After ten years undercover, I'm giving up.

"Everyone, please don't get agitated."

"The police will hold a formal press conference later, at 10:00 a.m. today."

"Dear media colleagues, please be on time to ask your questions."

As soon as he finished speaking, a group of police officers rushed out of the gate and forcefully separated the reporters who were blocking the way.

Only then did the police chief manage to slip away from the crowd and successfully enter the police headquarters.

But as soon as he stepped into the building, the smile he had been putting on to deal with the media vanished instantly, replaced by a frighteningly gloomy expression.

He ordered in a cold voice, "Immediately notify all senior officers in the police force."

"Deputy directors, senior assistant directors, and heads of all departments must be in the conference room at 9:00 AM sharp."

"Anyone who dares to be late, I'll personally settle the score with them!"

"Also, Smith and Scott are both indispensable."

"I want them to explain this to me in person!"

It was exactly 9:00 AM.

The high-level meeting started on time.

Inside the meeting room, almost all of the police department's top officials were present.

The air was so oppressive it felt like it was frozen; everyone was speaking in hushed tones, and no one dared to utter a single word at a time like this.

Smith and Scott, sitting in their seats, felt extremely uncomfortable.

Especially Smith.

He knew better than anyone else that Chen Yongren was an undercover agent; he knew it from the very beginning.

Even when facing Wu Shaoxiong, he deliberately hinted – what undercover agent? He's clearly a criminal!

But he would never admit to such a thing, even if you killed him.

Scott, on the other hand, was so frustrated he was about to explode.

How did this pot end up hitting him on the head?

Does this have anything to do with him?

Hey!

The police chief's gaze swept across the room, finally settling on Cai Yuanqi. He asked in an icy tone, "Is Chen Yongren actually an undercover police officer?"

Cai Yuanqi remained calm and answered steadily: "It has been verified that Chen Yongren is indeed an undercover agent sent by the police."

"We have recovered the relevant files that were previously deleted."

"Yesterday at noon, I was just about to initiate an internal investigation when, unexpectedly, the news was leaked to the media first."

In just a few words, Cai Yuanqi completely distanced himself from the whole affair.

The leader didn't reply immediately, but just gave him a deep look.

That one glance sent a chill down Cai Yuanqi's spine.

After a moment, the leader looked away and turned to look at Smith and Scott.

"So, how do you two plan to explain this?"

Faced with the almost oppressive gaze of the number one, Smith immediately put on a look as if he had suffered a great injustice.

He quickly said, "Director, this really has nothing to do with us."

"Wu Shaoxiong is now a wanted criminal. He has nowhere else to turn, so of course he will make baseless accusations and try to muddy the waters."

Anyway, his attitude is the same.

I don't agree.

I'd rather die than admit it!

Scott quickly spoke up, looking completely aggrieved, and said, "Chief, I really have no idea about this."

"I work in the political department, and this kind of case isn't originally my responsibility."

Of course, the top leader knows that there is currently no conclusive evidence to prove that these two people were directly involved.

He also knew very well that not everything Wu Shaoxiong said could be true.

But with public opinion so outraged, the police can't pretend nothing happened.

The public needs an explanation.

After a moment of silence, the leader spoke up: "From now on."

"Smith was removed from his position as Assistant Commissioner of Police, demoted to Chief Superintendent, and transferred to the Service Quality Inspection Department as a deputy."

Smith: "..."

This was tantamount to kicking him from the core department where he truly held power into a low-paying, unprofitable office.

Even worse, he wasn't even the top leader.

Instead, he was the deputy.

Huge loss!

The police chief ignored his reaction and continued, "Scott was also removed from his position as assistant commissioner of police, demoted to chief superintendent, relieved of his duties in the Special Branch, and transferred to the Planning and Development Department as a deputy."

Scott's face turned green on the spot.

He felt like he had lost out big time.

In fact, the leader has already left room for the two of them this time.

If we really acted according to external public opinion, we could have completely stripped them of their titles.

But the top leader can't do that.

As the Commissioner of Police, he cannot allow news reports and public opinion on the streets to dictate his actions.

This concerns the bottom line of the police force.

If this precedent is set, will anyone who fabricates a few negative news stories be forced to dismiss several deputy directors?

What about the police force's authority?

After dealing with Smith and Scott, the First Secretary turned his attention to Brown, the head of the public relations department.

He said in a deep voice, "Your public relations department will be responsible for keeping the situation under control regarding the media."

Brown nodded immediately: "Understood, Chief. Leave it to us!"

As for the name Ma Zhichao...

The top leader has already made a deep grudge in his mind.

This kind of person is a typical troublemaker.

A cancer within the police force!

……

10:00 AM.

The police press conference was officially held.

At the press conference, the police announced the preliminary results of their investigation.

"Based on the current investigation, no conclusive evidence has been found to support Wu Shaoxiong's claim that Smith and Scott instigated the incident."

"However, Smith and Scott did indeed fail to properly oversee the relevant matters."

"Therefore, effective today, the two will be demoted from Assistant Commissioner of Police to Chief Superintendent."

The police's statement clearly represents a concession.

However, in principle, they still have not completely bowed to public opinion.

The reporters at the scene were instantly in an uproar after hearing this.

"No evidence yet?"

"Can a corrupt official like Smith really continue to live off the system?"

"That's outrageous!"

"This is clearly a case of officials protecting each other!"

The press conference erupted into chaos, with flashes of light and questions bursting forth almost simultaneously.

However, the public relations department also took a tough stance.

Brown responded on the spot: "Without actual evidence, the police cannot impose extreme penalties on two assistant commissioners based solely on unsubstantiated allegations."

Subsequently, the police announced another decision.

Chen Yongren will be posthumously awarded the Medal of Valor.

At the same time, his rank will be posthumously promoted to Superintendent, and arrangements will be made for his burial at Gallant Garden.

However, this kind of post-event remedial action could not quell the reporters' emotions at all.

The person is already dead.

Those who should truly be held accountable have not been thoroughly investigated.

Now you're trying to make up for it with these so-called honors?

This doesn't resemble compensation at all.

It's more like gilding the dead and covering up the ugly side of the living!

Finally, the reporters left the venue filled with anger.

Before leaving, the Public Relations Department formally reminded all media outlets: "News reporting must be conducted in a proper manner and within certain boundaries. Police officers must not be arbitrarily stigmatized without evidence."

That's too polite of you.

But everyone could tell that this was already a warning.

……

Noon.

The midday news has officially begun.

Because the morning news had already ignited the entire city of Hong Kong, the attention given to this round of midday news was off the charts.

Many citizens even temporarily put aside their work, waiting to see how the police would explain themselves.

TVB was the first to release the interview content in the morning, so by noon, TVB's ratings soared to 76%, leaving ATV far behind.

Soon, the news footage got to the point.

The police's penalty decision has been formally presented to all Hong Kong citizens.

The news immediately enraged the citizens.

"Isn't this just trying to smooth things over?"

"You say there's no evidence? Even if the evidence for this one case isn't enough, don't you think they have other cases of embezzlement and bribery?"

"I absolutely refuse to believe they're clean!"

"Just downgraded by one level? That's ridiculous."

"If Chen Yongren knew this outcome from below, he probably wouldn't be able to close his eyes in peace."

"His reputation has been restored, but can he truly come back to life?"

"The person who truly killed him is still living a carefree life outside, isn't he?"

This incident is no longer just an ordinary case.

It was more like the anger of all Hong Kong citizens, directly clashing with the authority that the police had always maintained.

……

……

Ma Zhichao sat in front of the television, and after watching the entire news segment, a slow smile crept onto his lips.

Immediately afterwards, he picked up his phone and sent a message to Hong Jipeng.

"Let's get started."

……

……

Lotus Hill.

Inside an abandoned house.

Hahahaha~~~~~

"Great! Excellent!"

"Smith, Scott, you two have finally met your match!"

Wu Shaoxiong, wearing a bomb vest, was staring intently at the television screen.

He was overjoyed when he saw the news that Smith and Scott had been demoted.

Don't be fooled by the fact that it's only been downgraded one level.

The difference between an assistant commissioner and a deputy chief superintendent is significant.

One is a powerful figure.

One was an unlucky fellow on the verge of being exiled.

"snort!"

"After such a huge scandal, do you still think you can climb the ladder in your lifetime?"

"Keep dreaming!"

Wu Shaoxiong felt increasingly pleased with himself, and he couldn't suppress the sneer on his face.

The money that was taken from us back then.

And that bright green hat.

We've finally managed to get some of the interest back!

Cool!

Just as he was laughing happily, Hong Jipeng suddenly walked over and said seriously, "No, you can't laugh now."

Wu Shaoxiong: "???"

He was completely stunned.

Hong Jipeng stared at him seriously and continued, "You should act very angry now."

"The police punishment was so lenient; you must find it unacceptable."

"You should be so angry that you want to kill Smith and Scott with your own hands and use their lives to vent the fire in your heart."

"Why is it that you're the one wanted, while the person who truly harmed you continues to roam free?"

Wu Shaoxiong: "????"

He was completely dumbfounded.

No.

I'm actually very happy right now!

I'm not angry at all!

And when did I ever say I was going to kill Smith and Scott?