Chapter 1058 - 1056: Investigation
These people were clearly assassins, and their target was Ma Ling. They didn't care about their companions at all, drawing their weapons and aiming at Ma Ling.
Helen had been by Ma Ling's side, and when the hall got chaotic, Ma Ling still didn't know what was happening.
Helen quickly pulled Ma Ling, following the chaotic crowd, to hide behind a sofa. Just as the two reached the back of the sofa, several bullets whizzed by, hitting two people who were running chaotically in front of the sofa.
Ma Ling's face turned pale, and she screamed in fright.
Lin Chuan was a member of the Dark Soldier unit, and he was more skilled with guns than anyone else. Moreover, he was equipped with a standard device on his pistol. He raised his hand and fired several shots, each one hitting a target.
The situation was quickly brought under control by Lin Chuan, and all the assassins that came were taken out by him.
He walked over to where Helen and Ma Ling were hiding behind the sofa. Lin Chuan pulled the physically weak Ma Ling up and said, "Quick, go get the disc."
The hall was still very chaotic. Lin Chuan and Helen protected Ma Ling on either side, and with great difficulty, they managed to find a receptionist and asked about the person in charge of the safe.
The Hilton Hotel's front desk safe was on the second floor. Lin Chuan and Helen pulled Ma Ling along, quickly ascending the stairs to the second floor. They found the person in charge of the safe, opened it, and extracted the disc along with a stack of US Dollars. They then ran out of the Hilton Hotel.
Outside the hotel, Lin Chuan waved down a taxi, and after half an hour, they returned to the Pierre Hotel.
Back in the room, Ma Ling felt waves of fear, her body weak as she sat down on the sofa, unable to get up.
It seemed Mu Zhengqing was indeed anxious to get rid of Ma Ling; otherwise, he wouldn't have hired assassins. The contents of this disc greatly intrigued Lin Chuan.
Lin Chuan asked Helen to stay with the still-shaken Ma Ling, while he returned to his room, turned on his computer, and inserted the disc.
On the disc were several files, with two of them encrypted, unable to be opened.
Lin Chuan casually opened one of the files, revealing it to be a video file.
Playing the video file, a captivating scene appeared on the computer screen. A chubby man was engaged in intimate activities with a slender woman on the bed.
The video was shot cleverly, with the man's face clearly visible, as well as that of the woman beneath him, who was continuously moaning.
Who was this man, and why did Mu Zhengqing include this video on the disc? It seemed this man was not a regular individual either.
Lin Chuan opened another file, which turned out to be a document. Upon opening it, there was a lengthy table with three columns: names of people, times, and a series of numbers.
Among these names, Lin Chuan recognized a few that seemed familiar, suggesting this was a ledger of Mu Zhengqing's bribes.
Opening the last accessible document, Lin Chuan found it filled with strange numbers, making it incomprehensible.
This disc was full of incriminating evidence of Mu Zhengqing's bribes, no wonder he was in such a hurry to eliminate Ma Ling. Lin Chuan removed the disc from the computer and, after closing it, fell into deep thought.
This disc was incredibly important and needed to be sent back to the country. After contemplating for half an hour, Lin Chuan called the old General Chen Zhenguo to seek instructions.
After listening to Lin Chuan, the old General instructed him to first deliver the disc to the Chinese Embassy in the United States, and meanwhile, he would send people over to assist Lin Chuan in capturing Mu Zhengqing. The old General did not mention who he would be sending.
...
Luo Guoqing and Xiao Xue arrived at Tao Cuixing's house once again at ten o'clock the next morning. Tao Cuixing, a straightforward rural woman, warmly welcomed them.
The two were sent under Tang Yumeng's orders to investigate the village government's embezzlement of villagers' land lease fees. Naturally, their first stop was Village Chief Zheng Dayong.
Tao Cuixing informed Luo Guoqing and Xiao Xue that Village Chief Zheng Dayong had disbursed the withheld money last night. After hearing this, they asked Tao Cuixing to take them to find Zheng Dayong.
As the village chief, Zheng Dayong's living conditions were noticeably better than the other villagers. Seeing the city leaders who had come yesterday visiting him at home today, he quickly called his wife to make tea and serve water.
Sitting inside the main house, Zheng Dayong sent his wife outside, closed the door, and faced Luo Guoqing and Xiao Xue.
"Village Chief Zheng, please don't have any concerns. Just tell us the details of the situation," Xiao Xue said to Zheng Dayong, a friendly smile on her face.
Zheng Dayong took out a cigarette, politely handed one to Luo Guoqing, and then lit one for himself. He took a deep drag and said, "The matter started three years ago. At that time, Tianrui Planting Company had its eyes on the land in our village and the neighboring village, intending to lease it to establish a planting base. This was a good thing, and as the village chief, I naturally agreed."
"After preliminary discussions with Tianrui Company, they agreed to compensate us at a rate of 2,100 yuan per acre per year and promised that once the planting base was completed, villagers could work at Tianrui Company." At this point, Zheng Dayong glanced at Luo Guoqing and Xiao Xue.
Seeing the two looking at him without speaking, Zheng Dayong took another drag and continued, "Such a big matter, I, as the village chief, couldn't not report it to the township. Township Chief Tong Huaiyu told me not to bother with the matter, saying the township would negotiate with Tianrui Company."
"About a month later, the township chief called me and the neighboring village's chief to the township, telling us the Tianrui Company deal was settled and all the land from our village and the neighboring village was leased to Tianrui Company at 1,000 yuan per acre per year."
"Both the neighboring village chief and I were stunned to hear this. Tianrui Company initially agreed to pay 2,100 yuan per acre a year, so how did it become 1,000 yuan? We strongly opposed it; a thousand yuan per acre would make it impossible for villagers to survive."
"The township chief got very angry with us two village chiefs, saying, saying..." Zheng Dayong hesitated and didn't continue.
Luo Guoqing's eyes burned with anger as he looked at Zheng Dayong and said, "Don't stop, continue."
Zheng Dayong clenched his teeth and said, "The township chief said if we didn't listen to the township, we'd immediately be removed from our positions as village chiefs. He also said the land belonged to the state, and the state was already reclaiming the land; a thousand yuan per acre compensation was more than enough."
"Damn, that son of a bitch." Luo Guoqing couldn't help but curse.
Xiao Xue quickly tugged at Luo Guoqing's clothes, signaling for him to hold back his anger.
Zheng Dayong heard Luo Guoqing curse and was momentarily stunned.
Luo Guoqing looked at Zheng Dayong, took out a pack of Furong Wang from his pocket, opened it, and handed one to Zheng Dayong, lighting it personally for him, saying, "Village Chief Zheng, I'm just a bit emotional; please don't mind."
Zheng Dayong was taken aback as he accepted the cigarette from Luo Guoqing, quickly received it as Luo Guoqing lit it for him. After lighting, he felt indescribable. He'd met leaders before, but these two felt different from other leaders.
Zheng Dayong continued, "With one level higher authority, you're sure to be suppressed. As village chiefs, we naturally couldn't argue with the township chief, so we had to return to the village, hold a village meeting, and announce the matter. Upon hearing this, the villagers exploded and united with the neighboring village's residents to confront the township."
"Township Chief Tong Huaiyu did come out to explain, but the villagers wouldn't disperse, because a thousand yuan per acre merely ensures survival. Seeing the villagers unwilling to leave, the township sent township police officers to arrest several leading villagers, and only then did everyone disperse."
"It's truly lawless." Xiao Xue couldn't help but get angry hearing this.
Zheng Dayong continued, "Things reached this point, and the villagers had to accept their bad luck, signing land contracts with the township. Those with labor abilities went to work outside; those without could only rely on the little compensation to live. Leaders, I'm not exaggerating. You should tour the village; now there's only a bunch of women, elderly, and children left. Any man capable of work has gone out to labor."
"Didn't Tianrui Company promise once the planting base was completed, villagers could work there?" Xiao Xue asked curiously.
Zheng Dayong grimaced and said, "Tianrui Company promised that before, but when the planting base was completed, we went to Tianrui Company, and they said the township had arranged some people from somewhere, leaving no positions available."
"It's truly outrageous." Luo Guoqing slammed the table, furiously saying, "Our government ought to be one that works for people's welfare, yet this bunch of bastards ruined its reputation. If this destructive group is not harshly punished, how can we face the kind citizens."
Xiao Xue grabbed Luo Guoqing, letting him sit down to calm his emotions, then looked at Zheng Dayong and said, "Village Chief Zheng, did you decide on your own to withhold the school's funds or did someone instruct you to do so?"
Zheng Dayong said, "After the compensation came in, I went to ask the township chief for funds to repair the school, but he said there was no money in the township, telling us to think of a solution ourselves. He even suggested withholding some compensation from the villagers to fund the school's construction, so I..." At this point, he glanced at Luo Guoqing and Xiao Xue.
"Village Chief Zheng, can you take us for a walk around the village school?" Xiao Xue asked.
Zheng Dayong quickly said, "Sure, sure."
Xiao Xue stood up and said, "Alright, let's go now."
Leaving Zheng Dayong's house, Zheng Dayong led the two along the small village road toward the village entrance. Along the way, there were hardly any people to be seen; most were elderly, sitting at their doorsteps sunbathing.
The village school was located beside the village committee at the entrance of the village; it was a very old warehouse, with large slogans from the '80s still painted in red on the walls.