Lu Zude had been following Lu Tongcang for a long time, although not as long as Jiang He.

He helped Lu Tongcang with the trafficking of human beings, a secretive business that Lu Tongcang knew much more about than Jiang He.

Later on, Lu Tongcang and Jiang He had a falling out, and there were many things that Lu Tongcang knew but Jiang He did not. However, Lu Zude was aware of them.

It could be said that with Lu Tongcang's death, Lu Zude became the only person who knew many secrets.

Naturally, Ling Shu was interested in such a person. However, he also knew that knowing too many secrets could lead to a quicker death. Sometimes, pretending to be ignorant was the key to living a longer life.

So he refused Shen Renjie and said to him, "I can help with the placement of those women, but as for this person Lu Zude, let Mr. Jiang handle it fully. I won't interfere, and you'd better not interfere too much either."

Shen Renjie wanted to climb up the social ladder, and befriending Jiang He was one way to do it. However, as someone without background or power, he was easily seen as a pawn.

Ling Shu's reminder was purely out of goodwill. Old Shen liked to take advantage of small benefits, but he wasn't a bad person.

Shen Renjie smirked, "Don't worry, I'm very timid. I wouldn't dare to get too involved even if he asked me to. He asked me to come and deliver a message, it's related to a new case and he wants your help."

Ling Shu asked, "It's not related to this matter?"

Shen Renjie replied, "No, but it's somewhat related. Have you heard of Feng Zhenzhu?"

Ling Shu asked, "The Feng Family's third miss? The one who recently had an engagement announcement that cost more than the Jiang-Song alliance, Feng Zhenzhu?"

Shen Renjie replied, "Yes, that's her! She's missing, and her family is still searching for her quietly. Before Miss Feng went missing, someone saw her entering Decheng Restaurant, so now they suspect that it's related to Lu Zude."

Decheng Restaurant is the location of the Chunshan Society. Last night, Ling Shu just went there to cause a scene, and he smashed so many pots, pans, bowls, chairs, and stools that it was impossible to count.

Lu Zude is the one who runs this business, and he specifically targets girls from respectable families. It's possible that Miss Feng was lured into this den of evil and was taken captive.

Ling Shu needed to divert his attention from his physical discomfort so that it wouldn't affect his mood for the day, so he agreed to go with Shen Renjie.

"Then I'll go with you to take a look."

Lu Zude was still being held in the police station.

Along with him were Sister Song and Sister Rong, the two troublemakers.

However, the three of them were interrogated separately to prevent collusion.

When Ling Shu arrived, Jiang He happened to be chatting with a foreigner in the police station.

"Thank you for this time," he greeted Ling Shu as soon as he saw him. "I owe you one. If you need anything, just let me know."

"Don't mention it. You flatter me too much!" Ling Shu exaggeratedly took a step back and bowed, "I was just meddling in other people's business. It just so happened that I was curious. I don't dare take credit, but if you're willing to treat me to a meal as a thank you, I would be honored."

Jiang He raised an eyebrow. He knew Ling Shu was very clever, but his intelligence wasn't something that he flaunted. Instead, it was hidden beneath a carefree exterior, yet he understood the ways of the world better than anyone else.

With Lu Tongcang dead, even if Jiang He had to split profits with the foreigners, his power would only increase.

He was already showing signs of replacing Lu Tongcang, and if someone could gain his favor, they wouldn't be reject him like Ling Shu, who was terrifyingly clear-headed.

If it weren't for Yue Dingtang getting there first...

"It's only right to treat you to a meal. One meal isn't enough, we should have at least three," Jiang He said.

"Sounds good to me. Anywhere is fine as long as it's not Decheng Restaurant," Ling Shu laughed.

"In that case, do you want to eat first or go see Lu Zude?" Jiang He asked.

Ling Shu's stomach was already full, so how could he eat more?

"Let's go see Lu Zude," he replied.

"Well, you better be prepared," Jiang He warned with a meaningful tone.

Half an hour later, Ling Shu finally understood what Jiang He meant by "be prepared."

Lu Zude had gone insane.

It was an unbelievable thing.

Just yesterday, he was still battling wits with Ling Shu, being carried away by him and even shot in the leg, not the head.

But now, this fool who couldn't distinguish the occasion, with a silly grin on his face and drool dripping down his chin, was the same cunning and sly Lu Zude from last night?

"Lu Zude," Ling Shu got straight to the point, "stop pretending. We all know the truth. Why not confess now and save your own life?"

He then turned to Jiang He and asked, "Are you prepared to kill to keep this a secret?"

Jiang He: ...

It was probably the first time someone had asked him so bluntly. Jiang He remained silent for three seconds before answering.

"We were originally planning to hand him over for a public trial, but if he is willing to confess everything, we will naturally be lenient and at least spare his life."

The social impact of this matter was too severe.

Many of the missing women were from respectable families, and many families had reported the cases.

Now that Lu Tongcang was dead, Jiang He had no reason to hide anything for him.

These cases had gradually come to light, and unless something unexpected happened, Lu Zude, as the number one accomplice and thug, would definitely face the fate of being executed by a gunshot or hanging.

But Jiang He's words did not seem to affect Lu Zude at all.

As he spoke, Ling Shu also carefully observed Lu Zude's facial expressions from the corner of his eye.

The so-called change in facial expressions...

There was no change at all.

He still had a silly smile on his face, emitting a "hehe" sound from his throat.

It was as if he had truly gone mad.

There were still bloodstains on his legs from the gunshot wound he received last night, but the police station had already bandaged him up and wouldn't let him bleed to death.

Most of his other wounds were also external injuries.

Ling Shu looked at the gauze on his forehead and asked, "Did he hit his head?"

Jiang He shook his head helplessly and replied, "He did it himself."

In fact, when he was just brought back yesterday, Lu Zude was in a panic and eager to save his own life, so he really confessed to a lot of things.

For example, Lu Tongcang appeared to be a righteous and cultured man on the surface, but behind the scenes, he had done many unspeakable things. Human trafficking was just one of them. It was said that he was also bisexual, not only keeping respectable women, but also not letting go of men, especially young children who had not yet grown up.

"Lu Zude said that one of Lu Tongcang's subordinate's elder brother had died early. Lu Tongcang heard that his sister-in-law was quite beautiful and even his nephew was handsome, so he asked his subordinate to offer them up. The subordinate, for the sake of fame and fortune, actually gave in, and the sister-in-law and nephew became Lu Tongcang's playthings.

This was no less than a huge scandal, enough to have Lu Tongcang nailed to the pole of public shaming, with no chance of redemption.

"The subordinate he mentioned, I know him. His name is Lou Feng. This person is indeed loyal to Lu Tongcang and has been by his side for many years without leaving. One of the people who was shot to death on the small boat last night was Lou Feng, but I have never heard of him having a beautiful sister-in-law and nephew."

When he said this, the two of them were in the interrogation room next door.

Jiang He naturally wouldn't say it in front of Lu Zude.

It remains to be seen whether he is truly foolish or just pretending to be so.

Ling Shu asked, "Does Lou Feng have an older brother?"

"Yes," replied Jiang He, "I can confirm that. His older brother did indeed pass away two years ago, but I did not inquire about his wife, children, or other relatives. We checked last night and found no results. Lu Tongcang's lairs is too numerous, and it will take time to clear them completely. There may still be some fish that have slipped through the net."

"Who was the one who discovered Miss Feng's disappearance and went to Decheng Restaurant?" Ling Shu asked.

Jiang He said, "No one noticed it, but Sister Rong confessed it herself. She said a young and pretty girl came into Decheng Restaurant a few days ago, saying she was waiting for a friend. Lu Zude happened to see her and was attracted to her. Later, Sister Rong had to leave for something and forgot to ask about the girl when she came back. I compared the description of Miss Feng with the girl, and it should be a perfect match."

Ling Shu asked, "What did Lu Zude say?"

"At first, he was interrogated. Besides confessing about the affair between the sister-in-law and nephew, he also mentioned that Lu Tongcang colluded with a high-ranking official in Nanjing and that person acted as his protector. The person's name is-"

"Stop!" Ling Shu raised his hand and quickly stopped him from continuing.

"I said I don't want to hear any secrets!"

Jiang He said, "...You need to listen to fully understand who Lu Zude is. This is not a secret, everyone knows it, even foreigners. Don't worry, I won't kill you to keep it quiet."

"Okay, tell me," said Ling Shu.

Jiang He uttered a name.

Ling Shu fell silent.

This person was a well-known government official with immense power.

He was often seen standing next to the chairman in newspapers. For Lu Tongcang to have survived in Shanghai for so long, no one would believe it if he didn't have a strong background.

It was only because Ling Shu and the rest had caught him off guard that they were able to bring down this giant tree.

That's why Jiang He hesitated to agree to Yue Dingtang's request beforehand.

"What does this have to do with Lu Zude?"

Jiang He said, "Lu Zude even admitted to his own name, but when asked about Miss Feng, he started acting crazy. One moment he said he didn't know who Miss Feng was, the next he said she was dead and buried alive on orders from Lu Tongcang. Then he said he saw Miss Feng's ghost and ran around scared, even banging his head against the wall, and then he went even crazier."

Ling Shu pondered, could Miss Feng have a story that was even more shocking than Lu Tongcang's background?

It's unlikely, isn't it? Lu Tongcang is already dead, so what obligation does Lu Zude have to keep his secrets?

Ling Shu thought and thought, but couldn't figure it out, shaking his head.

"Just from your words alone, I have no clue about this matter. I'm afraid we need more clues."

Jiang He said, "The Feng family is very anxious now. They heard that the case is related to Lu Zude and have already gone to the Ministry of Works for help. The people from the Ministry of Works came to me, and I recommended you."

Ling Shu remained silent, and Jiang He chuckled.

"I didn't mean to get you into trouble, but the Feng family has offered a reward of 50,000 dollars for finding the person, alive and unharmed. They say 'dead or alive', but if Miss Feng has had an accident, at least her family should find her body and know the truth. This price is a bit lower, at 30,000 dollars, but it's still a good amount."

Jiang He made it sound like a great opportunity.

"Also, in a few days, the newspaper may come to interview you. Be prepared for it."