SEC Chapter 975 The Double-Edged Sword of Power
Chapter 975 The Double-Edged Sword of Power
At Okamura's insistence, the tracks were finally cleared. The scattered wreckage of the train cars was towed away by a tow truck, and the twisted steel plates and broken wood made a harsh squeak in the cold wind.
The Japanese corpses were carefully sorted out, their mangled remains carried onto stretchers and taken to a makeshift tent. Those unrecognizable body parts were symbolically collected with a few scraps of cloth or some sticky flesh, placed in sacks, and hastily recorded.
That’s right, it’s pork skin.
The air was filled with a chilling odor of burnt flesh and blood. The contents of the train were sorted and stacked in a makeshift warehouse. Damaged packages, scattered luggage, charred documents, and supplies that hadn't been counted were all carefully sorted for further inspection. For days, experts from the North China Transportation Company, dressed in gray uniforms and wearing spectacles, carrying measuring tools and notebooks, shuttled back and forth at the explosion site.
They recorded the deformation of every inch of the track, the distribution of every piece of debris, and even dug up the soil around the explosion site for analysis.
Finally, they submitted a report, dozens of pages long, with a clear conclusion: the train was traveling normally when a violent explosion occurred in the third-to-last car. The shockwave threw several cars from the rear, and the immense force of the train caused the front of the train to derail and tumble. Those on board died either directly from the explosion or from the subsequent violent impact. Okamura sat at the wooden table in the makeshift headquarters, clutching the thick report, his eyes dark.
He flipped through page after page, his brow furrowed, as if trying to find some flaw between the lines. Outside, the north wind howled, mixed with the clinking of workers hammering on steel plates on the distant tracks. Finally, he raised his head, his gaze landing on Lin Ze across from him, and said in a low voice, "Mr. Lin, thanks to you, this matter was cleared up so quickly. The report is impeccably written, with evidence, data, and inferences. But you also know that the death of so many senior officers is by no means a trivial matter. Nanjing certainly doesn't want to take the blame, and the headquarters will definitely send people to conduct a thorough investigation. When the time comes..."
Lin Ze stood at the table, back straight, a barely perceptible smile on his face. He tapped the report on the table gently, his voice calm but confident, "Your Excellency, this report is based on solid evidence, detailed data, and reasonable inferences. It has eyewitnesses, expert analysis, and witness testimony. Even if the Emperor himself came, let alone Jinling and the Imperial Headquarters, they could only come to this conclusion."
Okamura was stunned for a moment, then burst into laughter and slapped the table: "You kid! You are so brave that you even dare to make fun of His Majesty the Emperor. This is disrespectful!" There was some appreciation in his laughter, but it also couldn't hide a hint of vigilance.
Lin Ze struck while the iron was hot, his tone slightly tentative: "Your Excellency, there were a few people in the station at the time, and I have already taken them under control. They are important eyewitnesses. What should we do next..." Okamura narrowed his eyes and waved his hand, interrupting him: "You are fully responsible for these people. If they are obedient, let them speak properly; if they are disobedient, let them shut up forever. Understand? You must be present at all interrogations. No one can interrogate them without your permission - not even the Emperor!"
"Yes!" Lin Ze stood at attention and replied with his head down.
The interrogation room at the Jinmen Military Police Headquarters was dimly lit, with only a single chandelier swinging overhead, casting dappled shadows. A charcoal fire burned in a tin bucket in the corner, making a gentle crackling sound, but it couldn't dispel the chill in the room.
Uncle and nephew Xu Shuanglin and Xu Hanjie were tied to two wooden chairs, their wrists reddened from the ropes. Xu Hanjie held his head high, appearing dignified and fearless, but his eyes occasionally flickered with panic, betraying his inner fear. After all, he was still young, and the horror of life and death was not something anyone could face with composure. In contrast, Xu Shuanglin appeared even more dejected, his face pale, his lips trembling slightly, and he occasionally let out a low sigh. However, a closer look revealed a firmness in his eyes, far from the weakness he appeared to be.
The door creaked open and Lin Ze walked in. His military boots stepped on the concrete floor, making crisp footsteps that seemed to strike at everyone's nerves.
He had just rushed back to Tianjin from the explosion site. He was exhausted, but there was no trace of fatigue on his face. Instead, he had a hunter-like sharpness.
He took off his gloves and threw them on the table. His eyes flicked back and forth between Xu Shuanglin and Xu Hanjie, finally stopping at Xu Shuanglin. "Xu Shuanglin, Xu Hanjie, uncle and nephew?"
Lin Ze's voice was low, with an unquestionable majesty.
Xu Shuanglin forced a flattering smile and lowered his head slightly: "To answer your question, sir, we are distant uncle and nephew. But we visit each other often and have a pretty close relationship." His voice trembled a little, as if he was trying hard to suppress the fear in his heart.
Lin Ze sneered, pulled over a chair, sat down slowly, and crossed his legs: "Distant relatives? Are those Military Intelligence Bureau spies also distant relatives of yours?"
As soon as these words came out, Xu Shuanglin's face turned pale, and cold sweat oozed from his forehead. He opened his mouth, wanting to defend himself, but no words came out.
Lin Ze slammed his hand on the table, his voice suddenly rising. "Old Xu, who can you possibly hide this from? That day, you were drinking tea at the tea stall, and those spies even changed their clothes and swaggered into the station building. Do you know why they were so brazen? Because they didn't care whether you lived or died! Regardless of success or failure, they would just walk away. And you? Are you still covering up for them?"
Xu Shuanglin's whole body trembled, and his lips quivered, as if he had been stabbed in the vitals.
He lowered his head, his voice so low it was almost inaudible: "Sir, I... I was forced to do this! They threatened me with my wife and children, saying that all they had to do was control the traffic lights and make the special train stop temporarily on the side track. I didn't do anything else, I really didn't do anything else!"
Lin Ze narrowed his eyes, watching every nuance of Xu Shuanglin's expression. His interrogation experience told him that Xu Shuanglin wasn't lying, at least not in this particular part. The Military Control Commission's agents were clearly skilled and daring. Their goal wasn't to blow up the train, but to seize a vital item aboard during the chaos. Anything that would spur Boss Dai to personally dispatch someone to take action couldn't possibly be ordinary military supplies.
"What did they take with them after the train derailed?"
Lin Ze's tone was calm, but it was like a knife, piercing Xu Shuanglin's heart.
Xu Shuanglin swallowed his saliva, his voice trembling, "I... I did as they said and turned on the signal, and the train did slow down. But for some reason, the train didn't enter the siding, but... instead it exploded, and then it derailed..."
Lin Ze turned to Xu Hanjie suddenly, his eyes like a knife: "When did you switch the switch?"
"I……"
Xu Hanjie was taken aback by this sudden question. He blurted out the word "I" before realizing it and hastily correcting himself: "What switch? I don't know what you're talking about!"
Lin Ze sneered in his heart, it turned out to be this kid.
On-site inspectors had long discovered that the switch had been moved, but the point rail was in close contact with the base rail, seemingly without any problems. Xu Hanjie's reaction had already betrayed him.
"The on-site inspectors said there were signs that the switch had been moved, but when they arrived, the switch rail had returned to its original position and no major problems were found."
Lin Ze deliberately slowed down his speech and observed Xu Hanjie's reaction.
Xu Shuanglin quickly interrupted, his tone urgent, "Excuse me, sir. Although our station is a small one, we have a lot of vehicles, and they often meet and wait there. The switches are switched several times a day, so leaving some marks is normal. Switchmen must have accurate eyes and steady hands, and there can't be even the slightest deviation. My nephew has only been working here for a short time, and he doesn't have enough strength or skills. Normally, I switch the switches myself. That day, I was giving the signal, so who would have moved the switches?"
Lin Ze nodded, appearing calm on the surface, but he already had a plan in mind.
Xu Shuanglin's words were half true and half false, and he was obviously trying to excuse Xu Hanjie.
The marks on the switch couldn't be explained by routine operation, and the timing of the explosion was too coincidental. It was most likely related to Xu Hanjie's operational error. For the next few hours, Lin Ze asked the same questions over and over again, varying his angles and tone, observing every subtle reaction from the uncle and nephew. Xu Shuanglin gradually regained his composure, his answers becoming increasingly fluent, as if he had memorized his lines.
Xu Hanjie remained somewhat flustered, his eyes evading from time to time, but he managed to hold on under his uncle's protection. As the night deepened, the wind outside the interrogation room grew stronger, and the charcoal fire burned down to only dark red embers.
Lin Ze stood up, straightened his uniform, and said, "Let's stop here tonight. Think about it carefully. Don't force me to use other means."
He pushed the door open and walked out, leaving behind a dead silence.
Late at night, Lin Ze returned to the temporary headquarters, lit a cigarette, and stood at the window, gazing out at the night. In the distance, the lights of Tianjin were sparse, and the shadows of patrolling military police could be vaguely seen.
The fact that the Military Control Commission chose to take action at Zhoulizhuang Station shows that their intelligence was accurate and their plans were thorough.
But the explosion disrupted everything, the spies returned empty-handed, and Xu Shuanglin and his nephew became scapegoats.
Lin Ze exhaled a puff of smoke, his eyes darkening. He knew this matter was far from over. Okamura's trust was a double-edged sword, granting him the power to investigate but also pushing him into the spotlight.