Chapter 402: Chapter 387: Surprise Inspection_2
Before Chief Yu could speak, a young police officer next to him chimed in: “Who are you guys and what are you doing in Gaojia Town? We don’t need you to teach us how to handle our cases. You’re clearly involved in a group fight, both parties are to blame. Why not just disperse peacefully? Why insist on pursuing this further?”

With that single sentence, the face of Zhang Keqiang immediately darkened. Despite being the deputy mayor of the city, he found himself challenged by a small police officer, especially under these circumstances. Zhang Keqiang’s face turned red with fury, and he retorted, “Comrade, how could you speak like that? As a people’s policeman, how could you utter such ignorant words?”

Just then, from a distance, the wailing siren of multiple police cars blared, and four or five police cars rapidly approached.

At this moment, Chief Yu’s complexion also changed. He had just received a call from Lin Feng, the chief of the Xishan District Public Security Sub-bureau, who had instructed him to ensure the safety of these individuals at all costs. He hadn’t expected the city bureau to react so swiftly. The car in the lead was clearly the official car of Chen Le, the top leader of the city bureau.

As expected, much to Chief Yu’s astonishment, Chen Le, clad in his police uniform and sporting a gravely serious expression, alighted from his car. Behind him were the political commissar of the bureau, other leaders, and Chief Lin from the Sub-bureau. The scene was beyond impressive.

As soon as Chen Le got out of the car, he jogged towards them and saluted, “Mayor, Deputy Mayor Zhao, Deputy Mayor Zhang, my deepest apologies for the alarm this incident has caused. This was due to the shortcomings in our security bureau’s work. Please feel free to criticize us.”

Nie Zhenbang and the others casually waved this off, but at this moment Zhang Keqiang rebuked in a grave tone, “Director Chen, the kind of ‘excellent’ officers you’re raising are seen to ignore a group of lawless criminals causing havoc. Instead of arresting them, they stand idly by. Director Chen, just now, I personally heard these men threatening the public in the vilest manner. To prevent the situation from escalating further, I suggest we arrest and interrogate these individuals immediately in order to root out the mastermind.”

Zhang Keqiang’s righteous words immediately turned Chief Yu and the others pale. Chen Le gave these men a calm look, yet showed no pity. After all, the pitiful often have hateful characteristics. If they lacked even this basic level of discernment in front of the municipal government leaders, weren’t they just asking for trouble?

Subsequently, Chen Le turned to Lin Feng and ordered, “Beginning tomorrow, these individuals are to be suspended pending inspection. If anyone is found to have committed wrongdoings, they will be dismissed from their posts. Furthermore, immediately arrange for personnel to apprehend the hoodlums who caused the earlier disturbance. Lawlessness has gone too far.”

Once Chen Le had relayed his orders, Nie Zhenbang stepped forward at the right time, looking at Chen Le as he instructed, “Director Chen, let us postpone the issue here. Next, you will head a team to visit Ruicheng Chemical Company, Bose Chemical Company, and Welgon Pharmaceutical Company in the development zone.”

Nie Zhenbang then turned to Zhao Xintian and Zhang Keqiang and proposed, “Old Zhao, Old Zhang, I think we should conduct a surprise inspection of the development zone this time. Furthermore, notify the fire, tax, environmental protection, agricultural, and other department staff to inspect pollution sources on-site and assess the severity of the pollution. What do you think?”

Zhang Keqiang, seemingly irritated by the earlier incident, gave his agreement without much consideration, “Good, I agree. I concur with the Mayor’s perspective. We cannot cut corners at the expense of the welfare of our future generations.”

Zhao Xintian, on the other hand, was frowning. If they were to proceed with this, the involvement would be significant. For starters, these factories were all introduced by the standing deputy mayor, Li Guohua himself.

Now, if Nie Zhenbang were to conduct a surprise inspection and found any issues, it would be guaranteed that the situation in Gaojia Town wouldn’t be in its current state. So what should be done after the issues are uncovered?

After contemplating for a moment, Zhao Xintian approached Nie Zhenbang to softly suggest, “Mayor, don’t you think we should reconsider? Ruicheng Company, Bose Company, and Welgon Company are all foreign subsidiaries. They were considered key projects that Li Guohua introduced with the support of the provincial committee and government. If we were to investigate and find problems…

Zhao Xintian’s words didn’t anger Nie Zhenbang. On the contrary, it pleased him that Zhao Xintian was being thoughtful. Each of these three companies was not simple. Should problems be uncovered, they would definitely offend Li Guohua, as this would be a blemish on his accomplishments. If issues were indeed found, wouldn’t that mean that Li Guohua was incompetent, inviting the wolf into the sheepfold? In such a scenario, Li Guohua would undoubtedly resist.

Secondly, if issues were found in enterprises supported by the provincial committee and the provincial government, it would amount to slapping them in the face. This would indirectly imply their incompetence. It wasn’t clear if there would be pressure from above.

Thirdly, the backgrounds of the three enterprises were intricate. Considering the current international media’s denigration and discrimination towards Huaxia, occurrences like these might cause international disputes. Even worse, if the companies maneuvered the situation by claiming that the local government is intentionally suppressing them, it could potentially lead to diplomatic conflicts.

Any leader would have to think carefully with these three concerns in mind. Having said that, Nie Zhenbang confidently replied, “Old Zhao, I understand your worries, but I’ve made up my mind about this matter. I cannot accept such a reckless pollution treatment method that lacks any preventative measures, and neither can the six million residents of Liangxi City. Regardless of the company or its background, I maintain it should be thoroughly investigated. If problems are found, operations must halt for rectification until they comply with our rules. Otherwise, they must withdraw their investments or comply with our regulations.”

Nie Zhenbang’s words were filled with boldness, causing the other officials to feel invigorated. In this era, foreign investment is often seen as an impressive accomplishment for any local government. Local government leaders treat foreign investors better than they would their own parents. It was rare to see someone as courageous as Nie Zhenbang.

The group of people got into their cars, with Nie Zhenbang following behind them. The convoy turned around and drove towards the city. After covering about five kilometers and crossing the Third Bridge of the Liangxi River, they arrived directly at the development zone. The first stop was the main entrance of Welgon Company.

Looking at the grand entrance, on either side of the factory, two security guards stood upright, guarding the factory gate. Given so many police and staff gathered here and more uniformed personnel arriving, the factory workers should have come out to greet them. However, there was complete silence from Welgang Pharmaceuticals.

The crowd glanced at Nie Zhenbang, who then nodded and said “Let’s start the work.”

As Nie Zhenbang gave the order, law enforcement personnel from various departments began to walk forward. But as they reached the gate, a white man darted out from the security guard office, blocking their way. Speaking in broken Chinese, he exclaimed, “Who are you…what are you doing? This is a private factory; you can’t enter without a special invitation.” (To be continued. If you like this story, kindly visit qidian.com to vote for this novel. Your support is my biggest motivation.)