119: Chapter 119 Changing the Pace

The lights in the Integrity Education Center interrogation room were turned to their brightest, the pale light covering every inch of the space without any blind spots.

Guo Mingkai sat in the interrogation chair, exhausted to his limit by days of continuous, sleepless ideological and political talks.

His eye sockets were sunken, and his stubble was growing wildly.

He, who once wielded immense power in the Tongan business world, now looked like a withered blade of grass scorched by the sun.

If not for the gravity of the matters weighing on him, he would have long since confessed everything just to be done with it.

The door opened.

Lu Zheng walked in with long strides, with Zhao Yang following behind.

Guo Mingkai subconsciously wanted to stand up, but was restricted by the chair.

He had once seen Lu Zheng at the Tongan City Work Style Construction Supervision Mobilization Meeting.

That always-smiling "Smiling Tiger," who would always shake hands upon meeting and always spoke in a gentle, breezy manner.

But as he looked up now, his heart tightened abruptly.

There was not a trace of a smile on Lu Zheng's face.

It was a kind of majesty Guo Mingkai had never seen before, pressing down like a mountain.

It was heavy, making it hard to breathe.

Zhao Yang followed behind, placed the files down expressionlessly, and sat down beside Lu Zheng.

The air in the interrogation room seemed to have frozen.

Lu Zheng did not speak immediately after sitting down, but instead opened the file and read it page by page.

The sound of pages turning was exceptionally clear in the silence, like a ticking second hand, or perhaps some kind of countdown.

Guo Mingkai's palms began to sweat.

After a full three minutes, Lu Zheng finally raised his head, his gaze landing on Guo Mingkai's face:

"Guo Mingkai, how have you been thinking things over these past few days?"

The voice was not loud, but it carried an unquestionable penetrating power.

"Chief Lu, I..." Guo Mingkai's throat was dry, "I have said everything I should have said."

Lu Zheng did not reply, simply watching him quietly.

That gaze was not sharp, yet it was like an X-ray, seemingly able to see through skin and flesh, straight into the bone marrow.

Guo Mingkai felt unnerved by the look and subconsciously averted his gaze.

"Said everything you should have?"

Lu Zheng repeated it, his tone still calm:

"Then let me ask you, regarding the 23 million transferred from Tongan Die-Casting Machine Factory to Qicheng Group, Lai Xunmei said 13 million went to you, and the other 10 million went to Ji Hongwen. What do you have to say?"

Guo Mingkai's body shuddered slightly; he had not expected Lai Xunmei to have already opened her mouth.

This damned woman, she was exciting when she was wild, but she could not handle any pressure when things went wrong.

"Chief Lu, Lai Xunmei, she..."

Guo Mingkai wanted to say something, but realized his voice was trembling.

"She what?" Lu Zheng interrupted him, "Are you trying to say she has nothing to do with you? Guo Mingkai, look for yourself."

Lu Zheng pulled a transcript from the file and displayed it across the table.

"Lai Xunmei's signature and fingerprint, in black and white. Do you think she would go down this path to the end for you?"

Guo Mingkai stared at the transcript, his pupils contracting.

He could not see the words on it clearly, but the bright red fingerprint was like a ball of fire, scorching his eyes with pain.

"You took those 13 million."

Lu Zheng's voice was like a hammer, striking down word by word.

"2 million went to Lai Xunmei, and the rest is in your hands. Guo Mingkai, you should know the nature of this money better than I do."

Guo Mingkai's lips trembled a few times, but he did not make a sound.

Zhao Yang observed coldly from the side.

Guo Mingkai's reactions were all within expectations: shock, panic, and his psychological defenses beginning to loosen.

But he was still holding on, still calculating.

Lu Zheng did not press him further, but instead picked up his teacup and took a sip.

Giving Guo Mingkai time to catch his breath.

This was rhythm control in psychological warfare.

Relaxing slightly after intense pressure allowed the opponent to digest their fear in the gap of breathing.

Sure enough, a minute later, Guo Mingkai spoke up on his own:

"Chief Lu, that 13 million... was a business transaction between Qicheng Group and the Tongan Die-Casting Machine Factory, not my personal..."

"Business transaction?"

Lu Zheng set down the teacup, his voice suddenly turning cold:

"Guo Mingkai, do you think we only have Lai Xunmei's testimony in our hands?"

He signaled to Zhao Yang.

Zhao Yang opened the file, pulled out a document, and pushed it in front of Guo Mingkai:

"This is the complete record of the capital flow of the Tongan Die-Casting Machine Factory account. The first thing you did after becoming the head of the restructuring leading group was to transfer these 70 million out of the Tongan Die-Casting Machine Factory account."

"Where is this 70 million now? Don't tell me you don't know."

Guo Mingkai looked at the bank statement, fine beads of sweat seeping out on his forehead.

"And," Zhao Yang pulled out another document, "the 9 million in consulting fees the Tongan Die-Casting Machine Factory transferred to Ji Tianxiang. What consulting service did he provide that is worth 9 million?"

Guo Mingkai's breathing began to grow heavy.

"Ji Tianxiang is Ji Hongwen's son, don't tell me you don't know that!" Zhao Yang stared into his eyes.

"After receiving the transfer, Ji Tianxiang's shell company immediately transferred the funds and filed for bankruptcy. What does this mean?"

Guo Mingkai opened his mouth but could not make a sound.

Zhao Yang pressed step by step, "This can only mean that you were in collusion long ago, and Ji Tianxiang has already confessed."

As the words fell, Zhao Yang pulled out a photo and threw it in front of Guo Mingkai.

In the photo, Ji Tianxiang was wearing handcuffs, sitting inside iron bars, and being interrogated by the police.

Guo Mingkai's face changed drastically, his eyes turning bloodshot.

Ji Tianxiang had been caught; the next step would inevitably be Ji Hongwen.

He knew exactly what kind of character Ji Tianxiang had.

Just a spoiled brat, completely unable to handle things.

Lu Zheng spoke up again at this moment, his tone slightly softer than before:

"Guo Mingkai, you are a smart man. However, smart people must have a smart way of living."

He leaned forward slightly: "Your current attitude is forcing yourself down a dead end."

Guo Mingkai raised his head, his eyes filled with struggle and fear.

And a trace of lingering wishful thinking.

Zhao Yang keenly captured the emotions in Guo Mingkai's eyes.

That trace of wishful thinking had to be smashed with the hardest evidence.

"Chief Lu," Zhao Yang turned to Lu Zheng, "I suggest we show him the asset appraisal report of the Tongan Die-Casting Machine Factory."

Lu Zheng nodded.

Zhao Yang pulled a thick report from the bottom of the file, flipped to the key page, and pushed it in front of Guo Mingkai:

"The investigation team has finished re-evaluating the stock assets of the Tongan Die-Casting Machine Factory. Open your eyes wide and see clearly how much net assets are left after deducting debts."

Guo Mingkai looked down, the numbers stabbing into his eyes like knives:

Total value of stock assets assessed: 151 million yuan.

Details as follows: Net assets after deducting debts: 45 million yuan. Account balance: 70 million yuan (already transferred away). Land valuation: 16 million yuan. Two imported machining centers: 20 million yuan.

Zhao Yang's voice was cold, like a knife stabbing straight into Guo Mingkai's heart:

"The restructuring plan you submitted to the city made the assets appear insolvent, applying for a zero-asset acquisition."

"Guo Mingkai, your appetite is truly huge!"

Guo Mingkai's hands began to tremble.

"The 70 million in cash in the account, you transferred away. The equipment worth 20 million, you hid. The 16 million in land, you did not mention a word about in the report. The 45 million in net assets turned into a negative number on your books..."

"Guo Mingkai, with this much money, how many times would that be enough to get you killed?"

"I didn't!" Guo Mingkai suddenly shouted, "The restructuring was not finished, I had not officially taken over! Those assets still belonged to the state, I did not embezzle them!"

Lu Zheng smiled, the smile as cold as the wind in the twelfth lunar month.

"Guo Mingkai, your logic is certainly novel. You had not officially taken over, yet you could transfer 70 million first? Then tell me, what does embezzlement mean?"

"Or are you saying it only counts as embezzlement once you become the legal representative and put the factory into your own pocket?"

Guo Mingkai's lips turned pale, his body leaning slightly backward.

Zhao Yang noticed this subtle movement.

In psychology, this is a typical signal of resistance.

The suspect feels immense pressure and instinctively wants to distance himself.

But this also means his psychological defenses have reached a critical point.

Zhao Yang knew it was time to change the rhythm.