Working as a police officer in Mexico
Chapter 922 - 484: Internal Rectification!

Campana Mountain's summit in Hermosillo.

Standing here, one can overlook the entire city…

Atop the mountain is a private mansion; outsiders have no idea what's inside, and only know it by its number: 467. Soldiers guard and patrol it year-round.

In truth, this is a "vacation home" belonging to the Gonzalez Family. At the moment, however, it serves as accommodations for Victor.

At the entrance, you can see soldiers stationed every three steps and sentries every five steps.

"General, in a few months, Caesar will turn one year old. I'd like to take him to Dubai for a visit." Krista Schroeder said to Victor, wiping the drool from her son's mouth with a napkin.

"Dubai?"

"Is Mexico not enough for you to explore?" Victor's eyebrows arched as he glanced at her. "If there's anything you need, just summon people to the house. We've just finished our conflict with the Americans, and many prying eyes are on me."

Most importantly…

Nobody knows how, but word has gotten out among the populace that Victor has a child. Though the gender remains unknown, rumors are vivid and detailed.

Such matters cannot be hidden!

The Yanks and their NATO cohorts are bound to stir up trouble — openly, no. But covertly? Absolutely.

Hearing Victor's refusal, Krista Schroeder opened her mouth, wanting to say something, but remained silent, her mood taking a downturn.

She felt like a… caged golden canary.

Thump, thump, thump~

Chaotic footsteps echoed from the hallway. Victor turned his head to see Casare and Guard Commander Xiafei rushing in with grim expressions.

Victor patted Caesar's cheek and told Krista Schroeder to take him inside first.

She hurriedly complied. As she carried the child away, she couldn't resist glancing back, desperate to know… what had happened!

"Boss, Vasili drove a car out of the Fourth Army headquarters, assaulted Rommel's secretary, collided on the road, then randomly opened fire, killing 11 civilians and injuring 9… He was apprehended by the Fourth Army rapid-response team."

As he spoke, his voice grew softer and softer, sensing the boss's increasingly fierce gaze and expression… murderous intent rising!

"Deploy Erich Ludendorff (Army Chief) to station at the Fourth Army headquarters, investigate all personnel connected to Vasili, relieve Rommel of his role as Fourth Army Commander, temporarily assigning someone to take his place. Suspend his battle honors and commendations, remove the head of the military disciplinary office from duty, order his immediate retirement, and dismiss Chief of Staff Fedor von Bock. Record a major offense against Bock and make him the temporary Chief of Staff…"

"Revoke the collective first-class merit of the Fourth Army, but do not abolish individual achievements!"

"Order local hospitals to concentrate resources on saving the wounded!"

Victor paused, his gaze terrifyingly cold. "Deliver Vasili to Hermosillo, to the location near Alvarez's statue in the 'Sonora Liberation Cemetery,' for death by hammering! Confiscate all his family assets and place his relatives under house arrest!"

This series of actions left no wiggle room.

The Fourth Army had no choice but to face misfortune…

But there was no alternative—Rommel failed to keep his men in check!

Back in the day, when the "Field" incident occurred, an entire division was disbanded. Heroes of the war were dismissed simply because of one individual, a tragic affair…

This time, Victor showed restraint. At least he didn't completely dismantle the organization!

Beside him, Casare pursed his lips, his right eyebrow twitching uncontrollably.

Truthfully, Rommel's biggest loss wasn't the punishments; it was his elimination from the "Battle Zone Commander" selection process!

The General would never pick a penalized officer. His future prospects were bound to be uneasy.

"What are you standing around for? Get moving!"

Victor glanced at Guard Commander Xiafei. The latter trembled, saluted briskly, and rushed out.

The courtyard was left with only Victor and Casare…

The atmosphere was tense, so much so that even the ever-loquacious "Fat Casare" was at a loss for words.

The matter was simply too explosive.

"Boss, maybe we should give the media a word, let them…"

"What's there to be afraid of!"

Victor countered, narrowing his eyes. "Don't hide this filth—expose it! We should also produce a documentary explaining why a drug enforcement warrior could, in just two years after gaining power, turn into a slave to greed!"

"I think it's my leniency toward the elite class…"

"The patriotism, the love for the people, even the willingness to sacrifice one's life for Mexico that I've constantly emphasized—these sentiments are perceived by certain individuals above merely as empty platitudes, self-serving slogans for consolidating power. Excessive power breeds excessive corruption!"

"I will expand the Internal Affairs Bureau (Thirteen Protectors), increasing personnel to intensify surveillance and investigations of high-ranking officials!"

Victor took a deep breath, his eyelids twitching. "Ambition and morality must never triumph over the law!"

A saying, albeit cynical, goes: "The law is designed to restrain the poor." It's extreme but possesses a shred of veracity.

"Moreover, I plan to establish the Mexican Advisory Office, drawing five members from the upper ranks to serve as advisors. They will participate in decision-making regarding Mexico's welfare, and… in case of my unexpected demise, the Leader will be selected from within this group!"

An individual's strength has limits.

Victor understood that he could, perhaps, follow Napoleon's example and declare himself emperor—his reputation alone would leave no room for opposition.

But what happens in a hundred years?

If his descendants prove inept?

What will become of Mexico then?

A fiery revolutionary could rise, arms lifted in defiance, either deposing him or sending him to the guillotine. Neither outcome would be dignified. Instead… leave fate to the next generation.

If his descendants are capable, they will reclaim this position.

If not, power can then shift among families of the five advisors, ensuring its circulation within an elite minority. Through his protection, his descendants wouldn't suffer total annihilation.

Victor couldn't be merely skilled at governing a nation while neglecting his own survival.

Perhaps the Vieri family might become Mexico's future cancer, but who can predict the future?

Casare's pupils constricted. Being a sharp-minded man, he grasped the implications immediately.

"Rest assured; you will be one of the five. As for the remaining four advisors, I plan to grant one place to Cuauhtémoc, while I carefully assess the others."

"Boss, this…"

"No one is to speak of this matter—bury it deep within your stomach."

"Boss, you can trust me! I swear on my ancestors, if I breathe a word of this, may I be struck dead by a car upon stepping outside, and may my family face disaster!" Casare raised his hand, swearing an oath.

Though superstition often lacks reliability, his gesture demonstrated intent.

Victor waved him off. "After this incident, Felix will attend Mexico's Worker's School for further studies. Once he's done, he'll take over as mayor of Guadalupe Island."

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Good heavens...

Casare's eyes widened, excitement bubbling inwardly.

A battalion commander had been relieved of duties, sent to the Workers' Party's top academic institution for training, and then dispatched as mayor of Guadalupe Island!

That's a cradle of fortune—a site revered as Victor's "second homeland." Though the island isn't expansive, its historical significance and the emotional weight it carries for the General are unparalleled—a sentiment akin to being appointed county magistrate in a leader's ancestral hometown…

And even entrusted to oversee their family's ancestral tomb.

"On behalf of Felix, I thank the General!"

"I expect him to perform well. He must remember the hard-earned nature of our current lives and do his job diligently."

The Gonzalez Family's second generation was about to embark on a fast track to prominence.

...

The "Vasili Incident" spread nationwide on the afternoon of Victor's direct orders—even neighboring United States media picked it up.

National uproar!

The scandal became a hot topic of discussion across street corners and alleyways.

Speculation abounded. Some claimed Vasili resented General Victor's allocations, thirsting for equity, thus orchestrating the tragedy.

Others alleged Vasili betrayed Mexico, defecting to the United States, tasked by the FBI to carry sensitive secrets during his escape, only to murder comrades when discovered.

The narratives were as varied as imagination allowed.

The one certain outcome was that this episode abruptly tempered Mexico's post-war arrogance, rendering the country introspective.

May 7.

Army Chief Erich Ludendorff arrived in San Diego on a military flight.

He immediately convened a soldiers' congress!

At the assembly, he officially announced punishments for Rommel and others, along with the decision to revoke the Fourth Army's collective first-class merit.

Straight-backed soldiers reacted with an audible stir upon hearing the declaration.

Bam!

Ludendorff slammed the table hard and glared, "Is this the discipline of the Fourth Army? What are you doing? Riding on your laurels, plotting who-knows-what? Let me make this clear: just because the Fourth Army excels in combat doesn't mean other armies can't fight! Were it not for the General's sympathy for your arduous contributions, you would've already been disbanded!"

"When such incidents arise, you ought to feel ashamed—you've tarnished the honor of your own soldiers!"

The room fell into silence.

"Hmph!"

"Mistakes demand correction. I understand you're seething, but it's up to you to earn back the honor—each of you, arrogant fighters. Rommel, is this the way you lead soldiers? From now on, Fourth Army will undergo three months of disciplinary training."

"Yes, sir!"

Ludendorff took a sip of tea, gulping noisily. "But rest assured, regarding the pensions, the General has personally mandated no loose ends. Now I'll call names—those whose names I call will follow the Internal Affairs Bureau personnel behind me."

He pulled out a sheet of paper from his pocket.

"Elvindo Credo!"

A Colonel seated on stage froze, his face suddenly pale. Trembling, he stood up.

Rommel and Chief of Staff Boggs stared at him, stunned.

He was… the head of the Fourth Army's Procurement Department.

"Take him away!"

At Ludendorff's command, Internal Affairs agents stepped forward to handcuff him and dragged him off the stage.

Soldiers below stared at him furiously.

Pfft, scumbag!

A dishonorable parasite without collective pride!

If not for military discipline, someone would've stood up and attacked him already.

"Smith Boggs."

A Lieutenant Colonel seated below fell lifelessly off his chair, convulsing on the floor—abject horror.

"Angola Sanchez."

Name after name was called, totaling more than 40 individuals.

How could an army headquarters produce so many implicated in the "embezzlement pensions" scandal?

Absolutely…

Intolerable!

It took Ludendorff 20 minutes to finish reading the list. He folded the paper and put it away. Soldiers sighed in relief despite their innocence—the atmosphere was suffocating.

"The General declared that to maintain the purity of the forces, every individual must tread cautiously. The Internal Affairs Bureau's eyes will be watching."

Rommel's face was ashen—utter disgrace! Shame in its purest form!

"As for Vasili, the General has ordered him to be sent to Sonora State and executed publicly. The proceedings will be broadcasted live, and all battalion-level officers must watch!"

Ludendorff scanned the room with a glacial gaze, his tone cutting: "Let this serve as a wake-up call!"

...