In the name of supernatural powers

Chapter 71: The Sword Points at the City Executive
Didn't we agree with the higher-ups not to investigate smuggling?

This is where Lü Jinshan’s confidence lies.

If the smuggling is not investigated, then any charges against him will only focus on corruption and bribery.

In the federal government, corruption and bribery are not considered serious crimes. In the past decade, very few people have been sentenced to death for such crimes, and even fewer have been sentenced to life imprisonment.

He estimated that his losses were at most substantial, but did not cause significant damage to the federal government, and he also had the mitigating circumstance of surrendering himself to the police.

With someone bailing him out, he'll get a maximum sentence of ten years.

A ten-year prison sentence can be reduced to three to seven years on appeal.

In the best-case scenario, he would be sentenced to three years, but with a little maneuvering, the actual time he serves would probably be less than two years.

Even if he gets a ten-year sentence, he can still be released on medical parole.

All of this is based on the premise that smuggling is not investigated. If smuggling is investigated, the entire city of Fang will suffer, and even the city's chief executive, Zhao Dedu, will be in trouble.

Xu Fang whispered a reminder: "Team Leader Lu, the higher-ups said we can't investigate this matter."

"Who said that? Do you have official documentation?"

Lu Zhao glanced at her and shut Xu Fang down with a single sentence.

How could there possibly be official documents for something like this?
He looked at Lü Jinshan again, his tone becoming stern: "I'm asking you, are you involved with any of the contraband in the outer region?"

"not my business."

Lu Jinshan insisted, arguing, "Team Leader Lu is also in border defense, he should know that smuggling can't be stopped. Those people transport goods into the Federation by manpower, climbing mountains and wading through rivers, along mountain roads and hidden canals."

"We can only curb large-scale smuggling, not eliminate it."

Xu Fang quickly wrote down these words, inwardly admiring that Lü Jinshan was indeed quite literate.

This reason is enough to shut Lu Zhao up.

If he cannot produce evidence, the matter will have to be dropped. Xu Fang handled Lü Bowen's ledgers and much of the embezzled money, and all the evidence points to Lü Jinshan.

At this moment, Lu Zhao took out another document and placed it on Lu Jinshan's small table.

A patrol map of the Ant Ridge border station.

Lu Jinshan clenched his teeth slightly, a sense of foreboding creeping into his heart.

Lu Zhao said, "At the end of last month, I accidentally discovered a small path in the mountains during a patrol. After a preliminary investigation, I found that it was a smuggling route."

"Then I checked the patrol routes over the years. The most recent route was replanned two years ago, and this road just happened to be in a patrol blind spot."

"Is this the result of your embezzlement and bribery?"

Lu Jinshan shook his head and said, "No."

"If not you, why did you take the money?" Lu Zhao leaned forward slightly, while Lü Jinshan leaned back, head bowed, not daring to answer.

He admitted that it might start indefinitely.

Seeing that Lü Jinshan remained silent, Lu Zhao slowly uttered a name: "Lü Family Village".

Lu Jinshan trembled, finally raised his head, and pleaded pitifully, "Lu Zhao, please stop talking, I know I was wrong."

"I'll go to jail and reform myself properly, and you'll get a promotion and be transferred. Why fight to the death?"

At this moment, Xu Fang also stood up and said, "Team Leader Lu, we should prioritize now..."

"shut up!"

Lu Zhao turned around and pointed at her, his gaze like a roaring mountain lord, his spiritual power carrying his voice as he rushed towards her.

Xu Fang had just lifted her butt off the chair when she was so startled that she plopped back down.

Lu Jinshan looked at Lu Zhao with a somewhat dazed expression, as if he had returned to four years ago.

That year, Lu Zhao had just arrived at the border station when he received instructions from his superiors.

They arranged the worst accommodations, the most arduous posts, and the most rigorous patrol missions for Lu Zhao, constantly finding new ways to torment him.

Every now and then, he would write a report to Miss Chen, describing Lu Zhao's recent situation.

In the end, even Lü Jinshan felt he had gone too far and was exhausted.

He summoned Lu Zhao for a talk and told him that as long as Lu Zhao stayed put, they could coexist peacefully. As for Miss Chen, who was far away in Cangwu, she hadn't asked for a 'report' in a long time and had obviously forgotten about her.

As long as Lu Zhao backs down, everything can be discussed.

Lu Zhao did not answer, but just looked at him quietly, remaining silent no matter what promises or threats he made.

But he always resolutely carries out orders without any hesitation.

Silent and resilient, as strong as steel.

Lu Jinshan was somewhat convinced, so he questioned Secretary Liu.

Will Lu Zhao truly be tamed? Can steel really be bent?
Four years of trials and tribulations had not broken him, and Lü Jinshan did not believe he would give in today.

And just as he had predicted.

Lu Zhao looked down at Lü Jinshan and said coldly, "Answer the question."

Lu Jinshan fell silent again.

For Lu Zhao, every minute he waited was like being torn to pieces.

Finally, another document was placed in front of him, with his biggest worry written in black and white.

"After a period of investigation, our station discovered that a large number of villagers in Lujia Village, Ant Ridge, were involved in smuggling and transported a large amount of contraband into the city."

"On June 27th, which is noon today, our station dispatched a company to conduct an arrest operation in Lüjia Village. One hundred and twenty people were apprehended on the spot, and one hundred tons of various contraband were seized."

"Hundreds of tons of beef were found in the Bangqu cold storage, all of which came from Lüjia Village. Some villagers confessed that they were transported into the country through a hidden waterway, all at your behest."

Lu Jinshan trembled, his breathing becoming increasingly rapid. Every word he heard felt like a needle being swallowed.

Finally, he couldn't bear it any longer and knelt down in front of Lu Zhao with a thud, kowtowing three times in a row.

"Please, spare me! Spare me! I'll give you money! I'll give you money!"

Lu Zhao stood like a spear, his face as hard as iron, and said, "Everyone in Lüjia Village participated in the smuggling operation. Lü Jinshan and Lü Bowen were the main culprits, causing great harm to the Federation. I will submit a criminal lawsuit to the Supreme Court of Dao."

With a sob in his voice, Lü Jinshan kowtowed even more earnestly, simply begging.

"Please, please..."

“Answer me, or I will send your entire Lu family to prison, and you yourself are punishable by death.”

"I was just following orders..."

"By whose order?"

Lu Jinshan did not answer, so Lu Zhao pulled him up and put him on a chair.

He rephrased the question, asking, "How did you manage to smuggle these contraband items into the outer regions? Weren't you checked along the way?"

"will not."

Lu Jinshan was already somewhat delirious.

“So the traffic management department was also involved.” Lu Zhao seemed certain, then turned to Xu Fang and ordered, “Record it.”

Xu Fang swallowed hard, looking at that handsome face with nothing but awe.

She wrote down her notes, which were like a sword slashing at Fangshi.

Lu Zhao continued, "We found a large amount of money missing from the West Street Bar's ledgers. Whose pockets did this money go?"

"It's been so long that I can't remember it all."

"Your brother has already confessed."

Lu Zhao produced a statement, Lu Bowen's statement, which stated bluntly: "It was Liu Zhihui, the secretary of the city executive officer of Fang City. Now, I ask you, was Zhao De involved?"

In fact, Lü Bowen had already implicated Zhao De, but as a gang leader, he was somewhat lacking in authority to implicate the city's executives.

Lu Jinshan fell silent again, not out of loyalty, but out of fear, to the point that his body was trembling slightly.

If they don't expose Zhao De, they might be sentenced to death.

If he exposes Zhao De, he will most likely not survive either.

(End of this chapter)