Starting from scratch, Batman crushed my dream of getting rich

Chapter 374 is said to have exploded.
Faced with the reporters' interrogation, Erling briefly lost his ability to think.

The squad leaders he brought were frantic, but Erlin was already surrounded. There wasn't even a fly that could squeeze through the crowd, let alone a car that wanted to pick him up.

After a full half minute of silence, Erlin finally pieced together the explosive information revealed by the reporters. He gritted his teeth, trying to control his anger, and turned to look at Ma Zhaodi in the back seat.

Ma Zhaodi chuckled at this moment.

"Didn't I tell you yesterday, 'It's best not to touch either of them'? You just didn't want to hear it."

Erlin's good mood from the morning vanished completely at this moment.

But he still had to deal with the reporters outside the window and didn't have time to teach Ma Zhaodi a lesson. So he tightened his face and said in a serious tone that was almost threatening: "No matter who wants to slander me, these baseless accusations cannot come true. As a military general, I will not abuse my power, nor am I a racist. Your accusations are baseless and have no evidence whatsoever."

"I advise you not to play with fire here. Anyone who tries to slander or smear me will be taught a lesson about my temper."

Are you saying you didn't do these things?

The reporters, who seemed to have anticipated this, showed no fear of his threat. Instead, their eyes gleamed as they pulled out their phones and played two videos.

"So, you want to ask me for help?"

“I am asking you to fulfill your obligations as an American citizen.”

Next comes the classic scene of Admiral Erling brandishing a gun and threatening the citizens.

“I said, tell me where she is, otherwise you will be considered as assisting her defection and will be arrested as an accomplice.”

Then comes the second segment, which is from the perspective of the Central City Police Department.

"What's your name again? Xin? Xinde? Inspector Cindy? It doesn't matter, whatever your name is, go explain it to your superiors."

"And that black man from this morning, where did he go—never mind, it doesn't matter, you two go explain to your superiors."

Then comes the conversation after Ma Zhaodi was brought out.

“I knew long ago that you’re the kind of person who won’t listen to reason. Even if I’m innocent, even if you can’t produce any evidence, you’ll still find a way to arrest me.”

boom!
The heavy punch Erlin delivered to Ma Zhaodi's stomach was clearly filmed, and what's even more amazing is that he added a comment to Ma Zhaodi, who couldn't straighten up, while laughing.

Whether you are innocent or not is up to me to decide.

Watching these two crystal-clear videos, Erlin felt his head buzzing.

"Oh no," was his first thought.

Arresting an Asian man without evidence is not a big deal.

Suspending a gay mid-level police officer without cause is a minor matter for him.

It's no big deal to just hire a Black detective.

However, if an Asian person is arrested without evidence, and privileges are used to suspend a gay police officer and a Black police officer, and then they are filmed assaulting and threatening citizens, and saying things like "that Black man" and "whether you are innocent or not, it's up to me to decide."
That would be a big problem.

What's even more troublesome is that reporters and certain groups have actually taken notice of these matters. While he was speechless, his face turning red and then pale, Ma Zhaodi in the back seat began to exert his influence.

With a click, the car's locked rear door suddenly opened, and under Erlin's slightly desperate gaze, Ma Zhaodi slid out of the car and fell directly at the feet of a group of reporters.

"Cough cough, help...help me—"

A weak voice came from his mouth. Ma Zhaodi, who had been full of energy in the car just moments before, was now pale and bloodless. His eyes were bloodshot, and he trembled weakly on the ground, with blood seeping through his clothes.

It looks like it's a little dead.

"Oh my god! Get him to the hospital quickly!"

He's dying!

The surrounding reporters exclaimed in surprise. They surrounded Ma Zhaodi and took photos for a full minute before putting down their cameras and rushing to help him. When someone lifted Ma Zhaodi's clothes to find the wounds, they discovered that his body was covered with fresh scars, which caused another round of photos from the surrounding reporters.

A general uses his position to settle personal scores, tortures others into confessing, racism disregards human rights, and a journalist fearlessly exposes the truth—how pleasing to the ear it sounds!

"No, this isn't a bastard! You tricked me!"

Seeing this scene, Erlin's eyes widened in fury. He finally realized that whether it was Cindy and Joe yesterday, or today's interrogation and confession, it was highly likely that Ma Zhaodi had set him up.

The problem now is that he has no room for explanation. The brown stain on his pants could be chocolate or coffee—but everyone would undoubtedly agree that it is Shi.

Seeing that a reporter had already called an ambulance for Ma Zhaodi, Erlin was furious. This wasn't a call to the hospital; it was a slap in his face.

Enraged, Erlin pushed open the car door and rushed forward, intending to throw Ma Zhaodi back into the car, but he was immediately surrounded by reporters.

Clearly, no one wants to miss the opportunity to interview the victims. Given the current situation, if Erlin takes the people away, it is unlikely that Ma Zhaodi will be able to leave the military again.

"General Erling, how do you explain what happened in these two videos?"

"General Erling, why did you specifically use derogatory terms for that gay officer and that black officer? You claim you are not a racist, but why are all three victims from minority groups?"

"General Erling, were there proper evidence and procedures followed in the arrest and suspension? Or is it really as you say in the video, that you made all the decisions on your own?"

"General Erling, did you torture or subject this Asian man to intensive interrogation? If not, what caused his injuries?"

The roar from all directions engulfed Erlin, while Ma Zhaodi on the ground continued to play dead—fortunately, the ambulance arrived quickly and didn't keep him waiting too long.

Otherwise, he might not be able to help but burst out laughing.

As he was being taken away by the ambulance, the squad of soldiers behind Erlin finally managed to squeeze through the crowd and escort the general away from the layers of reporters. But Ma Zhaodi knew in his heart that although he could escape today, he would not be able to escape in the future.

As expected, that afternoon, news media and newspapers launched a massive accountability campaign, publishing the videos and Erlin's original interview remarks.

His generalship did nothing to help him; on the contrary, it drew even more criticism.

(End of this chapter)