Chapter 263: General Tao's Regret

In the outskirts of Baiyun City, there are many areas marked with military restricted zone signs but lacking other identifying markers. Locals know some of these areas are military units, while others are armed police units. In Baiyun City, except for the Armed Police Corps, other squads lack any signage; in the eastern suburbs of Baiyun City, there's such an armed police squad.

On the afternoon of June 1st, a few vehicles with military district license plates arrived at this armed police squad.

As the convoy entered the squad's courtyard, Squad Leader Zheng and the entire squad lined up to welcome them. Then the car doors opened, and Zhou Ming, Cao Jianning, and Tao Niansheng each got out of their respective vehicles.

Seeing the visitors, Squad Leader Zheng immediately stood at attention and said, "Warmly welcome Military District Chief Tao for inspecting our squad!"

With Zheng leading, the other armed police officers also began to welcome them. Tao Niansheng nodded and exchanged greetings like "Hello comrades, thank you for your hard work." Then Zheng dismissed the formation and led Tao Niansheng to a separate small building at the back of the courtyard.

This is where Tao Guoling and Hua Shao are being held. Though the armed police forces are military organizations, they occasionally have detention duties, and sometimes very important people are detained here. There are ordinary cells and special rooms for different types of detainees. Tao Guoling and Hua Shao, one being the son of a general and the other from a prominent family in Lingnan, were captured by Zheng and brought here but were not subjected to too much humiliation.

Opening the small building's door, they saw Tao Guoling and Hua Shao sitting dejectedly on the floor, looking dispirited. However, when Tao Guoling looked up and saw Tao Niansheng entering with the armed police, his eyes immediately filled with tears. He quickly got up and threw himself into Tao Niansheng's arms, crying out, "Dad, you finally came to get me. If you hadn't come, I would have died here! I can't stand being in this hellish place any longer, I want to leave!"

Hearing Tao Guoling's plea, Zhou Ming, Cao Jianning, and Squad Leader Zheng found it quite ridiculous. They were aware of the detention rules here—those held in such places were typically important or difficult people, and conditions were relatively lenient except for not being allowed to leave. However, this young master Tao clearly couldn't handle even that.

What's more, Tao Guoling was almost forty years old and still cried like this; it was truly embarrassing!

Tao Niansheng also found Tao Guoling disgraceful. He shoved Tao Guoling away and scolded, "Pull yourself together, man. Look at you, crying and whining like this. You've embarrassed the whole family!"

Tao Niansheng raised his hand as if to hit Tao Guoling, but Zhou Ming intervened, "Chief Tao, please don't be so angry. This is still a detention place; it's different from the outside. The biggest damage detention does is psychological. Having grown up in the military district, he's not prepared for this, so his reaction is understandable."

Originally, Tao Guoling was about to nod in agreement, but upon hearing Zhou Ming's voice, he widened his eyes in anger. He pointed at Zhou Ming and shouted, "Zhou Ming? How dare you come here? You're simply audacious!"

He turned to his father, "Dad, this guy, together with that scoundrel Cao Jianning, conspired against me. You must avenge me, make sure they pay for it!"

Tao Guoling didn't notice his father's dark expression and foolishly thought that with his general father present, he could easily deal with Zhou Ming. Tao Guoling sneered at Zhou Ming, "Zhou Ming, I want to break your arms and legs and crush you underfoot. My hatred will only be relieved when I've thoroughly defeated you!"

Zhou Ming looked at him with sympathy, "I think you won't get that chance."

"What nonsense! That's the funniest joke I've heard. I can't understand where you get your confidence from..."

Before Tao Guoling could finish, Tao Niansheng slapped him on the head, angrily saying, "What are you talking about? Are you still not embarrassed enough?"

The slap left Tao Guoling stunned. He stared blankly at his father, not understanding what had happened, "Dad, what does this mean?"

"What do you mean? You should thank Zhou Ming," Tao Niansheng said.

If Tao Niansheng's earlier slap had stunned Tao Guoling, his current words left him completely bewildered.

Thank Zhou Ming?

Tao Guoling initially thought he must have misheard. He knew his father, having spent his life in the military, was very protective. Normally, seeing him bullied like this, his father would certainly help him. How could he now ask him to thank his enemy? This was not the script he expected!

"Dad, why?" Tao Guoling asked.

"Why? You were detained for illegal smuggling by the armed police. Zhou Ming used his connections to have you released. Shouldn't you thank him?" Tao Niansheng said.

Tao Guoling's eyes widened further, "What? Dad, are you out of your mind? I was caught by this scum. I hate him so much I want to kill him, and now you want me to thank him? That's absolutely impossible!"

Zhou Ming shook his head, feeling concerned about Tao Guoling's intelligence. At this point, anyone with a bit of sense would realize the situation and try to endure, but Tao Guoling was stubbornly resisting, only fueling his father's anger. It seemed a few days in detention had left him completely oblivious to the situation.

As expected, Tao Guoling's words earned him another slap from his father, who yelled, "What are you saying? Haven't I taught you manners since you were young?"

The slap finally brought Tao Guoling to his senses. He dazedly thanked Zhou Ming and then hurriedly ran out the door.

It was clear he couldn't accept such a situation. Being detained and now having to thank the person who had set him up felt like kneeling before Zhou Ming, an indignity he couldn't bear.

As the saying goes, no one knows their child better than the parent. Watching Tao Guoling's retreating figure, Tao Niansheng sighed, "Sorry, Zhou Ming. This is due to my inadequate upbringing!"

Zhou Ming shook his head, "Chief Tao, don't say that. Encountering such sudden changes is hard for anyone to accept."

Tao Niansheng also shook his head with a wry smile, "Most people would react like this."

Zhou Ming looked at Tao Niansheng, sensing a deeper meaning in his words, but Tao Niansheng quickly moved on, saying, "This place isn't great. I heard there have been deaths here. Zhou Ming, let's go outside and talk."

Zhou Ming agreed, and they went outside. Seeing Tao Guoling still sitting in his car, Tao Niansheng felt somewhat relieved; at least his son hadn't completely lost his senses.

Tao Niansheng then invited Zhou Ming and Cao Jianning to another car. Once they were in, Tao Niansheng said, "It's often said that great favors go unspoken, but for today's events, I must thank you."

Zhou Ming and Cao Jianning raised their eyebrows, sensing something else in Tao Niansheng's words. Zhou Ming asked, "Has something changed in your situation, Chief Tao?"

Tao Niansheng nodded with a hint of melancholy, "Yes. Otherwise, I wouldn't be seeking your help."

Hearing this, Zhou Ming and Cao Jianning realized the gravity of the situation. They had suspected that Tao Niansheng's visit and his humble demeanor were due to some major issue. As a military district chief and a general, such a drastic measure meant that something catastrophic had occurred, likely related to the central government's decision.

Tao Niansheng confirmed their thoughts, "Don't be fooled by my position as a military district chief or general. When things go wrong, even high-ranking officials are abandoned if necessary."

"Zhou Ming, you're truly remarkable, brave and resourceful. Even managing to calculate against me, I have no words. But the others, I'm deeply disappointed."

Tao Niansheng smiled bitterly, "I did so much for them, earned untold amounts of money. They always treated me with respect, called me General Tao, and even wrote letters or visited during holidays. But all of that was pretense. When I'm truly in trouble, they avoid me. In the end, it's you and Cao Jianning, my rivals, who help me. It's truly ironic."

"Chief Tao, there's no choice. Sacrificing one person is better than sacrificing many," Zhou Ming said.

Tao Niansheng nodded, "I understand that. I've been ruthless when sacrificing others, but when it's myself, it's still painful."

"I don't know what the central government will ultimately accuse me of, but I hope my contributions to the country will earn me some leniency," Tao Niansheng sighed.

Faced with this, Zhou Ming and Cao Jianning didn't know what to say. But as a general, Tao Niansheng eventually composed himself and made one final request, "Zhou Ming, Cao Jianning, my final request is to spare my useless son. I don't ask for anything else, just that you let him go without further consequences."

Despite the surprises Zhou Ming had brought him, Cao Jianning was still shocked. He couldn't fathom how Zhou Ming had such charisma that even a rival like Tao Niansheng trusted him and entrusted his hope to him.

Zhou Ming sincerely nodded, "Alright, I understand."