Title: Reborn Qi Tongwei, who defies fate by half a move and refuses to kneel

Chapter 47 Hou Liangping's "Sword", Qi Tongwei's "Sheath"

At seven o'clock in the morning, the sky over Jingzhou was as if covered by a layer of gray gauze, making it hard to breathe.

The city's Public Security Bureau building stands tall and imposing, casting a huge shadow in the morning light, like a lurking beast.

A black Passat didn't slow down; its tires rolled over the speed bump with a dull thud, and it sped straight into the city police station compound. The guard was about to salute and stop it, but after seeing the license plate, his hand froze in mid-air, and he could only watch the taillights disappear around the corner.

Hou Liangping, the "Imperial Envoy" dispatched by the Supreme People's Procuratorate to Handong.

This car is now his privilege certificate for running rampant in Handong.

Hou Liangping pushed open the car door, his leather shoes clicking crisply on the concrete floor as soon as his feet touched the ground. He didn't take his briefcase or straighten his slightly disheveled collar, and strode into the office building.

The elevator numbers ticked very slowly, each tick feeling like a tap on his nerves.

He is in a hurry.

The shame of being made a fool of, mixed with the anxiety of the case spiraling out of control, fermented into a fire in his chest. Ding Yizhen had escaped, right under his nose, making a hasty and almost mocking escape. And all the clues to this had initially come from the person sitting in the top-floor office.

"bite."

The elevator doors opened.

Hou Liangping did not go to the conference room, nor to the temporary residence of the special task force. He went straight to the heavy mahogany door at the end of the corridor.

They didn't even knock on the door.

"Bang!"

The door was pushed open and slammed against the wall with a loud thud.

The office was eerily quiet. A faint scent of jasmine tea filled the air, mixed with a chilling, unsettling atmosphere.

Qi Tongwei sat behind his large desk, holding a newly printed document in his hand. He didn't even lift his eyelids when he heard the noise.

It was as if the person who pushed open the door was not the imposing anti-corruption bureau chief, but a janitor delivering newspapers.

"You're here?"

Qi Tongwei's voice was calm and indifferent, revealing a composure that he had expected. He even reached out to pick up his teacup, gently blew away the foam, and took a sip.

This kind of disregard is more infuriating than direct confrontation.

Hou Liangping's pent-up anger, which had been building up all the way, seemed to have hit an invisible wall of cotton, instantly dissipating by half, replaced by a deep sense of powerlessness.

It's always like this.

Ever since college, whenever he was around this man, he always felt like a child who hadn't grown up yet.

"Qi Tongwei!"

Hou Liangping rushed to the desk, slammed his hands on the surface, leaned forward, and stared intently at the other person with bloodshot eyes that were usually sharp and confident.

"You knew all along that Ding Yizhen would run away, didn't you?"

"You deliberately fed me clues about Ding Yizhen little by little, like feeding fish, just to make me stir up trouble and force those people to take action?"

Hou Liangping gritted his teeth, his voice low and strained, each word like grit squeezed from the depths of his throat: "You're using me as a pawn! You're using the credibility of the Supreme People's Procuratorate as your bait!"

Faced with this barrage of questions, Qi Tongwei simply put down his teacup.

The porcelain cup collided with the table, making a soft "tap".

The next second, Qi Tongwei raised his head.

hum-

Within Qi Tongwei's field of vision, the system interface trembled slightly.

[Skill Trigger: Insight into People's Hearts (Advanced Version)]

In an instant, Hou Liangping's distorted face changed in his eyes. The original solid outline was now enveloped in swirling wisps of air.

A large expanse of crimson (anger) burned like flames above his head, but beneath this flame was a chaotic deep blue (confusion), and a faint, yet constantly trembling, grayish-white (self-doubt) at the location of his heart.

That's a sign of doubt about one's own abilities.

The monkey panicked.

"Liangping, sit down." Qi Tongwei gestured to the chair opposite him, his tone still indifferent.

"I won't sit! Explain yourself!" Hou Liangping waved his hand abruptly.

Qi Tongwei chuckled lightly, a smile devoid of warmth, only a mocking air of someone in complete control. He opened a drawer, took out a document still warm with the scent of ink, and casually tossed it in front of Hou Liangping.

"An explanation? This is the explanation."

Hou Liangping subconsciously lowered his head.

That was a draft personnel appointment document for the Jingzhou Municipal Public Security Bureau.

Official documents, with their official headings, are carefully worded.

Decision on Appointing Comrade Zhao Donglai as Chief of the Criminal Investigation Detachment of the Jingzhou Municipal Public Security Bureau

Below is a smaller note: Wu Jianguo, former deputy branch captain, has been immediately suspended from his duties and is under investigation for suspected serious violations of discipline and law.

Hou Liangping was taken aback.

Zhao Donglai?

The name was completely unfamiliar to him. He quickly glanced at the resume attached to the document: he started as a police officer at a grassroots police station, solved dismemberment cases and family annihilation cases, and had a distinguished record. However, five years ago, he offended the then deputy mayor by arresting a gang leader with connections, and was demoted to the lowest level and sent to a township police station to manage household registration for five years.

The resume was as clean as a blank sheet of paper, without any factional scribbling.

His only "background" is his tough and unyielding nature.

"What...what does this mean?" Hou Liangping looked up, the anger in his eyes subsiding somewhat, replaced by confusion. "Making personnel changes at this critical juncture? Are you crazy?"

"Why was Ding Yizhen able to escape?" Qi Tongwei didn't answer, but instead posed a question.

"Someone tipped them off—that's obvious!"

"That's right." Qi Tongwei leaned back in his leather chair, his fingers interlaced in front of his abdomen, his eyes sharp as knives. "Then do you know where this tip-off call came from?"

Hou Liangping's pupils suddenly contracted.

"Is it from the municipal party committee compound? Or the provincial party committee compound?" he asked tentatively.

"No." Qi Tongwei shook his head, his gaze passing over Hou Liangping and looking out the window at the steel jungle. "It's right here in this building. Right under my nose."

boom!

Hou Liangping felt a chill run down his spine, and a cold sensation shot straight to the top of his head.

"A mole?!"

"So I need to change the knife."

Qi Tongwei reached out and pressed his long, slender fingers heavily on the three characters "Zhao Donglai" twice, making a dull sound.

"Before I blast that big fish out of the deep water, I have to make sure the harpoon in my hand is clean. I can't let my knife have barbs on the hilt that could prick my own hand when I'm about to stab the enemy."

He looked at Hou Liangping, his voice suddenly becoming deep and carrying an undeniable air of authority.

"Zhao Donglai was the first whetstone I used to sharpen my blade."

"Wu Jianguo is just the beginning. Next, criminal investigation, economic investigation, drug enforcement... anyone in this building who has skewed their position, I will remove them one by one."

Qi Tongwei stood up, walked around the huge desk, and stepped in front of Hou Liangping.

The leather shoes stomped on the carpet silently, yet with an overwhelming sense of pressure.

The two were less than half a meter apart.

Hou Liangping could even see a tiny reflection of himself in Qi Tongwei's pupils—small, flustered, like a child who wanted to run before he could even walk.

"Liangping, we are old classmates and brothers."

Qi Tongwei raised his hand and gently straightened Hou Liangping's crooked tie, his movements as gentle as an older brother's, but Hou Liangping was stiff all over and dared not move.

I'm not using you.

Qi Tongwei leaned close to his ear, his voice so low that only the two of them could hear it, yet every word was like thunder.

"In this dead end game, I'm trying to carve out a way out for you, and for myself."

"This is a grand strategy, far more grand than you can imagine."

"The waters of Handong are too deep, so deep that even I can't see the bottom. If I don't stir up this water and force all those turtles hiding in the mud to stick their heads out, none of us will be able to get out alive."

"And you—"

Qi Tongwei took a step back, staring intently at him.

"You are the Supreme People's Procuratorate's sharpest sword, the sharpest 'rook' on this chessboard. What you need to do is charge forward recklessly, make a big show of it, and make everyone fear you, hate you, and watch you closely!"

"You are in charge of the charge, cutting down enemy generals and capturing flags."

Qi Tongwei pointed to himself, a faint yet ambitious smile playing on his lips.

"And I will take care of forging the strongest and most reliable 'sheath' for you."

"I will turn the political and legal system of Jingzhou into an impenetrable monolith. When your sword grows tired, dulls, or is even broken..."

"This is your last resort."

Dead silence.

You could hear a pin drop in the office.

Hou Liangping stood frozen in place, as if a million thunderbolts were exploding in his mind.

He got it.

I understand completely now.

This isn't an investigation; this is clearly... a complete overthrow!

What Qi Tongwei wants to do is not just arrest Ding Yizhen or remove a few corrupt officials. He wants to take advantage of this opportunity to dismantle and reorganize the power structure of the entire Handong political and legal system, and establish an ironclad empire that belongs only to "justice," or rather, only to him, Qi Tongwei!

This vision, this ambition, these methods…

Hou Liangping looked at his old classmate, who was both familiar and unfamiliar, and his throat was extremely dry.

fear.

Yes, for the first time, he felt fear towards people his own age.

But beneath this fear, an unprecedented surge of heat was coursing through his veins, burning his cheeks.

A man is a boy until he dies; who wouldn't want to follow such a strong man and accomplish something earth-shattering?

In Qi Tongwei's insightful view of people's hearts, the chaotic color on Hou Liangping's chest was rapidly fading away.

The crimson faded, and the grayish-white disintegrated.

Instead, a richer and purer **emerald green** has emerged.

That's trust.

It's the kind of trust that allows you to completely entrust your back to someone, like a comrade-in-arms.

"call……"

Hou Liangping exhaled a long breath, as if releasing all the pent-up emotions in his chest. He raised his head; the bloodshot in his eyes hadn't faded, but his gaze had become clear and resolute.

"it is good."

There is only one word.

It was a resounding statement.

"Tongwei, I believe you." Hou Liangping nodded heavily, his signature confident smile, tinged with a roguish air, returning to his lips. "I'll take on this 'demon sword'."

"So, what's the next step? Do you want me to make an even bigger scene? Like, tear down the gate of the Mountain and Water Manor?"

Qi Tongwei smiled.

This time she genuinely smiled, and the frost in the corners of her eyes melted a little.

"That's the next step." Qi Tongwei walked back to his desk, picked up Zhao Donglai's appointment letter, and said, "The task now is simple."

"You're the head of the task force, you're going crazy, you're going to bite people."

"Use all available resources to make Ding Yizhen's escape a hot topic, so hot that it will force the higher-ups to send down a higher-level investigation team."

"Make everyone's eyes glued to you."

"Let them think that you, Hou Liangping, are the only and biggest threat."

Hou Liangping's eyes lit up, instantly grasping the key point: "Covering fire? Drawing all the firepower so you can sharpen your knife in the shadows?"

"Smart." Qi Tongwei snapped his fingers.

"Alright!"

Hou Liangping grabbed the car keys from the table, and that spirited feeling returned. He turned and walked towards the door, his steps no longer heavy, but rather exuding an excitement of going to blow up the bunker.

He suddenly stopped when his hand was on the doorknob.

Look back.

"Tongwei".

"Um?"

"Thanks." Hou Liangping gave him a deep look. "Although I know you're just making empty promises, these promises... smell really good."

After saying that, he pushed open the door and strode out.

His back view was resolute, like a soldier heading to the battlefield.

The door slowly closed.

The office returned to silence.

Qi Tongwei looked at the tightly closed door, and the trace of warmth in his eyes instantly vanished, replaced by a layer of unyielding ice.

"Silly boy."

He murmured something to himself, reached into his pocket and took out the bamboo leaf-shaped jade pendant, gently stroking the warm, smooth jade surface with his fingertips.

Making Hou Liangping a target was indeed a way of using him.

But this is also to protect him.

In the ruthless and cutthroat officialdom of Handong, those who stand in the spotlight are in danger, but at least no one dares to openly plot against them.

The real danger is the person wielding the knife in the darkness.

For example... myself.

Qi Tongwei carefully put the jade pendant away from his body and turned to look out the window.

The sunlight finally pierced through the clouds and shone on the steel jungle of the city, but under this light, the shadows appeared even deeper and heavier.

"Zhao Donglai..."

Qi Tongwei picked up the document, took out his pen, and heavily circled the name.

The force penetrates the paper.

"Now that we have the stone for the blade, it's time to choose a suitable blade."

He pressed the red call button on the table.

"Let Chen Hai in."

"Also, please contact the Jingzhou Municipal Party Committee for me; I need to meet with Li Dakang."

This situation is not just an internal power struggle within the political and legal system.

It's time to bring that "Secretary Dakang," who's only interested in GDP, into the game.

If we're going to change the world, let's make it a complete change.