672: Chapter 672 Director Xu Da

He knew better than anyone that while refusal might temporarily save his own life, his family, his wife, his children, and his grandchildren would inevitably face ruthless retaliation and liquidation.

When that time came, even if he exhausted all his strength to report the upper management and perish together with them, the loved ones he lost would never return. In the end, it would only result in a mutual destruction and the ruin of his family.

Rather than that, it was better to swallow all grievances and shoulder everything alone.

Seeing Xu Da finally submit, a satisfied smile appeared on the face of the leading high-ranking official, and his tone softened slightly.

"Very good, Director Xu. You truly are a smart man. A wise man submits to the circumstances. Rest assured, we always keep our word. From now on, you only need to say what we've taught you. You don't need to worry about anything else."

A cold smile appeared on the high official's face, his tone carrying a sense of charitable praise.

Director Xu's submission meant that their plan to sacrifice the pawns to save the kings had successfully moved one step forward.

Such scenes of coercion and bribery, combining both the carrot and the stick, were playing out simultaneously across the Administrative Center Departments of the Xiapu Star Cluster within a mere half-day, like a precision-engineered program.

The targets were all of a single type.

Mid-level officials who had already been locked onto by the Inspection Team with solid evidence and could be arrested for interrogation at any moment—directors, Section Chiefs, managers, project leads... hundreds of people in total.

They were all secretly controlled by the Guard Division and interviewed in turns by high-ranking officials. They were either promised great rewards like family stability and future prospects for their descendants, or they were subtly pressured and overtly threatened. Everyone was forcibly issued a deathly gag order.

They were told to maintain a unified story.

Assume all guilt themselves and never implicate any high-ranking official.

All actions were personal and private, with absolutely no connection to their superiors.

Once taken away by the Inspection Team, they had to hold this bottom line to the death, without yielding a single step.

Of course, among these hundreds of people, not everyone was willing to obediently accept their fate and become a scapegoat.

Some officials harbored a glimmer of hope, clinging to the final illusion that because they held the secrets of the high-ranking officials, the other party wouldn't dare to truly act against them. They even threatened to bring everyone down with them.

"If you don't save me, I'll drag everyone into the water."

But for these stubborn holdouts who refused to cooperate or show appreciation, the Speaker and the Commander of the Guard Division were long prepared, using methods more ruthless than one could imagine.

Otherwise, why would they have specifically brought the fully armed Guard Division along for the operation?

If you didn't want to save face, they would help you 'save face' personally.

In the political rules of the Empire's galaxies, the simultaneous disappearance of over a hundred officials would inevitably cause an uproar, even directly alerting the central authorities and triggering a thorough investigation.

However, if a few individuals were suddenly arranged for emergency external assignments or secret missions and died due to 'accidents' like interstellar bandits, ship malfunctions, or spatial turbulence along the way, then everything would seem perfectly reasonable and wouldn't arouse any suspicion at all.

Thus, those officials who refused to submit and tried to resist were secretly taken away by the Guard Division before they even had a chance to call for help from the Inspection Team.

Those willing to cooperate waited in fear to be taken away by the Inspection Team to take the fall.

Those unwilling to cooperate vanished completely from the world without a sound.

And the Inspection Team was still completely unaware of this.

...

Meanwhile, the Empire's General Commission for Discipline Inspection completed the review and approval of Li Yang's application to extend the inspection period at the fastest possible speed.

Originally, an Inspection Team's stay in a single Galaxy Cluster would not exceed one week. This time, given the gravity and broad scope of the Xiapu Star Cluster case, the General Commission for Discipline Inspection directly extended the limit to a full two months.

The document clearly stated the instructions.

If a full-chain investigation could not be completed within two months, this round of inspection could be concluded first. After organizing the evidence, the investigation would be restarted as a special case, ensuring it would never be left half-finished.

This strong support from the Empire's central core gave Li Yang and the entire Thirty-Third Inspection Team complete peace of mind.

The moment he received the official approval, Li Yang no longer hesitated and immediately issued the operational orders.

Inspection Team agents and elite Soldiers from the Security Assurance Division were immediately dispatched to carry out a centralized arrest of all involved officials whose evidence was verified and crimes were clear, based on the finalized list of evidence.

With one order, dozens of action groups set out simultaneously, piercing into the vital departments of the Xiapu Star Cluster Administrative Center like sharp blades.

For a time, the entire Xiapu Star Cluster officialdom was in an absolute uproar, filled with paranoia and a sense of self-preservation.

All officials were restless and uneasy, fearing that in the next second, a knock on the door would sound, dragging them into an abyss of no return.

Inside the Ministry of Energy building, the atmosphere was oppressive to the extreme.

Xu Da sat in his director's office, his fingertips lightly tapping the desk. His face was expressionless, as if he had long anticipated this moment.

*Click...*

The office door was pushed straight open.

Several Security Assurance Division Soldiers wearing standard battle armor and exuding a cold aura stepped in first, lining up on both sides.

Following closely behind was a serious-looking member of the Inspection Team holding an electronic arrest warrant.

Their gazes fell directly on Xu Da, their voices steady and clear, echoing throughout the quiet office.

"May I ask, are you comrade Xu Da, the Director of the Energy Operations Department of the Xiapu Star Cluster Administrative Center Ministry of Energy?"

Xu Da slowly raised his head, his eyes calm. There was no panic, no struggle, and certainly no attempt to explain.

He had already been given a 'reassurance' by the high-ranking officials and had accepted his fate as a discarded pawn.

"It's me."

He replied flatly.

The Inspection Team member stepped forward, held up the electronic document, and read the charges aloud.

"We are the Empire's Thirty-Third Inspection Team. After multi-faceted investigation and evidence verification, you are suspected of using your position to accept bribes, illegally issuing energy transport permits, and illegally collecting 'Energy Security Fees' from domestic businesses and citizens. The facts of multiple crimes are clear and the evidence is solid. You are now being arrested according to the law. Please come with us for further investigation."

As the words fell, he lightly waved his hand, signaling the Soldiers behind him to carry out the arrest.

Xu Da did not put up any resistance, nor did he even look up at the other party.

He silently stood up, straightened his slightly wrinkled uniform, slowly left his desk, and walked calmly to the two Soldiers. He proactively extended his hands, wrists slightly raised, completely surrendering his fate.

*Click.*

The cold alloy handcuffs locked into place.

There was no struggle, no crying, and no begging for mercy.

This department director, who once held real power and had been quite influential, was led away expressionlessly by the Security Assurance Division Soldiers from the office where he had stayed for over ten years.

Escorted by the Security Assurance Division Soldiers, Xu Da walked silently through the open office area of the Energy Operations Department.

Along the way, all the working staff stopped what they were doing and looked up in unison, their gazes falling upon this director who had once acted so imperiously.