Chapter 669: Ledger
"We use an encrypted channel and destroy it after every contact. If we need to meet, we go to a farmhouse outside the city. It’s a secret stronghold belonging to Li Mingyuan, and no one knows about it."
"Where is this farmhouse located?"
"It’s at the border between Celestial Swallow Province and Linhai Province. I’ve sent the exact coordinates to your personal terminal... Oh, you probably already looked it up."
Having asked the final question, Xu Wuyi withdrew his right hand. The power that had enshrouded Wang Haidong instantly dissipated.
Wang Haidong’s body jolted violently, his eyes gradually regaining their clarity. He looked down at his hands, then up at Xu Wuyi across from him, his face filled with terror.
"What... what did you do to me?" His voice trembled. "How could I say those things? None of it is true! You’re playing tricks, it’s you..."
Xu Wuyi ignored him and turned toward the door of the interrogation room. Fang Xiaoxiao and Zhou Bin exchanged a glance, hastily standing up to follow. The door clicked shut behind them, cutting off Wang Haidong’s hysterical screams.
The corridor was quiet, echoing only with the footsteps of the three people.
Fang Xiaoxiao followed behind Xu Wuyi, her stomach bursting with questions she didn’t know how to begin asking. Staring at the masked figure’s back, an indescribable feeling welled up inside her—a mix of awe, curiosity, and a faint trace of fear.
This person was too terrifying. It wasn’t just a terror born of physical strength, but something entirely beyond the scope of comprehension.
She wondered how he had managed to do it. Who exactly was he? Was this some peculiar Power of Heart Image?
The law explicitly prohibited the use of truth serums on unconvicted suspects, but it said nothing about the Power of Heart Image. The abilities of High-Tier Martial Artists were so vastly diverse that a mere piece of legislation could never fully rein them in. Consequently, they could only be judged by the consequences of their actions. An ability like Xu Wuyi’s, which forced a person to speak the truth without causing any physical harm, was incredibly difficult to restrict legally.
Of course, if he were to use it without restraint, other Martial Artists would naturally step in to keep him in check. The further one walked along the path of Martial Arts, the more it devolved into the primal law of the jungle—the biggest fist made the rules. When fists were of equal size, the side with the most people had the final say.
After a long silence, Zhou Bin finally spoke up. "Captain Meng, what happened just now... Is what Wang Haidong said reliable?"
Xu Wuyi didn’t break his stride. His voice drifted back from ahead. "Reliable."
"But..." Zhou Bin paused, seemingly weighing his words. "Anything he says in that state cannot be used as legal evidence."
"I know."
"Then what do we do next? Even if we know where the ledger is hidden, we can’t retrieve it without a search warrant. To apply for a warrant, we need to clearly document the circumstances. But given Wang Haidong’s state when he spoke..."
Xu Wuyi stopped and turned to look at him. "Who said we need a search warrant?"
Zhou Bin was taken aback.
Xu Wuyi explained, "Wang Haidong said it himself. The ledger is in the basement of his villa in the East District. That is his own property, and it’s his own possession. Does he need a search warrant to retrieve his own things?"
Zhou Bin and Fang Xiaoxiao exchanged a blank look, both momentarily stunned.
A few seconds later, Fang Xiaoxiao caught on, her eyes lighting up. "Does Captain Meng mean we should have Wang Haidong take us there to get it himself?"
Xu Wuyi nodded. "Let him lead the way." He turned back and continued walking, his voice trailing over his shoulder. "Get ready. We leave in ten minutes."
Fang Xiaoxiao and Zhou Bin exchanged another glance, both seeing the naked excitement in each other’s eyes.
If that ledger truly existed, and if it really recorded the exact profit-sharing details between Wang Haidong and Li Mingyuan, then this case would be ironclad. It wouldn’t just nail Wang Haidong—it would nail Li Mingyuan.
He was a level forty-nine Quasi-Grandmaster, the Vice Commander of the Celestial Swallow Battle Group, and a core figure of the Li family. If they could drag him down from his high horse, the Fourth Squad would truly become famous overnight.
Fang Xiaoxiao clenched her fists and quickened her pace to keep up with Xu Wuyi.
Ten minutes later, the six members of the Fourth Squad reassembled in the parking lot.
Wang Haidong was escorted in the middle. His hands were still cuffed, and his face was a mask of terror and bewilderment. He still hadn’t recovered from his earlier trance; his eyes were unfocused, and he kept muttering under his breath.
Fang Xiaoxiao shoved him into the car and slid into the driver’s seat. Xu Wuyi took the passenger seat, while the others piled into two separate cars trailing behind. The convoy drove out of the Inspection Department headquarters’ underground parking lot, disappearing into the bustling traffic of Xingjing.
Wang Haidong’s villa was located in a high-end residential area in the East District. It was a three-story Western-style house with a modest courtyard. The car parked at the entrance, and Fang Xiaoxiao escorted Wang Haidong out, walking him up to the front door.
Wang Haidong’s hands were trembling so badly that it took him several tries to fit the key into the lock. He had initially intended to stall and play dumb, but the moment the masked man beside him gave a gentle wave of his hand, Wang Haidong’s body began moving involuntarily.
The door opened, and the group stepped inside.
The villa was luxuriously furnished but bore no traces of recent habitation. The furniture in the living room was draped with dust covers, and a layer of dust coated the kitchen stove.
Escorted through the living room, Wang Haidong was led to the basement entrance. He opened the door and made his way down the stairs.
The basement was small, roughly thirty square meters, and cluttered with miscellaneous items. At the very back, pushed flush against the wall, stood an old-fashioned safe with its heavy door tightly shut.
Fang Xiaoxiao looked at Wang Haidong. "Open it."
Wang Haidong crouched down, his fingers shaking as he punched in the passcode. The safe door popped open to reveal several stacks of cash, a few gold bars, and a notebook that looked quite aged.
The notebook had a dark blue cover, its corners worn pale from years of use. Fang Xiaoxiao reached in to retrieve it and flipped it open.
Its pages were densely packed with dates and numbers, every single entry documented with meticulous clarity. It detailed the exact year, month, and day a specific payment was received, the total amount, and how much was allocated to Li Mingyuan. The remarks section even specified what the goods were and which channel they had come from.
Fang Xiaoxiao flipped through page after page, her eyes growing brighter by the second. She looked up at Xu Wuyi, her voice laced with irrepressible excitement.
"Captain Meng, we’ve got it. Everything is recorded here crystal clear—which batch of goods, how much money, and exactly what cut went to Li Mingyuan. It’s all here.
"There are even a few remarks labeled ’Li prepayment.’ It’s likely payment for goods that Li Mingyuan embezzled from the Battle Group in advance."
Xu Wuyi took the notebook, flipped through a few pages, and then gave a nod. He looked at Wang Haidong, his voice calm. "Take him back."
Fang Xiaoxiao carefully tucked the notebook away and escorted Wang Haidong back out.
By the time they walked out of the villa, the sky was already growing dark. The winter dusk was fleeting; only a sliver of dull red remained on the western horizon as the streetlights flickered on one after another.
Xu Wuyi stood at the villa’s entrance, watching the dull red slowly fade away, his gaze perfectly placid.
Standing beside him, Fang Xiaoxiao couldn’t help but ask, "Captain Meng, can this ledger be used to convict Li Mingyuan?"