In the name of supernatural powers

Chapter 45 Investigation
The chaos in the federal government reminded Lu Zhao of his past life.

The police academy teachers told them about things from the last century, when there was no clear distinction between black and white, and it was common for them to mix together and become gray.

The current state of the federation is similar to this, with black and white mixed together.

The cataclysm has changed many things, and the social atmosphere is no longer what it used to be.

Lu Zhao asked, "How do you plan to investigate?"

"It's simple, just ask a few thugs in the underworld, there are no secrets these days."

Zhang Like replied, then changed the subject, saying, "But it's useless. The interests involved are already deeply entrenched. They smuggle life supplements out of the country, and the price can be several times higher."

"Go ahead and report it, and the report will be on their desk the next day."

Drug smuggling is too low-level. Not to mention federal officials like Lü Jinshan, even slightly powerful underworld bosses don't take it seriously.

Because there are more profitable life supplements.

Some people may not accept gold, but they will definitely not refuse life supplements.

Lu Zhao asked, "Isn't having substantial evidence enough?"

Zhang Like said, "It's useless to ordinary people, but we can report it directly to the county or even the provincial administration bureau."

"But then another problem arises: this is outside our jurisdiction. We can't exactly impersonate police officers and arrest and interrogate Lü Bowen, can we?"

That's why he initially told Lu Zhao not to have too much hope.

They were both officers and superhumans, so they weren't afraid even if their whistleblowing was discovered.

Do you think those thugs would dare to come knocking on our door and cause trouble?

However, for matters outside one's authority, one can only rely on personal connections; if one has no connections, one can only leave it to fate.

Lu Zhao was not discouraged by this and said, "The smuggling routes in the mountains are within our jurisdiction. We can make sure that Lü Jinshan gets into trouble."
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June 11th, evening.

Lu Zhao first went to inform Zhang Laoniu, asking him to cooperate in concealing the fact that he and Zhang Like had not returned to the team that night.

The two then drove away from the camp. The guards found it strange, but they didn't ask any questions or register the incident.

They have effectively taken control of the entire border post.

Nighttime, behind Ant Ridge.

The vehicle was parked halfway up the mountain, on the slope closest to the smuggling route.

Zhang Like instructed, "You're not at the second tier yet. If you get shot and bleed profusely, you'll die. Be careful."

"I will."

Lu Zhao walked alone into the dense forest.

The air felt like it was wrapped in a damp cloth; when you breathed it in, it carried the dampness from the soil evaporating after being baked by the scorching sun during the day, as well as a strong smell of decaying leaves.

The decaying leaves underfoot were thick, and each step made a squelching sound.

His mind continued to expand outwards, eventually forming a blurry topographical map in his mind covering a radius of fifty meters.

This will prevent him from stepping into pits, culverts, or underground rivers and getting injured.

At the same time, Lu Zhao also discovered another use for the "Visualization Method," which is to amplify the five senses. By visualizing each of the five senses, even some originally subtle movements and noises can become exceptionally clear.

He was smelling the present scent, and also reflecting the sounds of the past four years. Many subtle memories surfaced, allowing him to immediately identify the source of the sound.

Dark drains, fallen leaves, puddles, mud...

Lu Zhao has been 'smelling' these things for four years.

He had a vague sense of freedom; his body was a prison for his soul, and he was breaking free from that prison.

After his sense of taste, Lu Zhao has now reached the threshold of his sense of smell.

Visualizing the five senses relying on the physical body doesn't seem as difficult as the teacher described.

Half an hour later, Lu Zhao stopped. Fifty meters away from him was a hidden smuggling route.

Under his mental touch, every trace on the road was crystal clear, and the depth and age of the marks indicated that someone had walked there the most recently. The night passed, and no one came or went.

As the sun began to peek out, Lu Zhao returned to Zhang Like's location.

“There are new footprints, but it’s uncertain when they returned.”

Zhang Like said, "Let's keep watch tonight, there's no rush."

The difficulty in smuggling routes lies in their detection.

In the Ant Ridge mountain area, the border station can effectively monitor less than 5% of the area at all times, and smuggling here is generally carried by people and horses.

As Lu Zhao often encountered, smuggling gangs were usually not armed bandits, but ordinary people carrying baskets and heading into the mountain trails.

They would break down various contraband items into small batches and transport them frequently, so even if a few were caught, it wouldn't cause any serious damage.

On June 4th, Lu Zhao and Zhang Like continued their stakeout.

At midnight, a faint light appeared in the dark forest.

Lu Zhao, who was using his mental energy to 'kill' a mosquito, looked up and saw his mental energy spreading like a tide.

Three people wearing headscarves drove a mule over, and my spiritual sense detected a strong smell of insect repellent on them.

Lu Zhao could smell the life-sustaining tonic in the two sacks on the mule's back.

Life supplements are a form of hard currency comparable to gold, and are often used as a means of settlement.
Lu Zhao did not make a move, quietly waiting for them to pass by.

Because these people cannot serve as evidence to bring down Lü Jinshan; they can only prove the existence of smuggling routes.

On June 5th, the smuggling gang reappeared and headed towards the mainland.

Lu Zhao followed slowly and silently behind them until they left the dense forest and entered a village outside Ant Ridge.

This is one of the reasons why smuggling is so difficult to eradicate.

This is not simply a battle between good and evil; the Chinese community is also involved in many illegal and criminal activities, and in most cases, they hold a dominant position.

Lu Zhao memorized the appearance of the villagers who were there to meet them, then turned and disappeared into the dense forest.

On June 6th, Lu Zhao and Zhang Like drove to track down the villagers and found them in the urban area of ​​Fangshi.

The surrounding area has changed from mountains and dense forests to high-rise buildings. Buildings with white ceramic tiles and blue glass on their exterior walls can be seen everywhere. Groups of factory workers ride their old-fashioned bicycles home from get off work.

The two followed the vehicle from the east of the city all the way to the west, where the surrounding scenery suddenly changed again.
The roads are cracked and left unrepaired; homeless people can be seen everywhere along the roadsides; and it is difficult to find intact windows in many houses.

Black people, white people, and people of other ethnicities can be seen everywhere.

Outer districts, which are places used to house unregistered people, are a characteristic of major cities in Nankaido.

Because of its border location, Fang City has a population of one million in its outer districts.

They arrived at Kabukicho, at a bar called "West Street".

The huge neon lights at the bar entrance shone into the car, and a faint 'thump thump thump' sound could be heard inside.

Zhang Like rolled down the car window, lit a cigarette, and said, "We've found all the evidence and witnesses, but this place is already outside Ant Ridge and outside our jurisdiction."

"Once the flood season is over, we'll find a time to arrest all these people. We should be able to send Lü Wenbo to jail, but it's hard to say about Lü Jinshan."

"It can only be the."

Lu Zhao nodded in agreement.

The border station's law enforcement scope is limited to the border management area; the urban area falls under the jurisdiction of the police.

Furthermore, their border guards do not have independent criminal investigation powers.

Although it's impossible to completely destroy Lü Jinshan, if evidence linking Lü Bowen to smuggling can be obtained, Lü Jinshan, who is currently under investigation and suspended from his duties, will inevitably be affected.

On the way back, Zhang Like kept talking about the task force, as if he wanted to use his mind to ask them for help.

(End of this chapter)