Era of Magic and Martial Arts-Chapter 276 - 260: Let’s Aim for 100 Dead First

Lou Duan asked, "Who?"

Zhao Xing instinctively leaned forward, his ears perked up.

Zhou Hu swiped through the photos in the phone album, the pictures taken through surveillance, showing a face that stayed close to Qian Huan.

"It’s this person."

Zhou Hu pointed at the person in the photo, speaking harshly,

"Qian Huan did something crazy this morning, patrolling all the detention areas, and this person followed him the entire time. I checked; this person is named Shi Wuming, and he joined the security team after processing his entry yesterday morning."

Lou Duan glanced at the photo on the phone and asked, "What’s the reason?"

Zhou Hu organized his thoughts and responded methodically:

"First, I verified the files of the other newcomers, and although a couple of them are quite capable, they still can’t avoid surveillance."

"Second, this person arrived yesterday morning, and Tian Tao died last night. Isn’t the timing too coincidental?"

"Third, entering the Second Prison requires file registration, but I couldn’t find this person’s file. It was taken by Qian Huan, who said it was entered into Celestial Light Investment’s records. Clearly, this person harbors secrets."

"Fourth, I found this person extremely dangerous. When I met his gaze this morning, it felt as if I was naked, and he could see right through to my bones."

Zhao Xing chimed in supportively:

"I felt the same. When Qian Huan patrolled our area, this Shi Wuming guy glanced at me, and I felt a chill up my spine."

Upon hearing this, Lou Duan slightly furrowed his brows.

Given his martial arts cultivation, he naturally understood the weight of a martial artist’s intuition.

One person’s intuition might be misleading, but when both have similar feelings, it demands serious attention.

Lou Duan pondered for a moment, then sighed deeply, saying, "But in the end, it’s all just speculation and suspicion. You don’t have any solid evidence."

Zhou Hu’s face turned dark with frustration, while Zhao Xing delighted in Zhou Hu’s distress but also worried that Station Chief Lou might completely disregard it.

Fortunately, a second later, Lou Duan’s tone suddenly shifted, becoming cold and sinister:

"But it’s okay. Having evidence is one way to play, having no evidence is another."

Zhou Hu’s face lit up, and Zhao Xing also relaxed a bit. Zhou Hu eagerly asked, "Please, Station Chief Lou, teach me. Without evidence, how do we bring down Qian Huan?"

Lou Duan habitually touched his nose, looking down at the water in his teacup, and said laconically, "Do you think your opponent is Qian Huan?"

Zhou Hu nodded, "It’s Qian Huan, but also Celestial Light Investment. Celestial Light Investment wants to carve up our meat."

Zhao Xing replied, "It’s Celestial Light Investment, but Celestial Light Investment is just the visible face, the real power hidden behind them is the Bright Group."

Lou Duan responded, "You’re not wrong, but the ones truly wielding the knife and cutting out the Second Prison is the Executive Government."

Without waiting for the two to respond, Lou Duan continued sinisterly:

"The influence of the Bright Group in Zone 9 is indeed significant, and they have deeply penetrated the Members of Parliament in the Executive Government. But at the end of the day, they can only influence because the knife to carve up the meat is still held by the Executive Government."

Zhou Hu and Zhao Xing immediately felt a chill. They dared to deal with Qian Huan, and to some extent, even dared to bare their teeth at the Bright Group.

But they absolutely did not have the guts to bare their teeth at the Executive Government.

The nature is different: one is at most a fierce dog baring its teeth to defend food from outsiders, the other is baring its teeth at the owner. Outsiders might not dare to kill you, but the owner could strip your skin and eat your meat and bones at any moment.

Lou Duan grinned and asked, "What, scared?"

Zhou Hu and Zhao Xing looked at each other, cold sweat breaking out on their foreheads.

Lou Duan watched their stiff expressions and sneered:

"I’m not asking you to confront the Executive Government. You don’t have that capability. I’m just making you understand, this big drama coming up, who exactly are we putting on a show for?" 𝘧𝘳𝘦ℯ𝓌𝘦𝒷𝘯𝑜𝑣𝘦𝓁.𝒸𝘰𝓂

Although Zhou Hu and Zhao Xing didn’t yet understand what Station Chief Lou wanted to do, upon hearing this, they both heaved a sigh of relief.

Zhao Xing asked hesitantly, "A show for the Executive Government? Excuse my dullness, could you explain it a bit more, Station Chief Lou?"

Lou Duan smiled, "Let me ask you, if a dog has its food bowl taken by another dog, what should this dog do?"

Zhou Hu answered without thinking, "Bite that dog to death and take the food back."

Lou Duan replied calmly, "What if it can’t bite back, if it lacks the ability to retrieve it?"

Zhao Xing seemed to understand a bit, hesitantly saying, "Then the dog would have to seek help from its owner and beg the owner to help get it back?"

Lou Duan showed a look of appreciation in his eyes, "Not bad, it seems you’re a smart dog."

Zhao Xing, pleased with the praise, felt as though he had just tasted a bone. He asked, "But now it seems like those above don’t care about our Second Prison at all."

Lou Duan sipped tea and asked rhetorically, "Who are you referring to as above?"

Zhao Xing was momentarily confused but then answered, "Of course, the higher-ups in our prison system, like Chief Warden Liu Bo and the other station chiefs."

Lou Duan set down his teacup and said flatly, "Wrong, I just reminded you, the knife handle is in the hands of the Executive Government."

Zhao Xing suddenly realized, becoming even more puzzled, "But it’s the Executive Government that wants to cut us out. Can seeking help from the Executive Government really work?"

Lou Duan sneered, "Remember, fundamentally, the Second Prison is also the dog of the Executive Government."

Zhao Xing furrowed his brow in thought, while Zhou Hu listened in confusion.

Lou Duan didn’t keep them guessing and said,

"If a dog can’t get back its food, it must seek help from its owner. But just running over and barking won’t necessarily get the owner’s attention. The dog must be bitten half to death and crawl back on its last breath, understand?"

Zhao Xing seemed to ponder, feeling like he somewhat understood.

Lou Duan continued, "The Executive Government does want to sell the Second Prison and the Bright Group a good price, but to the Executive Government, financial gain may be important, but it’s never the most important. What’s the most important?"

Zhao Xing blurted out, "Stability?"

Lou Duan sneered, "Reputation."

Zhao Xing suddenly found clarity, almost jumping off the sofa, excitement shining in his eyes.

Lou Duan calmly said, "The most important survival wisdom for a dog is knowing to respect the owner’s presence when hitting a dog."

Lou Duan leaned back on the sofa, giving the two some time to digest and ponder. After a long pause, he spoke sinisterly:

"Tian Tao is dead, Chang Wei is most likely dead too, but that’s not enough, far from enough, more must die."

Lou Duan stood up, his aquiline nose highlighting his extremely sinister features.

He said, "Since Prison Director Qian likes to solve personnel issues through killing, you should help him kill a few more. Who would care with just one or two dead? As I recall, there are about 400 prison guards in the Second Prison, right?"

Zhao Xing quietly said, "There should be about 414 prison guards, right?"

Lou Duan chuckled, a laugh chilling enough to feel like falling into an ice cavern: "Let’s start with aiming for 100 deaths, if Prison Director Qian can’t kill that many, you help him kill."

.....