Chapter 126: Refusing to Leave Prison

Ye Fei was taken to a special room. Waiting for him was Li Guozhong, an operative from the Ministry of State Security whose position was far from ordinary.

"Ye Fei, I am sorry. I only heard the news today," Li said immediately, his tone sincere.

"Li Guozhong, I had guessed it was you," Ye Fei replied with a faint smile.

"Ye Fei, you seem a bit different today," Li remarked, looking at him with suspicion.

Ye Fei offered a cold, sharp smile in response.

"Have you been mistreated in prison?" Li asked after a moment of contemplation, his brow furrowing.

Ye Fei shook his head. "You didn't come here just to ask me that, did you? Let's get straight to the point."

Li paused, seemingly gathering his thoughts before speaking. "Ye Fei, we are aware of your arrest, but we don't yet know who is behind it. Our resources are currently fully occupied in a struggle against Fang Tingfang and his associates; we are stretched thin."

"I understand. Fang Tingfang’s influence has been cultivated over a long time, and he holds sway both domestically and abroad. He is not easy to topple," Ye Fei said.

Li felt a wave of relief; he had feared Ye Fei might hold a grudge for the delay in his rescue. Since Ye Fei understood, it meant there was no resentment.

"I am here to take you out today," Li said with a smile.

"Take me out?" Ye Fei was momentarily stunned, but he quickly shook his head. "I cannot leave yet."

"You can't leave? Ye Fei, Old Cui paid a heavy price to secure this opportunity for you! Why would you refuse?" Li asked, bewildered. He didn't take Ye Fei for a masochist who enjoyed his own imprisonment.

Ye Fei’s aura turned murderous. "I have unfinished business here. Once I am done, I will leave."

Li was stunned. "Ye Fei, what exactly are you planning to do?"

Ye Fei didn't answer directly. Instead, he asked, "Tell me, if a few heinous criminals were to die in this prison, could you handle the fallout?"

"Kill prisoners? Ye Fei, you want to commit murder?" Li exclaimed. Checking to ensure they were alone, he lowered his voice. "What on earth are you planning?"

Ye Fei’s expression remained as calm as water as he recounted the situation regarding Little Bai and the others.

"That is completely lawless!" Li was shocked and furious. It was as if these people treated the prison like their own private backyard. While he knew prisons were not always clean, this was excessive—daring to kill inmates at will. Even the State Security Bureau would not dare to act so recklessly.

Li paced, deep in thought, his brow tightly knit. After what seemed like an internal struggle, he finally spoke: "Ye Fei, if you intend to eliminate these lawless, vicious thugs, we can suppress the investigation. But you must not harm the innocent. You are not to touch a single ordinary inmate."

"Can you handle it? Then I have no problem," Ye Fei sneered.

Li nodded.

With the State Security Bureau covering for him, Ye Fei began to consider how to properly deal with Remnant Wolf and his gang. He certainly wouldn't let them die easily.

"By the way," Ye Fei continued, "although I cannot leave, those young men can be released, right? Their target is me; letting them go shouldn't be an issue."

"Yes, that can be done. Their goal is to frame you; they won't clash with us over a few insignificant people," Li said confidently.

With that assurance, Ye Fei felt his last worry dissipate. He asked curiously, "You mentioned earlier that Cui Yanwu paid a heavy price to get me out. What kind of price? I am curious."

"After we learned you were imprisoned, we intended to rescue you immediately. But as you know, the chaos you caused at the Yingde Private School led to the collapse of the Hualing Security Company, and the marijuana plantation on Camphor Island was forced to be burned. Fang Tingfang was also subjected to a major domestic investigation. They suffered heavy losses and hate you to the bone. When we pressured the local authorities to release you, we met with massive resistance from Fang Tingfang’s side," Li explained.

Ye Fei realized how much had happened behind the scenes. "And then? The 'price' you mentioned—they didn't demand some kind of condition, did they?"

Li smiled. "Fang Tingfang wanted to abandon his domestic interests in exchange for keeping you in prison."

"You see, while we have been investigating intensely, Fang Tingfang’s domestic interests are already insecure. However, completely crushing the Fang Group’s interests is no easy task and would require significant effort. If he volunteers to abandon them, it saves us a lot of trouble—especially now. Several major incidents in the Deep Sea region have left the public feeling uneasy; if we were to solve the 'Fang Group Case' now, it would undoubtedly be a huge boost to public confidence."

"But Old Cui ultimately decided to rescue you instead."

Ye Fei nodded. "Actually, although I was framed for mob fighting and causing grievous bodily harm, the most I would get is a few years. Once the incident cooled down, I could have used connections to get out early."

"Don't play it down, Ye Fei," Li said sternly. "Old Cui knew that Fang Tingfang intended to keep you in prison to hire assassins to finish you off. After all, killing someone in a place as filthy as a prison rarely draws much attention or trouble."

"I understand. Remember to take those boys out later. Tell Old Cui to reply to Fang Tingfang and accept the deal—tell him we won't intervene in my rescue, and let them throw whatever they have at me," Ye Fei sneered.

"Hahaha!" Li laughed heartily. "This is a brilliant counter-move against Fang Tingfang. It is a pity that it only forces him to lose his domestic interests, without being able to expose the person supporting him from above."

"Be satisfied with that," Ye Fei said with a smile. "To be able to protect the interests of a group as large as Fang Tingfang’s for so many years without issue shows that the person behind him is not simple. If someone like that were to fall, it would cause a national earthquake. It is not something you few State Security agents can easily uncover."

The two men walked out of the room, and Ye Fei was escorted back to his cell by a guard.

Li Guozhong went to the local police station to handle the paperwork and secured the release of the young men. Seeing the heavy bruising on their bodies, he knew Ye Fei had spoken the truth, and he sighed to himself.

"Forget it," Li thought as he left the prison and parted ways with the youths. "This time, I will let Ye Fei’s hand clean up the lawless scum in that prison."