The Same Fate Awaits All Sins Chapter 71

Final Part – 12

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At that moment, Jiang Ziyu's phone rang. The traffic police unit had intercepted the offending vehicle at the Yuling Expressway's Yuchuan North toll station, and Pang Yun, the driver, had been brought in to assist with the investigation.

After the meeting.

Chen Chen hurriedly followed behind Lu Zheng and Gu Yanta as they walked out of the conference room, and Chang Le cast a reluctant glance in their direction.

Back in the office and escaping Chang Le's gaze, Chen Chen finally let out a sigh of relief.

"Damn, that Chang Le..." Chen Chen said angrily. "Did you guys see the way he was looking at me just now? Still horny..."

"What's the matter?" Lu Zheng's curiosity was piqued. "So, in the end, did he take advantage of you or not?"

"Consultant Lu, I've discovered you really are wicked!" Chen Chen glared at Lu Zheng. "Good thing I was smart. Think about it, he was already convinced that I was meeting him for a hook-up, he even had a shower!"

"How is that you being smart?" Gu Yanta chuckled. "Wasn't it because we saved the day just in time?"

"Hmph!" Chen Chen said angrily. "But from what I see... Chang Le... doesn't seem like a bad guy."

"You've only interacted with him for how long? People's hearts are hard to read..." As Gu Yanta spoke, he suddenly reacted and his gaze turned incredulous as he stared at Chen Chen. "No way... In just this short amount of time, you've fallen for a hook-up partner?"

"I..." Chen Chen suddenly thought of Chang Le standing in the bathroom door, wrapped in nothing but a bath towel around his waist. Chang Le's entire body was perfectly toned, his back both strong and elegant, and his eight-pack abs lined up neatly like a bar of chocolate... Chen Chen's face instantly flushed red and he spoke incoherently.

"Chen Chen, no way..." Lu Zheng was barely holding back his laughter.

"Fuck off you guys!" Chen Chen snapped. "Stop mocking me! Let's talk about something serious!"

"Ahem, right, back to business..." Gu Yanta cleared his throat. "What do you guys think about this new lead?"

"I think there's definitely something fishy going on!" Lu Zheng said firmly. "Anyone with clear eyes can see that!"

"Exactly..." Gu Yanta nodded. "Who would make such a low-level mistake as stealing someone's car, committing a crime with it, and then returning it afterwards?"

"This is clearly a deliberate move to mislead the police..." Chen Chen said. "It also supports our previous suspicion that there's internal conflict within this crime syndicate!"

"For now, let's assume that the faction led by Ma Xiangrong and the other faction staged this to frame Ma Xiangrong in a bid for certain interests or dominance," Lu Zheng said hesitantly. "But I do have a question, how does this benefit them? Even if the police capture Ma Xiangrong's group, Ma Xiangrong won't just let it go, he'll definitely expose them as well. Wouldn't that just be a lose-lose situation?"

"Consultant Lu, look at the things you're worrying about..." Chen Chen said. "Wouldn't that be better for us? No matter what problems they have internally, it's an opportunity for us."

Lu Zheng closed his eyes briefly, rubbing his temples before saying, "You're right, what we need to do now is follow the trail and dig deeper. Maybe it's just my professional habit, I'm overthinking things."

"Your concerns aren't unfounded," Gu Yanta said. "If this is a trap, we still need to stay on guard!"

The investigation into Pang Yun was handed over to the Xia County police team. By now, it was late at night, so the three of them returned to their dormitory, where Chen Chen pulled out his treasured equipment that he brought from Yuchuan and began monitoring Chang Le's phone calls.

The night passed without any anomalies.

Early the next morning, good news arrived, the suspect in the gas station incident had been identified.

Pang Yun's testimony and movements showed no irregularities. The black Volvo had indeed been registered under his name for the past two years. A week ago, he had driven it with a friend to a rural farmhouse for a fishing trip and stayed the night. However, when he woke up the next morning, the car had disappeared. He reported it to the police and had been waiting for their investigation. Since surveillance equipment was scarce in rural areas, there had been no leads on the car's whereabouts. Who knew that the night before last, the vehicle would mysteriously reappear, parked downstairs at his home. Lacking legal awareness, Pang Yun did not realise he needed to cancel the stolen vehicle report at the police station. With the Mid-Autumn Festival approaching, he had been in a rush to return to his hometown and had driven straight onto the highway.

Later, the material evidence section discovered strands of hair inside Pang Yun's car that did not belong to him or his family members. DNA testing confirmed that the hair belonged to a former convict named Fan Zhe, who had served time for intentional assault and had been released only a few months ago.

The Xia County police team swiftly arrested Fan Zhe. After an overnight interrogation, he admitted that someone had paid him to commit the crime at the gas station. However, he knew nothing about the true identity of the person who hired him, the source of the vehicle used in the crime, or the source of the chemical compound that caused the explosion.

The employer had instructed him to wear a mask and make provocative gestures in front of the surveillance cameras. At first, he thought someone had a personal vendetta against the gas station and was just using him for a prank, however, when he saw the ridiculously high payment, he, being a small-time thug, didn't think too much facing the temptation of money. A simple job with such a high reward, why not take it? But he hadn't expected such a large-scale incident to occur. So after the incident, he spent the days hiding in his lover's home, until he was eventually caught by the police.

The police thoroughly investigated Fan Zhe but still found no leads on his employer. As for the mystery of Pang Yun's car being returned, there was no progress either.

When Gu Yanta and Lu Zheng arrived at the sub-bureau, Jiang Ziyu was at a loss. He had initially thought that finding the vehicle used in the crime would make the case clearer, but although they had captured the suspect Fan Zhe, he was nothing more than a small-time thug recently released from prison. If not for being manipulated, he could never have caused such a big stir. He had been incarcerated just months before, so it was unlikely he had any connection to Huang Chufeng or Li Mingyong's deaths. The true mastermind behind the incident remained a mystery.

Jiang Ziyu knew that Gu Yanta and Lu Zheng suspected Chang Le, so during the investigation, he had deliberately kept certain details from Chang Le, not revealing any important details. 

The case had fallen back into a stalemate. The police's theories about the drug manufacturing and trafficking operation remained simply speculation.

"Any movement on Chang Le's side?" When Jiang Ziyu saw the three of them walk in, his eyes lit up instantly, and he asked anxiously.

Gu Yanta shook his head slightly.

Jiang Ziyu's eyes dimmed again. "Ai, forget it, this was to be expected, we were only suspicious after all."

"Don't be discouraged," Gu Yanta patted Jiang Ziyu's shoulder. "The crime syndicate in Xia County is deeply rooted, it will take more than just a day or two to uproot it."

‿︵‿︵ʚ˚̣̣̣͙ɞ・❉・ ʚ˚̣̣̣͙ɞ‿︵‿︵

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Translator Notes

Please feel free to comment any mistakes I made so I can improve and do better as I go through the book.

Translated: February 23, 2025 by Angel

Edited: February 26, 2025 by Angel