In the following days, the situation outside changed dramatically at a speed that even he had not anticipated.

After Ma Jinli was pried open by Kui Zi in the Golden Triangle, what he revealed far exceeded everyone's expectations.

He not only exposed all the dirty work Zuo Ning had done over the years, but also revealed the location of a secret warehouse where contraband was hidden.

Kui Zi sent the interrogation video to Shangguan Jinghong, who then forwarded it to Zhou Jianguo. Zhou Jianguo organized police forces overnight to copy the addresses provided by Ma Jinli one by one.

A large quantity of unopened white powder and colored pills were found in the basement of an abandoned cold storage facility in the eastern part of the city. The sheer amount of these substances shocked the anti-drug squad leader who was leading the search, and it also connected the case to Shuntong Logistics.

In a warehouse cubicle in the south of the city, displaying a building materials wholesale sign, several boxes of controlled knives and two homemade handguns were found. In a locked storage room in the underground parking garage of the Keda Hotel, a computer with its hard drive physically destroyed and a box of cash of unknown origin were hidden.

Every search was recorded on video, and every piece of evidence was photographed and registered, forming a complete chain of evidence.

Zuo Ning initially denied it to the death.

Sitting on the iron chair in the interrogation room, his hands cuffed to the stainless steel table in front of him, he still had the defiant expression on his face from when he was first arrested.

To every charge brought by the prosecutor, he responded with the same few words: "I didn't do it," "I don't know," "Do you have any evidence?"

The interrogation lasted for two whole days. He barely slept, his eyes were bloodshot, and his lips were dry and cracked, but he just wouldn't give in.

He secretly hoped that Mayor Wang would help him.

The turning point came on the afternoon of the third day.

The prosecutor projected Ma Jinli's confession video onto the white wall of the interrogation room, and then placed several USB drives that had been found in the safe in the Keda Hotel office on the table.

The one with the silver casing contained several encrypted folders, which took the technical department a whole day to crack.

When they opened it, everyone was stunned. It was full of videos and photos involving more than a dozen officials in Hehai City. The content ranged from power-for-sex transactions to accepting bribes, and each one had a clear record of the time and place.

Zuo Ning kept these things in the safe not for any other reason than for self-defense. In case he was ever forced into a corner, these damaging details would be his last bargaining chips.

It's a pity I've never had the chance to use it!

The prosecutor weighed the USB drives in his hand and told him that the identities of all these people had been verified. Zuo Ning didn't say anything after hearing this, but just stared at the USB drives for a long time.

Then he lowered his head, resting his chin on his chest, and his shoulders began to tremble slightly. After a few minutes, he raised his head and began to explain in a hoarse voice.

Over the next few hours, Zuo Ning poured out everything she knew.

Not only his own crimes, but also those of all the officials who had ties with him over the years. At this moment, he only wanted to drag everyone down with him, hoping that it might save his own life.

After all, it's better to live a miserable life than to die a good death!

How much money did you receive, what services did you provide, what gifts did you give, and what videos did you record?

In the interrogation room, these people were called out one by one, like flipping through an account book. The notebook in front of the presiding prosecutor was initially blank, but it filled up more and more, until almost every page was filled with names and timelines.

One of them is Wang Feng.

Zuo Ning confessed that when Wang Feng was the county magistrate, his father, Old Master Zuo, gave him a lot of benefits in one go, and he clearly explained the specific amount and method.

Later, Wang Feng was promoted from county magistrate to mayor, and Zuo Ning continued to transfer benefits to him under the guise of "project consulting fees" and "equity transfer payments," with bank transfer records available for each transaction.

In addition, Zuo Ning also explained how a person named Bai Xu within the Discipline Inspection Commission cooperated with him, from when they first made contact to how he helped him delay Ye Qinghan's time. He told him everything.

After receiving Zhou Jianguo's report, Shen Ping immediately instructed the establishment of a special investigation team. The next morning, the Provincial Commission for Discipline Inspection dispatched three working groups simultaneously to Hehai, Qingyuan, and Binzhou to verify the information one by one according to the list provided by Zuo Ning.

The investigation team members, carrying copies of the evidence materials, interviewed each person on the list separately, checked bank statements, retrieved relevant files, and interviewed the parties involved.

This top-down anti-corruption campaign caused a strong shock in the officialdom of Jiangbei Province, and several offices were vacant overnight.

Wang Feng was taken away around 10 a.m. on the day he was taken away. He had just stepped out of the elevator of his apartment building, heading to the municipal government to attend a symposium, when two men in white shirts were already waiting for him at the elevator entrance.

He was taken to the detention center set up by the Provincial Commission for Discipline Inspection in Binzhou. In the interview room, he remained silent throughout the questions raised by the investigation team.

But when the investigators placed Zuo Ning's statement and bank transfer receipts in front of him, he stared at the black and white words for a long time, then slowly took off his glasses and placed them on the table, rubbing his nose with his thumb.

His lips moved, and he uttered a single sentence—"This day has finally come!"

The photos online continue to escalate; as soon as one account is banned, a new account pops up to repost them, and the comment section is completely out of control.

Wang Hao was required to cooperate with the investigation, his mobile phone was confiscated, his passport was seized, and he was not allowed to leave Hehai City.

When officers from the Economic Crime Investigation Division of the Municipal Public Security Bureau searched his apartment, they took away several boxes of documents and several electronic devices. Wang Hao sat on the sofa, watching those uniformed men ransack his home, unable to utter a single word.

Bai Xu was taken away on a rainy evening. He had just left work and was heading to the parking lot to get his car when two men, both wearing white shirts, stopped him.

After being taken to the detention center, the investigation team showed him Zuo Ning's testimony about instructing him to delay Ye Qinghan's time, as well as bank records showing that Zuo Ning's company transferred money to a small company opened by Bai Xu's wife.

Bai Xu sat in the chair in the interview room, his forehead covered in sweat, his fingers rubbing back and forth on his knees, and remained silent for a long time.

Finally, he confessed all his contacts with Zuo Ning, including the specific arrangements for delaying Ye Qinghan and the amount of his payment.

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