CH 148

"Have you all become idiots?"

In the car, Lin Wen asked his three aides.

The three nodded in unison, then shook their heads. They were still in a state of shock, their expressions blank.

Lin Wen laughed, "It's okay if you don't understand. Think about it when you get back. Whoever grasps my intentions first will get promoted sooner. Understand?"

At the mention of "promotion", a spark ignited in their eyes, and they all nodded vigorously.

Back at the county government office, Lin Wen headed straight for the finance department, while the three aides returned to the sheriff's office.

The sheriff's office was the largest office in the county government building. The secretariat and the aides' department were just rooms within the sheriff's office.

There were nearly forty people in the secretariat and aides' department, all waiting in the office. No one had left.

As soon as the three returned, all eyes turned to them.

One person stood up and said, "Brothers, you've worked hard today. Can you tell us what you've been up to?"

The three shook their heads in unison. They had decided not to say anything. Not only was this their advantage, but the matter was too shocking, they dared not spread it.

The man laughed, "Brothers, don't be like this. Sheriff Lin wouldn't be happy if he knew."

Everyone in the room shuddered. This was a clever move, using the name of the highest authority to pressure them. If they really angered Sheriff Lin, it would be a price no one could afford.

The key point was, this could be true.

At this point, even those who were not paying attention turned their heads. In the dimly lit office, nearly 40 pairs of eyes were shining brightly at them.

But the three hesitated for a moment, then shook their heads firmly.

Cheng Qingqing said, "I'm sorry, it's not appropriate to talk about this. I think Sheriff Lin probably wouldn't agree with us talking about it either."

The man knew there was no hope when he heard this. Perhaps Sheriff Lin had hinted at them. This was an order from the highest authority, they definitely wouldn't say anything.

He laughed, "If it's not possible, then forget it. My intention was for us to learn from each other, to understand Sheriff Lin's preferences and style better. This would be beneficial for everyone. The rest is up to individual abilities."

Another person also stood up and said, "Yes, I suggest that we should share as much information as possible in the future. If we all improve together, the cake will get bigger."

No one responded. Everyone was actually thinking about how to get a bigger slice of the cake, not about making the cake bigger.

Everyone was silent, each with their own thoughts. Only one person was not there.

That was Xiao Xiao. He firmly believed that he was special and did not deign to associate with them. He had left early.

After some time, he had come to understand the basic power structure of Changshan County.

At the top was Lin Wen. As the sheriff and the one with the power of command, no one could contend with him.

Below Lin Wen were his two trusted generals, Deputy Sheriff Zhao Minggong, who was in charge of most of the internal affairs, and Qin Luoshuang, the head of the special operations organization, who was responsible for all security issues.

Below them were Huang Mingxiao, Fang Yaobo, and other key figures.

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Xiao Xiao had originally intended to find Zhao Minggong, but Zhao Minggong's guards were extremely strict. Without an order from the sheriff or deputy sheriff, it was impossible to see him.

The county government building was a solemn square structure. It was only five stories high, but it covered a vast area, with a total area of 230,000 square meters, equivalent to the total area of 2000 ordinary houses.

All the main departments were on the first or second floor, while the third, fourth, and fifth floors were occupied by secondary departments, subordinate departments, or spare rooms.

The office of the head of the security bureau was located in the southwestern corner of the second floor of the county government building. Xiao Xiao had not encountered a single person on his way there.

The office of the head of the security bureau was brightly lit. Xiao Xiao knocked on the door, and a young woman's voice came from inside.

"Come in."

Xiao Xiao pushed the door open and saw a room of about 80 square meters. The room was filled with various bookcases, file cabinets, and safes. There was only one desk in the middle.

The mysterious woman who never showed her face in public was sitting behind the desk, her desk covered in messy papers.

She was buried in a pile of documents and didn't look up at him.

Xiao Xiao took a glance at her. She was an ordinary-looking young woman, but her eyes were sharp, revealing her extraordinary nature.

He bowed gracefully, "Sheriff's aide Xiao Xiao, here to pay a visit to Director Qin."

The woman across from him replied with one word, "Speak."

Xiao Xiao stood up straight. He was always direct and open:

"I think Changshan County is developing too slowly and there are many hidden dangers. I am the one who can save Changshan County from all crises. But Sheriff Lin has not recognized my strength. I heard that you are one of Sheriff Lin's confidants, and I hope you can introduce me to him."

The strange female director glanced at him, "Reason?"

Xiao Xiao took out a valuable pure cat's eye stone from his bosom, "A small token of respect, I hope Director Qin will accept it."

Director Qin reached out without changing her expression, "Is there more?"

A hint of anger flashed in Xiao Xiao's eyes. This cat's eye stone was of good quality and worth at least seventy to eighty thousand. It was just an introduction, and Director Qin was too greedy.

But since he had already made a move, he couldn't back down. Xiao Xiao had to take out a sapphire from his bosom. This was much more valuable, starting at at least one hundred and fifty thousand.

Director Qin reached out again, "Is there more?"

Xiao Xiao's hand trembled. He took several deep breaths to suppress his anger, then took out a high-quality black pearl from his bosom. This was something he had scrimped and saved to get, intending to give it to his goddess.

Director Qin reached out again, "Is there more?"

Xiao Xiao was furious, "You're so greedy! I don't need your help anymore, give me back my things!"

Director Qin sneered, "Once something enters my possession, there's no way it's coming back out."

Xiao Xiao was so angry that he lunged at her, "I'll show you what greed is!"Unexpectedly, the unassuming young female director's skills far exceeded his imagination. She dodged his hand with a swift move, turned around and kicked him in the neck with lightning speed.

Xiao Xiao's vision went black as he was kicked to the ground. Just as he was about to get up, Director Qin had already stepped on his chest, looking down at him: "Not bad, a disciple of Master Xu Gang."

Xiao Xiao was furious. Just as he was about to reach into his pocket, five guns were already pointed at his head.

Director Qin said coldly, "Take your hand out, or your head will be blown off."

Only then did Xiao Xiao notice the special agents who had appeared out of nowhere. Their expressions were cold, their hands holding the guns were firm and steady. Clearly, they would not hesitate to shoot if he made any rash moves.

Xiao Xiao knew he was cornered and slowly took his hand out.

Director Qin said indifferently, "I'll give you a chance. Answer my question. Who sent you and what is your purpose?"

Xiao Xiao sneered, "What purpose could I have? I came to realize my value. But you are all blind, not recognizing the future star of the empire. If it weren't for my goddess, I would have left long ago."

Unexpectedly, upon hearing these words, Director Qin moved her foot away, turned around and sat back down, saying indifferently, "You may leave."

"Since you are so sincere, I'll give you a piece of advice. If you want to win Sheriff Lin's favor, give him more money. He loves money the most."

Two special agents pulled him up and pushed him out.

After the office quieted down.

Qin Luoshuang took out all the gems she had just received and placed them on a stack of document bags next to her.

"Consider these as confiscated property and send them to the finance department."

"Take the detailed information of the confiscated property with you. Compare it with the sales and returns of the finance department. Report any discrepancies, inconsistencies, or suspicious areas directly to me."

From the shadows, a special agent stepped forward, took the documents and gems into his arms, and bowed, "Yes, Miss Qin."

Qin Luoshuang continued.

"Don't pay attention to those protesting loan sharks. According to imperial tradition, the seized property is directly owned by the empire."

"Wang Hong has no right to mortgage the empire's property, so their mortgage agreement is invalid. This is Wang Hong's fraudulent behavior. Tell them that if they disagree, they can sue Wang Hong. I guarantee they will win 100%."

"Wang Hong's all fixed assets should be sold as soon as possible. Find buyers from other places, the price can be reduced by up to 30%."

Another special agent stepped out from the shadows and bowed, "Yes, Miss Qin."

Then, they disappeared into the shadows together.

Outside the door.

Xiao Xiao, who had been kicked out, wandered aimlessly in the building for a while. Suddenly, he realized that there were people all along the way, but they were all hiding in the shadows, making them hard to notice.

These people had cold eyes and expressionless faces. They stood silently in the corners, making the silent office building filled with a terrifying atmosphere.

Xiao Xiao felt a chill in his heart and hurriedly left the building.

Fortunately, he thought, there was one gain today, which was that he might have to spend more in the future.

Meanwhile, the finance department, which had just received 50 million and a pile of confiscated property, was in chaos. Old Xie, who had already lost half of his hair, was still frantically scratching his non-existent hair.

The money came just in time. The finance department was almost out of funds, but now they were back above the danger line.

What followed was a huge workload.

Fortunately, 60 new employees were assigned to the finance department. These 60 fresh forces greatly relieved their work pressure.

Especially that Tian Jiajia, her mathematical ability was simply terrifying.

Old Xie, who finally had a capable assistant, was very happy and shouted, "Tian Jiajia, quickly calculate the sum of these hundred forms!"

It was late at night.

Finally, only Lin Wen was left in the sheriff's office.

After a simple wash, he lay back in his big chair, ready to sleep, when the office phone suddenly rang.

Lin Wen picked up the phone.

But there was only a strange ticking sound.

About three seconds later, the call ended.

A minute later, the phone rang again.

Again, it was a strange ticking sound.

Again, it hung up after three seconds.

This repeated three times.

The office was very quiet late at night. The darkness seeped in from outside, as if something was approaching him invisibly. But this terrifying feeling excited Lin Wen.

Could there be ghosts in this world?

But after waiting for a long time, he didn't see Sadako crawl out of the phone.

With a sense of unwillingness, he directly asked the "Ask the Sky" system.

"Are there any transcendent powers in this world in any sense?"

Consumption: 10% of the soul.

The answer was long, but after Lin Wen read it, he was extremely disappointed.

"Time to sleep, time to sleep."

Indeed, it was a world without dreams.

I wish I could reincarnate and cultivate immortality soon.