The surrounding crowd screamed and panicked, and even the honor guards responsible for escorting the coffin were somewhat flustered.

Their rifles were not loaded, so they were essentially harmless.

If a firefight broke out, they would only serve as human shields.

“General, you need to leave…”

The two men gritted their teeth and stood in front of Mo Xin, hoping Vincent could quickly escort him away from the scene.

However, Vincent didn’t move, neither did Mo Xin, and Mo Qi even had the leisure to mutter, “Damn it, couldn’t you have given me a heads-up? You scared me.”

The man who suddenly emerged fired another shot into the air and ran towards Mo Xin, about ten meters away. Several guards surrounded and tackled him to the ground.

The two journalists filming the funeral quickly turned their cameras, feeling that this scene seemed familiar.

And when the man’s hood was pulled down, revealing his face, almost everyone present immediately recognized his identity—the assassin who had tried to kill Mo Zhenghong during a campaign speech!

Wasn’t he arrested by the federal authorities?!

How could he brazenly appear at Mo Zhenghong’s funeral?!

Was he here to assassinate Mo Xin and Mo Qi? Then what was the meaning of his earlier cry of “Long live President Reinis”?!

…

Wancha’s face was pressed into the mud, his mouth and nose covered, making it difficult for him to breathe.

He struggled with two muffled “um” sounds, and several guards pressed him tighter.

Mo Xin glanced at Vincent, who immediately understood and ordered the two media outlets that had captured footage and other onlookers to leave the scene.

Soon, the entire cemetery was cleared, and the surroundings were shielded from prying eyes by black curtains.

Mo Xin approached Wancha, holding a black umbrella, and ordered the guards to let go.

Wancha’s hands were already tied behind his back, and he struggled to raise his upper body, his face covered in mud.

He tried to stand up, but Mo Xin stepped on his shoulder, forcing him to kneel again.

Wancha glared up at him angrily, gritting his teeth. “You’re going too far, Mo!”

Mo Xin looked down at him, applying more pressure with his foot, and said coldly, “Kowtow.”

Wancha felt like his shoulder bones were about to be crushed by that shoe. He gritted his teeth and said in a low voice, “I came here today to cooperate with your little show, following Quichi ge’s orders and repaying the favor of saving my life. I’m not here to mourn! Damn it!”

Mo Xin directly kicked him to the ground again before Wancha could get up, and then he stepped heavily on his face.

“I won’t kill you today because of your buddy Liang Quichi.”

He then lifted his foot, grabbed Wancha’s mud-covered hair, and forcefully forced him to kowtow three times towards his father’s grave.

Blood instantly covered his face.

Wancha’s scalp felt like it was about to be torn off, and the pain made him scream.

“Enough,” Mo Qi walked over, dragging the cold-faced Mo Xin behind him. He lowered his eyelids and said to Wancha, “After this matter is settled, I will let you go, considering the favor you did today. But after that, whether you live or die, Liang Qiuchi can’t protect you. You’ve killed someone, so take whatever comes your way.”

Mo Qi waved his hand, and Vincent immediately brought two people over to take care of the injured Wancha.

Wancha, who was being dragged away, was shown once again being arrested. This footage was first exposed by the media in Danga State, immediately triggering a frenzy of reposts by media outlets from various federal states.

At that time, the newly inaugurated federal president was inspecting and consoling troops stationed at the southern border. His secretary quickly made his way through the crowd to his side and whispered a few words to him, causing Reinis’s expression to change on the spot.

During the subsequent public interview segment, someone changed the topic on the spot and mentioned the incident of Wancha being arrested again and shouting “Long live president Reinis”. This raised questions about the relationship between Reinis and Wancha. President Reinis refused to answer and left in a huff.

His reaction, seen by the public, sparked various interpretations.

Even micro-expression experts were deployed, analyzing frame by frame.

However, regardless of the interpretations, the federal government’s incompetence in a series of events was an undeniable fact.

Especially Wancha’s quiet escape from custody. The fact that the federal government had been unable to capture him for several days was bad enough, but allowing him to run wild at the victim’s funeral was simply outrageous.

This led to another round of protests from supporters of Mo Zhenghong and opponents of Reinis, demanding that the new administration take responsibility for this matter and produce a clear report on the investigation.

Reinis’s already declining reputation plummeted even further after this incident, like a landslide.

“This media battle has gotten off to a good start,” Mo Qi turned off the TV news and raised his glass to Liang Quichi. “Thanks to your planning and arrangements these days, well done.”

Liang Quichi shook his head, still feeling somewhat guilty about using Mo Zhenghong’s funeral to create conflict.

His own father had died unjustly many years ago, with a cold and sloppy funeral, and his grave had been stained with Roy Reinis’s blood.

This matter had always weighed heavily on his mind, and he felt regretful and guilty whenever he thought about it.

Now, with time passing, he didn’t want Mo Xin to experience the same thing.

Seeing his gloomy expression, Mo Qi couldn’t help but laugh. “It was my father’s funeral, and both Mo Xin and I don’t mind. You don’t need to feel guilty either.”

Liang Quichi murmured softly in agreement.

Mo Qi continued, “Since the first shot has been fired, the most important thing now is to figure out what to do next.”

If they only focused on shaping public opinion without following up with subsequent actions, after a while, even with more questioning, the matter would die down. It wouldn’t have any substantial impact on Reinis.

Perhaps, all the efforts made before would be in vain.

Liang Quichi naturally understood this reasoning.

He looked at Mo Qi and said in a low voice, “I have a plan. I wonder if you can cooperate with it.”

Mo Qi stood by the window and looked over, meeting his gaze. With a smile, he narrowed his eyes. “That’s quite a coincidence. I also have a plan and would like your cooperation.”

He raised a finger, indicating to Liang Quichi not to speak yet. “Let’s see if we’re on the same page.”

Mo Qi held the glass and walked slowly toward Liang Quichi. “You’re wanted, so it’s not appropriate for you to appear publicly. And you’ve been delaying your return to Lugo, presumably because you don’t want to play into their hands. Looking at the big picture, I am the most suitable person to step forward and also the most likely person to help you.”

“Exactly,” Liang Quichi nodded frankly.

In the past few days back in Danga, Mo Qi had been immersed in meetings with various officials at the Danga State Government Office. Obviously, he not only had a wide network of contacts there but also had decision-making power over certain matters in the state government.

If he were to pressure the federal side on behalf of the Danga State government, demanding that the federal parliament oversee the exercise of presidential power and further demand a vote for presidential impeachment, not only would it be justified, but it would also ensure that the ironclad evidence of Reinis’s crimes he had collected over the years would not once again go to waste.

After all, Reinis was now the enemy who killed Mo Qi and Mo Xin’s father.

Liang Quichi asked, “So, are you willing to step forward?”

Mo Qi replied, “That depends on whether you are willing to accept my conditions.”

Liang Quichi didn’t hesitate for a moment and said, “I accept.”

“Aren’t you going to ask what the conditions are?” Mo Qi raised an eyebrow, glanced playfully upstairs where Mo Xin was having a video conference in his study.

Lowering his voice, he asked Liang Qiuchi, “If it involves both of you, are you still willing?”

Liang Quichi said, “Most of the evidence I have against Reinis involves illegal dealings between him and Lugo. If you come forward with this evidence, Reinis could easily turn the tables and accuse Danga and Lugo of conspiring against him.”

Mo Qi raised an eyebrow. “He’s already doing that.”

In order to regain his declining support, Reinis had been trying various methods to divert public attention in recent days. So he exaggerated the relationship between Mo Xin and Liang Quichi.

Behind Mo Xin was Danga, behind Liang Quichi was Lugo, and Reinis could naturally portray the assassination of Mo Zhenghong as an internal conflict caused by collusion between the two sides, or portray himself as a victim of a deal between the two sides.

After all, there are no permanent friends or enemies, only interests prevail.

Reinis wanted to reverse public opinion, although it would take some effort, it was not impossible.

“If you want to nail him to the pillar of shame, you must first invalidate all the accusations against you and Mo Xin by Reinis. Otherwise, it will leave him room to maneuver.” Mo Qi looked at Liang Quichi with dark, shining eyes. “And to achieve this effect, the most convincing move is for you two to draw clear boundaries and stand on each other’s opposite sides.”

“Agreed,” Liang Quichi said calmly. “In a few days, Mo Xin will return to San Lorenzo to deal with the backlog of matters at the Security Bureau. That will be the best opportunity.”

“Really? We seem to be quite in sync, thinking along the same lines,” Mo Qi continued to smile, his tone tinged with skepticism.

Liang Quichi nodded. “You don’t need to worry about that. I know what to do.”

Mo Qi shrugged helplessly. “I’m not worried about you. I’m worried about Mo Xin. He definitely won’t agree.”

Liang Quichi said, “I’ll explain it to him myself later. He will accept it.”

“In that case,” Mo Qi walked up to him, his tone solemn. “We will do our utmost to ensure your personal safety and absolutely prevent any tragedy from happening again. This is a promise from me personally and from the entire government of Danga State to you.”

Liang Quichi said calmly, “I’m just a pawn, you’ll be in charge of the follow-up.”

“Naturally,” Mo Qi nodded. “But… before that, I have another favor to ask of you.”

“Please go ahead.”

“I want you to take me to Lugo to see Pei Ji,” Mo Qi said with a wry smile. “Since he stepped back to the second line, it’s been too difficult to contact him. Having you, a mutual acquaintance, as a middleman would save me a lot of trouble.”

Liang Quichi pondered, “Why do you want to see him?”

“This is none of your business Mr. Liang,” Mo Qi said with a smile.

Liang Quichi sensed that this matter was not simple, so he probed, “I can give you his contact information.”

Mo Qi didn’t buy it. “Some things are better said face to face for sincerity.”

Liang Quichi remained composed. “Since we’re going to cooperate, wouldn’t it be better to be open and honest?”

After a moment of thought, Mo Qi said, “This matter is of great importance, and it’s not my decision alone. It’s meaningless to speak out now without a clear plan.” He raised his glass to Liang Quichi. “I’ll naturally tell you everything when there’s progress. How about that?”

Liang Quichi didn’t say anything.

His sharp gaze seemed to penetrate everything.

Mo Qi smiled. “We’re all smart people, so why bother saying everything? Just trust that our common goal is to get Reinis into prison.”

Seeing Liang Quichi’s expression soften, he reached out with his glass and lightly tapped it against Liang Quichi’s goblet.

With a clear “ding,” Mo Qi raised his glass to Liang Quichi with a smile. “Happy cooperation.”