Arrangements

Ten percent of the sum involved in the case was not the amount he had embezzled, but rather the total value of the entire smuggling operation. Nor would the money be confiscated by the state; it was meant for a certain leader in the Court of Judicial Review. Liu Zhihui gave a slight shake of his head, then immediately forced a smile that looked uglier than weeping. "Chief, I don't have that much money. Besides, once I get out, I'll still have to make a living, won't I?" Once he went inside and came back out, his career in officialdom would essentially be over. Zhao De said, "I know the leadership at the Dali General Department. I can get them down to five percent, and I'll personally cover half of that for you. Do you think that's enough?" Flustered, Liu Zhihui turned it over in his mind. It seemed that this way, he wouldn't have to worry about the rest of his life after all. At least it was far better than being thrown straight behind bars with all his family assets seized. Zhao De added, "After you get out, this district will still need people to manage things. As long as I'm around, you'll never go hungry." With such a blend of coaxing and deception, Liu Zhihui could only nod and agree in the end. He had no choice in the matter anyway. As a front, this was precisely when he was expected to take the fall. What was more, even if he truly tried to bring Zhao De down with him, he likely wouldn't manage to hurt him in the slightest. Because Zhao De kept up appearances and had always done things strictly by the book. He couldn't possibly fall from grace over disciplinary issues. Zhao De nodded in satisfaction. At this rate, he would at most be criticized for dereliction of oversight, without even receiving a formal reprimand. Although his stream of wealth was cut off, as long as he kept his official post, money could always be made. For him, having enough to spend was all that mattered. Ring, ring, ring! The telephone suddenly rang, its urgent tone carrying an unusual edge. It wasn't his landline, but his personal phone. The caller was Secretary Zhang. That was to say, Martial Marquis Chen's secretary. Zhao De adopted a respectful tone. "Secretary Zhang, is there something I can help you with?" Secretary Zhang said, "A brief meeting was just held. You'll likely be suspended tomorrow." These words struck like a bolt from the blue; Zhao De was stunned for half a minute. Fortunately, his mental fortitude was far stronger than Liu Zhihui's. Calming himself, he asked, "What happened?" "We don't have details yet, but presumably your specific smuggling corridor was leaked, and the special investigation team caught you red-handed." "The very day Lü Jinshan was compromised, I halted all operations. How could they have caught anyone?" Zhao De knitted his brows tightly. He racked his brains, completely unable to fathom how it had been exposed. Lu Zhao controlled the border defense station, which meant controlling all of Ant Ridge. It was completely normal for him to discover the smuggling corridor, but to catch them red-handed, the window of opportunity had to be the day they entered the city. A day later or a day earlier would have been impossible. There was only one possibility: Lu Zhao had planned this all along, having prepared everything from the very first day he entered the city! Every step had been calculated. Was that even possible? For no apparent reason, a chill ran down Zhao De's spine. He found it hard to imagine how a minor junior officer who had been suppressed for four years could be so ferocious once he gained momentum. After a long silence, Secretary Zhang said over the phone, "You must prepare for the worst yourself in this matter. The Martial Marquis has a word to pass on to you." "'We are not Mount Liang rebels, nor are we the Yellow Turbans.'" Zhao De nodded with difficulty. "Understood." The call ended. Out of the corner of his eye, he glimpsed his secretary's lips curling upward, unable to suppress a grin, as though he had caught a glimmer of hope. Secretary Liu suggested with righteous indignation, "Chief, in for a penny, in for a pound—let's silence them once and for all! "You're only fifty-seven right now. You still have a chance to climb higher. You can't let yourself get tripped up by a puny junior officer! Didn't you always teach me to blend with the world and keep our heads down? It's not that we're bad; the higher-ups forced our hands." Only if things blew up into a massive incident would he have a chance to turn things around. If Zhao De truly accepted defeat, he himself would most likely have to take the fall. When officials of regular executive rank in the Federation made mistakes, it mostly meant political death; the person could still retire peacefully in some quiet sinecure. Zhao De offered no response. Massaging the space between his eyebrows, he forced himself to calm down. Merely throwing someone out as a scapegoat now would probably not solve the problem. His secretary viewed the arena of power far too simply. Even if one took power in the Hall of Martial Virtue, countless pairs of eyes would still be watching; the moment you slipped up, you would face attacks from every direction. There were many powerful figures in the Federation, but not every powerhouse held real authority. "Chief, don't hesitate any longer!" His secretary's urging pulled him back. Zhao De neither agreed nor objected. He simply waved his hand. "Go look into what's happening. We'll play it by ear." "Yes, sir!" Secretary Liu strode away briskly, his spirits visibly lifted. He firmly believed that as long as Zhao De hardened his heart, Lu Zhao stood no chance against them. A puny junior officer could be crushed with a single finger. So much had gone wrong only because Zhao De was too obsessed with playing by the rules. Once outside, Liu Zhihui dialed an overseas number to contact a Greenwood lodge master. Over the years, Greenwood had suffered plenty at Lu Zhao's hands; that branch's lodge master had even lost an ear to him. He knew best how to manipulate these outlaws. Promising business and throwing in some life supplements would be more than enough. Acquiring life supplements inside the Federation was effortless, but outside, it was harder than ascending to heaven. Currently, only the Federation could manufacture medium- and high-grade life supplements. Those strong figures beyond the borders relied entirely on the Federation to continue their cultivation and reach greater heights. ----- In the afternoon. Zhao De got to the bottom of the whole affair, and he also received word that his secretary had led men to seize back the smuggled goods from the special investigation team, resulting in a violent clash. This time, he maintained silence. Then, he issued the following directives: Within the Special Counter-Terrorism unit, he promoted Xu Zhenhua from an ordinary company commander to detachment adjutant, positioning him to take over the Special Counter-Terrorism unit once Wang Tong was suspended pending investigation. Within the Security Division, he also promoted one of his own men. At the same time, he arranged personnel to keep Liu Zhihui under surveillance and ensure he could be arrested and brought under control at any moment. Having completed all this, Zhao De retrieved from his drawer the dossier on Lu Zhao compiled earlier, along with the past conflicts between him and Lü Jinshan. Unbeknownst to himself, he had been pushed to the edge of a cliff, and he had no choice but to take Lu Zhao seriously as an opponent. He seeks neither fame nor fortune, nor does he fear power; he only wants to put me behind bars. Yet how could any human being be devoid of emotion? Lü Jinshan was someone who kept up appearances in what he did; his conflicts with Lu Zhao weren't especially numerous, and all remained within the bounds of regulations. At least according to word gathered from border defense station personnel, the two rarely had open confrontations. Early on, that spoiled young mistress of the Chen family had issued far more unreasonable demands: refusing to arrange lodging for him, assigning impossible missions, ordering him to patrol beyond the border alone, docking his pay without giving him a single cent, and so forth. Lü Jinshan had not carried out those completely irregular and unreasonable demands, only writing extensive criticisms about him in secret reports. Perhaps due to dealing with him face-to-face, Lu Zhao was still a superhuman who possessed a high-risk divine power after all, so Lü Jinshan didn't dare go too far. Yet Lu Zhao had been suppressed for so many years; he was bound to harbor resentment. Given the chance, he would naturally kill Lü Jinshan to silence him. Zhao De pondered for a moment, and a decision formed in his mind: Lu Zhao cannot die. The one who must die is Lü Jinshan, and the one who must go to prison is Liu Zhihui. Whether silencing witnesses directly or killing Lu Zhao, neither would help; instead, it would likely mean walking straight into a trap set by someone else. If Lü Jinshan was dead, the testimony could end with Liu Zhihui. Liu Zhihui had colluded with foreign enemies, which carried the death penalty. He would point the finger at Zhao De, but all clues linking back to him tied to the Martial Marquis. During his years as city executive, Zhao De had never accepted any benefits locally in any form.