Chapter 1008: Bravely Stepping Forward!

A corner near the County Reception House.

A tall figure, cigarette in mouth, crouched behind a trash can deep in the alley.

A stray cat crouched on the wall; seeing someone encroaching on its territory, it let out a low warning sound.

The man picked up a stone and accurately struck the cat's head; the cat let out a miserable yelp and fled in a panic.

The man stubbed out the cigarette in his hand fiercely, a faint green light flashing in the depths of his eyes.

This person was Ma Tao.

His older brother was named Ma Yuan, and like Chen Dayong, he had long been illegally mining stone on Heiniu Mountain for exorbitant profits.

A few days ago, Ma Yuan had just finished drinking with Ma Tao at noon and was sleeping soundly in his room when he was taken away on the spot by a group of police who suddenly broke in. The police searched the room and found detonators used for blasting the mountain for stone, then detained Ma Yuan according to the law.

Their parents died early, and Ma Tao had relied on his brother for survival since childhood.

Ma Tao was gifted with extraordinary strength but lacked intelligence; he was a well-known, dim-witted bachelor.

After Ma Yuan was arrested, some people in the village deliberately fanned the flames in front of him, saying that Ma Yuan had committed a capital offense this time and might be sentenced to death.

Upon hearing this, Ma Tao immediately conceived the idea of rescuing his brother; he hurriedly found his sister-in-law and stated his plan: "Sister-in-law, I am going to save my brother."

His sister-in-law gave a bitter smile upon hearing this: "How will you save him? Do you have that kind of ability?"

Ma Tao frowned, "Then what should I do? Someone said my brother is going to be executed by firing squad!"

His sister-in-law was stunned and hurriedly persuaded him: "Although your brother broke the law, his crime is not punishable by death; he definitely won't be sentenced to death! You must not act recklessly and do something stupid!"

Seeing that his sister-in-law refused to support him in saving his brother, Ma Tao felt more and more frustrated the more he thought about it, and he stormed off to the entrance of the village.

He happened to run into a few gossiping old women, who added fuel to the fire as they wagged their tongues at Ma Tao.

They said his sister-in-law had long been keeping a wild man on the side and was hoping Ma Yuan would be heavily sentenced and locked in prison for life, so that she could occupy Ma Yuan's property with that wild man.

Ma Tao was furious when he heard this; he found a small tavern to drink his sorrows away and ran into his older brother Ma Yuan's sworn brother.

This fellow drank a few cups with Ma Tao, and after three rounds of drinks, he began to "offer advice" to Ma Tao:

"Your big brother getting caught is, in the final analysis, all the work of the newly appointed County Party Secretary, Shi Yao!"

"The previous County Party Secretaries all turned a blind eye to the stone business on Heiniu Mountain, but this Shi Yao just had to come along and try to cut off everyone's livelihood; this woman is simply no good!"

"Now, if you want the Police to release someone, the key is to get Shi Yao to relent."

Ma Tao frowned and said: "Then I will go find Shi Yao right now and make her release my brother!"

The sworn brother sneered upon hearing this and ridiculed him: "She is an official, and you are just an ordinary commoner; do you think you can see her just because you want to?"

The speaker had no intention, but the listener took it to heart.

Ma Tao kept the words in his mind, and afterward, he secretly kept watch near the County Party Committee Compound for many days, finally figuring out Shi Yao's daily routine and travel patterns.

Shi Yao lived in the County Reception House long-term; she was busy with work on weekdays and often worked overtime until late at night, but every time she returned to the Reception House, someone would accompany her.

Ma Tao decided to act today; no matter what, he had to see Shi Yao and make her release his brother.

At eleven o'clock at night, Ma Tao finally saw a few figures appear at the entrance of the Reception House.

One of them was exactly the Shi Yao he had been waiting for so bitterly.

Accompanying her were two men, Tang Ye and Zhou Minshan.

Tang Ye sent Zhou Minshan to the downstairs of the Reception House, let out a sigh of relief, and said with a smile: "Brother Zhou, we really hit it off at first sight; I didn't expect your alcohol tolerance to be so good! Today was especially enjoyable; next time we have a chance, let's get together again!"

Zhou Minshan had originally wanted to take the opportunity to get Tang Ye drunk, but he didn't expect Tang Ye's alcohol tolerance to be unfathomable; instead, he drank himself dizzy, his footsteps even becoming a bit unsteady.

He slurred vaguely: "Tang, Brother Tang, you, you are a real man! You even paid the bill for this meal today; next time you go to Yanjing, at, at that time I will definitely treat you well!"

Tang Ye responded with a smile: "Easy! When I go to Yanjing, I will definitely contact you in advance."

After speaking, he turned his head and asked Shi Yao: "Do you need my help to send Brother Zhou up?"

Shi Yao shook her head and smiled bitterly: "No need, I can handle it."

Tang Ye didn't want to appear too enthusiastic, so he waved at Shi Yao and turned to leave.

After walking twenty or thirty meters away, he heard the sound of Zhou Minshan vomiting behind him; Tang Ye felt a bit uneasy and turned back.

At this moment, he saw from afar a dark shadow rush out from the alley nearby.

It grabbed Shi Yao tightly from behind.

Shi Yao was caught off guard and grabbed; she was instantly drenched in a cold sweat and sternly questioned:

"Who are you? Let me go!"

"I am Ma Yuan's younger brother, Ma Tao! You must be County Party Secretary Shi Yao, right? Order the Public Security to release my brother immediately, or I won't be polite to you!"

Zhou Minshan sensed that something was wrong and struggled to get up, sternly warning Ma Tao: "Let her go immediately!"

Ma Tao's eyes turned cold, and he said viciously: "Don't come over! Do as I say and release my brother! Otherwise, we will perish together!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Ma Tao violently pulled open his cotton-padded jacket.

One could see strings of red wires wrapped around several packages of explosives, shockingly exposed to view.

Seeing this scene, a fear that seeped into his marrow instantly swept through Zhou Minshan's entire body, and he couldn't say a single word.

He was afraid that Ma Tao would really ignite the explosives.

However, deep in his heart, he wanted to protect Shi Yao.

He tried hard to move his legs, but his body was frozen in place, and he couldn't even speak.

Seeing Zhou Minshan motionless, Shi Yao knew he must have been frightened.

She could also understand Zhou Minshan's reaction.

Not everyone had encountered a desperate criminal.

And she had had similar experiences.

Not long ago, when the case of the fake and real County Party Secretary broke out, she had almost met with misfortune herself.

Seeing someone grabbing Shi Yao from behind, Tang Ye was startled and rushed over.

Seeing Tang Ye appear, for some reason, Shi Yao quickly calmed down.

"This comrade, I do not know Ma Yuan. Whatever demands you have, you can state them properly. Please, do not be so agitated; we can discuss this calmly!"

Ma Tao was furious and roared, "Don't play dumb with me. It was you who ordered my brother's stone quarry to be shut down, and you even arranged for people to arrest him. My brother runs a mine; the detonators at home are for blasting mountains. You framed him for privately hoarding explosives and engaging in terrorist activities. If you won't let my brother live in peace, I will take your lives."

Tang Ye took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down.

Judging by Ma Tao's words and actions, this person was clearly not mentally stable. Communicating with him required specific methods; if he were rashly provoked, it would likely lead to unpredictable and serious consequences.

"I know Ma Yuan and understand his situation. His stone quarry is under dispute, and no final verdict has been reached regarding his charges. But if you take drastic action, it might bring trouble to your brother."

"I am responsible for my own actions; what does this have to do with my brother?"

Tang Ye sighed and patiently explained, "Originally, your brother was only suspected of illegal mining and illegal possession of explosives, which would at most result in administrative detention. But now that you are holding a hostage and carrying explosives, the nature of the situation has completely changed; it has become a serious crime! If you truly don't want your brother's sentence to be increased and for him to rot in prison, release Secretary Shi immediately."

Ma Tao became increasingly agitated, suddenly pulling out a dagger and pressing it tightly against Shi Yao's neck.

"Don't try that on me! You must release my brother today, or we will all die together!"

Tang Ye hurriedly pressed his hands in the air, soothing him,

"Don't be agitated, we can agree to release Ma Yuan! I have a proposal to exchange hostages: I will be your hostage, and you release Secretary Shi, how about that? Secretary Shi is a female comrade; treating her this way is not something a real man would do."

Ma Tao stared at Tang Ye with a complex look in his eyes and shook his head, "I have no grudge against you. Shi Yao is the enemy who harmed my brother; I am only settling scores with her!"

Tang Ye deliberately revealed a look of mockery, "You are mistaken! The person who ordered your brother's arrest and the closure of the stone quarry was me; it has nothing to do with Secretary Shi! I am Tang Ye, Deputy County Party Secretary of Dayu County. Secretary Shi was unaware of this matter from beginning to end; it was all arranged by me personally."

Ma Tao's eyes flickered a few times, and he said to Tang Ye in a deep voice, "Then come over here!"

Shi Yao watched the scene before her, her heart filled with a complex mix of emotions.

Her fiancé, Zhou Minshan, was currently slumped on the ground as if his soul had been drained away, completely unreliable.

Yet Tang Ye, at this critical moment, had not only returned but had also bravely stepped forward...