Chapter 1921

Mu Xingfa's face turned somewhat pale. He hurriedly said, "I can't really be considered his cousin; we're just from the same hometown. My mother and his mother share the same surname, so he always goes around telling people I'm his cousin, but I've never admitted it."

Su Xinghui nodded slightly and asked again, "Then, have the people from the nature reserve management office arrived yet?"

A middle-aged man in the crowd behind them hurriedly stepped out and said, "I am Fang Yushan from the management office."

Su Xinghui said, "Director Fang, is it? I've heard that there are quite a few people in this lake area setting up nets to catch birds, and some are even using poisoned bait or hunting them with guns. I've heard about all these situations—have you never heard of them?"

Fang Yushan was also covered in sweat. He stammered, "I really haven't heard about these things."

Su Xinghui said, "You haven't heard of them? Then, are these nets here right now fake?"

Fang Yushan was left speechless.

Su Xinghui said, "Director Fang, what is the nature of this behavior of yours? You should be clear about that in your own heart, right?"

Fang Yushan lowered his head; with the facts right there, he had no room to argue.

Su Xinghui scanned everyone present and said, "How to handle today's matter is up to you all. After you finish dealing with it, come to the county together to report to me. I'm leaving now."

Su Xinghui pushed through the crowd and walked toward the lake embankment. When he reached a puddle next to the steps, he sat down on the steps to wash his feet. After letting them air dry, he put on the shoes and socks he had left on the steps. Li Zhongwen also washed his feet and put on his shoes and socks.

Mu Xingfa had a few police officers put handcuffs on Lan Laosi and his gang. Zhang Zhiming and a group of township cadres wanted to follow Su Xinghui, but they were still wearing leather shoes, which were covered in mud along with their pant legs. They stumbled along, stepping heavily and lightly, until they reached the puddle, looking incredibly disheveled.

Su Xinghui glanced at them and said, "You all should wash your feet, and don't follow me anymore."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Zhiming could only stop in his tracks.

Su Xinghui walked toward the lake embankment. Suddenly, he stopped, turned around, and said to Fang Yushan, "Director Fang, since you are a person from the animal protection department, you must shoulder your responsibilities. I won't concern myself with today's matter, but starting from tomorrow, if I hear of any more such bird-catching incidents, you won't need to be this director anymore."

Fang Yushan nodded submissively. Su Xinghui turned around again and got into Shen Hao's car. Shen Hao had been waiting in the car for a long time. As soon as Su Xinghui and Li Zhongwen got in, he started the engine and continued driving forward along the lake embankment.

Along the way, Su Xinghui discovered quite a few bird-catching nets, as well as some birds lying on the mudflats struggling after eating poisoned bait. He didn't get out of the car again and remained silent, but his eyes were filled with fury.

Su Xinghui knew that he couldn't destroy all the bird-catching nets today, nor could he save all the birds being hunted. To resolve this issue, it still required the efforts of the animal protection department to truly implement animal protection policies.

Seeing Su Xinghui's poor complexion, Li Zhongwen said, "These people are truly outrageous. Knowing they are protected animals, they still dare to hunt them and even attack you. Fortunately, you are skilled, otherwise, we would have really suffered."

Shen Hao couldn't help but look back at Su Xinghui. He had used his fastest speed to call for help earlier, fearing that Su Xinghui would suffer. Fortunately, Su Xinghui was not harmed, which made him very relieved.

Su Xinghui shook his head and said, "Sigh, animal protection work is a long and arduous road!"

They temporarily focused their attention on the lake embankment. The situation in this area was equally not optimistic. Li Zhongwen followed Su Xinghui, recording the conditions of the embankment in a notebook.

Aside from Jinxi Township, Su Xinghui did not alert the leaders of any other townships. For lunch that day, he just found a small restaurant in a small town and had a simple meal.

By the time they returned to the county seat, it was already past seven o'clock. Su Xinghui walked toward his office. As soon as he went upstairs, he saw Zhang Zhiming, Mu Xingfa, and Fang Yushan standing at the stairwell. He couldn't help but slow his pace.

Zhang Zhiming called out, "County Magistrate Su, you're back?"

Su Xinghui didn't stop walking and passed by them, asking, "How long have you been waiting here?"

Zhang Zhiming said, "We've been waiting here since after three o'clock this afternoon."

Su Xinghui walked to the door of his office, took out his key, and opened it. The others followed behind him. Su Xinghui looked back at their fearful expressions and said calmly, "Come in and sit."

Su Xinghui turned on the lights, sat behind his desk, and took a pen to record some things he had seen today on a piece of paper. Zhang Zhiming and the others sat down sheepishly, but they didn't dare to sit fully, only perching on the edge of their seats.

While writing, Su Xinghui asked, "What is it? Have you finished handling that matter?"

Zhang Zhiming nodded hurriedly and said, "Yes, County Magistrate Su. We have ordered the township police station to arrest all the individuals involved—a total of five people. They have confessed to hunting national second-class protected animals such as swans and wild geese. We are preparing to fine them and transfer them to the procuratorial organs for public prosecution."

After speaking, the group looked pitifully at Su Xinghui. They knew that this matter mainly depended on Su Xinghui's wishes. These people were too reckless; not only did they hunt protected animals, but they actually dared to beat a county magistrate. If the magistrate hadn't been skilled, and something bad had happened to him, they would all be finished.

Although Su Xinghui wasn't beaten, if he were to make a big issue out of this, they would all likely lose their jobs. Therefore, they had handled these people as severely and quickly as possible and came immediately to report to Su Xinghui.

For matters like this, one must never let them drag on overnight; long delays lead to trouble. If they couldn't appease County Magistrate Su's anger immediately, the situation would be dire. Thus, they would rather wait here for several hours just to see him.

According to the Criminal Law, hunting national second-class protected animals is punishable by up to five years of fixed-term imprisonment or criminal detention, along with a fine. If the circumstances are serious, it could potentially lead to a sentence of ten years or more.

Su Xinghui pondered in silence. Zhang Zhiming hurriedly added, "County Magistrate Su, these people were reckless and actually dared to beat you. Furthermore, they have been illegally hunting wild protected animals for a long time, making the circumstances particularly serious. Therefore, we will recommend that the court handle them severely, with a maximum sentence of ten years or more."

Su Xinghui nodded. He had no sympathy for Lan Laosi and his gang; such repeat offenders deserved whatever punishment they received.

However, he didn't intend for this matter to end here. He said, "You've dealt with Lan Laosi and his group this time, but what about the others? I saw quite a few bird-catching nets along the lake embankment today, as well as birds poisoned to death. You should have an idea of who is catching birds. Strike where you need to strike; I don't want to see such things happen again."

Of course, they all knew who frequently caught birds. Naturally, Zhang Zhiming and Mu Xingfa could only manage matters in Jinxi Township, but Fang Yushan could manage the entire county's nature reserve area. They nodded repeatedly, promising to strike severely and quickly against the illegal act of hunting wild protected animals.