Chapter Eighty-Six: Sudden Shifts in the Wind and Clouds

Eastward, hearing Luo Feiyu’s seemingly casual question, turned with a smile. “Thank you for the compliment. I think so too. You’re not jealous of her, are you?”

“Get lost. Careful, or I’ll knock every tooth out of your mouth.” Luo Feiyu shot him a glare.

The lawyer arrived far earlier than Luo Feiyu had expected, coming up in the middle of the night. Zhao Baode was in his forties, wore glasses, and was a little balding. He had rushed all the way from Beijing, and came straight over as soon as he got off the plane.

The highly conscientious Lawyer Zhao introduced himself to Eastward, then immediately began asking about the case. He had Eastward tell him everything from beginning to end. After listening, Zhao Baode found himself scratching his head too.

“The circumstances are almost exactly the same as what Miss Tan emailed me. Right now the main question is whether the charge of intentional injury can be sustained. The other issues are not too serious. What matters next is the current condition of the injured man. We should only hope there won’t be too much trouble. As you know, you struck in full view of everyone; there is not the slightest room for explanation or maneuvering.” Zhao Baode frowned, troubled.

“There shouldn’t be much of a problem. When I hit him, I didn’t mean to kill him. The injuries were mostly to his arms and legs; I didn’t touch the rest of him. The last blow landed on his neck, but from what happened afterward, it looked like he just got his breath knocked out.” Eastward asked the lawyer for a cigarette, lit it, and exhaled. “Are Tan Xue and the others all right?”

“Miss Tan isn’t really involved here. Miss Li is a little more troublesome, but she paid the fine and has already been released on bail. No need to worry.” Zhao Baode was calm in the face of trouble, and his words were careful and precise. He looked like someone who had seen more than his share of major cases.

“All right then. When do you think I can get out on bail? It really isn’t as comfortable here as home. I’m starting to miss my bed.” Eastward stretched lazily, not worried about himself at all.

“I hope it can be as soon as possible, though we do need someone to prove that what you said is true. I’ll go ask the police about the situation. Wait for my news tomorrow.” Zhao Baode rose to his feet. He was indeed diligent, coming all the way from Beijing and, without a moment’s rest, coming to see Eastward—he still didn’t even know where the hotel Tan Xue had booked for him was.

Zhao Baode went out and found the officer on duty, explained the situation, and handed him a business card.

The officer took him to the Criminal Investigation Squad office, knocked, and led Zhao Baode inside. Besides Gao Jun and Luo Feiyu, there was also an elderly man with white hair in the room.

“Hello. I am Eastward’s lawyer. My name is Zhao Baode. I’d like to inquire about the details of Eastward’s case.” Zhao Baode nodded to the three people inside and introduced himself.

“That information isn’t available right now. Please go back.” As soon as Gao Jun heard he was Eastward’s lawyer, he cut in impatiently.

“You’re Lawyer Zhao, I presume? I’m the captain of the criminal investigation squad, Chen Xiao. Please, have a seat.” The old man stood up and greeted Zhao Baode, then turned and shot Gao Jun a somewhat reproachful look. “Go see if there’s any progress.”

Chen Xiao was the captain of the development zone criminal investigation squad. Nearly sixty this year and reaching retirement age, he was very protective of his disciple Gao Jun, whom he had trained himself. But lawyers are not easy people to deal with, and such immature behavior from Gao Jun would only invite criticism. Sending him away was also a form of protection.

“The facts of Eastward’s case are clear and the evidence conclusive. His fingerprints are clearly on the wooden stick used to beat the injured man, and everyone at the scene saw exactly how he committed the assault. That is one point. Second, the gambling involved a huge amount of money, and that has also been verified. So I’m sure you understand: he cannot be released yet.” Chen Xiao, a seasoned hand, laid out Eastward’s situation plainly, while also implying to Zhao Baode that there was nothing he could help with at present.

“I understand.” Zhao Baode nodded. “By the way, Captain Chen, may I ask whether the examination report on the injured man left at the scene has come out yet?” What Zhao Baode cared about were the evidence and anything favorable to his client; even while speaking to Chen Xiao, he did not forget to record the conversation quietly.

“The exact nature of the brawl can only be determined after all questioning is complete. The injury assessment has already been finished. The injured man has fractures and severe soft-tissue trauma; it’s not yet life-threatening, but he has gone blind in one eye. That will require a substantial compensation payment.” Chen Xiao could tell at a glance that Zhao Baode was recording, but he only smiled and did not expose him.

“Thank you, Captain Chen. If anything comes up, I may have to trouble you again. Also, I don’t know whether my client has offended anyone else, so please take extra care in protecting the injured man. If anything happens to him while he’s in hospital, my client will be in trouble. Safety first—pardon my nagging.” As he prepared to take his leave, Zhao Baode reminded Chen Xiao not to be careless.

“Thank you for your advice. Our security arrangements are still very strict, and I’ll keep an eye on it as well.” Chen Xiao smiled, stood up, and said to Luo Feiyu, “See Lawyer Zhao out.”

“Lawyer Zhao.” Luo Feiyu escorted Zhao Baode out of the office. When they reached the stairwell and saw that no one was around, she called out to stop him as he was about to go downstairs.

“You need something?” Zhao Baode turned to look at this bright and lovely policewoman.

“The nature of the brawl—that’s the key.” Her voice low, Luo Feiyu finished speaking and turned back.

“The nature, the nature?” Zhao Baode clapped his hands. That was exactly it.

He started to go back to see Eastward, but after a few steps he stopped, humming a tune as he left the development zone branch office building.

When Zhao Baode arrived at the hotel, he was surprised to find that Tan Xue and Li Youlan were still waiting for him. It was already past midnight, and neither of them had gone home to sleep.

“Lawyer Zhao, will Eastward be all right?” Seeing him return, Tan Xue asked anxiously at once.

“The problem isn’t big. I’ve had someone install surveillance at the hospital to make sure the injured man can’t tamper with anything. I also called a few people who were at the scene. Almost all of them are willing to testify for Eastward that he struck back in self-defense and resisted only to rescue people and protect himself. Compensation shouldn’t be much of an issue. At worst, it’s excessive self-defense—nothing serious.” With Luo Feiyu’s reminder, Zhao Baode had made some arrangements, and now he was full of confidence.

“Really?” The resentful look on Li Youlan’s face finally changed at his words.

“Mm. Go to sleep early. It won’t be long before you can see him. You girls aren’t tired, but Uncle Zhao is about to fall over.” It seemed Zhao Baode was quite familiar with both girls.

“That’s good. Thank you, Uncle Zhao.” Tan Xue bowed politely to him, and Li Youlan did the same. At last, the two of them could breathe again, and they left arm in arm.

Gao Jun had been up all night without sleep. Eastward had been locked in the interrogation room at the branch office, while everyone else had been released after giving their statements. There was no room to keep so many gamblers. As for the organizers of the fighting pit and the subordinates who hadn’t managed to flee, they were all directly taken to Jinzhou Detention Center. Gao Jun had run back and forth several times that night, and the statements he obtained were nearly identical. In his mind, Eastward’s charge of intentional assault was solid; wasn’t that enough to lock that old bastard up for years? He felt so pleased with himself that even riding his motorcycle, he felt light as air. The throttle was already opened to the limit, yet it still seemed too slow.

“How’s the interrogation going? Any progress?” Chen Xiao’s eyes were also red. Age was no match for youth; he had survived by drinking cup after cup of strong tea.

“The evidence is conclusive. We can contact the prosecutor immediately and file charges.” Gao Jun took off his helmet and laid a stack of documents before Chen Xiao, his tone tinged with an odd excitement.

“Then go handle it. Remember, whatever you do, stay steady.” Chen Xiao again warned his prized disciple.

“Yes, Master.” Gao Jun had privately always called Chen Xiao Master. After years together, their bond had grown quite deep, far beyond the usual relationship of teacher and student or even coworkers.

The very next morning, matters took another turn. Somehow, news of the underground fighting pit’s destruction the day before leaked to the media, and newspapers and television stations bombarded the public one after another.

Stories about huge gambling sums, blood-soaked brutal bare-knuckle fights, and so on appeared in print. There were also reports that the newly appointed president of Silver Dragon had not only taken part in gambling but had personally entered the ring, leaving one man severely injured; suspicions that the former young master of the Chu Group was the mastermind behind the fighting pit; rumors of a mysterious woman serving as the red-marker; claims that the Chu heir had willingly risked his life for two beauties. On the internet, a clipped video also appeared, and the whole matter was clearly escalating.

“Uncle Zhao, have you seen the news?” Early that morning, Tan Xue called Zhao Baode, while Li Youlan and Xiao Yuer stood beside her, waiting for the reply.

“I’ve seen it. It’s fine. Public opinion will shift. None of that is what we need to worry about.” Zhao Baode remained composed. “The key is that someone behind the scenes must certainly have been directing this. Otherwise it wouldn’t have turned out this way. The police department’s influence reaches only so far.”

“Then what should we do?” Tan Xue was beginning to panic, her face going pale. Beside her, Li Youlan and Xiao Yuer also looked worried.

“Wait and see.” Zhao Baode slowly uttered the words.

“What the hell is going on?” Chen Xiao, returning home, saw a newspaper tucked into his door. After taking it inside and glancing through it, he called Gao Jun at once.

“I’m not sure either. What’s certain now is that the news didn’t leak from our side.” Gao Jun’s face was somewhat grim. Such a major matter was not something he could decide on his own.

“At this point, it seems someone else knows the situation at the time even better than we do. You must find out who leaked this information. It may be the person behind all this. Investigate it to the very end!” Chen Xiao ordered gravely.

“Yes.”

After hanging up, Gao Jun began to ache with a headache. The people being held in Jinzhou should have been the breakthrough, but none of them would speak to the real issue. Now a crowd of reporters was packed outside the branch office, waiting for the next update. Looking out at that forest of cameras and microphones, Gao Jun felt faint.

Wang Dongliang reclined halfway in a wicker chair on his villa terrace, a glass of red wine in hand, listening to his subordinate’s report.

“Right now, both the television stations and the newspapers have received anonymous letters. The response has been extraordinary. Online, the latest video is still being uploaded nonstop. The clicks and reactions are exploding…”

“Be careful. The police aren’t pushovers either. Use overseas servers whenever possible, and don’t let them catch any trail.” Wang Dongliang interrupted his subordinate and gave further instructions.

“Understood. I’ll handle it now.” His man nodded and was about to leave.

“Wait. Have the losses from this round been tallied?” Wang Dongliang stopped him.

“The place is ruined, so that’s more than thirty million lost. But yesterday our funds were moved out a step ahead. Also, more than a hundred million from the final match had not yet been returned, and that money has already reached our accounts. All told, we still came out ahead.” The subordinate took out a small notebook and read from it.

“I see. You may go.”

A cold smile appeared on Wang Dongliang’s face. “Damn it, it was worth it after all.”