Gao Wu: I inherited the evil organization in the game

Chapter 684 Who has me by the throat, and they can't see it?
The entire conference room fell silent instantly, as if even the air itself had stopped moving.

The two congressmen who had just spoken in his support instantly changed their expressions, their eyes flashing with astonishment and frustration, and they almost simultaneously cursed inwardly:
"A madman! A complete and utter madman!"

The two exchanged a glance, both seeing doubt and hesitation in each other's eyes, and suddenly realized that getting involved in the investigation might not be so safe.

To directly and explicitly accuse a powerful legislator to his face—that could kill someone!
Even Zhang Deming might not dare to do that. He would have to proceed slowly, test the waters repeatedly, and unite various forces. How could you, a mere maintenance specialist with no connections, dare to do that?!
The other members of parliament were also shocked by the sudden and fierce accusations, and they all pricked up their ears and leaned forward slightly.

Some of them wore amused expressions, while others frowned and looked at Zheng Geng with hostility.

It's not that they necessarily side with Wang Xinfa, it's purely out of an instinctive aversion.

No important person would like someone who disregards hierarchy and is insubordinate.

Zhang Deming also disliked Zheng Geng, but that didn't stop him from speaking up for him:

"Oh? Commissioner Zheng, do you mean... you suspect that Congressman Wang Xinfa himself planned or participated in the kidnapping of the special commissioner?"
Your accusation is very dangerous; you can't just make things up without evidence.

The chief councilor's face remained largely expressionless, except for a barely perceptible movement of his right eyeball.

Wang Xinfa was so shocked that his face froze. He stared intently at Zheng Geng. If looks could kill, the latter would have been torn to pieces by him.

"How dare he? He's just a maintenance specialist, how could he dare? Who is it? Who is behind him? Is it Zhang Deming? Or someone else?!"

Wang Xinfa was roaring inwardly, his anger almost bursting out of his skull.

However, he managed to regain his composure in a very short time, though his eyes were chillingly cold.

Zheng Geng forced himself to meet Wang Xinfa's icy gaze. Even though he had prepared himself mentally, he still felt a chill run down his spine. He truly felt the power and oppression of a member of parliament with real authority, which was a hundred times more terrifying than he had imagined.

His heart trembled, and his calves even felt a little weak, but his tone remained firm and unyielding.

He knew that he truly had no way out now.

His accusations not only offended Wang Xinfa, but also disgusted many of the councilors present.

Next, he either wins or dies a horrible death.

Zheng Geng licked his lips and said, forcing himself to speak:
"I do not yet have evidence to prove that Councilor Wang kidnapped the special envoy, but I strongly suspect that the current police captain Li Xiang is acting suspiciously and is a major suspect in the crime."

Zheng Geng was well-prepared, and without pausing, he presented his carefully prepared "reason":
"According to my preliminary investigation, Li Xiang's whereabouts last night are a mystery, and he cannot provide a convincing alibi."

Moreover, his vehicle happened to be near Emerald Garden during the time of the incident and has remained there ever since.

Furthermore, I also discovered that Li Xiang had previously had a rather strained relationship with the special envoy due to certain matters.

He forcibly pieced together fragmented information in an attempt to construct a dubious outline.

Wang Xinfa was so angry he almost laughed:

"Based on these two points alone, you want to frame the police station captain, or even me?"

Zheng Geng knew his evidence wasn't very convincing, but he had to adopt a defensive stance at the meeting today. He said in a deep voice:

"This is not a false accusation; it is a reasonable suspicion based on existing clues."

In conclusion, I believe Li Xiang is undeniably a prime suspect in this case, and therefore, he absolutely cannot participate in this investigation. Instead, he should be immediately suspended from his duties and placed under investigation in isolation.

He spoke louder and louder, becoming increasingly aggressive:
"After all, this matter concerns the life and death of the special envoy, and not a second can be wasted."

Anyone suspected should be detained and investigated first; this is the responsible attitude towards the safety of the special envoy.

Otherwise, if we miss the best rescue opportunity due to our momentary negligence or cover-up, and the special envoy is ultimately unable to be rescued, who can bear the responsibility if the city government blames us?”

Zheng Geng's arguments were often untenable, but his last statement clearly demonstrated his adherence to the "greater good."

Under immense pressure from those coming to the upper city to interrogate them, raising the banner of "everything for the rescue of the special envoy" is the greatest justice at hand.

Wang Xinfa would never allow Li Xiang to be arrested. Everyone knows that Li Xiang is his man. If he can't protect Li Xiang today, a bunch of people will come and attack him tomorrow.

Given Zheng Geng's blatant malice at this moment, once Li Xiang falls into his hands, what will be the outcome of the so-called "interrogation"? Will there even be any need for an interrogation?
It seems the other side has already prepared Li Xiang's "confession" in advance!

Wang Xinfa's mind raced. He knew that at this moment, it was pointless to argue with the other party about specific "evidence." Since the other party liked to wave the banner of "righteousness," he had to immediately raise the same banner of "righteousness" to fight back.

He gave a cold laugh, his voice suddenly rising in pitch and filled with authority:

"Li Xiang is a recognized detective in the Ninth District. He has solved many major cases. You want to exclude him from the investigation because of fabricated charges."

I seriously suspect that you, Zheng Geng, are the one harboring malicious intentions. You want to use this opportunity to broaden the scope of the attack, disrupt the direction of the investigation, and disregard the life and death of the special envoy.

His gaze was piercing, fixed intently on Zheng Geng:
"My judgment is simple: there is absolutely no way Li Xiang could be the problem."

On the contrary, he is a key figure in solving this case. If Li Xiang is not involved in the investigation, and the case ultimately remains unsolved and the special envoy cannot be rescued, will you bear the responsibility?!

Before Zheng Geng could answer, he slammed his palm heavily on the thick mahogany table, producing a dull and astonishing thud that sent a shiver down everyone's spine.

He practically pointed at Zheng Geng's nose, roaring each word with veiled fury:
"You're just a lowly maintenance specialist! What makes you think you can shoulder such a tremendous responsibility? You! Can't! Bear! It!"

After Wang Xinfa finished speaking, he abruptly turned his head, looked around at all the members present, and finally fixed his gaze on the chief member, his tone heavy and earnest:
"Chief, this responsibility will ultimately fall on your shoulders, and the city will ultimately hold you accountable! You must think this through carefully."

Based on Zheng Geng's extremely unprofessional, irrational, and self-deceptive behavior, I formally propose that he be removed from his position as head!

Since the other party had already gone all out, Wang Xinfa no longer cared about offending one or two councilors.

Zheng Geng's expression changed, and he said urgently:
"Not only is Li Xiang a suspect, but also your wife, Ms. Li Hanyu, is a major suspect and needs to be investigated."

According to our preliminary understanding, Li Hanyu's villa is next to the special envoy's villa, and at the time of the incident, there were at least ten professional bodyguards in Li Hanyu's villa.

They could have noticed the anomaly and even had a chance to carry out a rescue, but they did nothing.

Were they all collectively blind and deaf at the time, choosing to stand by and watch someone die?! Isn't there another possibility, that they were…? “Enough!”

The chief councilor suddenly interrupted in a cold voice.

Zheng Geng was no longer able to stop talking, but he suddenly felt as if something invisible yet cold was tightly constricting his throat, compressing his trachea, and he could no longer utter a single word.

He tried to cough in alarm, but found that he couldn't even cough properly, and his face turned bright red instantly.

What chilled him even more was that he realized that none of the members of parliament present seemed to notice his abnormality; they simply assumed that he had been intimidated by the chief member's reprimand and had stopped speaking.

The chief councilor's cold gaze swept across the room, finally settling on Zhang Deming, and he said in a low voice:
“Councilor Zhang, you are the most senior member of the Ninth District. I would like to hear your opinion on the current situation.”

Zhang Deming was stunned for a moment, then met the chief councilor's cold eyes. His heart skipped a beat for no reason, and he shuddered.

Following his own wishes, he naturally couldn't be happier to see Wang Xinfa suffer.

Although he did not believe that Zheng Geng's methods could bring down Wang Xinfa, if Wang Xinfa could be brought down so easily, there would be no need to wait until today.

However, it's good if we can force Wang Xinfa into a sorry state and force him to reveal some of his trump cards.

But when the words were about to come out, Zhang Deming made it clear that he did not intend to help Zheng Geng, or at least he did not want to openly favor Zheng Geng.

Based on a shrewd political sense and a dangerous intuition cultivated over many years of ups and downs, he felt that at such a critical juncture, the chief councilor's decision to ask him directly without consulting anyone else was actually quite intriguing and made him feel uneasy.

Even though Zhang Deming couldn't figure out the chief councilor's intention in doing so, he felt as if there was a huge pit waiting for him ahead.

The most dangerous pitfalls are those you can't understand; never jump into them!

He let out a long breath, avoided the chief councilor's gaze, and then looked at Wang Xinfa with a fake smile, saying:
"Xinfa, to be fair, I think that some of the doubts raised by Commissioner Zheng, although in a somewhat radical way, are not entirely without merit. After all, the matter is of great importance, and it is always good to be cautious."

However, after working with you for decades, although we have some differences in our philosophies, I still trust your character.

Since Li Xiang is your man and you trust him, let me ask you one question: are you willing to vouch for Li Xiang and confirm that he has nothing to do with the kidnapping of the special envoy?

"As long as you trust Li Xiang, I believe that all the members of parliament present, including the Chief Justice, will trust Li Xiang as much as they trust you."

After a moment's thought, Zhang Deming didn't respond to the chief's suggestion, but instead passed the ball back to Wang Xinfa.

Almost simultaneously, the councilors cursed inwardly, "Old fox!"

But they all looked at Wang Xinfa with eyes full of trust and expectation, waiting for his answer.

This is tantamount to putting Wang Xinfa on the hot seat of a fire.

Wang Xinfa felt a chill run down his spine. Compared to Zheng Geng's crude and straightforward attacks, Zhang Deming's methods were indeed more sophisticated and insidious.

This was a bottomless pit dug for him in full view of everyone, using "trust" and "morality".

But now he has no choice but to jump.

Wang Xinfa had never guaranteed anything for anyone in his entire life, but at this moment, he answered resolutely and loudly:
"That's right, I trust Li Xiang, he's absolutely fine."

It is precisely because I trust him that I believe Li Xiang should be fully responsible for the specific investigation and search and rescue work of the special envoy.

Zheng Geng stood to the side, his face pale, veins bulging on his forehead, trying to speak up, but his throat was still locked by that invisible force, and he couldn't utter a single word.

He was filled with fear and despair, and he didn't know what was going on.

The chief councilor then looked at Zhang Deming and said quietly:

“Alright, then we’ll follow your suggestion, replace Zheng Geng, and let Li Xiang take full charge…”

Zhang Deming panicked. That was not what he meant at all. He hurriedly interrupted the chief and explained:
"No, Chief, you've misunderstood me!"

What I mean is that Commissioner Zheng Geng will remain in charge of the investigation. However, given his lack of frontline case-handling experience, Captain Li Xiang can serve as his deputy, taking charge of specific investigation matters, while Commissioner Zheng will be responsible for overall coordination.

"Well, although Commissioner Zheng's ideas are somewhat extreme, his starting point is good. He wants to rescue the special envoy as soon as possible. Young people have drive, which is understandable..."

The chief councilor listened quietly, his expression remaining unchanged, simply nodding slightly, and then readily agreed:
"Okay, I'll do as you say."

With this final decision made, Wang Xinfa breathed a sigh of relief, Zheng Geng breathed a sigh of relief, and Zhang Deming also breathed a sigh of relief.

This result is neither the best nor the worst for anyone; it's acceptable to everyone.

However, for some reason, looking at the Chief Councilor's perpetually frozen face, Zhang Deming felt as if he had unknowingly fallen into the trap the Chief Councilor had set.

A nameless unease quietly crept into his heart.

After the report was completed, Zheng Geng obediently left the meeting room at the chief councilor's indifferent glance.

The heavy oak door slowly closed in front of him, shutting out the sounds inside.

As soon as the door closed, Zheng Geng opened his mouth and let out a few muffled coughs that he couldn't suppress. The terrifying feeling of being choked finally disappeared completely, and fresh air rushed into his lungs, bringing a cold, stinging sensation.

He touched his neck with lingering fear. His skin was smooth and there were no marks from the strap, but the cold, stiff sensation from before still seemed to linger.

His face showed a look of surprise, uncertainty, and deep thought:

"Just now... that was definitely not an illusion! Something, like an invisible needle and thread, was tied around my neck."

It's fine if I can't see it; after all, I'm just a lowly clerk.

But didn't any of the many councilors present see it?

Were they all like me, completely oblivious, or did some of them see it but pretend not to?

(End of this chapter)