Chapter Twenty-Four: The Earth-Shattering Case
Lei Dong learned that shocking news when he returned to the academy from his first field training, marking half a year since he began formal training.
March 18, 2028, seven o’clock in the evening.
Lei Dong and the entire squad of thirty sat in neat rows in the third-floor audiovisual room of the base, watching the nightly broadcast of "News Panorama," which aired precisely at this hour.
As one of the mandatory political education activities for every soldier, watching the highest-level media program "News Panorama" had been an unyielding tradition for this unit for years—unless they were actively on a field mission.
The news that night began much like any other: politicians might find subtle undertones, but there was nothing to attract this group of spirited young men. Lei Dong and Wu Yun watched absentmindedly, exchanging playful glances with their comrades.
Yet, only a few minutes later, Lei Dong’s expression grew strange.
After the routine segments—leaders being busy, the nation thriving, the people happy—the program was supposed to shift to “foreigners suffering in misery.” Instead, the screen changed, and the anchor, dressed in black with a grave expression, returned to the camera and solemnly announced, “The Republic’s Supreme Procuratorate has indicted Lin Jiangbei.”
A single sentence, but it thundered in Lei Dong’s ears, leaving him stunned.
“The latest news from our station: Chief Justice Wu Zhisheng of the Supreme Court has revealed that the Supreme Procuratorate has officially indicted former member of the Supreme Parliament, former Director of the Presidential Office, and Vice Speaker of the Upper House, Lin Jiangbei. The Supreme Court has filed the case. Previously, the Han Capital City Parliament passed a resolution to impeach Lin Jiangbei, stripping him of his legislative qualifications and transferring evidence and leads of his alleged crimes to the judiciary. It is understood that Lin Jiangbei faces charges of massive corruption and bribery, abuse of power, and shielding criminals. Sources say this case is connected to multiple criminal, murder, and assault charges against Lin Tianyi (Lin Jiangbei’s son). It is believed that during the investigation and review of these cases, Lin Jiangbei significantly interfered with the judicial process…”
“My God, this is turning Lin Jiangbei inside out!” Lei Dong gaped.
Just a week ago, the national election, held every five years, had concluded. Tang Yiping won an overwhelming victory and was elected President of the Republic without suspense.
On the day of his election, Tang Yiping declared in his inaugural address his resolve to eradicate domestic corruption, vowing, “No matter who, and no matter how high their position, anyone who breaks the law will be severely punished.”
The action against Lin Jiangbei was likely Tang Yiping’s first strike, simultaneously targeting corruption and consolidating his power.
But the force of this blow was staggering—its power and intimidation immense!
Lei Dong had been absorbed in his training, relying on his father’s assurances to handle matters for him. He hadn’t paid much attention to the affair and was unaware that, over the past months, numerous high-ranking officials connected to Lin Jiangbei had already been ousted or secretly detained.
He knew only that, with the Tang family’s overwhelming influence, ensuring his own safety and quiet was no trouble. Yet, to topple a heavyweight political figure, someone with real prospects of joining the highest leadership, was far from simple—not even something the Tang family could accomplish alone, despite Tang Senior’s presence.
After all, Lin Jiangbei’s rise had taken twenty or thirty years of careful maneuvering. His network of connections was intricate and formidable. Moreover, the Lin family itself was a major force in the nation’s political scene! Striking at such a giant’s representative would inevitably threaten many vested interests and face tremendous resistance!
What price had the Tang family or his father paid, what concessions had they made, to achieve this result? The thought was enough to make one’s head ache.
Meanwhile, downstairs in the duty room, Huang Xiwen, the officer on major watch, sat upright in his chair, humming “Forward, forward, forward, our troops march toward the sun,” thinking proudly of his squad’s rising achievements and his own deepening training.
The phone in the duty room suddenly rang. Huang Xiwen was startled—calls at this hour were rare; had something happened?
He grabbed the receiver. “Hello—”
Before he could finish, Lei Tiangang’s booming voice thundered, “Let Lei Dong answer the phone!”
After the brief news segment, the program moved into “world suffering” coverage, but Lei Dong remained stunned by the news he’d just heard.
“Lei Dong, answer the phone!” Hearing Huang Xiwen’s voice downstairs, Lei Dong sprang out the third-floor window, landing swiftly on the first floor. It amused him—he’d seen more than a dozen special forces units, and not one ever bothered with stairs; everyone preferred scaling walls!
Entering the duty room, he snatched the phone from Huang Xiwen. “Hello, who’s this?”
“I’m your father!”
“I—”
“Enough, no idle talk.” Lei Tiangang’s voice grew suddenly serious. “You saw the news, didn’t you? It’s resolved now.”
“Yes, I saw. But…” Lei Dong understood exactly which matter his father referred to, but how had it been resolved so quickly?
“But what?”
Though there were things best left unsaid in front of Huang Xiwen, Lei Dong’s personality couldn’t let doubts fester. He paused to organize his words. “The situation alone wasn’t enough to bring him down like this. I wonder…what method was used?”
On the other end, Lei Tiangang sighed—a sound tinged with relief that his son could see through the situation. He pondered for a moment. “I have two unverified messages from the internet. Of course, these messages were intercepted by our departments before they were published. Listen carefully—”
Lei Dong knew that his father’s so-called unverified messages were likely the truth behind it all. He held his breath, listening intently to his father’s measured words.
“The first is from late August last year. A reporter learned through secret channels that the military intercepted a civilian vehicle loaded with shells on a highway leading to Han Capital. The case is under investigation…”
“The second is from September 1st last year. A reporter’s exclusive: police, inspecting Ziyu Villa in Tongmi County, discovered a large cache of standardized weapons in its underground chamber—including automatic rifles, machine guns, artillery, and even two missile launchers…”
Tongmi County, Ziyu Villa!
Lei Dong suddenly recalled that night after the incident, overhearing his father mention those two places in a mysterious phone call.
No need to ask—these events were Lin Jiangbei’s doing, and his father’s “two years of preparation, launching ahead of schedule” surely referred to this.
Shocking!
Throughout history, “treason” has always been an unforgivable crime, regardless of who governs.
Lei Dong was truly stunned by these messages, so much so that his words faltered. “They…they’re insane?!”
“Hmph, to destroy someone, you must first drive them mad!” Lei Tiangang laughed coldly, then spat heavily, “Fools, thinking a handful of rabble could overturn everything!” With that, he hung up abruptly.
Thus, on his second return to the academy for academic courses, Lei Dong met Lin Jiangbei.
The old man was lecturing on Officialdom Behavioral Studies—what use was this? Was he planning to write political novels after retirement?
On the first day of class, Lei Dong nearly called out in surprise upon seeing Lin Jiangbei, wondering if the old man might recognize his mortal enemy. But then, thinking himself camouflaged in uniform, it was unlikely he’d be recognized. Even if he was, what could a decrepit old man, sentenced to life in Zhao Prison, possibly accomplish?
Watching this once-powerful figure now so docile, Lei Dong felt a strange mix of amusement and satisfaction, even relishing the sight of the old man’s downfall, though it was hardly charitable.
Huang Xiwen surveyed the row of soldiers—standing tall and proud, exuding a fierce spirit, with a natural, peerless heroism. He nodded, raised his voice, and declared, “Now, I announce that Comrade Lei Dong’s basic training is officially complete! As for his performance…”
His gaze swept slowly from Wu Yun, Bei Shiliang, Lang Tianyu, and finally settled on Lei Dong. He spoke deliberately: “Your achievements have shocked me!”
“Three years! In three years, you completed twenty-seven types of special operations training across difficult terrains, mastered all major weapon systems, achieved perfect tactical cohesion within your squad, and learned five major foreign languages to native-level proficiency!”
“All of this, in three years! Previously, the fastest squad completion record was six years; the fastest individual record was five!”
“With your effort, your intelligence, with countless blood and sweat, you accomplished the impossible in three years. In your final year of training, the other three squads could no longer face us individually—they needed overwhelming numbers just to maintain a balance!”
“I must say, you are the best! You are the finest warriors I have ever seen, and I am proud of you!”
Not only Lei Dong and Wu Yun, but even Luo Haoran and Song Jingang, upon hearing Huang Xiwen’s words, stood taller, their faces shining with pride.
“Importantly, and I must mention this, thanks to our secret cultivation, every one of us has seen our combat capabilities transformed!” Huang Xiwen glanced around conspiratorially, as if wary of prying eyes, and the six men standing below wore matching mysterious and knowing smiles.
To say this was a transformative change was no exaggeration. Over three years, Wu Yun and Huang Xiwen, with the best foundations, had entered the Foundation Establishment stage; the others had broken through the Qi Refining barrier, stepping into the ranks of true cultivators. Speed, explosiveness, endurance, control over strength, perception of the environment—every physical attribute had advanced to an abnormal degree. Their combat abilities could no longer be measured by ordinary soldier standards. If not for strict prohibitions on their “supernatural abilities” during training for the sake of honing their tactical skills, not even the combined might of all three squads could pose much trouble for them.
“However,” Huang Xiwen paused, “no matter how strong an individual’s combat prowess, for a soldier, it’s merely a good foundation. You all understand this. To reach the pinnacle of our profession, to be invincible in battle, we must always advance, always cultivate trust and teamwork with our comrades, and always welcome new challenges! These challenges never end! I hope you all never forget: we are the sharpest blade in our nation’s hand, and everything we do must be aimed at severing the enemy’s claws and thrusting our edge into their most vital weakness! Destroy every invader—completely, thoroughly, cleanly!”
“We pledge to defend our nation, our land, and the dignity and interests of our people. We uphold our convictions, dedicate our lives, and swear—those who betray our country—”
“Kill!”
“Those who betray our nation—”
“Kill!”
“Those who betray the people—”
“Kill!”
“Those who invade our land—”
“Kill!”
“Those who harm our people—”
“Kill!”
With a loud snap, Lei Tiangang closed the video of the third squad’s training. His dark face wore a complex smile. “These lads truly never disappoint. I only hope that, in the boundless blood and fire of the future, they will grow ever more mature, ever more powerful…”