Era of Magic and Martial Arts

Chapter 546 - 530: Digging Their Own Graves

In the spacious living room, three cups of hot tea on the coffee table steamed with mist.

Lou Duan sat on the sofa, his gaze sweeping back and forth across the faces of the two Prison Chiefs opposite him.

This scene felt familiar, the same spots, the same two Prison Chiefs, only the previous two are now one who committed suicide out of guilt, another who fled out of fear.

"So, the explosion has nothing to do with you two?"

Lou Duan picked up the teacup, the steam blurred his cold glasses.

"Station Chief Lou, please see clearly, this indeed has nothing to do with us..."

The Prison Chief on the left nodded heavily, the fat on his face quivering:

"But Feng Mu will definitely take advantage of it to frame us! That’s why we came to you late at night, begging Station Chief Lou to make the decision for us!"

The Prison Chief on the right quickly chimed in:

"That’s right, Zhao Xing and Zhou Hu were taken down by Feng Mu using despicable means, framed and falsely accused."

Lou Duan stared awkwardly at them, his heart filled with mixed emotions, not knowing how to respond for a moment.

The Prison Chief on the right obviously misunderstood, leaning forward, squinting and lowering his voice,

"So, Station Chief Lou, just give us a hint, was the explosion orchestrated by someone from above..."

He spoke of "above," but his gaze was tightly fixed on Lou Duan, his meaning obvious.

After all, in the high ranks of the prison system, Station Chief Lou had been the most opposing to the Second Prison’s reforms, at least on the surface.

Lou Duan looked at them as if they were idiots, thinking that it wasn’t something he did, even if it was, how could he be asked like this openly.

His face immediately darkened, and he snorted coldly:

"Since it wasn’t you two, why would Feng Mu frame you? Does he have anything on you?"

The two Prison Chiefs exchanged glances, first shaking their heads, then hesitantly nodding:

"No, it’s just that after the explosion we entered the Prison Chief’s office and took something, maybe Li Bashan saw us, so..."

Lou Duan was slightly taken aback, a bad premonition rising in his heart: "What did you take?"

Seeing Lou Duan’s darkened expression, they hurriedly told the truth:

"The dismissal letter, Qian Huan forced us to sign this document, we almost fell into his trap. Fortunately, right after the explosion, we quickly picked the document back up."

Lou Duan’s face turned black, he could picture the scene in his mind.

He could almost see these two idiots picking up documents in the middle of thick smoke, caught by Li Bashan in the act, their actions couldn’t be more suspicious.

Suppressing his anger, Lou Duan asked:

"Where is the document?"

The two Prison Chiefs displayed sly expressions simultaneously, smugly saying:

"Station Chief Lou, rest assured, after we left the Second Prison, we found a place to burn it clean. This way, we remain the Prison Chiefs of the Second Prison, able to continue managing it for you and the ones above."

Lou Duan’s temples throbbed, unsure whether to scold them for being stupid or clever.

"Great, now that the evidence is destroyed, it equates to solidifying the suspicion of destroying evidence of guilt, in all my time in office, I’ve never seen such self-destructive people."

Lou Duan’s mind raced, realizing he made a fatal mistake.

He shouldn’t have opened the door for these two idiots tonight, now not only are they beyond explanation, but he’s also entangled in this mess.

Lou Duan seriously looked at the two for a while, confirming their foolishness and lack of self-awareness, they didn’t seem to be hiding or lying about anything else.

He couldn’t help but frown deeply, plunging into thought:

"The explosion has nothing to do with me, nor was it their doing, so who secretly planned it, and what is the purpose?"

A few suspicious candidates flashed quickly through his mind, however, upon careful consideration, none seemed to be the mastermind.

He suddenly realized that the explosion case has made the already convoluted situation of the Second Prison even more convoluted, more obscure than when Zhou Hu and Zhao Xing were around.

This time, without any prompt, Lou Duan sniffed an extremely dangerous scent.

He had barely managed to silence Zhao Xing and Zhou Hu to extricate himself from the muddy waters of the Second Prison, but now, barely settled for two days, trouble hit his doorstep again.

"These two idiots really deserve no pity in death."

Lou Duan thought in his heart, but his face suddenly cracked into a smile, crow’s feet forming in pleasure,

"Burned well, burned perfectly!"

The two Prison Chiefs straightened their backs upon hearing this, sporting identical joyous expressions.

They hadn’t noticed at all that in the high-rise apartment directly opposite, Gong Qi, holding an ultra-high-definition camera phone, was capturing the smiling faces at the floor-to-ceiling window.

Looking at the full HD, imagination-provoking "evidence photo" on the screen, his lips slowly curled up in an arc identical to the one in the picture.

(See, this is what happens when you don’t close the curtains!)

Lou Duan put down the teacup, then said solemnly to the two:

"You two did well, Qian Huan’s life or death is uncertain. Without Qian Huan’s support, Feng Mu won’t stir up any waves in the Second Prison, but, Qian Huan’s mother Li Hanyu still has some influence, and cannot be underestimated..."

Lou Duan slightly frowned, appearing as a good superior who considered everything for them:

"You must understand, a mother revengeful for her son is not rational, any extreme actions would not be surprising."

The smiles on the two Prison Chiefs’ faces froze slightly, both thinking of Zhou Hu and Zhao Xing’s not so pleasant ends, swallowing a mouthful of saliva simultaneously.

"Station Chief Lou, please be sure to save us, from now on we will definitely..."

Lou Duan quickly waved his hand, cutting off their impassioned pledge, he dared not accept the loyalty of such fools, fearing they might bring him misfortune.

He wore a heavy smile, consoling them with a serious tone:

"We are all working for the prison system, I naturally can’t just watch you fall into danger and do nothing.

So, you two should not go home these days.

Zhao Xing died in his home, it’s certainly not safe now. Don’t wander around outside either, so as not to disappear like Zhou Hu..."

On hearing this, they nodded as frantically as pecking chicks, agreeing repeatedly.

Only then did Lou Duan stand up and walk into the study.

He stopped in front of the desk, pulling out a sticky note, then picked up a pen, writing down an address on the note.

After writing, he thoughtfully crumpled the note into a ball, tossed it into the nearby trash can, then pulled another sticky note, switched the pen to the other hand, and rewrote the address.

This address was originally prepared for Zhou Hu.

Zhou Hu didn’t accept his kindness, thus didn’t use it, ending up with no trace in death or life.

Fortunately, time has turned, and this address could finally be put to use.

"These two should not waste my kindness, right?"

Lou Duan sighed deeply, walked out of the study, and handed the sticky note to them.

Six eyes met, confirming that they were people who would not betray each other.....