Chapter 145 A Bunch of Good-for-Nothings

Lu Ming did not resist, appearing thoroughly compliant.

Zhang Shaofeng looked at Lu Ming and sneered, "Let's go."

With that, Zhang Shaofeng turned and walked away, while two of his subordinates flanked Lu Ming, escorting him out.

Emerging from the side door of the museum, a police car was already waiting. Lu Ming was led into the vehicle, and the police car quietly drove away.

At the same time, Yun Shengguo's secretary had just finished arranging the guests attending the celebration, who boarded two luxury buses and headed toward the Xijing Grand Hotel.

"Secretary Yun, it's time for us to leave as well," the secretary said to Yun Shengguo.

Yun Shengguo nodded with a smile on his face.

The celebration had finally passed without mishap. Once the midday banquet was over, the press conference would begin in the afternoon. With the participation of these cultural luminaries, his personal prestige would reach an unprecedented height, providing an incalculable boost to his political career.

The secretary opened the car door for Yun Shengguo, and he prepared to get in.

Just then, Zhao Yajun, the captain of the Special Operations Team, came running over out of breath, waving his arms to stop Yun Shengguo just as he was about to board. Disregarding all etiquette, Zhao blurted out, "This is terrible! The bronze dragon head has been stolen again!"

Upon hearing this, Yun Shengguo felt as though a thunderbolt had struck him from the blue.

"How could this happen?" Yun Shengguo asked in a low voice, his face full of fury.

Zhao Yajun said anxiously, "Right after you left, a man in black with a masked face knocked out the guard in Exhibition Hall Number One, used a device to open the electronic doors of the hall, and stole the dragon head."

"A bunch of good-for-nothings," Yun Shengguo cursed, casting aside his official composure. "Where is Mr. Lu?"

"Mr. Lu?" Zhao Yajun looked utterly bewildered.

Only then did Yun Shengguo remember that Zhao Yajun had no idea of Lu Ming's existence.

"Immediately place all museum personnel under control and seal off all information. If a single word leaks out, you will be held solely responsible," Yun Shengguo commanded after a brief moment of thought.

"Yes."

Zhao Yajun hastily acknowledged the order and trotted away to execute it.

Yun Shengguo sat inside the car, massaging his temples in agony.

He had thought the matter was concluded satisfactorily, only for such a massive accident to occur.

That dragon head was supposed to be immediately dispatched to Shangjing after the afternoon press conference, where the National Museum in Shangjing was still waiting to receive it.

Moreover, tomorrow he was scheduled to meet with a heavyweight from the Ministry of Culture, and the higher-ups were preparing to bestow honors upon him. With this incident breaking out, he was about to face a series of enormous problems.

After a moment of thought, Yun Shengguo suddenly wondered why there had been no news from Mr. Lu yet.

Knowing that Lu Ming disliked attending banquets and similar events, he had not invited Lu Ming to the feast, but instead left him at the museum because the dragon head was scheduled to remain there for the entire afternoon, and he was afraid of accidents.

Given Lu Ming's abilities, the dragon head could not have been stolen so silently unless something had happened to him.

At this thought, a jolt of alarm ran through Yun Shengguo. If even Lu Ming had met with misfortune, then the dragon head was truly in grave danger.

Yun Shengguo hurriedly pulled out his phone and dialed Lu Ming's number.

However, the phone kept ringing without an answer, leaving Yun Shengguo stamping his feet in anxiety inside the car.

After dialing once with no response, Yun Shengguo tried again, only to hear that the recipient's phone was powered off.

With a soft clatter, Yun Shengguo's phone slipped from his hand and hit the floorboard. Stunned for a moment, he instructed his secretary, "Go immediately and find Mr. Lu, then call me."

Secretary Zhang Kai quickly replied, "Understood, Secretary Yun."

Zhang Kai immediately stepped out of the car and sprinted toward the museum. He was somewhat aware of the relationship between Yun Shengguo and Lu Ming, and knowing the severity of the situation, he dared not delay in the slightest.

After Zhang Kai left, Yun Shengguo leaned back powerlessly against the seat and told the driver, "To the Xijing Hotel."

A crowd of dignitaries was still waiting there for him to deliver a speech, and he could not afford to be absent.

Running into the museum, Zhang Kai immediately found the Deputy Curator Li Jianmin, and the two headed straight for the surveillance room.

As the chief secretary to the top official of the provincial party committee, Zhang Kai's intelligence went without saying.

Along the way, he had already run through various analyses in his mind.

Mr. Lu had been inside the museum all along and should not have gone out. If Secretary Yun could not reach him, then naturally he couldn't either. The only viable path now was to check the surveillance footage to see where Mr. Lu was and what had happened to him.

The two hurried all the way to the monitoring room and immediately had the staff pull up the footage.

After more than ten agonizing minutes, someone finally spotted Lu Ming being led away by Zhang Shaofeng in a corridor.

"What an absolute fool."

Zhang Kai cursed Zhang Shaofeng inwardly, not even bothering to exchange pleasantries before turning on his heel to leave.

As he walked out, Zhang Kai dialed Secretary Yun's number.

"Hello, Secretary Yun. Mr. Lu was taken away by Zhang Shaofeng, and they even put handcuffs on him."

"That idiot! Go immediately and demand the release of Mr. Lu, explain the situation to him, and tell that bastard Zhang Shaofeng that I'll deal with him after I finish handling my current affairs," Yun Shengguo said through gritted teeth over the phone.

"Understood, Secretary Yun."

"Call me if anything else happens." With that, Yun Shengguo hung up the phone.

Zhang Kai exited the museum, got into his car, and drove straight toward the Criminal Investigation Team of the Provincial Public Security Department.

Meanwhile, inside an interrogation room at the Public Security Department's Criminal Investigation Team:

Lu Ming sat in the interrogation chair just like a common criminal.

Zhang Shaofeng and the female police officer sat at the opposite table, looking at him coldly.

During the car ride over just now, Lu Ming's phone had rung.

Instead of answering, Lu Ming had pressed the mute button and then powered off the device.

However, his phone was subsequently confiscated by Zhang Shaofeng anyway.

Zhang Shaofeng had been mulling over the situation; he had already lost the initiative in this matter, and he could sense that Secretary Yun's opinion of him had soured.

If he could not resolve this affair perfectly, his future political career was painfully obvious.

At just over forty years old, he was already a captain in the provincial department and held a bureau-level rank. He was in the prime of his career, and with his reputation and qualifications, promotion to deputy department head was guaranteed, while even full department head was within reach. Naturally, he was unwilling to fall so easily.

As long as he resolved the issue before him, Lu Ming's true colors would be exposed, and Secretary Yun would naturally look at him in a new light. His political career would take on an entirely different landscape.

The only problem now was to crack Lu Ming's lips before Secretary Yun finished his business and force him to tell the truth.

In Zhang Shaofeng's eyes, Lu Ming was inextricably linked to this case—nine times out of ten—and he had plenty of methods to make this fellow talk.

"Mr. Lu, I hope you can truthfully recount the ins and outs of the stolen dragon head and what role you played in it, lest you be subjected to unnecessary treatment," Zhang Shaofeng said coldly, staring at Lu Ming.

Lu Ming chuckled. "Why are you so certain that I am connected to this matter?"

"If you're not connected, how did you know the dragon head was in that pool?" Zhang Shaofeng demanded sternly.

Looking at Zhang Shaofeng, Lu Ming replied unhurriedly, "Some truths are simply beyond the scope of your vision. There's no need to threaten me; what I despise most in this world is being threatened by others."

"Hmph, quite a bold tone. This is no place for you to run wild. Do you think that knowing Secretary Yun gives you the right to pull the wool over everyone's eyes? What a joke. I didn't reach the position of head of criminal investigation by sitting around doing nothing," Zhang Shaofeng said, slapping the table.

Lu Ming laughed heartily. "I know you didn't reach it by sitting around, but I'm afraid that in the future, you won't even have congee left to drink."

"Impudent! What kind of place do you think this is? Is this somewhere you can throw your weight around?" Zhang Shaofeng barked in anger.

Lu Ming leaned back quietly against the chair and slowly said, "As you wish. Your future is in your own hands; do as you please."

"Hmph. Since you're unwilling to talk, don't blame me. Lu Qi, step outside and send Peng Wei in," Zhang Shaofeng instructed the female officer beside him.

The female officer named Lu Qi frowned slightly and whispered, "Captain, is this really a good idea?"

"This is an order. Carry it out," Zhang Shaofeng said sternly.

Lu Qi had no choice but to stand up and walk out.

A short while later, a tall, burly man in casual clothes walked in.

As soon as he entered, he looked at Zhang Shaofeng. Seeing the captain give a slight nod, Peng Wei took off his T-shirt and tossed it up, accurately covering the surveillance camera, revealing a physique bulging with high-density muscles.