Chapter 97: Report to the Municipal Party Committee

Lu Yike really had no idea what exactly Yang Dong wanted to know. He kept hinting at Gu Santong with ever greater insistence. She had heard every word clearly.

Yang Dong let out a sigh that seemed to carry the weight of complex emotions, then turned to Lu Yike and said, “It’s only a personal hunch, but I keep thinking that no single person could possibly have embezzled so much money.”

He understood the full truth in his heart, yet that revelation would only become public after 2018 in the years to come. At this moment, however, it was merely 2008. Until Gu Santong spoke, no one would ever learn the details. He himself could not volunteer the information either, for if he did, the one who would face trouble would not be Gu Santong but himself.

He could not speak openly to Lu Yike, so he answered her as best he could.

Lu Yike frowned. Then she glanced around the vast living room, where stolen money had been packed into dozens of heavy crates. Such a startling sight had all been orchestrated by Gu Santong, and it did indeed seem gravely amiss.

If Gu Santong chose to remain silent and refuse to confess, however, further investigation would become impossible. Regardless, the Municipal Commission of Discipline Inspection would have to close the file. Gu Santong’s embezzlement of such a vast sum already constituted a major corruption case. As for the precise amount, since he could not account for it, the only available charge would be “assets whose source is unclear.”

Countless corrupt officials had faced this very accusation. If digging proved fruitless, it might mean he had taken too much and simply forgotten, or that he dared not speak, or could not speak, for to do so would unleash even greater disaster. In that case he would have to bear the burden alone.

“Team leader, don’t overthink it. You’ve already done far more than anyone could expect. In the years I’ve worked with the Lingyun Municipal Commission of Discipline Inspection, I’ve never admired any peer the way I admire you—you’re the first.”

Lu Yike placed a hand on Yang Dong’s shoulder, trying to steady him.

As a member of the Commission, initial hesitation during an investigation was only natural. She had felt the same way at the start. Later her father and uncle had guided her past that stage. Recouping losses for the Party and the nation, removing corrupt officials for the sake of the people—that was the duty of every Discipline Inspection officer. The rest remained a matter of human nature, and human nature was the hardest thing to understand.

“I’m fine,” Yang Dong said, nodding with a faint smile. “I’m not overthinking this, nor have I failed to cross the threshold. I simply feel a certain regret that I couldn’t extract the real truth from Gu Santong’s lips. These funds were never his alone. The businessman behind them is the true source of evil, and I know it perfectly well. Yet Gu Santong refuses to speak, so this case cannot proceed.”

Sometimes even when deeper layers were uncovered, the matter might still not be pursued.

For instance, the full details of the Caiyun KTV case revealed by Tian Guanghan, the deputy secretary of the Municipal Government, might never be investigated further. The visible perpetrator could only be identified as Tian Guanghan’s son, Tian Yuan. All other acts of corruption, dereliction of duty, and misuse of office to seek personal advantage would remain attributed to Tian Guanghan himself. The father and son would be finished for the rest of their lives. Yet this was precisely the outcome Yang Dong hoped for.

“Leader, everything has been counted!”

At that moment a staff member from the case review office stepped forward to report.

The once-noisy sound of the counting machines finally fell silent. After so much noise, the sudden quiet felt strangely unsettling. Everyone had grown accustomed to constant bustle; silence now struck an abnormal note.

“How much?”

Su Tongzhou turned immediately to the staff member and asked.

“Together with all the assets, the total comes to twenty-one million three hundred thousand yuan.”

The staff member’s face showed open disbelief, yet he still delivered the figure to Su Tongzhou. In his entire life he had only heard of sums exceeding two million yuan; he had never seen them in person. Now, however, here they stood, counted by his own hands in this very room. The experience left him shaken.

“What a case! Truly a major corruption scandal!”

Su Tongzhou had served on the Commission for more than twenty years; this was the first time he had witnessed such a scene. At least in the Lingyun Municipal Commission of Discipline Inspection, no figure like Gu Santong had appeared in the past two decades.

“Have the materials been prepared?”

Su Tongzhou asked the on-site personnel from the Municipal Commission of Discipline Inspection.

“Everything is ready, eleven copies in total!”

The colleague beside him promptly handed over a thick dossier of A4 pages to Su Tongzhou. After reviewing its contents, Su Tongzhou placed the packet inside an archive bag, turned to Yang Dong, and said, “Yang Dong, come with me to report to the Municipal Party Committee.”

“Me? Report to the Municipal Party Committee?”

Yang Dong stared at Su Tongzhou in astonishment. He found it hard to grasp the meaning behind the request. A routine report of this kind, especially one directed at the Municipal Party Committee, was that of a small section chief? Normally the task would fall to Su Tongzhou, the deputy team leader of the Municipal Commission of Discipline Inspection investigation unit, or to Wei Chonghu, the team leader himself.

“Time is short, the workload is heavy. Stop hesitating and move!”

Su Tongzhou had no patience to explain further. He pointed toward the villa and strode quickly toward the entrance. It was already half past midnight. By the time they reached the Municipal Party Committee office building it would be after one o’clock. Getting there sooner would also allow the various leaders to return home and rest earlier.

“Team leader, hurry! This is a rare chance to make a good impression!”

Hou Donglai gazed at Yang Dong with open envy and urged him onward. Reporting to the Municipal Party Committee leaders was already an enviable opportunity for a small section chief. He had reached this level through sheer luck.

“Want this chance? You go ahead.”

Yang Dong handed the stack of documents to Hou Donglai and asked.

“I? I wouldn’t dare!”

Hou Donglai stepped back at once. He lacked the courage; seeing even the deputy prosecutor of their city’s Procuratorate made him nervous, let alone the Municipal Party Committee leaders.

“Team leader, you go. After all, you are the leader of the special task force. The interrogation of Gu Santong, the discovery of the villa, and the details of the embezzlement—all of it was driven by you.”

Lu Yike spoke from the side, signaling that Yang Dong need not worry too much. Here the benefits outweighed the risks.

Yang Dong nodded and said nothing more. He turned and strode quickly toward the villa entrance, following Su Tongzhou’s footsteps.

Su Tongzhou pulled open the door of the Municipal Commission of Discipline Inspection case vehicle and settled into the back seat. Yang Dong took the passenger seat and fastened his seatbelt. In this era many people still lacked clear awareness of traffic safety rules, and seatbelts were not strictly enforced. Yet Yang Dong always made sure to buckle his own, out of personal responsibility.

“Step on it! Faster!”

Su Tongzhou urged the driver from the rear. He glanced at his watch; it was already half past midnight. This villa lay in Yunbei District, and reaching the Municipal Party Committee office building in the city center would take over twenty minutes. The driver pressed the accelerator. With little traffic on the roads at night, speed could be maintained.

Compared with the heavy congestion of late-night traffic in later years, the city now felt eerily quiet. Night life was sparse, a direct result of the local economy’s limited development.

Twenty minutes later the vehicle pulled up at the Municipal Party Committee office building. After passing the security checkpoint at the gate, the car entered the compound.

“Yang Dong, once you reach the Municipal Party Committee leaders, report only the facts of the case. Say nothing that should not be said, ask nothing that should not be asked. Understood?”

After getting out of the car, Su Tongzhou called Yang Dong aside and gave him a final warning. He feared that the young man might be misled by the seasoned officials, used as a pawn in their schemes. Yet he had no choice but to bring Yang Dong along, for the entire investigation had been led by the Tenth Small Group, and as deputy team leader Su Tongzhou himself knew only parts of the full process.

“I understand, leader.”

Yang Dong grasped the hidden meaning in Su Tongzhou’s words and nodded seriously. The two walked side by side into the Municipal Party Committee office building and headed straight for the meeting room on the fifth floor.