In the name of supernatural powers

Chapter 96 The Mount Tai of Power

Lu Zhao asked, "What is the evidence?"

Liu Zhihui was speechless for a moment, stammering and unable to speak for a long time.

Zhao De is a man of principle. He never directly asks people for money, nor does he allow his relatives to actually get involved in the business in the district.

Businesses in the state often operate on a profit-sharing basis.

Take their beef business, for example. One method is smuggling it in by sea, and the other is having the beef slaughtered at the border that same day and then transported in by small boats wrapped in ice packs through underground channels.

The cold chain distributes the goods through various states and regions, with the majority eventually ending up in the Cangwu City black market.

The intermediate sales process inevitably involves layers of exploitation, but even so, there is still profit to be made.

Some people want to earn more, so they try to take advantage of the situation.

Zhao De did not instruct him to get involved; on the contrary, Liu Zhihui frequently embezzled money.

It's all dirty money anyway; if you don't take it, plenty of others will.

When business was good, he, as the city's executive secretary, earned more than Zhao De.

If we really want to talk about evidence, then it can only point to Cangwu.

Under the table, Lin Zhiyan tugged at Lu Zhao's clothes, giving him a warning look.

However, these warnings are essentially meaningless.

"Answer the question: yes or no."

Lu Zhao's voice was calm yet resolute.

As long as the other party can produce evidence, Lu Zhao dares to show his hand to the Daozheng Bureau.

If someone from above pushes for it, then Lu Zhao will need to be given a wider range of law enforcement powers. Otherwise, there's no need for Lu Zhao to fight a losing battle.

This is what his teacher had always taught him: to go with the flow.

Playing cards is something you only consider after you've sat down to eat; you're not qualified to play cards before you sit down at the table.

After hesitating for a long time, Liu Zhihui replied vaguely, "There is a smuggling route from Fang City to Cangwu City. You can check it out."

Lu Zhao looked at him with an expression as if he were an idiot.

Does this person think he's stupid?
If the other party really produces substantial evidence, they can use something as a pretext.

I still think Chen Wuhou must be guilty. Can I go and investigate him directly?

The 600-kilometer journey from Fangshi to Cangwu passes through eight cities, which is completely beyond the scope of the task force's law enforcement.

Even if Lu Zhao is in the right, he will become unreasonable once he extends his hand to the city. He cannot overstep his authority while simultaneously waving the banner of accusing others of crimes.

Be conscientious and responsible, not overstep your authority or act arrogantly.

“If you cannot produce substantial evidence, or if the case is not within the jurisdiction of Fangshi, I will hand the case over to a higher authority.”

Lu Zhao capped the pen, stood up, and placed the transcript on the small table of the interrogation chair.

Since the case was already in its final stages, what he said was essentially the same as the chain of evidence that the task force had been investigating and compiling.

There is no need for tedious verification work.

"Please sign now."

Liu Zhihui stared at the written agreement in black and white, but hesitated to sign it.

He will face multiple charges, including embezzlement, intentional homicide, endangering public safety, and obstructing official business.

Once you sign this paper, you will surely die.

Not signing won't help; Zhao De has already shifted the blame onto others, and the higher-ups will definitely make this an ironclad case.

If he hadn't called in bandits, there would still be room for redemption. But now Zhao De has been labeled as 'colluding with foreign enemies'.

'I have to drag everyone down with me to have a chance of survival! This guy surnamed Lu wants to be Bao Zheng (a famous upright official in Chinese history), so let him be one for as long as he wants!'

Liu Zhihui steeled his resolve and decided to make a big scene.

He wanted to use Lu Zhao as a tool to expose everything, even dragging Wu Hou into the mess. If Lu Zhao could do it, then he could too, and do it even better. "Commander Lu, I can tell you the whole story, but can you guarantee you'll strictly adhere to the rules and regulations?"

Upon hearing this, Lin Zhiyan chuckled and mocked, "You're the one who breaks the rules the most here, and now you're demanding that others strictly follow them. Isn't that a bit ridiculous?"

Liu Zhihui retorted, "It was all Zhao De who forced me to do this. I'm innocent! If it weren't for him, where would I have gotten the right to do these shady things?"

"If having power means you have to abuse it, then you're inherently dishonest."

Lin Zhiyan looked at him with the eyes of someone looking at trash, and his superior attitude made Liu Zhihui clench his fists.

But what could he do? No matter how angry he was, he could only suppress it.

Those who are superstitious about power will remain superstitious even after they lose power.

Lu Zhao nodded and said, "I will do my job well."

"Alright, I'll tell you then. Zhao De and I are just henchmen. The root of all this is in Cangwu..."

Liu Zhihui had barely finished speaking when Xu Zhenhua interrupted him with a cough, reminding him, "Team Leader Lin, this has exceeded the scope of the task force's enforcement. We are only discussing matters related to Fangshi."

"This is also a matter for Fangcheng District."

Lin Zhiyan, contrary to her usual behavior, did not object. She crossed her arms and leaned back in her chair, looking like she was watching a good show.

Sometimes actions speak louder than words. Since he said he wouldn't listen to Lu Zhao, then he'd let this self-righteous fool in front of him put on a show.

How is the character "侯" (hou) in "武侯" (Wuhou) written?

"I allow you to say it, and I can guarantee that this message will get out."

Lu Zhao naturally didn't object, and sat back down in his seat, opening his ballpoint pen to take notes.

After waiting for about ten minutes, Liu Zhihui muttered to himself the smuggling route from Fangshi to Cangwu City.

Lu Zhao memorized everything without missing a single word. With Lin Zhiyan taking the lead, he felt no pressure at all this time.

No wonder the teacher suggested I drag her into this; it's true what they say, it's good to be under a big tree.

After the interrogation ended, Liu Zhihui was taken away, and Xu Zhenhua went back to submit a report.

In the afternoon, Lü Bowen and Liu Zhihui were taken away by the supervisor, and the case was officially transferred to the higher authorities.

Lu Zhao and his team's mission also came to an end. They withdrew from the police station at 3 p.m., left Fang City at 4 p.m., and arrived at the Ant Territory Border Station at 5 p.m.

Lu Zhao is still the deputy head of the task force, and he still needs to go to the city to report in case of any emergencies.

Therefore, Lin Zhiyan planned to have Lu Zhao stay in a state-run hotel as well, since the border station was at least 20 kilometers from the city center, and a round trip would take a lot of time.

But Lu Zhao still had to go back to take charge of flood prevention work.
-
At the entrance, Chen Hongtao and a group of junior leaders from the border station waited in the light rain, holding umbrellas.

Waiting for Captain Lu to return to his loyal border post.

The vehicle slowly approached, and before it even stopped, Chen Hongtao had already rushed forward with his umbrella in hand.

As soon as Lu Zhao got out of the car, he was shielded from the rain by several umbrellas, and not a single drop of water fell on his officer's uniform.

"Officer Lu, congratulations!"

Chen Hongtao squeezed to the front, greeting everyone with a smile, "This time, Staff Officer Lu is truly a reincarnation of Bao Zheng, sweeping away the filth from our political arena."

"That's right, if it weren't for Staff Officer Lu, we would have been exploited by Lü Jinshan again."

"That's right. This Lü Jinshan specifically seeks out pharmaceutical factories for inferior supplements and pockets kickbacks from them. He's utterly rotten."

"Now that we have Staff Officer Lu, we can finally live a good life."

Everyone in front of him had fawning faces and were filled with hatred for Lü Jinshan, as if they had a blood feud with him.

The more difficult things were for him, the thicker his smile became, as if he wanted to kneel down before them.

Lu Zhao only needed to glance at one person to make that person subconsciously bend down slightly, adopting a listening posture.

His gaze seemed to weigh a ton, as heavy as Mount Tai.

(End of this chapter)