Chapter 1397
Grandfather and Grandson Arrested
"Xue Shih-hao is suspected of rape and intentional homicide, and now he has been added to the list of major suspects."
And you, Xue Jingshan, are suspected of bribery and instigating murder.
Luo Fei's voice suddenly became extremely stern.
"Now, as the head of the Special Cases Bureau of the Ministry of State Security, I hereby announce that you and your grandson must both come with me! To be investigated!"
"puff--"
Xue Jingshan could no longer hold on. He felt a blackout before his eyes, his blood rushing to his head, and a mouthful of metallic sweetness surged into his throat, which he forced down. But it was as if his spine had been ripped out in an instant, and his legs went weak, causing him to fall straight backward!
"Old man!"
"Secretary!"
Several burly confidants and bodyguards who had been silently protecting him were shocked and rushed forward to support him, preventing him from collapsing to the ground. Xue Jingshan leaned against them, his face ashen, his chest heaving violently, his finger trembling as he pointed at Luo Fei, his lips quivering, but he couldn't utter a single word.
His long-standing authority, composure, and shrewdness crumbled completely under this series of fatal blows. Evidence of a hired murder was found, and a woman's body was pulled from his grandson's car... Either of these two facts, once proven true, would be enough to bring the Xue family to utter ruin!
"take away!"
Without hesitation, Luo Fei gave the order in a stern voice.
Teacher Huang and Xiao Qi moved in a flash, like ghosts, instantly covering several meters and appearing on the left and right sides of the almost paralyzed Xue Jingshan.
Just as the confidants supporting Xue Jingshan were about to make a move, Teacher Huang casually raised his hand and lightly brushed his fingers near the Jianjing acupoint on one of the men. The man's body immediately went numb and he involuntarily let go of his grip. Xiao Qi, without even drawing his sword, used the scabbard to swiftly strike a vital point on another man's wrist. The man cried out in pain, clutching his wrist and staggering backward. In the blink of an eye, Xue Jingshan was firmly under the control of the two men.
"Stop! How dare you!"
Seeing Xue Jingshan about to be taken away, Fan Chuncheng felt as if his life was being held hostage. He became extremely anxious, his obese body lunging forward to block Luo Fei and the Ghost team members once again. He spread his arms wide, his fat face contorted with extreme anger and terror.
"Luo Fei! Do you have any respect for the organization? Do you have any discipline? This is outrageous!"
He was panting heavily, pointing at Luo Fei's nose and roaring with spittle flying.
"I'll tell you!"
This is Dongguan City! Not a place where your National Security Bureau can act recklessly! Xue Jingshan and Xue Shihao are involved in a local criminal case! It should be investigated and handled by our Dongguan City Public Security Bureau according to law! Your National Security Bureau has overstepped its bounds! This is an overreach of authority! This is a serious violation of discipline and law! I now order you to immediately release Xue Jingshan and transfer all case materials and suspects to the Municipal Bureau! Otherwise, I will immediately report you to the provincial authorities and your ministry!
Fan Chuncheng had now revealed his true colors, throwing all pretense of official protocol and attempts at mediation to the winds.
He had to protect Xue Jingshan! Xue Jingshan knew too much, and his interests were too deeply intertwined with the Xue family's! Once Xue Jingshan fell, it would bring down a whole host of others, and Fan Chuncheng would definitely not escape! Therefore, even if it meant a complete falling out, even if it meant using the most brutal methods, he had to take the man down and keep the case under control!
Luo Fei looked at the deputy mayor in front of him, who seemed to be insane, with an extremely cold gaze.
During their heated verbal exchange, he had subtly used his special ability—not the one that had previously affected the old man's mind, but a more perceptive and insightful power. At this moment, in Luo Fei's "vision," Fan Chuncheng was enveloped in a thick, impenetrable gray-black aura, a mixture of greed, fear, anxiety, and sin.
What made his heart sink even more was that deep within this aura, he vaguely "saw" the phantom of a large amount of money flowing, and the source of most of this money pointed to Xue Jingshan, who was standing beside him with a deathly pale face! The amount was enormous and the connections were deep, which was shocking!
No wonder... no wonder this deputy mayor is so dedicated, so disregarding official decorum and right and wrong, to protecting the Xue family to the death.
This is not a simple case of collusion between officials and businessmen or the transfer of benefits; it is likely a deeply intertwined community of interests where everyone's fortunes are intertwined and their losses are intertwined! Xue Jingshan was Fan Chuncheng's front man, or even his partner, in reaping huge illegal profits in Dongguan! If Xue Jingshan falls, Fan Chuncheng's mountains of gold and silver, and even his life, will be lost!
Having figured all this out, Luo Fei's last bit of apprehension about "local officials" vanished.
He met Fan Chuncheng's almost fiery gaze with a voice as steady as iron, yet carrying an unquestionable authority.
"Fan Chuncheng, look carefully."
He pointed to an inconspicuous but uniquely designed badge on his chest, then took out his identification and showed it to Fan Chuncheng.
"Special Cases Bureau of the Ministry of State Security, headed by Luo Fei. According to the National Security Law and related special authorization regulations, the National Security Special Cases Bureau has the right to directly intervene, conduct comprehensive investigations, and handle independently any major cases that endanger national security and social stability, especially complex cases involving foreign forces, individuals with special abilities, or major heinous crimes! Xue Jingshan hired someone to murder Zhu Dafa, involving clues about suspicious individuals with special abilities from the overseas Sakura Country; Xue Shihao raped and murdered, which may involve a deeper conspiracy."
These two cases have now been combined and are officially being handled by our Special Cases Bureau!
He stepped forward, almost face to face with Fan Chuncheng, his gaze sharp as a knife, each word piercing to the heart.
"I am now formally warning you, Vice Mayor Fan Chuncheng. You are suspected of abusing your power to harbor a major criminal suspect and obstructing national security agencies from performing their duties in accordance with the law, which constitutes a serious offense."
If you dare take another step forward or utter another word of obstruction, I will immediately arrest you on the spot for allegedly obstructing official business! Do you understand?
"you dare!"
Fan Chuncheng was blinded by fear and anger. He simply did not believe that Luo Fei would dare to touch him, a vice mayor with real power. This was simply treason!
He roared.
"I'm a provincial-level cadre! I'm the vice mayor of Dongguan City! What right do you, a mere section chief, have to arrest me?! Luo Fei, if you dare lay a finger on me today, I guarantee you won't leave Dongguan City alive! I'll make you regret it!"
"Stubborn to the end!"
A cold glint flashed in Luo Fei's eyes. Without saying another word, he turned his head and gave an order to Tie Shan behind him.
"Control him!"
"Yes!"
Iron Mountain, which had stood silently like an iron tower, moved in response to the sound.
His massive body moved with extraordinary speed, taking only two steps to reach Fan Chuncheng, as if a mountain were pressing down on him.
Fan Chuncheng was both shocked and furious, and screamed as he backed away.
"You dare! You've rebelled! You've defied the heavens! Secretary! Xiao Liu! Make the call! Quickly call the Municipal Party Committee! Call the Provincial Party Committee! Call the Public Security Bureau..."
His young secretary, standing behind him, was already pale with fright, frantically trying to pull out her phone, but her fingers trembled so much she could barely unlock the screen. Tie Shan's massive, fan-like hand had already reached out. Fan Chuncheng instinctively raised his arm to block, but his pampered arm struck Tie Shan's thick, steel-like forearm like an ant trying to shake a tree. Tie Shan flicked his wrist, easily grabbing Fan Chuncheng's flailing arm, his other hand gripping his shoulder like an iron clamp.
"Ah! Let me go! Do you know who I am?! I'm going to remove you from your post! I'm going to put you in jail!"
Fan Chuncheng struggled desperately, shouting insults, his obese body twisting and turning, but he was unable to break free from Tieshan's terrifying strength.
Tieshan remained expressionless, then with a sudden exertion of force in his hands, he pressed down and twisted, while simultaneously tripping the opponent lightly with his foot.
A muffled thud!
Under the horrified gazes of hundreds of people, amidst Xue Jingshan's despairing eyes, and with the clatter of his secretary's dropped phone—Fan Chuncheng, the vice mayor of Dongguan City, a local official who had been all-powerful and arrogant just minutes before, was shoved face down onto the cold, rough village road like a subdued pig! Dust billowed everywhere!
Tieshan knelt on one knee on his thick back, pinned his arms behind his back with one hand, and pressed down on the back of his neck with the other, instantly completing a standard grappling and control maneuver.
The entire set of movements was clean and crisp, without the slightest hesitation.
"Mayor! You...you must release Mayor Fan!"
The secretary finally reacted, screaming and trying to rush forward, but was frozen in place by Luo Fei's cold gaze. The chill and authority in that gaze made him feel as if he were frozen, his legs went weak, and he dared not take another step forward.
Fan Chuncheng was pinned to the ground, his cheek pressed against the filthy ground, his nostrils filled with dust and the smell of livestock. The immense humiliation, fear, and unbelievable anger drove him to utter madness. He writhed desperately and cursed at the top of his lungs.
"Luo Fei! You bastard! You son of a bitch! You wait! I'll skin you alive! I'll make sure you die a horrible death! I'm the vice mayor! The province won't let you get away with this! You..."
His cursing stopped abruptly.
Seeing that he was struggling fiercely and talking too much nonsense, Tieshan raised his right hand without hesitation, turned his palm into a knife, and slashed precisely and lightly at a certain spot on the side of his neck.
"Uh……"
Fan Chuncheng groaned, rolled his eyes, tilted his head to the side, and completely fainted, bringing peace to the world.
The entire room fell silent!
A truly deathly silence, so quiet you could hear a pin drop!
Hundreds of young and middle-aged villagers from Xuejia Village stared wide-eyed, mouths agape, as if they had been collectively frozen in place.
They looked at the deputy mayor, who was pinned to the ground like a dead dog and had already lost consciousness, then at the old Party Secretary Xue Jingshan, who was firmly controlled by the ghost team members and whose face was ashen, and finally at the young Director of the National Security Bureau, Luo Fei, who stood in the middle of the field with a straight posture and a cold expression.
Everyone's heart was pounding, and the blood was surging in their eardrums, making a buzzing sound.
They couldn't believe their eyes. The deputy mayor… that was the deputy mayor! In the eyes of these ordinary villagers, and even many grassroots officials, he was a top-ranking official! Someone they only ever saw on television news, a powerful figure who could decide the fate of countless people with a single word! But now… he was so easily knocked unconscious, pinned to the ground like a dead dog!
All of this was simply because he stopped the young man from arresting someone.
What does this mean? What audacity! What power!
Xue Jingshan was completely stunned. He looked at the unconscious Fan Chuncheng, then at Luo Fei, and a chill that went deep into his bones instantly spread throughout his body, and even his teeth began to chatter uncontrollably.
For the first time, he realized with such clarity that he was not facing local bureaucrats who acted according to common sense, but a group of people who held special power, acted decisively and ruthlessly, and were completely outside the "rules" he had built up over decades! Even a protector like Fan Chuncheng could be arrested or knocked unconscious at will, so what was Xue Jingshan, a village party secretary, in their eyes?
Luo Fei looked around, taking in the villagers' shock, fear, and bewilderment.
He knew that the deterrent effect had been achieved, but it was not enough; a final blow was needed to completely shatter their blind obedience.
He turned to face the sea of people, took a deep breath, and with all his might, his voice was as clear and loud as a megaphone, echoing throughout the entire venue.
"Fellow villagers of Xuejia Village! You all saw it! And you all heard it clearly!"
He pointed at Xue Jingshan, who was under control.
"Your former Party Secretary, Xue Jingshan, is suspected of accepting 30 million yuan in bribes and hiring someone to commit murder!"
He then pointed deeper into the village.
"His grandson, Xue Shih-hao, raped and murdered a girl, then hid her body in his car and sank it into a reservoir!"
Finally, he pointed to Fan Chuncheng, who was lying unconscious on the ground.
"And this deputy mayor, Fan Chuncheng, accepted huge bribes from the Xue family, colluded with businessmen, protected criminals, and obstructed law enforcement!"
"I want to ask everyone!"
Luo Fei's voice was like a heavy hammer, striking the hearts of every villager.
"You're here with hoes and shovels, obstructing us from carrying out our duties, risking your lives—what for? To protect a village bully who hires hitmen? To defend a rapist and murderer? Or to act as henchmen and shields for a corrupt official who embezzles public funds?!"
“You are villagers of Xuejia Village, citizens of the country! You are not Xue Jingshan’s personal servants! You are not Xue Shihao’s accomplices in his evil deeds! You are certainly not tools for these corrupt officials to abuse their power for personal gain!”
"Everyone is equal before the law! Even a prince is subject to the same law as a commoner! Today, let's not talk about Xue Jingshan being a village party secretary, Xue Shihao being his grandson, or Fan Chuncheng being a vice mayor! Even if the emperor himself breaks the law, he will be arrested and sentenced!"
"Now, I'm asking you one last time!"
Luo Fei's gaze swept across the crowd like lightning.
"Will you continue to be deceived and manipulated, defying national laws for the sake of these heinous criminals, and incurring charges of violent resistance to the law or even harboring criminals? Or will you immediately put down what you're holding, make way, and let the law judge these scoundrels, restore the innocence of your Xuejia Village, and give justice to the deceased?!"
As soon as he finished speaking, the crowd erupted in a huge commotion and discussion.
The hostility and fervor on many faces began to fade, replaced by hesitation, confusion, and lingering fear. Luo Fei's words were all reasonable and piercing.
In particular, the public exposure of Xue Shihao's rape and murder and Xue Jingshan's hiring of a hitman to commit murder, coupled with the fact that the deputy mayor was arrested on the spot, had a devastating psychological impact on the villagers.
Many of them had long harbored resentment towards Xue Shihao's arrogance and Xue Jingshan's absolute control, but dared not speak out due to his power. (End of Chapter)