Moreover, Chen Jinbao is much more assertive than Li Yunqing. She is the one who has the final say in the gang and never allows others to question her. If Li Zhiqun really offends her and things get ugly, Li Zhiqun will not benefit either.
Under these circumstances, Li Zhiqun ultimately decided to let Wu Shicai off the hook. He made an agreement with Chen Jinbao that he would verify whether Wu Shicai had lied. If the money had been embezzled by Wu Shicai himself, the nature of the crime would be egregious. Given Li Zhiqun's personality, he hated betrayal the most and would not give face to anyone, not even Chen Jinbao. Wu Shicai had to be dealt with severely.
If the embezzlement of public funds was for stock speculation and profiteering, then Wu Shicai's life could be spared.
Li Zhiqun then arrested some of Wu Shicai's men and carefully investigated his recent activities. These men, of course, dared not hide anything and confessed everything in detail.
Only then did Li Zhiqun realize that Wu Shicai was not so audacious as to directly devour him, and thus spared Wu Shicai's life.
However, it is impossible to let Wu Shicai manage the finances of the western part of Shanghai. He is too greedy, and if it is handed over to him, there will be financial problems sooner or later.
Li Zhiqun quickly ordered the urgent recall of one of his trusted confidants, Yu Xinhong, from Nanjing to take over all the businesses in the western Shanghai area and manage the finances of the Special Agent Headquarters.
As for Wu Shicai himself, Chen Jinbao promised to vouch for him and raise funds to make up the shortfall in the near future. In addition, Wu Shicai cried bitterly to Li Zhiqun and swore to repent. Li Zhiqun could not find a replacement who had the same support from the Green Gang. Therefore, he was not removed from his position as the head of the action team. Instead, he was allowed to make amends for his crimes and observe his future performance.
This result greatly disappointed Luo Xingchao, as it was far from what he had expected. He had thought that Wu Shicai had made such a big mistake that even if Li Zhiqun didn't kill him, he would eventually isolate him from the top ranks of the Special Agent Headquarters. However, he underestimated the status of the Shanghai Green Gang in No. 76, and he also did not expect Chen Jinbao to go to such lengths to protect Wu Shicai. In the end, Wu Shicai escaped a disaster.
However, it wasn't entirely ineffective. At the very least, Wu Shicai lost Li Zhiqun's complete trust, relinquished his control over the finances, and saw his status at the Special Agent Headquarters decline significantly. He also lost his previous confidence and faced fewer constraints.
After dealing with these matters, Li Zhiqun finally had time to continue his previous investigation.
"What? When did this happen? Cha Yutang has disappeared? Why is it taking so long to report this?"
In the office, Li Zhiqun pointed at Liu Jianzhi and sternly reprimanded him. He never expected that so many things would happen at the Special Agent Headquarters during the short time he was away from Shanghai.
He was struggling financially in Nanjing, and when he returned to Shanghai, he was dealt a heavy blow by Wu Shicai's affair, leaving him in a state of utter chaos. That was bad enough.
Now, even Cha Yutang, the chief detective of the Shanghai Intelligence Bureau who had been in charge of investigating the Shanghai Intelligence Bureau, has mysteriously disappeared. Naturally, the investigation into the Shanghai Intelligence Bureau has come to an end.
Liu Jianzhi was a trusted confidant whom Li Zhiqun had specially left in Shanghai to be responsible for detaining and guarding Feng Sinian, while also gathering information about the foreign concessions. When Li Zhiqun heard Liu Jianzhi's report at this time, he was really surprised and keenly sensed that something was wrong.
Upon hearing Li Zhiqun's question, Liu Jianzhi hurriedly replied, "Seven days ago, several of his men disappeared along with him. These men were likely poisoned together, but the specific reason is unknown. However, it is certain that Cha Yutang's disappearance is related to the higher-ups in the International Settlement."
"A high-ranking official in the International Settlement?" Li Zhiqun looked at Liu Jianzhi, a sudden realization dawning on him. Wasn't Phillips one of the high-ranking officials in the Settlement? Had Cha Yutang been discovered following and monitoring Phillips?
Liu Jianzhi continued, "The major newspapers and periodicals in the concession were not allowed to report on Cha Yutang's disappearance. The day after his disappearance, with his fate unknown, a new chief detective took office. These things cannot be kept secret; they must be related to higher-ups."
Liu Jianzhi himself was unaware of the collaboration between Cha Yutang and Li Zhiqun. Li Zhiqun was cautious and kept the matter extremely secret, so Liu Jianzhi was unaware of it.
Suddenly, Li Zhiqun's eyes narrowed, and he asked, "During Feng Sinian's imprisonment, did anyone contact him or inquire about his identity?"
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