Chapter 645: Investigation? Disruption?
Feng Mu paused, a look of confusion and worry on his face:
"I saw some security guards dead at the door. Is Madam okay?"
Hou Wendong's gaze stayed on Feng Mu's face for two seconds. After thinking for a moment, he lowered his voice and said:
"Mrs. Li is fine, you don't have to worry. The main thing is that a night watchman died inside, and..."
He passed it over vaguely, then changed the subject and lowered his voice:
"Anyway, if you were smart, you shouldn't have come to the Emerald Garden tonight. If you want to leave now, there's still time. I can get you out again."
Perhaps he was grateful to Feng Mu for indirectly saving him and being half his savior, so he made a special mention of him.
Feng Mu's face showed a look of confusion and his pupils shrank slightly.
"Hou Mi, are you saying that Madam Li is involved in this?"
Hou Wendong did not mean that. Seeing that Feng Mu did not understand, he stopped trying to persuade him. Given his status, he thought that the fact that he could give some advice was already a way of repaying a favor.
He sighed and said:
"If someone died in front of your house, could you guarantee that not a single drop of dirty blood would spill into your yard? After all... it's too close!"
It seems that he is talking about Li Hanyu, but in fact, isn't he talking about himself?
He also felt vaguely uneasy in his heart, as if he had smelled the brewing storm in the air.
After Hou Wendong said this, he pursed his lips tightly and walked in front with a gloomy face.
Feng Mu pretended to hesitate for a moment, then lowered his head and hurried after him, muttering in a voice that was almost stubborn and straightforward:
"Secretary Hou, please forgive me for laughing. I, Feng Mu, don't understand these complicated principles. I only know that Warden Qian has done me a favor. Warden Qian hasn't woken up yet. If anything happens to his mother, I can't just stand by and watch.
I, Feng Mu, know that I am not a good person, but I do understand the principle of repaying kindness...
[Fraudster Glasses] combined with [Certificate of Loyalty lv3] and Feng Mu's own acting skills make every word he utters very convincing.
Hou Wendong, who was walking in front, paused for a moment without a noticeable pause in his breathing. He did not respond or look back.
Feng Mu's image in his mind became more and more three-dimensional - a dangerous person, a smart person, and a loyal person.
After Feng Mu finished speaking, he immediately stopped talking, fell half a step behind, and followed silently.
Liu Yi and Song Ping'an exchanged glances silently, their eyes as firm as iron, and followed closely with steady steps.
The road under my feet seemed to be lengthened by the oppressive darkness.
Feng Mu followed Hou Wendong for a long time before passing by the special envoy's villa.
The cordon around the villa was denser and wider than the entrance, and the yellow and black tape whistled in the night wind.
There were many people at the door, and the atmosphere was extremely solemn.
Several uniformed constables, working in pairs, were carrying stretchers covered with white cloth out of the broken gate of the villa and arranging them neatly on the lawn in front of the gate.
The white cloth outlined the stiff contours of the human body, some places were stained by dark liquid, appearing dark brown under the light, and occasionally a pale hand or a loose strand of hair hung down.
An official from the Executive Yuan, wearing the same dark uniform as the official at the entrance, was pacing back and forth in front of the villa with his hands behind his back.
His expression was extremely complicated, half shrouded in gloom and with a furrowed brow; half... tense and relieved.
This contradictory emotion was twisted on his face, making every time he turned around and paced seem particularly heavy.
He stopped from time to time and whispered a few words to the stretcher being carried out, his voice hoarse and dry.
Hou Wendong suddenly stopped and raised his hand to signal Feng Mu and the other two to wait where they were.
He walked over quickly and spoke to the official in a low voice.
Soon, Hou Wendong came back. The gloom on his face seemed to have eased a little, but the solemnity between his brows remained.
"Let's go."
Hou Wendong did not explain too much to Feng Mu, and continued to walk towards the next villa with the three of them.
Feng Mu could probably guess what Hou Wendong was thinking.
Hou Wendong was slightly relieved that the special envoy's body was not found in his villa.
Feng Mu narrowed his eyes, but was kind enough not to pour cold water on Hou Wendong.
Liu Yi and Song Ping'an looked around silently, looking at the tragic scene in the villa, the bodies wrapped in white cloth, the broken road surface, and the pool of black blood under the street light.
Feng Mu's eyes swept across the road and also stopped at a pool of blood under the street light.
The pool of blood was as black as ink, and it had a strange luster under the light.
He didn't remember there being such a large pool of blood here when he left.
Whose blood is it?
Feng Mu's thoughts paused slightly, but Hou Wendong had already pushed open the door of Li Hanyu's villa, so he had to turn his head and look away, then followed him in.
The villa was brightly lit, and the light reflected by various chandeliers illuminated the entire villa like daylight.
Several Executive Yuan officials in dark uniforms were sitting on the expensive leather sofa in the middle of the living room. They might have come with Councillor Wang, or they might have come here on their own.
They did not pace back and forth like the two officials working outside, but sat upright and spoke to each other in low voices.
When Feng Mu and others came in, the conversation stopped abruptly.
Their eyes lingered on Feng Mu briefly, then shifted away as if nothing had happened, as if he were just air.
Only Du Changle in the corner had a cold glint in his slender eyes when he caught a glimpse of Feng Mu.
He didn't look at it for long, but turned his head away and continued talking with the official beside him, with the warm smile on his face like Maitreya Buddha unchanged.
Feng Mu did not step into the living room, but stopped at the entrance of the corridor in front of the living room door.
Hou Wendong gestured to Feng Mu to wait in the corridor while he walked quickly towards the innermost room.
Feng Mu stopped as he was told and stood respectfully in the shadow of the corridor entrance, like a loyal dog waiting to be summoned by his master. Behind him were two subordinates who were equally silent, like statues.
Feng Mu's attention did not linger too much on the living room, although the faces of every official in the hall were clearly imprinted in his mind in just a quick glance.
"When we get back, we just need to find out the identities and positions of these people. Most of them are Councillor Wang's direct subordinates."
His mind raced, and his gaze quietly slid to both sides of the corridor.
Several doors were ajar, letting in narrow slits of light. From within came the muffled sounds of conversation and the monotonous, continuous scraping of pens across paper.
They were constables from the police station, and they were taking statements from the bodyguards and nurses in the room.
The questions and answers going on in every room are similar:
The constable recorded the following while asking questions:
There was a fight outside the door, such a loud noise, you guys in the villa, didn't you hear anything at all?"
The bodyguard or nurse replied in a deep voice:
"I really didn't hear it clearly. The villa has excellent sound insulation and uses the highest quality materials.
With the doors and windows closed, the sounds coming in from outside were very muffled. It sounded like... firecrackers going off in the distance? Or something falling over? I really didn't pay much attention to it.
The constable had a stern face and a serious expression:
"Have any of you gone out to check what's going on outside? Even just a peek through the window?"
The bodyguard or nurse answered with the same meticulousness:
“We never went out, and the windows in the villa were all blocked, so we really didn’t see anything about what happened outside.
It wasn't until we were about to send the three ladies away that we saw two bodies lying outside under the streetlight, which scared us."
"You only saw two bodies?"
The constable asked, the tip of his pen hovering over the notebook.
"Where are the others? Did they see anyone suspicious? Or hear any unusual noises?"
The bodyguard or nurse's decisive answer:
"No!!!"
The constable was silent for a while, then he closed his notebook and said expressionlessly:
"Thank you for your cooperation."
The bodyguard or nurse nodded, also expressionless.
This conversation was repeated in every room on both sides of the corridor.
Whether it was the bodyguards sent by Councillor Wang, the bodyguards sent by Lu Chenjia, or the medical team sent by the hospital, everyone's answers were almost the same.
It was obvious that everyone had colluded in their testimony. Well, it couldn't be called collusion because none of them were the murderer. They just tacitly agreed to be clueless.
Behind this was not only the instruction of Li Hanyu, but also the instruction of Lu Chenjia and Wang Xinfa.
They are all fox-like characters. Before the situation becomes clear, the answers they give are naturally the safest and most standard "correct answers".
Even though the constables who were questioning the suspects had ten thousand doubts in their minds, they did not dare to ask a single question and cooperated very well in completing the interrogation record.
After the transcript was completed, several detectives hurried away as if they had been pardoned, and there was even a hint of panic in their backs.
If you don’t know, you might think they are the ones being interrogated.
When Hou Wendong stepped onto the stairs leading to the second floor, he unconsciously lightened his steps.
The door at the end of the corridor on the second floor was ajar, and a mixture of the refreshing aroma of tea and the rich smell of cigar smoke wafted out from the crack of the door.
Hou Wendong stopped in front of the door, took a deep breath, raised his hand and knocked lightly three times.
"Come in." Wang Xinfa's low voice came from inside.
The light inside the house was brighter than in the corridor, yet it seemed inexplicably more depressing.
Three single sofas were placed in a semi-arc shape, with an oak coffee table in the middle. On the coffee table was a set of blue and white porcelain tea sets, with tea rising from the air.
Li Hanyu was sitting on the outermost single sofa. When he saw him come in, he forced a smile.
Lu Chenjia occupied the sofa on the right, with his black suit jacket casually draped over the back of the sofa and the cuffs of his white shirt rolled up to his elbows, revealing his muscular forearms.
He held a burning cigar between his fingers, but did not smoke it, just let the smoke swirl slowly.
Wang Xinfa was sitting in the main seat. At this moment, he took off his glasses and wiped the lenses slowly with a piece of soft deerskin cloth.
Hou Wendong was startled. He was familiar with the various habits of the councillors and knew that every time they wiped their lenses, it meant that they were filled with anger and wanted to kill someone.
The room was eerily quiet, with only the regular and clear clicking sound of the second hand of the classical wall clock.
Hou Wendong almost held his breath, walked quickly to Wang Xinfa and bowed slightly.
Wang Xinfa continued to wipe his lenses, raised his eyes and glanced at him, his eyes dark and unclear.
Hou Wendong understood what he meant, cleared his throat and said:
"The police station has conducted a preliminary search of the special commissioner's villa. Several bodies were found and identified as domestic servants working in the villa.
The Special Correspondent himself has not yet been found."
Li Hanyu's hand holding the teapot loosened almost imperceptibly, then immediately clenched it again.
Wang Xinfa finally stopped wiping.
He did not put his glasses on immediately, but raised the lenses to his eyes and squinted at them carefully against the light, as if checking for any specks of dust.
Then he asked in a deep voice:
"The special envoy is not in the villa. Where is that person? Is he dead?"
Hou Wendong lowered his head even lower:
“To the councillor, for now… it’s not clear.
The police station has mobilized all available personnel and is trying to find him, including expanding the search area, but currently... there are no clear leads."
Wang Xinfa snorted softly from his nose: "Waste."
Then he asked coldly:
"Where's Li Shang? Have you found him?"
Hou Wendong's throat rolled, and his voice became heavier:
"It's the same as the special envoy's situation, we can't find anyone either.
The technical department of the police station is trying to determine Captain Li Shang's location by locating his mobile phone signal.
But the other party may be turned off or in a signal-blocking area. Technical means require more means to analyze and eliminate interference. Currently... there are no results, and it will take some time."
Wang Xinfa listened to Hou Wendong's report, leaned back on the sofa, and slowly tapped the armrest of the sofa with his fingers.
Hou Wendong knew that this was his habitual action when thinking.
The MPs must now be weighing the chances of the special envoy's survival and the political risks this would pose to themselves.
At this moment, Lu Chenjia suddenly spoke:
"Li Shang's car was parked at the entrance of Jade Garden, but he disappeared. The special envoy's whereabouts are also unknown."
He stroked his cigar and said quietly,
"Is it possible that they are together now? Or that they were together before they disappeared?"
Wang Xinfa suddenly turned his head and stabbed Lu Chenjia with his eyes like a knife. Li Hanyu gasped and almost dropped the teapot in his hand.
Hou Wendong felt a chill running up his spine, and the hairs on his back stood up.
Li Shang is his savior and also a close confidant recently promoted by the congressman.
The members of parliament preferred Li Shang to take over the position of chief of the police station. This was not known to everyone in the Executive Yuan, but it was almost known.
Now, Lu Chenjia forcibly linked Li Shang with the disappearance of the special envoy in front of Wang Xinfa. What was he trying to imply?
When Hou Wendong saw the gloomy face of the congressman, the sense of impending crisis in his heart became stronger.
Theoretically, President Lu and Councillor Wang have collaborated many times and are still collaborating. They are like friends eating at the same table, but now they seem to be trying to sabotage each other.
Of course, this may not necessarily mean that they really want to break up, but it seems more like they want to use this sudden change as a bargaining chip to try to adjust the order of people picking up their chopsticks at the dinner table.
Even their dinner companions have started to have bad thoughts. How eager and ready must those "diners" outside the table who have been eyeing their seats for a long time must be at this moment to make a move.
………
(End of this chapter)
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