Chapter 105: The Most Precious Ability
A Zhang family that secretly treated protected animals like private property and tortured them at will, and a shadow organization that deployed multiple poaching squads across nature reserves and restricted wilderness to capture—and even slaughter—protected wildlife… these two groups of beasts were both based in the capital.
Now Lin Jiangye was starting to wonder: could it be that the Zhang family’s “supply” of protected animals had actually come from that same organization?
Hearing Lin Jiangye say this, one of the officers beside him grew curious. “What’s the deal with this Zhang family?”
Lin Jiangye briefly explained the Zhang family’s case. Once they heard how those people had abused a whole group of protected animals, everyone’s brows slammed together.
One officer twitched at the corner of his mouth and murmured to the team leader, “I feel like the capital’s forestry bureau is going to explode with rage.”
The leader smacked the back of his head. “Not necessarily.”
After all the mess they’d managed to pull off—who knew whether the capital’s forestry bureau was as “clean” as it claimed to be, or whether it was just like them?
If anything, Yue City’s forestry bureau might be the purest. No one dared pull this kind of stunt under tens of thousands of crows’ watchful eyes—unless they found life too peaceful and wanted the thrill of going to prison.
After getting a list from the police station, good news also came from Shang Fuyan’s side. “Those people aren’t clean either. They likely have ties to the organization behind the scenes.”
In simple terms, they were there to observe the reserve’s animals—like checking how wheat was growing. Once the “wheat” ripened, they’d call people over to harvest a batch.
That comparison made Lin Jiangye’s head buzz.
But who wouldn’t be stunned by that? Those weren’t farmed chickens, ducks, cattle, or sheep—they were wild animals protected by national law. Since when did they become livestock in rich people’s hands?
“Heh…” Lin Jiangye was so angry he laughed. Ignoring Shang Fuyan’s warning over the phone, he barged straight into the forestry bureau and dragged those men out of their offices.
The moment the call ended, Shang Fuyan realized something was wrong.
He hurriedly contacted Min Province police and told them to get to the forestry bureau immediately—because if they waited any longer, there was no telling what state those men would be in.
But the Min Province police still arrived a step too late.
When they reached the scene, they found a bunch of people sprawled on the ground, wailing.
“Thank god… they’re still alive…” The officer leading the team patted his chest. He’d been terrified he’d walk into a bloodbath.
Lin Jiangye gave him a slow, eerie look. The officer covered his head and chuckled awkwardly. “We’ll take it from here.”
The moment those men saw the police, they acted like they’d found a protector. They clung to the officers’ pant legs and pointed at Lin Jiangye, loudly accusing him.
The lead officer listened patiently. That “patience” seemed to give them false hope—they actually thought the police would back them up.
But once they were done, the officers burst out laughing.
“Assistant Xu. Wan Maode. You’re suspected of illegally hunting protected animals. Come with us.”
The words instantly froze them in place. Especially that charge—everyone’s faces went paper-white.
No, wait—how did the police know what they’d done? They’d been hiding behind the curtain the whole time. How had they been exposed?
Facing the officers’ mocking looks, they shook their heads desperately. “No, no, no! How could we do something like that? You’ve got it wrong!”
One of them suddenly changed expression and jabbed a finger toward Lin Jiangye. “Is he the one spouting nonsense?”
The rest joined in, shouting too, trying to dump the blame onto Lin Jiangye.
But Lin Jiangye just stood there with arms crossed, staring at them with cold indifference.
The team leader grabbed the pointing hand and sneered, waving the arrest paperwork. “Someone already sold you out. Otherwise, how do you think Advisor Lin ended up here?”
Right then, the director arrived in a rush after getting the news.
The men immediately tried to cry and plead—only to be met with the director’s fists.
The Min Province forestry director wasn’t a desk-bound official. One punch landed and left a bruised ring around someone’s eye.
“I treated you so well, and you still did that?!” Once he learned who they really were, the shock hit him even harder than before.
He hadn’t realized his bureau leaked like a sieve. Now, even if he was spotless, he’d still have to bear the blame for dereliction.
In a fury, the director seemed to get a buff—one man against four, and he didn’t even fall behind.
It was the attitude of: If I’m going down, none of you are walking away either.
The police panicked and rushed to pull him back—otherwise those men would be heading to the hospital on stretchers.
“Hey, hey, hey—don’t hit people!” Lin Jiangye was one thing, but now even the forestry director was throwing hands.
By the time the police finally separated everyone, those men no longer looked refined and scholarly. Each one was swollen and bruised—and frankly, it was satisfying to see.
No one pitied them. If you were going to sympathize with anyone, you should sympathize with the honest people who worked their posts diligently.
Only when they were finally exposed did these men feel true fear.
Even the director couldn’t stop himself from punching them—that meant the police had real, key evidence.
At the station, sitting alone in the interrogation room, they touched their bruises and trembled, trying to guess how much the police had.
Did they know the men had ties to the organization? Did they know they’d helped move more than a dozen golden snub-nosed monkeys out? Or that they’d been linked to foreign hunters?
Only now did their brains finally start working.
No matter how they speculated, once the police slid stacks of evidence across the table, all the excuses they’d prepared became useless.
The police knew far more than they’d imagined. Even if they said nothing, the outcome would still be disastrous.
And from the evidence, it was obvious: the leak had come from the poachers.
Wait—what about the organization’s base? Had those people already confessed everything?
“So that’s how it is… Advisor Lin, I’ve told you everything. Can you let me off?” The poachers, at this point, felt pain all over the moment they saw Lin Jiangye—like he’d become their psychological shadow.
They had to admit one thing: if Lin Jiangye really decided to come after them after they got out, no one could protect them.
That kind of double torture—body and mind—was far worse than pure physical punishment.
Compared to the organization, they believed Lin Jiangye more now. Since prison was inevitable, they might as well drag the whole organization down with them—no one gets to live easy.
But the insiders didn’t know any of that. If they had, they’d know they were doomed.
Lin Jiangye didn’t participate in the interrogation. The poachers had already provided enough. He wanted to contact the capital’s police first, then coordinate with Min Province to take down the organization.
What he didn’t expect was this:
When he arrived in the capital, he was told he couldn’t participate in the case.
“Me? Not allowed to participate?”
Lin Jiangye found it ridiculous. When he became Yue City’s special consultant, one of the conditions was that he had the right to take part in investigations outside his region.
And he participated with authority equivalent to Shang Fuyan’s rank.
But now, the person blocking him claimed he didn’t have sufficient authority to join this case—and didn’t even have the right to pull Min Province’s request.
Standing outside, Lin Jiangye narrowed his eyes and studied the man, trying to recall the group of officers he’d met during his last visit to the capital.
No—last time, it had been Shang Fuyan’s older brother, Shang Yongyi, who brought him. Lin Jiangye hadn’t actually dealt directly with local precincts or divisions.
Under Lin Jiangye’s stare, the officer felt a chill down his spine—like some wild beast had locked onto him.
“Ahem… You’re not internal personnel, so of course you can’t participate in investigations,” the officer said stiffly. “I don’t care how Yue City treats you, but in the capital, everything must follow regulations!”
It sounded perfectly reasonable—so reasonable that if Lin Jiangye hadn’t been to the capital before, he might’ve been fooled.
Lin Jiangye thought for a moment. He didn’t argue.
He turned and left, found a place, and called Min Province.
Min Province had submitted an interregional investigation request. This was a major case, and they had been the ones to uncover the poachers and trace the organization—there was no way they would just hand everything over because the base was in the capital.
But their request had received no response. The entire operation was stuck right there.
“Do they not care about the case?” someone in Min Province muttered bitterly. “Or do they just not want us involved?”
Their morale sank.
“Forget it! We’re getting on a plane! We’ll ask in person!” It was reckless, sure—but better than waiting like sitting ducks.
Lin Jiangye didn’t give up. He called Shang Yongyi.
At the same time, Bai Zhengwen went to consult his own superiors.
Shang Yongyi responded quickly. He didn’t know about Min Province’s request—and even if he did, it normally wouldn’t be his department.
If Lin Jiangye hadn’t contacted him, he wouldn’t have known Min Province had uncovered something this big.
“This isn’t just about protected animals,” Shang Yongyi said. “If filth has taken root in the capital, we clean it out immediately. This is the capital.”
“And they said you don’t have permission?”
Lin Jiangye shrugged. “Yeah. They said I can’t participate.”
A snort came through the phone. “Even if you couldn’t participate, it should’ve been me who notified you.”
Lin Jiangye raised an eyebrow. Judging by Shang Fuyan’s rank, Shang Yongyi’s position was clearly much higher.
Then Shang Yongyi sent a new message: “Wait for me. I’m coming over now.”
Bai Zhengwen had also heard Shang Yongyi’s response, and immediately recalled something his own leadership had hinted at.
Upper levels had been quietly running investigations. Once enough was confirmed, they were preparing a new wave of crackdown operations.
Now Lin Jiangye had personally delivered them a case.
If protected-animal products could be traded and rooted in the capital, there had to be people sheltering the chain. Follow that line, and the parasites inside the system could be uprooted.
Not long after, a car pulled up in front of Lin Jiangye. The window rolled down, revealing Shang Yongyi’s sharply defined side profile.
“Get in. We’re going to headquarters.” After learning the situation, he’d contacted the relevant departments. Min Province’s request had indeed been received. He personally confirmed and approved it—then rushed over to pick Lin Jiangye up.
Lin Jiangye looked at Shang Yongyi’s expression and saw he was in a very bad mood. With a bit of thought, Lin Jiangye quickly understood why.
But Lin Jiangye wasn’t interested in any of that. All he wanted to know was when they could go after that shadow organization.
If they didn’t move soon, those people would run.
“Move, move, move! Don’t rush!” Shang Yongyi knew Lin Jiangye was anxious—but he needed to calm down. There was still one more thing Lin Jiangye had to do with him first.
“Is it really that important?” Lin Jiangye frowned, clearly displeased with Shang Yongyi’s arrangement.
Shang Yongyi’s expression turned grave. “Very important. It’s about your personal safety.”
The more cases Lin Jiangye took on, the more criminals he ran into. Shang Yongyi—and many others—worried the kid would be targeted for revenge.
“Some criminal groups study your weak points and use them to break you.” That was even more disgusting than plain murder.
With Bai Zhengwen protecting him, Lin Jiangye could handle the latter. But the former?
“He definitely has a weakness. Isn’t he obsessed with animals? Then make him choose—save the animals or save the people!”
In a spacious, brightly lit villa, several well-dressed men swirled wine in their glasses and spoke with open contempt.
They knew Min Province was coming to investigate them, yet even now they were unhurriedly playing golf.
In their eyes, even with Yue City’s police chief backing Lin Jiangye, he still couldn’t extend his reach into the capital.
“But don’t forget—he can ask Shang Fuyan for help.”
“What’s there to fear? His brother isn’t even here. Even if he tries to rush back, he can’t make it within the next two days.”
They laughed loudly in the villa, unaware that Shang Yongyi—whom they assumed had already left—had actually been in the capital the whole time.
That information gap meant their plan was doomed from the start.
Lin Jiangye followed Shang Yongyi into headquarters. The officers there looked surprised when they saw Shang Yongyi.
And among them, a few couldn’t hide their panic.
Shang Yongyi stopped and instantly locked onto them with razor-sharp eyes. “What are you doing?”
Those people had been about to slip away, but the moment he stared them down, they froze.
“M-Minister Shang…” Under Shang Yongyi’s gaze, they started sweating hard. That guilty look was practically a confession that they’d done something dirty.
The others’ expressions shifted from confusion to alertness. None of the officers here were stupid. They’d all heard Shang Yongyi was on a trip—so surprise was normal. Panic, however, was a dead giveaway.
Sensing the air turning icy, they tried to explain—
Shang Yongyi raised a hand. “Restrain them.”
The instant he spoke, people surged forward and clamped hands over their mouths.
When necessary, you do what’s necessary. The operation had only just begun, and already people were starting to jump out on their own.
After those men were hauled away, Shang Yongyi brought Lin Jiangye to a criminal investigation team and quickly explained the Min Province situation.
“Xiao Ping, take a team and come with me. Sun Heng—when Min Province police arrive, bring them here immediately.”
Because it was urgent, Shang Yongyi personally explained everything to Min Province police. Once they learned the organization was preparing to slip away, Min Province couldn’t afford to hesitate—they sent Shang Yongyi all the confessions from the poachers and the insiders.
The insiders still refused to reveal the organization’s location, and the poachers only knew the headquarters was in the capital. As for the transaction sites, they changed every time—probably picked on the fly.
“Actually… it’s not like we don’t know,” Lin Jiangye said suddenly.
Shang Yongyi looked at him, puzzled—until Lin Jiangye lifted his arm. A white-tailed sea eagle landed there, and behind him a flock of sparrows appeared, chattering nonstop.
“The poachers I ‘planted into the ground’—once they were threatened by snow leopards and clouded leopards—they leaked a lot of things the police don’t know.”
Right now, the people behind the scenes were still leisurely playing golf, while the villa packed with filth happened to be mostly empty—perfect timing for a raid.
Since it was a raid, they would normally need paperwork. But for Shang Yongyi, once there was evidence, paperwork wasn’t the important part.
Still, he stared at the raptor on Lin Jiangye’s arm and asked one question. “Where did it go just now?”
Lin Jiangye said nothing—he just smiled.
One look at that expression, and Shang Yongyi immediately understood: the moment Lin Jiangye arrived in the capital, he’d already started moving on his own.
“You… you!” Shang Yongyi pressed a hand to his chest in exaggerated heartbreak, like You didn’t trust me, I’m wounded.
Lin Jiangye’s mouth twitched.
The other officers following behind them felt spiritually disoriented—was this really their young, capable, serious, upright Minister Shang?
If Shang Yongyi heard them, he’d definitely respond with a fake smile: “Advisor Lin is one of us. Of course I treat my own people differently.”
And “one of us” didn’t just mean trustworthy—before long, they might literally be family.
Lin Jiangye explained what he’d arranged for Chang Geng. Just as Shang Yongyi suspected, the moment Lin Jiangye arrived in the capital, he’d sent Chang Geng out.
Chang Geng gathered a huge flock of sparrows and—through threats and bribes—forced them to sneak into that villa and inspect every corner, all to locate where the evidence was stored.
Not documents. Not transaction ledgers.
A hidden room stuffed with protected-animal “products.”
It was filled with the animals’ wails and pain.
Just as Lin Jiangye was about to leave, Shang Yongyi grabbed him and pulled him deeper inside.
“Where are we going?” Lin Jiangye had assumed they were here to assemble manpower, but clearly there was something else.
Shang Yongyi didn’t answer—he just led the way.
The farther they went, the quieter and more remote it became, and Lin Jiangye’s frown deepened.
Soon, they stopped in front of a door.
“Come on. There’s something you need to sign.” Shang Yongyi shoved Lin Jiangye inside. Bai Zhengwen didn’t follow—he turned his back to the door and kept watch, scanning the surroundings.
Less than five minutes later, Lin Jiangye came back out—but now his eyes looked dazed.
“I…” he started to speak, but Shang Yongyi signaled him to shut up.
“Don’t talk about classified things. Not even to my brother,” Shang Yongyi waved it off.
But Lin Jiangye wasn’t about to spill secrets. He only wanted to confirm one thing:
“So… does that mean my clearance is higher than Shang Fuyan’s now?”
Shang Yongyi raised an eyebrow. They exchanged a glance, and he instantly caught the real meaning behind Lin Jiangye’s words.
“Pfft—ah—cough, cough…” Shang Yongyi looked like he was trying not to laugh. “Yes. Your clearance really is higher than his now.”
No, this definitely wasn’t because he wanted to see his little brother’s shocked, ugly face later. Definitely not. Heh.
Thinking of Shang Fuyan, Shang Yongyi couldn’t help giving Lin Jiangye a long look.
Shang Fuyan’s promotion speed was already considered fast. But compared to Lin Jiangye… it was child’s play.
Lin Jiangye’s ability was honestly unheard of. His value wasn’t just “finding witnesses” anymore. More importantly:
In any city where Lin Jiangye was present, the rate of criminal cases dropped sharply.
That was something they’d noticed only after pulling Yue City’s records.
Before Lin Jiangye, Yue City’s crime rate wasn’t high, but it never cracked the top ten.
After Lin Jiangye showed up, cases began decreasing.
In the three months after the New Year, the number of criminal cases was less than half of the previous three months.
Internal estimates suggested that if this continued, Yue City would become the city with the lowest criminal case rate in the entire country.
That was Lin Jiangye’s most precious ability.
