Taking Over the Special Investigation Team

A spineless coward? Lu Zhao sat opposite Lü Bowen, watching his expressions closely and catching the scent of his panic. The man was terrified, yet his heartbeat remained steady, underpinned by a lingering sense of confidence. He was likely prepared to take the fall, believing his backing would reduce a major crime to a minor one, and a minor crime to nothing at all. At worst, he would do a few years inside before securing sentence reductions through various strings, ultimately walking out on medical parole. "Let me handle the questioning." Lin Zhiyan took a seat beside Lu Zhao, who nodded and shifted slightly to make room. Taking the ledger handed over by Xu Fang, she flipped through it without looking up. "Attacking an important Federation official resulting in death. Given the egregious nature of the offense, the maximum penalty is death. Do you admit to this?" Lü Bowen froze. After a long hesitation, he forced himself to say, "It was indeed done by my men, but I wasn't the principal offender. It shouldn't warrant the death penalty." "That is true." Lin Zhiyan did not contradict him. The ledger turned rapidly in her hands—a reading speed unique to psychic superhumans. "Operating illegal venues, organizing and leading criminal underworld syndicates—each carries a sentence of over seven years' imprisonment. Combined, they are enough to put you away for life." Lü Bowen remained silent, staring down at his shoes. He had no defense against any of this; the witnesses and physical evidence were all accounted for. This was precisely why the special investigation team had been blocked from launching their inquiry in the first place. Moments later, the special investigation team personnel brought in more evidence. Compared to the soldiers of the border defense station, they were far more adept at criminal investigations and had quickly brought in a large haul of contraband. Lin Zhiyan placed a small packet of white powder on the table. A smile surfaced on her delicate features, looking strikingly sinister. "You'll have to confess to these as well, or I won't be able to close the books." "..." Beads of sweat soaked Lü Bowen's forehead. After a long hesitation, he asked, "If I talk, how much time can I get knocked off?" "That depends on what you give us. If it's trivial, it won't spare you from death row. If it carries enough weight, it can turn death into life imprisonment, and life into a fixed term." Lin Zhiyan offered advice with an air of kind benevolence. "A major consideration for the death penalty is subjective intent. As long as you weren't the ringleader and actively cooperate with the investigation, your sentence can be commuted." Lü Bowen no longer hesitated. He nodded vigorously. "My brother! My elder brother told me to do it all!" "Who?" "Lü Jinshan." Lü Bowen poured out everything about his own flesh and blood in a breathless torrent. From how much money he was cut in dividends each year, to what operations he had taken part in, down to how many mistresses Lü Jinshan kept on the side. No wall in the world was entirely airtight; keeping secrets truly demanded an exceptionally high standard. In just forty minutes, Lin Zhiyan had finished compiling the evidence against Lü Jinshan. Passing the transcript to Lu Zhao, she said, "Once we deliver this to the Circuit Supreme Court of Judicial Review, Lü Jinshan will be locked away no matter how monumental his backing is." Suddenly, Lin Zhiyan's phone rang. "I'm going to step outside and take this." She rose and left the room. Lu Zhao looked over the transcript and asked, "Where did that contraband come from?" The transcript contained only allegations concerning the West Street Bar—which was to say, against Lü Jinshan—with no record whatsoever regarding the large quantities of untraced contraband. Lin Zhiyan certainly knew about it, but she hadn't asked. Lü Bowen's breath hitched. "It was all brought in from across the border." "How was it brought in?" "I don't know. I was only responsible for buying it." "Who did you buy it from?" "..." *** Outside the room, at the end of the corridor. Lin Zhiyan answered the phone. A slightly hoarse, steady voice came through the receiver. "Little Yan, I hear you were frightened quite badly." At those words, embarrassment flickered across Lin Zhiyan's face. She made an excuse: "Grandpa Liu, I was merely seizing the opportunity. Otherwise, there would have been no way to bring troops into the city." "Hahaha! Keeping your composure in the face of crisis—our Little Yan has quite a promising future." Nanhai Circuit Chief Liu softened his laughter, his tone shifting. "The leadership in Fangshi has crossed the line this time. Allowing local criminal syndicates to run so rampant—they certainly need to be brought to heel. "Deputy Chief Chen came to discuss it with me just now, suggesting that we ought to crack down on Fangshi's Foreign District. What do you think?" Lin Zhiyan understood. They intended to confine the scope of the crackdown strictly to the Foreign District, placing all the blame on the district and pinning every wrongdoing on the inferior Federation subjects. Fangshi itself would remain blameless, and not a single official would be sacked. Typically, when superiors set a general tone, they did not ask for their subordinates' opinions. Liu Hanwen was testing her. She said, "Grandpa Liu, why not strike further against the Chen family? I've captured Zhao De's son." "Are you confident?" "I can give it a try." "And if you fail?" Lin Zhiyan weighed the matter back and forth. Considering the consequences of failure, it wasn't as if Zhao De could do anything to her anyway. If it failed, he would continue as city executive, while she had no intention of remaining in Fangshi permanently. She said, "Investigating officials also falls within the duties of the special investigation team." "A fine answer. When everything is placed on the table, the rules hold the highest authority." Liu Hanwen said, "Yet let it rest this time. You cannot uproot Fangshi's entire leadership team in one stroke. Now that you hold leverage over him, Zhao De will cooperate with your work going forward. "Furthermore, hand this matter over to someone else. Stop always charging at the very front. It was the same during the previous operation. If anything were to happen to you, how would I face your grandfather?" The conversation gradually shifted into a one-sided scolding from an elder. Liu Hanwen had never wanted Lin Zhiyan to enter officialdom in the first place. He had leaned toward placing her in the education or research sectors, where she could live out a peaceful life as a scholar and professor. "Hand the remaining work to someone else, and remember not to leave the city. The entire border of Nanhai West Circuit hasn't been peaceful lately." Hearing this, Lin Zhiyan knew she was being pulled from the front line. She pouted reluctantly and asked, "Grandpa Liu, can I choose someone myself?" "Who?" "Lu Zhao." Silence fell on the other end of the line for a moment. It was the second time Liu Hanwen had heard that name from her lips. Previously, he hadn't paid it much mind, but now it left an impression. "Suit yourself." *** Nanhai East Circuit, Cangwu City, the Chief's Office of the Nanhai Circuit Politics Bureau. Inside the antique room, Chief Liu Hanwen, already past seventy, hung up the phone. "Chief, the matter regarding that Ming dynasty princely tomb has been verified." The secretary bowed slightly and reported, "The tomb has been confirmed as that of Prince Gonghui of Jingjiang, Zhu Bangning, who officially inherited the princely title in the sixth year of Jiajing. "And the Fate Bone unearthed from his tomb has been identified as Praying for Rain, one of the Seventy-Two Earthly Fiends, a Five Elements divine power." Liu Hanwen frowned. "A Five Elements divine power? Then how did he manage to pop up after being dead for several hundred years?" Two months ago, an archaeological team in Yulin Prefecture was bought off by foreign forces and dug a 'demon corpse' out of an ancient tomb. The demon corpse's whereabouts were unpredictable, appearing at times and dissolving into rain at others. Though it had not caused mass casualties, it had been wandering Nanhai Circuit like a ticking time bomb. Liu Hanwen had personally gone out five times and failed to capture it. The secretary said, "A Grand Academician at the Federation Academy of Divine Powers explained that the demon corpse might be the manifestation of a great Fate Bone, or perhaps lingering power from Emperor Jiajing. "Back then, Emperor Jiajing failed to become an Ancient God and never spawned an ecological sphere. It is possible his remaining power was entirely sealed within the tombs of those Ming imperial kin." Liu Hanwen massaged his brow, feeling a wave of exhaustion wash over him. The trouble with the surrender faction had yet to be resolved, and now Emperor Jiajing's lingering power had cropped up again. A sense of powerlessness welled within him. He was already seventy-eight; if the Federation still stood by the time he died, it would be comfort enough. "Lu Zhao, the temporary advisor to the special investigation team—change him to deputy leader. Go see to it." "Understood."