Enforcer Manual
Chapter 696 - 694: Friends Come from Afar, Justice Will Reach No Matter the Distance_1

Chapter 696: Chapter 694: Friends Come from Afar, Justice Will Reach No Matter the Distance_1

Song Lan and Lu Xiang had spent the entire afternoon at the station before someone finally came to visit them.

When the visitor entered, both sides were surprised for quite a while.

Song Lan hadn’t expected to see their old friend Hog Foster again just a few hours later, but compared to the down-and-out figure he was in the bar, Hog now looked much revitalized, even spirited.

He had assumed the visitor to be an agent chosen by the High-level Parliament.

Hog was stunned because the two suspects in the room were not handcuffed or shackled; they were sitting calmly on the couch, with instant coffee on the coffee table in front of them, and the woman referred to as Mo Lian in the documents was holding a magazine, glancing at him indifferently as he entered.

The two behaved not as if they were detained, but as if they were at home.

"Mr. Lucky, Miss Mo Lian, I believe you should know the purpose of my visit."

He moved a chair over and took out the documents from his briefcase, placing them in front of the two, "These are the relevant procedures. After all, you’ve made outstanding contributions to the United Government, and the High-level Parliament does not wish to make this matter too embarrassing. If you could voluntarily admit to your crimes, we can downplay the issue."

Not long before, he had received a call from Jock.

On the phone, Jock seemed like a different person, greeting him warmly as he had done many years ago, as if last night’s incident never happened. He also said that he’d recommended him to the High-level Parliament, and the members were very welcoming of his addition, as long as he could confirm the treason charges against Rob Lucci and Mo Lian.

And after this matter, Jock would also recommend him for membership at the Fishing Boat Club, with the next event happening in a few days.

Everything seemed to be moving in the direction he had hoped for.

Taking over the vacant position of Secretary-General and becoming a member of the High-level Parliament would not only clear his past gloom but also grant him more power than before.

As a politician, it was difficult to refuse such generous rewards.

Compared to interests and power, prideful disputes were insignificant.

As for miscarriages of justice?

These were all too common in the United Government, so common that they were not worth mentioning on their own.

"Is this your personal suggestion, or is it the intention of the High-level Parliament?"

Song Lan, watching Hog across the coffee table, felt a profound sadness. Perhaps fate was pushing their new friend toward the ending that should have been his the night before.

"Even without the High-level Parliament’s involvement, I would have taken interest in this case. Look through the procedures first," Hog suggested, pushing the documents toward them. "According to the information I’ve gathered, there’s no solid evidence for the charges against you, all the suspicions are mere conjecture, and if this case went to Tribunal, you would undoubtedly win."

This was also why the High-level Parliament didn’t want to make this matter public.

Their foundation was still unstable, and public opinion could greatly affect them. During the investigation, Hog also learned other interesting tidbits— not all members wanted to establish the High-level Parliament, at least they were not satisfied with the nominees this time.

The Secretary-General had long harbored ambitions and exploited a loophole, securing more than half of the votes in favor by taking advantage of the tense atmosphere following the assassination of the Chairperson of the Council. And without the Chairperson, there was no one to veto this newly established entity.

Hog missed the vote because of his drinking and was counted as abstaining by default. A member who attended that day’s meeting informed him that the vote for the bill was 52% in favor to 43% against, with the rest abstaining without clear understanding.

All signs pointed to the fact that if someone had meticulously planned this assassination, it must have been the deceased Secretary-General.

And his death was because he had been silenced for knowing too many secrets.

This explained the recent turmoil in The First Region—all because the real mastermind was still alive and likely a member of the High-level Parliament.

Hog’s words left Song Lan startled, and he began to question Hog’s intentions again, asking, "What exactly are you trying to say?"

Was their new friend, Mr. Hog, finally starting to think instead of continuing to play the fool?

"What I’m saying is that if you refuse to confess, they can’t take any substantive action against you; they will have to find ways to delay, because once this case is brought to Tribunal, the situation will turn very unfavorable for them... These are some of my personal insights. Indeed, I was approached by a friend who hoped I could persuade you to plead guilty, but in matters of judicial credibility, it’s inevitable that we might have different opinions," Hog explained.

That was, of course, a lie.

The whole world knew how much dirt the Foster Family had in judgements; it was just that no one had ever been able to challenge them in this arena.

"But I have more than one friend, so I sought the opinion of a new friend."

Hog admitted that when Jock promised him a seat in the High-level Parliament, he was indeed almost blinded by excitement.

He needed that position too much to silence the increasing doubts within his family, and he believed that after this case was settled, Jock would indeed fulfill his promise.

The problem was, what would happen after he joined the High-level Parliament?

They had assassinated the Chairperson and silenced the Secretary-General in his office, the killings were so bizarre that even the special investigation team hadn’t found any clue about the murderer to date, and the High-level Parliament had carelessly pinned the charges on two individuals lacking motive.

"So, that new friend gave me some invaluable advice,"

Hog said, "This is a road of no return. If I keep walking down this road, sooner or later I’ll end up like the Secretary-General, found dead in my own office with a gaping hole in my chest by some unidentified murderer."

He knew very well that this was an extremely risky decision, possibly the most critical decision he would ever face in his life, because once the High-level Parliament discovered his betrayal, they would stop at nothing to assassinate him.

"What do you think?"

Song Lan’s question brought him once again to this crossroads. No matter which direction he stepped in, there was no turning back.

Countless thoughts flooded Hog’s mind. He cast aside all trivia, remembering only the parts that troubled him the most.

This led him to his final answer, his eyes filled with unwavering determination, "I can’t forgive what Jock did. I need to know what conspiracy they’re plotting at the Fisher’s Club."

But at the same time, Hog was very clear that his own power alone was far from enough.

"I know what you’ve been doing in The Second Region. Richard Gervis was my best friend. I wish to hear an answer directly from you,"

He locked eyes with Song Lan, "Richard, has he changed too?"

"On the eve of the internal war within the Iris Consortium, a small-scale battle took place in the basement of the wax museum. The aftermath of the fight destroyed the surface, and it’s how people discovered the bones of the former ruler."

Hog nodded.

This coincided with what he had uncovered. It was also on that night that Richard Gervis was accused of murdering his uncle, and after fleeing, there was no news of him ever again.

"We don’t know if he was responsible for that incident, but there’s one thing I can tell you—on that night, Richard’s head was cut off by Rose. If you get the chance, you can confirm this yourself from Rose,"

Hearing this, Hog’s pupils shrank, "He’s dead?"

"He’s still alive," Song Lan said, "A man who can survive after being beheaded, that is the Richard of now. Maybe your friend Jock is the same."

"I understand."

Hog took a deep breath, realizing the situation was worse than he had imagined. He had seen the news about the parasitic worms coming from Region Seventeen, but when he was drunk, he had dismissed it as fake news concocted by some bored people for attention.

"I have an idea, Mr. Lucky,"

From the affairs of the Iris Consortium, he understood this Rob Lucci to be very strong, on par with Six Stars rescuer.

During the most glorious times of the Foster family, they had their own Six Stars rescuer, but just like the others, he couldn’t survive through the darkest era.

"I’ve heard that disguises are a specialty of Military Intelligence Section Seven. I can send two people who look exactly like you back to the Sixth District. This will give us almost half a month’s time before the trial officially begins,"

Hog detailed his plan, "During these half a month, the Fisher’s Club will be organizing a gathering, and I want you to ensure my safety then."

This was a mutually beneficial deal, and this time, he wasn’t planning on leaving himself any way out.

But that didn’t mean he was a fool, ready to completely entrust his life to a stranger he’d met only once, "But Mr. Lucky, I can’t die. If I do, or end up like them, all the trials against you will proceed."

"A fair deal."

............

This evening, the High-level Parliament received another unexpected piece of news.

Rob Lucci and Mo Lian were willing to cooperate with the investigation.

They were now being sent back to the Sixth District to await trial. Hog told them they could decide on the timing of the trial, allowing them to stay in the Sixth District indefinitely until the situation in the First Region completely stabilized.

This was exactly the scenario that the High-level Parliament had hoped for. Their current priority was to quickly take control of Military Intelligence Section Seven and the Counter-Intelligence Department.

But...

Everything was going too smoothly, which made them feel that something was off.

"Can Hog Foster be trusted?"

They had no choice but to seek Jock’s opinion once again.

"It doesn’t matter,"

Jock, however, shook his head nonchalantly, "Whatever his scheme is, he will come clean to the Master during the gathering."