The Same Fate Awaits All Sins Chapter 72

Final Part – 13

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Gu Yanta's phone rang at that moment, the caller ID showed it was Director Wu. Gu Yanta frowned, at such a critical moment, a call from Director Wu could only mean new instructions.

"Hello, Director Wu," Gu Yanta answered. Director Wu's lowered voice came through the receiver, though the content wasn't entirely clear.

"Yes, yes, I understand."

"What's happened?" Lu Zheng asked when he saw Gu Yanta's grave expression.

Without saying a word, Gu Yanta signalled for Chen Chen to check the surroundings for soundproofing, ensuring there were no eavesdroppers before he lowered his voice and said, "Director Wu just gave new instructions, we suspect that Chang Le's lead is wrong."

"Huh?" Chen Chen was momentarily surprised, but the news brought him a sense of relief. "What did he say?"

"It's complicated, we have to go back to 2009..."

Chang Le did indeed hold a wealth of undisclosed secrets. During the major narcotics case in 2009, he made a significant contribution because Ma Yu had acted as his informant, providing him with extensive intelligence. However, there had never been conclusive evidence to arrest Ma Xiangrong. Ma Xiangrong had always been meticulous, to the point that even his adopted son, Ma Yu, was unaware of his true hideout.

Later, Ma Xiangrong discovered Ma Yu's betrayal and orchestrated his death. As Ma Yu's biological brother, Chang Le had been seeking an opportunity for revenge ever since. However, Ma Xiangrong was cunning and ruthless. After the incident, he vanished completely from Xia County. No one expected that a suspected drug lord, who had long been a thorn in the police's side, had gone into hiding at Yuchuan University, quietly working as a teacher. Meanwhile, for the drug trafficking network in Xia County, he had appointed a trusted confidant to act as the local contact and head of operations, while he himself retained control over the core technology, keeping a low profile for years.

But this could not satisfy the needs of the new leader, so at the end of last year, the new leader recruited fresh technical personnel, completely sidelining Ma Xiangrong. Ma Xiangrong was anxious yet powerless, after all, he had been away from Xia County for years, making it impossible to remotely control affairs. Many of his former confidants had also turned against him.

At this time, Chang Le secretly gathered information about Ma Xiangrong's situation. Using his identity as Ma Yu's biological brother, Chang Le devised a plan to get close to his so-called adoptive father, Ma Xiangrong. Pretending to be unaware of the truth behind Ma Yu's death and ignorant of Ma Xiangrong's role as the mastermind behind the drug cartel, he presented himself as someone who simply wanted to repay his brother's upbringing. Over time, he earned Ma Xiangrong's trust.

Ma Xiangrong was in urgent need of manpower at that time, and a police officer like Chang Le practically delivered himself to his doorstep. Believing that Chang Le had been successfully recruited, Ma Xiangrong offered him a substantial reward in exchange for acting as an informant within the police force, helping him take down the new leader in Xia County. After all, Ma Xiangrong had built the drug production operation there from the ground up, and he couldn't just watch it fall into someone else's hands. Naturally, Chang Le agreed without hesitation.

However, Ma Xiangrong had always been cunning, and to this day, Chang Le has yet to uncover the precise location of the underground drug factory.

Ma Xiangrong remained hidden in Yuchuan, refusing to show himself, and wanted to use Chang Le to eliminate the dissidents in Xia County. Since he couldn't act directly, Ma Xiangrong targeted Huang Chufeng, knowing he was both greedy and had a simple background, and pulled him into his operations. But things took an unexpected turn, due to personal grievances, Huang Chufeng caused a major disaster. As the police intensified their investigation into Huang Chufeng's case, Ma Xiangrong faced an imminent risk of exposure. So, Ma Xiangrong eliminated Huang Chufeng and was left with no choice but to take the risk of hiding in Xia County.

That very decision might have threatened the interests of the new leader in Xia County, sparking an internal conflict. The new leader was eager to eliminate Ma Xiangrong, but Ma Xiangrong still had a few loyal subordinates there. With the added protection of Chang Le, the two sides became locked in a prolonged struggle. Both sought to use the police as a weapon to destroy the other, and the incident involving Li Mingyong and the gas station accident were direct consequences of their ongoing power struggle.

"These are all findings from Chang Le's investigation," Gu Yanta lit a cigarette in annoyance. "We misjudged Chang Le. He never intended to inform us of any of this, but our investigation yesterday disrupted his work. Since Chang Le's activities have always been recorded with Director Wu, that's why Director Wu decided to tell us, so we don't end up following the wrong lead."

"What's the old man playing at? If that's the case, why send us here?" Chen Chen said. "Besides, we weren't even heading in the wrong direction! Even if Director Wu hadn't told us, we would've found our answers through Chang Le!"

"But we still lack concrete evidence," Lu Zheng said thoughtfully. "And up until now, Chang Le hasn't managed to locate their main base, everything is still just speculation."

"Director Wu mentioned something else," Gu Yanta furrowed his brow as he took a deep drag of his cigarette before exhaling slowly. "Our suspicions were right, there's a mole inside the Xia County police force!"

"I figured as much," Lu Zheng said quietly. "Otherwise, there's no way this new leader could've been this rampant over the years."

"So what do we do next?" Chen Chen asked.

"Leave Ma Xiangrong to Chang Le," Gu Yanta said. "Our new mission is to root out this mole and confirm the identity of the new leader of the drug cartel in Xia County, so we can take them all down in one fell swoop."

Confirming this news, Chen Chen felt an immense weight lift off his chest. He didn't even know why, but deep down, he never wanted Chang Le to be the mole.

"There are still a few things we need to confirm with Chang Le," Gu Yanta glanced at Chen Chen, who was lost in thought. "How about we leave this task to you?"

"Uh..." Chen Chen was still in a daze, but when he finally registered what had been said, he blurted out in shock, "Uh... Huh?"

"Chang Le saw through your act yesterday," Gu Yanta said. "But instead of exposing you, he played along with your performance, so I think... he's genuinely interested in you! Haha, here's your chance to shine! Who knows, you might even settle your lifelong happiness!"

Lu Zheng nodded silently from the side.

"Ah!!! Just you two wait!!!" Chen Chen shouted, his heart in turmoil.

Calming down after shouting, he asked after a while, "Tell me, what do you need me to confirm?"

At lunchtime, Chang Le had just gotten his meal from the cafeteria when he spotted Chen Chen from afar, waving at him with a tray in hand. He couldn't help but smile. Although he had seen through Chen Chen's intentions yesterday, he had played along, just wanting to spend a little more time with him.

From the very first meeting, this fair-skinned young man with gold-rimmed glasses had silently broken into his heart. For years, he had been scheming to get close to Ma Xiangrong to avenge his brother, leaving no time to think about his own feelings. Yet, this young man had so effortlessly made his heart race, making him want to get close to him.

Chang Le settled down beside Chen Chen and deliberately teased, "Officer Chen, I'm really sorry for spoiling your fun yesterday, how about we continue today?"

"Go away, quit messing around," Chen Chen shot Chang Le a sideways glance. "Why are you still acting? Just eat first! I have questions for you, let's find a safe place to talk later."

"Alright..." Chang Le grinned, his eyes curving into crescents as he picked up a piece of braised chicken and placed it on Chen Chen's plate. "Try this, our cafeteria's head chef is pretty good, especially with this taro-braised chicken leg."

"Alright, alright," Chen Chen quickly used his chopsticks to block the meat that Chang Le was about to give him, gesturing at the mountain of food he already had. "Can I eat all this?"

Only then did Chang Le stop, smiling foolishly as he looked at Chen Chen.

"Quit grinning like that," Chen Chen felt his face heat up under his gaze. "So, where should we go later... somewhere where it's more convenient to talk?"

"Obviously my place!" Chang Le said with a smirk, then lowered his voice. "There are too many eyes and ears here, we need to be more obvious with our 'friends-with-benefits' act."

‿︵‿︵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 24, 2025 by Angel

Edited: February 26, 2025 by Angel