Upon hearing Zhang Yang's question, the restaurant owner’s expression shifted dramatically, his initial belligerence quickly masked by a forced smile as he looked at Zhang Yang and replied, “My esteemed guest, I don’t know what you are talking about.”

“Not admitting it? No matter. When the police arrive shortly, everything will become perfectly clear.”

Zhang Yang moved, effortlessly lifting the two-hundred-pound owner aside, and with a casual push, the bolted door sprang open.

The second floor was eerily quiet, while the lobby downstairs was filled with noise, meaning that besides their Dragon Soaring Chamber, the other three private rooms were empty. Evidently, the waiter who left first had already barred any further guests from ascending to the second floor, ensuring that whatever transpired upstairs remained unknown downstairs.

The sirens soon wailed outside the restaurant. A few armed police officers rushed in, instantly bringing the ground floor under control. The waiters and kitchen staff had not anticipated the police arriving so swiftly.

Leading the contingent was a police officer nearing fifty; Zhang Yang knew him well. It was Deputy Chief Zheng Qimo. Having received Zhang Yang’s call, he had immediately brought his team to surround the establishment.

When Zhang Yang heard the sirens outside, he knew everything was under control, and he returned to the private room.

Inside the chamber, the restaurant owner was drenched in sweat. He clearly tried to struggle to his feet, but no matter how hard he fought, he found he possessed no strength whatsoever!

“What exactly did you do to me!”

The owner had also heard the sirens and could no longer maintain his composure. Seeing Zhang Yang walk into the room, he shouted furiously.

Zhang Yang completely ignored him, instead walking over to help the drunken Wang Chen up from the floor.

“Zhang Yang, how is it outside?” Mi Xue asked with concern.

Zhang Yang offered Mi Xue a slight smile and said, “Deputy Chief Zheng brought the special team himself. No matter what backing this place has, it won’t matter now.”

“Deputy Chief Zheng? You mean the drug-busting hero, Deputy Chief Zheng Qimo?” Xiao Xiao, standing nearby, brightened upon hearing Zhang Yang’s words.

“You know Deputy Chief Zheng?”

Mi Xue looked at Xiao Xiao in surprise, unable to fathom her reaction.

Xiao Xiao nodded and replied, “Of course. Just recently, the news about Deputy Chief Zheng was broadcast daily on television. He cracked a massive cross-province operation involving the cultivation and processing of opium—he’s a famous drug-fighting hero in Changjing now!”

“That formidable?”

Mi Xue was equally astonished. She knew that the profits from narcotics were immense, and those involved in manufacturing and smuggling drugs were usually vicious criminals. Dealing with such people carried great risks, and most ordinary police officers would avoid provoking them. Yet, Zheng Qimo, merely a Deputy Chief of the Police Department, feared no danger, leading armed police across provincial lines to combat drugs. Such a person was certainly a hero!

Zhang Yang, listening from the side, offered a silent smile, offering no explanation.

Back in the northern suburbs, the Jiang family’s most formidable asset was undoubtedly their cultivators. They were incredibly difficult for ordinary people to handle. If Zhang Yang hadn't trapped them inside the villa at Yanming Mountain, Zheng Qimo’s raid on the Jiang family’s main estate would not have proceeded so smoothly.

However, these matters were simply not worth boasting about.

Tap-tap-tap...

Footsteps sounded outside the private room. Zheng Qimo, accompanied by several fully armed SWAT officers, ascended to the floor. Seeing Zhang Yang and his companions safe inside the chamber, he finally let out a sigh of relief.

“Zhang Yang!”

Zheng Qimo’s face broke into a wide smile upon seeing Zhang Yang. He strode over, extended a hand, and gripped Zhang Yang’s firmly, radiating satisfaction. It seemed the recent northern suburbs narcotics case had brought him significant merit, and Zheng Qimo was acutely aware of who had delivered that credit to him. Consequently, his demeanor toward Zhang Yang was exceptionally warm.

“Zhang Yang, you did me such a tremendous favor, and I haven't even had the chance to properly thank you!”

The 'tremendous favor' Zheng Qimo referred to was naturally Zhang Yang exposing the drug operation in the northern suburbs to him.

Xiao Xiao, witnessing the close relationship between Zheng Qimo and Zhang Yang, was somewhat surprised. Initially, she had only assumed Zhang Yang knew Zheng Qimo simply because he had reported the restaurant for using poppy husks as seasoning in their soup, thus drawing the official’s attention. But the Deputy Chief’s current enthusiasm for Zhang Yang far exceeded mere professional courtesy.

“Chief Zheng!”

At that moment, a SWAT officer ran up, entered the private room, saluted Zheng Qimo immediately, and reported, “In the kitchen, we found discarded poppy husks. The suspect was preparing to dispose of the garbage when one of our men apprehended him!”

“Caught red-handed! Excellent, excellent, excellent!”

Hearing the officer’s report, Zheng Qimo became agitated and repeated “excellent” several times. Beside him, the thick-set restaurant owner’s face turned instantly bloodless, and he ceased struggling, his body going limp.

“Is this the owner of the restaurant?”

Zheng Qimo also noticed the brutish-looking man. Zhang Yang nodded, pointing him out. “Deputy Chief Zheng, please pay close attention when investigating this man. I suspect he might also be connected to the drug manufacturing and processing case in the northern suburbs!”

Zheng Qimo’s eyes lit up, and he looked sharply at Zhang Yang.

“You mean this person might be one of the Jiang family members?”

Zhang Yang nodded. Zheng Qimo grew instantly excited. Although he had managed to destroy the main base of operations in the northern suburbs drug case, the main ringleaders, the Jiang family members, had all vanished; not a single one was captured. If this restaurant owner turned out to be a straggler from the Jiang family, it would provide a perfect, definitive conclusion to his investigation of that case.

Zhang Yang did not tell Zheng Qimo everything. The Jiang family members were all dead, having perished in the villa at Yanming Mountain, which had served as the Jiang family’s primary poppy cultivation site—a place Zhang Yang had burned to the ground.

“Take him away and interrogate him thoroughly!”

Zheng Qimo, unaware of these details, still hoped to glean clues about the Jiang family from the restaurant owner.

The SWAT officers following Zheng Qimo immediately seized the owner from the floor and escorted him downstairs.

Only then did Zheng Qimo notice the inebriated state of Su Zhantao, Li Ya, and Wang Chen in the private room. He was familiar with all three; setting aside Wang Chen and Li Ya, Su Zhantao, in particular, was the son of the current Provincial Governor, placing him on a status level equal to Zhang Yang.

They were all influential young men of Changjing. In contrast, Zhang Yang was far more low-profile. Su Zhantao had occasionally appeared with his father in public, but Zhang Yang had never made a public appearance alongside Zhang Keqin. Within the Changjing system, very few people actually knew that Zhang Yang was the son of Provincial Party Secretary Zhang Keqin.

Seeing this group, Zheng Qimo felt a moment of awkwardness. Technically, he should ask Zhang Yang and the others to come down to the station to give statements. He knew Zhang Yang disliked unnecessary hassle, so he intended to ask only Zhang Yang’s friends to come down for questioning. However, everyone present had an extraordinary background.

Seemingly sensing Zheng Qimo’s dilemma, Zhang Yang spoke up directly. “Deputy Chief Zheng, we will accompany you back to give statements. However, my friends are all quite drunk right now, so we request that one of your subordinates drive our car back for us.”

“Good, no problem!”

Zheng Qimo had been struggling with how to phrase this request to Zhang Yang, so him offering it voluntarily was exactly what he needed.

With that settled, Zhang Yang left with Mi Xue and Xiao Xiao. Following them, Zheng Qimo directed a few SWAT officers to help Su Zhantao, Li Ya, Wang Chen, and Hu Tao into their own vehicle.

After affixing seals to the restaurant, Zheng Qimo led his team to conclude operations and head back to the police headquarters. On the return journey, Zhang Yang did not stay with Mi Xue and Xiao Xiao; instead, he sat in the front passenger seat of Zheng Qimo’s car.

“Chief Zheng, if this restaurant owner truly is connected to the Jiang family, how will he be handled?” Zhang Yang asked casually.

“Ah, that depends on the nature of his relationship with the Jiang family. If he cooperates with the investigation and helps the police capture any remaining Jiang family members who escaped, his crimes will naturally be mitigated. Several individuals who aided the Jiang family have already secured sentence reductions through this method.”

Hearing Zheng Qimo’s answer, Zhang Yang frowned. Those caught by Zheng Qimo were merely accomplices to the Jiang family. The core members—those who knew Neijin—were the Jiang family themselves, and they were all dead in the Yanming Mountain villa. This restaurant owner, at best, was a distant relative or a minor accessory.

Under current Chinese law, those who were not primary offenders, after securing reduced sentences, might serve ten or twenty years before being released.

“Chief Zheng, I hope these people are dealt with severely. Not a single one should be let go!”

Zhang Yang narrowed his eyes and stated this quietly. This statement was the true reason he accompanied Zheng Qimo back to the police station for statements.

He was also considering Zheng Qimo’s safety. Those arrested were caught in a surprise operation; they had no time to resist. If they were released later, they would pose a significant danger to Zheng Qimo.

Zhang Yang had not forgotten the flash of visceral recognition the restaurant owner displayed when he heard Zhang Yang address someone as ‘Chief Zheng’ on the phone—a reaction that suggested deep-seated hatred for Zheng Qimo. It was easy to imagine that, given the chance, this man would seek revenge.

This realization solidified Zhang Yang’s resolve to use the law to punish these individuals ruthlessly—regardless of whether they were direct members of the Jiang family, anyone involved in their drug operation would face no leniency!

Zhang Yang had not forgotten the survivor from the Hua Tuo-lineage Zhang family he encountered in the underground water dungeon at the Yanming Mountain villa. Regarding enemies, he had long decided that roots must be thoroughly severed to prevent future calamity!

For more novels, visit storyread.net.