Break the clouds(Po Yun) - Break the clouds-Final - Chapter 33

Chapter 33

Nobody dared to call him by his name, only by his title of respect, ‘King of Spades’…

For the sake of plot advancement, Jiang Ting does not appear in this chapter. This chapter only has Chu Ci, the baddies, and Vice-Captain Yan.

Dizziness.

Excruciating pain.

…

Chu Ci’s body twitched slightly. He opened his eyes, then closed them tightly.

His senses were paralyzed by the high fever, and it took him several minutes for his nerves to feed his brain sluggishly with information about his current environment, like the hard wall behind his back and the dusty ground beneath him, after which he realized in a trance that he had been kidnapped.

Scattered memories of all the dramatic changes from the previous day and a half flitted through his mind—meeting the security guard in the warehouse, being forced to answer his mentor’s call at gunpoint, his attempts to leave behind a distress signal, getting knocked out after ending the call…

Chu Ci exhaled a mouthful of hot air and tried to sit up, but as soon as he moved, the jolt of pain from his ribs was so intense that he sucked in a cold breath.

—Oh right, I got hurt, he thought to himself.

The kidnappers had set the car on fire then pushed him towards the highway. Given how dark it was and how far off they were from the beaten path, it was impossible for him to glimpse even a hint of a soul even if he called for help. Hence, he bade his time until he saw an opportunity in the form of a clump of shrubbery and leapt into action. Ramming one of the kidnappers into the bushes, he tried his best to leave behind the kidnapper’s blood traces on the broken branches and dead leaves in the ensuing struggle.

It didn’t take long before he was pulled to his feet by several men and punched viciously several times, losing his consciousness in the process.

Why didn’t they kill me? The thought flashed through Chu Ci’s dazed mind.

Everyone knows I was born into poverty, and I don’t really have many social connections to speak of, so even if I’m kidnapped, there isn’t much possibility of extorting a high ransom. From the kidnappers’ point of view, it is unrealistic to be on the run with a living person who will make a break for it and call for help at any point in time. If they did away with me in the wilderness and buried me there, it would undoubtedly be a lot more convenient for them…

Unless I still have value.

What is that value?

Chu Ci was trying to force himself to calm down to weigh his situation when a sudden rustling caught his attention. He forced his eyes open. After letting his sight adjust to the dim environment, he was stunned by what he saw.

…Ding Dang?

This was a dilapidated room of no more than five or six square meters across, the only source of light being the concrete window sealed with iron bars overhead. There was no telling whether it was early morning or evening outside. The subdued light of the sky outlined the silhouette of a young girl on the ground, delirious mumblings spilling past her lips as she underwent the painful awakening from her previously unconscious state, “Save…save me…!”

Chu Ci’s gaze immediately darted towards the door. Fortunately, Ding Dang’s cry wasn’t loud, so it shouldn’t arouse the vigilance of the kidnappers outside.

“What’s going on…” Ding Dang mumbled, struggling to sit up. However, she was too weak, for that little bit of exertion was enough for her body to crumple—luckily for her, Chu Ci reached out to support her in time, otherwise she would’ve gotten a concussion on the spot.

“…Chu Ci? Thank goodness, I knew you’d be okay!”

Chu Ci placed his index finger against her lips, shushing her immediately.

Ding Dang fell silent. They listened to the footsteps and the faint conversations of the kidnappers’ beyond the door, and it took a long while before those faded away.

“…” Only then did the tense nerves of these two young adults relax. Frowning, Chu Ci asked, “Why are you here?”

He regretted the question as soon as he said it. The tremors that Ding Dang exerted so much effort to stop immediately restarted with greater intensity than before. Her black pearl-like eyes quickly filled with tears. “I-I wanted to turn myself in, to expose this group of people, but halfway through I got…got…”

Chu Ci motioned for her to lower her voice. “Turn yourself in?”

Ding Dang nodded tremulously.

“…Advisor Ding is involved with Feng Yuguang’s case?”

Ding Dang first nodded, then shook her head, as if in an extreme state of agitation yet not knowing what to say. A long while later, she finally suppressed her emotions enough to say, “No, i-it was me, I was the one who caused xiao Feng to die!”

Chi Ci’s brows twitched.

“O-on the second of May, xiao Feng asked me out to Sleepless Palace KTV at night. He o-often asked me out during that period of time but I couldn’t… Although I rejected him, he still insisted on going to a place in the city center where people go to sing, alone, just to wait for me…”

Ding Dang hugged her knees to her chest, looking like a frightened small animal.

“I was still at home when my dad and Hu Weisheng returned at midnight and told me that ‘Feng guy would never bother you again’. I didn’t understand what they meant then. It was only until two days later when you were brought to the Public Security Bureau by the police did I know xiao Feng d-died, and the one who murdered him was definitely, definitely—”

Chu Ci interrupted, “Who’s Hu Weisheng?”

Ding Dang swallowed audibly.

Chu Ci glared at her.

“…He’s my boyfriend,” Ding Dang finally admitted, trembling, “It’s my dad, he i-insisted…”

To be honest, it didn’t matter to Chu Ci who Ding Dang associated with, but the young lady’s mannerisms at this moment were too strange. Instead of the simple case of a girl being forced to date someone of her parents’ choice, it was as though she was tormented by a more horrific and cruel secret, pulling her back from speaking out.

“He’s a d-drug trafficker…” Ding Dang finally broke down, hugging her head between her knees.

“My dad said that when Hu Weisheng worked for a powerful boss previously, he stole a packet of extremely potent drugs from that person’s transportation chain and hid it away. According to my dad, that powerful boss found someone to manufacture this drug using chemical purification, and many raw substances used in the process aren’t controlled by the state. What’s even scarier is that this drug can be absorbed through skin contact, and a single milligram of it is enough to get someone addicted, and this addiction can only be relieved by consuming the same drug…”

A subtle change overcame Chu Ci’s expression.

Abandoning botanical ingredients, bypassing most of the country’s controlled raw materials, processing it using chemical purification—most importantly, it works via dermal absorption.

Once the announcement of this drug and its mass production hit the market, it would take the world by storm—would it even be an exaggeration to call it the second coming of the First Opium War?

Ding Dang was sobbing. “My dad and those people were tempted and wanted to research the manufacturing process of that drug. However, its structural formula was too complicated and they didn’t succeed despite stealing so many controlled substances from the factory. Some of their failed compounds were also highly toxic. Afterwards, I secretly investigated on my own and found out that my dad and Hu Weisheng sold one of those failed compounds as another drug to xiao Feng, causing him to die…”

Chu Ci pressed a finger tightly to the spot between his brows, attempting to keep his splitting headache at bay.

“Impossible.” After a moment, he suddenly said, “I can’t think of any compound that’s so powerful.”

Ding Dang shook her head in confusion, busily wiping away her tears.

“Where did you say Hu Weisheng stole it from? Who was the one who researched this drug?” Chu Ci asked.

“I-I don’t know either.” Lifting her tearstained face, she replied pitifully, “I’ve never asked. I only heard Hu Weisheng mention it to my dad once, and he didn’t dare to reveal that powerful person’s name. He said it was a few years ago in the southwest region, that man’s title of respect was King of Spades…”

King of Spades.

The click of the door lock rang, and Ding Dang jumped in shock. They both looked towards the closed door at the same time.

The door was pushed open to reveal the black muzzle of a gun. Before Ding Dang could let out a scream, Chu Ci yanked her behind him without a hesitation. The kidnapper who entered shortly after was someone they both knew—Wang Le, an electrician from the chemical plant. Gun in hand, Wang Le stood before them, glaring sullenly.

“Done talking?” he asked icily.

Chu Ci did not utter a word, and Ding Dang’s trembles could be discerned even with a naked eye.

“You.” Wang Le gestured at Chu Ci with his gun muzzle. “Follow me.”

Public Security Bureau, Interrogation Room

Pulling up a chair, Yan Xie signaled to Gao Panqing that there was no need for recording with his eyes then sat down.

Ding Jiawang was handcuffed to the chair behind the metal table. Yan Xie didn’t know whether it was because of the uncomfortable posture or his inherent fear and madness that had doubled with death knocking on his door, but his entire person seemed to have aged beyond his years. The few remaining hairs on his head hung down the front of his forehead, doing nothing to hide the despair and defeat seeping out from his bones.

—Yet any investigator with a bit of experience would know that someone as confident in avoiding capture as Ding Jiawang tended to get more stubborn the closer he was to death. His subconscious refused to accept the fact that he slipped up, believing that as long as he held his tongue and gritted his teeth, as long as he held onto the confession, the wind could still change in his favour.

“What are you guys doing here instead of searching for my daughter?” Ding Jiawang’s lips curved into a mocking grin. “Want to force a confession out of me? Or did you prepare some fake evidence to blackmail me? It’s useless, I don’t know anything.”

As expected of an engineer, he even considered the possibility of false confessions—he might just be the most cultured person in his drug trafficking gang.

But Yan Xie was very relaxed. Pouring a cup of water, Yan Xie said, “Let’s chat.”

Ding Jiawang eyed him warily.

“Don’t be so guarded. I don’t expect anything from you, since your wife has already said everything that there was to be said.” Yan Xie took a gulp of water in his face before chuckling, “Although what she knows is limited, it’s barely enough to paint us a picture. Now, you don’t have to tell me anything. I’ll talk, you just have to listen.”

“…” Ding Jiawang still remained silent, unsurprised, as though his wife succumbing to interrogation was within his expectations.

“Your gang was first formed by you, the electrician Wang Le, and the security supervisor Diao Yong, born out of the working relationships you three had. Chi Rui, who had a criminal record for the illegal manufacturing of firearms, was considered an ‘outsider’. My guess is that he likes to frequent card rooms and underground gambling dens, which was where he met Wang Le and also how he became part of your group.

Your gang in its early days probably didn’t focus on drug manufacturing. Instead, you smuggled various raw materials from chemical factories to synthesize a few controlled drugs—Adderall, modafinil, diazepam, at most throw in some MDMA—but the profits brought about by these illegal prescription drugs were very limited. Even if you constantly sold date-rape drugs such as diazepam to illegal prostitution KTVs like Three Blossom Flower KTV, the income generated was still stretched thin.”

Learning forward slightly, Yan Xie crossed his fingers and propped his strong elbows against the table.

“Until one day, you met a regular customer of Three Blossom Flower, Hu Weisheng.”

At long last, Ding Jiawang’s breathing quickened.

“Hu Weisheng used to work as a trafficker under a powerful yet extremely hidden drug lord. Although he has since left that post, he secretly brought something away with him.” Yan Xie’s next words were enunciated slowly and clearly. “From here, you spotted a business opportunity, and started to manufacture drugs.”

Outside the interrogation room, Forensics Department

“There are thirty three small-scale private enterprises and factories related to processing and packing in the Wuhai Industrial Zone. With the gas station where Chi Rui was spotted as the center of the circle, there are about eighteen of them within a twenty kilometer radius.”

“Chief Huang’s triangulation results came back! Wang Le last used his phone to call his family the night before last at 8.30 P.M., the signal location was near the post office on Pingzhuang Fuyou Road, Wuhai district!”

“Then, with the post office as the center of the circle, there are six such factories in a twenty kilometer radius. If we cross-match it with the gas station Chi Rui was at—”

“Three! After overlapping the movement range of the suspects Chi Rui and Wang Le, there are only three processing plants left!”

“List the registration information, address and locations of these three plants,” Huang Xing stood up from his seat and ordered in a deep voice. “Summarise the list and send it over to Vice-Captain Yan’s team.”

“…I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Ding Jiawang’s voice rang out in the interrogation room. “I don’t manufacture drugs.”

“Whether or not you manufacture drugs is merely my speculation until a conclusive chain of evidence is formed. Of course, there’s nothing wrong with mere conjecture. After all, I’ve already said that we’re just chatting. There are no records, you don’t have to be so nervous.”

Yan Xie shifted himself to a more comfortable position.

His tailored shirt hugged his upper body perfectly, delineating his broad shoulders, narrow waist and muscle lines beautifully. His sleeves were rolled up to his muscular forearms, his fingers relaxed and laced. The intricate tourbillon on his watch stood out under the light.

Sometimes, after Yan Xie stepped into the interrogation room, he no longer looked like a deputy captain of a criminal investigation team and more like a cold and professional lawyer who could inspire fear in people, the scent of blood thick in his smile.

“The main goal of the relationship between your daughter, Ding Dang, and Hu Weisheng was his drug trafficking channels. More specifically, it was for this packet of drugs hidden by Hu Weisheng. As a professional, you knew at first glance the worth of this product and you realized that if you could break down the structural formula of this drug and mass produce it, you could even build an underground drug city—

But alas, your capability failed to live up to your ambition,” Yan Xie said with a smile. “Feng Yuguang’s autopsy results showed a lethal dose of scopolamine, and I’m certain that the real bag of blue powder in Hu Weisheng’s hands will not poison a drug addict to death. In other words, your imitation was a complete failure.

Ding Jiawang’s body violently shuddered when he heard the two words, “blue powder”.

“Thus, when you found out that Chu Ci might have found out about the theft of chemical raw materials, you advocated for not killing him and kidnapping him instead. You were fully aware that, given your limited knowledge, it would have been impossible for you to realize your dream of mass producing this precious blue drug in your entire lifetime. You desperately required the assistance of this talented student who obtained his masters degree from the country’s top university at the bright young age of twenty-one.”

Ding Jiawang’s expression grew more and more ashened. Cold sweat dripped down his back, drenching his entire back in a matter of seconds.

“…You’re making up stories,” he murmured hoarsely. “The interns under my supervision stole the controlled chemical raw substances, it has nothing to do with me…”

“You’d better think again, Engineer Ding.”

Yan Xie’s gaze was sharp and his tone was mild, but every word and sentence was imbued with a strength that could hammer them into Ding Jiawang’s brain, “The kidnapping could still be turned around, but once Chu Ci is dead, the nature of this case will change. Giving the police your full cooperation could earn you a chance to fight for a lighter sentence. You still have a wife and a daughter, so why do you insist on committing to your death? As an educated person, why not think about it for a few moments? This is the last chance I will give you.”

Every minute and second that passed seemed endlessly long.

“I didn’t traffick drugs,” Ding Jiawang fiddled with his handcuffs nervously, rattling them as he said mechanically, “No, I didn’t manufacture drugs, let me out quickly…”

Yan Xie exhaled softly.

Right at this moment, Ma Xiang’s voice shouted from his bluetooth earpiece, “Yan-ge Yan-ge, we’ve caught Diao Yong and are on our way to the interrogation room!”

“Got it.” Yan Xie released his hold on the earpiece and turned towards Ding Jiawang, shrugging regretfully. “It’s fine, even if you’ve chosen to give up this opportunity, there would be someone else fighting to get it.”

Ding Jiawang seemed to sense something and raised his head in a panic, only to see Yan Xie stand up and pat Gao Panqing. “Go ahead.”

Gao Panqing nodded. “No problem, Yan-ge.”

Reflexively, Ding Jiawang stuttered, “W-what?”

“Did you really think that we were hoping for a breakthrough from you? Wrong, the police have been schooled in profiling the type of person most prone to psychological breakdowns in a criminal syndicate. Our target was not you from the very beginning, and your textbook resistance did not disappoint us.”

With his figure framed by the door, Yan Xie turned around with a smile. His features were handsome, yet this smile surprisingly had a roguish feel to it.

“Let’s make a bet. In ten minutes, I can make that security supervisor Diao Yong pour beans out of a bamboo tube and even spit out the number of rats’ nests you have in your factory. Lao Gao, keep time for him.”

34

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