MWC – Chapter 147 Stockholm Part 1

I AM DROPPING THIS NOVEL. IF ANYONE WANTS TO CONTINUE THEY CAN. IF POSSIBLE PLEASE SHARE THE LINK SO I CAN BINGE READ TOO.

In the office, Lu Ming was going through a stack of files on his desk, which were the selections for auxiliary police officers.

There are three police academies in Donghai, the most prestigious in the northeastern part of the empire. During the graduation season, many police departments from neighboring states also come to recruit.

However, most graduates from these three academies prefer to stay in Donghai, even if they can’t become official officers, and rarely choose to work in other states, opting for other professions instead.

This time, an independent prosecutor’s office was recruiting auxiliary police officers. Though these positions weren’t official police officers, the benefits were good, including federal pension security, and working for the prosecutor offered a good chance of being promoted to a permanent position. As a result, students from all three academies were enthusiastic. Despite it not being the graduation season, many students from lower to upper grades applied.

Duan Lian and others selected sixty outstanding candidates, thirty men and thirty women, and sent the list to the commissioner’s office for the final selection of twenty auxiliary officers.

After flipping through the files, Lu Ming set them aside, finding them all similar and decided to let his subordinates make the final selection.

He then looked at a few more files brought by Murong Xue.

The election campaign had been underway for a month and was about to enter a critical stage. Cao Ying’s team had already started high-profile promotions in District Three.

If the incumbent District Three councilor Yang Guiren continued, it wouldn’t be a big deal, but Cao Ying had a high social reputation, which Yang Guiren couldn’t match.

After just a few days of community promotion, the polls showed Cao Ying quickly catching up.

Being a hands-off manager himself, Murong Xue felt a lot of pressure and even submitted her resignation, hoping to hire an experienced campaign manager. She agreed to stay in the campaign office but wanted to step down as the chief campaign officer.

Having no other choice, Lu Ming agreed to hire a capable assistant as the deputy campaign manager, which made Murong Xue retract her resignation.

The files Lu Ming was now looking at were for candidates for the deputy campaign manager position.

Murong Xue had many habits, one of which was placing the most favored candidate at the bottom of the pile.

So Lu Ming directly picked up the last file, intending to go with it if it was suitable.

Opening the file, Lu Ming’s eyes suddenly narrowed.

The photo was a black-and-white headshot of a young woman in a qipao, with delicate willow leaf eyebrows and a gentle appearance.

The name was Gao Wangshi, who was indeed the wife of Gao Depei, Mrs. Gao.

What was going on?

According to the file, Mrs. Gao had obtained several political-related degrees in recent years.

Currently, she held the position of vice president of an elite women’s association, clearly a socialite involved in charity and networking.

Moreover, she was a special advisor to Councilor Gao Depei’s campaign office.

Given her credentials, it was no wonder Murong Xue ranked her as the top candidate and hoped to interview her as soon as possible.

Murong Xue had no idea about the case.

But what did Mrs. Gao want?

The phone suddenly rang urgently. Lu Ming picked up the receiver.

It was Fumors on the other end, “Young Master, Gao Yulong has been electrocuted to death.”

“What?” Lu Ming was startled and stood up abruptly, “I’m coming over right now!”

Five days ago, after the morning meeting with Mrs. Gao and Gao Yulong, both were released on bail.

The prosecutor’s office continued to search for evidence to prepare an ironclad case against Gao Yulong.

Fumors had personally assigned people to monitor the Gao family’s activities.

Lu Ming was also strategizing on how to use Mrs. Gao to prosecute Gao Yulong, hoping that it might lead to uncovering some of Mrs. Gao’s past activities, as she was quite clever and might know something valuable.

But unexpectedly, news of Gao Yulong’s death came.

……

Under the bright streetlights, Lu Ming could vaguely see many cars parked inside Gao Depei’s villa through the decorative iron gate.

Fumors had reported earlier that many influential members of the Justice Party had arrived at the Gao residence in the evening.

This might have caused Fumors to relax her vigilance a bit.

Originally, they were supposed to monitor Gao Yulong 24 hours a day.

Both Gao Depei and Mrs. Gao knew this.

Gao Yulong, being young, could not be detained for long before conviction; no judge would deny him bail.

Furthermore, the prosecution had not yet filed charges.

The outside world had no idea that a sensational case involving a nine-year-old demon killer might emerge.

Lu Ming hadn’t expected the clever and ruthless little devil to die so easily.

Perhaps, a nine-year-old demon was still a nine-year-old, while a thirty-five-year-old demon was more terrifying.

A nine-year-old demon couldn’t hide himself well, whereas in the detention room, it seemed the nine-year-old demon was more dangerous.

Especially since this nine-year-old demon had lost his mother’s protection.

Lu Ming pondered randomly all the way.

In front of the Gao residence, Lu Ming had just gotten out of the car when Fumors quickly approached, “When I called you, Gao Depei had just reported it to the police, and forensics arrived about fifteen minutes ago.”

Lu Ming nodded and walked quickly into the villa.

……

The living room was crowded, all with solemn expressions. On the day when the party leaders gathered to strategize for the intense four-yearly competition, the beloved only son of the party leader suffered a mishap, shocking and saddening everyone, creating a heavy atmosphere. Some felt bad for the party leader, while a few quietly found the situation ominous, though no one dared to express this.

Lu Ming was quickly led to the study on the second floor by a servant.

Inside, Gao Depei sat dazedly behind his desk, looking devastated.

Beside him, Mrs. Gao, wearing a light purple embroidered qipao, sat with her originally sleek hair styled into slight curls, looking fashionable and elegant. Her qipao and stockings accentuated her charm as a socialite, but her face was full of sorrow, her eyes red and swollen, appearing equally distraught.

The study was also filled with people, including seven or eight heavyweights from the Justice Party, most of whom Lu Ming had seen in newspapers.

There was also the party minister, Zhao Shengkui, dressed in a blue robe with long white whiskers, looking about seventy years old.

“Ladies and gentlemen…” Gao Depei finally seemed to regain his senses, “Oh, Commissioner Lu, your arrival is timely. I have an announcement to make.”

“Originally, tonight’s party meeting was to discuss the future of our party.”

“I have long felt my age catching up to me, and many things have become beyond my capabilities. In recent years, many party affairs have been handled by Ling’er. Therefore, I hope to step down, and though it may seem biased, I hope that Gao Wangshi can take over as the party leader. Mr. Zhao, do you and the other councilors agree? Of course, even in this room, there are dissenting voices, right, Mr. Zhang, Mr. Zheng? You two are strongly opposed, correct?”

When mentioning “Mr. Zhao,” Zhao Shengkui’s eyes seemed to glance at the seductive curves of Mrs. Gao’s qipao.

Lu Ming, observing everyone’s reactions, shook his head inwardly.

Councilors Zhang and Zheng, who had been vehemently opposed, now seemed embarrassed and speechless, feeling somewhat guilty.

Originally, Gao Depei had said he would take a bath, but because of the heated argument with them, he hadn’t gone, resulting in his young son’s electrocution. If Gao Depei had gone to the bathroom first, he might have noticed the exposed wires.

It seemed that the servants, following Gao Depei’s instructions, had moved the bathtub, somehow breaking the wires without noticing.

The Gao family had been unlucky lately, so yesterday Gao Depei had consulted a feng shui master, rearranging many rooms in the house.

But unexpectedly, the little master of the house was electrocuted, which could only be attributed to fate.

Councilor Zhang cleared his throat, “Depei, why don’t we discuss this in a few days? You should rest today.”

Gao Depei shook his head despondently, “You don’t know, a few days ago when I discussed my retirement with Ling’er, she strongly disagreed. She said there were many more qualified and respected colleagues in the party, and if I insisted, she would leave the party and find work elsewhere… She even sent out many resumes. Oh, Commissioner Lu, didn’t you receive her application? Her job application?” He looked at Lu Ming as he spoke.

Lu Ming nodded, “Yes, I was wondering about it. So that’s how it is. It seems I won’t have the fortune to work with such a capable person!”

Councilors Zhang, Zheng, and others who had been strongly opposed felt a chill in their hearts upon hearing this.

Calculating the serious consequences if Mrs. Gao leaves the party.

The Justice Party would likely split.

Moreover, for the position of party leader, in terms of seniority, it should go to Mr. Zhao; in terms of capability, it should be Mr. Gong Daxing. However, both Mr. Zhao and Mr. Gong Daxing firmly support Mrs. Gao’s succession as party leader.

Representative Zheng coughed, “Depei, maybe you should rest for a few days and discuss this later?”

“Long’er died because of me…” Suddenly, tears streamed down Gao Depei’s face, revealing his deep sorrow.

Lu Ming understood that his interpretation of this statement differed from how the Justice Party representatives understood it.

Someone knocked on the door outside.

A servant’s voice said, “Commissioner Lu, the forensic team wants to know if you have time.”

Lu Ming excused himself and stepped out, softly closing the door, then paused.

Standing there with an ingratiating smile was Cheng Dalong.

He had been an assistant medical examiner in the Li Mingxuan case and had once given Lu Ming inside information, and they had danced together at the Wind Bao Club.

“Are you leading the team?” Lu Ming smiled.

“Yes, Commissioner Lu. Long time no see!” Cheng Dalong beamed with a flattering smile. “Didn’t you once call our director and ask about me? After that, I passed the medical examiner’s interview and recently started leading my own team.”

Did that really happen? Did I ask about you? Lu Ming had already forgotten, but he nodded. This guy was capable, though lacking connections. He probably used his “acquaintance” with me to leverage his position since he could describe details of my habits from our interactions.

“Oh, your director. I’ll thank him next time I call.”

Cheng Dalong was momentarily stunned and then almost wept with gratitude. That director had hinted several times, wondering if Commissioner Lu knew about his promotion. He had been troubled by this, fearing that if the director found out he was bluffing, it could cost him his job.

“You’ve always been my benefactor, I knew it!” Cheng Dalong’s voice choked with emotion, half true and half exaggerated.

“What’s your initial assessment?” Lu Ming asked.

“Well, the initial assessment based on external symptoms indicates electrocution, with many electrical burn marks. But we still need an autopsy. There are no signs of binding, so it appears to be an accident. The exposed wire was indeed pulled loose by one of the bathtub’s claws. The wire was from an outlet, and it was initially off. The deceased likely tried to turn on the switch to dry his hair, and the moment he connected it, the water on the ground completed the circuit, electrocuting him instantly. The autopsy should confirm it was a sudden cardiac arrest.”

Lu Ming nodded and turned, just as Mrs. Gao stepped out, gently closing the door.

Lu Ming waved, and Cheng Dalong quickly bowed and returned to the washroom area.

“Commissioner Lu, please follow me. They’re still discussing party affairs. Let’s talk somewhere quiet.”

Lu Ming followed Mrs. Gao down the hallway into a lounge.

Initially, the room was dark. Mrs. Gao turned on a soft wall light and opened the curtains, quickly brightening the room.

“Please, sit,” Mrs. Gao indicated the sofa behind the coffee table, where a delicate tea set was placed. She elegantly bent down in her tightly fitted qipao to boil water on an electric stove.

“Commissioner Lu, though they’re still discussing, I think there’s little doubt about me becoming the leader of the Justice Party.”

Mrs. Gao stood up, smiled sweetly at Lu Ming, and said, “I will run for the seventh district representative, and there shouldn’t be any issues.”

Lu Ming nodded, “The seventh district has always been your husband’s stronghold. Over the years, you’ve become revered like a living saint in those communities.”

Mrs. Gao chuckled, “Commissioner Lu, you know everything. Is there anything in this world that you don’t know?”

“Of course, there is. For instance, I don’t know how Gao Yulong died.” Lu Ming looked at her.

Mrs. Gao sighed softly, “That child had bad luck. Even a bath could electrocute him!”

“Oh, the water’s ready…” Mrs. Gao picked up the kettle and knelt beside Lu Ming, carefully handling the tea set on the coffee table.

She looked up and smiled at Lu Ming, “Commissioner Lu, do you prefer Gongfu tea or a quick brew?”

At that moment, she was truly kneeling at Lu Ming’s feet, her charming face with the sophisticated beauty of a socialite and the elegance of a celebrity from old photographs, resembling the style of the first lady from the Republic era.

Lu Ming shook his head, “I’m wondering if your husband knows that Gao Yulong wasn’t his son. Isn’t he resentful? Even though he’s deeply affected and plans to step down, it’s surprising that he supports you taking over. How did you explain this to him?”

“If we’re talking about storytelling, how could I compare to you, Commissioner Lu? No matter the topic, you always have the upper hand. You’re like a towering tree, and I’m just the soil at your roots…”

Mrs. Gao laughed charmingly and gently brushed the dust off Lu Ming’s shoes with her pale hand.

“Commissioner Lu, I think you prefer a quick brew!” Mrs. Gao offered him a cup of tea.

“Will Zhao Si die?” Lu Ming suddenly asked.

Mrs. Gao was surprised, “Everyone dies eventually. But if you mean in the next few years, I think he’ll live a long life. He’s a good person. Even though he knew about Long’er killing someone and helped cover it up, he did it out of loyalty. And when he told me, it was already too late. I had him watch over Long’er to prevent something like this from happening again…”

Mrs. Gao sighed, “Perhaps I’m just an inadequate and foolish mother. I should have reported it sooner, but instead, I caused another death. Now, what can I say? What’s done is done, and Long’er has been punished. Sigh…”

Lu Ming stared at her. Indeed, Zhao Si, unaware of the full manipulation, was always kept in a fog by her carefully worded statements.

Even with interrogation methods, Zhao Si’s full disclosure painted Mrs. Gao as a mother who couldn’t distinguish right from wrong.

Now that Gao Yulong was dead, this mother would hardly face legal punishment for her past misguided actions.

“Commissioner Lu, now that you know everything you wanted to, I’d like to know, why do you seem like a deity?” Mrs. Gao shifted slightly, kneeling directly at Lu Ming’s feet, “Commissioner Lu, I didn’t expect such a long and complex story to be narrated so well. All the twists and turns were captivating, even more so than a storyteller’s craft. I’m both fearful and respectful of you!”

She picked up the cup that Lu Ming had casually placed on the coffee table, “Commissioner Lu, do you think I would harm you? What good would it do me?”

She lifted the cup and tilted her neck, downing the tea in one gulp.

Placing the cup aside, she smiled at Lu Ming, “See?”

Lu Ming smiled, “In my hometown, there’s a storyteller who spoke of a Nine Dragon Teapot, capable of holding eight different poisons and still pouring clean tea. But I won’t drink this tea, not out of fear, but because I think it’s dirty…”

Standing up, he said, “Besides Gao Yulong’s victims, you should have at least one life on your hands. The little maid who burned charcoal, who was the real Gao Yulong’s biological mother, was killed by you, wasn’t she? As for Gao Depei’s first wife, I’m not sure.”

Mrs. Gao’s face changed but then she smiled faintly, “Commissioner Lu, you’re telling stories again.”

Lu Ming looked at her, “Perhaps the law can’t touch you for now, but if you enter politics, I will hit you hard, and it may be worse than death.”

“I’m not a symbol of justice. In this world, hundreds or thousands of people die unjustly every day. Who can manage all of them? But since there’s an unjust death in my case, I won’t let the murderer go! If the law can’t punish you, I will kill you!”

Lu Ming spoke calmly, staring at her.

Mrs. Gao’s face finally changed, and she slowly stood up, “Commissioner Lu, you’re just starting in politics. I admire you sincerely. I’ll have the entire party support you in any matter. You know, I mean it. I see a great future for you and hope to share your glory! You should know how much support from the entire Justice Party would benefit you now.”

Lu Ming smiled, “It’s precisely because I’m just starting that I don’t want the foundation beneath my feet to be filthy!” He turned and left.

Mrs. Gao stood there, watching his departing figure.

After a long time, a soft sigh echoed in the tea room, “If I had met him twenty years ago, what would it have been like?”