Chapter 304: Chapter 301 Splitting Forces into Two Paths_1
Gao Wei’s words made Nie Zhenbang knit his brows. Although Nie Zhenbang didn’t have much practical experience in disciplinary inspection work, it didn’t mean that he was dumb. As soon as Gao Wei said this, Nie Zhenbang understood. For a destitute county like Dameng, aside from the occasional tourists visiting during holidays, the number of outsiders was pitifully small at this time. In general, they would only stay for two or three days, visit some revolutionary memorial sites, and leave. People like their group who stayed for a full week would certainly attract attention.

After pondering for a moment, Nie Zhenbang spoke up: “Gao Wei is right. If we stay too long, we might alert Dameng County. If our enemies are prepared, then that’s not good. Old Zheng, you and Bai go to the station and see if you can still buy tickets. If not, renting a car will do. In any case, it’s better to leave sooner than later. We should leave Dameng County as soon as possible.”

With Nie Zhenbang’s instructions, Zheng Gensheng and Bai also stood up. As for being assigned to do auxiliary work by Nie Zhenbang, Zheng Gensheng had no complaints or thoughts. In the two years he worked at the Central Committee, he was clear about Nie Zhenbang’s character who was absolutely thorough when it came to work. Besides, working in disciplinary inspection not only required familiarity with the business, but also with the entire process. This would greatly benefit his appointment as the director of the second department.

Lu Sanxi was a famous figure in Dameng County. On the streets, he was known as Brother Xi or Master Xi. This alone was enough to prove his power in the underground forces of Dameng County.

However, while he seemed powerful and domineering in public, the reality was only known to Lu Sanxi himself. Without the support of Feng Tianbao, Mr. Bao, he would be nothing in Dameng County – less than nothing. He was well aware of his role as a doorman under Mr. Bao and a dog of Feng Tianbao.

“Brother Xi, do we really need you to take care of such a trivial matter? It’s just a few outsiders. Me and Liu Hou can handle it,” a man with a thin scar on his left cheek said disdainfully.

Lu Sanxi glanced dismissively at the man named Scar. This guy was one of his confidants. Despite his small stature, he was tenacious and daring. However, Lu Sanxi was uneasy as Scar acted recklessly without much thought, the classic role of a brute.

“Shut up Scar, it’s not as simple as you think. These outsiders are suspicious. Mr. Bao has personally instructed us about this. If you mess it up, you can pack up and leave Dameng County,” Lu Sanxi denied anything in front of his trusted subordinates. The fact that he was under Mr. Bao’s support was well known to many people in the gang, something Lu Sanxi took pride in. He boasted about his ability to got Mr. Bao’s support, something others coveted.

At that moment, Lu Sanxi squinted his eyes and said in a low voice, “Here they come. Scar, you and Liu Hou follow them and stir up some trouble. Get these two guys to the police station, it will be easier for us to deal with them.”

Following Lu Sanxi’s finger, at the entrance of the bus station, two men dressed differently from the local people of Dameng County stepped into the ticket hall, one after the other.

These two were Zheng Gensheng and Bai. The bus station of Dameng County was primarily for local short-distance buses. There were very few buses to Lu Quan City.

“Director Zheng, I’ve just asked. There are no more buses to Lu Quan City at this time. There is one every two days, and one left this morning. If we want to get to Lu Quan, we may have to wait until the day after tomorrow,” Bai reported after coming out from the ticket window.

Bai was a cunning person and, although Zheng Gensheng wasn’t directly his superior, he was nevertheless a director. It was always good to build a good relationship just in case he got transferred under Zheng Gensheng.

Hearing Bai’s words, Zheng Gensheng pondered. Nie Zhenbang was one for decisive action. Two days was too unpredictable, so renting a car was the best option. “Bai, we can’t wait. We need to rent a car. Let’s go and check if there are any private cars available. We don’t have to go straight to Lu Quan, going to the Dong Meng region will also do for now.”

As soon as they stepped out of the bus station, a man walked toward them. At the moment they were about to cross paths, the short man bumped into Zheng Gensheng. The man let out a cry and fell to the ground.

Next to him, another slender man ran over. Instead of helping the man up, he bellowed, “Are you fucking blind? Can’t you see where you’re going?”

Being scolded like this made Zheng Gensheng hesitate. While coming out, he had indeed not noticed anyone as he was concerned about renting a car. Hearing the man’s curse, Zheng Gensheng was stunned.

Meantime, Bai boy stepped forward and said, “What’s your problem? Who are you cursing at? It isn’t entirely our fault that we bumped into you. You weren’t looking where you were going either, were you? There is no need to curse.”

Director Zheng waved his hand, signaling Bai not to say too much. At this time, in Dameng County, it was not appropriate for any matter to escalate. Then, he smiled and said, “My apologies, comrade. I was distracted and didn’t notice. I hope I didn’t hurt you.”

These two men were Scar and Six monkeys. To uncover the truth, Scar had made sacrifices and personally took to the field, even playing out this scene.

Sitting on the ground, Scar kept clutching his waist, feigning agonizing pain, gritting his teeth as if truly in great pain. He groaned, “Ouch, I might have twisted my waist. How unlucky can I be? An apology won’t solve this. Not acceptable.”

Upon hearing Scar’s words, Director Zheng and Bai exchanged glances. Seems like they ran into extortionists. Under normal circumstances, they could have called the local county committee or government, and all problems would be solved. But for a secret investigation, they didn’t enjoy such privileges. Moreover, to avoid making a scene they sometimes had to swallow their anger.

After a pause, Director Zheng said in a low voice, “What do you want us to do then? How about going to the hospital for an examination?”

Director Zheng was indeed cunning, but having worked in the Central Committee since graduation, he was good at politics and getting around the system. However, when it came to dealing with these local thugs, Zheng didn’t have much experience. That’s why he and Bai came out to gain some experience.

As the director of the second division, he would inevitably have to lead investigations in the future. If he knew nothing about these tricks, how could Zheng lead the second division?

No sooner had he finished speaking than Scar groaned even more dramatically. He moaned incessantly, as if he had broken a limb. Looking at Zheng’s tolerance, it was easy to suspect that these foreigners had ulterior motives.

Scar then said through gritted teeth, “Hospital? I can’t be bothered with that place. It’s a hassle just to queue. I won’t go to the hospital. You figure out how to compensate me. I’ll just rest at home for a few days.”

At this moment, Bai stepped forward and looked at Six monkeys and Scar saying, “It’s tough for all of us out here. Consider sparing us some leniency. Everyone faces difficulties. My boss and I are just tourists. Here’s one hundred yuan in compensation, let’s let bygones be bygones. Please show us some mercy.”

A hundred yuan was not a small sum. At that time in Ludong Province, even the monthly income of an average worker in the provincial capital, Lu Quan City, was only about three hundred. In Dameng County, apart from state employees and those laboring outside, not many people made that much money.

But Scar, fuming, jumped to his feet, “A hundred yuan? You think you’re dealing with beggars? I’m telling you straight. Unless you give me two thousand yuan, you’re not going anywhere. Six monkeys, call the police, call the police.”

Upon hearing these men’s blatant words, Bai’s heart thumped in anxiety. “Director Zheng, these people mean ill,” he whispered, walking over to Zheng. “It seems like they’re feigning extortion to probe us. Looks like we’ve been exposed.”

Upon hearing Bai’s words, Director Zheng quickly realized that these men were prepared. After all, street thugs wouldn’t dare call the police if they were just extorting money. They’d usually avoid the police.”

However, from their actions, Zheng felt somewhat reassured. They probably wanted to investigate the identities of him and his team. This indicated that they were not certain about their identities and objectives. If they were certain, why would they need to probe? Just a phone call from Feng Dabiao could get his team under control. With this thought in mind, Zheng told Bai, “Bai, go back to the guesthouse and pack up first, then come back to find me. It seems like we’ll have to bite the bullet and pay.”

Understanding Zheng’s command, Bai nodded and hurried back to the Red Sun Guesthouse. As soon as Bai stepped in and saw everyone in Director Nie’s room, he didn’t hesitate to report, “Director Nie, the situation doesn’t look good. Feng Dabiao’s men have begun to take action. A few hooligans used the “Touch-Porcelain” ruse, and now they have brought Director Zheng to the Car Road Police Station. Director Zheng told me to report back.”

Upon hearing Bai’s words, Gao Wei’s eyebrows furrowed, while Nie Zhenbang’s face hardened. He said in a grave voice, “Wei Zi, it seems Feng Dabiao is trying to probe us. Have Xiao Zhao and Xiao Song rent a car and head to Ludong Province overnight, contact the Ludong Province Disciplinary Committee. You and I will go to the police station. We’ll split our forces to buy time for Xiao Zhao and the others as much as possible until Feng Dabiao confirms our identities. Bai, you and Xiao Zhang switch to another guesthouse and stay in contact.”

With that, Nie Zhenbang already stood up. At the moment, Gao Wei showed no fear. For any regular official in an investigation like this, they might fear danger. But given Gao Wei’s background, and that of his brother, they were never afraid of such things.

PS: More votes for the month are needed. Brothers and sisters, every single vote, every recommendation support, is endless motivation for Old Cai to type. (To be continued. If you like this work, feel free to give a vote or a Monthly Ticket on qidian.com, your support is my biggest motivation.)