The scene was quite chaotic with so many reporters crammed inside. Beyond the journalists, there were a few individuals in police uniforms, complete with hats.

The moment Xu Zeguang spotted them, he immediately understood why the local **[]**lice had failed to stop them. These men were all Inspectors, dispatched directly from the Municipal Bureau; they were, in essence, the supervisors of the local **[]**lice.

It would have been truly bizarre if the **[]**lice downstairs had dared to intervene. "Director Xu, why is there violence erupting inside the Public Security Bureau?" "Director Xu, the Mercedes owner’s car was just smashed, and now the person is being beaten inside your Public Security Bureau—what’s the real story?" "Director Xu, this is a law enforcement agency!

You block us from entering, yet you permit non-police personnel to carry out assaults..." A swarm of reporters closed in on Xu Zeguang. He was instantly drenched in a cold sweat from their barrage of questions, too afraid to offer any reply.

The questions the reporters posed were sharp and pointed; they were only a breath away from directly accusing the Public Security agency of being the principal culprit, colluding with government officials to oppress the common people. "We will have an explanation later, we will have an explanation later!" Xu Zeguang kept repeating this phrase, and with the assistance of other **[]**lice officers, they finally managed to escape the immediate vicinity.

Once they departed, the Inspectors wearing hats also followed them out. The level of disorder here exceeded their wildest imaginings; they would surely be filing a report back to the Municipal Bureau.

The reporters slowly began filtering out. Zhang Yang was shielded deep within the crowd.

There was a large, angry-looking red swelling on his face, surrounded by patches of bluish discoloration, making him appear brutally beaten. As he emerged, Yu Wenwu stared in dumbfounded shock.

In Yu Wenwu's mind, a confused question echoed: Had he actually struck Zhang Yang’s face just now? And with such force?

Why did he feel absolutely nothing? That lump, and the bruising, were naturally self-inflicted by Zhang Yang.

He was a doctor, and a highly skilled one at that, possessing internal energy. Fabricating the appearance of being severely struck by heavy fists was incredibly easy for him.

His current condition immediately drew immense sympathy. This tactic might be considered somewhat despicable, but it depended entirely on the nature of the opponent.

Judging by Yu Wenwu’s attitude today, Zhang Yang was certain that if he had fallen into their hands without any connections, his fate would have been unspeakably grim. He had heard countless such stories in his previous life: incidents of 'playing hide-and-seek' or dying while 'dreaming'—all sorts of bizarre calamities were possible.

Zhang Yang was never soft on his enemies, nor did he adhere to gentlemanly notions of style; achieving the objective was all that mattered. "Zhang Yang!" Seeing Zhang Yang emerge, Mi Xue rushed forward, having waited anxiously outside, perpetually worried for him.

"You... you, who did this to you?" Su Zhantao stared blankly at Zhang Yang, then suddenly roared in fury.

He had been assuring Mi Xue that Zhang Yang was fine, only for this—Zhang Yang emerging with a massive welt. This felt like a direct slap to his face.

Su Zhantao hadn't anticipated that those inside would dare resort to violence under these circumstances. "Zhang Yang, your face!" Mi Xue's small hands trembled as she gently stroked Zhang Yang's cheek.

Her tears started flowing again, uncontrollably. "Let's go, we'll talk when we get back!" Zhang Yang would naturally not conceal anything from the two of them, but he couldn't discuss it here, not with so many reporters and **[]**lice still present.

The reporters immediately surrounded him, firing off a volley of questions. "Gentlemen, my client requires peace and rest.

The questions you wish to ask will be compiled, and we will answer all of them shortly!" Su Zhantao subtly signaled the lawyer standing nearby, who immediately shouted out. Zhang Yang was the victim, and given his 'miserable' appearance, continuous questioning felt unconscionable even to the reporters.

After they guaranteed Zhang Yang would reappear to address their inquiries, the journalists allowed him to leave first to attend to his injuries. Su Zhantao drove the BMW, the lawyer taking the front passenger seat, while Mi Xue and Zhang Yang sat in the back.

They headed to the hospital. The reporters, meanwhile, remained clustered around the Public Security Bureau.

Xu Zeguang, Yu Wenwu, and those **[]**lice officers had become their primary targets for interviews. The report of a high-ranking official assaulting a victim within the Public Security Bureau was undoubtedly massive news—even more critical than interviewing Zhang Yang directly.

Xu Zeguang managed to hide away, but Yu Wenwu was not so fortunate. He was swarmed by countless reporters whose questions grew progressively trickier and more terrifying.

Some reporters even directly asked if he had done this sort of thing many times before, framing numerous people. "Make way, make way!" The Propaganda Minister, Zhang De, finally arrived.

Seeing him, a surge of anger flared up in Yu Wenwu. It was this man who supposedly offered to shield him from the reporters, yet the result was that all the reporters were standing right in front of him.

At this moment, Yu Wenwu pushed the entire responsibility onto Zhang De. There is a certain type of person in this world who, upon making a mistake, never considers the root cause, always pushing the blame onto others without ever examining their own culpability.

It sounds ridiculous, but such is reality, and there are very many—an abundance—of these individuals. "Secretary Yu, I apologize.

The reporters somehow got wind of this and rushed over here. I came as soon as I knew, but I hadn't expected you to be here too!" Zhang De awkwardly smiled after finally leading Yu Wenwu away from the immediate scrum.

He felt somewhat apologetic toward Yu Wenwu; managing the press corps was his domain. "It's fine," Yu Wenwu forced back his rising temper and replied softly.

He was starting to sober up now, understanding the serious ramifications of his earlier actions. He still needed Zhang De’s help to manage the aftermath, especially since the photographers hadn't started publishing yet.

This would require significant effort on Zhang De's part. To prevent exposure, Yu Wenwu would have to bleed money, and he needed Zhang De’s assistance with that.

Yu Wenwu didn't even want to consider the cost right now. Regardless of the expense, he had to keep this matter suppressed—that was the paramount concern.

Inside the car, Zhang Yang explained the origin of the large swelling on his face to Mi Xue and Su Zhantao. The two still seemed somewhat disbelieving until they personally witnessed Zhang Yang make the swelling vanish, and then intentionally bring it back.

Only then did they relent. They both marveled at Zhang Yang’s trick.

Su Zhantao even considered asking him to teach him, though he knew it was impossible. Upon reaching the County People's Hospital, the lawyer immediately contacted a forensic expert to arrange an examination for Zhang Yang.

With the lawyer handling matters, everything moved quickly. The hospital staff had seen the news coverage that day and were aware that a large contingent of reporters was currently camped out in their county precisely because of this incident.

They dared not falsify the examination results for Zhang Yang; there were far too many eyes watching. The forensic report concluded that Zhang Yang had a concussion and multiple bruises, ultimately determining the injury level as Minor Injury ().

The so-called concussion and bruises were entirely fabricated by Zhang Yang; achieving the classification of Minor Injury was his objective. Under the law, causing a Minor Injury carried a potential sentence of up to three years imprisonment.

Since the injury occurred within the Public Security Bureau, inflicted by a major county official, the matter became even more serious. With this official report, Yu Wenwu would not escape accountability this time.

"Old classmate, alright, thank you. I understand.

I'll see you at Wangyue Tower when I get back, don't be late!" After the examination was complete, Su Zhantao pulled out his phone to take a call—it was from his classmate at the newspaper office who had helped publish yesterday's story. In truth, getting that article submitted to the provincial paper wasn't easy; their review process was very strict.

Without an official stamp from the Propaganda Department, such an article would never be published, let alone fast-tracked. What truly carried weight here was Su Zhantao's identity.

His old classmate knew precisely who Su Zhantao was. Once this young master requested a publication, the editor-in-chief immediately reported it to the Propaganda Department.

The Propaganda Department dared not show slackness and reported it all the way up to the Minister. The Minister reviewed the article and was indeed angry, but his primary concern was Su Zhantao’s background.

This article included photographs; a single picture could tell the whole story. Furthermore, it came directly from Su Zhantao.

The temperament of the new provincial leader was still unknown; who knew if this wasn't something Su Zhantao’s father was aware of? The approval was granted, and the article sailed through the necessary channels.

Today, Su Zhantao called his classmate again for help in publishing the next set of articles. This time, Su Zhantao had written the piece himself, though the news material was still sourced from Zhang Yang and his group.

Moreover, reporters from the provincial paper had arrived today. These were all Zhang Yang's instructions.

He understood the current dynamics of officialdom; since this action had been taken, he would not afford them any opportunity to resist. He ignored other newspapers and focused solely on the most influential one within the province—the provincial paper.

If that paper published the story, the rest could be ignored. Once a reputable paper reported it, even if someone tried to suppress the matter, they wouldn't be able to contain it.

This was the leverage Zhang Yang was currently holding. The reporters stationed at the Public Security Bureau were finally escorted by Zhang De to the Propaganda Department.

In the Propaganda Department's main conference room, each reporter found an envelope prepared for them. Zhang De did not appear in person; instead, Yu Wenwu's secretary handled the introductions.

The secretary’s only job was to invite the journalists; he wouldn't personally engage in tasks so easily exposing him to political risk. "Please take care of us, please take care of us!" Yu Wenwu’s secretary was dripping sweat as he offered the red envelopes.

No one accepted them directly; he placed them neatly in front of each person. Each envelope contained three thousand yuan, forming a thick stack.

Three thousand yuan was a significant sum in those days. This was Yu Wenwu’s earnest attempt to completely seal the lid on the affair.

As long as today's events weren't exposed, no amount of money would be too much. The reporters were gathered together.

The envelopes were offered, but very few actually took them. The money was tempting, but it couldn't outweigh their professional futures.

These were not the minor, opportunistic journalists who often mixed in; the lowest among them represented municipal-level media organizations. There were representatives from provincial, and even some famous national, media outlets present.

At this juncture, they were all proceeding with extreme caution. Two of the shrewder reporters even secretly recorded the scene with their cameras.

Three thousand yuan might be enough to placate ordinary, smaller reporters, but attempting to buy all of them was simply impossible.