Is stepping on an ant a crime?

No, it doesn't.

Soon, the law enforcement team came knocking.

The captain didn't know Qin Che at all, but since this was the research institute's camp, he didn't trespass and instead sent someone in.

"Did you kill him?"

Qin Che put down his teacup and smiled, "Hmm, you're from the enforcement team?"

"That's right. Based on the eyewitness accounts, we've determined that you were the one who did it in the barracks."

Qiu Tian was furious and stood up, saying, "They were the ones who attacked first! If you don't fight back, we'll be the ones who die!"

The law enforcement officer, however, was upright and incorruptible, saying, "No matter what happened, the law enforcement team will handle the case impartially. Who gave you permission to kill? Since you have such strength, why didn't you subdue the person first? Why did you have to kill? What deep-seated hatred do you have?!"

Autumn was immediately stumped by the question, and said angrily, "Then I participated too, so arrest me as well."

"They'll definitely arrest you too!"

The law enforcement officer looked at Qin Che and said, "Then come with us."

Qin Che admired the young man and nodded, "Lead the way."

He didn't make the rules of Polaris City, so he can disregard them.

But if one insists on following the rules, and kills someone, then he has committed a crime and will be held responsible.

How could Qin Che possibly take this responsibility?

It's just that we'll go with them first to stabilize the fishing boats at the camp and give the law enforcement team some face, which is essentially giving Wang Zhi face.

Sure enough, Wang Zhi arrived before he even reached Polaris City.

"Release them! Who gave you the order to arrest them!" Wang Zhi roared, his fat face jiggling with each roll of flesh.

Then he jogged up, bowed deeply, bending at a ninety-degree angle: "Lord Qin! I am incompetent! I have wronged you!"

Upon hearing this,

The enforcement team was completely bewildered.

They all stared wide-eyed at Qin Che.

Qin... Duke Qin?

Holy crap!

So what they captured was... the Regent?!

The law enforcement captain was so frightened that he jumped out of the car and ran to Wang Zhi's side, almost kneeling down before Qin Che.

"Mr. Qin, we...we didn't know it was you! We only came over because someone reported it. If we had known it was you, we would never have arrested anyone!"

Qin Che waved his hand and said, "It's not your fault."

"On the contrary, you uphold justice and bear a great responsibility. You must remember this in the future and never be biased."

"Your subordinate will keep this in mind!"

Qin Che then looked at Wang Zhi and smiled, "Elder Wang, should I be executed for this crime?"

Wang Zhi was covered in sweat and said, "No...no need. Duke Qin is acting justly. Those soldiers were already in the wrong. Duke Qin is naturally enforcing the law on behalf of the people!"

Qin Che's lips twitched, and instead of continuing the conversation, he said, "If you were to execute me, I'm afraid the entire Lingbi would be thrown into chaos."

"Lord Qin, please don't say that! How could you possibly be guilty? It's my incompetence! It's my incompetence!"

Wang Zhi slapped himself across the face.

The meaning is obvious.

Execution by firing squad is out of the question.

I am innocent.

Wang Zhi certainly didn't dare to utter another word.

Qin Che then said, "I've heard that this Cheng Cai has a very powerful background. Do you know him?"

"Your subordinate... Your subordinate understands."

Wang Zhi dared not conceal the truth.

Although this matter will be very troublesome, the person who asked him was not from the intelligence department, but the Regent himself!

He dared not lie.

"This person... was a bandit who joined Huang Shiyao in Fortress 21. After the civil war ended, he was exiled to Polaris City and worked as a laborer for several years. But because he was very capable, he knew many officials of the Glory Court before I took office. But I guarantee that there are no court officials involved. Cheng Cai is just a bandit, and he has no right to contact the high-ranking officials of the Glory Court."

Qin Che said with a smile, "Elder Wang, I didn't ask about the court officials either. What's the meaning of being so eager to distance yourself?"

That's a very profound statement.

Wang Zhi was so frightened that he trembled all over and dared not speak.

Then, Qin Che's voice came softly: "You want me to send someone from the intelligence department to investigate personally?"

"No...no! I'll tell you!"

Upon hearing this from the intelligence department, Wang Zhi knew the situation was serious and hurriedly said, "Cheng Cai is very good at making money. He was also one of the first capitals to establish caravans in Polaris City. Those caravans were backed by him and supported by him. They also joined forces with several big soldiers and bandits, as well as civilized people from abroad, forming a large interest group."

"When he was a merchant, he would share most of his profits with the officials of the Glory Court, keeping only a small portion for himself, which is why he was highly regarded."

"Your subordinate... Your subordinate dares to guarantee that the court officials know nothing about this matter, but it is likely that some high-ranking members of the Glory Court have already obtained the first-hand profits. The income was not much, but it was still considerable. So, everyone tacitly agreed to let Cheng Cai make money in front, while they shared the profits in the back. They... are quite in sync."

Qin Che smiled and said, "Elder Wang, what about you?"

Wang Zhi said, "This subordinate...this subordinate did not take a single penny from Cheng Cai! This subordinate is fully open to investigation!"

He was quite confident about this.

Qin Che thought about it and realized it made sense.

Wang Zhi didn't refuse to eat it; he just didn't like it.

He was dealing with the finances of the Polaris City district.

They exploit loopholes in public security regulations to profit from them.

Honor Court allocates funds to the local government budget every quarter.

However, due to the special ecological status of Polaris City, security management is a major expenditure item.

My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!