vncnus Chapter 29 The Mess Caused by a Misunderstanding
Chapter 29 The Mess Caused by a Misunderstanding
He Chu raised his voice and said:
"I almost rushed into the interrogation room and kicked him. How dare he slander the reputation of us police officers like that."
Lin Kuangtian's lips twitched uncontrollably, and he finally let out a long sigh and said:
What Fang Xiangdong said was actually not wrong.
"We really did this."
He Chu and Lu Qichang were both stunned for a moment.
Lu Qichang said with an incredulous expression:
"Uncle Tian, I've worked for you for so many years, I know you better than anyone else what kind of person you are."
"You absolutely cannot be a corrupt cop."
"If you really wanted to go astray, you would have followed suit when Lei Luo and his gang were at the height of their fame."
"How could things have turned out this way, with us living in such poverty and hardship?"
Lin Kuangtian sighed deeply again.
"It was just a moment's lapse in judgment!"
He Chu looked at Lin Kuangtian seriously and said:
"Uncle Tian, please tell us the whole story. Maybe there's still a chance to salvage the situation."
Lin Kuangtian sighed heavily and said:
"It's too late."
"In this life, once you take a wrong step, it's incredibly difficult to turn back."
He Chu, however, firmly stated:
"It's never too late to get back on the right path."
"Just tell us everything."
"Leave the rest to me."
Lin Kuangtian slowly began to speak.
"Never mind, never mind."
"In the end, it all comes down to that damned moment of weakness."
He then slowly began to tell the two about the recent case.
Lin Kuangtian's Team A has recently been investigating a group of drug dealers who sell heroin.
Hong Kong is such a small place, yet there are more than a dozen well-known heroin dealers—and countless smaller, lesser-known dealers.
The case had been progressing smoothly until now.
No one expected that something would go wrong halfway through.
The variable that disrupted everything was Fang Xiangdong, also known in the underworld as the traitor Dong.
This kid had been hanging around with Boss Wei. The day they were doing a drug deal with Chaozhou Bing, they were caught red-handed by the people from Group A.
Chaozhou Bing and Da Laowei were immediately taken down by Group A, and Xiang Dong was already in no position to escape.
But it just so happened that Lin Kuangtian was in charge of this operation, which brought a turning point to the situation.
Fang Xiangdong immediately knelt down before Lin Kuangtian, crying and begging him to spare his life. He also mentioned that his sister had specifically asked Lin Kuangtian to take good care of him before she passed away.
As a result, he took advantage of Lin Kuangtian's wavering mind and momentary lapse in attention, turned around and ran away.
By the time Lin Kuangtian realized what was happening and tried to chase after him, Xiang Dong had already disappeared.
He Chu frowned and said:
"Who among us police officers hasn't made a mistake?"
"Xiang Dong escaped this time, but we can just catch him next time."
Lu Qichang strongly agreed with He Chu's view. Police officers are not cold, emotionless machines; it is only natural for them to make mistakes occasionally.
But the two of them really couldn't understand why Lin Kuangtian would become so depressed and dejected because of this incident.
Lin Kuangtian sighed and said:
"If it were really just a matter of letting Xiang Dong escape, then it wouldn't be such a big deal."
Lu Qichang and He Chu were both taken aback upon hearing this:
"Is there some other hidden story?"
Lin Kuangtian nodded slightly:
"During that operation, my subordinate Ahua was shot, but luckily the bullet missed and he survived."
In peacetime, being a police officer is arguably one of the most dangerous professions.
Especially when dealing with drug-related cases, we often hear news of colleagues being shot and injured, or even heroically sacrificing their lives.
Lu Qichang nodded slightly:
"Ahua is indeed lucky, but he also turned misfortune into blessing, as he was promoted afterward."
He Chu frowned even more deeply and said:
"Uncle Tian, is it really not as simple as just that Xiang Dong ran away?"
Lin Kuangtian said with a wry smile:
"Ah Chu sees things very clearly."
"It was only when I rushed to the hospital to visit Ahua that I suddenly realized something was wrong."
"I called Zeizi Ming and Toupi over for a thorough interrogation, and that's when I realized things had really gotten out of hand!"
He took out a Camel brand cigarette from his pocket, and He Chu immediately stepped forward to light it for him.
Lin Kuangtian took a few deep drags on his cigarette, and after a long while, he slowly spoke.
"These two rascals have gotten themselves into a huge mess this time."
"Those two actually secretly hid the HK$10 million drug deal money that Fang Xiangdong brought!"
Lu Qichang and He Chu both jumped to their feet, their faces filled with shock.
"Ten million Hong Kong dollars?!"
"Are they both crazy?!"
Lin Kuangtian continued smoking, keeping his head down and not saying a word.
After a long while, he spoke again.
"This is all my fault!"
Lu Qichang and He Chu could hardly believe their ears:
"Did you order them to take this money?"
Lin Kuangtian's bitter smile deepened:
"How could I possibly let them take that kind of dirty money?"
"Even if I got the money myself, I would just hand it over to the evidence room intact."
"It was all just a huge misunderstanding!"
Lu Qichang said with a headache:
"Uncle Tian, who would believe a misunderstanding involving ten million Hong Kong dollars?!"
Lin Kuangtian then recounted the events of that time in detail:
"It's really a misunderstanding."
"I found Zei Ziming and Toupi on the balcony opposite Ahua's ward."
"The two of them told me on their own initiative that they had hidden the ten million Hong Kong dollars."
"I was shocked and furious at the time, and I immediately questioned them, how dare they take such unscrupulous money?"
"They both said..."
Lin Kuangtian took another deep drag of his cigarette, then stubbed it out hard in the ashtray before continuing.
"They said they saw me let Fang Xiangdong go, and they thought that since Fang Xiangdong could be let go, then they could naturally take the ten million Hong Kong dollars as well..."
A sudden thought flashed through He Chu's mind, and he suddenly asked,
"Could it be that Xiang Dong previously said he was willing to pay ten million Hong Kong dollars to spare his life?"
Lin Kuangtian held his head in his hands and said in anguish:
"That's right!"
"But I didn't agree to his request at all. I had already caught him, but who would have thought that this kid would suddenly bring up his sister."
"He actually managed to run away while I was distracted for a moment!"
"I really didn't mean to let him go."
He Chu could only smile wryly after hearing this.
Lu Qichang opened his mouth, but for a moment he didn't know what to say.
This is fucking a misunderstanding.
It was perfectly normal for Lin Kuangtian to accidentally let the prisoner escape.
The problem is that Xiang Dong did say before that he would use ten million Hong Kong dollars to buy his own Ping An Insurance.
Unfortunately, thief Ming and Toupi overheard this, which is why they dared to take the money.
He Chu said somewhat angrily:
"Those two guys are insane!"
"They've wasted their time wearing those police uniforms!"
"Did you really think you could get away with taking this money without anyone noticing?"
"Heaven knows, earth knows, you know, I know, and even the direction of the east knows."
"They're just...too young and naive!"
Lu Qichang's expression turned very serious:
"Uncle Tian, where is that ten million Hong Kong dollars now?"
Lin Kuangtian let out a heavy sigh.
"They've already broken up!"
Lu Qichang's eyes widened instantly, and his nostrils flared. Just as he was about to shout, He Chu swiftly covered his mouth.
"Inspector Lu, keep your voice down."
"Do you want this to become common knowledge throughout the entire police station?"
Lu Qichang shoved He Chu's hand away, staring at Lin Kuangtian in disbelief:
"Uncle Tian, how could you be so foolish!"
"How could you possibly do something like that!"
Lin Kuangtian said with a wry smile:
"Those two boys insisted that I deliberately let Fang Xiangdong go, and said that since the person was released, the money could naturally be left behind."
"I was speechless at the time, and I couldn't even say a word in my defense."
"No matter what, Xiang Dong did escape from my grasp."
"I have absolutely no right to lecture them."
Lu Qichang's eyes widened even more:
"So the five of you just split that ten million Hong Kong dollars?"
Lin Kuangtian chuckled self-deprecatingly:
"It wasn't five people, it was divided among the four of us!"
He held up his fingers and counted them one by one.
"Me, Thief Ming, Scalp, and Ah Wah."
He Chu immediately pressed for an answer:
"Didn't Ahua take the money?"
A look of relief appeared on Lin Kuangtian's face:
"Yes, he didn't take a single penny."
"Not only did he not take any himself, but he also kept advising us not to take any either."
"But we still split the money in the end, and from then on, he never gave us a kind look again."
"...but he didn't report it because he was thinking of his brotherhood."
He Chu sneered and said:
"How could Ahua possibly report you?"
"Xiang Dong will be the first to not let you off the hook."
Lin Kuangtian said with a wry smile:
"In the end, it was my own fault for not being firm enough. I should have held on to him tightly back then."
"Now look what's happened, we've left ourselves with such a huge mess."
Lu Qichang frowned and said:
"But why did you actually accept that money?"
Lin Kuangtian sighed again.
"I haven't read many books, and my education level is low."
"Even if I have someone above me to help me, this is the limit of my position. It's basically impossible for me to get promoted any further in my life."
"In my entire life, I have never wronged anyone, except my wife and daughter."
"I've been a policeman my whole life, but I haven't accumulated any decent wealth..."
"Having such a windfall seems pretty good."
Lu Qichang was so angry that his teeth itched, and he lowered his voice and said angrily:
"Uncle Tian, you're so foolish!"
"You absolutely cannot take this kind of tainted money!"
Lin Kuangtian did not refute, but simply said,
"In the end, I was wrong!"
He Chu quickly grabbed the excited Lu Qichang:
"Brother Chang, calm down. Uncle Tian is, after all, the leader of Group A."
Lu Qichang, still seething with anger, said:
"Uncle Tian was my team leader back in the day!"
He was about to continue his tirade when he suddenly seemed to remember something, and looked at Lin Kuangtian with an incredulous expression.
"Uncle Tian...you...you're defaming yourself?"
Lin Kuangtian glanced at He Chu with some surprise:
"Inspector Ho, no wonder you've managed to get to this position at such a young age."
"He truly understands the ways of the world and is incredibly insightful."
"Ah Chang, you should learn more from Inspector He."
Lu Qichang casually said:
"Uncle Tian, don't underestimate him. Ah Chu has many impressive abilities."
He stared intently into Lin Kuangtian's eyes.
"So you had no choice but to accept that money in the first place?"
Lin Kuangtian sighed and said:
"How can we not accept it?"
"Zeizi Ming and Toupi are already in deep trouble. If I hand them over, their lives will be completely ruined."
Lu Qichang said coldly:
"Does taking this dirty money mean their lives won't be ruined?"
Lin Kuangtian remained silent for a long time, his eyes somewhat vacant.
"Even if it's destroyed, it won't be destroyed by my own hand."
"After Ah Hua was shot and miraculously survived, his entire way of thinking changed."
"He told me that when he was lying on the operating table, he wasn't afraid of anything except that after he passed away, his wife and children would be left without anyone to take care of them."
"At that time, his wife was already pregnant."
After listening, Lu Qichang and He Chu both fell silent, unable to utter a single word.
Lin Kuangtian sighed and continued:
"Under these circumstances, can I refuse to accept it?"
"To be honest, I also had my own selfish motives."
"I also want to leave more things for my daughter."
Lu Qichang, still somewhat indignant, said:
"The problem is, you can't keep this money at all!"
"Is that clean money?"
Lin Kuangtian said in a low voice:
"I am their team leader."
"If I hadn't accepted that money, Group A would have completely fallen apart."
Lu Qichang certainly understood the reasoning behind it.
Ahua has made it clear that he will not accept it. If Lin Kuangtian also insists on not accepting it, Group A might turn against each other and completely fall out.
Lin Kuangtian suddenly asked:
"Who ordered you two to arrest me today?"
Lu Qichang sighed.
"Uncle Tian, do you really think that no one else knows what your group has been doing?"
"Actually, I've wanted to have a serious talk with you for a long time."
"Those two bastards, Toupi and Zeizaiming, are ignorant and lack any sense of propriety. Don't you understand that either?"
"They took dirty money and still dare to flaunt it like this, wearing gold and silver... Are they afraid others won't know they've made a fortune?"
Lin Kuangtian shook his head bitterly:
"I warned them a long time ago."
Lu Qichang pointed at He Chu:
"I only felt something was off about your group before, but I didn't realize things had gotten so serious until Ah Chu was called in for questioning by the Independent Commission Against Corruption!"
He Chu took out his phone, glanced at it, and said:
"Uncle Tian, if we don't want Team A to be completely wiped out, we should follow the boss's orders... I reckon the ICAC agents will be here soon!"