Chapter 99: Forcing a Confession
The rain grew heavier, as if determined to wash away the months-long drought in Meining City. The streets were filled with deep puddles. In the lower-lying Qianshui Street, it was even worse — one step into the road would splash water high enough to soak someone from head to toe. In the lowest spots, you could almost swim after taking off your clothes.
The usual street thugs had all retreated into their dens, too lazy to move.
At Night Dance Pool Hall, Zhang Yang took the dry towel Chen Tianxiong handed him and wiped his soaked pants before glancing toward the center of the hall. There weren't many people — only Ah Gou and four men in black. Those four were Chen Tianxiong's top enforcers, and rumor had it they were quite skilled.
Among them, Zhang Yang immediately spotted his target — Ah Ye.
The man was tied up and thrown on the wet floor. When he saw Zhang Yang, he yawned lazily and then shut his dead-fish eyes, silent as a rock.
He was a lean man, but his eyes were sunken, his face pale as paper, and he couldn't stop yawning — clearly a drug addict.
"This afternoon, his craving hit hard. He went to buy heroin, but the dealer sold him out." Chen Tianxiong pointed to a buzz-cut man with an eagle tattoo on his neck. "Old Yi and a few brothers caught him hiding in a rental flat. The Bai family and we were both looking for him, but this slippery bastard managed to hide right under our noses for weeks."
"But he's still tough — won't spill who's behind him." Chen Tianxiong walked up, used his toe to lift Ah Ye's chin, looked him over, and smiled faintly. "He won't last long, though."
"Once an addict starts craving, everything's easy."
Zhang Yang looked at the curled-up Ah Ye — sure enough, his yawns were getting faster, his eyes and nose were running nonstop.
Chen Tianxiong dragged a chair over and handed one to Zhang Yang. "Sit down. The show's about to start."
Then he looked at Ah Gou. "Bring some white powder."
White powder — must mean heroin. Zhang Yang shot Chen Tianxiong a glance, and the latter caught his look. "Got it from someone else," he said. "Our business may be shady, but we don't touch that poison."
After a while, Ah Ye started squirming restlessly. His yawning got worse, his drool and snot mixing as he chewed at the cement floor, lips trembling, dead-fish eyes unfocused. He stared at Chen Tianxiong and mumbled, "Brother Xiong… Brother Xiong…"
Chen Tianxiong waved. Ah Gou understood instantly, crouched beside Ah Ye, pulled out a small bag of heroin, shook it mockingly, and sneered, "Ah Ye, pure stuff — one hit and you'll feel like a god. So, ready to tell us who sent you?"
Ah Ye's eyes lit up with greed, fixed on the bag in Ah Gou's hand. His lips twitched hungrily as he inched closer. "Give me… give me."
"You'll get it — but not for free." Ah Gou held the bag right under his nose, and just as Ah Ye lunged for it, he yanked it away.
"What do you want to know?" He gave in.
"Who ordered you to beat up that old man at the market?"
"Da Chongchong!"
"Bullshit! Da Chongchong's got no beef with him. Why would he order that?" Ah Gou slapped him hard. "Don't think I don't know you hate Da Chongchong — trying to pin this on him?"
"Brother Gou, I can't say who it really is. If I do, I'm dead, you hear me?"
"Oh, you're worried about dying?" Ah Gou smirked, pointing at a big blue water barrel nearby. "Don't worry — if you don't talk, you'll die right now instead. With rain like this, an addict drowning in a barrel wouldn't surprise anyone."
Ah Ye followed his finger and shuddered. He'd nearly drowned as a child — he knew that feeling. Clearly, they'd dug up his background.
"Brother Xiong, Brother Gou… if I talk, will you spare my life? And… and just one sniff, please!" He looked at Chen Tianxiong with pleading eyes, his gaze darting to the bag in Ah Gou's hand.
Chen Tianxiong looked at Zhang Yang. "That's not up to me — it's up to this gentleman here."
Hearing that, Ah Ye turned his pitiful gaze to Zhang Yang. Zhang Yang said calmly, "That depends on how valuable your information is."
"I'll tell you everything I know."
Zhang Yang said nothing, and Ah Gou smacked him again. "Then talk, damn it!"
"It was someone from Bai Pharmaceuticals." Ah Ye finally confessed.
Zhang Yang and Chen Tianxiong exchanged a glance. No surprise — they'd already guessed it. They just needed confirmation.
The real question was — who exactly from the Bai family?
If it wasn't one of the main figures, it didn't matter much to Zhang Yang. But at least it proved one thing — Uncle He really was beaten on Bai's orders.
"Who from Bai Pharmaceuticals?" Chen Tianxiong asked in a low tone, glancing at Zhang Yang. Meanwhile, Old Yi was recording everything on his phone — Zhang Yang's public image meant he couldn't be directly involved.
"Minister He from the Security Department!"
Zhang Yang frowned, recalling the bearded man in a suit who'd yelled at him that day in the Dengyuan Building.
Chen Tianxiong gave Ah Ye a kick. "How did he contact you?"
"We're from the same hometown. He got lucky, landed a job at Bai's as security chief. I wasn't so lucky, stuck as a street punk. When he needed someone beaten but didn't want trouble, I was his go-to guy."
"How much did he pay you?"
"A hundred thousand."
"What did he want exactly? Be specific."
Ah Ye yawned miserably. "Can I get a little sniff first?"
"You looking to die?" Ah Gou punched him in the back. "Answer the damn question!"
"I really can't stand it…" Ah Ye groaned, eyes drooping.
Chen Tianxiong leaned close to Zhang Yang. "The bastard knows we're recording. He's saying this so even if the cops get the audio, we'll be tied to giving him drugs."
He glanced at the addict faking death on the floor. "If we don't give him a hit, we might not get anything out of him."
Zhang Yang smiled faintly. "Then give it to him. I just need to know how deep the Bai family's involved."
Chen Tianxiong nodded. Ah Gou let Ah Ye take a small hit. Watching his twisted pleasure made Zhang Yang nauseous. This poison truly destroyed lives. He really should develop a fast detox drug someday.
Once the heroin hit, Ah Ye perked up. "He Tiancheng — that's Minister He. He gave me a hundred thousand. Said his boss wanted the old man He Ting dealt with. I thought ten grand per head wasn't enough to kill someone, so he threw in a bag of white powder. I hired seven guys, paid each five hundred, armed them, and went after the old man. We were supposed to finish him off, but failed."
"Do you know who He Tiancheng's boss is?"
"Not exactly. Big shot — guys like me wouldn't meet him. But I think I heard the name Bai Liangfeng once — the Bai family's young master."
Zhang Yang's brow twitched. Just as expected — Bai Liangfeng again. He didn't need to hear more.
Zhang Yang and Chen Tianxiong stepped aside. Chen asked softly, "I'll send you the recording later. What should we do with him?"
"Don't do anything. Let him go," Zhang Yang said after a moment. "But don't leak that we caught him. Then leak his location to the Bai family. Watch closely — when they make a move, grab whoever they send. If you can't, at least remember their faces."
Chen Tianxiong nodded. "Got it. Once we catch their cleanup crew, the Bai family won't be able to deny it."
"You planning to hand this to the cops?"
Zhang Yang smiled and shook his head. "Even solid proof won't bring down the Bais — at most they'll get a slap for negligence. I just needed confirmation they were behind it. Now that I know, I can act without hesitation."
Seeing the cold glint in Zhang Yang's eyes, Chen Tianxiong shivered. That murderous aura… he'd seen it before — special forces?