Siheyuan came through and sent Jia Zhang to prison

Ma Xin held the bowl of porridge, her brows furrowed slightly: "Jiang Hu's behavior is indeed suspicious. But he has been in the mining area for almost twenty years, rising from a coal miner to a warehouse manager. He knows all sorts of people and has deep roots. If we openly send people to keep an eye on him, he is very shrewd and will definitely notice. If we alert him, it will be difficult to find any clues."

He Feng picked up a meat bun, smiled at her words, and gently tapped the rim of her bowl with his chopsticks: "You're right, forcing it won't work. But it's not like there's no other way." He took a bite of the bun, the soup dripping down his chin, which he quickly wiped away with a tissue. "I'll go to the bureau and apply for permission. I won't say it's surveillance; I'll just say, 'The mining area has been unstable recently, and to protect the personal safety of the important witness Jiang Hu,' and then I can arrange for two people to disguise themselves as nearby vendors or patrol members and quietly follow him. That way, it's both reasonable and unlikely to arouse his suspicion. I want to see what secrets Jiang Hu is hiding, and whether it's really related to those missing explosives."

Seeing his confident demeanor, Ma Xin felt a great weight lifted from her shoulders. He Feng always handled cases methodically, finding breakthroughs even in seemingly hopeless situations. Perhaps, following Jiang Hu's lead would truly uncover the person behind it all and connect the series of cases at the coal mine. She picked up the soy milk on the table, unscrewed the cap, and took a sip. The warm, sweet aroma of soybeans slid down her throat, dispelling the fatigue from staying up all night investigating, and even clearing her mind.

"By the way, He Feng, you should eat too." Ma Xin put a vegetable bun into his bowl. "The buns here are really good. The meat buns have a fragrant filling, and the vegetable buns are made with freshly ground tofu. You should try them."

He Feng nodded, not saying anything more about the case, and picked up a steamed bun to eat heartily. After all, as the old saying goes, food is the foundation of life; you get hungry if you skip a meal. Investigating the case is one thing, but you need to fill your stomach first to have the energy. He then ladled out a bowl of millet porridge, took a couple of sips with the bun, and felt the warm porridge slide comfortably into his stomach. The steam from the breakfast stall swirled around them, mingling with the aroma of food, temporarily easing the heaviness of the case and giving the atmosphere a touch of the everyday warmth of a breakfast.

The steam from breakfast still lingered in the room, the aroma of millet porridge mixed with the salty and savory flavor of pickled vegetables, having mostly dissipated. He Feng put down his bowl and chopsticks, picked up his coat draped over the back of his chair, and went straight out to the station.

As soon as he arrived at the Public Security Bureau, Zhao Lei rushed in from outside. His military green uniform was still damp with morning dew, and his face showed an undisguised seriousness: "Chief, there is an emergency to report to you."

He Feng glanced at Ma Xin sitting opposite him, raised his chin slightly, and gestured, "Ma Xin, go to your office first and organize the case file of yesterday's theft case. I'll need it later."

Ma Xin nodded, fully aware that Zhao Lei's expression meant he had something confidential to say, and she shouldn't eavesdrop. Her priority right now was to remain calm and use the opportunity of organizing the files to investigate further clues about Ma Ran's disappearance; there was no need to get involved in matters that weren't currently relevant to her. "Okay, I'll head over then," she said, picking up the folder from the table and gently closing the door, her footsteps so light they left no extra sound.

Only He Feng and Zhao Lei remained in the office. The previously lively atmosphere instantly turned somber, even the air seemed to thicken. He Feng walked to the water dispenser, poured himself a glass of hot water, and slowly asked, "Is there any news from the hospital?"

Zhao Lei was stunned for a moment, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes: "Director, how did you guess it so easily?"

"Just guessing." He Feng took a sip of hot water, the steam blurring the expression in his eyes, but his tone remained calm. "Zhou Tian has been keeping an eye on things over there for two days. If things were calm, you wouldn't have rushed over here so urgently. Tell me quickly, what exactly did you find out?"

Zhao Lei finally calmed down, took out a small notebook from his pocket, and recounted in detail the news Zhou Tian had sent back the night before: "Zhou Tian said that when he was staking out last night, he saw a doctor in a white coat, under the pretense of making rounds, pass notes to those 'special patients.' The movement was so fast it was like stealing something, and extremely discreet. What's even stranger is that the hospital's surveillance cameras happened to be broken in that area. The security department said it was due to aging wiring, but it had just been fully overhauled last week. This is too much of a coincidence. He suspects that there must be someone on the inside working together behind the scenes, otherwise the news couldn't have traveled so smoothly and evaded all eyes and ears."

He Feng's brows furrowed instantly, his knuckles turning slightly white as he gripped the rim of the cup. He had long suspected that this matter involved insiders, with Jiang Hu being the prime suspect—as the director of the mining area hospital, Jiang Hu had been unusually evasive and evasive every time he was investigated lately. However, Jiang Hu was, after all, a high-ranking official with considerable connections; without solid evidence, he couldn't be easily taken down.

“Have Zhou Tian keep an eye on things for another day.” He Feng pondered for a moment, tapped his fingertips lightly on the table, and slowly said, “If there are no new developments, have him withdraw first, so as not to alert the enemy. What we need most right now is solid evidence, so we can’t rush things.”

"Okay." Zhao Lei replied, knowing that the director was just being cautious, so he didn't ask any more questions and quickly turned around to make the arrangements.

After Zhao Lei left, He Feng picked up the red encrypted phone on his desk, his fingertip hovering over the dial pad before finally pressing a number. The moment the call connected, he got straight to the point: "I've found some clues and suspect there's an insider involved in the coal mine case, and someone at a potentially high level. It seems we'll need your help. When will the people from the provincial department arrive?"

A calm voice came from the other end of the phone, with a confident smile: "What's the rush? We'll be here first thing tomorrow morning. Once all the paperwork is done, you can go ahead and investigate. No matter who it is, even if they're a bureau chief, if they're involved, we'll handle it according to the rules, without any leniency."

"Then I'm relieved." He Feng breathed a sigh of relief, hung up the phone, walked to the window and looked at the few yellow leaves falling outside. The autumn wind swirled the fallen leaves, but the look in his eyes sharpened. "Interesting. If anyone dares to use the title of bureau chief to break the law, then don't blame me, He Feng, for showing no mercy. If someone should be arrested, they should be arrested. No one can protect them."

The day flew by, and the investigation proceeded in an orderly and covert manner. Evidence was collected, surveillance was conducted, and information was compiled. Every step was taken with utmost care, but on the surface, everything remained calm. People went to work in the mines and went to the hospitals for treatment. No one realized that a storm was brewing.