Zhao Lifeng suddenly stood up and hastily left the interrogation room with the director of the Public Security Bureau.
Li Chonglou glanced at the door with a thoughtful expression, already guessing most of it. "If I'm not mistaken, it must be his people who have arrived."
Li Chonglou smiled. His calmness and composure throughout the ordeal were not only due to his confidence in his own strength but also because he had anticipated the presence of that influential figure.
His hidden identity was far from simple. Given that person's character, it was likely they would have someone secretly following him. Li Chonglou had been waiting, in a way, for that person's subordinates to make a move.
If he had acted himself, while it might have temporarily resolved the issue, it would have led to more troublesome complications later on.
"Captain, you finally haven't disappointed me."
Li Chonglou chuckled, leaning back in his chair, his entire body completely relaxed. With that person's status, their group was now safe.
And indeed, things unfolded exactly as Li Chonglou had predicted.
Outside the door, Zhao Lifeng stared at the director with disbelief.
"Are you sure this guy is really from the Eagle Special Operations Unit?"
"Their people have already contacted me. Do you think it's true or not?" the director replied with a helpless look.
If it weren't for the unusual circumstances, he wouldn't have come personally. Zhao Lifeng muttered a curse, then returned to the interrogation room with a grim expression.
Upon seeing Zhao Lifeng's demeanor, Li Chonglou asked with a smile, "Well, any good news?"
"Kid, you're quite good at hiding your tracks! I was blind this time. You can go!"
Li Chonglou teased, "What? Aren't you going to pursue my murder charges anymore?"
Zhao Lifeng's face turned ashen. The director had just explicitly told him that the order from above was to release the person immediately, and that it had already been preliminarily classified as self-defense. He had no reason to hold Li Chonglou any longer.
However, Zhao Lifeng retorted stubbornly to Li Chonglou's teasing, "Don't get cocky. It's just because my intelligence was lacking this time. Next time, you won't be so lucky!"
Li Chonglou shrugged, appearing indifferent and making no move.
Zhao Lifeng frowned and barked, "Still not leaving? Do you want me to detain you for real?"
Li Chonglou remained silent, merely observing him with keen interest.
Zhao Lifeng now understood. It was easier to invite a god than to send one away. But under pressure from his superiors, Zhao Lifeng suppressed his temper and asked, "What else do you want?"
"I've heard that Mr. Zhao collects a famous sword, isn't it called Chun Jun?"
Zhao Lifeng's pupils constricted sharply. He shook his head, "I don't know what you're talking about. I've never been interested in collecting such things!"
"Mr. Zhao, you jest. No one would believe you if you said that."
Zhao Lifeng waved his hand, "Go or stay as you please. I have other matters to attend to and won't be accompanying you." With that, he turned to leave.
Li Chonglou tapped the table lightly and said with a smile, "Since Mr. Zhao is busy, please go ahead. I'm not in a hurry. I'll sit here for a while longer. Perhaps I'll leave tomorrow. After all, I didn't come here by myself."
Zhao Lifeng froze, then suddenly turned back, eyes widening as he said, "Kid, don't push your luck too far!"
Li Chonglou's smile suddenly vanished, and he said coldly, "I'm pushing my luck? Zhao Lifeng, you might be a local emperor in the eyes of others, but in my eyes, you're just a petty landlord. Understand?"
Zhao Lifeng trembled with anger, but he truly dared not make a move against Li Chonglou given his current identity.
"What exactly do you want!"
"As I said, the Chun Jun sword. If you don't give it to me, this matter won't be over."
It was quite ironic. A moment ago, Zhao Lifeng had been threatening Li Chonglou, and now the roles were reversed. This was reality.
Whoever held more authority had the stronger fist, and their words carried more weight.
Zhao Lifeng was merely a deputy head of a county. In terms of backing, he was far inferior to Li Chonglou's status as a member of the Eagle Special Operations Unit.
Zhao Lifeng clenched his fists, finally let out a heavy snort, and stormed out, slamming the door behind him!
A smile returned to Li Chonglou's face. He had never taken Zhao Lifeng seriously from the start; the only thing that gave him pause was his connection to the country.
Li Chonglou didn't wait long in the interrogation room before receiving the treasure delivered by someone on Zhao Lifeng's behalf. It was an ancient, unopened box.
The box itself was a valuable treasure. However, when Li Chonglou opened it with anticipation, he quickly noticed something was amiss.
"These patterns are wrong!"
Inside the ancient box lay the 'Chun Jun Treasure Sword'. However, this sword differed slightly from Li Chonglou's memory. The bronze patterns looked fine at first glance, but at a subtle corner, they were distinctly different from what he remembered.
Li Chonglou's first thought was that Zhao Lifeng had sent a fake to deceive him. But as Li Chonglou examined it again, he soon discovered something else.
"This craftsmanship, even if it's a replica, it must be from a master artisan."
After a thorough examination, Li Chonglou quickly ascertained the truth: this sword was likely the one Zhao Lifeng possessed, but he himself was unaware it was a replica.
After all, the item had never been opened. No matter how astute Zhao Lifeng was, he couldn't have foreseen today and specifically prepared a treasure box to seal a replica.
Although there was a slight deviation from his expectations, this replica was indeed crafted by a master. Li Chonglou was quite satisfied with it. Afterward, under the director's escort, he left the police station with Tian Lingli.
As for Huang Jian, he had also called to say he had left safely.
Li Chonglou, the other two, and Huang Jian parted ways, and then left Shuyu County directly. Huang Jian, with his bandages, headed back to his junkyard.
However, what greeted him this time left Huang Jian stunned.
His once orderly factory was in disarray. Even the main gate had been dismantled and carelessly discarded to the side.
Huang Jian froze for a few seconds, his face suddenly changing drastically. He rushed into the factory, and as soon as he entered his room, Huang Jian was completely dumbfounded.
Everything was gone. All his treasures had been smashed, lying silently scattered on the floor.
Huang Jian gritted his teeth, his body trembling slightly. With great difficulty, he shuffled over to a broken porcelain vase and crouched down. Ignoring the sharpness of the shards, he picked them up one by one.
"This was collected from Aunt Zhong. Aunt Zhong specifically instructed me to take good care of it before she passed away..."
At some point, Huang Jian's pupils had turned blood red, and an intense hatred radiated from within him.
"This was given to me by Uncle Li..."
"This was received from Ah Hai..."
For every shard on the ground, Huang Jian could tell its origin. It not only represented his hard work over the years but also held countless unforgettable stories.
But now, it was all gone.
Huang Jian moved like a zombie, picking up and piecing together the fragments. Finally, he knelt on the ground, cradling a pile of broken pieces, his head bowed.
His gaze was devoid of tears but held a bloody, resolute defiance.
Hatred! A monstrous, overwhelming hatred!