I Have Infinite Skill Points-Chapter 650: The Complex Huzhou Tianjian Bureau
Wang Lan hadn’t informed Huzhou Province of his arrival time, but upon disembarking, he found people already waiting for him. As he and Jiang Xinyu exited the arrival area, a group in military uniforms approached.
"Welcome, welcome, General Wang, to Huzhou. I am Liu Yuxin, the Chief of the Huzhou Tianjian Bureau," a Lieutenant General saluted Wang Lan and then spoke.
"Greetings, Chief Liu. There was really no need for such a grand welcome. We could have made our own way to the Tianjian Bureau."
"How could that be? We must come and greet General Wang upon his arrival. General Wang, please, after you."
Wang Lan followed Liu Yuxin out of the airport. Liu Yuxin personally opened the car door for Wang Lan and Jiang Xinyu, then hurried to his own car to lead the way.
Liu Yuxin first took Wang Lan to the agency’s residential complex, arranging a three-bedroom apartment for him and Jiang Xinyu. "General Wang, are you satisfied with these arrangements? If you have any requests, please don’t hesitate to say."
"It’s very good; I have no complaints. Let’s first discuss what has happened."
"Here’s the situation. A month ago, Deputy Director Wen Xianghua went missing. We only found some bloodstains at an abandoned quarry, and DNA matching confirmed they were his. But Wen Xianghua possessed the peak strength of the Star Sea realm, and there were no signs of a struggle at the scene, unless he was somehow rendered unable to resist. I’ve partnered with Wen Xianghua for twenty years; I’m very familiar with his capabilities. Across the entire nation, only those at the level of the Five Emperors could defeat him instantly. This is what troubles us most, and we have no idea whether Wen Xianghua is alive or dead."
"Did Wen Xianghua have any enemies?"
"How could anyone reach his position without making a few enemies? But those supposed enemies are just a bunch of petty criminals and clowns, incapable of achieving anything significant, nor do they possess the ability to ambush Director Wen."
"Before his disappearance, did Wen Xianghua exhibit any unusual behavior, or was he working on something specific?"
"Well... there was indeed some unusual activity, but as for what he was doing, I don’t know. I’m afraid only Director Sun from the Action Department would have that information."
Hmm... Wang Lan frowned. Something feels off. Judging by Liu Yuxin’s words, it seems he and this Wen Xianghua didn’t quite see eye to eye.
"General Wang, I have booked dinner at the Jingxi Hotel. Later, I will send someone to escort you. For now, would you like to rest or go out for a walk? This is Director Yu from the Secretariat. You can ask Director Yu for anything you need."
"There’s no need. I’ll just stay in the dormitory. Please don’t go to any special trouble; treat me as you normally would."
"How could that be? General Wang, please be sure to let us know if you have any requests. There’s some business I need to attend to back at the bureau. Director Yu, make sure to take good care of General Wang."
"Yes!"
"How about this: I’ll go back with you. It’ll be a good opportunity to get acquainted with people. Our work later will require the cooperation of your various departments."
"Excellent, excellent! General Wang, please, this way!"
Following Liu Yuxin, Wang Lan and Jiang Xinyu went downstairs again and took the car to the Tianjian Bureau headquarters.
At this moment, inside the Huzhou Province Tianjian Bureau headquarters, a lively discussion was unfolding regarding Wang Lan’s arrival.
"I heard a big shot is coming to the bureau today; even the Chief himself went to pick him up. Anyone the Chief personally greets must be at least a Lieutenant General."
"You’re in charge of liaison, for crying out loud! How can your information be so outdated? The one arriving today is no ordinary big shot; oh no, he’s an existence that practically touches the heavens."
"Ah? Even I didn’t know. How come you’re aware of it? And I didn’t hear anything this morning about a major figure visiting."
"It must have been a last-minute decision from the higher-ups. Decided in the morning, and the person arrived in the afternoon. As for why he’s here, you can probably guess."
"Regarding the Deputy Director’s situation? Then the Chief must be anxious. No wonder he rushed out personally to pick him up."
"Even if he weren’t anxious, he’d still have to scurry to greet them. My cousin works for the airline. This morning, she was on a flight from Suzhou City to Huzhou. Do you know what she just called to tell me?"
"What?"
"A General was on her flight, and a super handsome one at that. Young and handsome. If I’m not mistaken, *that* man has arrived."
"Which one?"
"Are you trying to get yourself killed? Don’t you even know who my dream lover is? Wang Lan! The youngest Titled Strongman in history, the youngest General in history! But none of that is the most important part. What matters is that he’s handsome, so handsome, and so strong... I can’t... I just can’t! My heart is pounding uncontrollably!"
"Are you sure it’s your heart that’s pounding, and not... other tides surging?"
"Ruyi, I’m going to get you for that!"
"Help me!" In the office, the two young women began to playfully scuffle.
Suddenly, there was a knock on the door. A Lieutenant Colonel in a black uniform, his face grim, rapped on the office door. "What’s all this ruckus during work hours? The esteemed guest is about to arrive. Is this how you want to appear before him?"
"S-sorry, Director Sun..."
"Don’t let it happen again. If the Chief were to see this, you know the consequences."
"Yes!"
RING RING RING...
"Hello, Action Department!" "Yes, I’ll be there immediately."
"Hello, Intelligence Department." "Yes, on my way."
Suddenly, throughout the Huzhou Province Tianjian Bureau headquarters, telephones in various departments rang out. Department heads then began making their way to Conference Room One for a meeting.
There were far more departments within the Huzhou Tianjian Bureau than Wang Lan had imagined. The Suzhou City Tianjian Bureau had only five departments, and the Modu City Tianjian Bureau had seven, but the Huzhou headquarters boasted eleven.
Even if they have a large area to oversee, doesn’t each place have its own branches? Why does the headquarters need so many departments?
Wang Lan silently observed the various Lieutenant Colonels and Colonels, all directors, entering. These individuals, in turn, surreptitiously cast their gazes upon Wang Lan. Their pupils couldn’t help but contract slightly, especially after noticing the insignia on his epaulets.
"General Wang, this is Director Sun from the Action Department. And this is Director Li from the Intelligence Department..."
Liu Yuxin introduced his subordinates to Wang Lan one by one. Each person introduced also stood up and saluted him.
Action Department, Law Enforcement Department, Inspection Department, Intelligence Department, Evidence Department, General Affairs Department... many departments had overlapping functions.
"I have come to Huzhou this time primarily to investigate the disappearance of Deputy Director Wen Xianghua. The mysterious disappearance of a provincial Tianjian Bureau deputy chief is being taken very seriously by the higher-ups. My usual practice is to establish a special task force. The task force doesn’t need many people; around ten is sufficient. You will set up the task force today, and tomorrow I will personally lead the investigation. Whether Director Wen is alive or dead, we must get to the bottom of this matter. I won’t say anything more. Chief Liu, please continue."
"I don’t have much to add. In that case, let’s get to work."
After the banquet, Wang Lan and Jiang Xinyu were escorted back to the residential complex.
Wang Lan, in his pajamas, leaned against the bed, lost in thought. Jiang Xinyu emerged, drying her damp hair.
"Wang Lan," Jiang Xinyu began, "don’t you feel that this Huzhou Tianjian Bureau is a bit strange?"
"It is a bit strange. The departments seem to be divided into two factions. It’s evident from their exchanged glances; one faction is very wary, or even hostile, towards the other.
In fact, we sensed this situation as soon as we got off the plane. People from the Intelligence Department came, but no one from the Action Department showed up. Those two are always the most important departments in any Tianjian Bureau.
Furthermore, no other Tianjian Bureau has the position of Deputy Director. Why does Huzhou have one? I’m almost certain now that Wen Xianghua and Liu Yuxin belong to two different factions, and these factions have been engaged in both open and covert struggles."
"Then... could Wen Xianghua’s death have been orchestrated by Liu Yuxin?"
"He’s missing, not confirmed dead," Wang Lan quickly corrected.
"Hmph, who doesn’t know that’s just a way of putting it? They found Wen Xianghua’s blood in such a remote place, and he hasn’t been seen alive, nor has a body been found. What’s there to be uncertain about? It’s obvious he’s been murdered.
Besides, what was Wen Xianghua doing in such a secluded place all by himself? No matter how you look at it, this whole affair seems like someone lured Wen Xianghua to that hidden spot and then killed him."
"Let’s not jump to conclusions without definitive evidence. Come on, let’s get to sleep early tonight. We have work to do tomorrow."
They arrived at the Tianjian Bureau headquarters. This time, Wang Lan wore a suit; wearing the General’s uniform created a bit too much pressure. The task force had already been assembled. Wang Lan glanced at them, and his brow furrowed.
"Why is there no one from the Action Department?" Wang Lan’s question plunged the task force into dead silence.
"General Wang, it’s all the same, all the same..."
"What do you mean, ’all the same’? A task force is supposed to bring together talent from various departments. If it’s entirely composed of personnel from the Intelligence and Law Enforcement Departments, then let’s not bother forming a task force. Just let your Intelligence Department handle the investigation." Wang Lan’s words made the head of the Intelligence Department break out in a cold sweat.
"Never mind, I’ll pick them myself," Wang Lan said, greatly displeased. He summoned the groups to an open area outside and spent an hour selecting ten elite members from various departments; only one person from the Intelligence Department was chosen.
In reality, Wang Lan didn’t necessarily need so-called elites, but he did need to disrupt the existing balance. He didn’t want anyone by his side leaking every detail of his investigation. Moreover, Wang Lan was initially inclined to believe that Wen Xianghua had died as a result of internal strife.
"Bring all the information regarding Director Wen’s disappearance here. Let’s start by sorting through the data."
His subordinates quickly brought in a stack of files, placing them on Wang Lan’s desk. The ten members each took a portion and began to review them thoroughly.
Wang Lan first picked up Wen Xianghua’s personnel file. Wen Xianghua joined the Tianjian Bureau at the age of twenty-four and had steadily risen through the ranks from the grassroots level. Interestingly, it seemed that Wen Xianghua and Liu Yuxin were like a pair of incomparable rivals of their era.
The two had constantly engaged in both open and covert struggles, always competing and comparing achievements. Sometimes Wen Xianghua would gain an edge, other times Liu Yuxin would. This continued until Liu Yuxin became the Chief of the Huzhou Province Tianjian Bureau, at which point their two decades of rivalry seemed to have settled on the surface.
But because both had risen through such fierce competition, their respective factions were more or less equally matched. Logically, the solution to such a situation would be to transfer one of them to another province, so their paths would no longer cross. However, for some unknown reason, Wen Xianghua was not transferred; instead, he became the Deputy Director and continued the struggle with Liu Yuxin.
Competition is conducive to improvement, but it’s also a double-edged sword. If not managed well, it can devolve into vicious rivalry. It transformed from "I must be stronger than you" to "I must pull you down, trip you up, and ensure you never rise again."
Viewed from this angle, Liu Yuxin’s suspected involvement has just jumped from fifty percent to a solid seventy percent.
