Chapter 1404
The Mass Collapse of Officials
For the rest of the day, the entire inspection team's residence functioned like a efficiently operating beehive.
One after another, vehicles loaded with sealed boxes returned. Under tight security, boxes of cash, gold bars, and precious artifacts were carefully moved into the temporary authentication room. The counting work was more arduous than imagined; the professional money counting machine worked continuously until it was hot, and the authentication experts murmured in surprise as they examined the antique paintings, calligraphy, and jewelry.
To prevent accidents and ensure absolute safety, after consulting with superiors and coordinating urgently with the local bank, all the large sums of cash and valuables seized were transferred to the vault and special-grade safe deposit box of the Municipal People's Bank late that night after initial registration and video recording, and were jointly guarded by the inspection team and personnel from the provincial department.
The transportation and handover process alone involved even more vehicles and armed personnel, creating an astonishing spectacle.
Just as the inventory and transportation of the valuables were underway, in the temporary detention room on the third floor, which had been simply modified and had its doors and windows reinforced, Fan Chuncheng, who had been unconscious for a long time, twitched his eyelids a few times, let out a muffled groan, and slowly woke up.
As consciousness gradually returned, the first thing I felt was the discomfort from the hard bed and the glaring incandescent light overhead.
He blinked blankly, and fragments of memory began to piece together—Xuejia Village…Luo Fei…those terrifying eyes…and then, endless darkness.
Where am I? He tried to sit up, but found his limbs weak and powerless, his head still dizzy, and his wrists felt cold to the touch.
He looked down and saw a pair of gleaming handcuffs, his right wrist cuffed to the iron frame at the head of the bed.
"what!"
Fan Chuncheng let out a short scream, his remaining sleepiness and drowsiness instantly dispelled by terror.
He struggled, and the metal frame rattled.
"Guards! Let me go! Do you know who I am? I am Fan Chuncheng! The vice mayor of Dongguan City! Who gave you the audacity to treat me like this! I want to see your superiors! I need to make a phone call!"
A hoarse voice echoed in the empty room, filled with a fearful yet cowardly tone.
The door opened, and two young men dressed in plain clothes but with cold expressions walked in, looking at him coldly without saying a word.
"Let me out! This is illegal detention! I order you to untie me immediately!"
Fan Chuncheng continued to roar, trying to intimidate people with his usual official authority, even though his hair was disheveled, his suit was wrinkled, and his face was pale, showing no trace of dignity.
One of the men finally spoke, his voice flat and emotionless.
"Fan Chuncheng, you are suspected of serious violations of discipline and law, and the Provincial Party Committee's special inspection team has taken you into custody in accordance with the law. You have the right to remain silent, but everything you say will be used as evidence. Please cooperate with the investigation."
The inspection team? Detention? Fan Chuncheng was struck dumb, completely frozen in place. Had the provincial inspection team really taken action against him? No, it couldn't be this fast!
How could they possibly have evidence? Where is Xue Jingshan? Didn't the Xue family try to stop it? Luo Fei! That's right, it's that wicked Luo Fei!
He knocked himself unconscious and brought himself here!
After a brief shock, a strong sense of luck and the thick skin he had developed over years of navigating the treacherous waters of officialdom gave him renewed "courage."
He forced himself to calm down and adopted a relatively "peaceful" but still arrogant tone.
"It turns out they were members of the inspection team."
There must be some misunderstanding here. I, Fan Chuncheng, have worked in Dongguan for many years, always diligent, responsible, and honest—this is evident to all. It's possible that some malicious individuals are falsely accusing and framing me. I need to see Team Leader Zhang Wenzhong to explain the situation to him in person. Furthermore, I am feeling very unwell and need immediate medical attention; I demand that my legal rights be protected!
He thought that bringing up Zhang Wenzhong's name and "legitimate rights" would have some effect, at least enough to secure a chance to communicate.
However, the two guards remained unresponsive to his words, like statues of clay or wood.
Just then, the door to the detention cell was pushed open again, and Zhang Wenzhong walked in, accompanied by his secretary and another middle-aged team member.
Zhang Wenzhong's face was calm, his eyes sharp, as he looked directly at Fan Chuncheng, who was lying on the bed in a disheveled state.
Fan Chuncheng grasped at a straw and struggled to sit up, forcing a smile that he thought was polite and even a little aggrieved.
"Team Leader Zhang! You've finally arrived!"
What... what's going on? How did I get here? And wearing this? It's a misunderstanding, this is absolutely a huge misunderstanding! I..."
"Misunderstand?"
Zhang Wenzhong interrupted his performance, his voice not loud, but carrying immense force.
"Fan Chuncheng, look at these, is this also a misunderstanding?"
As he spoke, he nodded to the secretary beside him.
The secretary took out a tablet, opened a video, and the screen turned to Fan Chuncheng. The image showed the extremely secluded, luxuriously decorated basement of his villa in the north of the city, resembling a small museum. The camera panned across it.
Neatly stacked piles of gold bricks, gleaming with an alluring light; a jewelry box with its lid open, revealing a dazzling array of gemstones; calligraphy and paintings by renowned artists hanging on the wall; bronzes and porcelain in display cases…
Fan Chuncheng's smile froze on his face instantly, as if the blood rushed to his head and then receded in an instant, leaving behind a deathly pale complexion.
He opened his mouth, making gurgling sounds in his throat, but couldn't utter a single word. Only his eyes followed the camera in terror, and his body began to tremble uncontrollably.
The video then cuts to a logistics warehouse where inspectors open cardboard boxes, revealing stacks of unopened, 100-yuan bills piled high. The next scene shows a hidden compartment in an abandoned factory, filled with piles of Moutai, Lafite, and other fine wines, along with carefully wrapped antiques.
Finally, there was a vault filled with a dazzling array of luxury watches and currencies from various countries.
"No...it's impossible...how...how did you find it...this...this is all fake! It's a forgery! It's a setup!"
Fan Chuncheng finally regained a voice from his immense terror and screamed sharply, but he was so weak that even he himself could not believe it.
"fake?"
Zhang Wenzhong stepped forward, looked down at him, his gaze as cold as a blade.
"Do you need me to move all the cash, totaling over 300 million, more than 500 kilograms of gold, and those priceless antiques, paintings, jewelry, and watches that we seized from these places into this room so you can touch them and verify their authenticity? Or do you need me to show you the handover records from the bank vault and the entire video recording of our inventory?"
Every word was like a heavy hammer blow, striking Fan Chuncheng's heart.
When Zhang Wenzhong clearly uttered the specific figures of "300 million in cash" and "over 500 kilograms of gold," the last shred of hope in his heart crumbled. Luo Fei... he really knew everything!
He not only knew, but he also told the inspection team precisely! Caught red-handed, the evidence was irrefutable!
With a "thud," Fan Chuncheng could no longer hold on and collapsed off the bed, falling to the ground. The handcuffs pulled on the iron bed, making a series of ear-piercing noises.
His obese body was curled up like a worm whose spine had been removed, his face was ashen, his eyes were completely unfocused, and he was muttering unconsciously.
"It's over...it's all over...Luo Fei...how could he have known...it's all over..."
The previous arrogance, excuses, and wishful thinking were completely crushed at this moment, leaving only boundless despair and deathly silence.
Looking at Fan Chuncheng, who had completely collapsed on the ground, Zhang Wenzhong felt little pity, only a heavy sigh and an even firmer determination.
He gestured to the guards to help Fan Chuncheng back to bed, and then said to his secretary.
"Give him some water to calm him down. Proceed with the subsequent interrogation as planned."
After saying that, he turned and left the detention cell. He knew that what he could get from this breakthrough would go far beyond the crimes of Fan Chuncheng alone.
Back in his office, Zhang Wenzhong was still deeply moved. The "gift" Luo Fei had delivered was far more significant and effective than he had anticipated.
In just one day, they broke through the key point that they had been struggling to overcome for several days, and in a way that was almost like a "dimensional reduction attack".
This not only resolved the specific target, Fan Chuncheng, but more importantly, it greatly boosted the morale of the inspection team and obtained substantial evidence sufficient to cause a major upheaval in officialdom.
Soon after, Luo Fei returned to the small building.
This visit was at Zhang Wenzhong's invitation to discuss the situation in more detail.
In Zhang Wenzhong's temporary office, the two sat facing each other.
Zhang Wenzhong personally poured Luo Fei a cup of tea and remarked with emotion.
"Luo Fei, this 'gift' of yours really startled this old man, and it also shocked the entire inspection team."
Over 300 million yuan in cash, 500 kilograms of gold... and all those antiques and jewelry—it's staggering! The old sergeant really raised an extraordinary grandson!
Luo Fei smiled modestly.
"Minister Zhang, you flatter me."
It was actually a coincidence. While investigating another case, the trail led to Fan Chuncheng, and we happened to have some leads. I'm happy to be able to help the inspection team.”
"It's more than just helping!"
Zhang Wenzhong said solemnly.
"You have opened the most crucial door for us! Fan Chuncheng is one of the Xue family's important representatives in the political arena. His downfall is equivalent to tearing a huge hole in the protective shell that the Xue family has built up over many years."
Moreover, in order to protect himself, he has begun to reveal some inside information about Xue Jingshan and others, although it is not yet complete, it is of great value.
Luo Fei nodded, and then said.
"Minister Zhang, I also have some progress to report to you regarding the Xue family."
Next, he gave Zhang Wenzhong a concise but key-point report on the case of Xue Shihao's alleged rape and murder of Wang Jing, as well as Xue Jingshan's hiring of a hitman to kill key witness Wang Qiang to silence him and attack national security personnel, including the process of arresting Xue Jingshan and Xue Shihao on the spot in Xuejia Village.
Zhang Wenzhong was even more astonished after hearing this. He looked at Luo Fei for a long time before speaking.
"You...you mean, while dealing with Fan Chuncheng's case, you also...eliminated the two key figures of the Xue family, the old and the young, along with their most fatal criminal evidence?"
"You could say that."
Luo Fei answered calmly.
"The two cases are actually related. Xue Shihao's case was the fuse that led to Wang Qiang, which in turn led to Xue Jingshan's operation to silence him. In the process of investigating Xue Jingshan, a chain of interests involving deep collusion between Fan Chuncheng and him was discovered."
Therefore, it can be considered as proceeding simultaneously and mutually verifying each other.
Zhang Wenzhong stood up, paced a few steps in the small office, and shook his head with a sigh.
"The efficiency is too high... unbelievably high. Our inspection team has been here for the past few days, racking our brains, and we can only circle around on the periphery, collecting some fragmented and difficult-to-determine clues. You, on the other hand, almost single-handedly... no, leading your team, went straight to the heart of the matter, breaking through the core cases of the deputy mayor and the local gangster family in a short period of time. The younger generation is truly formidable!"
However, amidst his admiration, Zhang Wenzhong's brows furrowed slightly, revealing a complex emotion.
"However, Luo Fei, your swift and effective action is a huge advantage."
However, on the other hand, it also... disrupted some of our inspection team's original plans and schedule to some extent.
Luo Fei looked up at him, his expression questioning.
Zhang Wenzhong sat down, lowered his voice, and spoke frankly.
"Our core objective this time is not just to investigate Fan Chuncheng personally, or even just to dismantle the Xue family. The provincial party committee's deeper intention is to use the Xue family case as a breakthrough to thoroughly investigate the entire network of bureaucratic interests in Dongguan City that colluded with them, those intricate relationships, those power-money transactions and interest transfers hidden behind normal positions, and those 'protective umbrellas' and 'communities of interest' that allowed the Xue family to run rampant for so many years."
This requires a relatively meticulous and gradual investigation, gathering a sufficient chain of evidence to uproot the entire network, not just take down one or two key figures. Your actions are like removing the most important pieces from the chessboard at once; while satisfying, it may alarm the other pieces, causing them to either hide deeper or collude to destroy evidence, increasing the difficulty of our subsequent in-depth investigation of the network.
Luo Fei listened attentively and nodded slowly.
He understood Zhang Wenzhong's concerns, which is the typical mindset of anti-corruption investigations—emphasizing a steady and methodical approach to maximize results.
He hesitated for a moment before speaking.
"Minister Zhang, I understand what you mean. That is indeed the standard practice."
However, perhaps we can try a different approach.
"Oh? What's your idea?"
Zhang Wenzhong's gaze sharpened.
“I am also aware of the ‘bureaucratic network of interests’ and those ‘protective umbrellas’ that you mentioned.”
Luo Fei's tone remained calm, but what he said made Zhang Wenzhong's heart skip a beat.
"Moreover, it may be more than you currently know."
Zhang Wenzhong leaned forward slightly.
"you mean?"
"I mean."
Luo Fei looked at Zhang Wenzhong with clear and determined eyes.
"Perhaps we don't need to go through all that trouble of investigating, gathering evidence, and making breakthroughs. I can get a few key figures in this network to come to you and confess their problems."
"Confess voluntarily?"
Zhang Wenzhong almost thought he had misheard. (End of Chapter)