Mastering the Sword Manual, sweeping across the globe

69 You guys are lucky

Zhang Qiliang walked to Li Defu's side and turned his head away.

“In this situation… five to six years.” The inspector understood and sighed as he replied, “According to Article 385 of the Da Yang Criminal Law, taking advantage of one’s position to embezzle public property in a substantial amount; and Article 397, abusing one’s power in a serious manner… Given, well, the poor attitude in admitting guilt, the sentence will be increased accordingly.”

Li Defu's face turned completely pale.

"No...no...have mercy..."

Zhang Qiliang raised his hand.

The changes begin with the hairline.

The blackness, like the receding tide, recedes layer by layer.

The vitality and spirit within the body clearly vanished.

"Wait, wait, brother... this hero..." Seeing Zhang Qiliang raise his hand again—damn, is he about to become an idiot?! Li Defu was terrified: "I'll compensate these brothers tomorrow, no, no, I'll wait, I'll compensate them later... my wife, I'll have her come and take care of her every day... I'll do it myself, I'll do it myself, clean up after her..."

Zhang Qiliang raised his hand, and Li Defu's eyes began to glaze over.

He was halfway through pleading for mercy when he suddenly forgot what to say next.

His mouth was open, his tongue searching aimlessly inside his mouth, as if looking for a fallen piece of candy.

Five seconds later, he smiled at the air.

That smile was big and very innocent.

Zhang Qiliang has already moved on to the next person.

Zhao Zhigang, deputy head of the town's express police unit, is in charge of public security, and his jurisdiction covers the administrative village where the brick factory is located.

He stood very straight.

After all, this is a profession that deals most with the dark side of society. Through these ten minutes of observation, Zhao Zhigang was certain that the person in front of him was not someone who could be swayed by words, and at the same time, he seemed to have mastered skills that were absolutely impossible to fool.

Since the outcome is the same anyway, this township express team leader stopped trying to hide it, lest he suffer any more physical pain.

I won't bother with anything else to boost the word count.

“In June 2019, Wu Laosi treated me to a meal in town, gave me two packs of cigarettes, and left a case of liquor in the trunk.” The township express team’s voice was flat, as if he were reporting on work. “At the dinner table, he said that the factory had hired a few people from other places, but their household registration procedures were not complete, and asked me to take care of them.”

“From then on, I would avoid that area every time I passed by.”

“In March 2020, someone called to report that some workers at the brick factory seemed to be being held captive. I took the report and went to check it out. Wu Laosi stood at the gate to greet me and said that they were all relatives who were not very clear-headed and that they were locked up to prevent them from getting lost. I did not go into the dormitory.”

“In November 2021, the county bureau forwarded a request for assistance. Someone in a neighboring county had reported going missing, and their physical characteristics matched those of a worker at a brick factory. I called Wu Laosi, and he said there was no such person. So I filed the request for assistance.”

After speaking, Zhao Zhigang looked at the inspector.

"For six years, he neglected his duties, causing significant losses to the interests of the people; he shielded and condoned criminal activities, and is subject to Article 397 of the Criminal Law."

Zhao Zhigang nodded.

Zhang Qiliang raised his hand.

Then he raised his hand a second time.

In his final moments of lucidity, Zhao Zhigang looked at his drooling colleagues, at the six pairs of eyes opposite him, and finally at Zhang Qiliang.

“It’s good,” he said.

Saliva still dripped down.

The commissioner's surname is Zhou, he is in his early thirties, and his hairline is already receding.

When Zhang Qiliang walked up to him, tears welled up in his eyes.

"Big brother, please spare me..."

This person's mental fortitude wasn't as strong. Well... there are several precedents. When it came to confessing to the illegal acts, although this person kept sobbing, they were still quite decisive.

Inspector: "Two years."

The commissioner was still rambling on, repeating the same few things that happened in the village over and over again.

He had received a few packs of cigarettes and eaten a couple of meals with Wu Laosi. Once, Wu Laosi slipped an envelope into his briefcase. He tried to push it away a few times but couldn't. When he got home, he opened it and found two thousand yuan inside. He returned it the next day.

However, as the commissioner had less and less to say, his emotions became increasingly unstable.

"That's really all... I just couldn't bring myself to do it. My supervisor introduced us, saying we were distant relatives and that I should show them some care... I thought it was just a normal visit; I didn't know it was like this..."

“I really didn’t expect it to be this serious… At the time, I just thought it was all just a formality, and I couldn’t refuse the leader’s face, it wasn’t a lot of money… How was I supposed to know, how was I supposed to know…”

“It’s okay,” Zhang Qiliang said understandingly. “You won’t have these worries anymore.”

A few seconds later, his gaze softened.

Like a newborn animal that hasn't yet learned to be afraid.

---

The official in the Household Affairs Bureau is surnamed Ma, a ninth-rank official, and forty-seven years old.

This guy wasn't exactly honest either, and Zhang Qiliang tampered with things again, literally.

Fortunately, Lord Ma wasn't a tough nut to crack.

He was a seasoned bureaucrat accustomed to navigating the gray areas, leaving himself room for interpretation in every word he uttered.

Wu Laosi's brick factory applied for a designation as an employment base for disabled persons, and he inspected and signed off on it.

When people asked him how the workers were doing, he said they were doing well; they all lived in the factory, with meals and lodging provided. He said Mr. Wu was very kind and generous.

"Have you been inside that dormitory?"

Lord Ma opened his mouth.

Eight years.

---

The worker surnamed Chen at the Labor Protection Institute was a clerk in the Labor Assistance Team. He was in his early thirties, had a round face, and wore glasses.

Zhang Qiliang had barely stood still when he spoke.

“In June 2022, I received an anonymous tip that some workers at the brick factory were suspected of being restricted in their personal freedom.” His voice was calm. “I took the assistant officers there, but Wu Laosi blocked us outside the factory area, saying that they were in production and there was a lot of dust, and he was afraid it would affect the image of law enforcement. We walked around half of the wall, but we didn’t find any workers, so we went back.”

“When I went back to write the report, I wrote, ‘No obvious illegal activities were found on site, and it is recommended that the case be transferred to the local authorities for further investigation.’... I know it’s embarrassing to say that. But I had just been promoted to a permanent position at that time, and I didn’t want to offend anyone or cause trouble.”

Zhang Qiliang looked at him.

Inspector: "Two years."

Clerk Chen nodded.

He raised his hand twice.

His hair had turned a little gray, and the once sharp eyes behind his glasses had become quiet, slow, and carefree.

He was still looking at Zhang Qiliang, his gaze even showing a hint of affection—he had forgotten what he had just said, and he had forgotten why he was standing here, he only remembered that the person in front of him seemed very trustworthy.

---

The elderly woman from the Disabled Persons' Federation started wailing the moment Zhang Qiliang approached.

"Young comrade, please investigate this matter thoroughly!"

Her voice was shrill and urgent, "This has absolutely nothing to do with me! I had already retired long ago when those children were taken to Xiwang County! Really, I had retired long ago!"

“I’ve checked,” Zhang Qiliang shook his head: “You were still employed in 2018.”

"That's just a nominal appointment!" The old woman's wailing almost broke her voice. "My years of service are just a few months short of thirty, which means my retirement benefits are a grade lower. My superiors are being considerate and letting me just be a nominal appointment. I don't have to come in person, and I don't get paid. It's just to make up for the years of service..."

Thirty years have passed, and you still don't know what "being nominally listed" means?

Zhang Qiliang smiled and raised his hand.

The old woman let out a final, mournful cry.

Three seconds later, she stopped howling.

She leaned quietly against the wall, looking at the fluorescent light on the corridor ceiling. The soft light shone on her gaunt, sagging face, making the newly formed age spots very clear.

Eight years.

She doesn't remember what day of the week it is, nor does she remember why she's standing here.

---

Two shift workers were on duty for three years and one and a half years, respectively.

The female community cadre hesitantly confessed that she had visited the brick factory three times to "find out the situation" and had signed for gifts that Wu Laosi "had someone deliver" four times.

This will at most result in a demerit.

Zhang Qiliang shook hands with her.

The female cadre gave even more details.

A year and a half.

Zhang Qiliang stood in front of the female members of the Labor Rumor Team.

Twenty-six years old, ponytail.

“I’ve only been here for two years,” her voice trembled slightly, but her words were clear. “I haven’t taken a single penny from them… no, I… I haven’t done anything wrong.”

Zhang Qiliang looked closely into her eyes.

The fear was real, the resentment was real... This guy really hadn't done anything.

"Let's skip the criminal part."

The female team member's eyes widened in disbelief.

Then, the female team member saw that Zhang Qiliang still had his hand raised: "Then we'll only enforce the civil part."

"Big brother!" Her voice cracked, "I really haven't taken any benefits! I haven't even accepted a single pack of cigarettes from them!"

"On March 12, 2023, someone called to report that workers at the brick factory were being held captive. You answered the phone."

The female team member's face turned pale.

"You recorded the address, the whistleblower's contact information, and a brief summary. And then what?"

She opened her mouth.

"...I entered the information into the system as per procedure."

What happens after the data is entered?

"The system automatically assigned it to colleagues in the local squadron..."

"Did you go?"

"...They didn't go...I thought they would go."

"You thought it had been two years?"

The female team member's eyes reddened, but this time it wasn't out of grievance, but something more complex.

“In July 2023, Wu Laosi came to the brigade to register his employment. You were the one who received him at the front desk. He brought two packs of cigarettes, saying, ‘It’s hot, so I’m bringing them to help the brothers cool off.’ You confiscated them and let him take them back.”

"Yes! I confiscated it!"

“You didn’t even ask. He registered the brick factory’s workforce. Three months ago, you even received a report about this brick factory.”

She lowered her head.

“…I thought,” she said softly, “that if the report was true, someone else would report it.”

"What if no one reports it anymore?"

silence.

"You took the law enforcement certificate exam in November 2023. You scored 83 on the comprehensive exam and 79 on the practical exam. One of the case analysis questions tested the on-site verification process for suspected illegal workplaces. You answered it well."

Her tears finally fell.

"But my law enforcement certificate was only issued this April..."

"From December last year to April this year, five months."

She stopped talking.

Zhang Qiliang waited.