Chapter 103
"The meeting is brought forward?" Lu Shiyu was slightly surprised: "Didn't we arrange it for the afternoon?"
The person in charge explained with a smile, "It was originally scheduled for this afternoon, but the person in front of you couldn't come because of something. The base commander happened to have a free section in his schedule today, so he let you go early."
"It just so happens that you can have a meal together and chat slowly."
Lu Shiyu exchanged glances with Tang Zeyu, then feigned surprise and said, "That's great! Please wait for us for a moment, we'll set off as soon as we're ready."
The person in charge stopped Lu Shiyu and said, "Hey, don't bother with that. We don't have to be so particular here. Just go ahead."
Lu Shiyu's face froze, and he said with some embarrassment: "Oh, that's not good. Our clothes are not suitable for attending any formal occasions. Please let us tidy up a bit."
The person in charge continued, "We don't do those fancy things here. The base commander thinks they're a waste of time. They say it's a waste of effort. Just dress neatly and appropriately. Let's go quickly. If you're any later, you won't be able to catch up."
Lu Shiyu couldn't persuade the person in charge, so the three of them had to follow him.
The person in charge took the three of them to the station, just as he had taken them for a stroll in the morning.
He did not drive when he came. His explanation for this was that it was much more convenient to take a bus to go to distant places in the Dawn Base than to drive. The tram transportation in the Dawn Base was very complete, with routes extending in all directions, and one could reach the destination in the shortest distance.
There was still some time before the noon break, and there weren't many people at the station. When the four of them got on the train, there were only a few people in the carriage. They just found a few seats next to each other and sat down.
The whole journey felt like a leisurely stroll rather than a conversation.
But Lu Shiyu felt more and more nervous, and glanced at the person in charge with suspicion. She always felt that the person in charge's actions seemed to be quietly undermining their defenses, but she could not find any evidence, as if she was too suspicious.
When they went out just now, the person in charge didn't ask why there were only three people left in the original five-person team, and where the remaining two people had gone.
It was so suspicious, as if the other party had known from the beginning that the two people were not in the hotel.
"What kind of person is your base commander?"
Lu Shiyu showed great curiosity and asked, "If you could tell us in advance, we can make some preparations."
The person in charge paused, organizing his words before saying, "The base commander is a very responsible person, and she takes both people and matters very seriously. When you meet her, just follow the procedures carefully and get things done properly. There's nothing else you need to pay attention to."
Lu Shiyu asked, "Is your base commander very old?"
"Why do you ask?" The person in charge smiled and said, "Although the base commander has a very calm personality, he's actually not that old. He's barely thirty."
She is less than 30 years old, which means she was no more than 20 years old when she entered the base. She started working her way up to the position of base leader in her teens, so it is impossible that she doesn't have some tricks up her sleeve.
"So young? Then I have to call her sister," Lu Shiyu said jokingly. "The base commander is young and promising. Will the other senior leaders who are older than her listen to her?"
One of the reasons why the Dawn Base is corrupt is that there are a bunch of old guys occupying high positions and refusing to leave, leaving no room for advancement for newcomers. Many things have to be decided by those old guys. To put it bluntly, it is a group of old fools in power. How can there not be corruption under such circumstances?
There should be quite a few veterans in the Dawn Base. Would they allow a young man in his twenties to ride on their shoulders?
When the person in charge heard this, he immediately became more active, as if he had just discovered some gossip. After checking that no one was eavesdropping, he said to the others, "Those old guys definitely wouldn't agree!"
"They all feel that they contributed to the construction of Dawn Base, so they deserve a seat at the table, and the base should provide for their retirement and allow them to enjoy a happy family life. When the base director first took over, none of them were convinced, thinking he lacked experience. To put it bluntly, he was ostracizing those who had no involvement in the initial construction of the base."
"Then what?" Lu Shiyu asked, "How did you resolve it?"
Perhaps Dawn Base could learn from Dawn Base's solution.
The person in charge grinned, obviously thinking of something happy.
"The base commander fired all the little guys that those old guys had brought into the system with their families overnight, and replaced them with his own people. When they woke up the next day, they were dumbfounded!"
"Huh?" Lu Shiyu was a little confused: "Won't those people have any objections?"
"Of course they did!" The person in charge slapped his thigh and excitedly said, "They immediately gathered together and went to trouble the base commander in a group. During the morning meeting, they pointed at the base commander and cursed him. They said very nasty things and threatened to cut off the family's contact with the base."
"Those old bastards have long since abused their power for personal gain, allowing their people to infiltrate every aspect of the base. They've got their people working for suppliers and technical personnel. Their actions clearly indicate they want to shut down the base and force the base commander to give them a gift and apologize before resigning."
Lu Shiyu frowned slightly. Although she had known this would be the result, she was helpless in the situation.
What methods did the commander of Dawn Base use to subdue these people?
"But their arrogance soon died down," the person in charge said, changing the subject. "The base commander, despite pressure from all sides, not only didn't apologize, but instead told those old guys that the base needed the older generation to make concessions and that the base needed new blood. When those old guys heard that the base commander not only refused to apologize but also wanted them to retire, they were furious. They simply closed the door to visitors and claimed to be ill. I guess they still wanted to wait for the base commander to give in."
Lu Shiyu was a little anxious and asked, "So what did the base commander do?"
The person in charge said meaningfully, "The base commander did nothing."
"Nothing?"
Lu Shiyu suspected that he was being tricked, but then the person in charge continued:
"Some of those people suddenly started dying at home, and the cause couldn't be determined. In the end, it was ruled a natural death, and even their families couldn't report it to the police. Those people had previously publicized their poor health, so their sudden deaths were normal."
"After three or four people died in succession, they began to panic. At that time, someone revealed that someone had approached the base commander to apply for retirement."
Lu Shiyu seemed to understand something. Those people lived to that age and were still in high positions and powerful. They didn’t have to worry about food, clothing and other expenses in their later years. They originally had greed for power, but it was nothing in the face of death. After all, only when they died would they really have nothing.
The base commander didn't know how he did it, but he was able to get rid of several people without anyone noticing. It was impossible for those people to not take any action, but they were unable to stop the base commander's men. They were probably at their wit's end and were really afraid of death. It happened that they heard that someone had surrendered, so more and more people who were afraid of death voluntarily resigned.
The matter was resolved in a bloody and covert way that didn't even affect ordinary people at all.
Thinking of this, Lu Shiyu finally began to admire the head of the base.
Not only is he brave enough to confront those people directly, he is also strong enough to put his plan into practice. He withstood pressure from all sides and survived those people. I think he must have a big heart.
However, Lu Shiyu's vigilance towards the base commander increased a bit. For the base commander to be able to use such drastic measures, she must have several capable subordinates working for her. The fact that those people died mysteriously and no one could find the problem was scary enough.
No matter how powerful Tang Zeyu and the others are, Lu Shiyu doesn't want them to face off head-on. He still has to think of some roundabout ways and not take action unless it is absolutely necessary.
Along the way, several people heard a lot of gossip from the person in charge. The person in charge was like a mobile intelligence collector for the base commander, chattering endlessly about all the big and small things related to the base commander. He even knew things like which shoe the base commander put on first. This made several people begin to suspect that the person in charge was a pervert.
"No, why do you think that of me?" The person in charge said, laughing and crying, "Everyone in the base likes to gossip about the base commander. It's nothing strange. It's just that the degree of gossip varies."
"Won't the base commander be unhappy with you guys talking like this?"
"No, the base commander doesn't really care about these idle chatter. She even said that everyone is welcome to supervise her."
This is also different from the Dawn Base. The privacy of the rich people in the Dawn Base is like a solid wall of steel. Ordinary people can't gossip about it at all, let alone the base managers above them. Their personal information is all confidential.
But in the Dawn Base, even the base commander can become the subject of gossip, which is very strange.
"We're here."
After chatting along the way, they finally took the tram to their destination, the Central General Affairs Office.
At this time, there were more and more people on the tram. The four of them finally squeezed out of the car. When they walked out of the door and breathed fresh air, Lu Shiyu felt like he was alive again.
"I say, you are a manager after all, why are you reluctant to drive when you go out?" Lu Shiyu asked while panting heavily.
The person in charge took a deep breath and replied, "No money. Gas is expensive. Electric cars are much more environmentally friendly."
Lu Shiyu: “…”
It seems that the officials at the Dawn Base are also poor.
Lu Shiyu stood up straight and looked at the building in front of him.
It is not as majestic and magnificent as expected. On the contrary, apart from its large area, it has nothing to do with luxury.
Not to mention that the exterior walls were obviously not maintained and were covered with water stains, the green belts on the side were also messy, and I don’t know when they were last trimmed. The ground was not paved with bricks, but was smoothed with cement, and it looked very simple.
If it weren't for telling him that this was the General Affairs Office of the Central Committee, Lu Shiyu would have thought it was some public security bureau.
"Is this the place?" Shao Xingyang looked up and down at the building in front of him and asked, "How much of the budget did they embezzle?"
The person in charge smiled and said, "No, it's not corrupt. The base director himself supervised the construction, and the budget was always on track."
"Then why is it still so broken?"
Lu Shiyu glared at Shao Xingyang. Shao Xingyang knew that he spoke too quickly and looked away guiltily.
The person in charge wasn't angry. He knew the place was run-down and explained, "The base commander said there's no need to build it too fine, as long as it works. Don't be fooled by the exterior; it has everything it needs inside."
"Please lead the way."
The person in charge led a few people into the General Affairs Office. The people who were still busy inside glanced at them from time to time, and then quickly looked away.
I don’t know if it’s an illusion, but Lu Shiyu always feels that something is wrong.
The person in charge and several others arrived smoothly at the private room of the General Affairs Office restaurant. As soon as they opened the door, Lu Shiyu saw the woman who had been sitting there waiting.
"Base Commander, I have brought the people here."
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