Hearing Qi Tongwei's words, Zhao Donglai gave a soft chuckle, showing no anger at all.
"Director Qi, how can you call this a frame-up?"
"This is the will of the Provincial Committee. If you call it a frame-up, does that mean our entire Handong Provincial Committee is in the wrong?"
A frame-up?
What frame-up?
Zhao Donglai didn't care about any of that. If you want to talk, go talk to the Provincial Committee!
He was merely following orders to carry out a task!
"Director Qi, you are also the head of a bureau and understand how things work. I hope that when we place the criminal under arrest shortly, you will not stand in our way!"
"Perhaps you are merely acting under coercion, aren't you?"
Before Qi Tongwei could reply, Zhao Donglai continued, his words carrying a hint of veiled meaning.
The subtext was clear: Qi Tongwei had better not meddle in this!
If you stay out of it, Qi Tongwei, you might still manage to sacrifice a pawn to save the rook!
Otherwise, you won't like the consequences!
"Ha! Coerced? Absolutely not! All I know is that Hou Liangping wants to convict me based entirely on conjecture!"
"If every head of the Anti-Corruption Bureau acted the way Hou Liangping does, this country would have descended into chaos long ago, wouldn't it?"
"Instead of arresting Hou Liangping, who does nothing but spread rumors, you come to arrest someone who is actually working for the country—it's utterly chilling!"
Hearing the implications behind Zhao Donglai's words, Qi Tongwei looked at him with utter disdain and instantly retorted with sarcasm.
Did he expect him to hand over Li Hao?
Never!
Just as the two men were arguing, Li Hao's figure appeared at the entrance of the shopping mall.
He saw Qi Tongwei and Zhao Donglai arguing from a distance.
Seeing this, Li Hao immediately walked over.
Over here, Qi Tongwei, amidst the argument, also noticed Li Hao.
Seeing that Li Hao was safe and sound, his previously anxious heart finally settled.
At the same time, he was deeply shocked.
Hadn't Li Hao only gone in a few minutes ago?
How could he have come out so fast?
He had even been thinking that if Li Hao needed backup, he would quickly send his men in!
"A-Hao, you're out already? What's going on in there?"
As Li Hao approached, Qi Tongwei hurriedly asked about the situation inside.
"It's done. Send some people in to clean up!"
Hearing Qi Tongwei's words, Li Hao nodded calmly.
Weren't those few inside just small fry?
Without dwelling on the matter, Li Hao turned his gaze to Zhao Donglai, saying nothing for a moment.
Without having to think, he knew these people had come because of the incident with Hou Liangping.
He was rather curious to see what kind of person this newcomer was!
As for Zhao Donglai,
he was sizing up Li Hao as well.
Just as Director Ye had said, based on appearance alone, Li Hao didn't look like a criminal no matter how you looked at him.
Yet reality often defied expectations.
Moreover, the way Li Hao looked at him made him somewhat uncomfortable!
It was the look of a great man gazing at an insignificant person—much like an elephant looking at an ant!
Utterly indifferent and dismissive!
"You must be Li Hao! You are hereby placed under arrest for illegal possession of a firearm and the murder of a public servant! Come with us!"
Unwilling to waste any more time, Zhao Donglai gave a subtle cue to the police officer beside him.
The officer picked up a pair of handcuffs and stepped forward to cuff Li Hao.
At that moment,
a SWAT officer under Director Ye's command came running over in a trot.
"Reporting to Director Ye! The three drug dealers inside have already been... been shot dead..."
The officer had been speaking quite fluently at first, but by the end, he was stuttering slightly.
Because as he said this, he recalled the gruesome state of the three drug dealers inside.
It was simply too horrific to look at!
"If you have something to say, spit it out! Both of these gentlemen are leaders, what are you afraid of?"
Seeing the officer stammer, Director Ye frowned and reprimanded him.
"The three drug dealers died in extremely horrific states!"
Hearing this, the SWAT officer described the cause of death of the three drug dealers in detail, holding nothing back.
After listening, Director Ye and Zhao Donglai hurried over to inspect the scene themselves, leaving their subordinates behind to watch Qi Tongwei and Li Hao.
"A-Hao! Isn't this a bit too ruthless?"
Qi Tongwei felt a slight numbness in his scalp; the way he looked at Li Hao had changed.
He hadn't seen him in a few years, and Li Hao seemed entirely different from before!
The Li Hao he used to know was just a rookie who wouldn't even dare kill a person!
And now?
Just listen to that—three drug dealers dead in such a miserable state!
Yet it was only to be expected; someone who could survive and thrive in the underworld abroad for years without a scratch bound to have a ruthless streak.
Shaking his head, Qi Tongwei pushed the thoughts aside and looked at Li Hao. "A-Hao, why don't we leave now? Your mission is finished anyway!"
From his perspective, Li Hao had the backing of a red-family background and was carrying out a classified mission.
If he left now, even if Hou Liangping insisted on pursuing the matter, the higher-ups would certainly never hold it against Li Hao.
"There's no need! It doesn't matter. Now I actually want to see what they intend to do to me!"
Li Hao shook his head, rejecting Qi Tongwei's suggestion.
He was determined to play hardball with Handong Province now!
A fine Handong Province indeed!
Instead of dealing with Hou Liangping's overreaching conduct, they had branded him a criminal!
And on top of that, they actually wanted to put handcuffs on him!
It was truly turning the world upside down!
Just as Li Hao was thinking this,
Zhao Donglai and Director Ye walked out of the shopping mall.
A look at the crime scene had sent a chill straight up to the tops of their heads!
Aside from the blond foreigner, the other two were in an utterly gruesome state!
Fragments of their remains were scattered all over the ground!
Was this Li Hao even human?
A murder method like this was something they, with their years of police work, had only ever encountered in psychopaths.
Could this Li Hao be a mentally unstable psychopath?
"Li Hao, you now face an additional charge of intentional homicide! Please cooperate and come back to Jingzhou with us!"
The moment Zhao Donglai came out, he headed straight toward Li Hao.
In his mind, Li Hao was now a dangerous individual!
If Li Hao was mentally unstable, then these so-called drug dealers were a joke!
Such a person had to be brought to justice as soon as possible!
"Cuff him!"
With that thought, Zhao Donglai barked an order at his subordinates.
What were they standing around for?
"I'd like to see who dares!"
Hearing this, Qi Tongwei immediately grew displeased and stepped in front of Li Hao.
"Director Qi, do you think this will do you any good? If you dare to obstruct us again, I'll cuff you along with him!"
Zhao Donglai wore a look of utter disdain, not taking Qi Tongwei's words seriously at all.
The Provincial Committee had already made it clear: if Qi Tongwei dared to resist, take him down immediately!
"Alright, Tongwei, step aside. I'll go with them!"
Behind Qi Tongwei, Li Hao pushed him gently to the side and patted his shoulder.
It wouldn't do to keep letting Qi Tongwei fight his battles for him!
With that said, Li Hao walked calmly up to Zhao Donglai.
"I can go with you, but you'd better not mention putting handcuffs on me—you aren't worthy! Nor is the Party Secretary of the Handong Provincial Committee!"
"I'll say this only once: if I see you pull out handcuffs, I won't be responsible for any irreversible consequences that might follow!"