This night was far from pleasant for Yu Xuewen, the top official of Huaining County.
Qin Mu's fate was unknown!
The assassin couldn't be contacted!
Yu Xuewen had no idea what had happened at Wenyu Tourism Company.
He was also somewhat lost about what to do next.
All his arrangements were based on the premise that Qin Mu was dead.
Now that Qin Mu's fate was uncertain, everything was in complete chaos.
But Huo Bo had definitely seen everything he had arranged; pretending nothing had happened was impossible.
He could only take it one step at a time!
…
The next morning, almost everyone in the county government compound knew what had happened at Wenyu Tourism Company the previous night.
Gunshots!
Bullets found at the scene!
And Qin Mu's secret materials!
There are no secrets that stay hidden forever, especially in the county's power center, the very heart of information gathering!
Of course, on the surface, everything was calm; everyone was going about their work as usual, nothing seemed to have changed. But beneath the surface, a turbulent undercurrent was brewing, a massive upheaval was about to unfold!
At this moment, the most panicked people were undoubtedly Jiang Haoxuan and Han Ying.
"How is it? Have you managed to contact County Chief Qin?"
Han Ying asked Jiang Haoxuan, her face grave.
"No, I've made over a dozen calls, but no one answers."
Jiang Haoxuan shook his head, his own heart heavy. He and Han Ying had divided the tasks: he was responsible for calling County Chief Qin's cell phone, and Han Ying was responsible for contacting his friends.
But unfortunately, they both returned empty-handed.
They couldn't get in touch with him at all!
Ever since hearing the rumors from last night, the two of them had been constantly trying to contact County Chief Qin, but unfortunately, the usually easy-to-reach County Chief Qin seemed to have completely vanished.
Something's wrong!
Something's really wrong!
Han Ying and Jiang Haoxuan both felt this was a trap set for County Chief Qin, but they were helpless.
Their positions weren't high enough to be considered important figures in the county; they couldn't do anything about it.
"Director Han, if County Chief Qin really... really is as the report says, then what... what do we do…"
Jiang Haoxuan's face was tense, and he asked anxiously.
"I believe in County Chief Qin's character; he wouldn't do such illegal or disorderly things," Han Ying said in a deep voice, her eyes unwavering.
"County Chief Qin definitely didn't do it, I'm absolutely certain of that, but someone is framing him. What if something really happens to County Chief Qin, then we…"
Jiang Haoxuan didn't dare to continue.
"If something really happens to County Chief Qin, then we're finished too. We'll just have to wait to be assigned to remote townships!"
Han Ying said slowly.
One was the director of the county government office, County Magistrate Qin's chief steward; the other was the county magistrate's liaison, responsible for miscellaneous tasks around him. They were practically inextricably linked to County Magistrate Qin; their fates were intertwined. Therefore, if County Magistrate Qin fell, they would undoubtedly fall as well.
Jiang Haoxuan fell silent. Being sent to a remote township didn't bother him; he just felt it would be such a pity if such a good person as County Magistrate Qin were to disappear like this!
Jiang Haoxuan still wanted to see County Magistrate Qin make his mark and lead Huaining County's economy to new heights!
…
"Any news?"
Not only Jiang Haoxuan and Han Ying cared about County Magistrate Qin's whereabouts, but Yu Xuewen was also paying close attention. After arriving at work, he immediately instructed Zhang Kui to keep a close eye on news from the county government office to see if he could find out Qin Mu's movements.
"Secretary, there's been no movement from over there. Jiang Haoxuan and Director Han both looked grim; they probably haven't been able to contact him."
Zhang Kui said cautiously. His heart was filled with complex emotions, a mixture of guilt and relief.
He felt guilty because County Chief Qin's choice to go to Wenyu Tourism Company was likely related to the information he had leaked. If he had caused County Chief Qin's death, he would definitely feel guilty.
As for relief, it was simply that he hadn't exposed himself to Secretary Yu. Otherwise, now that County Chief Qin was in trouble, and Secretary Yu still held sway in the county, wouldn't he be doomed?
Indeed, choosing sides too early was a mistake!
Choosing too early, and if the situation reversed, it would be utterly ruined!
Still no contact?
Yu Xuewen also began to wonder. What was the situation with this kid?
Was he alive or dead?
He needed at least a definite answer so he could proceed with the next step. This limbo was really unbearable.
"Secretary Yu, the Standing Committee meeting is in half an hour. I've already notified everyone,"
Zhang Kui said cautiously.
This Standing Committee meeting was a last-minute decision, made specifically because of what happened last night.
"Okay, keep an eye on things over there. Report to me immediately if there's any news."
Yu Xuewen nodded slightly, offering a reminder.
"Yes, Secretary."
Zhang Kui readily agreed and carefully withdrew.
Those half hours felt like an eternity to Yu Xuewen.
Unfortunately, half an hour passed, and he still hadn't received the news he wanted.
With the Standing Committee meeting imminent, Yu Xuewen had no choice but to gamble. If he succeeded, everything would be fine; if he failed… he couldn't predict the consequences.
In the meeting room, the county committee Standing Committee members stood on both sides. The total number remained the same, except Qin Mu was missing, but Huo Bo was present.
"Today's meeting is rather special, as it involves what happened last night. Therefore, we have invited Comrade Huo Bo to attend the meeting separately so he can give everyone a brief report!"
Yu Xuewen glanced around and said calmly.
"Okay, Secretary Yu, comrades, I'll just briefly summarize last night's events."
Huo Bo stood up, turned on his computer, and said, "Last night, our officers at the police station heard gunshots. Combined with the information provided by Secretary Yu, we rushed to Wenyu Tourism Company and found spent shell casings on the ground..."
Huo Bo's statement was rather subtle.
The police officers at the station only heard gunshots, but didn't know the exact location. How did Secretary Yu pinpoint the gunshots as coming from Wenyu Tourism Company?
Everyone glanced at Yu Xuewen with amusement.
The latter's expression became somewhat unnatural!
What kind of writing skills does Huo Bo have? Couldn't he have phrased it differently?
Did he have to bring me up?
"Besides the shell casings, we also found a lot of materials in the safe, all about County Chief Qin..."
Huo Bo briefly explained, "Secretary, comrades, that's the basic situation. We can't contact County Chief Qin himself; he's been missing for over six hours."
Gunshots!
Bullets!
There are secret materials about County Chief Qin!
County Chief Qin is still missing and there's no news!
All things considered, everyone present was momentarily bewildered, as the information was too chaotic and disorganized.
"Comrades, the situation has been briefed. Let's hear your opinions. Now that we have the materials, we need a way to handle them."
Yu Xuewen said calmly, "Should we hand them over to the Municipal Discipline Inspection Commission or the Provincial Discipline Inspection Commission, or should our County Discipline Inspection Commission take action first?"