Chapter 171: Undercurrents Rising

The practice of the Trade Bureau selling goods to the wastelanders has actually existed for many years, and the trade bureaus of all metropolitan cities have been involved.

It was not something that a single city like the Energy Metropolis could dominate; otherwise, there would not have been the scenario where orders were placed in the black market while shipments were dispatched from the Iron Metropolis.

The underlying financial interests involved were profound.

However, compared to the regular purchases made by the citizens of the capital, the prices of goods sold to the wastelanders were marked up by far more than double.

Two or three times the price was entirely normal.

And who were the ultimate beneficiaries? None other than the various functional bureaus within the inner city and the Lord himself.

Therefore, everyone had always turned a blind eye, allowing the practice to persist.

They quietly engaged in a mutually beneficial hustle where everyone looked out for one another.

Yet today, Song Yi brazenly brought this sensitive topic out into the open to pursue accountability. His true intention was not to sever this chain of profit, but rather to use the opportunity to make things difficult for the Trade Bureau.

After all, who could blame him when this particular piece of meat was dripping with fat?

Everyone present was shrewd, and while most inwardly mocked Song Yi’s rashness, a few saw the deeper implications behind his move.

Regardless of the motives, the final judgment naturally rested with the Lord.

Lord Moshu turned his heavy head toward an elderly person who had remained silent throughout, and asked indifferently:

"Bailin, what are your thoughts?"

Bailin was the name of the Director-General of the Trade Bureau.

She was a kindly elderly woman with a high forehead, proper facial features, high cheekbones, and a face full of wrinkles.

Her hair was meticulously combed without a single stray strand, and her resolute expression bore a striking resemblance to that of Granny Wanjun.

Deeply set within her eye sockets, a pair of dark brown eyes quietly told the story of the vicissitudes of time.

Among everyone present, she looked the oldest.

Yet in terms of actual age, many of them were on par with her.

Bailin refused to meet Song Yi’s aggressive gaze, speaking in a gentle, melodious tone with a sense of utter assurance:

"Everyone here knows that the wastelanders are divided into various factions. Those capable of carrying out such an attack can only be a fraction of them.

"Director Song, why must you deliberately make an issue of this? Hasn't the task of suppressing the wasteland bandits always been the responsibility of Director Tu?

"As for the escort of the convoy, you should probably ask Director Wan!"

Tu Bei, who had been quietly eating melons and watching the show, was suddenly stunned... What the hell, why drag me into this? Poor with words, he was just about to flare up when Wan Qianfeng used a glance to promptly suppress him.

Director Bailin continued:

"We cannot lump all wastelanders into the category of evildoers.

"After all, we are all human beings, and they are merely trying to survive!"

Song Yi’s objective today was to suppress Bailin.

Pressing forward step by step, he raised his voice and said:

"Even so, it was still caused by your lax vetting when accepting orders.

"You dare to take orders for any jackals, wolves, or panthers—heaven knows how many kickbacks you've pocketed behind the scenes!

"You are clearly channeling benefits to the wastelanders. Once you fatten them up and they turn around to bite us, you're still sitting there speaking on their behalf."

There was a key term here—accepting orders.

The stance of the Energy Metropolis toward the wastelanders was that not a single wasaster was permitted to cross the border outposts.

However, this applied strictly to the border outposts, excluding the winding mountain trails.

Regarding this, they had actually left a loophole on purpose; the mountain roads were rugged and treacherous, riddled with steep cliffs and precipices.

If the wastelanders wanted to make bulk purchases, it was not a question of whether they could afford it, but rather a limitation imposed by their transportation capacity.

At the same time, this effectively prevented the wastelanders from gathering in large numbers.

The major merchant guilds on the black market responsible for taking orders from the wastelanders were, in reality, front businesses established by the Trade Bureau.

Taking commissions, issuing tasks, shipping goods, and collecting money were things they did best.

"Director Song, stop spouting malicious slander! This old woman has served as the Director-General of the Trade Bureau for so many years and has never accepted any benefits from the wastelanders."

Bailin was somewhat agitated at this point.

"Hah! If you didn't take benefits from the wastelanders, does that mean you took them from the people in the city?!

"Even if you didn't, there's no guarantee your subordinates didn't."

Song Yi was twisting the logic. From the very beginning of the meeting, he had been relentlessly stirring trouble; he wanted the position of Director-General of the Trade Bureau so badly he was losing his mind.

He was simply hoping Bailin would step down soon.

The City Lord looked at the two arguing parties, his sparse brows knitting together, and heavily tapped his fingers on the table once more... Silence!

The two subconsciously shut their mouths.

At that moment, at a signal from Lord Moshu, Wan Qianfeng spoke with a sinister undertone:

"It seems my security work was indeed carried out quite thoroughly!

"Do you have any idea that among this attacked convoy was someone who had come to meet Mosa for an arranged marriage?

"She is the youngest daughter of Cang Jiuri, the Lord of the Iron Metropolis.

"After the ambush, it was our Patrol Bureau, in conjunction with the Defense Bureau, that rescued them in time.

"So, why do you think an emergency meeting was called?

"If it were just a routine convoy ambush incident, would it require your presence? Old Tu and I could have handled it ourselves!"

Upon hearing this unexpected piece of intelligence, Song Yi’s body visibly stiffened.

Bailin widened her eyes so much that the wrinkles at the corners of her eyes stretched taut.

Wenyu covered her mouth in astonishment with her delicate fingers.

A flash of worry crossed You Zhi's face, but upon learning that the other party was safe, he resumed his aloof, none-of-my-business demeanor.

The old butler half-closed his eyes, scrutinizing the reactions of everyone present.

A moment later, Lord Moshu spoke again:

"The incident is exactly as Wan Qianfeng described. What I am about to say next, you will all listen closely:

"I want the ins and outs of this attack thoroughly investigated, and I want the culprits brought to me.

"If I find out any of you present were involved, just wait to face the combined wrath of Cang Jiuri and myself!"

During these words, his gaze lingered for a few extra seconds on Bailin and Song Yi.

"Additionally, Wan Qianfeng, you will personally take charge of the interrogation of the two wastelander awakeners."

Wan Qianfeng immediately pushed back his chair, stood up, and delivered a respectful bow toward the City Lord.

His voice remained raspy, yet it carried a sense of glory and excitement: "Understood!"

...

At noon.

Having finished his lunch, Jin Yinghui burped, walked with a swaggering stride back to the entrance of the shop where he worked daily, unlocked the door, and stepped inside.

Although he was also working for the inner city, his working hours were extremely flexible, and with no one keeping tabs on him, life was quite comfortable.

He opened the windows for ventilation, emptied the ashtray crammed with cigarette butts, and wiped the dust off his desk.

Casually picking up today's task list to flip through it... Boring, nothing fresh.

He poured himself a cup of hot water, pulled out a cigarette, lit it, crossed his legs, and pondered whether to go out for a drink tonight.

"Life is just like this, you can see the end of it at a single glance... So dull!"

As he browsed through his communicator, he was suddenly surprised to find that today's work group chat was exceptionally lively.

This particular group was the official work chat of the Trade Bureau.

However, the topics being discussed in the chat today deeply captured his attention.

Those with better connections had already learned the specific details of the morning's high-level meeting and were enthusiastically breaking it down for everyone.

The more Jin Yinghui read, the tighter his brows knitted, and before he knew it, he had started pacing back and forth inside the room.

Amateurs watch the spectacle; professionals watch the mechanics.

Between the lines, he caught a scent—the scent of a conspiracy.

Should I go find her and discuss this?