Chapter 21: Significant Progress

"Team leader, I'm back..."

As Yang Dong stepped out of room 107, he saw Jiang Hu hurrying in, breath visible in the cold air, dressed in plain clothes and panting heavily. In his hand, he gripped a file folder.

"Quickly, come with me to see the two deputy leaders of the investigation team."

Yang Dong's face lit up. Without waiting for Jiang Hu to catch his breath, he grabbed him and hurried outside. Time was of the essence—since Secretary-General Yin didn't plan to retaliate immediately, they had to be faster than their opponents and crack the case first.

But remembering the situation here, Yang Dong stopped abruptly and turned back.

"Hou Donglai, keep a close watch on this place! No matter who comes, don't let anyone into room 107. If you can't withstand the pressure, put it on me. But if you dare let someone in, don't blame me for being harsh. You know what I mean."

Yang Dong spoke sternly to Hou Donglai, not hesitating to threaten him. He was worried that after he left, Xu Yuncai’s group might still try to come and force a confession, so someone had to guard the room closely.

Originally, Hou Donglai wasn't someone to be trusted, nor did he have much backbone. But since Yang Dong held a secret over him, Hou Donglai had no choice but to obey.

Hou Donglai’s heart skipped a beat; he understood exactly what “being harsh” meant in Yang Dong's mouth. What he’d done was a serious matter.

"Don't worry, I'll keep watch!" Hou Donglai replied hurriedly, lips trembling. This time, even if the municipal discipline committee secretary came himself, he wouldn’t open the door!

"Good!"

Yang Dong turned and left the hotel with Jiang Hu, rushing to the hotel assigned to the municipal discipline committee’s investigation team in a Jetta car provided by the team.

Ten minutes later, they arrived.

After getting out, Jiang Hu looked at Yang Dong with admiration. "Team leader, you really are amazing. How did you know that the five hundred thousand yuan passed through four banks, and that Niu Sheng's confession had problems?"

He had been holding back the question the whole way, but finally couldn’t help asking.

Previously, when the municipal discipline committee was investigating Yin Tiejun’s case, they found a private construction contractor named Niu Sheng. According to Niu Sheng’s confession, he wanted to win a municipal office project and bribed Yin Tiejun to get it. That was the extent of what the investigation team knew about Yin Tiejun's case.

But last night, Yang Dong gave him a new direction—trace the source of Niu Sheng’s half a million yuan. Yang Dong told him to start with the Industrial and Commercial Bank, then move to the Construction Bank, the Agricultural Bank, and finally the Commercial Bank, tracing each step.

At first, Jiang Hu didn’t quite understand.

But after finishing the investigation, he was convinced.

Seeing Jiang Hu’s curious question, Yang Dong smiled softly. "Everything leaves traces. With clues this obvious, is it really that hard to find them?"

With that, he knocked on the door of room 201 in the hotel, where the two deputy leaders were staying.

During the investigation, everyone on the municipal discipline committee’s team was required to stay here and couldn’t leave without permission. That included the two deputy leaders.

"Come in!"

Su Tongzhou’s voice came from inside.

Jiang Hu was still stunned by Yang Dong’s earlier words—they sounded so cool, almost intimidating.

"Come in!" Yang Dong called to Jiang Hu, snapping him out of his daze. The two entered one after the other.

Su Tongzhou sat on the sofa, reading a pile of reports—all complaints about the officials suspected of violations in this case. With only two months allotted for the investigation, the pressure was intense.

The leader of the municipal discipline committee’s investigation team was Wei Chonghu, the city’s first deputy secretary of the discipline committee, but naturally, he wouldn’t handle every detail himself. That was the job of the deputy leaders, the team members, and the heads and members of each small group.

"Yang Dong, you’re here so early. Is something wrong?"

Su Tongzhou was surprised and puzzled by Yang Dong’s early arrival. But seeing Yang Dong’s bloodshot eyes, he guessed he hadn’t slept all night. He couldn’t help but admire the young man’s dedication—a promising candidate for discipline inspection work.

"Leader, we’ve made a major breakthrough in the Yin Tiejun case and are here to report to you," Yang Dong said without wasting words.

Su Tongzhou nodded, "Oh, that’s good news, Yin—"

Suddenly, he realized what Yang Dong had said and looked up sharply, eyes wide in disbelief. "What did you just say? There’s a major breakthrough in the Yin Tiejun case?"

Had he heard wrong? A breakthrough in a case involving an official of that rank? There were two bureau-level cadres among the targets this time: Yin Tiejun, the municipal secretary-general, and Gu Santong, the education bureau director. Both were high-ranking and difficult to investigate—any mishap could cause serious repercussions.

He was just considering whether to elevate these cases under his and Deputy Leader Liu Shan’s direct charge, since assigning them to the Tenth Group seemed unwise.

Yang Dong’s group, apart from Lu Yi, who was a discipline inspection official, had little relevant experience—including Yang Dong himself. If not for the two Hous from the municipal prosecutor’s office, Su Tongzhou wouldn’t know how Yang Dong would manage.

After all, without understanding the procedures, it’s impossible to conduct an investigation.

Yet now, Yang Dong was claiming a major discovery—which Su Tongzhou found hard to believe.

Yang Dong stepped aside, signaling Jiang Hu forward—giving him a chance to present his work. Temporary staff would eventually return to their original units, but their performance here would be noted, and a good evaluation could lead to promotion or even transfer. Some units even fought over outstanding candidates.

To avoid such disputes, later regulations for secondments became increasingly strict, though in 2008, the rules were still loose.

Jiang Hu glanced gratefully at Yang Dong; though honest and straightforward, he wasn’t stupid—he understood Yang Dong’s intention.

"Leader, I obtained user transaction data from the Industrial and Commercial Bank, Construction Bank, Agricultural Bank, and Commercial Bank branches in Yunbei District, Lingyun City. I found that three days ago, Yin Tiejun’s commercial bank account suddenly received a transfer of five hundred thousand yuan. Tracing it, I discovered the funds had passed through three people and three different banks before ending up at a company called Building Materials Industrial."

"In other words, the fifty thousand from the building materials company passed through three banks and three people before finally reaching Yin Tiejun’s account at the commercial bank."

After speaking, Jiang Hu looked to Yang Dong, who immediately handed the file folder to Su Tongzhou.

Su Tongzhou examined the intact seal and Jiang Hu’s signature on the file. As a member of the economic crime unit, Jiang Hu was familiar with proper procedure.

"Lao Liu, come out a moment!"

Su Tongzhou called toward the closed bathroom door.

Only then did Yang Dong and Jiang Hu realize that Deputy Leader Liu Shan was inside.

The sound of the toilet flushing could be heard, and then Liu Shan emerged.

"So lively this early in the morning?"

He looked surprised, glanced at Yang Dong and Jiang Hu, then at the file folder.

Yang Dong was reminded of an old joke—someone once greeted a leader coming out of the restroom by saying, "Leader, you still use the restroom personally?" If he asked Liu Shan something similar now, he couldn’t imagine the reaction. Of course, that was just a mischievous thought—he wouldn’t dare be so reckless.

"The Tenth Group has made a major breakthrough in the Yin Tiejun case. Let’s take a look together," Su Tongzhou said, opening the sealed file in front of Liu Shan.

The two of them immediately began reviewing the bank transaction data inside.

But after reading, Liu Shan frowned.

"How is this a major case breakthrough? All this shows is evidence of Yin Tiejun’s embezzlement, doesn’t it?"