In the name of supernatural powers

Chapter 226 Xu Zhigao

Upon hearing his leader's words, Liu Hao looked puzzled and asked, "Does Marquis Chen value Li Mufeng that much?"

"What's so important about an actor?"

Liu Hanwen looked disdainful, but couldn't help but chuckle as he spoke of it.

"Chen Yunming has been an opportunist his whole life, but he's not opportunistic when it comes to choosing a son-in-law. I don't know if it's because he spoils his daughter too much, or if he simply doesn't care about what happens after he's gone."

Regarding the engagement of the eldest daughter of the Chen family to a popular celebrity in the Federation, some people are watching with amusement.

Throughout history, the importance of marrying someone of equal social standing has been emphasized.

While celebrities hold a respectable status in modern society, they are not comparable to Zhuge Liang. This marriage is purely a burden to the Chen family, offering no benefit in the present or future.

If Chen Qian were a martial arts master, and wanted to satisfy her own needs, no one would object if she married a beggar. Society is generally very tolerant of those with powerful martial arts abilities; they have the right to be capricious.

As long as it's not a blatant violation of national laws, everyone turns a blind eye.

But Chen Qian herself is not like that; she doesn't even have any ability.

Therefore, her only purpose is to arrange marriages to increase the family's resilience. Chen Yunming is a first-generation member of the Chen family, and Chen Qian would be better off finding a capable husband to inherit his father's political assets.

When Li Mufeng was chosen, many people were surprised at first, and then some couldn't help but laugh at him.

Descendants cannot fully inherit their fathers' political assets, but as long as a good successor is chosen, they can generally be demoted by one or two ranks.

For example, the chief of the Daozheng Bureau could appoint his son as the city's executive director, or a nominal position with no real power.

Li Mufeng's identity makes it impossible for him to enter politics. In the future, once Chen Yunming is no longer able to work, the entire Chen family will decline drastically.

After his death, all his property will vanish.

There is a group of professional con artists among the federal elites who specialize in swindling wealthy people who have inherited vast fortunes from their fathers but have no real power.

Liu Hao looked thoughtful. Someone who could rise to the position of Wuhou's secretary and was also a "Deputy Marquis" level official in the Federation could not possibly be stupid.

He said, "Because Chief Xu is stationed in Nankaido, Chen Wuhou is worried that he will be subject to a surprise inspection regarding financial supplements?"

The only thing that could trigger Chen Wuhou's reaction was a being from a higher level.

His superior was at the same level as him, making it difficult for him to deliver a fatal blow to Chen Yunming. Moreover, the two had been fighting for so many years that they had already developed a tacit understanding.

As long as Marquis Chen Wu does his best to fulfill his duties, maintains industrial production in the region, and fights off the giant beasts during the riots in the Ancient God Circle.

Then Liu Hanwen wouldn't break off relations, wouldn't harm Chen Yunming himself, and at most would take down a few of his capable henchmen.

Everything should prioritize the overall situation and the interests of the Federation.

This is the consistent governing style of our own leaders.

The only variable in Nankaido now is Xu Zhigao.

One of the twelve members of the Martial Virtue Hall, and the head of the Federal Oversight System, he is theoretically authorized to supervise all Martial Marquises.

"Yes."

Liu Hanwen nodded and said, "But that brat has started acting on his own again, probably trying to cause trouble."

Liu Hao asked, "What is Xiao Lu trying to do? What benefit will this bring him? Is it simply to vent his anger and seek revenge against the Chen family?"

Li Mufeng is the fiancé of the eldest daughter of the Chen family. Back then, Lu Zhao suffered a lot because of him.

As an outstanding graduate of a top university, he was sent to the border region to serve as a lowly patrolman for four years. This not only delayed his career advancement but also greatly affected the speed of his physical development.

Put yourself in their shoes; if it were you, you would definitely seek revenge.

Liu Hanwen said, "He was just doing his job and using the power he had. If he were Xu Zhigao, he would have already stormed up to the Ministry of Finance and Household Registration."

Having lived for nearly eighty years, he had seen countless people in his life. Based on his first meeting with Lu Zhao and his previous deeds, he could roughly figure out what kind of person Lu Zhao was.

He was like one's father, someone born in that golden age, with a very high level of enthusiasm for the country and its people.

At the same time, observing his various actions from Fangshi to Cangwu, one can see that Lu Zhao has very unique insights into the operation of power.

Liu Hanwen believed he would be an excellent official loyal to the country, but certainly not a good husband.

It's not appropriate to entrust Xiao Yan to him.

If Chen Yunming is troubled by his son-in-law being too useless, then Liu Hanwen sometimes worries about Lu Zhao being too outstanding.

Difficult to control and unruly.

Liu Hao looked thoughtful, reassessing Lu Zhao's character in his mind.

Looking back, Lu Zhao did cause a lot of trouble in Fangshi, but he has been relatively well-behaved in the last six months, to the point that he has forgotten how Lu Zhao initially caught the eye of the Liu faction.

It wasn't because of Lin Zhiyan's favor, but because Lu Zhao defeated Zhao De.

It can be said that Lu Zhao's promotion was a foregone conclusion, but Lin Zhiyan exaggerated the result, allowing Lu Zhao to skip the county level directly.

He asked, "Sir, what should we do next? Should we inform Chen Yunming?"

"unnecessary."

Liu Hanwen shook his head and said, "I told him to let him do as he pleases, let's see how far he can go."

Liu Hao asked, "What if it involves the pharmaceutical companies?"

Liu Hanwen said, "Let him investigate anyway. Maybe he can force Wuliangye to hand over the technology that makes concealment and identification easy to use to us. If Lu Zhaozhen finds out something, it will give us more leverage in the negotiations on industrial relocation."

There is a lot of redundancy between investigating and not investigating.

We can't investigate to the bitter end and ruin the entire pharmaceutical company, thus affecting the production of life supplements. But we also can't completely ignore it, allowing pharmaceutical companies to expand indefinitely without regulation.

Suddenly, Liu Hanwen added, "We can't just stay silent and let him face Chen Yunming alone. Let Xiao Ding provide appropriate assistance within his authority."

"Yes."

Liu Hao roughly understood what his leader meant.

We can try to investigate to a limited extent; perhaps we can get some unexpected results by trying to trick the Chen faction.

—————————————— Nanling District, Cadre Prison Area.

Xu Zhigao came out of the interrogation room, followed closely by his assistant, who was holding the statement that had just been recorded.

"Send these statements back to the capital later, without changing a single word. Remember to send them directly to Chief Wang, without going through any other department, including our own."

"Yes."

"The arrest operation can now begin. All officials on the list will be placed under compulsory detention and escorted to Cangwu."

"Should we notify local security systems to coordinate the operation?"

"It depends on the situation. If you feel you don't have enough manpower, you can ask them to cooperate once you arrive at the location."

"Yes."

"Safety during investigations is a red line that cannot be crossed. We must ensure the safety of those arrested. I do not want to see any cases of suicide."

"clear."

Xu Zhigao then summoned all the out-of-town inspectors and held a general meeting, repeatedly emphasizing the safety and standardization of case handling.

He did not want any personnel to be injured or killed during the investigation.

On the one hand, living prisoners can provide more intelligence and help recover losses; on the other hand, the authority of the system must be guaranteed.

Just like when dealing with drug dealers, you must capture them alive and make them go through the entire legal process before executing them.

Corrupt officials should also be tried by law.

After the meeting concluded, the more than thirty inspectors who had been transferred from various regions were dismissed, each leading their own teams to arrest people in the Dali Divisions of various cities in Nankaido.

According to the list provided by Lü Da, at least one-third of the directors of Dali at various levels need to be investigated.

Xu Zhigao estimated that if he really wanted to get to the bottom of things...

Arresting all of them might result in wrongful convictions, but arresting only half would likely result in many escaping justice.

There are too many factories and companies in Nankaido. Even the regulated official agencies are not immune to violations, let alone profit-oriented companies.

At 9 p.m., Xu Zhigao called Chief Wang to report on his work.

He briefly described the relationship between Lü Da and the Gongyang family, mentioning a law firm that was using the Gongyang family's name as a front.

While contacting major pharmaceutical companies, he also cultivated relationships with officials and facilitated connections between the two parties, constantly engaging in power-for-money transactions.

This is a case of collective corruption; the Nankaido Dairi-ji system has become rife with embezzlement.

"So far, the Gongyang family has not provided Lü Da with any substantial protection; it's more like trying to get something for nothing."

Xu Zhigao felt very sorry.

If we can seize this opportunity to find fault with the Rams, we might be able to use it to dismantle the Life Supplement Committee.

This was originally a committee created by the chief of the Rams in order to concentrate power and control the production of life supplements.

However, this committee is not currently in the hands of the federal chief, but rather in the hands of the former Gongyang faction's military leaders.

On the other end of the phone, Wang Shouzhen said, "At least we've caught the tail. Try to see if you can investigate in this direction. Some time ago, Wuliangye Pharmaceutical Company came up with a new technology that cracked the Federal's labeling solution."

Xu Zhigao asked, "If we investigate the pharmaceutical companies, what if it implicates Wuhou? What if it implicates financial supplement companies?"

Wang Shouzhen remained silent for a moment, unable to answer immediately.

There is a financial supplement market in Nankaido, in which at least half of the Federation's military leaders are involved.

Not every military commander smuggled supplements, but most of them used their specially supplied supplements to sell for money, or more accurately, to accept covert bribes.

For example, if the Federation provides a new drug to Wuhou for priority use this year, it will fetch tens of millions of dollars on the black market.

Each of them could exchange it for money, accepting a bribe that didn't actually exist as a specific individual.

Wang Shouzhen had never exchanged the money, but after consulting with several close associates, he came to the conclusion that financial supplements were like an iron nail driven into the heart of the federal government.

If you don't remove it, something bad will happen eventually; if you do remove it, there will be massive bleeding immediately.

After a minute of silence, Wang Shouzhen replied: "If you can investigate, then investigate. I entrust this matter entirely to you, and I will take responsibility for anything that happens."

Xu Zhigao laughed and said, "Then I'll have to be more careful. I won't be as bold as you, eager to roll up my sleeves and fight with others."

"Then leave it to you."

Wang Shouzhen did not deny that financial supplements have too many implications and cannot be dealt with drastically.

The phone hangs up.

Xu Zhigao looked out the window. The sky over the South China Sea was always covered with a layer of smog, and the air was filled with a pungent smell.

The steel jungle shrouded in white mist is not only the great city that has supported the post-apocalyptic era, but also contains the Federation's deepest evil.

The war against the entire Dali Si system in Nankaido has begun.

April 14th, early morning.

Xu Zhigao saw a very interesting news story.

A popular federal celebrity has been arrested on suspicion of illegal and criminal activities; the person appears to be Chen Yunming's son-in-law.

Chen Yunming is the mastermind behind financial supplements and a pioneer of the Life Supplements Committee.

Xu Zhigao keenly sensed something unusual and immediately made a phone call.

"Xiao Xiao, I need your Anti-Corruption Bureau to investigate a celebrity named Li Mufeng."

The Anti-Rightist Bureau, formerly the State Security Department, underwent several reorganizations before and after the Great Catastrophe. Its main tasks were intelligence gathering, combating separatist forces, counter-espionage activities, and political protection.

If the law enforcement system is the visible hand that maintains social order, then the Secret Service is the invisible hand of the federal government.

Apart from Zhuge Liang, no one could escape the investigation of the Anti-Bolshevik Bureau.

(End of this chapter)