Chapter 68: Storming the Mansion to Capture the Suspect

Bang!

“You thugs in uniform! Do you have any idea whose residence this is? How dare you kick the door in! Get out of here, now!”

As Li Wensheng kicked open the main gate and stepped into the courtyard, a young man emerged from the inner hall, shouting furiously at Li Wensheng and his men.

Without a word, Li Wensheng drew his pistol, loaded it, and pressed the muzzle to the young man’s forehead.

The man’s bravado vanished in an instant, as if someone had seized him by the throat—his voice was cut off and his arrogance dissolved into panic.

“I—I’m warning you! Chief of Police Zhai Dongyuan… he’s my uncle! If you lay a finger on me, he won’t let you get away with it!”

“Where is Zhai Dongyuan’s wife?”

“Take your gun away and I’ll tell you, I—”

Bang!

Li Wensheng shifted the gun slightly and fired a shot beside the man’s right ear.

“Aaah!”

The young man clutched his ear, doubling over with a cry of agony.

By now, several people had come out from the main hall. Li Wensheng, seeing this, gave his orders: “Cuff them!”

Five people emerged—women and elderly among them. Li Wensheng surveyed them briefly, then commanded, “Cuff them all!”

Zhao Jianzhi was just about to lead his men forward when a striking woman, her figure alluring and imbued with a mature charm, shouted sharply, “What do you think you’re doing? This is the Chief of Police’s home!”

“And who are you to Zhai Dongyuan?”

“Chief Li, that’s Zhai Dongyuan’s wife, Cong Wanyun,” Zheng Yaoxian explained from the side.

Li Wensheng’s eyes lit up. He looked Cong Wanyun up and down with a mocking smile. “So Chief Zhai is almost fifty—and he has such a young wife. I wonder if he can keep up.”

“Watch your mouth! Why have you barged in here?” Cong Wanyun replied coldly.

“Why? Where’s the dog you keep?”

“It ran away. A while ago it went mad and bolted outside. I’ve no idea where it went,” Cong Wanyun answered stiffly.

Li Wensheng laughed. “Oh, Cong Wanyun, if you’d just called me a lunatic who broke in here looking for a dog, I might have thought I’d made a mistake. But the fact that you’re making excuses, saying the dog ran off, tells me I’m exactly where I need to be.”

Cong Wanyun’s expression changed abruptly, and her right hand darted toward her bosom.

But Li Wensheng, whose gaze had never left her, lunged forward. He caught her right hand, bent slightly at the waist—bang!—and threw Cong Wanyun to the ground.

As she hit the floor, Zhao Jianzhi immediately pounced, pinning her down and shouting, “Hold her hands! Check her teeth and collar!”

Several men rushed forward, restraining Cong Wanyun’s hands and inspecting her mouth and collar.

“Chief Li, we’ve got them. Shall we search the premises?” Zheng Yaoxian asked quietly, stepping to Li Wensheng’s side.

“Search. Very thoroughly. Leave no corner unchecked. And take everyone with us.”

Zheng Yaoxian turned to Zhao Jianzhi, who was already getting up. “Jianzhi, organize the search. Make sure your men behave—this is Chief Zhai’s house.”

Zhao Jianzhi understood: this was Zhai Dongyuan’s residence. They couldn’t just pocket valuables as they might have elsewhere.

“Yes, Sixth Brother.” He turned and gave his orders. “Group One, watch the detainees. Group Four, search the front yard. Group Two, with me.”

As Zhao Jianzhi led his team toward the rear courtyard, Li Wensheng glanced around the inner hall, then strode over to Cong Wanyun.

“Speak. Who are your contacts, up and down the line?”

Cong Wanyun ignored him, closing her eyes and becoming as motionless as a statue.

“Funny, isn’t it?” Li Wensheng remarked. “Everyone in intelligence knows few can withstand torture. Yet so many convince themselves they’re the exception—that they’ll endure. But once the torture starts, they break quickly enough.” He turned to Zheng Yaoxian. “Sixth Brother, why is that? Why do people insist on suffering before they talk?”

“People always think they’re not ordinary, until they’re backed into a corner and forced to admit they are,” Zheng Yaoxian replied with a wry smile.

Li Wensheng grinned. “You’ve seen a lot, Sixth Brother. I never understood it—why not just talk, sooner or later you will. Why go through the pain first?”

He sat down on a bench, crossed his legs, and studied Cong Wanyun.

After a moment, he spoke again. “Strip her. We’ll parade her back naked.”

Everyone froze, staring at Li Wensheng as if he were a monster.

To strip a woman naked and drag her through the streets—anyone with a shred of decency or shame would be appalled.

A flicker of terror crossed Cong Wanyun’s face, but it quickly vanished. She remained as still as a statue.

“Chief Li, you should consider Zhai Dongyuan’s position. No matter what she’s done, she’s his wife. To parade her naked… who could bear it?” Zheng Yaoxian whispered.

Li Wensheng smiled. “Sixth Brother, do you think he can keep his post if his wife is a Japanese spy?”

Zheng Yaoxian shook his head. “No, but Chief Li, to strip a woman and drag her through the streets would cause a scandal. There are many foreigners in Chongqing—the party and the nation would face an outcry.”

Li Wensheng frowned. “Thank you, Sixth Brother. You’re right, we can’t do that.”

A trace of relief crossed Cong Wanyun’s face.

“Who the hell broke into my house?”

A furious shout rang out at the gate. A man with a prominent belly strode in, leading a group of policemen.

Upon seeing the military uniforms, the man’s fury vanished, replaced by a look of gravity.

“Uncle, kill them!” the young man whose ear had been shot shouted angrily at the newcomer.

The newcomer—Zhai Dongyuan—strode quickly to the young man’s side and slapped him hard.

“Uncle, I—”

“Shut up!” Zhai Dongyuan barked, then turned to Li Wensheng.

“Zheng Yaoxian, what crime has my family committed that you’d break into my home without so much as a word?”

Zheng Yaoxian stood, Li Wensheng sat, legs crossed—the posture made it clear who was in charge, though Zhai Dongyuan didn’t recognize Li Wensheng. Of all those present, he knew only Zheng Yaoxian, so he addressed him, though his eyes were on Li Wensheng.

“Chief Zhai, it wasn’t me—it was Chief Li who led the operation,” Zheng Yaoxian replied quickly.

Zhai Dongyuan’s pupils contracted slightly.

He didn’t know Li Wensheng by sight, but he’d heard of him. As Chief of Chongqing Police, he was aware of many things in the city. He knew Li Wensheng’s background was mysterious—even the Central Bureau treated him with respect.

“Chief Li, may I ask what crime my family has committed?”

Zhai Dongyuan’s tone was now considerably more polite, but Li Wensheng had no intention of granting him any face.

“No. It’s classified. You have no right to know.”

Zhai Dongyuan’s face flushed with anger. “Chief Li, are you suggesting I should ask Old Dai myself?”

Li Wensheng laughed. “No need. Since you truly want to know, I’ll tell you. Your wife, Cong Wanyun, is a Japanese spy—she’s involved with the Sheng Residence affair from the other day.”

Zhai Dongyuan whipped around to look at Cong Wanyun. She remained silent and unmoving, as if carved from stone. Instantly, Zhai Dongyuan drew his pistol, pressed it against her forehead, and roared like a furious lion, “You whore! I’ll kill you right now!”

Zheng Yaoxian was alarmed and wanted to intervene, but out of the corner of his eye, he saw Li Wensheng watching Zhai Dongyuan with the eager interest of a spectator at the theater. The words died on his lips.