121: Chapter 121 Underground 'Treasure'

Xiao Bei took the teacup, the warmth passing through the ceramic to his fingertips. He looked out the window; dawn was quietly descending upon Jinhe County, and the horizon was tinged with a pearly white.

This was the best time to close the net—most people were still asleep and would be unable to react in time.

"Proceed with the operation."

Xiao Bei set down the teacup, his voice steady.

Thirty minutes later, twelve arrest teams moved simultaneously. Team Leader Zhang Yining led the first team straight to the Rainbow Group headquarters. In the lounge of Chairman Qian Weiguo's luxurious office, she dragged this "School Uniform King," worth over a hundred million, out of his mistress's bed.

Chairman Qian Weiguo was wearing only his underwear, his fat belly still stained with lipstick marks. He probably still believed that the officials he had paid to support him would step up to protect him at this moment, so he shrieked hysterically, demanding to make a call. It wasn't until Team Leader Zhang Yining presented the order from The Court freezing all of his assets that this arrogant man instantly collapsed like mud.

"You can't do this! I've created thousands of jobs for Jinhe County!"

Chairman Qian Weiguo was still roaring as he was escorted out of the building, causing workers arriving for their early shifts to stop and watch... and in their expressions, one could see the subtle change of people feeling gratified.

Team Leader Zhang Yining sneered: "Jobs that poison children with toxic school uniforms? Save that for the judge."

Meanwhile, the Deputy Director of the Education Bureau, Liu Liming, was captured in his own garage while stuffing cash into the trunk of his Mercedes. The Director of the Housing and Construction Bureau, Sun Lijie, was intercepted downstairs at his mistress's apartment building, where a passport and two hundred thousand US dollars prepared for his escape were found in his car. The most dramatic case was Commissioner Zhang of the Provincial Public Security Department. This leader, who usually talked at length about fairness on television, was currently being dragged down from a highway toll station by personnel from the Procuratorate, looking utterly disheveled. His Audi A8 trunk was stuffed with cash and gold and silver jewelry.

Xiao Bei's phone vibrated constantly as reports of success from various teams poured in. However, he was most concerned about the fifth team heading to Secretary Wang Chunlin's old residence—led personally by Director Zhao Ming.

"County Magistrate Xiao, you need to see this."

Director Zhao Ming's call finally came through, his voice filled with shock, "We… found something in the basement of Secretary Wang Chunlin's old residence."

Secretary Wang Chunlin's "old residence" was located in an inconspicuous bungalow area on the outskirts of the city. Its exterior was dilapidated, no different from the surrounding farmhouses. But once inside, it was a completely different scene—imported marble floors, expensive mahogany furniture, and famous paintings hanging on the walls. And the basement was where the real "treasure" lay.

When Xiao Bei walked down the stairs, he was stunned by the sight before him. In the thirty-square-meter space, bundles of cash were neatly stacked, with a preliminary estimate of over twenty million. In the temperature-controlled wine cabinet in the corner, dozens of bottles of collectible Moutai were stored, each worth tens of thousands. Most nauseating of all was the row of safes against the wall, which contained women's underwear, photos, and video discs, all categorized.

"This old beast..."

Director Zhao Ming gritted his teeth as he flipped through an album filled with nude photos of different women forced to be photographed on Secretary Wang Chunlin's bed. On the back of each photo, a name, position, and date were noted.

Xiao Bei picked up a disc. The label on it made his pupils shrink— "Qin Ruoxi, 2016.08.15".

"County Magistrate Xiao..."

Director Zhao Ming hesitated, "Some of these female cadres were forced victims, but others later actively participated in corrupt transactions. How should we handle this?"

Xiao Bei took a deep breath: "Strictly keep the identities of those confirmed to be forced victims confidential, and have them questioned separately by female police officers. As for those who have turned to actively participating in corruption, handle them all according to legal procedures."

He paused, then placed the disc labeled with Qin Ruoxi's name into an evidence bag, "I will handle this one personally."

Back at the County Commission for Discipline Inspection office, Xiao Bei hesitated for a long time before inserting the disc into his computer. The screen lit up, but the scene that appeared was the interior of Secretary Wang Chunlin's office, with Qin Ruoxi sitting opposite him in professional attire, her expression cold and stern.

Secretary Wang Chunlin's voice came from off-screen: "Director Qin, have you considered it? Many people are eyeing that deputy division-level position in the city..."

Qin Ruoxi's reply was clear and firm: "Party Secretary Wang, my work achievements are there for all to see; I do not need to obtain a promotion through other means."

She stood up, "If there is nothing regarding work, I will take my leave."

The screen suddenly shook, and Secretary Wang Chunlin appeared in the frame, grabbing Qin Ruoxi's wrist: "Don't act so high and mighty! Do you think you can get ahead just by relying on ability?"

Qin Ruoxi violently shook him off, and the footage cut off there.

Xiao Bei slammed the computer shut, his chest heaving violently. Just then, the office door was pushed open, and Team Leader Zhang Yining burst in, looking panicked:

"County Magistrate Xiao, it's bad! The Provincial Commission for Discipline Inspection just took away Mayor Qin!"

"On what grounds?" Xiao Bei rose abruptly.

"They say it's on suspicion of bribery and trading power for sex."

Team Leader Zhang Yining handed over a document, "This is a copy of the report material we just received. It contains records of financial transactions between Mayor Qin and Secretary Wang Chunlin, and... some photos."

Xiao Bei quickly flipped through the document, his brow furrowing deeper.

The financial records showed that Qin Ruoxi's account had indeed received a transfer of five hundred thousand from a company associated with Secretary Wang Chunlin five years ago. As for the photos, they were snapshots of Qin Ruoxi with different men in hotel settings; although her behavior did not appear intimate, the settings were indeed suspicious.

"This evidence is too deliberate," Xiao Bei pointed out sharply, "The timeline is concentrated in the two years when Mayor Qin had just been transferred to Jinhe County as the Director of the Finance Bureau, and afterwards, there was absolutely nothing. It looks like leverage intentionally manufactured by someone."

Team Leader Zhang Yining lowered her voice: "Dai Lumao just said in the interrogation room that the last person Secretary Wang Chunlin saw before he died was not him, but Commissioner Zhang of the Provincial Public Security Department. He also said... Commissioner Zhang and Secretary Wang Chunlin had a common 'VIP list'."

Xiao Bei's phone suddenly rang. The caller ID showed Secretary Ma Wendong. On the other end of the line, Secretary Ma's voice was unusually serious and helpless:

"Xiao Bei, the case is to be immediately transferred to the Provincial Commission for Discipline Inspection. You and all members of the Special Investigation Team are to cease all investigative work, and Director Zhao Ming is to return to his original position at the Provincial Commission for Discipline Inspection."

"Secretary Ma, this is not according to procedure. We have already obtained key evidence—"

"This is an order!" Secretary Ma Wendong interrupted him, "There are some things that are not for someone at your level to touch. Stop the investigation immediately!"

The call ended, and the office fell into a dead silence. Team Leader Zhang Yining looked at Xiao Bei with concern: "What do we do?"

Xiao Bei looked out the window; the setting sun had dyed the County Government building the color of blood.

He remembered what Qin Ruoxi had said: "Darkness is everywhere, but so is the light."

"Prepare the car," Xiao Bei suddenly said, "I'm going to the provincial capital."

"Now? But Secretary Ma said—"

"Secretary Ma said to stop the investigation, he didn't say I couldn't take a vacation."