293: Unlucky Black

“But before we surrender, we must find a way to clear ourselves of as many charges as possible… This might give us a glimmer of hope under the Empire’s judgment.”

De Ming said, his brows tightly furrowed, as if racking his brain for a solution.

“Oh, how do we clear them?”

Nuo Lei’s heart stirred, and he couldn’t help but ask eagerly.

A hint of anticipation flickered in his eyes.

De Ming did not immediately answer Nuo Lei’s question but slowly turned his gaze to Hei, who lay unconscious on the ground.

A complex expression flashed in his eyes: resentment, calculation, and a hint of imperceptible ruthlessness.

Seeing this, Nuo Lei followed De Ming’s gaze and instantly understood De Ming’s meaning.

He was slightly stunned, then a bitter smile appeared at the corner of his mouth.

After all, as the instigator of the Supervisory Group’s murder, Hei was the key figure in the entire incident. Once the matter was exposed, he would certainly face the death penalty, and any heavier punishment would be no different for him.

Since that was the case, it was better to make use of him, pinning most of the charges on him. Perhaps this would reduce some of their own culpability.

Meanwhile, Hei, who had already fallen unconscious, lay there oblivious, completely unaware that he was about to become the scapegoat for these three.

He lay quietly with his eyes closed, his face still bearing the bruises and bloodstains from Nuo Lei’s beating, looking exceptionally disheveled.

But then again, it was precisely because of his reckless impulsiveness and disregard for consequences that he dragged everyone step by step into this abyss of no return, leading them to this point…

Within the spacious and solemn office area of The Administrative Center Department of This Galaxy Cluster, Li Yang sat gravely at his desk, a holographic screen in front of him flickering with dense data.

He had already reported the detailed circumstances of the Wanjing Star System Supervisory Group’s disappearance through an encrypted channel, without reservation, to the Imperial Supreme Political Council.

Every word, every detail, carried the gravity of the incident and its immense impact on the Empire’s order.

Now, he could only quietly await the Supreme Political Council’s decision. This decision would determine the direction of subsequent actions: whether to dispatch the Guard Division to apprehend the individuals, resolving the issue in a relatively gentle yet authoritative manner.

Or to directly deploy the powerful forces of the military for a large-scale sweep and suppression, thoroughly eradicating any potential dark forces, and restoring peace and order to the Galaxy.

“Inspector Li, latest news!”

Wei An burst into Li Yang’s office like a gust of wind, disregarding all etiquette, rushing straight in and reporting loudly.

His face showed an undisguised excitement and urgency, his forehead covered in fine beads of sweat, clearly having run all the way.

“What? They want to surrender?”

Upon hearing this, Li Yang involuntarily rose slightly from his chair, a clear look of surprise on his face.

In his estimation, those who dared to lay hands on the Supervisory Group, who bore an important mission, must possess immense courage and arrogance. Logically speaking, it was impossible for them to easily choose the path of surrender.

After all, this meant directly facing the severe sanctions of the Empire’s law and admitting their crimes.

“According to De Ming’s account…”

Wei An caught his breath slightly, then quickly continued to explain.

“The three of them were completely unaware of the Supervisory Group’s death. Everything was done by a person named Hei, who was the Thug/Criminal we saw participating in the illegal transaction on the light screen. De Ming claimed that they had just learned this news and were shocked and angered by Hei’s actions, which is why they decided to surrender voluntarily, to show their innocence and their sincerity in cooperating with the investigation.”

Upon hearing this, Li Yang frowned slightly, falling into a brief contemplation.

He knew in his heart that the matter was probably not as simple as De Ming claimed, but the fact that they chose to surrender indeed made the entire incident more complicated.

After all that, it turned out that such a big mess was caused by a foolish teammate acting on his own.

Li Yang secretly mused, ‘I knew it, within the vast territory of the Empire, anyone with a bit of sense would never dare to easily lay hands on officials or military officers, let alone people from the Supervisory Group who bear a special mission and represent the Empire’s authority.’

This was an open challenge to the Empire’s laws and order; under normal circumstances, no one would be so audacious.

“So what should we do now? Should we immediately go to the Wanjing Star System to apprehend them?”

Wei An looked at Li Yang with a serious expression, a hint of urgency and anticipation in his eyes, awaiting his superior’s instructions.

“No, I have already reported the matter truthfully to the Supreme Political Council.”

Li Yang slowly shook his head, his expression grave.

“Regardless of whether those people in the Wanjing Star System surrender or not, the overall direction and method of handling the entire incident must be decided by the higher-ups. We must follow the Empire’s decision-making process and cannot act on our own.”

Li Yang knew that such a major incident had to be coordinated by the Empire’s high-level officials to ensure the fairness and authority of the outcome.

Li Yang lowered his head and pondered for a while, quickly weighing the pros and cons in his mind, then looked up and continued with a firm gaze.

“However… to prevent any unforeseen circumstances, it’s still best to send people to control them first, and await the higher-ups’ decision. We absolutely cannot allow them any further opportunity to escape or take other actions that might impede the investigation.”

“Yes, Inspector Li, I will immediately lead a team to the Wanjing Star System for the arrest.”

Wei An responded without hesitation, his tone filled with determination and decisiveness.

Having said that, he turned and prepared to stride out of the office to execute this urgent mission.

“Wait a moment, take me with you.”

Li Yang suddenly called out to Wei An, a sharp glint flashing in his eyes.

“I want to see for myself just how corrupt and dark the Wanjing Star System has become.”

…In the spacious yet oppressive conference room of the Wanjing Star System Administrative Center Department, a large group of administrative officials and cadres were gathered, looking panicked like ants on a hot pan.

Without exception, their faces were filled with desolation and melancholy, shrouded in an inescapable gloom.

Every person present was deeply mired in the swamp of illegal activities.

Now that Hei’s matter had been completely exposed, like a bombshell detonating among them, they knew they had nowhere to hide, and surrender seemed to be the only option.