Lu Qing was indeed not as capable as the two officials in charge of coordinating things, and arrived late, making everyone wait for almost half a day, finally arriving at four o'clock in the afternoon.
As soon as the two men got out of the car, they reeked of alcohol. One of them kept complaining, "I've been so busy with work, and you guys were pushing me so hard, so I had to come. Is this the scene?"
Pointing to the large hole at the bottom of the giant pit, he yawned, his eyes slightly blurry with drunkenness. This man was in his thirties; judging from his work ID, he was a deputy section chief at the Cultural Relics Bureau. His surname was Mei, and the other person was his assistant, Xiao Xie.
Their equipment was very meager; each person carried only a high-powered flashlight, disposable gloves, and a gas mask. Nothing else.
The fat man frowned, annoyed by the two men's flushed faces and strong smell of alcohol. However, he needed their help, so he said, "Section Chief Mei, we're counting on you two here. We're not experts in this area and dare not act rashly. It would be best if you could provide a result this afternoon so I can report to the district head!"
"Haha, no problem, we've got it covered!" Section Chief Mei said, practically patting his chest. His steps were unsteady; he could barely stand, unsure if he could even get down into the cave.
Deputy Section Chief Mei didn't recognize the fat man. Firstly, he held a low position in this obscure department; secondly, the fat man hadn't been in the district for very long, and now he was noticeably thinner and darker. Naturally, he didn't take the fat man seriously. He was just an acting township head from a small village.
The two men, wearing masks and carrying powerful flashlights, descended the slope of the pit, nearly slipping several times, causing everyone to frown.
After sliding down several times, the two finally made it down the cave safely; they cautiously entered the dark cavern. Those above could only wait patiently. The cave had been exposed to the air for over ten hours. There was no need to worry about any toxic gases inside.
But sending only these two down wasn't entirely safe. What if there were any ancient artifacts inside? Losing them would be a huge loss. Zhang Guodong chimed in. The fat man also realized they'd been too hasty, but Deputy Section Chief Mei had only brought two gas masks; the others weren't equipped and dared not go down.
At the police station, Deputy Chief Jin Xiangyang was still there. Zheng Chun had said he was assigning tasks and investigating the recent situation of the local hooligans, but he never returned. The fat man didn't care about his disobedience; he just sneered, knowing that Jin Xiangyang would settle scores later. It wasn't worth causing a scene now; showing weakness was the best course of action.
"Chief Jin, doesn't your station have any gas masks?" The fat man thought for a moment, then walked over and asked Jin Xiangyang. His tone was much more amiable now, making Jin Xiangyang feel flattered and even more uncertain.
Deputy Director Jin wasn't doing well at the station. Zheng Chun was the director, and he was the deputy director. If it weren't for Jin's experience in solving cases, Zheng Chun might have reported him for a transfer. Jin Xiangyang disapproved of Zheng Chun's style, and the two had a very bad relationship. Not only that, there was also Instructor Li Hong. He now wielded more power than Jin, effectively sidelining him. Now, Jin, the deputy director, was basically in charge of logistics. The fat man got this information from Li Dinggui, so he intentionally or unintentionally included him this time.
"Mayor Wang, the station does have gas masks, but they're very old and basically unusable due to age," Jin Xiangyang hesitated for a moment before deciding to tell the truth.
"Don't the county and township governments allocate special funds every year? Where does all that money go?" Fatty immediately became angry. No matter the level of government, the finance department is the most crucial. Fatty had done extensive research on the finance office beforehand, so he naturally knew the funding channels for other departments.
“The annual special funding is 50,000 yuan, but the salaries of everyone in the institute are in trouble. It has been six months in arrears, and many people only receive a little relief each month, so…” Jin Xiangyang said.
The implication is that even salaries are a problem, so how can we talk about equipment? While misappropriation is against regulations and constitutes a violation of discipline, the reality is that at the grassroots level, all sorts of complex problems arise. If you don't pay salaries, how will people eat? Will they even work? You can't expect everyone to go into battle hungry, can you?
"A Party member is a Party member, and regulations are regulations. That's just how things are," the fat man fell silent. He knew. It wasn't just the police station that was underfunded; other departments faced the same problem. The township Party committee and government weren't even paying their salaries properly, let alone receiving any year-end benefits.
This is a problem inherent in the economic development of Zhangba Township. Although it is a township under the jurisdiction of the urban area, it lacks a pillar industry. Small-scale workshops and factories contribute very little tax revenue, resulting in a tight budget every year.
"Here's what we'll do: send someone to the narcotics district branch to borrow a few sets of equipment from Director Jiang. I'll call him right away!" the fat man said.
Time was of the essence, and the two gas masks were only being used by the staff of the Cultural Relics Bureau, without any supervision. It was easy for something to go wrong. Jin Xiangyang's heart skipped a beat. Township Head Wang actually knew Director Jiang? It seemed they had a good relationship? He then felt a surge of excitement. Getting into officialdom without connections was impossible. Normally, who would pay attention to a mere section-level deputy director?
Jiang Lihan is now the secretary of the district political and legal committee and the director of the district public security bureau, at the level of a full-fledged division chief. He has truly wielded great power, and naturally, he has a whole bunch of people around him.
"Yes, Mayor Wang, I'll send someone over right away!" Jin Xiangyang's voice was louder.
The fat man nodded and went to stand with Zhang Guodong. Li Dinggui and Zhang Guodong were chatting. He could tell that Zhang Guodong and Township Head Wang had a close relationship, so he naturally couldn't ignore Zhang Guodong.
It was half an hour later when Jin Xiangyang, a police officer, retrieved the protective suit and other protective gear. During that half hour, Deputy Section Chief Mei and Xiao Xie barely came upstairs, communicating only via walkie-talkie.
It has now been confirmed that the tomb is indeed very large; the collapse has only revealed one burial chamber, approximately twenty square meters in size. There is a stone coffin inside, seemingly containing many burial objects. A stone door has blocked the path to the other burial chambers. It is unknown whether this particular chamber is the final resting place of the tomb.
However, within this single burial chamber, Deputy Section Chief Mei and Xiao Xie discovered numerous valuable porcelain and other items. The two then proceeded to examine them. Deputy Section Chief Mei stated, "These burial objects are from a very old period; a proper excavation is necessary. Otherwise, some items are easily damaged and oxidized. It would be best if the bureau sent someone to excavate them tomorrow!"
The borrowed gas mask was useless, and the fat man was a little unhappy, but it seemed that this was the only way. At this moment, Zhang Guodong pulled him and said, "I think it's best to search them to prevent anything from being stolen!"
The fat man was startled and asked, "Has something been discovered?"
“This tomb is probably very important and quite large. Only two people from the cultural relics department went in; no one from other departments was present. It would be unreasonable if anything were lost!” Zhang Guodong said calmly.
Seeing Zhang Guodong's unwavering belief, the fat man also disliked Deputy Section Chief Mei. He waved his hand and summoned Jin Xiangyang, saying, "We must establish a 'Temporary Protection Team for the Ancient Tombs of Lishi Village and Huangyan Village.' I will be the team leader, and you will be the deputy team leader. Anyone who has been to the tomb must be searched before leaving! You keep a close eye on things!"
Jin Xiangyang felt a surge of excitement, as if he had suddenly regained his power. His mind also cleared considerably. Didn't Township Head Wang mean to search Deputy Section Chief Mei and Xiao Xie? He also disliked seeing the two of them drunkenly arriving at the cemetery. Upon receiving the order, he beckoned to two trusted subordinates, stopping Deputy Section Chief Mei and Xiao Xie from getting into the car.
"What are you doing?" Deputy Section Chief Mei asked, somewhat annoyed, but with a hint of panic in her anger.
color.
"Section Chief Mei, I'm on official business. Anyone who's been to the cemetery must be searched before leaving, even Township Head Wang!" Jin Xiangyang said. Searching the fat man was obviously out of the question. A township head wouldn't be allowed into a dangerous cemetery; that was clearly a lie.
"You suspect we're hiding something? That's outrageous! We're staff from the district cultural relics bureau. We wouldn't be here if you hadn't asked us! I'll report what happened here to the district. Xiao Xie, let's go!" Deputy Section Chief Mei was furious. She pulled Xiao Xie, and the two of them half-entered the car.
Jin Xiangyang was indeed having some reservations. If he reported it to the district authorities and the higher-ups investigated, he could become the scapegoat. After all, who would take a deputy director at the section level seriously? Being a sacrificial lamb was the most suitable option.
But Township Head Wang had assigned him this task, and if he couldn't complete it, he would have no hope either. He was unwilling to let this hard-won connection slip away. Besides, Township Head Wang might have powerful backers; he felt he had to give it a shot! He'd rather risk it all than spend his life humiliated in this deputy director position!
"Xiao Zheng, Xiao Liu, please ask Section Chief Mei and Comrade Xie to get out of the car and cooperate with our work!" Jin Xiangyang gritted his teeth and shouted.
Xiao Zheng and Xiao Liu were his trusted confidants, so they carried out orders swiftly and decisively. Before Deputy Section Chief Mei and Xiao Xie could even settle in, Xiao Zheng yanked the car keys out of the ignition, while Xiao Liu braced himself against the door, keeping a close eye on the two men.
The search was carried out by force. Ignoring the other party's warnings, small antiques were indeed found on the two men. Deputy Section Chief Mei and Xiao Xie were caught red-handed before they could even hide them in the car.
Jin Xiangyang didn't hold back this time and immediately started roasting the two men. It was Township Chief Wang's keen eye that actually guessed they were hiding something on them?
Upon hearing this, the fat man immediately roared, "Well done! I'll recommend you for this! Take him away for questioning immediately!"
"Don't worry, Mayor Wang. We've caught them red-handed; they can't escape. I'll go take their statements and make a record right away to settle this matter!" Jin Xiangyang assured him.
When it comes to interrogation, Jin Xiangyang is very experienced. Once the statements and records are finalized, that's considered solid evidence. There are so many people at the scene; they are all eyewitnesses.
"Very good, this is a special case. Talk to Village Chief Li about borrowing the village office!" the fat man suggested. Jin Xiangyang immediately understood, without saying a word. He knew that Township Chief Wang didn't trust Zheng Chun and Instructor Li, so he had to get things sorted out as quickly as possible.
The fat man was somewhat excited. He hadn't expected to encounter something like this today. Although there were still no leads on the thieves, and no news from Zheng Chun (and they couldn't be relied on), this incident had still managed to happen. He needed to establish his authority!
Let people see Wang Kang's methods; he won't just show weakness! Now is a good opportunity.
At this moment, the fat man's gaze towards Zhang Guodong changed; it was now filled with excitement. The fat man said, "Guodong, how did you discover that these two were hiding something?"
Fatty was speechless, never expecting Zhang Guodong's arrival to be such a great help. He really was a brother!
Zhang Guodong smiled slightly and said, "What's so difficult about that? Just observe their eyes and expressions. When they came out of the cave, their expressions were somewhat unnatural, not excited about finding ancient artifacts. Logically speaking, if they had found ancient artifacts, they should have been excited, but they became sober. In any case, it's always better to be cautious!"
The fat man gave a thumbs up. But Zhang Guodong dampened his spirits, saying, "This is far from over. It's already afternoon, and it looks like we can't dig today. How will we protect it tonight? That's the real focus now, so your work is just beginning!"
Hearing this, the fat man calmed down. Zhang Guochen was right. The key issue was how to protect the numerous precious cultural relics found here until the arrival of the higher-level archaeological team.
"Yes, I need to report the situation here to District Chief Luo!" the fat man said. As for Secretary Chang, communication was necessary, but only after speaking with Luo Jianhui. Clearly, the fat man didn't take Secretary Chang seriously and bypassed him to report to his superiors first.
Update 2: This is the second update. It's quite a chapter, and the numbers are interesting.
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