"Put your hands up!"
Dozens of police officers rushed out from the darkness, their flashlights shining so brightly that Ji Dongsheng could barely open his eyes.
" manager Ji, I called the police," I stepped out from the shadows.
"I'm sorry, but as the owner of the vehicle, I have a duty to report illegal modifications."
Ji Dongsheng's face twisted in an instant. "You! You set me up?"
"No, you walked right into this," I pointed at the Benz.
"Modifying a commercial vehicle is a serious crime, especially one that uses a false identity."
"And where's your evidence? You think you can do anything to me just because of one car?" Ji Dongsheng sneered.
"All the data has been destroyed!"
"Oh really? Want to take a look at this?" I pulled up the surveillance footage on my phone.
On the screen, there was the live feed from Repair Shop.
Ji Dongsheng's expression changed drastically. "This is impossible! The surveillance was clearly..."
"Cut off?" I interrupted him. "Did you think I was just a mechanic back then?"
"What do you mean?"
"I have a background in Network Engineering," I said with a smile.
"Your surveillance system has too many vulnerabilities."
At that moment, Zhang Ming suddenly pushed past the police and turned to run.
But he had barely taken two steps when someone blocked his path.
"Manager Zhang, in such a hurry to leave?" Old Wang emerged from the shadows.
"Why don't you tell me who provided the internal documents with the misused metrics?"
Zhang Ming collapsed to the ground. "Old Wang, you... you promised to protect me!"
"That's why I told you not to tamper with those metrics," Old Wang sighed.
"But you insisted on targeting my son."
I was taken aback. "What do you mean?"
"To be honest with you," Old Wang looked at me, "that USB drive was placed in the internet café by someone I instructed."
Ji Dongsheng suddenly let out a piercing scream. "So it was you! You're the traitor!"
"No, I'm just repaying a father's debt," Old Wang turned to me.
"Do you know why they used your metrics? Because you and my son are the same age, and your files were kept together."
As the police lights flashed, I seemed to understand something.
Looking up at the foggy night sky, I felt a sudden pang of sadness for reasons I couldn't quite grasp.
The next morning, the headlines of major media outlets were all about the Jincheng Taxi Company case.
I sat in my office, reading the news reports.
In addition to Ji Dongsheng and Zhang Ming, more than a dozen staff members from the Vehicle Registration Office had been taken away for questioning.
The investigation team discovered that over the past three years, hundreds of vehicle purchase quotas had been illegally occupied, with the amount involved exceeding two hundred million.
“Lao Wei, what are you thinking about?” Xiao Lin entered with a cup of coffee.
“I was thinking about Old Wang,” I sighed. “Isn’t his son...”
“Yeah,” Xiao Lin set down the coffee cup.
“I checked. Three years ago, Old Wang's son died in a car accident. The vehicle involved was a modified taxi, but it was ultimately ruled an accident.”
“So he has been waiting for this opportunity.”
“He said that when he saw your name, he decided to help you,” Xiao Lin said softly.
“Because you both were born in the same year, almost having your fates changed.”
Just then, Xiao Li pushed the door open. “Master, someone downstairs is looking for you.”
It was Old Wang.
He still wore his usual plain attire, a weary smile on his face.
"Xiao Wei, thank you," he said as he handed me an envelope. "This is the last photo of my son before he passed."
The photo showed a young man full of sunshine, about my age.
"He loved cars just like you," Old Wang's voice trembled slightly. "His dream was to open his own repair shop."
A month later, I finally received my Porsche.
During that month, the case continued to escalate.
The investigation expanded from the Vehicle Registration Office to multiple government departments, and dozens had already fallen from grace.
"Mr. Wei, here are your car keys," the dealership manager personally delivered the car. "I apologize for the wait."
I took the keys but felt no excitement as I had imagined.
"Lao Wei, what's wrong?" Xiao Lin asked.
"Nothing," I said, fiddling with the keys.
"I was just thinking about what this car means to me."
"It means your dream has come true."
"Maybe," I smiled.
"But right now, I hope everyone in this city can pursue their dreams openly and honestly."
"Just like Old Wang's son?"
"Exactly." I started the car, "Without relying on fake identities or underhanded means."
Sunlight streamed through the windshield, and I saw Xiao Lin smiling.
"So where are we going now?" she asked.
"Let's go see Old Wang," I said, turning the steering wheel. "I heard he's opening a repair shop."
"Are you going to invest?"
"No," I replied with a laugh, "I want to apply for a job. After all, I'm a mechanic with twelve years of experience."
The car merged into traffic, and under the sunlight, the brand-new paint gleamed brilliantly.
[The End]
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