Chapter 800: Lord Wang on the Brink of Collapse

Six o'clock in the early morning.

In the residential compound of the Wuzhou Municipal Party Committee, Wang Qigang's study still had its light on.

Wang Qigang wore dark blue pajamas, with a jacket over them, sitting behind the rosewood desk; the ashtray on the desk was already full of cigarette butts, and the air was filled with a strong tobacco smell.

His phone had just received a few messages.

The messages were brief, yet they made his temples throb. It was definitely heart‑wrenching. After all, the princeling from the capital swung his long sword once again, unleashing an arrogant, overbearing aura.

"Zhou Hongwei has been taken into custody."

"At his hometown fishpond, a large amount of gold bars, US dollars, and antiquities were seized."

"The preliminary valuation exceeds twenty million."

Wang Qigang stared at the shocking lines of text, so angry he almost crushed his phone, yet his expression remained calm—calm as a bottomless pool.

Only those who knew him well understood what stormy turmoil lay beneath that calm.

Thinking back…

He had established the Leading Group for Rectifying Discipline and Work Style Among Municipal Party and Government Cadres—this was his own proposal raised at the standing committee meeting.

Originally, he wanted to consolidate power and suppress Lin Dongfan's arrogance.

He never expected Lin Dongfan to turn the tables, using the banner of "rectifying work style" to clean up those who wouldn't toe the line, and under the guise of a "special audit" to target projects he disliked.

Thus,

Lin not only broke the power stranglehold in one fell swoop, but also demonstrated his resolve to uphold integrity, firmly grasping control of personnel and projects.

Two birds with one stone—no, this is three birds with one arrow!

The banner he himself had raised now became a nominal sword in Lin Dongfan's hand, thrust straight into his own heart.

To say it doesn't hurt would be a lie.

"Zhou Hongwei!"

Wang Qigang stared at that name, his molars aching from clenching.

Over the years, Zhou Hongwei had helped him settle many troubles, especially the project approvals for the Zhao Group, contributing greatly.

Although he had known Zhou's background might not be clean,

he never imagined that this Zhou would have embezzled over twenty million! Moreover, he had the audacity to hide the illicit funds in his old fishpond, now causing an uproar throughout the city.

Now Zhou Hongwei has become a piece of meat on Lin Dongfan's chopping block.

"A dull knife cutting flesh…"

Wang Qigang let out a cold snort; the anguished anger he could no longer suppress surged onto his cheeks, and he slammed his phone hard onto the desk.

This is no dull knife—

it is clearly a precise surgical scalpel!

Lin Dongfan does not directly investigate the Zhao Group, nor does he confront Wang Qigang head‑on; he picks off those holding key positions one by one.

One after another, he cuts!

This is tantamount to dismantling Wang Qigang's left and right arms!

Cutting to the end…

Wang Qigang's years‑long power network in Wuzhou will inevitably collapse, leaving him a lone commander with no troops, his core cohesion greatly weakened.

The landline on the desk suddenly rang.

Wang Qigang stared at it for a full ten seconds before slowly picking it up.

"Secretary Wang…"

From the other end came the cautious voice of Li Bin from the Municipal Party Committee Office: "Regarding Zhou Hongwei…"

"I know." Wang Qigang cut him off, his voice eerily calm: "The Commission for Discipline Inspection will handle the case according to law; our Municipal Party Committee must support it."

The other side obviously hesitated: "But…"

"But what?" Wang Qigang retorted, righteous and stern: "Zhou Hongwei is corrupt and lawless; the evidence is solid—anyone who shields him is a sinner of Wuzhou!"

He spoke those words with stirring fervor.

But Li Bin on the other end felt a chill down his spine—he sensed that beneath Secretary Wang's calm tone lay a torrent of fury.

"Then… the special audit…" Li Bin probed: "Should we continue?"

Wang Qigang fell silent for two seconds.

Continue?

Of course we must continue.

This is a project he personally promoted; to halt it now would be tantamount to slapping himself in the face.

Moreover, Lin Dongfan is waiting for him to call it off—once he does, a hat reading "Wang Qigang Obstructs Anti‑Corruption" will surely be placed upon him.

Now it's a case of riding a tiger one can't dismount, an arrow already on the string that must be loosed.

"Not only must we continue…" Wang Qigang emphasized word by word: "we must also increase intensity. Tell the audit office to examine all projects impartially and with strict scrutiny."

After hanging up, Wang Qigang leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes.

His head ached.

It wasn't a physical pain.

but the feeling of being hoisted by one's own petard—frustrating and suffocating!

It's like you painstakingly dug a pit, only to step into it yourself, then have to smile and tell the onlookers, "What a fine pit you've dug."

"Lin Dongfan…"

Wang Qigang murmured the name, for the first time feeling that this relatively young mayor might be tougher than he had imagined.

He had heard that Lin Dongfan was merely a climber relying on a second‑hand background, a reckless hothead.

Now it seems he himself had been careless.

Just as the old saying goes—excellent hunters always appear in the guise of their prey!

The Lin obviously isn't that kind of reckless hothead, nor is he a princeling who throws his weight around relying on his background; this person understands the rules and is adept at playing tricks within them.

What's even more frightening is that this person knows how to exploit the consciousness of 'political correctness'.

Anti-corruption!

Integrity!

Work style construction!

Once these banners are raised, nobody dares to openly oppose them; if you oppose, you're being unpolitical; if you obstruct, you're covering up corruption.

Brilliant!

Damn, that's brilliant!

However, the reason the Lin was able to smoothly play this good move is that someone in Wuzhou is sparing no effort to assist him.

And this helper is Shi Liantang of the Discipline Inspection Commission.

Shi Liantang's attitude seems ambiguous on the surface, but at the crucial moment he still sided with Lin Dongfan.

Without Shi Liantang's support, Lin Dongfan couldn't even pull off this one-man show.

Having thought this through in silence.

Wang Qigang slowly opened his eyes, picked up the phone on the desk, and dialed Li Bin's number: 'Notify Discipline Inspection Commission's Shi Liantang to come see me at nine in the morning.'