Forging Ahead

"Answer the question: was the city executive involved, and who else among the municipal departments had a hand in this?" Lu Zhao's calm, resolute voice echoed through the interrogation room once more. Both Lü Jinshan and Xu Fang shuddered involuntarily. The taboos, red lines, and minefields they feared seemed entirely powerless against Lu Zhao. Pushed to the brink of a breakdown, a sudden surge of fury overtook Lü Jinshan. "What if he was! Do you dare investigate him?" At the end of the day, Lu Zhao was merely seconded to the special investigation team; in reality, he was still just a captain, a minor officer at a border defense station. Did gaining a bit of influence really make him think he was a Martial Marquis, entitled to utter whatever he pleased? In the next breath, Lü Jinshan saw Lu Zhao turn his head and command, "Enter that into the record." "Are you crazy?" Lü Jinshan stared in disbelief. He had thought Lu Zhao only wanted him dead; he never imagined Lu Zhao would dare point his blade at the city executive. Xu Fang did not move her pen, asking to be certain, "Do we really record that?" "Not only must it be recorded, it must be transcribed word for word. The moment you finish, transmit it directly to the Nanhai Circuit Politics Bureau." Lu Zhao answered with such resolve that Xu Fang began to wonder if the upper echelons had abandoned all restraint and intended to strike ruthlessly at the Chen family. She transcribed the statement, verbatim. She was only responsible for taking the record; there was no reason to cross Lu Zhao. "I didn't say that! I never said that!" Lü Jinshan hurriedly denied it, but it was useless—the words were already set in black and white. Lu Zhao took the confession and set it before him. "Sign it, Mr. Lü. Signing can still reduce your sentence and leave a way out for your family." Lü Jinshan made no move. Lu Zhao did not press him, nor did he beat or curse him. After waiting a minute, he turned and handed the record back to Xu Fang. In a calm tone, he instructed, "Record: 'The suspect, Lü Jinshan, refused to sign, demonstrating no intent to confess or surrender. The contents of the record were presented for his review, and he raised no substantive objections.'" "Add that at the end." Hearing this, Lü Jinshan cried out again, "I object—" "Then what is the evidence for your objection? Who authorized Liu Zhihui's power? Was Zhao De truly completely in the dark?" Lu Zhao threw out two sharp questions, stopping Lü Jinshan in his tracks once more. His fists clenched tight, his body trembling uncontrollably. Lu Zhao had him completely pinned, leaving him virtually no room to fight back. "Sign, and you retain the mitigating circumstance of a voluntary confession. Don't sign, and you shoulder it all alone." Lu Zhao placed the confession before him again. "Madman... You lunatic..." Cursing under his breath, Lü Jinshan picked up the pen and shakily signed his name. If he signed, no one would protect him anymore; but if he didn't, he would definitely be tossed out as a scapegoat regardless. Between life imprisonment and the death penalty, Lü Jinshan chose the former, leaving a chance of survival for his family. Receiving the signed confession, Lu Zhao nodded with satisfaction. This gave him three confessions: one from Lü Bowen, one from Lü Jinshan, and one from Zhao De's son. Lü Bowen implicated Liu Zhihui, and Lü Jinshan went a step further to implicate Zhao De. As for Zhao De's son, it could hardly count as evidence; the boy had merely said the bar owner knew his father. A seventeen-year-old youth knew very little. Meanwhile, Zhang Like was waiting outside the door, cigarette butts littering the floor around his feet; evidently, he had not stopped smoking from the very start. The soundproofing of a decade-old interrogation room was terrible, so he had heard everything happening inside. "Old Lu, do you really have to go this far?" Zhang Like asked. He considered himself familiar with Lu Zhao and knew he was an upright, unyielding man. Yet he hadn't imagined Lu Zhao would be this brazen—that was the city executive, a prominent figure holding a regular executive rank in the Federation! In the entire Federation, counting Federation subjects, there were roughly three billion people. There were only seven thousand regular executive rank posts, and fewer than three hundred substantive city executives wielding real power. "I won't drag you down," Lu Zhao assured him. "Not only will I keep you out of it, but I've already extricated you completely." Had this erupted unexpectedly and Lü Jinshan shifted the blame regarding the smuggling channel onto him, Zhang Like would have been skinned alive at the very least. Now, however, Zhang Like was not only free of fault, but held the merit of reporting and investigating the crime. "That's not what I mean!" Zhang Like glared at him. "Your brother might value his neck, but I'm not that gutless. What I'm asking is: acting like this, aren't you afraid of the backlash?" "If I were afraid, I wouldn't be standing here today." "I'm fucking worried I'll have to collect your corpse! Can a petty junior officer withstand that kind of heat?" "Then don't collect it," Lu Zhao answered curtly. He strode forward and walked away. With nothing more than the flesh and blood of an ordinary man, today he would ask the Federation: Does the rule of law still endure? Does justice still exist? Zhang Like watched his retreating back until it vanished at the end of the corridor. ----- Primordial. Lu Zhao traversed the mental mire, climbed the steps leading to the small Taoist temple, and stood outside the doors. The old Taoist leisurely opened his eyes. He saw that baleful aura spilled from Lu Zhao's frontal gate, while his divine soul appeared shrouded in swirling mists. "Come in." Lu Zhao walked into the temple, cupping his hands and bowing in salute. Before he could speak, the old Taoist seemed to foresee it and said, "You made your move?" "Yes." Lu Zhao recounted everything that happened today from start to finish: leading troops into the city, sweeping through the district, and arresting the chief culprits. Then he focused on the interrogation of Lü Jinshan—how he had not followed his master's instructions to use the leverage to blackmail Zhao De. According to the old Taoist's plan, he was supposed to interrogate Lü Jinshan without unearthing substantive evidence. It would have been enough merely to convey that 'I could put you on the scales.' If one seized conclusive evidence, it would likely drive the cornered beast to desperate measures. Both were threats, yet their natures were entirely different. Leaving words unspoken and matters unfixed was meant to force the opponent to imagine the worst. When Lu Zhao had first heard it, he too had marveled at his master's consummate mastery over human hearts. He bowed his head and said, "Your disciple is ashamed. I did not carry out Master's instructions." "Are you truly ashamed?" The old Taoist sounded resigned, yet hardly surprised. "Stand upright. Your master never expected you to soften up anyway." Lu Zhao straightened his back and asked brazenly, "Master, what should I do next?" "If I tell you, will you listen?" the old Taoist retorted. With an earnest expression, Lu Zhao said, "Your disciple is dull-witted and might fail to fully grasp Master's intent." *Smack!* A ferule struck Lu Zhao across the forehead, making him grimace in pain. "If what your master says doesn't suit your fancy, you simply won't listen, is that it?" The old Taoist chuckled in exasperation. Having ordered people around all his life, he was now being handled by someone else. Rubbing his head, Lu Zhao said, "Your disciple would not dare disobey. I beg Master for guidance." The old Taoist sighed. What could he do when this was his only disciple? He said languidly, "You came looking for your master seeking nothing other than an answer. In my view, you are bound to suffer a harsh blow this time. Those above will not allow you to proceed this way." Lu Zhao had long anticipated this. "Master, do you mean to say that even if I place the evidence on the Circuit Politics Bureau's desk, they will turn a blind eye?" The old Taoist asked in return, "If I say yes, will you give up?" "No. Their corruption is their own affair." Lu Zhao's back straightened like a spear, his expression calm and unwavering. "You once taught me: when the spirit departs, death follows; when the spirit is guarded, life endures." The old Taoist felt only that the moniker he gave him—Lu Gangfeng—could not have been more apt. In fact, the boy might be even more stubborn than that. Hai Rui, at least, had still been loyal to his sovereign. His disciple, on the other hand, held nothing sacred.