I Have Infinite Skill Points-Chapter 651 Clues

"The day of the incident was also very strange. Director Wen was off duty that day, went out alone, and didn’t carry his work phone. After that, he went to the restroom in the mall and never came out again.

"After the investigation, we found Director Wen in the surveillance footage behind the mall. He was disguised, and afterwards, he deliberately avoided the video surveillance and completely disappeared. It’s certain that Director Wen deliberately avoided the cameras to leave no trace before he disappeared; otherwise, it wouldn’t have caused us so much trouble.

"The quarry was targeted based on energy-detection equipment that picked up energy fluctuations from there. Then we went to investigate what happened and collected Director Wen’s blood at the scene. But up to now, we haven’t found out why Director Wen went there, nor do we understand why Director Wen went there in such a suspicious manner."

"Xing, you sure used ’suspicious’ very vividly."

"I’m just sticking to the facts. Don’t you think Director Wen’s whereabouts that day were suspicious?"

"Everyone is aware of the situation in Huzhou Province. Is it not possible for Director Wen to secretly meet an informant to gather some intelligence? Chief Liu has informants providing intelligence—can’t Director Wen do the same?"

"This is clearly a premeditated murder. Director Wen was lured to the quarry and ambushed. Whoever dared to harm Director Wen must have had some backup; they wouldn’t have had the courage otherwise. Besides, I don’t believe this case is so flawless that after a month of investigation, not even a single clue has been found?"

"Zhang, you need to be responsible for your words."

"I, Zhang Minglin, stand by every word!"

"We’re discussing the case here; all speculations must be based on substantial evidence and facts. Let’s not jump to conclusions," Wang Lan said softly, tapping the table lightly.

"General Wang, I’m not making groundless accusations," Zhang Minglin said. "Director Wen has always made use of covert informants. A few years ago, it was through informant intelligence that Director Wen discovered the head of the Tianjian Bureau of Cangyue City abusing his position to act as an umbrella for criminals."

"Why use informant intelligence? Doesn’t the Tianjian Bureau have an Intelligence Department?" Jiang Xinyu asked with confusion.

"Intelligence Department? Our Action Department barely gets intelligence support from them even once a year."

"Is it because we don’t provide intelligence support? We have provided intelligence support many times, but all operations have failed. Only as a last resort did we start acting on our own intelligence. Is it meaningful to blame us now?"

"You call sending our brothers to their deaths with intelligence that can’t possibly lead to a successful operation, support?"

"Enough!" Wang Lan was also furious. He didn’t care, nor could he manage, how the Tianjian Bureau in Huzhou used to fight internally, but now that he was here and they were airing their dirty laundry in front of him, that was too much.

"In this task force, I don’t want to hear dissenting voices again. If this happens again, all of you can get out. Dismissed, go do your tasks properly. Zhang Minglin, stay behind."

Wang Lan’s anger made everyone leave trembling, and Zhang Minglin sat across from Wang Lan and Jiang Xinyu with a gloomy face, enduring Wang Lan’s tsunami-like fury.

"Speak up, what’s going on? What are you really trying to do?"

"I did not... I was just sticking to the facts..."

"Do you take me for a fool? Do you think I can’t see that you’re deliberately picking a fight? Do you really think that I can’t tell you’re putting on a show for me? Xing Yue has been retreating, but you kept pushing, forcing him into a corner where he had no choice but to fight back."

"General Wang, I didn’t want this," Zhang Minglin said weakly. "The bureau has long been divided into two factions. When Director Wen was here, he could support us. Now that Director Wen is gone, life for those in the Action Department, the Evidence Department, and the General Affairs Department has been getting tougher.

"If you had not come, within a month, we would have all been purged from the Tianjian Bureau. I was left with no choice; I didn’t want the Tianjian Bureau in Huzhou to be completely under Chief Liu’s thumb."

"The Tianjian Bureau belongs to the nation, not to Chief Liu, and certainly not to Director Wen. It’s not a platform for internal strife," rebuked Wang Lan before softening his tone. "Tell me, to what extent has the factional struggle gone?"

"Director Wen and Chief Liu became known as the Huzhou Double Dragon and nearly entered the Tianjian Bureau at the same time, competing with each other for over twenty years. The power struggle began once Chief Liu became the head of the bureau.

"Out of thirty-two cities in Huzhou, fifteen Tianjian Bureaus are supported by Director Wen; they’re considered his people. The remaining seventeen cities are directly under Chief Liu’s influence.

"The struggle between Chief Liu and Director Wen is obvious to everyone. Three years ago, through informant intelligence, Director Wen took down the head of the Tianjian Bureau in Cangyue City on charges of malfeasance and abuse of power, which led the latter to take his own life to atone.

"But Director Wen said that this wasn’t something a branch head would dare to do alone; there had to be someone behind him. Over the years, Director Wen has been secretly investigating the mastermind behind the scenes."

"The one behind the Tianjian Bureau of Cangyue City is..."

"Chief Liu."

"Are you a close confidant of Director Wen?"

"I wouldn’t consider myself a confidant, but I was indeed brought up by Director Wen himself."

"Are you certain you don’t know about Director Wen’s secretive whereabouts that day, or do you know who Director Wen went to meet but you’re deliberately not saying?"

"Even if Director Wen trusts me greatly, he couldn’t possibly trust me fully; after all, the Action Department isn’t a completely sealed wall."

"Alright, I understand. You may step down now."

Soon, only Wang Lan and Jiang Xinyu were left in the office. They looked at each other and shared a wry smile, their faces full of helplessness.

"It really opens one’s eyes, to think that the Tianjian Bureau in Huzhou Province could be in such a state."

"I had always thought that as a regional special service agency, the Tianjian Bureau wouldn’t have such ridiculous internal conflicts. I didn’t expect they actually existed, and the struggles were so intense."

"While you were questioning, I did some research. The current situation is greatly related to the former Tianjian Bureau chief, Ren Rufeng. Ren Rufeng was the mentor for both Liu Yuxin and Wen Xianghua, and he took notice of them fifteen years ago when they each headed different municipal bureaus.

The hidden forces in Huzhou territory were very active, and due to the dense mountains and forests, many smugglers, fugitives, and people who couldn’t expose themselves hid in Huzhou. At that time, public security in Huzhou could be said to be among the worst in the country.

Ren Rufeng took advantage of the competition between the Huzhou Double Dragon, strongly supported both men, and they both lived up to expectations, working desperately hard wherever they went. Both advanced quickly in rank, although they both had several near-death experiences.

Liu Yuxin was adept at strategy, and Wen Xianghua was brave and decisive. The two were frequently transferred from one city to another over nearly a decade, and wherever they went, the security of that city was significantly improved.

However, this resulted in a consequence: they established iron-clad bases in these cities. Five years ago, Ren Rufeng was about to be transferred out. Between Liu Yuxin and Wen Xianghua, he ultimately chose Liu Yuxin.

By that time, Wen Xianghua had become too powerful to be easily displaced. Even if he were transferred out, his influence in Huzhou Province could still rival Liu Yuxin’s. The situation in Huzhou didn’t happen overnight but was the result of twelve years of accumulation."

"So, Liu Yuxin is still the prime suspect? In that case... investigating Liu Yuxin in his own territory will be much more difficult."

"But there’s something I don’t understand. The rivalry between Wen Xianghua and Liu Yuxin hasn’t reached a life-and-death point, has it? They aren’t competing for a throne, so would Liu Yuxin really go as far as to want Wen Xianghua dead?"

"This reminds me of the information provided by Zhang Minglin, about the former chief of Cangyue City. He was taken down by Wen Xianghua, but Wen Xianghua said there were still people behind Cangyue City. Wen Xianghua has a habit of obtaining evidence through informants. If, as Zhang Minglin suspected, Liu Yuxin was indeed behind Cangyue City three years ago, and Wen Xianghua had been persistently investigating... then it really would be a situation where neither could live while the other survives."

"That makes sense now. Wen Xianghua not only threatened Liu Yuxin’s position but might also destroy Liu Yuxin’s life’s glory, so Liu Yuxin harbored a killing intent. That day, Wen Xianghua’s mysterious departure was very likely because he received information from an informant that could prove Liu Yuxin’s guilt. What he didn’t expect was that this was a carefully arranged death trap by Liu Yuxin."

"Although this makes sense, all of this is still based on speculation. We can have our own guesses, but we cannot afford to be biased. What comes next is to verify whether this speculation is correct."

Having reached this point, both Wang Lan and Jiang Xinyu’s hearts suddenly lightened, feeling like the truth was no longer so far away. And the reason the Huzhou Tianjian Bureau hadn’t figured out the ins and outs in a month was probably not that they couldn’t find out, but that they didn’t dare to investigate.

"RING! RING! RING!—" 𝚏𝕣𝐞𝗲𝐰𝕖𝐛𝐧𝕠𝕧𝚎𝚕.𝐜𝚘𝗺

His cellphone suddenly rang. Wang Lan took out his phone; it was Mr. Jin calling. He quickly answered.

"Hello, Wang Lan, you’ve started working in Huzhou Province, right? How is it? The Tianjian Bureau in Huzhou Province must be a fresh experience for you."

"Mr. Jin, you’re really setting me up!" Wang Lan exclaimed indignantly, hearing the teasing voice over the phone. "You knew I dislike these kinds of intrigues, yet you still sent me to Huzhou?"

"Hahaha... But I have more faith that there’s no difficulty you can’t handle. The situation in Huzhou Province has persisted for many years now and needs proper reform. Sending you there is like sending in a fierce dragon across the river."

"But can a dragon ever truly overpower the local snakes?"

"That depends on how powerful the dragon really is. Alright, I called to remind you that not everything in this world is black or white, and the same goes for the Tianjian Bureau in Huzhou. Not everyone is either with Wen Xianghua or with Liu Yuxin.

If everyone at the top has taken sides, what about those at the bottom? The Tianjian Bureau in Huzhou has over three hundred field-grade officers in its headquarters and branches. And further down, what about the company-grade officers? Apart from discovering the truth, you also need to shift the mindset of the Tianjian Bureau in Huzhou, to make them understand who they are fighting for."

"Thank you for the reminder, Mr. Jin, I understand."

After hanging up the phone, Wang Lan soon received information on his phone about a person: Wu Yao, the head of the serious crime unit in Cangyue City’s police department. Opening the details, Wang Lan immediately understood why Mr. Jin had sent him this person’s information.