Chapter 672

Seeing Li Zhenquan's eyes flicker, as if somewhat moved, Cheng Jingbo seized the moment, speaking earnestly: "Old brother, a true man born between heaven and earth ought to have things he does and things he does not! I feel that now 'abandoning darkness for light' is most timely; I hope you can make a decisive decision, face difficulties head-on, unafraid of wind and frost along the road—there will surely be a day when the bright sun shines high and spring warms the flowers."

Hearing these words, Li Zhenquan couldn't help but let out a deep sigh, a hint of helplessness appearing on his face. After a moment of silence, he slowly asked: "We didn't sell it to Gu Yunhao, did we! Jingbo, old brother, I have one last question for you—what are you going to do with that money?"

Cheng Jingbo replied without hesitation: "I will hand it over in full, item by item, clearly and clearly accounted for! Rest assured, Secretary Du will naturally exercise discretion."

Li Zhenquan nodded slightly, a flash of resolve in his eyes, and said: "All right, thanks for the advice, brother. These two days I'll go see Secretary Lu and put an end to this completely!" After saying that, he firmly patted Cheng Jingbo on the shoulder and turned to leave.

January 16, a shocking and heinous online incident occurred on the grasslands, quickly causing an uproar and alarming the Provincial Party Committee and Provincial Government.

Past 10 p. m., a roadside night market stall in Qingcheng City remained bustling with voices, extraordinarily lively.

Two groups vied over a woman, and after a few harsh words they began shoving and arguing, the tension thick with the smell of gunpowder.

Next came fists and feet, the scene descending into chaos as both sides brawled.

Having suffered a loss, Wang LeLin, stimulated by alcohol, lost his rationality, rushed straight to the car parked at the roadside, pulled an AK-47 from the trunk, raised the gun and charged forward, the dark muzzle flashing coldly in the dim light, chilling to behold.

Seeing Wang LeLin's ferocious posture, the other side instantly sobered up, cringed in seconds, and allowed Wang LeLin's gang to arrogantly pummel them with fists and kicks.

Compared to fighting over a woman, life is still more important; facing a murderous gun barrel, nobody can continue to play the hero.

Wang LeLin's gang dealt a vicious blow, beating the opposition half to death, then swaggered off, leaving a scene of utter chaos.

Wang LeLin's gang felt pleased, unaware that we now live in an era of highly developed internet information. Their violent act was fully recorded by onlookers and immediately posted online, quickly rising to the top of hot searches, attracting countless netizens' attention and discussion, making the grasslands 'go viral'.

"Holy shit, can anyone tell me if that thing in his hand is real?"

"Too bad he didn't fire two shots; I guess the gun has no bullets."

"Am I seeing things? Is it illegal to carry a gun? Could this be some 'second-generation rich kid'?"

Soon netizens from the grasslands weighed in: "Based on my observation, this person seems to be the grasslands' famous entrepreneur Wang LeLin, son of Zhelimu Municipal Party Secretary Wang Haimin."

"Holy shit, really a 'second-gen'! So arrogant!"

"The person upstairs got it wrong—Wang LeLin is a civil servant of Qingcheng City; running a business is just a sideline, and he's been drawing an empty salary for years, truly enviable and hateful!"

"The grasslands are truly bizarre; let's just watch and see."

……

Late at night, the incident of Wang LeLin "brandishing a gun" fully blew up, and Lu Fan was awakened by a phone call from Wang Jianming, head of the Provincial Party Committee's Propaganda Department; after hearing the report, he too was greatly startled.

I had long heard of this playboy, but never imagined he'd dare cause trouble with a gun—how arrogant, absolutely intolerable! Yet this presents an opportunity to take down his father, Wang Haimin.

The new media environment poses higher challenges for government handling of public opinion; with the development of 5G, short videos, etc., information dissemination efficiency has greatly increased, and the formation of netizens' emotional resonance is more explosive, necessitating immediate intervention.

Public opinion crises feature sudden outbreak and rapid spread; if negative, pessimistic information is not promptly discovered, analyzed, guided, and adjusted, it could easily trigger a net public opinion disaster.

After careful consideration, Lu Fan, despite the late hour, had Wang Jianming notify Du Wenlong and Wu Xiaohua to immediately convene at his office, with the Provincial Network Information Office standing by at all times.

Half an hour later, the four met at the Provincial Party Committee.

Lu Fan went straight to the point: "Public opinion has already erupted; to properly handle the crisis and dissolve contradictions invisibly, we must emphasize the first-response rule for network crisis events. The Provincial Discipline Inspection Committee must, in the first moment, clarify, respond, and answer via all channels to sudden crisis events, preventing the belated spread of true information, positive opinions, and rational discourse from causing public opinion to distort and continuously ferment, triggering disaster."

Xiaohua, the Provincial Party Committee General Office shall immediately set up a special network public opinion emergency response working leadership group, establish a public opinion release mechanism; the Provincial Discipline Inspection Committee shall swiftly investigate and verify, promptly report; the Provincial Party Committee Propaganda Department shall actively communicate, timely follow up with responses, quick-report facts, prudently fill in causes, heavily report progress, control false posts, and lawfully handle information suspected of illegal or regulatory violations such as slander and rumor-mongering, while proactively setting topics.

Netizens' current focus mainly consists of five points: first, whether Wang LeLin is a civil servant; second, whether he has been drawing an empty salary; third, whether he has set up a company to use power for personal gain; fourth, the gun in his hand; fifth, whether he is the son of Zhelimu Municipal Party Secretary Wang Haimin.

Wenlong, immediately launch the investigation mechanism to answer these five questions for netizens nationwide. Remember, it must be public and transparent, with no concealment whatsoever, and stress timeliness—once there is news, instantly release it to the whole network. Only thus can we truly satisfy netizens' right to know and dispel their doubts and confusion.

At the same time, we must also guard against 'certain individuals' and foreign forces stirring up trouble, frequently manipulating online public opinion to sway the government's credibility. Once such a tendency appears, immediately dispatch cyber police to nip it in the bud.

The three fully understood the importance and urgency of this task, immediately acting according to Lu Fan's instructions in separate directions; in the deep night, the Provincial Party Committee building blazed with lights, relevant departments took swift action, operated efficiently, and collaborated closely to handle this network sudden incident.

At 2 a. m., Wang LeLin and his friends, still unaware of the gravity of the situation, were indulging in decadence at the club, drinking and making merry, each with several sexy, gorgeously made-up women in their arms, laughter and clamor filling the entire private room.

Suddenly, with a loud "bang", the tightly shut door was violently kicked open, and Qingcheng City Public Security Bureau Chief Yang Minghao burst in, followed by a large contingent of fully armed police.

"You must be Wang LeLin? Take him away!"

At Yang Minghao's command, the officers sprang into action, subduing everyone in the private room with overwhelming force.

Faced with this sudden turn of events, Wang LeLin was somewhat dazed, then shouted after regaining his senses: "Stop! Which unit are you from? Do you know who I am? On what grounds are you arresting me?"

Yang Minghao looked at him sternly and spoke righteously: "I am Yang Minghao, chief of Qingcheng City Public Security Bureau. Wang LeLin, you are suspected of illegally possessing firearms and ammunition, gathering crowds to fight and cause trouble, a most heinous act that has already sparked online public opinion; please cooperate with our investigation."

"Huh? Chief Yang, there must be a misunderstanding—my father is Wang Haimin!" Wang LeLin naturally knew the person before him wielded authority comparable to his father's, being the provincial capital's public security bureau chief, and his tone immediately softened.

Yang Minghao showed no reaction, coldly replying: "Fine, keep talking—we will record the entire process and broadcast it to the whole network."

Hearing that, Wang LeLin immediately shut his mouth, also knowing he must not bring disaster upon his father. In fact, his father was already frantic, unable to reach his son, and had rushed to Qingcheng City posthaste.

At 4 a. m., with all silent, the Provincial Party Committee, Provincial Discipline Inspection Committee, Provincial Party Committee Propaganda Department, Provincial Network Information Office, Provincial Public Security Department, and other departments acted in tight coordination, using public accounts, websites, etc., to release the public opinion handling situation to society at large, publishing the "apprehension" video of the involved party Wang LeLin, clearly and completely recording the entire law enforcement process, presenting it unreservedly before the public.

At the same time, the Provincial Government publicly pledged that it would cover up nothing regarding the "gun-brandishing incident", investigating anyone involved to the end, showing no leniency, and would promptly disclose investigation progress to society and netizens.

This announcement was like a lightning bolt tearing through the silent night sky, instantly attracting the attention of many night owls.

You know, no government has ever handled online public opinion in the dead of night; the grasslands' move left many netizens astonished—at the very least, their attitude was made clear. For this alone, the grasslands have garnered countless praises and likes.

After Yang Minghao brought Wang LeLin and company back to the Public Security Bureau, he launched relentless, storm-like interrogations through the night, and carried out a carpet search of Wang LeLin's vehicle and residence. As expected, a major discovery emerged—the sheer quantity of firearms and ammunition alone was enough to leave people stunned and awestruck.

By 6 a. m., the matter of Wang LeLin's gun possession had been thoroughly investigated, the evidence conclusive, leaving no room for denial.

Governor Luo Shiyu rose relatively early that day; when she opened her phone, she was instantly bombarded with various messages, making her, just awakened, feel as if she were dreaming.

She rubbed her sleepy eyes, then carefully reread the notices from the Provincial Party Committee and Provincial Discipline Inspection Committee, after which Luo Shiyu finally confirmed that something major had happened in the province the previous night; her expression instantly turned grave, and she realized the seriousness of the matter.

Luo Shiyu dared not delay even a moment, immediately placing a call to Lu Fan.

Within less than five seconds, the call connected, and Lu Fan's somewhat weary voice came through.

Luo Shiyu hurriedly asked: "Secretary Lu, I'm really sorry, I slept so deeply last night I didn't expect such a major public opinion incident to occur—how is it now?"

Lu Fan replied: "The situation is basically under control; as a female comrade, I didn't disturb you last night. We few have been busy from 3 a. m. till now, already issuing two announcements. After work starts at eight, we'll convene an emergency standing committee meeting."

"All right, I'll head to the Provincial Party Committee right away—thank you for your hard work!" Luo Shiyu said sincerely; being able to bring such a grave situation under control overnight shows just how much effort Lu Fan and his team have put in, and she couldn't help but feel a surge of admiration.