Chapter 31: Achieved Remarkable Merit

Cheng Dao's tearful shout left his seventh uncle Cheng Yaozong looking dazed.

Does this concern me?

Cheng Yaozong looked at his nervous grandnephew whose legs were weak, then at the glittering wealth inside the coffin, reviewed the whole affair, and his feelings became extremely complicated.

He had originally feared a corpse transformation, but what he dug up was even more terrifying.

Having reached this age.

Never before had he seen so much gold, filling the entire coffin! No wonder eight strong laborers together couldn't lift it—the gold in the coffin must weigh over a thousand catties.

This nephew's outrageous move is freaking insane—he actually tricked the whole village into acting with him!

Cheng Yaozong shook his head in despair, turned and went down the mountain: "Everyone, follow me home!" As many people as followed him up the mountain last night now follow him down.

After the clansmen left, Cheng Dao also sat down on the ground, dazed and listless.

The scene fell into utter silence.

The gold filling the coffin consisted of internationally standard-sized gold bars, neatly stacked. Each bar is about 11.5 centimeters long, 5.3 centimeters wide, and weighs 1 kilogram.

Tang Xia, Zhang Xiaoguang, and Jian Sining were busy moving the gold bars and counting them.

Lin Dongfan called his superiors to request assistance. With so many gold bars, they needed to send an armored vehicle with security measures to transport them.

Just after hanging up.

Zhang Yong came over and asked, "Captain Lin, is there anywhere we can help?"

Lin Dongfan handed a cigarette to Zhang Yong: "Please help maintain order; before this batch of corrupt evidence is moved, no outsiders are allowed up the mountain."

No problem.

Zhang Yong gave an OK sign, then called his teammate Wang Feng, and together they patrolled the perimeter.

Cheng Dao remained dazed, sitting slumped on the ground.

It felt as if a sword of Damocles had struck his crown, plunging his life into its darkest moment, with every pore exuding despair.

Lin Dongfan approached and joked, "Director Cheng, your methods are impressive—where did you get all this gold?"

They… they were all given to me by others; I collected them bar by bar, accumulating for four years straight…

Cheng Dao's voice trembled slightly.

During these four years in power, he never accepted cash from others, only being interested in gold. Gold not only appreciates in value but is also a universally accepted hard currency that can be liquidated anywhere.

Lin Dongfan asked, "How many gold bars are there in total?"

"There are 812 bars in total," Cheng Dao blurted out, without needing to recall.

Lin Dongfan exclaimed in astonishment, "Awesome!"

First, he was shocked by Cheng Dao's memory, being able to recall the number so clearly; second, he was stunned by the terrifying quantity of gold bars, reaching as many as 812.

Each gold bar weighs about 1 kilogram, i. e., 1000 grams, and the current market price of gold is 267 yuan per gram.

One gold bar = 1000 grams × 267 yuan/gram = yuan.

With 812 gold bars, multiplying by the unit price gives a total value reaching yuan. Using gold bars worth over two hundred million yuan to weigh down a coffin—what an extravagant idea!

Lin Dongfan wondered, "You're pressing 812 kilograms of gold onto your father's remains—aren't you afraid he won't rest in peace?"

I've considered that, so I added a layer of partition above the remains. After you move the gold bars, you'll see the remains beneath the partition.

Saying this, Cheng Dao glanced at the grave pit with a look of regret.

Lin Dongfan teased, "You're really a bold and dutiful son—burying all this gold in the ancestral grave and then not being able to take it out—what use is it to you?"

In the first few years after I started working, I had principles and a bottom line—I wasn't greedy or corrupt. As a result, wherever I went I was sidelined, and even my wife divorced me, saying I was good-for-nothing.

He paused briefly.

Cheng Dao then sighed heavily:

"What society has taught me is: I can pretend to be poor, but I cannot truly have nothing. It's like a country that can keep nuclear missiles in its base unused, but cannot lack them."

Hearing this, Lin Dongfan was left speechless.

Who would have thought Director Cheng would be so eccentric, his corruption actually yielding a philosophy of life?

Lin Dongfan asked, "After becoming Director of the Housing and Urban-Rural Development Bureau, in just four years you amassed gold worth over two hundred million yuan—did you never consider the consequences?"

"When I first accepted gold bars, I was nervous too. But sitting in that position, even a casual sneeze brings people over to show concern—you understand? Even if I don't reach out, others will actively stuff gold bars into my hands. Over time, it became a habit; accepting gold bars feels no different than accepting bricks."

"How many people's gold bars have you accepted?"

"Too many to recall; I've forgotten some people's names. Must I list every briber's name in full to make amends?"

As he spoke, Cheng Dao's eyes welled up with tears.

But it wasn't remorse; it was anxiety and despair, recalling a line from a book he'd once read: "Take the wrong ship in officialdom, and you'll rot in prison."

This is his true portrayal.

If it hadn't been for Dai Fengnian, chairman of the state-owned enterprise Nantou Real Estate, pulling him in, his bribery list wouldn't have had a first entry.

Without a first time, there would be no reckless second, third…

His life was ruined by Dai Fengnian's hands.

Cheng Dao eagerly asked, "If I voluntarily expose and report, would that count as meritorious service? Could I then receive a lighter sentence?"

"Whether a lighter sentence is possible is up to the court—let's drop it for now."

Lin Dongfan looked around; the police station's Zhang Yong and Wang Feng were patrolling nearby, neither being from the Anti-Corruption Bureau, so this isn't the place for interrogation.

Once a tip is leaked, it's very likely to alert the suspects.

Lin Dongfan took out an arrest warrant he'd prepared earlier from his briefcase: "Stop crouching, get up, and come with me."

"What about my father's remains?"

Cheng Dao pushed himself up with his sore knees and turned his gaze toward the grave pit.

"After the gold bars are cleared, specialists will help you handle the ancestral grave—whether you relocate it or restore it to its original state, either is fine." Lin Dongfan produced a pair of handcuffs: "Put them on yourself."

Eager to earn merit for a lighter sentence, Cheng Dao willingly put on the handcuffs.

They hadn't walked a few steps.

Cheng Dao turned back to look at his father's grave, with a thud he knelt and kowtowed three times, and finally an expression of shame appeared on his face.

But he said nothing, and after finishing the kowtows he got up and left.

Lin Dongfan shouted to his subordinates: "Tang Xia and Xiao Guang, you two stay here to count the gold bars and wait for reinforcements. Jian Sining, you come with me back to the city to give a statement."

"Okay."

Jian Sining put down what she was doing and hurried to keep up with Lin Dongfan's pace.

One hour later.

The two took Cheng Dao to the Qinghu Guesthouse for questioning.

Lin Dongfan directly placed pen and paper in front of Cheng Dao: "Who exactly gave you gold bars? When and where, and for what reason? Write it all down clearly."

"Some names I really can't remember."

Cheng Dao wore a gloomy expression.

He looked hopefully at Lin Dongfan and Jian Sining across from him: "I just want to report Dai Fengnian—four years ago he dragged me into this, scheming to get me to accept the gold bars."

"Dai Fengnian?"

That name, known to all, instantly stirred many of Lin Dongfan's memories, and the image of that bald old man surfaced in his mind.

Before the state-owned enterprise Nantou Real Estate went into bankruptcy liquidation, Dai Fengnian had served as its chairman.

Why did the perfectly fine Nantou Real Estate become a bankrupt state-owned enterprise?

It's all thanks to Dai Tu Lu!

That guy is also pretty impressive—after wrecking Nantou Real Estate, he faced no consequences and now serves as the head of the Green Bamboo Ridge project development department.

He brought it on himself!

That bald donkey never dreamed that Cheng Dao would be the first to bite him after being caught.

Lin Dongfan was about to question further when a comrade knocked and shouted: "Lin Dui, the Cold Bureau wants you over."

"Sining, you guys come ask."

Lin Dongfan handed the interrogation work to Jian Sining and the comrade who delivered the message, then got up and left.

The leader of the 9·28 Project Team, Leng Chuan, and the deputy leader, He Yanqing, were both waiting for Lin Dongfan in the temporary meeting room, but He Yanqing's face didn't look good.

Previously, He Yanqing had forcefully put a tight spell on Lin Dongfan, trying to suppress his arrogance.

As a result, no one expected:

That Lin Dongfan kid actually dared, without sufficient evidence, to go dig up Cheng Dao's ancestral grave in the middle of the night—and to top it off, he dug up gold bars worth over 200 million!

That deputy bureau-level official Cheng Dao was thus dug up by Lin Dongfan, left upside down, and arrested on the spot.

Just now, Provincial Committee Secretary Liang personally called to give verbal praise to the project team.

This should have been a great piece of good news, but He Yanqing was worried all over, couldn't be happy, and no matter how he thought about it, he couldn't understand how Lin Dongfan could achieve such an extraordinary feat.