Siheyuan: The Era of Struggle

Chapter 328: Nothing to worry about
Seeing Zhigang walking up to Luo Qiang and about to attack, He Yuanchao hurriedly stepped forward and stretched out his hand to stop him.

"Director He, don't stop me. I'm going to teach this beast a lesson today no matter what you say."

As he spoke, Zhigang was struggling to get closer to the interrogation chair.

After pushing Zhigang back to the interrogation table and pressing him to sit on the chair, He Yuanchao spoke softly, "Be patient, let's listen to what's going on first."

Zhigang struggled for a long time but failed to break free from He Yuanchao's control. For the sake of his own self-esteem, he had no choice but to go along with it and said:

"Okay, I'll listen to you. I want to see how this heartless guy can do such a heinous thing."

After calming down the indignant Zhigang and seeing that he had no intention of getting up, He Yuanchao did not waste any more time on him and turned back to the interrogation chair.

He also wanted to try to clarify the doubts in his heart before Lian Shouren came back, so he didn't want to waste any time and went straight to the point and expressed the greatest sincerity he could offer.

"Tell me, if it's really as you said, and Luo Gang was threatened by you, I will report the matter to the relevant leaders and try to get a good outcome for your brother."

He Yuanchao did not promise that he would definitely exempt Luo Gang from punishment. Although Luo Qiang was a little dissatisfied, he knew that this attitude was the most trustworthy at the moment.

After thinking for a while, he asked He Yuanchao for a cigarette, lit it and took two puffs, then lowered his head and began to recount what happened that year.

In February 1949, the Security Bureau headquarters in Guangzhou formulated a "Cicada" lurking plan against Kyoto. He and some former Peking Station agents who had escaped back to the headquarters received the order and sneaked back to Kyoto in batches for various reasons.

At that time, Kyoto was under martial law and strict checks were carried out everywhere. Many of his colleagues had just returned to Kyoto, and before they had time to find their disguised identities, they were reported by highly vigilant citizens or their identities were discovered by the public security organs and they were arrested.

The reason why he was able to hide safely was that before escaping, he abducted his nephew and niece for Huo Fuluogang's family.

Luo Qiang used this to threaten Luo Gang. The two brothers were twins, and except for one who looked older, they were almost identical.

In addition, in the past few years, he has been hiding during the day and active at night unless there is any important matter, so few people have seen him, so he has not been discovered.

After listening to Luo Qiang's story, He Yuanchao nodded. Everything seemed very reasonable, but he always felt something was wrong.

After walking back and forth in front of Luo Qiang for a while, He Yuanchao suddenly asked, "Was the death of Luo Gang's wife your doing?"

"What?"

Luo Qiang looked up in surprise and stared at He Yuanchao for about a minute before he lowered his head and explained, "I didn't kill her. She was in poor health to begin with, and she died because of the issue of the two children."

It has been several years since the incident, and it would be difficult to find out the truth about the death of Luo Gang's wife with current criminal investigation methods.

He Yuanchao thought so and didn't dwell on this question anymore. He continued to ask, "Are your nephews and nieces still alive?"

"Alive."

After giving a clear answer, Luo Qiang seemed to remember something and quickly raised his head and said, "My nephew and niece are now living with an old bachelor in Guangzhou.

Can I ask the government to help me bring them back?"

Hearing Luo Qiang's request, He Yuanchao subconsciously thought that he had to report the matter to his superiors first, but then he remembered that the case had now been transferred to the National Security Bureau, so he turned his head and looked in the direction of the interrogation table.

Zhigang, who was sitting behind the interrogation table, heard everything Luo Qiang said and requested. When he saw the look He Yuanchao gave him, he instantly understood what he meant. It shouldn't be a big deal. It would be easy to solve the problem by contacting the National Security Bureau in Guangzhou. But he, a small fry, didn't have the nerve to make the phone call and give orders.

Just as Zhigang was hesitating about how to reply to He Yuanchao and Luo Qiang, the door of the interrogation room was pushed open with a creaky sound, and then the three people in the room saw Lian Shouren standing at the door of the interrogation room.

Seeing his savior coming, Zhigang was immediately delighted. He stood up and was about to pass the hot potato away, but before he could open his mouth, Lian Shouren spoke first.

"Deputy Director He, please come out for a moment. I have something to discuss with you."

He Yuanchao was stunned for a moment when he heard this, and thought to himself, "The case has been handed over to the National Security Bureau. Is there anything else you need to discuss with me?"

You may have doubts, but your mental attitude must be correct, at least it should appear that way to outsiders.

After He Yuanchao left the interrogation room, Lian Shouren closed the door and then said in a low voice with an embarrassed expression on his face:
"I'm really sorry, brother Yuan Chao. I just reported the case to the ministry. The leader said that this case involves too many enemy agents and is a major case. We must bring it back to the ministry for handling."

At this point, Lian Shouren paused, with a look of guilt on his face that was more obvious than before. He hesitated for a while before continuing, "And that is... that is..."

"I see."

Seeing Lian Shouren's expression and hearing him stammer, He Yuanchao instantly understood what was going on and immediately took over the conversation:

"Brother Lian, don't worry. The steel mill will keep it confidential. If the national security department is worried about the case being leaked, they need to be quarantined..."

“No, no.”

Lian Shouren saw that He Yuanchao had a calm expression and showed no resistance at all, which made him feel even more uncomfortable. He quickly waved his hand to interrupt him and said:

"Brother Yuan Chao, I owe you a favor this time. Don't worry, I will definitely make it up to you when the case is closed."

It was he who had insisted on getting He Yuanchao and the steel plant involved in the case. Now his superiors wanted to kick them out. Although he could understand it, he still felt a little embarrassed on his part.

He Yuanchao was unwilling to get involved in this case from the beginning, but now that the National Security Bureau has made such a decision, he is very happy.

After saying a few polite words to Lian Shouren, he thought for a while and told him about the threats against Luo Gang. In the end, He Yuanchao, who was unwilling to get involved in the case, even expressed his opinion for the first time.

Lian Shouren looked at He Yuanchao in surprise, feeling somewhat puzzled, but he did not show it on his face, and said with a smile:

"Since you said so, brother Yuan Chao, we will take Luo Gang back and lock him up. As for his two children, we will also arrange for someone to send them back as soon as possible."

Having obtained the result he wanted, He Yuanchao did not say anything else. He briefly discussed the escort process with Lian Shouren, then went to the duty room to gather people.

Lian Shouren was not idle either. While He Yuanchao was on the phone, he quickly took care of his own business.

By the time the steel plant's security department had finished everything and got Luo Qiang, Luo Gang, Liu Liang and Li Da Kui into the car, almost half an hour had passed.

Watching the convoy leave the steel plant gate, He Yuanchao breathed a sigh of relief and looked at the time. It was already 1:15 in the morning. There was no need to go back at this time. He might as well find a place to stay for the night.

Thinking of this, He Yuanchao told the security personnel in the security room at the gate a few words to be careful, then turned and walked towards the dormitory of the Security Department.

(End of this chapter)