Chapter 1338: The Investigation Team Arrives in Xiyang!

Leaving the Municipal Party Committee Office.

A heavy stone was lifted from Jiang Jing's heart.

His steps became much lighter.

After arriving in Xiyang, he had devoted most of his time to economic development.

However, he had encountered quite a bit of obstruction while pushing his work forward.

The greatest resistance was Wenyang.

Wenyang City was a county-level city, and it was also a place where Gong Weimin had once held office.

Therefore, whenever Jiang Jing wanted to carry out economic reforms in Wenyang, he often found it impossible to make any progress.

Tan Zonghe sat in his office, pinching his philtrum hard.

Since yesterday, his eyelid had been twitching incessantly.

He had a bad premonition that something major was about to happen.

Tan Zonghe took out his personal mobile phone and dialed a number again.

The other side was still powered off.

Tan Zonghe had an agreement with Geng Cong that if a major problem arose, they would use their personal phones for point-to-point communication; once they could not be reached, it meant one of them must have met with an accident.

In utter desperation, Tan Zonghe dialed the phone number of Municipal Party Secretary Gong Weimin.

But it was the Secretary who answered the phone.

"Mayor Tan, Gong is currently receiving business guests. Is there something you need?"

"I have a very urgent matter. Please, make sure to inform Gong once he finishes receiving his guests."

"Understood, I will report it to Gong."

Tan Zonghe waited for several hours, but did not receive a reply from the Municipal Party Secretary; he realized something was wrong.

Various signals indicated that he had been isolated.

This sense of loneliness made him feel as if he had been cut off from the entire world!

This was undoubtedly a sign that a storm was coming!

Tan Zonghe called his Liaison Officer in and asked, "Has there been any news from the Public Security side? Have you reached Geng Cong?"

The Liaison Officer shook his head, "Still unable to reach Geng Cong. However, I received news that the Public Security Department has received a notice to mobilize Wenyang's police force to the city to participate in a joint defense drill."

Tan Zonghe's heart skipped a beat; Wenyang's police force being transferred to the city seemed like a normal order, but combined with his current predicament, he could not help but associate this with an operation targeting him.

Tan Zonghe sighed, "I understand! Tell Lao Cai to wait for me downstairs."

The Liaison Officer glanced at Tan Zonghe; he had never seen Mayor Tan so dejected and dispirited.

Tan Zonghe went downstairs and sat in the car.

Lao Cai started the car and asked cautiously, "Mayor, are you going home?"

Tan Zonghe seemed preoccupied and replied offhandedly, "Yes, home."

Halfway through the drive, Tan Zonghe's eyes suddenly narrowed, and he asked, "Lao Cai, have those cars behind us been following us the whole time?"

Lao Cai was stunned for a moment, "I'll test them."

At the next traffic light, Lao Cai suddenly slammed on the accelerator, forcibly changing from the straight lane to the left-turn lane, followed immediately by an accelerated U-turn, completely deviating from the original route.

He closely observed the cars behind through the rearview mirror; those cars, caught off guard, braked hard and stopped in place, causing the vehicles behind them to honk their horns one after another.

The scene was in complete chaos.

"Mayor Tan, they are indeed following us! Should we call the police?"

Tan Zonghe gave a helpless, bitter smile, "No need, go to the old house on Pozi Street."

The old house on Pozi Street was his parents' collective-funded housing, which had been built over twenty years ago. After his parents passed away, Tan Zonghe had not rented it out, but he occasionally arranged for Lao Cai to clean it.

Lao Cai had been his driver for many years and was the person he trusted most.

Walking into the house, Tan Zonghe went straight to his parents' room. He first picked up the portrait of his parents placed on the long table, looked at it for several seconds, and then moved the cabinet against the wall.

Immediately after, he raised his foot and kicked hard at the wall behind the cabinet.

With a crisp "Crack!", a large hole was instantly kicked into the wall.

Lao Cai stood there in surprise!

He had come here to clean so many times and had never discovered that the wall behind the table was hollow.

Tan Zonghe took out a travel bag he had prepared in advance and pulled out bars of gleaming gold from the hole.

Lao Cai looked at those shining gold bars and gasped in amazement!

With so many gold bars, if they were exchanged for cash, it would be an astronomical figure!

Tan Zonghe filled the travel bag and tested the weight, finding it too heavy.

He said to Lao Cai, "There are still quite a few gold bars left in here. After you take me to a safe place, come back and take them. Whatever you can take is yours as a gift from me."

Lao Cai looked at Tan Zonghe with a complex expression, "Mayor Tan, I, I cannot take them..."

Tan Zonghe patted Lao Cai on the shoulder, "Forget it, you'd better not take them. These gold bars may look tempting, but they will only bring you a fatal disaster."

Lao Cai opened his mouth but said nothing.

He had never seen Tan Zonghe so dejected, pessimistic, and depressed.

Lao Cai had been Tan Zonghe's driver for so many years, and he had seen him change quite a bit.

Whenever his relatives needed jobs, he could always help arrange them.

He knew all of this was brought to him by Tan Zonghe.

Therefore, he had always been loyal to Tan Zonghe.

He had also thought about whether Tan Zonghe would run into trouble one day, but he had not expected it to come so quickly.

Because not long ago, news had even spread that Tan Zonghe had a chance to serve as the Municipal Party Secretary.

For problems to arise at such a critical juncture, could it be that an opponent of Tan Zonghe is throwing a wrench in the works!

At a level like Tan Zonghe's, his opponents are all figures with immense influence.

Thinking of this, Lao Cai could not help but sigh; without Tan Zonghe as his backer, the privileges he once possessed would likely cease to exist.

After going downstairs, Lao Cai started the car and drove toward the southwest.

A moment later, several cars followed behind.

At a turn, one car overtook from the side and rear, blocking the way ahead.

Lao Cai had no choice but to slam on the brakes and bring the car to a stop.

Two people stepped out of the vehicle in front.

"Unlock the doors. Get out of the car immediately."

One of them pulled open the back door, froze for a moment, and then shouted, "Damn it, there's no one in the back!"

The other person immediately stepped forward, yanked Lao Cai from the driver's seat, pinned him onto the hood of the car, and demanded fiercely, "Confess honestly, where did Tan Zonghe go?"

Lao Cai felt as if his arm were about to be twisted off; the pain was unbearable, and he shouted with a sobbing tone, "He, he didn't get in the car with me!"

"Damn it, we've fallen for a diversionary tactic!"

……

Inside the Municipal Party Secretary's office.

The atmosphere was somewhat oppressive.

Gong Weimin had smoked two cigarettes, but his brows remained furrowed.

The situation in Wenyang was far too passive!

Jiang Jing received a call and walked out of the office while holding the phone.

A moment later, Jiang Jing returned and reported softly to Gong Weimin, "Gong, the investigation team from the province has already arrived in Xiyang."

Gong Weimin was stunned for a moment, then said calmly to Jiang Jing, "You must actively cooperate with the provincial investigation team's work and ensure that the matter in Wenyang is thoroughly investigated."

"Understood, Gong, I will cooperate well."

The provincial investigation team had arrived in Xiyang suddenly, without notifying the Municipal Party Secretary in advance, but instead contacting the Mayor directly.

This revealed far too many thought-provoking signals.

Did it mean that the province was dissatisfied with his work?

The landline rang.

Gong Weimin glanced at it and saw it was a call from Provincial Party Committee Secretary Wen Zhengming.

"I have an important call to take; you all go out first!"

"Understood, Gong!"

Everyone stood up,

and exited the Municipal Party Secretary's office...