Return to the City: The Strongest King
Chapter 661 - 662: I Am Just a Gun

Chapter 661: Chapter 662: I Am Just a Gun

Sun Tongyun’s arrest sent the entire Sun family into a state of panic, primarily because of the evidence that Song Xiaodong had produced.

In such a short period of time, Song Xiaodong had actually gathered so much incriminating evidence against Sun Tongyun, which seemed far from simple.

And for the members of the Sun family, which one of them could be clean? Relying on the power of their family, the Sun family had amassed a considerable amount of wealth, and it was certain that many of those assets were obtained through special means.

If Song Xiaodong managed to dig out all these things and hand them over to the authorities, the loss to the Sun family would be immense.

Take this incident involving Sun Tongyun, for example, the assets related to corruption reached over a hundred million. A hundred million may not be much for the Sun family, but Sun Tongyun had been cultivating his status for so many years to reach his current position. The time and effort invested were too great, and it would take how many more years to cultivate another official of deputy department level?

With the Sun family in trouble, the Su family also encountered problems. An important official from the Su family was also subjected to investigation—reported by none other than Song Xiaodong—with equally undeniable evidence, leaving no room for rebuttal.

Song Xiaodong directly challenging the two major families truly enraged both the Su and Sun families.

If they let Song Xiaodong continue running amok, wouldn’t the main players of the two families be taken care of, and wouldn’t their family power be significantly reduced?

Song Xiaodong himself did not have such great capabilities, but there were others biding their time.

The Su and Sun families were the largest local families, but that didn’t mean there were no other competitors. There were some slightly smaller families also with considerable strength, and they were not content to remain subordinate; given the chance, they would certainly want to weaken the power of the two families.

Song Xiaodong had made contact with them, and he didn’t even have to promise them any benefits—just stating that he was willing to be the scapegoat was already enough.

These families immediately provided Song Xiaodong with the evidence they had collected. Even if Song Xiaodong couldn’t take down the Su and Sun families, bothering them was still worthwhile.

However, the effect turned out to be beyond the expectations of the other families—they had never thought that Song Xiaodong could actually cause such pain to these two major families, with two important figures being arrested, which made them even more willing to cooperate with Song Xiaodong.

At this moment, Song Xiaodong was in a secret military base, with Lu Lang sitting across from him. Looking at Song Xiaodong’s calm facade, Lu Lang shook his head and said, "You really are stubborn; there’s just no dealing with you."

"Senior Officer, you’re not playing the mediator again, are you?" Song Xiaodong asked calmly.

Lu Lang shook his head and replied, "I’m just here to deliver a message."

"A message?" Song Xiaodong frowned slightly. If Lu Lang was delivering a verbal message, it must be from somebody even higher up, and if it was being delivered this way, it meant the matter was too sensitive for written records.

"That’s right!" Lu Lang nodded and said, "Do you think that by gathering some evidence, you can just arrest a high official from the Su and Sun families?"

"Is there something else?" Song Xiaodong furrowed his brow again.

"Of course. The relationship between the Su and Sun families is much more complicated than you think. Without subduing their backers, one side gets arrested, the other gets released. Now... listen carefully." Lu Lang’s expression suddenly became serious.

Song Xiaodong stood up abruptly, his legs together in a standard military pose.

Lu Lang spoke slowly, "These major families are meddling in too much. It’s time to put some pressure on them."

Song Xiaodong’s eyes lit up, he raised his hand in a salute and said loudly, "Understood!"

Lu Lang’s demeanor also relaxed, "As long as you understand the higher-ups’ intention, that’s good. However, this matter obviously cannot be done openly or too rashly. The higher-ups must have sufficient reasons and evidence to act; otherwise, tugging at one thing affects others, and if all the families become paranoid, it could really cause a lot of trouble."

Though Song Xiaodong was not versed in politics, Lu Lang’s words were clear and easy to understand.

"You can act freely, but some matters require caution. Acts like slaughter are unacceptable, especially involving innocent family members. However, accidents in disputes between experts are a different story and quite common."

Song Xiaodong nodded again and said, "I understand that. There’s nothing I dislike more than harming the innocent."

Lu Lang continued, "Right. Additionally, the higher-ups will also strike at the two families. They’ll use the fact that you are a talent being groomed by the state, especially considering that in two years, you will be involved in a battle for national honor. That way, in their actions, they won’t be limitless. Last time we intervened too late, and you nearly lost your life."

Song Xiaodong had been skeptical; the Sun family could have easily left him for dead without needing to search for any video, but now he knew that someone from above had been backing him.

After leaving the secret base, Song Xiaodong sank deep into thought. He now understood that these big families might be obstructing the normal operation of the state machinery, or perhaps reflecting various maladies. In any case, they were not well-suited for this era.

The higher-ups had probably long harbored such thoughts but lacked someone to stir the waters. Supporting one family to counter another would only complicate matters and possibly create unmanageable problems.

His situation was not so complex. He had no background, no major family foundation, came from a special department, was more loyal to the state, and also had an opportune moment where the major families wouldn’t realize the intentions of the higher-ups and thus wouldn’t be alerted prematurely. So there was no better candidate than Song Xiaodong.

He was now the higher-ups’ spear, meant to prod these major families. If he could take them down, great, but even if he couldn’t, he could still inflict wounds to make them feel pain.

Song Xiaodong didn’t dislike being this spear, and he felt a surge of confidence. Previously, the struggle with the Su and Sun families was a personal vendetta, but now he was essentially serving the state, albeit on a mission that couldn’t be publicly acknowledged.

And with national interests at stake, Song Xiaodong understood that he couldn’t act recklessly; he needed to employ more strategic planning. However, one thing was certain: he now had someone to back him up, to cover for him.

With these realizations, Song Xiaodong was invigorated. What of great families and their immense power? He had nothing to fear. Su family, Sun family, you just wait for Song Xiaodong’s revenge!