The Beautiful County Magistrate
Chapter 371: Short Video!

Chapter 371: Chapter 371: Short Video!

Looking at the key’s design, it was completely different from the kind of keys ordinary households use; it had a very unique style, resembling that of a safe deposit box key.

As for the slip of paper, it was densely covered with a bunch of numbers that seemed random at first, yet there was a faint hint of some pattern to it, only Xu Qianli couldn’t figure it out right away.

Setting aside the key and the slip of paper for the moment, Xu Qianli searched the villa and quickly found a computer, into which he inserted the USB drive.

Upon opening it, he saw that it contained a video.

The video clearly showed an office, where a very beautiful woman with an excellent figure was lying on the office desk, engaged in an intimate act with a middle-aged man.

Their liaison was not very intense; it was over in just a few minutes. The woman hurriedly put on her stylish dress, snuggled into the man’s arms for some affectionate moments, talked about some matters, and then left; afterward, the video ended.

Xu Qianli recognized both the man and the woman in the video.

The man was none other than the Mayor of Zhongzhou City, Lu Xingtian, Xu Qianli’s biggest opponent in Zhongzhou City!

As for the woman, she seemed to be a local businesswoman who, due to her exceptional beauty, had quite a reputation; therefore, Xu Qianli had taken note of her too. It appeared she had a husband and was married.

After all this trouble, the leverage Feng Jiang had mentioned about Lu Xingtian turned out to be a secretly filmed video of Lu Xingtian having an affair with a married businesswoman in an office.

Judging from the quality and smoothness of the video, it wasn’t doctored; there was no doubt about its authenticity.

Feng Jiang was really something for being able to get his hands on such a video.

Then it occurred to Xu Qianli that he himself had almost fallen into the clutches of that cunning Feng Jiang.

That guy, it seemed, had done all sorts of things to gain leverage over others.

Setting Feng Jiang aside for the moment, Xu Qianli turned his attention back to the video and watched it again. He had to admit, that beautiful businesswoman in the video really knew her stuff; her prowess was truly top-notch, no wonder Lu Xingtian was so eager to get intimate with her right in the office.

As he watched, Xu Qianli suddenly realized something was off. The mayor’s office wasn’t a place that was easy to enter, let alone to plant a hidden camera and then secretly retrieve it afterward.

Could it be that Feng Jiang had colluded with someone close to Lu Xingtian to pull off this act?

If so, then why was there only one video clip?

Logically, if the hidden camera had been placed well, it would have recorded over a period of time, and the content should have been rich. Why then was there only one video clip?

Although the footage captured was quite incriminating, it wouldn’t be fatal to Lu Xingtian; after all, an extramarital affair could be misconstrued in various ways, and with Lu Xingtian’s power and influence, he might find a way to brush it off.

It seemed Feng Jiang was holding back, hiding something.

Could it be that he wanted Xu Qianli to help him save his life and then hand over the remaining videos?

Or could there be a purer, more specific purpose?

Unable to figure it out, Xu Qianli decided not to dwell on it any longer. He transferred the video to his phone, secured the USB drive, and turned his attention back to the key and the slip of paper.

As he looked at them, a sudden inspiration struck Xu Qianli, and he began to search around the large villa.

This search turned up a surprising find. In one of the ground floor rooms, he discovered a hollow-sounding floor tile. Upon trying to move it, he revealed an entrance to a passage.

So, this villa had a basement, only its entrance was hidden.

After the mustiness cleared, Xu Qianli went down to the basement. After some searching, he quickly found a special door.

Calling it a door was one thing, but it more closely resembled the door of a safe.

Inserting the previously acquired key, it indeed matched the lock.

Xu Qianli took out the note and entered the densely packed dozens of numbers on it, and the door creaked open.

Pushing the door open, he glimpsed the contents of the room, and even Xu Qianli, who had weathered many storms, couldn’t help being dazzled.

He saw that the room was chock-full of cash and gold bars!

Insignificant those cash stacks might be, the hefty gold bars, each weighing a kilogram, were piled up like tiny mountains.

Xu Qianli eyed the money and estimated there must be over ten billion in cash.

As for the gold bars, the value was even more astonishing, undoubtedly worth no less than thirty billion!

Feng Jiang had claimed he had no illicit funds, suggesting his entire fortune was merely a few million.

In reality, that guy had actually hidden at least forty billion in assets!

Such a vast fortune was now known only to himself, meaning all these assets were his.

Making forty billion in an instant was certainly no small sum, but holding onto that much money was definitely too hot to handle.

Amid the excitement, a massive sense of crisis suddenly enveloped him, making Xu Qianli feel profoundly uneasy.

Earlier, he had no clear understanding of why Feng Jiang had sought him out, but now, staring at this immense fortune, enlightenment struck.

It was a trap!

Yes, it must be a setup!

The whole spiel about Feng Jiang wanting to save his own life, begging Xu Qian to spare him, and being willing to offer incriminating evidence against Lu Xingtian in exchange for favors—it was all a ruse.

Sure, the video of Lu Xingtian with the married female boss was real, but it was nothing more than a distraction, meant to pique Xu Qian’s curiosity so he would go searching the villa to discover this room full of valuable items.

The assets laid before him were, plainly speaking, bait, meant to lure him into biting the hook—the most enticing of temptations!

Only someone like Lu Xingtian, not Feng Jiang locked up in his cell, could orchestrate such a scheme and set up this trap in Zhongzhou City, waiting for him to fall into it.

What a ruthless move by Lu Xingtian!

Over forty billion in assets—who wouldn’t be tempted? Xu Qianli certainly was, yet accepting it meant throwing away his entire life.

Understanding the full scope of the situation, Xu Qianli was very clear about the consequence of swallowing this money. He immediately closed the door and made a phone call.

Xu Qianli contacted Ji Qingyun, shared his discovery in Zhongzhou City.

Upon hearing his situation, Ji Qingyun said he would handle the matter and would soon send people over.

Before long, several inconspicuous moving vans arrived outside the villa, and a group of men dressed as workers emerged. The leader spoke briefly with Xu Qianli, then led his men into the basement to pack the wealth into the alley and haul it away on the trucks.

Shortly, the basement vault was utterly empty—not a thing left.

Hidden in a tree outside the villa was a tiny camera, which transmitted clear footage to a computer in the Mayor of Zhongzhou City’s office.

Lu Xingtian, with a beautiful woman in his arms, watched the video with a smile that wasn’t quite a smile, revealing a hint of mirth.

Haha, this plan has succeeded. Xu Qianli would never dream that he has fallen into a trap, probably blinded by the billions in benefits, too elated to know which way is up!