"On my way here, I reviewed the income and expenditure records of each of your police departments for the past month. I found some discrepancies in the data," Jiang Ye said. "There were 288 instances of 1000 yuan transfers from various civilian accounts. What does this 1000 yuan signify?"
The eight police captains remained silent.
"The thousand-yuan deposits are most frequent in accounts 1 through 4. Captain 1, tell me what this is." Jiang Ye inquired.
"Report, it's traffic fines. Cars parked illegally are fined one thousand yuan," the first captain replied.
"Did I ever say we could collect such fines?" Jiang Ye asked.
"No."
"Did I approve it?"
"No."
"Was it reported to me?"
"No."
"Stop it. Effective immediately, do not impose such fines on vehicles. Binhai City doesn't even have a thousand vehicles in total. How badly can they be parked? Is anyone parking in the middle of the street? When traffic congestion becomes an issue in the future, a separate department will be established to handle such matters. You cannot act on your own initiative."
"Yes!"
"Captain 1, please have a seat," Jiang Ye said.
"In the account statements for each department, there are also 2187 deposits of 600 yuan each, from various accounts across the city. What is the reason for these deposits? Captain 2, you answer." Jiang Ye asked.
"Noise pollution fees," the second captain's face turned pale.
"What is that?" Jiang Ye looked confused.
"Some street-side shops have excessively loud music, which is suspected of disturbing residents. Therefore, we went to..."
Jiang Ye interrupted him, "How many people have complained about noise disturbances?"
"None..." the second captain's face grew paler.
"No one complained about disturbances, yet you felt the shop music was too disruptive and collected money, is that right?" Jiang Ye asked. "Binhai City has a total of 2187 street-side shops. You collected from all of them, and all of them are disruptive, correct?"
The second captain's breathing trembled, "Yes."
"Stop it. This fee is not to be collected anymore, and all the money is to be refunded," Jiang Ye stated. "Captain 2, please have a seat."
"There were 12 payments from Bai Yi Real Estate's operations on Jiang Ye Star, ranging from 120,000 to 870,000 yuan, totaling 3.06 million. What is this money about, Captain 3?"
"Construction... construction supervision fees," Captain 3's voice trembled.
"What does that mean?" Jiang Ye's tone was flat.
"Bai Yi Real Estate was conducting construction in areas with high foot traffic. We dispatched officers to monitor, ensuring construction safety. We collected some operational expenses for the officers' travel." A drop of sweat fell into Captain 3's eye, stinging him as he blinked incessantly.
"Come, all the police officers of Binhai City are here today. Please stand up if you have participated in such tasks." Jiang Ye's gaze shifted backward.
Silence filled the room. Every officer sat firmly in their seats; not a single person stood up.
"Are there none?" Jiang Ye chuckled and looked at Captain 3. "Do you have a batch of invisible, intangible ghost officers?"
"Actually... actually, it was the captains of each team who went to monitor," Captain 3 stammered.
"Report!" Captain 6 suddenly shouted, his voice so loud it echoed throughout the entire hall.
"Speak," Jiang Ye smiled and looked at him.
"I have never participated in such a task! The captains of teams 1 through 4 asked us to place the money in our team's accounts and transfer it to them in winter!" Captain 6 stood up and said, "Our teams 5, 6, 7, and 8 are all transferred auxiliary police. Captain 1 called us to a meeting and said that after Chief Shao left, he would be taking over. If we wanted to continue working, we had to listen to him, Captain 1! Captain 1 also said that this money was for you!"
"Oh, so that's how it is. I understand," Jiang Ye's smile became even brighter. "Please sit, everyone please sit."
"I won't investigate other miscellaneous payments. There is one payment I need to specifically look into." Jiang Ye picked up his phone and dialed for a while. "The Thursday before last, a sum of 4 million yuan was transferred from Tian Rao Clothing Design Company to Captain 1's account. After Captain 1 handled it, he then transferred one million yuan each to Captain 2, Captain 3, and Captain 4. What is this money about? Captain 1, please stand up and explain."
Captain 1 stood up, his breathing trembling. Sweat flowed down his forehead at an astonishing rate, soaking his collar.
"Explain it," Jiang Ye smiled at him, "My dear Captain 1!"
Captain 1's body swayed, and with a dull thud, he collapsed straight onto the ground, having fainted. His arms lay open like a puppet's, face turned upwards.
The officers behind him were greatly alarmed and started to get up to help him.
"Hey, don't help him," Jiang Ye raised his hand. "Pay attention to meeting discipline. Everyone remain seated."
"Regarding today's situation, I must first conduct self-criticism. This planet has developed too quickly, yet I am still managing it in the same way as when there were only a few hundred or thousand people. With hundreds of thousands of people, there isn't even a clear legal framework. This is my oversight. Everyone might feel that their work lacks reference, that they don't know what should or shouldn't be done, which is very frustrating and stifling. The responsibility lies with me," Jiang Ye said. "Clear laws for Jiang Ye Star will be promulgated soon, and study sessions will be held. Everyone will need to attend and study them diligently."
"Guards!" Jiang Ye beckoned towards the door. "The first four, bind them."
Guards outside immediately entered, handcuffed the captains of teams 1 through 4, and escorted them out of the meeting hall. Captain 1, still unconscious, was carried out.
"For today's events, if anyone has any leads, you can send me a private message. Once verified, the reward will range from 100,000 to 10 million yuan. For significant meritorious service, the bonus will be uncapped."
"Alright, meeting adjourned!"
Jiang Ye exited the police station and drove directly to the Bai Yi Real Estate building.
It had been a while since he had visited. The building had been newly renovated. The entrance now had a facial recognition door. Jiang Ye tried to scan his face, and the door opened.
He took the elevator straight to the top floor, knocked twice, and pushed open the boss's office.
Xu Yan, dressed in a gray business suit, was holding a golf club and preparing to swing. Half of the office was covered with turf, and some white lines were drawn.
"Damn, you're really living the leisurely life," Jiang Ye exclaimed in shock.
"Oh, a rare guest, welcome, welcome." Xu Yan swung the club abruptly. The white golf ball shot out like a cannonball, hitting the glass window. Instead of bouncing off or piercing through, it stuck to the glass as if hitting a gel. Simultaneously, a prompt appeared nearby: Force: Good.
Jiang Ye stared, dumbfounded. "This equipment must be expensive, right?"
"It's alright, around four hundred thousand." Xu Yan poured a cup of tea. "You don't come here without a reason. What's up?"
Jiang Ye explained the situation regarding the construction supervision fees, stating that he was completely unaware of it and would return the money soon.
"Hah, I thought it was a big deal." Xu Yan was nonchalant. He picked up the club again and took a small ball from his pocket. "When they asked me for money, they all hinted that you were asking for it. I found it strange at the time. Given our friendship, if you wanted money, you would have asked me directly. Why would you go through your subordinates? But in my years of doing business on various planets, this is how it is. You always have to give some benefits to the local authorities; it's very normal. So, I gave it."
"It's not normal. My territory absolutely does not allow it," Jiang Ye said sternly. "From now on, you will be my informant. If anyone asks you for money again, you tell me directly."
"Okay, with you backing me up, I'll be much happier!" Xu Yan smiled.