"A-Hao! This situation is not going to be easy to handle!"
On the way to Yantai, Qi Tongwei still couldn't settle his mind and voiced his concerns.
"Opening fire on a state cadre in public—in our Hua Nation, the fallout will be massive! They will definitely demand an explanation! Over the years, I've come to know these people all too well! I reckon it won't be long before their phone calls start flooding in!"
Thinking of the impending interrogation from those people, Qi Tongwei felt a headache coming on.
"Nothing to worry about! I guarantee you'll be fine!"
Beside him, sensing Qi Tongwei's anxiety, Li Hao spoke up.
"No matter how you look at it, we're in the right today!"
"As the head of the Anti-Corruption Bureau and a high-ranking state official, Hou Liangping didn't even follow the law! Without an official warrant, he arrested people based purely on guesswork—is that reasonable?"
"As for me holding a gun and firing, that's entirely Hou Liangping's fault! My mission right now is a national-level assignment! I have the right to shoot anyone who obstructs me in the line of duty!"
Li Hao remained completely calm.
Forget Hou Liangping; throughout the entire Handong Province, there wasn't a single person he deigned to take seriously! Anyone who dared to cross him or hinder his mission—no matter who they were—would undoubtedly be met with a bullet without a moment's hesitation.
"That Hou Liangping is an absolute moron!"
Hearing Li Hao's words, the boulder in Qi Tongwei's chest instantly dropped, and he cursed Hou Liangping angrily.
In an instant, Qi Tongwei's mood underwent a complete transformation.
There was no helping it—Li Hao's simple promise of "I guarantee you'll be fine" gave him an overwhelming sense of security!
...
Meanwhile, at the Handong Provincial Government, Ji Changming sat upright in a room directly opposite Gao Yuliang, the Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee.
"Changming, why did you suddenly come to see me?"
Gao Yuliang was somewhat puzzled by Ji Changming's sudden arrival. Normally, Ji Changming would call him in advance before visiting. Why was he being so rash today?
"Secretary! Something major has happened!"
Hearing Gao Yuliang's question, Ji Changming cut straight to the point, his tone urgent.
"Something has happened to Hou Liangping! He... he's been shot!"
Ji Changming's words startled Gao Yuliang.
"What?!"
"What on earth happened?!"
Gao Yuliang's heart skipped a beat, his previously smiling face instantly turning stern. Hou Liangping was one of his most proud and accomplished students!
"Secretary, it's like this. Today Liangping..."
Sensing Gao Yuliang's gravity, Ji Changming didn't dare waste a single second, immediately recounting the entire sequence of events from start to finish.
When he finished, Gao Yuliang furrowed his brows deeply.
Hou Liangping had been far too reckless in this matter! Qi Tongwei was also his student, and arresting a departmental-level cadre based purely on guesswork was, to say the least, inappropriate.
Still, it didn't matter; being a bit reckless wasn't the end of the world. Since they were both his students, he could just have a word with Tongwei later.
"This matter is utterly outrageous!"
"In broad daylight, to dare open fire on a state cadre! Does this person have any regard for the law?!"
"For someone to be so audacious as to hold the law in contempt, there must be someone powerful backing him! Changming, you must thoroughly investigate this!"
Gao Yuliang spoke with righteous indignation, immediately condemning Li Hao for shooting Hou Liangping while completely sweeping Hou Liangping's unauthorized attempt to arrest Qi Tongwei under the rug.
"Understood! I will definitely dig out the person backing him!" Ji Changming promised immediately, then paused with a hint of hesitation.
"Secretary, Director Qi was right there beside the criminal at the time!"
Ji Changming's words strongly implied that Qi Tongwei was very likely one of the backers behind Li Hao.
"Tongwei..."
At these words, Gao Yuliang pondered for a moment before shaking his head. He knew this student of his fairly well. Tongwei shouldn't be the kind of person to condone his subordinates opening fire on a state cadre—once something like that came to light, it was a capital offense! Having finally climbed to his current position, Qi Tongwei surely wouldn't commit such a foolish mistake, would he?
"It's just speculation without evidence. We in the legal profession must rely on evidence, right? I'll give Tongwei a call right now."
No sooner had he said this than Gao Yuliang picked up his phone, found Qi Tongwei's number, and dialed.
...
Meanwhile, on the highway not far from Yantai, an Audi A6 sped along, and Qi Tongwei's phone began to ring.
Picking up the phone, Qi Tongwei saw a familiar name flashing on the screen: his teacher, Gao Yuliang.
"I knew it."
Qi Tongwei picked up the phone, tilted the screen slightly toward Li Hao, and smiled helplessly.
"Hello, Teacher."
"Tongwei! An extremely egregious case just occurred at the Jingzhou highway toll booth! Have you received word of it?"
Instead of speaking directly, Gao Yuliang resorted to beating around the bush.
Hearing this, Qi Tongwei sighed inwardly. These people were always like this—never stating things outright, forcing you to confess and tell them yourself, even though they already knew perfectly well what had happened!
"Teacher, I was right there when it happened."
"This matter is a bit complicated. Once I finish handling the urgent matters at hand, I'll come back and report to you in person!"
Facing Gao Yuliang, Qi Tongwei's tone wasn't as rigid as before, carrying a slightly consultative nuance.
"You were right there?! Then how could you stand by and watch a criminal shoot Hou Liangping?!"
"How are you even doing your job as the head of the Public Security Department?"
"Right now, I don't care what urgent business you have—hunt down the culprit and bring them to justice immediately! Nothing is more important than the shooting of a state cadre!"
With that, Gao Yuliang hung up the phone without giving Qi Tongwei a chance to reply.
He sat there brimming with fury. This student of his was truly something else! As the head of the Public Security Department, he had simply stood by while someone else drew a gun and shot a state cadre!
Forcing down the fire raging in his belly, Gao Yuliang stood up, intending to visit Hou Liangping at the hospital. But after a moment's thought, he sat back down in his chair.
Picking up his phone once more, Gao Yuliang decided to make a phone call first.
At the hospital, Hou Liangping had just gone through a series of examinations and was told there was nothing seriously wrong with him. Even so, he remained lying in a VIP hospital bed.
Before long, his phone rang, and Hou Liangping propped himself up.
"Liangping, are you alright?"
Hearing Gao Yuliang's voice on the line, Hou Liangping immediately poured out his grievances.
"Teacher! Qi Tongwei is inhuman! Not only is he corrupt, but he also condoned his subordinates shooting at me! Can't you get justice for me?"
On the other end of the line, upon hearing this, Gao Yuliang quickly set about soothing him.
"Alright, Liangping! We will definitely give you an explanation for this! Focus on recovering your health first, and I'll come visit you in a few days!"
With that, Gao Yuliang hung up the phone, his teeth clenched tightly together.
What did that phrase "get justice for me" mean? Was it a threat? If he couldn't get justice for him, was Hou Liangping going to run to the Zhong family?