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墨書 Inktalez
Chapter 41: The Last Straw
"What?" Zhang Qiu could hardly believe his ears; this was too sudden.
"Why?" Zhang Qiu pressed on.
"They're spreading rumors," the other party replied.
Rumors? Could it be that article that got Liu Journalist into trouble? Zhang Qiu felt a chill run down his spine. The person on the other end of the line confirmed Zhang Qiu's suspicions.
"They're all from Beilan County, dressed in plain clothes. These people are truly outrageous; they even dare to arrest journalists," the person said resentfully, sounding as if they were speaking up for Liu Fangfei.
"Is it because of the director's article?" Zhang Qiu asked tentatively.
"What else could it be? Liu Journalist is really fearless, not knowing what the editor was thinking to allow it to be published..." It seemed like the person realized they were complaining to a stranger and suddenly stopped talking.
Zhang Qiu didn't pay much attention to their complaints; his mind was entirely focused on Liu Fangfei. Spreading rumors, again with the rumors. They couldn't come up with a different excuse. Zhang Qiu felt furious, gripping his phone tightly. Wang Guodong was so arrogant as to interfere with press freedom. No! This situation arose because of him; Zhang Qiu couldn't just stand by and do nothing. He had to find a way to rescue Liu Journalist. Zhang Qiu asked, "Did you call the police?"
The other party laughed as if hearing a joke and disdainfully replied, "Aren't they the ones doing the arrests? Why would we call the police?"
"Did they have an arrest warrant when they took her?" Zhang Qiu asked again. As He Jun's nephew, he had some understanding of such matters.
"No, they only showed us their identification and took Liu Journalist away."
Zhang Qiu said, "You should report it to the police; someone has arrested your News Agency's journalist. They only showed a badge—what if it's fake? What if it's a criminal organization kidnapping her? Have you thought about that?"
"Huh?" The other party sounded somewhat surprised. "But they do have police badges."
"There are plenty of fake badges out there," Zhang Qiu said, his tone growing impatient. He was now questioning who he was actually speaking with; this communication was proving to be quite difficult. But he had to continue; he couldn't ignore the trouble he had caused for Liu Journalist. Zhang Qiu added, "You need to follow my advice to help her."
"Then I need to consult with the Editor-in-Chief," the other party said.
"Fine, fine." Zhang Qiu felt utterly helpless. "Please hurry and ask."
With a click, it seemed the phone was placed on a table. Zhang Qiu listened to the static on the line, anxiously waiting. After quite some time, the phone was picked up again, this time by a deep voice saying, "Hello, I am the Editor-in-Chief of Youth Daily."
"Hello, why hasn't the reporter from News Agency called the police after being taken away?"
"Well, isn't it the police who took them?"
Zhang Qiu was speechless; they were all thinking along the same lines. Zhang Qiu had no choice but to repeat what he had said earlier, and in the end, he added, "I hope you can report it. If News Agency reports it, it will definitely be taken seriously."
"What is your relationship with him?" Editor-in-Chief asked.
"Family," Zhang Qiu fabricated an identity. Compared to the previous person, Zhang Qiu felt that saying he was a friend wasn't enough; no matter how good a friend is, family carries more weight.
"We at News Agency deeply apologize for Liu Journalist's situation. Please rest assured, Liu Journalist is one of ours, and we will not ignore this."
"Alright, thank you."
After hanging up the phone, Zhang Qiu fell into deep thought. The situation was becoming increasingly complicated. He had hoped that reporting would make Wang Guodong behave more cautiously, but unexpectedly, Wang Guodong not only failed to maintain his image but also resorted to such underhanded tactics. As for News Agency, Editor-in-Chief's words were vague; it seemed they were reluctant to get involved.
Zhang Qiu dialed He Jun's number. Once connected, He Jun asked, "Hello? Zhang Qiu, did you see the message I sent you?"
"Uncle, I saw it," Zhang Qiu replied. "Let's put that matter aside for now; I have something more important to discuss with you. Liu Journalist has reported..."
"I saw the report," He Jun interrupted Zhang Qiu, sounding in a good mood.
Zhang Qiu hurriedly said, "Uncle, listen to me. I just contacted Chen Reporter. News Agency informed me that she was taken by someone from your bureau; you need to find a way to help her."
Suddenly, He Jun fell silent; the phone was quiet except for an occasional breath. After a long pause, he finally responded, "I will look into this matter."
Zhang Qiu noticed that the joy had vanished from He Jun's voice.
With a furrowed brow, He Jun knew that anyone in the public security system understood that Wang Guodong was the real power player. If he made a call to "take care" of someone, it wouldn't make any difference if others also tried to intervene. It would be like a drop of water falling into the ocean—no ripples at all.
However, being naturally astute, He Jun quickly thought of another aspect of the situation, and his frown relaxed.
"Don't worry just yet," He Jun said. "Chairman Mao once said that everything in the world has two sides; good things can turn bad and bad things can turn good. The fact that Liu Fangfei was taken might seem like a bad thing at first glance, but actually, it can be viewed from another perspective."
"What does that mean?" Now it was Zhang Qiu's turn to be confused.
He Jun replied, "If this matter of capturing reporters gets exposed, it will attract a lot of social attention."
Zhang Qiu thought of the Editor-in-Chief who had just called him and said with concern, "But would they dare to expose it?"
"That's indeed a question," He Jun pondered for a moment, suddenly remembering something. He warned, "I’m telling you, you must not post anything reckless online!"
Zhang Qiu laughed and said, "Don't worry, I won't be that foolish again. I called the News Agency and had them report it to the police."
"You did the right thing," He Jun agreed with Zhang Qiu's actions. "This kind of thing is likely happening in secret. They haven't informed the local police, so reporting it will give them a headache. But ideally, we can get the News Agency to report on it again. Protecting relatives and abusing power may not shake his position, but I have prepared the last straw to break him." With that, He Jun burst into laughter.
"What straw?" Zhang Qiu asked curiously.
"Hehe, you'll find out when the time comes," He Jun chuckled. "I won't keep you longer; I need to check where they are holding the person. You should do some work with the News Agency. I feel like you're quite persuasive; you managed to convince me onto your pirate ship, hehe..."
After hanging up, Zhang Qiu was left wondering what that last straw could be. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't figure it out.
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