Urban Martial Saint

Xu Beihua didn’t know what Ye Qing was up to with his mysterious approach, so for a moment, he didn’t know how to answer.

”President Xu, the explosion at Beihua Residential Area has caused a huge uproar. If you really want to take sole responsibility for this matter, feel free not to answer my question,” Ye Qing stood up and said, ”You continue to stay here, I think the trial for this incident should be starting very soon!”

Ye Qing’s words turned Xu Beihua’s face ashen. He was very clear in his mind that even if he could absolve himself of all responsibility, as the person in charge of the company, he would still be unable to escape imprisonment.

”You... you said you could help me, how exactly can you help me?” Xu Beihua looked at Ye Qing, his voice grave, ”I am the head of the company, by what means can you keep me from going to prison?”

”By the fact that I know this accident wasn’t due to a construction error or your company’s lack of oversight!” Ye Qing looked directly at Xu Beihua, his voice cold and deliberate, ”Because this accident was no accident—it was man-made!”

”What?” Xu Beihua’s eyes widened in shock; this was explosive news. If it truly was a case of sabotage, he could clear most of the blame for himself and wouldn’t have to go to prison at all.

Ye Qing said, ”If you trust me, then let’s continue talking. If you don’t, there’s no point in further discussion!”

”Please... please sit down...” Xu Beihua hastily got up and pulled Ye Qing back to the table.

”Back to the question I asked you earlier,” Ye Qing looked at Xu Beihua, said, ”You know about the land requisition for the Beihua Residential Area project, right?”

Xu Beihua was much more compliant now; upon hearing the question, he immediately nodded and replied, ”Beihua Residential Area is our company’s largest project. I personally oversaw many aspects of it. Land requisition was a major issue, and I always paid close attention to it.”

”Were there any conflicts during the land requisition process?” asked Ye Qing.

Xu Beihua: ”There were minor conflicts, but they were resolved later on. Overall, the land requisition process went quite smoothly.”

”Is that so?” Ye Qing frowned slightly and said, ”How did the old woman who disagreed with the requisition die?”

Xu Beihua’s expression changed, and he looked somewhat uneasy as he lowered his head and said, ”She... she died in an accident. The autopsy report by the doctor confirmed that she... she died of a myocardial infarction.”

”President Xu, it seems you are still unwilling to cooperate,” Ye Qing shook his head and said, ”Since that’s the case, there’s not much left for us to talk about. Although the accident was man-made, with all the commotion it’s caused, what do you think the police will do about it? If the perpetrator behind the accident is caught, then you will definitely be off the hook.

But if not, someone will have to take the fall.”

Xu Beihua’s face changed again, and he looked at Ye Qing, his voice trembling, ”I... I’m telling the truth; I’m not deceiving you!”

Ye Qing said, ”Whether you’ve lied to me or not, you know very well. Now that they’ve come knocking at your door, don’t you understand the situation? They’ve bombed your construction site this time; next time, the bomb could be in your own living room. President Xu, even if you are released without charges, how many more times can you escape unscathed?”

Xu Beihua furrowed his brows, remained silent for a long time, and then finally said in a low voice, ”If... If I speak, can he be caught?”

Ye Qing responded, ”At least there’s a chance!”

Xu Beihua sighed deeply, a trace of desolation flashing in his eyes, and said, ”That old lady... indeed, her death wasn’t an accident...”

This revelation was within Ye Qing’s expectations; he watched Xu Beihua, silently awaiting what he would disclose next.

”However, her death doesn’t have much to do with me,” Xu Beihua said quietly, ”As you know, with projects like these, the company doesn’t handle the land acquisition directly. These matters are taken care of by people with influence in society...”

Ye Qing said sternly, ”What do you mean by people with influence in society?”

Xu Beihua replied, ”I mean... those with power in society, the underworld bosses…”

Ye Qing glared and said, ”A thug is just a thug; you call that influence?”

”Yes, yes, yes...” Xu Beihua nodded repeatedly, but in his heart, he felt dejected. Those bosses that walked the streets, none of them could be considered mere thugs. Despite their underworld connections, their influence was indeed greater than that of most businessmen. How could you describe them as mere thugs?

Ye Qing, in a stern voice, continued, ”Are you suggesting that these thugs are responsible for the old woman’s death?”

With his head hung low, Xu Beihua replied softly, ”I didn’t handle this matter personally, so I don’t know much about it. As you know, a company can’t directly involve itself in these illegal activities, or else it would be trouble later on. Thus, after handing over the land requisition to these influential... no, these thugs, I didn’t interfere much.

I just heard that the old woman continuously refused to relocate and then she died, which made me suspect there was a problem...”

”Xu Beihua, I am giving you one more chance!” Ye Qing’s voice was forceful, ”Tell me the truth, or you can be thankful if you only end up in prison. Otherwise, you’re likely to be blown to pieces!”

Xu Beihua was startled, trembling as he said, ”I... I was telling the truth...”

Ye Qing rose to leave, and Xu Beihua’s complexion changed several times, he hurriedly stood up and anxiously said, ”Fine, I... I’ll tell the truth!”

Ye Qing turned his head to look at him. He didn’t sit back down; his stance suggested he was ready to leave at any moment.

Xu Beihua’s face was extremely unsightly, his fists clenched tightly, as he spoke in a deep voice, ”I know about that incident too. At the time, the nearby residents had all moved away, but that old woman still refused to leave. To get the job done, those people... they killed the old woman...”

Ye Qing spoke sternly, ”Do you just know about this, or did you participate? Or perhaps, were you the one who actually orchestrated it?”

Xu Beihua rushed to say, ”I... I really only knew about it, I didn’t participate at all, let alone orchestrate it. They just mentioned it to me, and I didn’t pay much attention. After all, the land requisition was their job to handle, and I didn’t want to interfere.”

From Xu Beihua’s expression, it was clear that he truly hadn’t been much involved in the matter.

Ye Qing said, ”How did they kill the old woman? Why does the autopsy report show she died of a myocardial infarction?”

”I really don’t know about that. I didn’t want to be involved in this matter at all, so whatever they did, I’m completely unaware,” Xu Beihua paused for a moment, looked at Ye Qing, and said in a low voice, ”You... You’re not suggesting that someone is seeking revenge against me because of the old woman’s matter, are you? I... I am innocent!”

”Whether you are innocent or not will be determined later,” Ye Qing said coldly. ”However, you must bear some responsibility for the death of the old woman.”

”I... I haven’t done anything...” Xu Beihua said in a low voice.

Ye Qing said coldly, ”The project was yours, and you were the one who hired the people for the land acquisition; you dare say this matter has nothing to do with you!”

Xu Beihua, hanging his head in silence, knew he had to accept some responsibility as the person in charge.

”Who helped you with the land acquisition at the time?” Ye Qing asked sternly.

Xu Beihua hesitated, as if somewhat apprehensive, and said softly, ”It was... it was Chen Wuye...”

Ye Qing said, ”What ’Wuye’ are you talking about, doesn’t he have a name!”

”I don’t know his real name; everyone just calls him Chen Wuye...” Xu Beihua glanced at Ye Qing, then said softly, ”In Shenchuan City, one-third of the residential developments under construction are pushed through with the help of Chen Wuye. He is very powerful in the outside world, he has a foothold in both the underbelly and legitimate circles, and nobody dares to provoke him!”

”Hmph, not necessarily this time!” Ye Qing glanced at Xu Beihua and said, ”Xu Beihua, are you sure that everything you told me was the truth? Don’t say I didn’t warn you, if there is any discrepancy, you might not be able to walk out of the police station!”

Xu Beihua stood up, his attitude serious, as he swore, ”I swear, every word I said is true, absolutely no falsehoods.”

Of course, Ye Qing wouldn’t believe his oath; after doing business for so long, Xu Beihua had become quite the cunning fox. The reason why Ye Qing could extract these words from him was mainly that he was truly scared at the moment. Otherwise, it would have been difficult for Ye Qing to extract anything valuable from him.

”Very well!” Ye Qing turned, pulled open the door, and as he was about to leave, Xu Beihua hastily stepped forward, urgently asking, ”What about... What about me?”

”Wait for the news!” Ye Qing dropped those words and left directly, not bothering with him at all.

Xu Beihua wasn’t a good person, and if this hadn’t affected so many innocent workers, Ye Qing really wouldn’t want to get involved with this matter.

Ye Qing returned to the hospital, Zhao Chengshuang had already had someone send over all the information on the old woman.

The old woman had died two years ago, and her family had no other relatives; her records were nearly destroyed. Zhao Chengshuang had to go to quite some trouble to find this information. However, he seemed quite enthusiastic about the case.

Having already performed a great service by saving people, if he could also catch the person behind the accident, that would be an even greater accomplishment. The incident could almost be classified as a terrorist attack. If he caught a terrorist, wouldn’t he get attention from the entire country, even the world?

Ye Qing reviewed the old woman’s information from beginning to end, just as before, she had no relatives. Her husband had died early, and she had a son, but the son had left home when he was a teenager and had never returned. In that epoch, it wasn’t unusual for someone his age to starve to death out in the world.

Thus on police records, the old woman’s missing son was declared dead and his household registration was annulled.

However, according to the descriptions from the old woman’s neighbors, she never wanted to believe that her son had died. Over the years, she had stayed in that old house, not stepping outside for decades, spending most of her time at home, hoping her son would one day return.

The compensation for the relocation was quite substantial, but she didn’t want to leave, fearing that if she did, her son wouldn’t be able to find her upon his return. Her unwillingness to relocate ultimately led to the subsequent tragedy.

Ye Qing closed the materials, feeling a great deal of sympathy for what the old woman had endured. At the same time, another thought emerged in his mind: Could it be that the old woman’s son was actually still alive?