BPIFC -Volume 1 – Chapter 145 Extending Life

According to Sun Desheng, the middle-aged woman who was last seen meeting the man boarded a bus and then completely vanished.

Before Xiao Yifeng arrived at the prison, the local police had already checked surveillance cameras along the entire bus route. It was confirmed that the bus never made any unauthorized stops to let anyone off—but how the woman disappeared afterward, no one could explain.

After hearing Sun Desheng’s account, Che Qianzi frowned.

“Fatty, you’re not even the bureau chief anymore. Why are you still worrying about that Director Ren’s life and death? Or are you saying I wasn’t dreaming last night—something really happened to my old man, and he came to me in a dream? You’re trying to figure it out to give me an explanation?”

“What are you thinking?” Sun Desheng chuckled.

“Even if I’m not the bureau chief anymore, what happened last night was clearly someone not taking me, Sun Desheng, seriously. Pulling tricks right under my nose—if I don’t find this guy, next time someone will be shitting on my head and I won’t even be able to stop it.”

He paused, then winked at Che Qianzi.

“Besides, it’s also for you, brother. Right now you’re basically a consultant with bureau chief-level. If something happens to Old Ren, you might end up taking his position. Then you’d be the one investigating his case. I’m just clearing things up for you in advance.”

“You really want me to be some consultant? Stop joking. I know exactly how many bowls of rice I can eat.” Che Qianzi felt this was going too far. He had only signed the appointment form earlier out of anger, just to help Sun Desheng vent a little and make things difficult for Director Ren. He never expected Sun Desheng to seriously consider him a consultant. He had only been in the bureau for a few days—how could he possibly handle that role?

“If I say you can do it, you can,” Sun Desheng grinned.

“So whether for public or private reasons, I’ve got to figure this out. I’m no longer in the bureau, but you and La Zi are still inside. We’re brothers—what’s the difference between us?”

At that moment, Shen La spoke up.

“Boss, let’s be serious. Now that the woman’s lead is gone, it’ll be hard to continue the investigation. Why not use your earlier ‘bad idea’ and make Old Ren the bait? As long as someone makes a move, I can catch them.”

Sun Desheng smiled faintly.

“That’s the last resort. Besides, even if we set bait, that’s Yang Shuji’s job, not ours. If something goes wrong with Old Ren while he’s acting as bait, that black pot will be firmly strapped to my back.”

The three were still talking when Shao Yiyi called from the kitchen.

“The zhajiang noodles are ready—come eat. Enough of all that messy business. Eat first, then talk. Brother, this big bowl is yours. No side dishes, just some shredded cucumber.”

The three of them walked over to eat when a knock sounded at the door.

Then Tu An’s voice came from outside:

“Mrs. Sun, open the door. From today on, we’re neighbors.”

Shao Yiyi had the child open the door and let Tu An in. Then she said somewhat gossipy, “You really rented the place downstairs? How much is the rent per month? This neighborhood may not be luxurious, but it’s still decent. At least ten thousand or more, right?”

“The agent listed it at twenty thousand. I didn’t bargain,” Tu An replied with a faint smile.

He then noticed Sun Desheng and the others slurping noodles and added, “Looks like I came at a bad time. I’ll go downstairs and grab something to eat first, then come back up.”

“You’re already here and still going out? That’s insulting,” Shao Yiyi said as she pulled him inside. “We made extra noodles anyway, don’t be picky. It’s just a home meal… and tonight you can try my cooking properly. You overpaid, by the way—the previous tenant only paid thirteen thousand.”

As she spoke, she handed him a bowl of noodles.

Tu An took it, but before eating, he suddenly sniffed a few times and walked straight into the kitchen.

He lifted the lid of the fish-head soup pot and inhaled deeply from the clay pot. Then he turned back and said:

“This recipe… was given by Director Wu, right? Not bad… not bad.”

After saying “not bad” twice, he glanced at Sun Desheng.

“You’ve been drinking this soup for a while now, haven’t you? It’s already showing some effect.”

“Old Tu, you’re saying this recipe is from Director Wu?” Sun Desheng asked, though he already had a guess. After Tu An confirmed it, Sun Desheng gave a strange smile.

“I just got back from America not long ago. I’ve been busy ever since, haven’t really drunk it properly. Tell me—what effect does this soup have? Does it make you immortal or something?”

“What’s so good about immortality?” Tu An said as he covered the pot again. “Nothing compares to living freely in this world.”

“This is called an ‘extending-life soup.’ It’s said to prolong lifespan. You also know—when you marry into the Shao family, you have to find ways to live longer. But after all these years, you’re the first Shao son-in-law personally given life-extension treatment by Wu Rendi.”

Sun Desheng’s expression turned strange.

“That can’t be right… He always jokes about turning Yiyi into a widow. How could he give me a life-extending recipe? No, no, no…”

While he was speaking, Shao Yiyi came over holding their daughter.

“What are you talking about? What life extension?”

Before Sun Desheng could make up an excuse, his phone rang again.

He put it on speaker and answered immediately.

“Old Xiao, found new clues?”

On the other end, Xiao Yifeng’s voice came through.

“Yes. Police at a highway rest stop found traces of the woman. She was heading toward Beijing.”

“And we’ve identified her identity from the photo—her name is Gao Yanlian, female, 39 years old, from Guangxi. We’re currently investigating further…”

“Boss, I’ve already reported this to the bureau. But you need to be careful…”

Before he could finish, a sudden rumbling sound came through the phone.

Then another voice shouted urgently:

“The car’s overturned! The car’s overturned—get them out! Hurry! Run! The vehicle is on fire—run!”

With a loud boom, the line went dead silent.

Sun Desheng immediately grabbed the phone and shouted:

“Old Xiao! Are you okay?! Old Xiao! Old Xiao!!”

No response.

He quickly dialed another number.

As soon as the call connected, he said urgently:

“Old Zheng! Do me a favor. There’s been a serious accident on the Beijing–Shenyang Expressway near Beijing. Check it immediately—I want first-hand information. I need to know how many people were in the vehicle, and whether they’re alive or dead…”