Siheyuan came through and sent Jia Zhang to prison

Zheng Qiang looked at He Feng, the last glimmer of light in his eyes completely extinguished, leaving only endless fatigue, like a pool of mud drained of its strength. He slowly lowered his head, his voice hoarse as if it had been rubbed with sandpaper: "I did all this just to make a deal with them, to trade those shady things I had for the safety of my family. But in the end, it was all in vain... They had no intention of keeping their promise."

He Feng's heart flared up when he heard this, his fists clenching at his sides, nearly irritated to death by Zheng Qiang's stubborn defiance. He took a step forward, his voice filled with the rage of a man who had failed to live up to his expectations. "Why didn't you tell me earlier? Huh? If you had spoken openly about this earlier, would I have helped you? We're brothers, comrades-in-arms! Who do you think I am?"

Zheng Qiang looked up at him, his eyes filled with a layer of gray despair. "I've done too much. One wrong step, and then another. There's no turning back. Those things were stained with blood and crossed the bottom line. You can't help me, and no one can."

He Feng took a deep breath, suppressed his anger, and slowed down his tone, trying to give him a final push: "You just said that someone has been contacting you, right? Who is that person? Telling him out will be a credit to you, and maybe you can even get him leniency. What do you think?"

Zheng Qiang shook his head, staring at the ground with empty eyes, like a stone that could not be warmed up: "Director, don't ask me about this anymore. I don't know anything and I won't say anything." He knew in his heart that once he gave that person up, his family's last safety barrier would be gone.

Seeing that he refused to budge, He Feng felt a surge of rage rising to his head. He could no longer suppress it, so he glared at him fiercely, turned around and walked out, his footsteps so heavy it seemed like he was stomping the ground.

When he reached the door, he suddenly stopped and looked out at the dark night. Suddenly, he remembered something - the mysterious contact person mentioned by Zheng Qiang. He seemed to have seen similar clues in the previous files. But this matter involved too many things. He could only wait until Zhao Lei and the others returned and summarized the situation on Scar's side.

Elsewhere, Zhang Shi and two other team members hurried to the direct team's assembly point and happened to run into Zhao Lei directing his men to inspect their equipment. Zhang Shi stepped forward and saluted, "Captain Zhao, the director has ordered your team to withdraw now and not carry out any follow-up operations."

Zhao Lei froze for a moment, nearly losing his grip on the holster. He frowned and looked at Zhang Shi, "Captain Zhang, something's wrong, isn't it? We just finished counting our equipment and haven't even set out yet. Shouldn't we be going after Scar as planned? Why are we suddenly retreating?"

Zhang Shi spread his hands, a look of helplessness on his face. "Captain Zhao, I don't know the specifics either. The director just told me to come and tell you to go back, saying there's a new arrangement. He didn't say what it was, and I didn't dare ask." Seeing Zhao Lei's bewildered expression, he added, "Why don't you go back and ask the director first? I guess there's a more important mission."

Zhao Lei looked at Zhang Shi, who didn't seem to be lying. Although he was puzzled, he also knew that military orders were as heavy as mountains, so he nodded. "Okay, I understand. Brothers, pack up and return to the bureau first!" Although the team members were also confused, they still quickly packed up their things and followed Zhao Lei back. In the night, the group hurriedly walked, and no one could guess the deeper meaning behind this sudden change.

Zhao Lei felt dazed all day, his head feeling like it was filled with a ball of water-soaked cotton, heavy and unable to turn. He had been waiting at the alley entrance just half an hour ago, ready to rush in and capture Scar, but how could he have suddenly been told to retreat? He followed the main group back through the alley, still unable to figure out the reasoning behind it. His steps felt a little unsteady, as if he were treading on cotton.

Ma Xin didn't pay much attention to any of this. Her gaze swept calmly over the group of people she was traveling with, and when she caught sight of Luo Hao huddled in a corner, she immediately understood what was going on. Acting nonchalantly, she quickly walked over to Zhang Shi, a look of natural apology on her face. "Captain Zhang, I'm sorry, I'm feeling a bit queasy. I'm going to the restroom nearby and will be right back. I won't delay anything."

Zhang Shizheng lowered his head to check the team members' equipment. Upon hearing this, he looked up and nodded, without asking any more questions: "Go, come back soon."

Ma Xin responded, turned, and quickly walked toward the public restroom on the corner. As soon as he turned the corner, Luo Hao followed him, as if emerging from the shadows. He lowered his voice and said, "Zheng Qiang has been arrested. He's currently in the interrogation room at the police station. He can't escape."

Ma Xin's heart suddenly tightened, and he subconsciously clenched the corner of his clothes and asked hurriedly: "Will he talk nonsense? What if he says something he shouldn't say, and it involves..."

Luo Hao smiled, his eyes revealing a confident look. "Don't worry, I've made preparations. I guarantee he'll shut up. Even if he wants to talk to you, he might not even know you exist, let alone have any contact with you."

Ma Xin finally breathed a sigh of relief, his tense shoulders slumped a little, and he nodded: "Then, teacher, what should we do next?"

Luo Hao raised his hand and patted her shoulder, his tone calm and steady: "Our mission has been completed, and now it's up to you. I'll go back first, and you just follow the original plan and don't make any mistakes."

"Okay," Ma Xin's eyes glared, and he slowly loosened his clenched fists. "Teacher, please wait. I will definitely bring you the good news that the mission is completed."

After saying that, she raised her hand to straighten the corners of her clothes that were messed up by the wind, walked quickly back to the team, and followed Zhang Shi and the others to the direction of the Public Security Bureau. As soon as she entered the door of the bureau, she saw He Feng standing in the middle of the hall, his brows furrowed, his face gloomy as if covered by a layer of dark clouds.

"Are you all harboring questions?" He Feng said, his voice a little hoarse as he looked at the team members who were entering one after another. "I'll explain everything to you guys later. Wait a moment."

He turned to look at Zhang Shi, his tone softening a bit, "Captain Zhang, thank you for your hard work this time. Your mission has been successfully completed, and you can return and report."

In fact, He Feng originally wanted to hold a simple farewell banquet to thank Zhang Shi and others for their cooperation during this period, but he really didn't have the mood to do so now - after all, the person who was arrested was Zheng Qiang, the deputy director he once trusted the most. The friendship of many years of working together and the sudden betrayal were like two needles, piercing his heart densely. His chest felt like a piece of lead was pressing on it, heavy and he couldn't breathe.

Zhao Lei realized belatedly that something was amiss. He craned his neck to scan the hall, scratching his head in confusion and muttering, "Hey, where's Deputy Director Zheng? Why isn't he here at such an important event? He wasn't there when we retreated just now..."

He Feng took a deep breath and slowly walked to the center of the hall. He solemnly scanned everyone present and said in a serious tone, "Comrades, I have some very bad news to announce..."