Nominal: My senior brothers are all big shots

Three days later, the task force's statistical report was released. He Bing's hands trembled slightly when she received the report. The report was only a few pages long, but each page felt heavy.

Amounts involved: Rare earth smuggling exceeding 50 billion yuan; evaded customs duties exceeding 15 billion yuan; bribes exceeding 8000 million yuan; frozen overseas accounts totaling 2.3 million yuan.

Those involved include: 3 provincial-level officials, 17 department-level officials, over 30 section-level and below officials, over 20 enterprise managers, and over 40 individuals from the general public. Of these, 42 have already been placed under coercive measures; over 30 are under investigation; and 7 have voluntarily surrendered.

The criminal organization involved in the case includes 2 murders, over 20 assaults, 5 illegal detentions, and over 30 cases of provoking trouble. The Tiansheng Group, controlled by Zhou Tianming, uses legitimate businesses as a cover to employ thugs, violently protect mines, oppress the people, and run rampant in the countryside, thus constituting a complete organized crime syndicate.

After reading the report, He Bing remained silent for a long time. He sat in his chair with his eyes closed, the numbers, the names, and the cases floating through his mind.

Five billion was an astronomical figure he would never see in his entire life. Two lives were a weight he could never bear. He thought of the two dead miners, of Zhao Tiejun's wrinkled face, and of Zhao Tiejun's trembling voice when he said, "I just want justice."

He opened his eyes, picked up the report, walked out of his office, crossed the corridor, and went upstairs. Lin Feng's office was on the third floor of the municipal party committee building, and the door was open. He stood at the door and saw Lin Feng standing by the window, his back to the door. Outside the window, the sky over Pingjiang was hazy, and the distant mines were shrouded in smog, their outlines indistinct.

He Bing knocked on the door. Lin Feng turned around, saw him, and nodded. "Director He, come in."

He Bing went in, placed the report on the table, and pushed it in front of Lin Feng. "Secretary Lin, Zhou Tianming has confessed. This is the task force's statistical report. Take a look."

林枫坐下，翻开报告，一页一页地看。他的表情没有什幺变化，但何冰注意到，他的手在微微发抖。50亿。15亿。8000万。2.3亿。3个厅级。17个处级。30多个科级。2条人命。20多起伤害案。5起非法拘禁。30多起寻衅滋事。

Lin Feng closed the report, leaned back in his chair, and closed his eyes. Birds were chirping outside the window, but he couldn't hear them. He Bing sat opposite him, silent, waiting.

After a long while, Lin Feng opened his eyes and looked at He Bing. "Director He, tell me, how did these people and these things happen? How did they get to where they are today? Is it because no one cares, or because they don't want to care? Is it because they can't care, or because they dare not care?"

He Bing didn't answer. He didn't know how to answer.

Lin Feng stood up, walked to the window, and turned his back to He Bing. "Before I came to Pingjiang, someone told me that the waters here were very deep. I said, no matter how deep the water is, I have to wade through it. Now, I have. But the water is deeper, muddier, and colder than I expected."

He turned to look at He Bing. "What were the names of those two dead miners?"

He Bing paused for a moment, then opened the report and found those two lines: "One was named Liu Dazhu, who died in Longnan Town in 2018. The other was named Wang Xiaojun, who died in Changhui Mining Area in 2019."

Lin Feng paused for a moment, then said, "Liu Dazhu, Wang Xiaojun. They're dead. What about their families?"

He Bing said, "Liu Dazhu's parents are still alive, his wife remarried, and his child lives with his grandparents. Wang Xiaojun is not married yet, and his parents are still alive."

Lin Feng said, "Have someone find out what difficulties they are facing, and help them as much as the government can."

He Bing nodded.

Lin Feng sat back down in his chair, opened the report, and read it again. His gaze lingered on the list of people involved in the case. Some of the names were familiar to him, while others were unfamiliar.

Some of the people he knew were his colleagues, and some were his subordinates. He recalled the first Standing Committee meeting, when these people sat below the stage, looking at him with varying expressions. Some were expectant, some scrutinizing, some wary, and some fearful.

He recalled Liu Zhi's words at the Standing Committee meeting, "I reserve my opinion," and Huang Zhiqiang's statement, "The mining industry involves the employment of tens of thousands of people, so we must be cautious." He also remembered Han Ligang raising his glass at the dinner party, saying, "Secretary Lin, I toast you." Those people are all gone now.

He closed the report and looked at He Bing. "Director He, what are your next steps?"

He Bing said, "Investigate further. Zhou Tianming has implicated people from the province, but he hasn't said who they are. We need to continue the investigation and dig out those people from the province."

Lin Feng said, "Okay. Just let me know if you need Pingjiang's cooperation."

He Bing stood up, picked up the report, walked to the door, then turned back. "Secretary Lin, I'll have someone take care of Liu Dazhu and Wang Xiaojun's families."

Lin Feng nodded.

He Bing left. Lin Feng sat alone in his office, gazing at the gray sky outside the window.

In the distance, some of the mines that had been illegally mined were now closed, while others were still in operation. He didn't know if the mines still in operation were legal. But he knew that beneath those mines lay the lives of many.

Old Zhou's letter was delivered to Lin Feng three days after Zhou Tianming was arrested.

It was an ordinary kraft paper envelope, unsigned and unmarked, with only the six characters "To Comrade Lin Feng" in bold, vigorous handwriting that seemed to penetrate the paper. Lin Feng recognized the characters—it was Old Zhou's handwriting, each stroke like it had been carved with a knife.

The letter was delivered by Old Zhou's daughter. She stood at the office door, her eyes slightly red and her expression weary. "Secretary Lin, Dad asked me to give you this letter. He said there's no need to reply, just read it."

Lin Feng took the envelope and nodded. "Sister Zhou, please have a seat."

She shook her head, turned and left.

The footsteps in the corridor gradually faded away. Lin Feng closed the door, returned to his desk, and tore open the seal.

The letter was short, only one page long. Old Zhou's handwriting was even more shaky than before, with some strokes broken and intermittent, as if he had used all his strength to finish writing it. Looking at those words, Lin Feng could almost see Old Zhou sitting in his wheelchair, hunched over the table, writing stroke by stroke. His hand was trembling, but the strokes of his pen were still powerful.

"Comrade Lin Feng: It's as if I'm seeing you in person. I'm in good health, so don't worry about me."

"I know about what happened in Pingjiang. You did the right thing, well done. Those corrupt officials should be caught and punished. Rare earth is a strategic resource of the country and cannot become the private property of a few. After the cleanup, it must be used properly. Pingjiang cannot rely on mining forever; it needs new industries and new paths."

"I'm old and useless now. I'm entrusting the affairs of Pingjiang to you."

At the end of the letter, there was no signature, only a seal—"Zhou". The red ink had bled slightly, like a drop of congealed blood.