"Everything was captured crystal clearly!"
Ma Sanbao's face turned pale instantly, and large beads of sweat rolled down his forehead.
"No, that can't be... We check the surrounding area every time..."
"Inspect your mother's head!"
Deputy District Chief Liu pushed him down onto the sofa.
"Now all five newspapers have received the photos and the whistleblower's letter, and they've even drafted the headlines! 'Shocking! Misuse of Official Vehicles, Leader's Brother-in-Law Acts with Unbridled Law!'"
He mimicked the tone of the article, his voice filled with sarcasm.
"This is fucking brilliantly written!"
Ma Sanbao slumped on the sofa, his lips trembling.
"Then, what should we do?"
Deputy District Chief Liu took a deep breath and forced himself to calm down.
"I've already had Xiao Wang send someone to pick up the photos. You go to Xinhua News Agency and Workers' Daily right now and retrieve them yourself."
He stared into Ma Sanbao's eyes.
"Remember, you must get the original documents; not a single one can be missing!"
Ma Sanbao nodded repeatedly and stumbled as he ran outside.
Deputy District Chief Liu called him back again.
"etc!"
He took a wad of cash from the drawer and stuffed it into Ma Sanbao's hand.
"If trouble arises, use this to solve it. This matter must be suppressed tonight!"
Ma Sanbao took the money and rushed out of the office without looking back.
Deputy District Head Liu sat back in his chair and wearily rubbed his temples.
Outside the window, the lights of Beijing were still dazzling, but his mood had sunk to the bottom.
He picked up the phone and dialed several more numbers, pleading for help in a humble voice with each call, before resuming his gloomy expression after hanging up.
Time passed by, and at one o'clock in the morning, Xiao Wang returned, panting, carrying three brown paper bags in his hands.
"We've brought back copies of the *Sijiu City Daily*, the *Northern Evening News*, and *Voice of the Masses*."
Deputy District Head Liu hurriedly opened the paper bag and poured out a stack of photos and printed articles.
The photo clearly captures the moment Ma Sanbao slips money to the train attendant, while the vegetables in the coal car stand in stark contrast to the "Coal Dedicated Transport" sign.
The article was even more scathing, directly accusing him of abusing his power.
"Oh shit!"
Deputy District Chief Liu slammed the photo onto the table.
"This is really going to kill me!"
Xiao Wang stood to the side, not daring to breathe.
Half an hour later, Ma Sanbao returned, his clothes were wrinkled and he had a scratch on his face, but he was holding the remaining two envelopes in his hand.
"Brother-in-law, we've brought them all back."
He said, panting.
"That editor from Xinhua News Agency wanted to keep the negatives, so I had someone teach him a lesson."
Deputy District Chief Liu didn't bother to ask how he got the injury on his face; he snatched the envelope and checked its contents.
After confirming that all five pieces of evidence had been retrieved, he finally breathed a sigh of relief and slumped into his chair.
The clock on the wall pointed to 2:15 a.m., the office was filled with smoke, and the ashtray was piled high with cigarette butts.
Deputy District Chief Liu carefully studied the photos and articles, then suddenly let out a cold laugh.
"Su Jianguo...it must have been Su Jianguo who did it."
Ma Sanbao looked bewildered.
"Su Jianguo? That vegetable seller?"
"Who else could it be besides him?"
Deputy District Chief Liu said through gritted teeth.
"I just gave him an ultimatum a couple of days ago, and this happened today. The timing is perfect!"
He stood up and walked to the window.
"If you won't listen to reason, then don't blame me for being ruthless."
Ma Sanbao came over.
"Brother-in-law, you mean..."
Deputy District Chief Liu turned around, a cold glint in his eyes.
"Doesn't he own a vegetable shop and that greenhouse..."
He lowered his voice.
"Find some time, set a fire, and burn it all down."
Ma Sanbao gasped.
"Isn't this... a bit too much..."
"What are you afraid of?"
Deputy District Chief Liu interrupted him.
"I'll notify the fire department and they'll be there two hours later. By then, all the evidence will be burned."
He patted Ma Sanbao on the shoulder.
"Do it cleanly, don't leave any evidence."
Ma Sanbao swallowed and nodded.
"I...I understand. I'll go find someone right away..."
"No rush."
Deputy District Head Liu glanced at his watch.
"Let's make a good plan first. Keep an eye on Su Jianguo's movements these next couple of days and figure out the layout of his house."
He squinted.
"I want him to know who the real master is in this Beijing!"
...
It was five o'clock in the morning.
Xiao Wang, a newsboy for the "Sijiucheng Morning Post," rubbed his sleepy eyes and stuffed a stack of newspapers, still smelling of ink, into his green canvas bag.
He glanced at the front page as usual, and his eyes suddenly widened.
"Shocking! Relatives of deputy district head used a coal transport train to smuggle vegetables!"
The bold, black title took up almost half the page, accompanied by a clear photo.
Ma Sanbao was handing a wad of cash to the train conductor.
"My God..."
Xiao Wang gasped, his fingers trembling involuntarily.
He immediately realized that today's newspaper would sell like hotcakes.
The same scene unfolded at more than a dozen newsstands in Beijing.
People's Daily, Workers' Voice, Market Watch...
Almost all second-tier newspapers published this explosive news on their front page, some even dedicating a full page to a special report.
The situation is exactly as Su Jianguo described.
Once this happened, many people knew about it.
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