then use the pretext of ‘sacrificing family for the greater good’ to turn public opinion in the Liu family’s favor and completely distance the Liu family from this affair. I won’t let them get their way.”
“Brother Li Yi, what do you plan to do? How can we assist you?” Wang Anguo asked.
After a moment’s thought, Li Yi replied, “Whether someone is a principal offender or an accomplice isn’t for the Liu family to decide—everything must be based on the facts.”
“Even though these thugs have certainly colluded on their stories, it’s impossible for them to have arranged everything seamlessly in such a short time. As long as we investigate and interrogate them thoroughly, there will inevitably be inconsistencies in their testimonies. At that point, Brother Wang, you’ll be able to take them down one by one!”
“Don’t worry. We have plenty of experience dealing with suspects who’ve coordinated their stories!” Wang Anguo said.
“Alright, leave the interrogations and investigations to you. Make sure to dig as deep as possible—ideally, track down all the victims. Their testimonies are crucial for determining the nature of this case!” Li Yi said.
“Got it!”
Li Yi then glanced at Zhou Wen beside him and continued, “Wen, call your uncle and tell him I want to see him!”
“Yes, sir!”
After speaking, Zhou Wen exchanged a few words with Wang Anguo, then picked up the phone in the living room and dialed a number.
The call connected quickly. After Zhou Wen and Zhou Rui briefly explained the situation, they ended the call.
Returning to Li Yi’s side, Zhou Wen said, “Brother Yi, my uncle said he’ll be over to your place in a little while!”
“Alright!”
Li Yi then chatted with Wang Anguo for a few more minutes before leaving the Wang residence.
……….
The Li Family Courtyard!
Li Yi had barely returned home and hadn’t even had time to settle in when Zhou Rui arrived.
After a brief exchange of pleasantries, Zhou Rui asked, “I heard from Wen that there’s been a development regarding the Liu family?”
“Yeah, Liu Dongping turned himself in!”
“Turned himself in?”
Zhou Rui furrowed his brow and said, “Is this a strategic retreat or sacrificing the pawn to save the king?”
As the head of State Security, Zhou Rui had seen far too many schemes and intrigues. A ploy like the Liu family’s—one that couldn’t even fool Li Yi—was certainly no match for him.
“Both are possible!” Li Yi replied.
“What do you plan to do?”
“Old Zhou, could you help me look into a few things?” Li Yi asked.
“What is it? Just tell me!”
Zhou Rui knew full well that he and Li Yi were already in this together—their fates were inextricably linked.
As long as Li Yi wasn’t asking him to do anything illegal or criminal, Zhou Rui would certainly do his best to help within the scope of his authority.
“Help me find out how many street gangs there are in Beijing, and look into the shady dealings they’re up to behind the scenes!”
Li Yi continued, “While you’re at it, send someone to Tangcheng to look into the ‘Kitchen Knife Squad’ there. The more detailed the information, the better!”
“Why are you looking into this? Do you think they’re all connected to the Liu family?” Zhou Rui asked, puzzled.
Although Liu Dongping had set up the Dragon-Tiger Gang, in Zhou Rui’s eyes, it was nothing more than children playing house—utterly insignificant.
Moreover, he was convinced that it was merely Liu Dongping’s own whim; the rest of the Liu family likely looked down on those thugs.
Especially that figure in the Liu family—someone who had once commanded vast armies—surely wouldn’t have any ties to those thuggish gangs.
Li Yi shook his head and said, “Not exactly. It’s just that the Liu family is playing a strategic retreat—trying to downplay the serious issues. If I want to take them all down, I’ll have to muddy the waters first!”
“Stir up trouble… thug gangs…”
After a moment’s thought, Zhou Rui looked at Li Yi and said, “You want to exaggerate the threat posed by these thug gangs to draw the attention of higher-ups, then launch a crackdown and drag the Dragon-Tiger Gang—the one Liu Dongping and his crew set up—into the fray?”
“That’s pretty much the idea,” Li Yi replied.
“Investigating these matters isn’t a problem, but will this actually work? Even if it does, the only one affected will be Liu Dongping—it’s unlikely to implicate anyone else from the Liu family, is it?” Zhou Rui said.
Li Yi smiled and said, “Don’t worry. I’ve got this covered. You just focus on helping me investigate this matter; I’ll handle the rest.”
“Sure!”
“Then I’ll leave this to you. Once it’s all settled, I’ll treat you to a meal!” Li Yi said with a smile.
“Forget the meal. If you really want to thank me, just do me a favor!” Zhou Rui said.
“What kind of favor? Just say it!”
Zhou Rui glanced at Zhou Wen beside him, then said, “Help me find a girlfriend for this kid!”
This left both Li Yi and Zhou Wen dumbfounded. Before Li Yi could say a word, Zhou Wen blurted out, “Uncle, you guys are talking about your own business—why’d you drag me into this?”
“Hmph! If it weren’t for your mom and dad calling me every other day about this, do you think I’d want to meddle in your affairs?”
Zhou Rui continued his rant: “Look at Comrade Zhang—his marriage application has already been approved. Now look at you—you don’t even have a girlfriend. We’re both security guards, yet there’s such a huge difference between us!”
Zhou Wen: !@#￥%……&
Seeing Zhou Wen’s crestfallen expression, Li Yi immediately smiled and said, “Alright, I’ll keep an eye out for this. If I come across someone suitable, I’ll definitely introduce them to him!”
“Alright, I’ll go back and make the arrangements. I’ll let you know as soon as the investigation yields results!”
“Alright, I’ll walk you out!”
“No need…”
“No way!”
With that, Li Yi stood up and walked alongside Zhou Rui, seeing him all the way to the front gate.
Watching Zhou Rui get into the car and seeing it gradually drive away, Li Yi’s thoughts drifted off into the distance.
He had asked Zhou Rui to help investigate the street gangs in Beijing and the “Kitchen Knife Squad” in Tangcheng for a simple reason: he wanted to use the “Strict Crackdown” campaign as a pretext to take action.
Under current sentencing standards, even if Liu Dongping were classified as the principal offender, it would be difficult to sentence him to death, let alone use him as a breakthrough to take down the entire Liu family.
But during a special period, things would be different.
Back then, there were people who were sentenced to death simply for kissing a young girl in the street on a dare.
Crimes like those committed by Liu Dongping—whether as a principal offender or an accomplice—were more than enough to warrant being taken out and shot within five minutes.
More importantly, the reason those small-time thugs dared to take the fall for Liu Dongping was mainly because they believed the Liu family’s power and influence were overwhelming—even if they were sentenced, it wouldn’t be a death sentence.
At worst, they’d spend a few years in prison, and once released, they’d surely be looked after by the Liu family—a deal that was a sure win no matter how you looked at it.
But if they knew the principal offender would face the death penalty, it remains to be seen whether anyone would still dare to take the fall for Liu Dongping.
Most likely, as soon as the higher-ups announced a crackdown, those thugs from the Dragon-Tiger Gang would crumble. At that point, dealing with Liu Dongping—and even the Liu family—would be much easier!
The question is whether we can persuade the higher-ups to launch the crackdown early—that depends on Zhou Rui’s investigation results and the timing.
In short, the right time, the right place, and the right people—all three are indispensable…
………..