BPIFC -Volume 1 – Chapter 93 A Worthy Opponent (Part 2)

Sun Desheng sent Old Mo and the others outside. After shutting the door, he began discussing matters in secret with Shen La and Che Qianzi.

Vice Director Mo led his investigators out into the employee corridor. When they reached the stairwell, Old Mo took out a pack of cigarettes and handed one to each person.

One of the newer investigators grumbled:

“Director Mo, something’s not right. Sun Desheng isn’t our Bureau Chief anymore. Logically speaking, you were the highest-ranking person in the control room just now. Why does he get to order us out?”

Old Mo smiled faintly.

“You should ask Secretary Yang that. Doesn’t he listen to Fatty Sun too?”

After taking a puff, he continued:

“You’re new, so you don’t know. Ten years ago, the old Min Tiao Bureau belonged to Gao. Nowadays, it belongs to Sun. He may be slightly lacking when it comes to fighting, but when it comes to using his brain, I’ve lived this long and still haven’t seen anyone better.”

“But hasn’t one appeared now?”

Another investigator chimed in. Looking around to make sure nobody else was nearby, he lowered his voice.

“You all heard him earlier. Fatty Sun admitted that he’d finally met an opponent. To deal with that person, he imposed air traffic control twice in one day. Even the white-haired monsters from Sixth Division have almost come out in force. I’ve been in the Bureau for five years, and this is the first time I’ve ever seen something like this.”

Old Mo shook his head.

“It doesn’t matter. Even if his opponent really is more cunning than Fatty Sun, the winner will still be Sun Desheng.”

After finishing his cigarette, he carefully extinguished the butt inside a bottle and said:

“Who in the world has a better hand of cards than Sun Desheng?”

“Sixth Division alone has enough white-haired freaks to fill one and a half mahjong tables. And that’s not even counting Director Wu, the ultimate trump card.”

“They should be done talking by now. Let’s head back.”

When Old Mo and his men returned to the control room, they found that only Sun Desheng and Che Qianzi remained. Shen La had disappeared sometime earlier.

Fatty Sun continued staring at the surveillance monitors as before, occasionally sending nearby investigators to check suspicious locations.

Unfortunately, every report came back empty-handed.

Meanwhile, he received one phone call after another.

One was from Secretary Yang, asking about the air traffic restrictions. Judging by his tone, he was under tremendous pressure.

Even he had begun pleading with Fatty Sun:

“Great Sage, enough is enough. The Minister just slammed the table. If all else fails, let the man go for now and catch him later. Give me some breathing room, and I’ll find an opportunity to speak with the Ministry about restoring your position.”

Sun Desheng’s response was simple:

“Secretary Yang, what was that? I’m telling you, the signal’s bad.”

No sooner had Secretary Yang hung up than another investigator called.

“Bureau Chief Sun, we’ve already taken control of Li Guangquan’s nephew, but—”

Before the man could finish, Sun Desheng interrupted him:

“But you couldn’t identify the person behind the transaction, right?”

“And you’ve also located Xiong Fengnian’s son.”

“If I’m not mistaken, the deals all happened at night.”

“They all witnessed their dead relatives come back to life and transferred money into an account.”

“And that account wasn’t registered under the culprit’s real identity either. After dozens of transfers, the trail became impossible to follow.”

“Am I right?”

It sounded as though Sun Desheng had personally participated in the investigation. His deductions matched the findings exactly.

After hanging up, Che Qianzi couldn’t help asking:

“How did you figure all that out?”

“If we hadn’t been together these past two days, I’d think you were the mastermind.”

Sun Desheng continued watching the screens.

“I just put myself in that guy’s shoes.”

By now, the number of stranded passengers shown on the monitors was growing larger and larger.

The airport service counters were packed with people demanding explanations.

Many had already had their morning flights canceled and rescheduled, only to have their departures delayed once more because of the second round of air traffic restrictions.

As tensions mounted, communication between passengers and airport staff deteriorated.

Arguments broke out at several service counters and boarding gates, eventually escalating into physical fights.

The already limited number of airport special police officers rushed to the scenes, intending to escort both sides away for processing.

They had assumed the other passengers would calm down after seeing the police intervene.

Instead, many believed the officers were favoring the airport.

Already furious, the passengers began obstructing the police.

Before long, over a hundred people had surrounded the officers, refusing to let them take anyone away.

The entire airport was descending into chaos.

At that moment, several senior airport executives called the control room.

All of them wanted to know when the restrictions would be lifted. If things continued like this, serious accidents would occur.

But Fatty Sun refused to yield.

Speaking into the phone, he said:

“When the time comes to lift the restrictions, they’ll be lifted.”

“I don’t care how chaotic things become in the airport.”

“Nobody—not even your employees—is allowed to leave without authorization.”

“If heaven collapses, I, Sun Desheng, will bear the responsibility.”

Without waiting for further arguments, he yanked the telephone line out of the wall.

Then he picked up the Bureau’s radio and announced:

“Everyone, prepare to spend the entire night at the airport.”

“If we haven’t found Long Dekou by ten o’clock tonight, we’ll seal off the airport and inspect every single person until we catch him.”

As soon as those words were spoken, expressions of despair appeared on the investigators’ faces.

More than ten thousand people were already stranded in the airport.

If they had to check them one by one, who knew how long it would take?

The investigators began muttering among themselves.

Originally, this hadn’t seemed like such a major case.

How had things suddenly escalated to this point?

Even Old Mo sighed helplessly.

“Great Sage, there are already over ten thousand people stranded here. By ten o’clock, there’ll probably be twenty thousand.”

“We only have two hundred people total. One man watching a hundred passengers?”

Without taking his eyes off the monitors, Sun Desheng replied:

“Old Mo, while you were outside, I called for reinforcements.”

“Three battalions of armed police will help us.”

“I’m telling you, this matter doesn’t seem serious, but the location makes all the difference.”

“If we don’t catch that man this time, next time we might not be searching inside an airport.”

“We could be searching in the middle of the ocean…”

Before he could finish, Xiao Yifeng’s voice suddenly came over the radio:

“Something’s happened at Gate Fifteen in Area D!”

“One of the investigators I stationed there has disappeared!”

As soon as Vice Director Xiao finished speaking, Xiong Wanyi’s voice came over another channel:

“Something’s happened in Area B too!”

“The Great Scholar’s gone missing again!”

“Fatty Sun! Hurry and send Shen La—”

Before he could finish, his radio suddenly went silent.

Sun Desheng immediately searched for Xiong Wanyi on the surveillance monitors.

The only thing visible where he’d last appeared was a lonely radio lying on the ground.

Fatty Sun quickly dispatched personnel to investigate.

Then, one after another, Min Tiao Bureau investigators began disappearing.

Sun Desheng immediately ordered everyone to group together and stop acting alone.

He sent Yang Jun and Shen La to locate the missing personnel and eventually even dispatched Old Mo and the others to assist them.

Soon, the enormous control room contained only two people.

Sun Desheng.

And Che Qianzi.

With Shen La and Yang Jun’s help, the missing investigators were quickly found.

Most had simply been drugged unconscious and hidden inside surveillance blind spots.

Xiong Wanyi was discovered in the same place where Ximen Lian had previously been found.

Fortunately, nobody’s life was in danger.

Only then did Sun Desheng finally breathe a sigh of relief.

Just as the missing personnel were being recovered one by one, the control room doors burst open violently.

The airport’s general manager stormed in, his face full of anger.

Looking directly at Sun Desheng, he said:

“Bureau Chief Sun, I hear you’re planning to keep the air traffic restrictions in place all night.”

“Are you joking?”

“I’ve already reported this to my superiors.”

“The leaders of the Civil Aviation Administration have decided to reopen the airport.”

“From this moment onward, all the authority you’ve exercised inside this airport has been revoked…”