At the Pinnacle of Power: My Insider Report Alarms Bigwigs in Beijing's Elite Circle

The account given by Xu Xiulian was almost identical to what Lin Yi remembered.

The most crucial piece of evidence is the recording of the conversation between Xu Xiulian and Xia Hong.

Xu Xiulian was worried that Xia Hong would not keep her word, so she secretly recorded their conversation as leverage.

"Comrade Xiaolin, if Xu Xiulian's fearful appearance wasn't feigned, I would have suspected that you instructed her to hand over the evidence."

After Xu Xiulian was taken away by security personnel, Hou Tianming joked with a smile.

Lin Yi looked at the former detective and said truthfully, "I received a tip from the public that they were plotting to harm Mayor Xiao, so I took Xia Hong away for investigation and put pressure on Xu Xiulian to turn herself in."

"What a trick!"

Hou Tianming gave a thumbs up and praised him.

Lin Yi said no more, and led Hou Tianming, along with the evidence provided by Xu Xiulian, back to the interrogation room where Xia Hong was.

In the interrogation room, Xia Hong still wore a smug expression, even looking at Lin Yi with a mocking gaze:

"Commissioner Lin, have you brought your evidence?"

Lin Yi didn't reply. Instead, he took out Xu Xiulian's recording and played it in front of Xia Hong: "Xiulian, I know you've always wanted to be promoted. As long as you do as I say and add the medicine I gave you to Mayor Xiao's dinner, I will definitely promote you..."

Hearing her conversation with Xu Xiulian coming from the phone, Xia Hong's expression changed instantly!

The mocking smile vanished from her face without a trace, replaced by a look of terror!

Her eyes widened as she stared intently at the phone playing the recording, as if she couldn't believe it was real!

"This...this is fake! Xu Xiulian is slandering me!!"

After the recording stopped playing, Xia Hong screamed in panic.

"Xia Hong, you say the recording is fake, then tell me, what technology is available now that can perfectly simulate your voice?"

Lin Yi sneered.

Back in 08, advanced technologies such as AI had not yet emerged, and the technology to perfectly simulate sound was simply impossible for ordinary people.

"—"

Xia Hong was speechless for a moment, and her expression became even more flustered.

"Furthermore, Xia Hong, I'm reminding you that the medication you gave Xu Xiulian will cause her blood pressure to spike dramatically after taking it, easily triggering a cerebral hemorrhage—that's tantamount to murdering Mayor Xiao! And there are your fingerprints on that medication!"

Lin Yi struck while the iron was hot, breaking down Xia Hong's psychological defenses in one fell swoop.

As expected, Xia Hong couldn't hold back any longer. Her face turned deathly pale, and her forehead was covered in a thick layer of cold sweat.

Seeing this, Lin Yi continued, "Xia Hong, I gave you an hour before. Now, the time hasn't run out yet, and you still have a chance to redeem yourself. Whether you seize the opportunity or not is entirely up to you!"

"I...I never intended to murder Mayor Xiao. I heard that the drug could cause the user to become agitated and confused! I just wanted Mayor Xiao to confess as soon as possible and go to jail!"

Xia Hong breathed rapidly for more than ten seconds, forcing herself to calm down.

She knew that there were fingerprints on the medicine, plus Xu Xiulian's recording, so she couldn't deny it.

However, she did not admit to murder, but only admitted to instructing Xu Xiulian to drug her!

"Xia Hong, why did you do this?"

Seeing Xia Hong talking nonsense, Lin Yi was about to speak when Hou Tianming, who had been silent all along, spoke first.

“My younger brother, Xia Li, is the head of the Second Secretariat Section. Under normal circumstances, he should be the secretary of Xiao Yuan, the executive vice mayor.”

Xia Hong paused here, glaring resentfully at Lin Yi.

"However, Xiao Yuan chose Lin Yi as his secretary and repeatedly reprimanded my younger brother Xia Li. I did this to stand up for my brother..."

"Stop acting! Wu Zhiqiang instructed you to do this!"

Lin Yi interrupted Xia Hong coldly, revealing the true mastermind behind it all.

Ok?

Upon hearing Lin Yi's words again, Hou Tianming's pupils suddenly contracted, and his eyes flashed with a sharp light.

Xia Hong's body trembled violently, and she instinctively shook her head: "No...no!"

"Xia Hong, you know very well that the evidence is conclusive and you can't deny it. But you think that as long as you don't implicate Wu Zhiqiang, he will definitely try to save you. Even if he can't save you, he can at least find a way to reduce your prison sentence. At the same time, you also believe that he will consider your relationship and take care of your family. For example, he might promote your younger brother Xia Li, right?"

Lin Yi looked at Xia Hong expressionlessly and spoke slowly.

Xia Hong looked at Lin Yi with a look of utter disbelief, as if her innermost thoughts had been read.

How did he know about my relationship with Wu Zhiqiang?

How could he possibly know what I was thinking?

As if in response to Xia Hong, Lin Yi spoke again: "First, I can tell you very clearly that the investigation team's main target is Wu Zhiqiang, and we have already obtained evidence of his illegal and criminal activities!"

impossible!

Xia Hong instinctively retorted, but the panic on her face became even more pronounced.

Lin Yi continued without pausing, "Secondly, do you think he cares about you a lot?"

Heh, you're just one of his many women, and the least favored one at that!

Upon hearing Lin Yi's words again, Xia Hong's emotions clearly fluctuated, and her chest even heaved slightly!

"You want to marry him and have his children, but he refuses! What you don't know is that two other women have had his children. Moreover, his illegal and unethical income is all registered in those two women's names!"

Seeing this, Lin Yi immediately unleashed his ultimate move.

"And what have you gained in return for all these years of giving so much to him?"

Deputy Secretary-General of the Municipal Party Committee?

Director of the Guesthouse?

With your abilities, a normal promotion would be sufficient, wouldn't it?

"You...you're talking nonsense!!"

Xia Hong's mental state completely collapsed, and she became extremely agitated.

She didn't believe anything Lin Yi said!

On the contrary, she believed that Wu Zhiqiang was sincere and had feelings for her!

Because of this trust, she still did not reveal any information about Wu Zhiqiang.

"It's okay if you're unwilling to atone for your crimes through good deeds. Trust me, soon, without me having to ask you again, you'll voluntarily confess everything you know!"

Lin Yi saw that Xia Hong was still harboring illusions, so he did not continue the interrogation and got up to leave after speaking.

What's this kid up to now?

Hou Tianming, puzzled, immediately stood up and followed Lin Yi out of the interrogation room.

"Comrade Xiaolin, I'm curious, do you have any ideas on how to get Xia Hong to confess?"

Back in his office, Hou Tianming asked curiously.

"Director Hou, although I don't know why you treat the investigation team's work with a playful attitude, I believe that the former Detective Yunshan, the legend of Dongjiang's police force, is a good policeman of the people and a comrade-in-arms I can trust!"

Lin Yi stared at Hou Tianming, giving an irrelevant answer.

Hou Tianming's expression changed slightly, but he quickly regained his nonchalant demeanor and said indifferently, "Comrade Xiao Lin, I'm just a little curious. If it's inconvenient for you to say, then forget it."

"Director Hou, as I just said, you are a comrade I can trust. I will not only tell you, but my plan also requires your cooperation!"

Lin Yi said with a serious expression.

Hou Tianming's eyes gleamed: "What's your plan?"

"Everything I just told Xia Hong is true. Wu Zhiqiang has three women besides his legal wife, and Xia Hong is just one of them."

The other two women, one named Zhou Qin, are abroad, accompanying her and Wu Zhiqiang's illegitimate son as he studies.

Another woman, Chen Jing, managed Wu Zhiqiang's illicit assets in Yunshan. She bore him a daughter.

Lin Yi paused for a moment, then revealed his plan.

"Next, I'm going to bring these two women here and let the three of them put on a good show!"

"You want me to help you invite Wu Zhiqiang's legal wife, Jiang Li, and his mistress, Chen Jing?"

Hou Tianming understood immediately and grasped Lin Yi's intention.

Lin Yi nodded and said, "Yes, Director Hou. My identity is sensitive, and many people are watching my every move. I'm worried that if I go to find Jiang Li and Chen Jing in person, they'll run away before I even get there. But you're different; no one is watching you. Moreover, you're a criminal investigation expert with top-notch counter-surveillance awareness. Even if someone follows you, you'll easily shake them off."

"I can cooperate with you, but I need to remind you of two things."

Hou Tianming's expression was more serious than ever before. He said in a deep voice, "First, Wu Zhiqiang is the Deputy Secretary of the Yunshan Municipal Party Committee and Secretary of the Political and Legal Committee. He is a provincial-level cadre. If you want to investigate his wife, you must ask the team leader for instructions."

"I know. After our conversation ends, I'll ask Director Fu for his approval, and he'll agree!"

Lin Yi nodded.

Hou Tianming looked at Lin Yi's confident demeanor, remained silent for a few seconds, and then asked, "Secondly, if you touch Wu Zhiqiang, it will bring you enormous trouble, and may even endanger your life—are you sure you want to do this?"

"Sure!"

Lin Yi gave his answer, his tone resolute!