Chapter 627: Midnight King of Hell Knocks at the Door!

After Shen Mingcheng learned that Gao Xiaoqing had been taken away by someone, he had been feeling uneasy.

Although it was already late at night, he felt no sleepiness at all.

With no news coming from Chen Xuening's side, a surge of fear rose in Shen Mingcheng's heart.

He wanted to call his brother-in-law, but in the end, he held back.

Given his brother-in-law's personality, if he knew that he had gotten into such serious trouble, he would most likely choose to avoid suspicion.

Shen Mingcheng's heart was currently filled with annoyance and frustration.

Knock, knock, knock!

The door was knocked upon, the urgent and loud sound like a midnight death knell, making the hair on Shen Mingcheng's body stand up instantly.

"Open the door! Comrade Shen Mingcheng, we know you are inside, please open the door."

"If you don't open the door, we will be forced to enter."

Shen Mingcheng walked over and opened the door.

Several men and women in black uniforms immediately surrounded him.

"Who are you people?" Shen Mingcheng's heart skipped a beat.

"We are staff from the Municipal Commission for Discipline Inspection, please cooperate with our work." The comrade from the Discipline Inspection Commission flashed their work ID.

Shen Mingcheng tried hard to suppress his complex thoughts, forcing himself to calm down: "Ridiculous! I walk upright and act honestly; I am not afraid of being investigated, but the premise is, you don't seem to be qualified enough!"

At this moment, a figure walked out from the darkness.

Shen Mingcheng saw his face clearly and, as if seeing a soul-snatching messenger from hell, gasped: "Secretary Du, you, how could you..."

Du Bin said calmly: "Comrade Mingcheng, I have come to understand some situations, you don't need to panic. As long as you have no problems, we will absolutely not wrong you."

Residents upstairs and downstairs heard the commotion and came out one after another to take a look.

Most of the people living in this building were cadres from the County Party Committee Compound; for instance, the family of the County Political and Legal Affairs Commission Secretary lived downstairs.

Political and Legal Affairs Commission Secretary Zhuo Ming opened his door, intending to angrily scold the intruders for disturbing his sleep in the middle of the night, but after staring at Du Bin's back for a full thirty seconds, he didn't say a word and quickly closed his door.

His wife looked at Zhuo Ming with a puzzled expression: "What's going on outside? Why is your face so pale?"

Zhuo Ming gave a bitter smile: "The King of Hell is knocking at the door!"

His wife looked at him, confused: "The King of Hell? Don't scare me!"

She knew that her husband held the nickname "Zhuo the King of Hell" in Tianling County, and anyone who could be called "King of Hell" by him meant that their power was even greater than his.

Zhuo Ming took a sip of tea to calm his nerves and explained: "I saw Du Bin, the Municipal Commission for Discipline Inspection Secretary. He brought a group of people to knock open Shen Mingcheng's door. Do you know what this means?"

His wife said in surprise: "Is Shen Mingcheng about to be investigated by the Municipal Commission for Discipline Inspection?"

A look of gravity appeared in Zhuo Ming's eyes: "It looks like this year won't be a peaceful one!"

Generally speaking, the period before the Spring Festival is focused on stability, but at a time like this, for the Municipal Commission for Discipline Inspection to show up to take someone away—and a County Party Secretary at that—it clearly indicates they are going to take drastic measures.

Once a County Party Secretary gets into trouble, it will inevitably implicate a group of people; once the higher-ups set the tone, the County Commission for Discipline Inspection will certainly have to cooperate in executing the follow-up tasks.

Thinking of this, Zhuo Ming instantly felt his head swell like a bucket.

At this moment, he had already seen that Shen Mingcheng was trapped in a predicament.

However, at this very moment, Shen Mingcheng had not given up hope; it was impossible for him to plead guilty easily.

Du Bin walked into the room, looked over Shen Mingcheng's living quarters, reached out to wipe the surface of the liquor cabinet, and remarked with emotion: "Comrade Mingcheng, the hygiene in your home is quite well-maintained."

Shen Mingcheng said calmly: "I am a person with a clean streak; I like to clean in my spare time. It helps me let go of the busyness of work and is very stress-relieving."

Du Bin said with a smile: "To think it was Secretary Shen who cleaned it himself; I thought it was your Liaison Officer who did the cleaning."

Shen Mingcheng said solemnly: "The Liaison Officer's duties are limited to the scope of work. I have always been clear about separating public and private matters; life is life, and work is work. I have always kept them clearly distinct. Unlike some leading cadres who like to put on airs and seek special treatment in their daily lives, hiring nannies at home and pursuing high quality in their clothing and meals."

Upon hearing this, Du Bin laughed: "Secretary Shen's words are a bit sharp. It seems your research into the psychology of official corruption is truly profound."

Shen Mingcheng sat down on the sofa, picked up the teapot from which he had just poured out the tea leaves, and began to brew tea again, saying to Du Bin: "Although Secretary Du and I are not familiar, I still understand and respect the work of the comrades from the Discipline Inspection Commission. Since you came to my door today, it must be to investigate a case. Please sit down. If there is anything you need my cooperation with, just ask; I will certainly cooperate."

Seeing Shen Mingcheng quickly display a magnanimous appearance, Du Bin secretly admired his psychological fortitude.

One must know, he had seen many comrades within the Party who had been corrupted.

Most people, upon seeing the Discipline Inspection Commission show up, would have a mental breakdown, speak incoherently, and some would even suffer from urinary incontinence.

Yet Shen Mingcheng was able to remain calm and composed.

If he hadn't grasped enough evidence, Du Bin would have even suspected whether he had misunderstood Shen Mingcheng.

Although Shen Mingcheng's administrative ability was average, ten years of life in the government organs had forged his iron-clad psychological defenses.

He knew clearly that Du Bin had come to investigate him, but procedurally speaking, although Du Bin was one rank higher than him, he was a Provincial Managed Cadre under the supervision of the Provincial Commission for Discipline Inspection. As long as his mindset didn't collapse and he didn't lose his footing, Du Bin had no authority to dispose of him.

"We are going to search this room, you don't mind, do you?" Du Bin asked softly.

"The innocent are self-evidently innocent; feel free to search." Shen Mingcheng appeared very magnanimous.

Du Bin gave a look to the staff.

The staff immediately began to search the room.

Shen Mingcheng poured a cup of tea for Du Bin and picked up his own cup to drink.

Du Bin did not drink the tea, but his mood gradually sank.

Half an hour later, the staff had found nothing and walked over to Du Bin, their faces showing helplessness and embarrassment.

Shen Mingcheng placed his teacup heavily on the tabletop and sneered: "Secretary Du, my attitude was quite good, wasn't it? I let you search to your heart's content. But now that you haven't found any problems, shouldn't you give me an explanation?"

Du Bin had not expected that Shen Mingcheng, who had been like a calm sea surface earlier, would suddenly stir up a storm; his expression darkened: "Comrade Shen Mingcheng, please calm down!"

Shen Mingcheng's face was dark as he glared at everyone: "You want me to calm down? If it were you who was being wronged, framed, and having mud slung at you, could you calm down?"

Du Bin remained silent, watching calmly as Shen Mingcheng vented his frustration.

At this moment, he felt no surprise, annoyance, or powerlessness; on the contrary, he saw a kind of stubborn struggle in Shen Mingcheng's emotions.

"Since I arrived in Tianling, I have been working hard to attract investment and rectify the style of the officialdom. I have met all kinds of difficulties head-on because I didn't want to fail the organization's trust in me. But what I get in return now is questioning and grievances! It is one o'clock in the morning, and you are smashing doors and searching homes, turning my house upside down. This is not just retaliation, it is political persecution!"

Shen Mingcheng fired back sharply with a barrage of accusations, causing Du Bin to knit his brows.

Shen Mingcheng did not stop there; with a livid face, he placed one hand on his hip and, in an even louder voice, pointed his finger at everyone present:

"I am worthy of the Party, worthy of the organization, worthy of the country, and worthy of the people who entrusted me with this power! My conscience is clear! I can withstand any investigation! I will report the truth to the provincial authorities; the current political climate in Hanzhou is truly atrocious!"

After Shen Mingcheng finished speaking, Du Bin picked up the tea canister on the table and smiled faintly: "Secretary Shen, this tea of yours probably isn't cheap, is it? I wonder how you acquired it; I'd like to know the channel so I can buy a couple of canisters to try myself."

Shen Mingcheng's heart skipped a beat.

This tea was a gift from Gu Lanping; why did Du Bin single it out? Could he have found out something?

However, Shen Mingcheng still struggled to control his emotions, warning himself inwardly: Don't be guilty, you must not show any weakness.