Chapter 339: Rivera

It was early morning, and the sky had not yet fully brightened.

Just as he was sleeping soundly in a dream, urgent knocking suddenly came from downstairs.

The servant of the house grumbled as they put on pajamas to open the door; not long after, accompanied by a burst of arguing and rapid footsteps, the bedroom door of Rivera and his wife on the second floor was suddenly pushed open by uninvited guests who had barged in without permission.

"Mr. Rivera, we suspect you of being involved in disregarding national interests and using your position to trade in weapons and munitions without authorization. Investigations also show that you are linked to several vicious murder cases from not long ago. This is an arrest warrant issued by the Rio de Janeiro State Public Prosecutor's Office; please prepare to come with us immediately..."

The commotion woke Rivera up. He was just about to get angry while his consciousness was not yet fully clear, but the haziness of sleep in his eyes vanished completely the moment he saw who the people who had broken into his home were.

Carlton Lamont, the head of the Special Investigation Division of the Rio de Janeiro State Public Prosecutor's Office.

The judicial system holds great power within the Brazilian government; the Supreme Public Prosecutor's Office even has the authority to investigate the speakers of both houses of Congress and the President, which shows just how high its status is.

The Public Prosecutor's Office is a department with a relatively high status in the Brazilian judicial system, and even if it is only a state-level office, it is indeed qualified to investigate a state-owned enterprise head like him.

The moment he saw Carlton Lamont standing at the bedroom door, his consciousness was fully awake. Rivera could not help but gasp; he knew that he must have been caught.

If the people who had come to arrest him today were prosecutors from the Anti-Corruption System or the Job-Related Crime Supervision System under the Public Prosecutor's Office, Rivera might still have had a chance to turn things around.

Because everyone knows that ever since Brazil began democratic elections in the late 1980s, the country has never been able to shake off the label of being "rife with corruption." Although the judicial system, especially the public prosecutor's offices at all levels, frequently strikes out to handle various corruption crimes, in a Brazil where a culture of shielding prevails, most of the final punishments can only be described as "insignificant." Looking back over the past few decades, the Brazilian judicial system has recovered less than one-tenth of the illicit funds, and a large number of officials who were once reported can still return to office and run for government seats again; this is a clear indication of the situation.

But the Special Investigation Division is an exception!

Carlton Lamont's icy gaze made his hands and feet tremble uncontrollably; he knew very well what the Special Investigation Division meant.

From the President, speakers, and members of both houses, down to local officials and military police commanders, this new department—which was only established in 2007 with the approval of the former president—has the authority to investigate them all. It can be said that it is a department within the judicial system specifically used to handle criminals with significant influence or special status.

"What are you doing... get out... get out, my husband is..."

Rivera's wife also woke up when the bedroom door was forcibly pushed open. Rubbing her hazy, sleepy eyes, she propped herself up to sit on the bed. When she saw the group of people standing outside the bedroom door, she quickly realized what was happening and scolded them with a drastically changed complexion.

Only, if one listened carefully, there was trembling and panic in her words.

"Anna... Anna, calm down..."

After nearly a month of living in fear, he had finally waited for the arrest warrant from the State Public Prosecutor's Office.

Although he was indeed very panicked when he first saw Carlton and the others, Rivera soon realized that he was not as afraid as he had expected, and even felt a faint sense of relief.

Because he knew his current status and exactly who was standing behind him.

Rivera was very certain that he knew too many secrets of the other party, and that he was still of great use to those people; once something happened, they would definitely come to save him.

It was just that everything he had now, everything he had worked for over the past few decades, was about to be gone!

He might even have to bear the infamy of being a traitor and a criminal in the future.

With various emotions flooding his heart, Rivera soon calmed down completely. He knew that he had no way out.

"With me here, it will be fine!"

He first used a gentle tone to comfort his terrified wife.

Immediately, he looked to the side at Carlton, who could not help but reveal a mocking smile at his words just now, and asked in a calm tone: "I understand. Give me a moment to change; I need to put on some clothes. Also, please step out for a moment; there is a lady here!"

Carlton Lamont looked down at the watch on his wrist and said coldly: "Don't try any tricks. Besides, you only have three minutes to get ready!"

He then clapped his hands, and his subordinates outside the bedroom all took a step back. Soon, four young female police officers in formal attire walked into the bedroom.

"Keep a close watch. If you discover any unusual movement from the target, I authorize you to use more forceful measures!"

"Yes!"

The four young female police officers immediately surrounded the bed where Rivera and his wife were. Only then did Carlton take a step back and close the bedroom door. The moment the door was shut, Rivera clearly heard an order being given: "Ori, take a team and conduct a thorough search of this place. Remember, don't miss a single corner."

Rivera's face twitched uncontrollably; he knew this was Carlton's warning to him.

He couldn't help but glance up at the four young female police officers still in the bedroom. Immediately, the female officer who was also staring at him with full concentration glared, and without showing any weakness, she warned him: "Hurry up and get dressed. Don't try any tricks, and you are not allowed to touch any communication devices!"

"Husband..."

His wife looked at Rivera, trembling with fear.

Rivera shook his head at her, "It will be fine, don't worry. Let's get dressed first!"

After comforting his wife with a few words, Rivera got out of bed in his pajamas. Just as he reached the wardrobe, a female officer immediately stepped forward to block him: "Wait, let me get them for you!"

Rivera frowned slightly, but he didn't say anything. In fact, when he discovered that it was the Special Investigation Division that had come to his door, he had already anticipated this kind of treatment.

"Just grab me any suit and jacket. And for that lady, please help me bring over the watch on the nightstand!"

Although the blunt order made the female officers guarding them look a bit unpleasant, perhaps because they saw he wasn't pulling any tricks, Rivera's request was ultimately satisfied.

A female officer walked to the nightstand, picked up the watch he mentioned, and after carefully checking it and finding it seemed to be nothing more than an ordinary mechanical watch, she handed it to him. She completely failed to notice that when Rivera took the watch, a faint, imperceptible smile appeared on his face. As he put the watch on, his fingers imperceptibly pulled the crown, then pressed it back in.

In an instant, a hidden, difficult-to-detect radio wave was emitted from his watch.

PS:

There will be another chapter in a while.