Chapter 135: Responsibility

At this point, Shen Qingzhen did not dare to continue, casting a cautious glance at Shen Yan.

Shen Yan set down his newspaper, removed his glasses, and rubbed the corners of his eyes. "Start by searching for her. If something has truly gone wrong, Qingzhen, the task regarding those semi-finished monsters will be handed over to you. Be prepared to relocate them at any moment."

Shen Qingzhen felt a surge of joy; this was a tremendous opportunity. Shen Yan only entrusted those semi-finished monsters to those he trusted most. He nodded repeatedly and said, "Rest assured, Father."

...

"She still hasn't spoken?" Zheng Pingchi’s expression was grim. He had been sitting in his office for over a day and night, exhausting every method at his disposal, yet Zhang Xun’er showed no intention of breaking her silence.

Shi Zun, who was in charge of the interrogation, sighed and said, "This monster’s willpower is stronger than we anticipated."

"Team Leader, if this continues, the fact that we abducted Zhang Xun’er will likely alert Shen Yan. If he moves those semi-finished monsters, Zhang Xun’er will become useless to us."

Zheng Pingchi lit a cigarette and paced back and forth in his office. After a moment of consideration, he said, "Report the situation here to the General Bureau."

"How should we report it?" Shi Zun asked in a low voice.

"Tell them that this was a joint decision made in consultation with the people from Bureau 36, and now we have run into complications," Zheng Pingchi said calmly. He reasoned that since the members of Bureau 36 were present at the initial meeting, this report would surely be accepted.

It was a convenient way to shift the blame onto those from Bureau 36. The General Bureau had explicitly stated that they were only there to assist Bureau 36 with the investigation. He was certainly not going to be the one to carry the can for this failure.

Shi Zun frowned slightly. "Is that really appropriate?"

"Report it exactly like that," Zheng Pingchi said coolly. "We acted in the interest of neutralizing Shen Yan’s monster syndicate as quickly as possible. We didn’t expect Zhang Xun’er to be this resilient. We haven’t done anything wrong."

At that moment, Li Changqing, Hu Xiong, and Bai Chuan were playing cards in Hu Xiong’s room, with Tang Xiaoyu keeping score beside them.

"Changqing has already won two thousand Lang coins!" Tang Xiaoyu said, sounding quite excited. With nothing better to do, the group had been stuck inside playing cards.

"This is bizarre. I was cleaning up at the gambling den yesterday; how can I not handle the two of you today?" Hu Xiong scratched his head, just about to play his next card, when his phone suddenly rang.

He picked up the phone and looked at the screen. "Hello, Bureau Chief Zhang?"

Zhang Guichuan’s voice came from the other end: "Have you lost your minds? Hu Xiong, what are you all doing over at the First Bureau?"

Hu Xiong paused, glancing at the cards in his hand, feeling rather awkward. "Bureau Chief, let me explain. It’s not what you think..." He cursed inwardly, wondering which son of a bitch had snitched on them. Was playing a few rounds of cards really worth a scolding from the Bureau Chief?

"Explain? The First Bureau reported to the General Bureau that the mission hit a snag, claiming they were acting on your advice. Now that you’ve captured Zhang Xun’er and she refuses to talk, they’ve hit a wall. The General Bureau just called me to give me an earful."

Hu Xiong jumped up from the bed. "Which son of a bitch filed that report? Was it that guy surnamed Zheng?"

Zhang Guichuan frowned. "Hu Xiong, you’re usually quite steady. Why were you so hasty to take down Zhang Xun’er?"

"It’s not like that, Bureau Chief! Let me lay it out for you," Hu Xiong said, then stopped. "Forget it, screw it. You just wait. I’m going to find that Zheng fellow right now. The nerve of that bastard, playing us like this?"

He hung up the phone. Li Changqing and Bai Chuan were still confused about what had happened.

"Grab your gear; we’re going to find that Zheng guy and demand an explanation." Hu Xiong could no longer suppress his anger. He had been swallowing insults ever since they arrived, and now that the plan had failed, this Zheng was trying to pin the whole mess on them? Given Hu Xiong’s temperament, there was no way he would stand for this.

After learning the situation from Hu Xiong, Li Changqing and Bai Chuan rolled up their sleeves. Li Changqing was also fuming; they had come to assist the First Bureau, and after enduring their constant passive-aggressive remarks, they were now being set up like this. Besides, if they didn’t make a scene, they would truly end up taking the fall.

The three men and one ghost headed for the elevator and made their way to the twenty-seventh floor, with Tang Xiaoyu trailing behind. She asked Li Changqing in a whisper, "Are you going to fight later?"

"Hard to say," Li Changqing replied in a low voice. "Stay back when we get there."

"Okay."

When they arrived at Zheng Pingchi’s office, they found it empty. After a quick search, they discovered him in a conference room holding a meeting with the members of the Seventh Team. Hu Xiong kicked the door open. "You, Zheng! Get out here."

Zheng Pingchi remained impeccably dressed in his suit, looking at Hu Xiong with a smile. "Mr. Hu, what is the meaning of this outburst?"

The members of the Seventh Team darkened their expressions, glaring at Hu Xiong. Only Shi Zun knew the truth of the matter, and he frowned slightly.

"What do you mean we gave the order to capture Zhang Xun’er?" Hu Xiong shouted. "Explain yourself!"

"Hmm?" Zheng Pingchi raised his eyebrows slightly, then gestured calmly. "Mr. Hu, I believe there is a misunderstanding. First, I reported to my superiors that this was a joint plan we negotiated together. You were present when the plan was drafted, so there is nothing wrong with my report, is there?"

"If the plan had gone smoothly, I would have reported it the same way, and you would have shared in the credit. Plans carry risks; you members of Bureau 36 can't just take the credit and refuse to share the responsibility, can you?"

Li Changqing frowned and spoke up: "Zheng Pingchi, your plan had nothing to do with us. You rejected every one of our suggestions. You should be clear about that with the people above."

Zheng Pingchi frowned slightly. "If you don't want to take responsibility, fine. I will report to the superiors right now that I am willing to take full responsibility, and that it had nothing to do with you. Does that satisfy you?"

Li Changqing narrowed his eyes. What kind of word games was this guy playing? If he reported it like that, it would only serve to solidify their culpability. He was taking the responsibility that was rightfully his, but framing it in a way that made him look like a noble hero taking the fall for everyone else.

Hu Xiong looked ready to brawl with Zheng Pingchi right then and there. Bai Chuan frowned but said nothing. Li Changqing realized that continuing this standoff with Zheng Pingchi would yield no benefits for them.

He quickly devised a strategy.

"In that case," Li Changqing said, "is Mr. Zheng willing to hand over the decision-making power for this case to us?"

Zheng Pingchi paused briefly. Since Zhang Xun’er refused to speak, the case had reached a dead end. If they took over now, they would be the ones shouldering the burden of the failure.

He smiled brightly and said, "The decision-making power has always been in your hands."