Chapter 51 Sacrificing the Pawn to Save the King
The phrase "striking the mountain to frighten the tiger" has a powerful effect, but it's not just the tiger that's shaken.
Suddenly, allies who usually treated Lu Wenbo like brothers and whose interests were intertwined with his were all in a state of panic.
"Sister-in-law! Commander! A fish has taken the bait!"
Gao Jianjun stormed into the ward like a gust of wind, this time his face shining even brighter than when Zhang Dehai fell from power. He lowered his voice and, like a thief, mysteriously pulled a slip of paper from his pocket.
"This is what's on the note. Last night, someone secretly slipped it into the milk box in front of our house in the military compound!"
Lu Jingyan took the note and unfolded it.
There was only one line of crooked handwriting, as if written by a left-handed person with their right hand: "Second Master Lu has a list. Be careful."
No signature, no unnecessary words.
"This is a signal of surrender!" Gao Jianjun rubbed his hands excitedly. "With this fat guy down, those bastards are definitely scared! They're afraid of being used as a pawn by that old bastard Lu Wenbo, so they're trying to find a way out for themselves!"
Su Wantang gently tapped the edge of the bed with her fingertips, once, then again.
“More than that.” She said calmly, “If it were just a plea for mercy, he would have written something more specific and offered a more sincere ‘pledge of allegiance.’ Writing such a vague sentence is more like a test.”
To test their sincerity and ability to protect him.
Lu Jingyan handed the note to Su Wantang and said in a deep voice, "He's scared. He's scared of us, but he's even more afraid that Lu Wenbo will kill him to cover it up."
“That’s right!” Gao Jianjun slapped his thigh. “These guys are all in the same boat. Now that the rope is about to break, how can they not be anxious? Commander, sister-in-law, we have to strike while the iron is hot! As long as we pry open a hole, Lu Wenbo’s net will be completely ruined!”
The flame of hope was rekindled in the hearts of the three.
Zhang Dehai is just an appetizer; the real big fish is yet to come.
Su Wantang looked at the note, a playful smile curving her lips. "This person is clever. He knows how to use a 'list' as bait to whet our appetites without revealing himself. We need to find a way to make him feel safe and get him to divulge more information."
"I'll arrange for people to secretly contact a few of the most likely targets right away!" Gao Jianjun couldn't wait.
“No,” Lu Jingyan rejected. “It’s too much of a commotion. Since they’ve chosen this method, they don’t want us to find them. The more proactive we are, the more they’ll back down.”
Su Wantang nodded in agreement. "Let him do it himself. We just need to spread the word that... we are very interested in that 'list'."
She looked at Gao Jianjun, her clear eyes flashing with calculation, "Moreover, we have enough leverage to guarantee the safety of anyone on the list."
These words were spoken with great confidence and were extremely tempting.
They provided both a ladder and a talisman.
Gao Jianjun was thrilled and about to accept the order when the rank-based telephone on the table emitted a sharp whistling sound once again.
The sound was even more urgent and piercing than when the "gecko" went mad last time.
The air in the ward seemed to freeze instantly.
Lu Jingyan and Su Wantang exchanged a glance, both seeing an ominous look in each other's eyes.
Gao Jianjun grabbed the microphone, his voice involuntarily tense: "Hello! Speak!"
The person on the other end of the phone spoke extremely fast, and Gao Jianjun's pupils visibly dilated, his mouth slightly open.
The veins on his hand holding the microphone bulged, his lips trembled, and after a long while, he finally managed to squeeze out a dreamlike sentence.
"No...it's impossible..."
"What's wrong?" Lu Jingyan's heart sank.
Gao Jianjun slowly put down the microphone. He looked at Lu Jingyan and Su Wantang with empty eyes and a hoarse voice.
"Zhao... Zhao Qiang... has turned himself in."
Zhao Qiang.
The trusted secretary who went missing during Lu Wenbo's military supplies theft case.
He actually showed up at this critical juncture!
Su Wantang's heart skipped a beat, and a premonition worse than when "Gecko" went mad seized her.
Gao Jianjun's next sentence confirmed her premonition.
"Just half an hour ago, Zhao Qiang walked into the military law office alone. He said... he did everything by himself."
Gao Jianjun spoke as if reciting an absurd joke, every word tinged with despair.
"He said he was jealous of your youth, achievements, and outstanding contributions, and... he also accepted benefits from the Ye family, so he was blinded by greed and his heart was clouded by greed!"
"It was him! He forged Lu Wenbo's orders and mobilized logistical resources without authorization. He also contacted the assassin 'Gecko' to kill you and frame Lu Wenbo so he could take over the position!"
“He also…he also produced a set of evidence…” Gao Jianjun’s voice trembled, “Forged instruction documents, his ‘secret letters’ with the Ye family, and even bank receipts for the Ye family’s remittances to him…everything, every detail, matches up perfectly! The logic is flawless!”
"He portrayed himself... as an ambitious fool who tried to have his cake and eat it too, but ended up messing it up!"
All hope, all advantages, were shattered at this moment by this absurd "confession"!
Gao Jianjun slumped into a chair, clutching his head in his hands, and roared in agony:
"It's over...it's all over...He's Lu Wenbo's personal secretary. If he takes the blame for everything, then Lu Wenbo will be clean!"
"All that so-called circumstantial evidence we had has now become damning evidence proving 'Zhao Qiang's personal actions'!"
"That box of ledgers is now worthless! The military court says... says Lu Wenbo will soon be released without charge..."
To cut off the fuel supply from under the cauldron.
No, this is not a radical solution.
This is sacrificing a pawn to save the king!
The other party actually used this method to cut off all the clues!
The life of a "car" was used to ensure the absolute safety of "Shuai"!
Lu Wenbo, from a mastermind, instantly became an innocent victim who was deceived, manipulated, and exploited.
clean.
neat.
It was extremely vicious.
Lu Jingyan remained silent, without rage, without roaring, and without much expression on his face. He simply stared quietly out the window.
Su Wantang slowly walked to the tin box that still contained part of the account books.
She stretched out her slender fingers and gently stroked the cold box.
Yesterday, the things inside were sharp blades that could send enemies to the guillotine.
But now...
She opened one of the boxes and looked at the stacks of ledgers inside, which recorded the crimes, her eyes cold and devoid of any warmth.
"No."
She spoke softly, her voice not loud, yet it drew the attention of both men, who were in despair.
She took out the top ledger from the box and slowly opened it.
"These are all now worthless paper."
Her gaze fell on a page of the ledger, where an unusual mobilization of military equipment from ten years ago was recorded in tiny, neat characters.
Time, place, and method.
All of these perfectly match the case of Lu Jingyue's disappearance.
Su Wantang raised her head to meet Lu Jingyan's gaze and said clearly, word by word:
"Unless we can find a crime that even his most loyal secretary cannot cover up."
"An irrefutable, irrefutable piece of evidence."
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