Absolute power in officialdom

Chapter 49 The Secret in the USB Drive

The person who entered acted suspiciously, quickly closing the door after entering. Without turning on the lights, they used their mobile phone as a flashlight and then opened the door to Xu Youwei's office in the inner room.

Although the light was dim, Wu Zhiyuan still recognized that the person was Ang Yang.

The camera was not pointed at Xu Youwei's office.

What Angyang was doing in the inner room was invisible, but the sound of chairs being moved could be clearly heard.

It cannot be ruled out that Ang Yang was looking through the documents on Xu Youwei's desk.

About ten minutes later, Ang Yang came out of the inner office.

Wu Zhiyuan analyzed that the bugging device was most likely installed by Ang Yang.

As Xu Youwei's former secretary, Ang Yang had the authority to open the door.

Normally, since Angyang is not currently working in this office, his access card privileges should be revoked.

This could be due to negligence on the part of the access card administrator, or it could be that Angyang retained his access through special connections.

The last time I heard Lang Wenping say that Ang Yang was a distant relative of Geng Dongqing, the deputy secretary-general of the municipal party committee and director of the municipal party committee office.

Wu Zhiyuan could tell that, so far, Xu Youwei did not seem to trust Geng Dongqing.

When faced with important matters, Xu Youwei preferred to consult with him rather than with Geng Dongqing.

Xu Youwei's position is not yet secure. If he does gain a firm foothold, he will likely replace Geng Dongqing.

A new emperor brings a new court; this has been true throughout history and across the world.

The next day at work, Wu Zhiyuan reported to Xu Youwei about Ang Yang sneaking into the office at night.

Xu Youwei's expression was stern: "Where's the recording?"

Wu Zhiyuan immediately pulled up the surveillance video on his phone.

"So he was the mole! How could he do such a despicable thing! It seems that replacing him was a wise decision."

Wu Zhiyuan tentatively asked, "Secretary Xu, are you going to talk to Ang Yang, or...?"

"The city is going to select a group of cadres to go to the villages to help alleviate poverty and serve as the first secretaries of the village party branches. The municipal party committee office also has a quota, so let's send Angyang. He needs to be tempered in the great melting pot of the grassroots."

Wu Zhiyuan immediately understood Xu Youwei's intention.

This was not a simple transfer, but a dignified purge and exile.

Sending Angyang to a remote, impoverished village for a temporary post not only complies with policy requirements and avoids major controversy, but also allows for a swift removal of him from his core position, severing his direct connection with those behind him. At the same time, it serves as a stern warning and punishment.

This is far more sophisticated than a direct confrontation and accusations; it's a typical political maneuver.

Xu Youwei immediately called Geng Dongqing, and the list of people from the Municipal Party Committee Office who were going to the villages for poverty alleviation was submitted.

Geng Dongqing pleaded tactfully: "Secretary Xu, Ang Yang is a diligent and hardworking individual, and his position is very important. Could we perhaps reconsider the candidate?"

Xu Youwei said in an unquestionable tone: "Comrade Dongqing, the selection and dispatch of cadres to villages for poverty alleviation is a unified deployment of the Provincial Party Committee and an important measure to train cadres and serve the grassroots."

Prime ministers rise from local government positions, and valiant generals emerge from the ranks. The lower the level of one's position, the more one is forged.

He was young and full of vigor, a time when he needed to be tempered and refined; the organization had high hopes for him. That was the end of it.

Xu Youwei made the final decision, and Geng Dongqing couldn't say much more.

On Sunday morning, Wu Zhiyuan worked overtime.

In the afternoon, I managed to squeeze out some time to help Lin Keke move.

Lin Keke's studio apartment is about twenty square meters with a ceiling height of 5.2 meters. Although the area is not large, it is arranged in an orderly manner.

The first floor has a living room, dining room, and kitchen. Going up the stairs to the attic, there is a bedroom and a simple study.

The move was finished at around 4 p.m.

Wu Zhiyuan drove to Dalong's home in Qingshan County.

More than an hour later, the car entered a remote village in Qingshan County.

Da Long's house is located at the westernmost end of the village; it consists of four tiled rooms.

An old woman sat alone on a wooden chair, looking towards the intersection.

Lin Keke bought milk and fruit and gave 500 yuan. She introduced herself: "Auntie, I am from Longcheng Public Security Bureau. My surname is Lin."

I came to see you today and also wanted to ask about Da Long's situation.

The old man's expression was rather blank as he murmured, "The person is gone, what's the point of understanding anymore..."

Lin Keke said, "Auntie, we understand how you feel. We are investigating Dalong's cause of death. Dalong may have left behind some things that might help us solve the case. We want to go to the attic to take a look."

The old man did not refuse: "You can go up there. There's a ladder over there. My legs aren't very strong, and I haven't been up there for many years."

Wu Zhiyuan and Lin Keke carefully climbed the creaking wooden ladder, one after the other.

The attic had no lights and no windows, so the two began to search carefully using the light from their cell phones.

The attic was low, covered in dust and cobwebs, and filled with old furniture, farm tools, and other odds and ends. There was a strong musty smell in the air.

Lin Keke said softly, "Zhiyuan, let's split up and search. Keep an eye out for any places where things might be hidden, such as boxes, cabinets, especially corners and crevices."

The search process was intense and meticulous.

The dust and musty smell made you want to cough.

Time ticked by, and both of them were on tenterhooks.

Suddenly, Lin Keke noticed that a brick on the wall was loose. She pried it off with her hand and found a black plastic bag inside.

"Zhiyuan, look!" Lin Keke said happily.

Wu Zhiyuan immediately came over and opened the heavy black plastic bag.

What was inside gave them a shock!

Just as Da Long had said, there were USB drives and laptops, but what was most shocking was a pile of gold and silver jewelry wrapped in soft cloth—in addition to a few gold bars, there were gold necklaces, gold rings and other valuables.

Wu Zhiyuan restored the bricks to their original state, trying not to leave any traces of disturbance, and then he and Lin Keke climbed down from the attic.

After getting in the car, Lin Keke said, "Zhiyuan, let's drive to a secluded spot and see what's on the USB drive and the laptop."

"OK."

There was an open area at the entrance of the village, and no one was around.

Wu Zhiyuan parked the car.

Both of them sat in the back seat.

Da Long killed Zhang Wanlin's older brother, Zhang Wanshan, the vice president of Jintang Group and Zhang Wanlin's right-hand man.

Adultery has always led to death; there was Ximen Qing in ancient times, and Zhang Wanshan in modern times.

Zhang Wanshan was killed by Dalong because he had an affair with Dalong's girlfriend.

Open the notebook; it contains records of Zhang Wanshan's bribery.

The details of when the gifts were given, how much was given, what was given, who received them, who the witnesses were, and the circumstances of the gift-giving are all crystal clear.

Wu Zhiyuan flipped through the pages and was shocked to see the names of Ai Kun, Tao Sizhong, and Geng Dongqing.

Was Geng Dongqing also bribed by Zhang Wanlin?

However, bribery records alone cannot form a complete chain of evidence, but they can serve as clues to problems.

Lin Keke brought her laptop because she knew there was a USB drive, and the USB drive contained videos of the Zhang brothers, Zhang Wanshan and Zhang Wanlin, corrupting officials.

When the USB drive is inserted into the computer, multiple folders appear inside, named with the date and the user's name.

Lin Keke saw Tao Sizhong's name again.

Upon opening it, the content was utterly offensive.