Chapter 319 "Pillars of the Nation" turned into "Black Sheep" in the blink of an eye!
"Sir! Sir, spare me! It was all Chief Zhao's fault that I had to do this!"
"He's the one who made me secretly photograph data from Su Yue's lab! He's the one who gave me two thousand yuan! He's the one who made me present that data as our own achievement!"
"I didn't know it was poison! I really didn't know!"
While crying, Wu Yong pulled a miniature camera out of his pocket and held it tremblingly above his head.
"This is the evidence! This is the camera I used to secretly take these pictures! There are still film negatives inside!"
The evidence is irrefutable.
Theft, forgery, and even nearly caused a major medical accident.
These incidents, one by one, are enough to send Zhao Lichun to prison and make him spend the rest of his life there.
Vice Minister Li's face was as black as the bottom of a pot.
He slammed his hand on the table, causing the teacup to bounce.
"Arrest these two scoundrels! Investigate them thoroughly!"
Several guards rushed onto the stage and dragged the limp Zhao Lichun and the wailing Wu Yong off like dead dogs.
The farce ended in such a tragic way.
The experts in the audience looked at each other, their backs soaked with cold sweat.
This is the cancer in academia.
If it weren't for Su Yue, the consequences would have been unimaginable.
Su Yue stood on the stage, watching Zhao Lichun being dragged away, her face showing no joy of victory.
She turned around and looked at the judges' panel.
Their gaze passed over the shocked experts and landed directly on the person in the very center.
Vice Minister Li was wiping the cold sweat from his forehead with a handkerchief.
Noticing Su Yue's gaze, he froze for a moment.
Their eyes met in mid-air.
Su Yue did not speak.
She simply raised her chin slightly, making an extremely subtle movement.
She raised her hand, pointed to the real, perfect data on strain number four on the big screen, and then pointed to the document in front of Vice Minister Li that had been approved as a "key project".
The meaning couldn't be clearer.
Zhao Lichun was just a pawn.
This fire isn't over yet.
Vice Minister Li suddenly tightened his grip on the handkerchief.
Looking at the excessively young woman on the stage, he felt a chill that seeped into his bones for the first time.
This woman is not only trying to ruin Zhao Lichun's livelihood.
She was going to flip the table.
Su Yue withdrew her gaze, turned around, and handed the microphone in her hand to the host next to her, who was already dumbfounded.
"My report is finished."
She stepped off the stage, her steps still light and quick.
Gu Beichen came forward and draped a coat over her shoulders, blocking all the inquisitive and awe-inspiring gazes around them.
Are you tired?
"fine."
Su Yue pulled her coat tighter and popped another mint into her mouth.
"It was just getting rid of a rat."
She took Gu Beichen's arm and walked towards the door.
Behind him, the venue was still in shock.
The deathly silence in the auditorium was broken by a series of hurried and heavy footsteps.
Two teams of soldiers in military police uniforms filed in through the side door, the sound of their boots hitting the ground seeming to pound on Zhao Lichun's heartbeat.
The officer in the lead walked straight up to Zhao Lichun, who was slumped on the ground, and showed him an arrest warrant stamped with a bright red seal.
"Zhao Lichun is suspected of stealing core state secrets, committing major scientific research fraud, and endangering public safety. He is coming with us."
The cold handcuffs snapped shut with a click.
Zhao Lichun shuddered; his previous arrogance had vanished completely.
He clung tightly to the leg of the podium, his face covered in snot and tears, howling in a completely undignified manner.
"I'm innocent! I was tricked! This data isn't what I needed; it was given to me by Wu Yong... Yes! It was given to me by Wu Yong!"
Wu Yong, who was standing nearby, was already terrified. Upon hearing this, he pounced on Zhao Lichun's leg like a madman and bit it.
"You're talking nonsense! You forced me to steal it! You said that as long as I got the data, I could get promoted and make a fortune! You beast!"
The two wrestled together, like two mad dogs at the end of their rope.
The military police didn't have the patience to watch the show. They paired up Zhao Lichun and Wu Yong, dragging them out like dead dogs.
The screeching sound of the shoe soles scraping against the smooth floor, accompanied by Zhao Lichun's pig-like screams, gradually faded into the distance.
The air in the venue seemed to freeze.
Vice Minister Li, sitting in the center of the judges' panel, gently tapped the lid of his teacup against the rim, making a crisp sound.
He stood up.
He straightened the hem of his Zhongshan suit, his face showing a pained expression, and sighed deeply into the microphone.
"Comrades, it's heartbreaking! It's truly heartbreaking!"
Vice Minister Li shook his head, his voice heavy with sorrow.
"I never imagined that such a black sheep would infiltrate our research team. Zhao Lichun has betrayed the trust of the organization and the country's cultivation! My attitude towards this scoundrel is very clear—a thorough investigation! A complete investigation! Absolutely no leniency!"
His words were spoken with great righteousness and awe.
To absolve oneself completely.
Many people in the audience looked at each other in bewilderment.
Vice Minister Li's change of expression is faster than turning the pages of a book.
Just moments ago they were praising Zhao Lichun as a "pillar of the nation," but in the blink of an eye he's been labeled a "black sheep."
After finishing his speech, Vice Minister Li turned and headed backstage.
In this dangerous place, staying even a second longer is risky.
Once he leaves the venue and goes back to make some moves to find a scapegoat, the fire might not reach him.
"Vice Minister Li, you're leaving already?"
A slightly languid voice came from the front row of the audience.
Qin Zheng stood up.
He wasn't wearing his military uniform today, but rather a sharp gray suit, and he was holding a manila file folder in his hand.
He slowly and deliberately untied the string binding the file folder, his movements as elegant as if he were unwrapping a gift.
Vice Minister Li paused, turned around, and frowned deeply.
"Comrade Qin Zheng, what's the matter? The most urgent task right now is to cooperate with the disciplinary department in investigating Zhao Lichun's case."
“Investigating Zhao Lichun is the disciplinary team’s business.” Qin Zheng pulled out the documents inside and waved them. “I have a few more interesting documents here that I would like to ask Vice Minister Li to take a look at.”
He walked up to the podium and slammed the document onto the table with a loud "thud".
"This is the funding approval form for Huakang Research Institute for the past three years. It totals 48 million."
Qin Zheng pointed to the flamboyant signature at the end of the document.
“Every single transaction was personally approved by Vice Minister Li. Among them, twelve million was transferred to a shell company called ‘Far East Trade,’ and the actual controller of this company happens to be your brother-in-law.”
The entire audience erupted in uproar.
If Zhao Lichun's incident was just an academic scandal, it has now escalated to a major corruption case!
Vice Minister Li's face instantly drained of color, turning deathly pale. He stared intently at the document, his hands trembling uncontrollably.
"You...you're slandering me! This is fabricated!"
"Whether it's forged or not, we'll know once we check the accounts." Qin Zheng smiled, stepped back, and gave up the stage.
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