Settlement Fee

When Lin Zhiyan returned to the room, Lü Bowen had already been escorted away. She first summoned Xu Fang and the rest of the special investigation team, leaving eight members in total. "Under instructions from higher up, Lu Zhao has been promoted to deputy leader of the special investigation team and will take charge of the Fangshi investigation." The moment she spoke, looks of astonishment appeared on everyone's faces, Lu Zhao included. Matters had only just begun to turn in their favor—why was Lu Zhao suddenly put in command? While he was indeed the investigative backbone right now, without Lin Zhiyan's background, reaching this position would normally have been virtually impossible. Lin Zhiyan offered no explanation to the others. After simply announcing the decision, she instructed the team to return to their posts and keep gathering evidence. She then began the handover with Lu Zhao, walking him through the working standards and procedures. As for the actual investigation work, that depended entirely on personal capability, which was not something that could be taught in a few words. And she had already witnessed Lu Zhao's competence firsthand. Rigid temperament aside, his capabilities were rock-solid, more than enough to handle the responsibilities of leading the investigation team. Once she finished going through the essentials, Lin Zhiyan said, "At this stage, the investigation team's mission is practically accomplished. Fangshi has agreed to cooperate, and intercepting the bandits was your primary duty anyway. "Aside from your higher rank, nothing else has changed." "What about you?" Lu Zhao asked. "I'll remain on the team, but I'm stepping back to the second line," Lin Zhiyan grumbled slightly. "The elders won't let me stay on the front line anymore, even though the advantage is clearly ours." From childhood, her father had taught her to always lead from the front if she wanted to become a proper leader, but Uncle Liu clearly had no intention of letting her take charge. "This is a rare credential for your record. How about coming with me to Cangwu after this year?" Lu Zhao nodded. "I'll consider it." Assuming she was still willing to invite him by then. *** Around noon. Once the figures at the top reached a preliminary consensus, the gears below turned with rocket-like speed. The special investigation team and the Fangshi local authorities, who had been locked at daggers drawn, immediately established communication and reached common ground. Fangshi dispatched a massive police force into the Foreign District, rounding up thousands of gang members and transferring them to various detention centers. In no time, the detention centers in Fangshi were packed to bursting. The fleeing bandits were located as well, found lying unconscious in an underground black clinic. Meanwhile, at the temporary holding area in the West Street Bar. After screening out the vast majority of inconsequential people and sending them to the detention centers, Lu Zhao kept several dozen individuals and transferred them to the Foreign District Police Station. Although it was the designated law enforcement agency for the Foreign District, it rarely handled any actual business. The only detail worth noting was that the chief of the Foreign District Police Station happened to be among the arrested crowd. In fact, it was the chief who had unlocked the station's doors for Lu Zhao. *** Fangshi, East City, Federation Officials' Residential Compound. A six-story yellow-and-white building stood adjacent to a park, far removed from the clamor of the industrial sector and the chaos of the Foreign District. Bathed in a peaceful atmosphere unseen in modern society, the sunlight here seemed distinctly brighter. Secretary Liu knocked on the door of Room 502, Unit 6. A middle-aged woman answered, asking, "May I ask who you are?" "Hello, I'm a friend of Mr. Lü. Is Mr. Lü home?" Hearing this, the woman turned toward the interior of the apartment and called out, "Dear, someone's here for you!" Lü Jinshan stepped out from the study. The moment he laid eyes on Secretary Liu, the book in his hands dropped to the floor, his expression shifting through a kaleidoscope of emotions. Yet he quickly regained his composure and said, "Secretary Liu, please follow me to the study." "All right." The two entered the study. Once the door clicked shut, Secretary Liu skipped the pleasantries and laid out the situation plainly. "The Foreign District is now under the investigation team's control, and your brother has fallen into their hands. The leadership is worried he won't be able to hold out, so they want you to go in and play along." With that, Secretary Liu popped open the briefcase in his hand, revealing neat stacks of Federation gold banknotes. "This is a settlement fee for your family—one point five million in total." A bitter smile tugged at the corner of Lü Jinshan's lips, but he dared not refuse. "What do I need to do?" Secretary Liu replied, "Turn yourself in. Provide evidence against Lü Bowen and make sure he takes the fall for all the charges. When the time comes, you might have to serve a few years in prison." Lü Jinshan breathed a sigh of relief. Accepting bribes wouldn't result in a lengthy sentence, and with a bit of string-pulling, he might be out in a year or two. "What about my brother...?" "Most likely the death penalty," Secretary Liu said coldly. "If he doesn't die, then you'll have to die. Choose for yourself." Once certain matters were dragged into the open, there had to be an accounting. Otherwise, even if the Lin family held back, the Li family, the Wang family, and countless others would step in—or worse, draw the attention of the grand figures in the Hall of Martial Virtue. On a smaller scale, every post had a replacement waiting in line; plenty of people were eager to take the position of city executive. After a fleeting struggle, Lü Jinshan chose to sacrifice his brother. He still harbored one lingering concern. "Secretary Liu, that Lu Zhao on the investigation team... that guy's completely unhinged. Won't there be any trouble with him?" "What, could he actually put a bullet in you?" Secretary Liu sneered disdainfully. "Just a pretty boy. Refused to yield to the Chen family back then, yet now he's managed to latch onto the Lin family." A trace of bitterness colored his voice. The eldest daughter of the Lin family possessed exceptional qualities in every respect. Even without a Martial Marquis for a father, the political assets left behind by her forebears were nothing to scoff at. Most importantly, her personal conduct appeared perfectly normal, unlike the Chen family's daughter, who was infamous as a lustful demon. Over the years, the number of men driven to ruin by Miss Chen was beyond counting. Lu Zhao had struck it rich—dodging Miss Chen, only to climb his way up through Miss Lin. With Secretary Liu's repeated assurances, Lü Jinshan finally stepped out of his home. Seeing them leave, his wife called after him, "Are you coming back for dinner?" Hearing her question, Lü Jinshan nearly stumbled down the stairs. "Come back my ass!" *** Outside the Foreign District Police Station. Secretary Liu escorted Lü Jinshan to the entrance, watching the man walk inside. He then noticed a military truck pulling up before the station. Once Lu Zhao had secured transit clearance, the Ant Ridge border defense station had begun moving in and out of the city at will. The intelligence reports had claimed only a single company had entered, but along the way here, Secretary Liu had spotted at least two. Two heavily armed soldiers leaped down from the back of the truck, followed by a line of handcuffed detainees being marched out. Where had they rounded up another batch from? Secretary Liu felt a pang of confusion, but didn't dwell on it. The higher-ups had already reached a consensus to let the Foreign District take the fall. Perhaps they had discovered a few loose ends and swept up some more people. Zhang Like brushed past Secretary Liu. Though the two had spoken over the phone, it had only been once; they had never met in person. Secretary Liu dialed Zhao De's number. "Leader, I've delivered the man inside. The mop-up work is almost finished." "Good work." Zhao De's voice over the receiver sounded somewhat exhausted. "The word has already gone through up top, so there shouldn't be any further issues. Once Lü Jinshan is locked away, find someone to serve as an acting head for the Foreign District. Make sure they keep things quiet and don't stir up any trouble for the next year." Secretary Liu asked, "What about the Ant Ridge border defense station?" "Pay them no mind. That Lu Zhao will soon be reassigned by the Lin family."