Chapter 80

Director Guo Shuqing was also extremely furious! Chang Huaqiang was literally disgusting him, the director of the Public Security Bureau!

Early this morning, he received a call from Deputy Secretary of the Municipal Party Committee and Mayor Su Luyang, and Mayor Su was furious.

The reason was that Mayor Su’s official car had been blocked outside the gates of the Municipal Party Committee and Government compound.

The specific incident was this: At 8:30 a.m. on the 15th, because Mayor Su was to preside over a meeting at the municipal government, his car arrived punctually at the main gate. As driver Xiao Feng turned on his right signal to turn onto the road leading directly into the compound, a group of people suddenly surged out from the corner and blocked the car’s path.

Driver Xiao Feng was startled and slammed on the brakes; the car jolted to a stop. Mayor Su Luyang, who had been resting with his eyes closed in the back seat, asked: “What’s going on, Xiao Feng?”

At that moment, Xiao Feng clearly saw the situation: a group of about ten elderly men and women, aged sixty to seventy, stood in front of the car; two of them held a black banner with white characters reading: “Seek Justice for Young Entrepreneur Chang Huafei.”

Xiao Feng turned back and said: “Mayor Su, these seem to be petitioners.”

Mayor Su frowned and pointed at the black banner: “What’s this? What young entrepreneur?”

Xiao Feng had heard plenty of rumors about Chang Huafei being shot dead on the street.

Rumors varied wildly—there were always plenty of bystanders ready to gossip.

But as a driver for a high-ranking official, Xiao Feng knew better than to speak carelessly; he had never mentioned any of the rumors to Mayor Su.

Yet the Chang Huafei shooting had been too major for Mayor Su to ignore. So Xiao Feng carefully said: “Mayor Su, it’s the younger brother of Chang Huaqiang, the man shot dead in front of Hongweida a few days ago. These people look like they’re from Chang’s hometown.”

With one sentence, Xiao Feng conveyed three points to his superior: one, it was related to the shooting; two, they were Chang Huaqiang’s relatives, specifically his cousin; three, the people blocking the road appeared to be from the Chang family’s hometown.

Mayor Su immediately understood who was behind this. A wave of irritation rose in him. Watching several elderly women collapse on the ground, wailing in dramatic tones outside the car window, he thought for a moment and dialed Guo Shuqing directly.

In his anger, Guo Shuqing recalled that Lu Haoxuan was in charge of the case, so he called Lu Haoxuan with a tone of reprimand.

After hanging up, Lu Haoxuan immediately gathered Hu Jinquan and several other detectives, jumped into a car, and sped toward the municipal compound.

Lu Haoxuan had departed from Jiangdong Branch; he had to cross Qingjiang Bridge into Jiangnan District, then drive another three kilometers to reach the Municipal Party Committee compound. Even if he was in a hurry, at this morning rush hour, it would still take twenty to thirty minutes.

Meanwhile, the security guards at the Municipal Party Committee compound had already arrived at the scene.

Although Mayor Su felt annoyed, he still got out of the car warmly to speak with the elderly men and women.

After Xiao Feng and the security guards created a safe buffer with their bodies, Mayor Su stepped out and kindly asked the elders what their grievances were, urging them to file formal complaints with the relevant departments—the government would handle everything fairly.

Among the elders, there was naturally a leader: an elderly man with a shiny bald head and a loud voice. When he saw Mayor Su step out, he waved his hand, and the wailing instantly stopped; only one elderly woman remained seated on the ground, leaning against an old man, softly sobbing.

The bald elder cleared his throat, straightened his posture, and addressed Mayor Su: “Mayor Su, I recognize you.” Mayor Su smiled and replied gently: “Elder, you’re relatives of Chang Huafei, aren’t you? The municipal party committee and government take the Chang Huafei shooting very seriously. Director Guo Shuqing of the municipal bureau has been appointed overall commander and formed a special task force, pulling the city’s top criminal investigators to apprehend the killer as quickly as possible, deliver justice to the deceased, and restore peace and harmony to our five million citizens of Zizhen City!”

The bald elder was Chang Huaqiang’s fifth uncle, Chang Rongwei, a man known for his eloquence and high standing in the Chang family. He had led Chang Huafei’s parents and several other elderly members of the Chang clan into the city to “seek justice.”

Hearing Mayor Su speak in bureaucratic platitudes, Chang Rongwei seized the pause after his sentence and pointed at the elderly couple on the ground: “Mayor Su, look—these are Huafei’s parents. They had only this one son! They’re nearly sixty now. Can you imagine how heartbroken they are, losing their only child? Do you understand?”

“Never mind how many good deeds the Chang family has done these past few years in Zizhen—building businesses, developing land for the people! Just consider my nephew Huafei—he was unmarried, and now he’s been murdered on the street for no reason! It’s been days since he died, and the police haven’t said a word! My nephew Huafei died unjustly!”

As he spoke, tears welled in his eyes. Hearing this, Chang Huafei’s mother, who had been slumped on the ground, was overcome with grief—she gasped, then fainted.

Chaos erupted instantly. The old man frantically called out his wife’s name and pinched her philtrum.

Mayor Su panicked—if another death occurred now, the situation would become even more complicated.

He immediately ordered Xiao Feng: “Call Guo Shuqing again! When will the task force arrive? Send medical personnel to treat the elderly woman immediately—call an ambulance right now!”

Then he raised his voice: “Elders, please be assured—I’ve ordered the head of the special task force to come here immediately to give you a clear answer. You’re all elderly, and it’s freezing outside. Listen to me—let’s move to a better place. When the task force head arrives, we can talk calmly, alright?”

At that moment, a sharp screech of brakes echoed—a police car pulled up not far from the crowd.

Lu Haoxuan hurried out of the vehicle.

“Mayor Su!” Lu Haoxuan ran up to him.

Mayor Su glanced at him, nodded expressionlessly. Lu Haoxuan noticed two doctors in white coats examining the elderly woman on the ground.

Driver Xiao Feng leaned close and whispered: “The elderly couple on the ground are Chang Huafei’s parents. The woman just fainted. The mayor still has a meeting—Lu Team Leader, you need to handle this quickly!”

In those few words, Lu Haoxuan pieced together what had just happened.

He immediately called out loudly: “Fellow villagers! I’m Lu Haoxuan, head of the special task force investigating Chang Huafei’s shooting! If you want information about the case, please come with me to Jiangdong Branch—we’ll sit down and talk properly. Mayor Su has many urgent matters to attend to. I’ll report the case details to him later—is that acceptable?”