Upon hearing Shen Bing's report, Hong Xing suddenly felt a chill run through his entire body. This was no coincidence; it was likely orchestrated by a single individual.
The opponent had launched attacks simultaneously in two locations thousands of miles apart, both with ruthless methods. This indicated their ability to strike Hong Xing's forces at any time, whether in Xinhe or Nanhai.
Was Yang Jian in Nanhai?
Or was it orchestrated by Zhou Tao?
Hong Xing's mind became a mess, and he felt unsafe even going to Nanhai.
"Brother Xing, what should we do now? When are you coming over? This place needs a complete renovation, or the casino won't be able to operate."
Hong Xing remained silent for a long time, and Shen Bing grew impatient on the phone.
"Bingbing, don't worry about Nanhai. You need to fly or drive back immediately. Your brother is in trouble."
Hong Xing had to face reality.
"What happened to my brother that I need to rush back?"
"Your brother was shot and killed at the Xiao Sha River construction site around eleven this morning."
"What? How is that possible? Who did it?"
"You come back first. We have no leads yet. I'll have Old Zhang handle things in Nanhai."
Hong Xing hung up the phone, feeling extremely agitated. He suddenly regretted his actions. He was doing so well in Nanhai, with no direct conflict with Yang Jian or Zhou Tao. Why had he made such bitter enemies with them?
"What happened?"
Hong Yushu noticed the troubled look on his son's face.
"Nothing, I just asked Bingbing to come back early."
Hong Xing didn't want his father to know about the new trouble in Nanhai, fearing he might forbid him from going there again.
As the father and son were about to go inside, they saw Lin Nan approaching with two forensic doctors in white coats.
"Town Mayor Hong, I am Lin Nan from the Criminal Investigation Team. We need to examine Shen Hua's body now. Please cooperate."
Shen Hua's body had been brought to the hospital by his associates. The police hadn't even found shell casings at the scene, which was why Lin Nan had come to the hospital.
"Alright, Xingxing, go call everyone out. Officer Lin, do you have any leads on the case?"
Hong Yushu had never met Lin Nan but had heard of him and knew he was a very upright police officer, a former soldier with strong capabilities.
"We just took over the case from the police station and are conducting a large-scale investigation. No information has been compiled yet, and there are no useful leads."
Since the other party was not a superior within his own system, Lin Nan would not disclose the progress of the case to him. Seeing that the Hong family had all come out, he led the two forensic doctors into the morgue, ignoring Hong Yushu.
Yang Li Village.
Feng Wen's mother, Yang Shuangyan, knelt before Yang Shuanglin and his wife, weeping uncontrollably. Jing Yongli stood silently to the side, making no move to console them.
He had just learned from Lin Nan that Feng Wen had confessed to bringing the two arsonists into the factory area and knowing they would set the fire, making him an accomplice. Therefore, he had immediately informed Yang Shuanglin and his wife of the situation.
"Brother, sister-in-law, Xiao Wen is young and ignorant, and his mind was clouded. He did something so heinous. I apologize to you on his behalf."
Yang Shuangyan had known her son was arrested the day before but had held onto a sliver of hope that he was not involved in the fire.
Now that it was confirmed Feng Wen was the mastermind behind the arson, she could only come to beg her brother and sister-in-law, hoping for their forgiveness so that his sentence might be lighter.
Yang Shuanglin trembled with anger. He never dreamed that his own nephew would conspire with outsiders to set fire to his property, which was worth millions.
Liu Xingzhi was also heartbroken and angry. "What's the use of an apology? Can it recover millions in losses? Shuangyan, did we withhold your family's wages, or did we mistreat your family?
Xiao Wu owed money to others outside. Er Jian didn't hesitate to give him two hundred thousand. Xiao Wen's salary of five or six thousand a month is higher than that of workers in big cities. What more dissatisfaction do you have to harm our family like this?"
"Sister-in-law, we were wrong. We didn't manage Xiao Wen well. He's been arrested now. Please forgive him this once, considering he's your nephew."
"Forgive him? How can we forgive him? He burned down the factory, causing millions in losses and leading to hundreds of people losing their jobs. If we forgive him, the elders and villagers of Yang Li Village will never forgive him."
"Sister-in-law, as long as you forgive him and write a letter of understanding, Xiao Wen's sentence can be reduced. Please, for Xiao Wu's injury, I beg you."
Liu Xingzhi shook her head. "Your begging is useless to me. The government will sentence him as it sees fit. I cannot forgive a nephew who framed his own uncle.
As for Xiao Wu, he was injured while saving people. Er Jian will naturally value him. We also treat him as our own nephew. These are two different matters."
Yang Hui, unable to watch any longer, stepped forward and helped Yang Shuangyan up. "Auntie, for such a major arson case, even if my parents write a letter of understanding, it won't have much effect.
Wu Laizi injured me, and I wrote a letter of understanding and even paid him compensation, yet he was still sentenced to three years by the court.
Because the nature of their crime is too severe, the law will not forgive them. Xiao Wen is already married and is an adult. He should be responsible for his actions."
"But I heard that if the victim's understanding is obtained, the judge will consider it leniently."
Yang Shuangyan was still unwilling to give up.
"Auntie, stop having illusions. Arson without major losses carries a minimum sentence of three years. With significant casualties or major property losses, the minimum sentence is ten years, and the maximum can be death.
This fire caused two minor injuries and millions in economic losses. Even if my parents forgive him, and Xiao Wen didn't directly participate in the arson, he won't escape for at least eight years."
After being injured by Wu Laizi, Yang Shuangyan had gained some legal knowledge with the help of her sister Yang Rui to protect her rights.
"Eight years? What can be done about that?"
"What can be done? Nothing can be done. We can only wait for the court's judgment. At most, my parents won't demand compensatory civil damages, and that will be considered forgiveness. Otherwise, he will not only go to jail but also have to pay compensation."
After hearing Yang Hui's explanation, Yang Shuangyan slumped to the ground, her eyes vacant. At least eight years in prison meant her eldest son's life was ruined. His newlywed wife wouldn't stay with him either, and he hadn't even had time to give her a grandchild.
Leaving the Yang family, Jing Yongli felt heavy-hearted but couldn't help but inform Yang Jian about the matter.
"Yongli, you're saying Feng Wen brought people to set the fire? What was his motive?"
Yang Jian, shocked, couldn't understand the reason over the phone.
"Officer Lin said he was instigated by a woman named Xiao Wen to gamble at a casino in Chengguan, where he lost a million yuan and was extorted another million by a loan shark company. Ultimately, under their coercion and the temptation of a million-dollar check, he brought the arsonists into the factory.
However, Officer Lin couldn't find any information about Xiao Wen. Xiao Wen is likely a fake name."
"What about the casino? Which casino in Chengguan? There should be clues there, right?"
"The casino was also fake. Feng Wen said the place he went to was called Zhongjia Village. But when Officer Lin and his team investigated Zhongjia Village, local villagers said a group of people rented the village's ancestral hall, claiming it was a casino, but they didn't allow villagers to get close. They only operated for a little over two hours before leaving, which was very strange.
Therefore, Officer Lin concluded that someone had specifically set a trap for Feng Wen, using coercion and temptation to force Feng Wen to comply."
"Damn it, only Brother Mao would think of such a malicious trick. It must be his doing. I won't let him get away with this." As soon as Jing Yongli finished speaking, Yang Jian thought of Brother Mao, that old fox who loved to play such insidious games.