"What am I going to tell them?" Liu Guang was at a loss for words, his legs trembling.
Chang Rui had grown up learning all about the ways of officialdom from her father. Seeing Liu Guang like this, she had already guessed most of what had happened. She immediately barked, "Where's Su Bai? Speak up!"
"He... he was taken away by the Ninja Enforcement Squad." After saying that, Liu Guang dropped into a chair. He knew he was finished.
"The Ninja Enforcement Squad!"
Chang Rui's expression changed. She was no longer as composed as before.
When Su Jianhong and Lin Xiu'e heard that, they felt as if the sky had fallen.
They were ordinary people, but they knew the Ninja Enforcement Squad's fearsome reputation!
They had heard that its members were the cream of the Genin, while even its squad leaders were Chunin, people far above their reach!
And the legendary commander of the Enforcement Squad... he was an Elite Chunin, supposedly not far from becoming an Elite Jonin. He was one of the most powerful figures among Yang City's elite!
"The Ninja Enforcement Squad? Director Liu, my son only got into a fight! Why would that bring the Enforcement Squad down on him?" Su Jianhong roared, no longer caring who stood before him. All he could think about was Su Bai!
"Miss, please help Xiaobai! I'm begging you!" Lin Xiu'e was so frightened that she dropped to her knees. Chang Rui hurriedly helped her up.
"Auntie, what are you doing? Su Bai is my friend. I'll find a way to help him!"
"But the Ninja Enforcement Squad is independent of the Federal Government. They don't take orders from my father, so..."
This time, Chang Rui didn't promise that she could handle it. She hesitated.
"Even the government can't do anything?" Su Jianhong and Lin Xiu'e were terrified.
They had lived honest, ordinary lives. The highest-ranking officials they had ever met were the factory managers. To them, Chang Rui's words were no different from sentencing Su Bai to death!
"What do we do? What do we do now?" Lin Xiu'e paced around anxiously.
Chang Rui was at a loss too. She wondered if she should call her father and ask him to look into it.
Just then,
"Auntie, don't panic." Xia Xueqing, who had not spoken up until then, took Lin Xiu'e by the hand. "One of my uncles knows someone in the Enforcement Squad. I'll ask him to make some inquiries."
In truth, Xia Xueqing had never dealt with the Enforcement Squad herself.
She had once heard her second uncle, Xia Ling, mention that the commander of the Ninja Enforcement Squad might have served under him. She hadn't paid much attention at the time. Besides, her uncle Xia Ling had served under one of Yang City's few Elite Jonin, and had so many subordinates she couldn't remember them all.
"Thank you, thank you!" Lin Xiu'e cried through her tears, as if she had finally found someone who could save them.
Xia Xueqing shook her head, calmly took out her phone, and called Xia Ling.
Little did she know, that one phone call would turn Yang City upside down!
Her uncle was one of the few Elite Jonin publicly known to be in Yang City. Not only was he the younger brother of the Xia Family's clan head, he was also the real power behind Yang City's upper ranks!
With a single word, he could dismiss any government official!
Chapter 39: You Did It Because They Said You Did
The Ninja Enforcement Squad headquarters in Yang City.
A short, goateed middle-aged man held a phone in his hand and smiled obsequiously.
"Yes, yes! Don't worry, Brother Xia. I'll handle this personally and give you an answer!"
"Right. Whoever did this, I won't let him get away with it!"
As soon as the middle-aged man hung up, his smile vanished!
He turned around, his face dark and a terrifying aura rolling off him. He glared at the Enforcement Squad's squad leaders in the room and ground out, "Which one of you arrested a student named Su Bai?"
His name was Gongyi Xin, and he was an Elite Chunin, an undisputed member of Yang City's upper echelon!
In all of Yang City, there were no more than three people who could make him this cautious, this eager to please, and this afraid... and Xia Ling was one of them. In fact, he was the most terrifying of the lot!
Not only was Xia Ling the younger brother of the Byakugan Clan's head, he was also one of Yang City's few super-powerful shinobi. Gongyi Xin had once served under him!
The squad leaders exchanged bewildered looks, unable to understand why their commander was so angry.
One of them cautiously stepped forward, looking nervous.
"Commander, I arrested him."
"Where is he now?" Gongyi Xin asked coldly.
"In Ninja Prison." The squad leader hurriedly explained, "Commander, hear me out. Liu Guang asked me to arrest him. He said—"
Bang!
Before the squad leader could finish, Gongyi Xin flashed in front of him and kicked him hard. The man flew into the wall, leaving a huge crack!
"You fool! Hurry up and come with me to get him!"
"Cough, cough... Yes, Commander!" The squad leader forced himself to his feet, enduring the pain. He didn't dare complain and followed Gongyi Xin respectfully.
Inside a luxurious villa in Yang City, Liang Youde raised his glass. His bruised face wore a fawning smile.
"Cousin, thanks for your help this time."
"It was nothing. He's just an ordinary person, not worth mentioning." Liang Ji clinked his glass against Liang Youde's and drained it.
Ring, ring.
Just then, Liang Ji's phone rang. Seeing that it was one of his most trusted men, he answered without a second thought.
"Hello?"
"What! A Kekkei Genkai?"
"Are you sure?"
"I understand."
After hanging up, Liang Ji stared at Liang Youde with a grave expression. The latter felt a chill run down his spine.
"C-Cousin, what happened?"
"What happened?" Liang Ji snorted. "That Su Bai you asked me to deal with has the Sharingan Kekkei Genkai. What do you think happened?"
"What!"
Liang Youde shot to his feet and asked nervously, "Cousin, are you telling the truth? He's really a Kekkei Genkai prodigy?"
"Of course! Do you think I'd make something this serious up?"
"Great. You've gotten me into trouble with a Kekkei Genkai prodigy. I'm damn well done for!"
Furious, Liang Ji picked up his glass and hurled it at Liang Youde's face, regretting his decision.
If he'd known that the loser of a cousin had asked him to go after a Kekkei Genkai prodigy, he would never have agreed!
This was a Kekkei Genkai! As long as he survived, his future achievements would be immeasurable!
Liang Youde dropped to the floor and muttered under his breath, "I'm finished... The Federal Government values geniuses most of all. What if he comes after me?"
"Cousin, Cousin!" He scrambled over to Liang Ji and clung to his leg, pleading, "You have to save me!"
Liang Ji was furious. His good-for-nothing cousin had no talents except for getting himself into trouble, and now he'd dragged Liang Ji into it too!
He wanted nothing more than to tear Liang Youde's skin off to vent his anger!
But then he remembered that his aunt had only one son, and that before she died, she had asked him to take care of him... His anger could only turn to helplessness.
Fortunately, Su Bai hadn't come into his own yet. He was only a Genin, so Liang Ji could still manage to cover for himself. He turned to Liang Youde and said gravely, "This hasn't blown up too much yet. Hurry and apologize to Su Bai. And remember, you have to be sincere. Understand?"
"Understood, understood!" Liang Youde scrambled to his feet. He no longer cared about anything else. All he wanted was to find Su Jianhong at once and beg for forgiveness!
Ring, ring!
Just then, Liang Ji's phone rang again.
He was already in a foul mood and didn't want to answer, but when he saw who was calling, his expression changed at once!
The caller was City Lord Wen!
The city lord was the highest-ranking Federal Government official in each Base City. He had control over both the military and the government, and his authority exceeded that of a mayor!
"City Lord Wen? Hello, hello!"
"Haha, what brings you to call me? Just tell me what you need, and I'll do it!" Liang Ji answered, smiling and bowing obsequiously.
He was a wealthy businessman, a prominent figure in Yang City, and on friendly terms with Director Liu Guang. In ordinary times, he was a man of great influence!
But in front of City Lord Wen... he wasn't even worth a fart.
If City Lord Wen wanted to help him get rich and show him the way, Liang Ji would benefit for the rest of his life. But if he wanted to crush him, one word would be enough to bankrupt him overnight!
To put it plainly, City Lord Wen held Liang Ji's fate in his hands!
There was a brief silence on the phone before a voice spoke.
"Liang Ji, you'd better watch yourself."
Beep, beep...
City Lord Wen hung up after saying that, leaving Liang Ji completely dumbfounded.
City Lord Wen had personally warned him?
Told him to watch himself?
Who had he offended?
How had things gotten so out of hand?
Just then, several police officers broke through the door. The middle-aged officer leading them walked up to Liang Ji and said expressionlessly, "Liang Ji, your bribery of Liu Guang has come to light. We've also found evidence that you evaded taxes, exploited your workers, and sold counterfeit goods. Come with us."
Click!
An officer stepped forward and handcuffed Liang Ji. The middle-aged officer then turned to Liang Youde.
"Your gambling operation and the fact that you forced young women to sleep with you have also come to light. Cuff him!"
"I'm innocent! I'm innocent!"
"I admit I ran a gambling operation, but I never forced any young women!" Liang Youde struggled, panic written all over his face!
Liang Ji, on the other hand, understood what was going on. He gave a bitter smile.
"Cousin, don't struggle. If they say you did it, then you did it, whether you actually did or not. Understand?"
He knew he must have offended someone enormously powerful this time!
Tax evasion, exploiting workers, bribing Liu Guang?
Ha. Which big businessman hadn't done those things?
Or rather, what big businessman could reach his position without doing them?
Those were just excuses to arrest him. The real reason was that someone wanted him crushed...
Liang Ji looked back at his luxurious villa and sighed.
One moment he had been a respected member of society, someone people fawned over. The next, he was a prisoner... This society really was ridiculous.
After hearing his cousin's words, Liang Youde's face turned ashen. He let the two officers handcuff him, consumed by regret...
Chapter 40: I'll Make Sure You Eat Your Fill
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