Era of Magic and Martial Arts

Chapter 555 - 539: A Chip That Can’t Be Crushed

Li Hanyu’s heart felt as if it was gripped by an invisible hand, almost stopping.

Just as she was about to cry out, the steady and reassuring voice of Feng Mu came to her ears, like a ray of dawn piercing through the darkness, allowing her rationality to slightly return.

Feng Mu’s voice was extremely grave:

"Madam, when we secretly filmed this footage, we were discovered by him..."

"Click!"

The TV cabinet door was pulled open, and the force of opening the cabinet caused the phone inside to shake, then fall to the ground.

Soon after, a hand picked up the phone from the cabinet at an angle.

As the phone’s angle shifted, the camera happened to capture the view of the bald man’s figure, focusing on the sofa behind him.

In that fleeting glimpse, on the sofa, two prison chiefs were huddled tightly together.

The neck of the prison chief on the right was twisted at a bizarre angle, his head limply hanging aside; while the one on the left had a shattered forehead, with a steady stream of brain matter oozing out.

Behind them, a woman stood quietly.

She had a graceful figure, impeccable makeup, her brows and eyes exuding an inexplicable allure and sensuality, with lips parted to reveal a forked, rosy tongue.

The whole scene was filled with a strange aesthetic beauty despite its gore.

(Gong Qi took pride in editing this video conclusion, perfectly controlling every shot transition and scene connection, marking a new height in his art of scam.)

The video "swooshed" to black, playback ended.

Feng Mu timely explained from the side:

"The situation was urgent at the time, we could only capture this much. Continuing to film might have exposed us, so we ended the call."

Li Hanyu took a few deep breaths to calm herself, then opened the subsequent photos showing the distant shot of the man and woman from the end of the video.

Li Hanyu slightly frowned and asked, "Have you found out their identities?"

Feng Mu gently shook his head, a hint of helplessness on his face:

"I’ve never seen them, and judging by their demeanor, they don’t seem to be from the prison system. They should be helpers Lou Duan found through [Clown]. But..."

Feng Mu paused, his expression becoming increasingly solemn:

"These two give me an extremely bad feeling, their entire being exudes an unusual sense of danger."

Li Hanyu didn’t really expect Feng Mu to uncover the real identities of the two; Feng Mu wasn’t omnipotent, and capturing this video evidence was already an unexpected surprise.

She mostly agreed with Feng Mu’s view, unconsciously delving deeper into speculation in her heart:

"From the interrogation scene in the video, this person always called Lou Duan ’Station Chief Lou’, with a familiar tone and demeanor.

This indicates that although this person was appointed by [Clown], he must have worked for Lou Duan more than once, implying several prior interactions between them."

Li Hanyu thought for a moment, then replayed the previous video, eyes firmly glued to the screen, replaying it repeatedly.

Especially focusing on the final segment of interrogation dialogue, pondering each frame meticulously, not letting any detail slip by.

This interrogation was meticulously edited by Gong Qi, with the order of questions deliberately reduced or rearranged, creating a strong implication of Lou Duan ordering a murder, while maintaining a reasonable doubt space.

This was all at Feng Mu’s behest; he wanted to frame Lou Duan, yet not completely seal Lou Duan’s fate.

It’s not that Feng Mu was benevolent, considering Lou Duan’s situation, he just took into account a mother’s heart for revenge.

In the upcoming situation in the Second Prison, Li Hanyu, whether facing Member of Parliament Wang Xinfa, or Bright Group’s President Lu and Lu Chenjia, would be at a significant disadvantage.

Of course, she had some advantages too; her advantage lay in the fact that Qian Huan, despite lying in the fish tank, was still nominally the prison director of the Second Prison.

Moreover, she held some shares of the Second Prison, and she had some level of "affection" with these two men.

One was a new lover, the other an old superior.

Although the two men were both inherently cold and indifferent, as long as they didn’t fall out, they were willing to show a kindly facade.

So, if Li Hanyu managed things well, she could possibly benefit from both sides.

But that wasn’t enough; to influence the will of the two, Li Hanyu must hold a weightier bargaining chip.

This chip must be one that Li Hanyu can hold temporarily, yet not crush outright.

Lou Duan was precisely this chip, and fortunately, he jumped into the spotlight himself, sparing Feng Mu the effort of selection.

So far, the information revealed in the video, or rather the leverage, was just right.

Because Li Hanyu still wasn’t blinded by anger, but thoughtfully asked Feng Mu:

"Do you think the dialogue of those two in the video is credible?"

Feng Mu was momentarily at a loss. "Madam means?"

Li Hanyu: "Before their deaths, they accused that the bomb was placed by someone sent by Lou Duan, that Lou Duan orchestrated everything?"

Feng Mu dared not reply sarcastically, fearing to mislead Li Hanyu’s judgement.

His trust level with Li Hanyu was excessively high now, he had to agree:

"How could that be? It was those two who planted the bomb."

Li Hanyu was also inclined to believe what she saw; moreover, with the detective’s endorsement, hearing Feng Mu give the same judgement firmed her conviction:

"Exactly, they planted the bomb. Lou Duan, most likely out of fear of being splashed with dirty water, killed them to shut their mouths, a case of being too clever for his own good."

Li Hanyu vaguely grasped some understanding of Lou Duan’s thoughts.

If it were her, she might have made the same decision.

Because, in workplace or political battles, slinging mud is always the simplest method to drag an opponent down.

And to eliminate such troubles, the best solution is never to prove innocence, but to preemptively silence the mudslinger, or make the mud disappear.

This time, Lou Duan’s method was to make the mud disappear.

Clearly, Lou Duan wasn’t sure who was throwing mud at him; the repeated interrogations in the video were his attempt to find out who was behind the two prison chiefs.

Regrettably, those two never confessed until death.

This was the one thing that puzzled Li Hanyu:

"Who could possibly keep these two from changing their story until death, pinning everything on Lou Duan? At the video’s end, their demeanor didn’t seem to be an act, as if they truly believed they died unjustly?"

Li Hanyu really wished she could peel open the heads of the two prison chiefs, to see what they were thinking in their final moments.

Unfortunately, she didn’t have such ability, so she had to temporarily bury this question in her heart.

Seeing Li Hanyu in deep thought for a long while, a hint of worry crossed Feng Mu’s brow as he asked softly:

"Madam, what would you like me to do next?"

Li Hanyu finally came back to her senses, a faint smile curling her lips as she looked at Feng Mu:

"You’ve handled this matter exceptionally well. This video evidence is crucial for us. Next, return to the Second Prison and wait for my orders."

A smile appeared on Li Hanyu’s face, finally promising her loyal Feng Mu without reservation:

"In the near future, there might be personnel changes in the Second Prison. Rest assured, I will do everything I can to elevate you."

Feng Mu was slightly taken aback, but did not feign decline, for that would seem hypocritical.

He straightened his expression, solemnly saying:

"Rest assured, madam, before Prison Director Qian wakes up, I will do my utmost to guard the Second Prison on his behalf."