Chapter 684 Who is strangling my throat? They can’t see it?
The entire conference room suddenly fell silent, as if even the air had stopped flowing.
The two council members who had just spoken in support of him suddenly changed their expressions, with shock and regret flashing in their eyes. They cursed inwardly almost at the same time:
"Madman! Absolutely crazy!"
The two looked at each other, and saw doubt and retreat in each other's eyes. They suddenly felt that getting involved in the investigation might not be safe.
To directly accuse a powerful legislator in such an explicit tone to his face could be fatal!
Even Zhang Deming might not dare to do it. He needs to take it step by step, repeatedly test the waters, and unite the forces of many parties. How could you, a mere specialist in the Maintenance Department with no foundation, dare to do it?!
The other members of parliament were also shocked by this sudden and fierce accusation. They all pricked up their ears and leaned forward slightly.
Some of them had an amused look on their faces, while others frowned and looked at Zheng Geng with unfriendly eyes.
It’s not that they necessarily stand on Wang Xinfa’s side, it’s purely out of an instinctive aversion.
No big shot would like a guy who has no respect for hierarchy and commits treason.
Zhang Deming also disliked Zheng Geng, but that didn't stop him from actively chiming in:
"Oh? Commissioner Zheng, are you saying... you suspect that Councillor Wang Xinfa himself planned or participated in the kidnapping of the special envoy?
Your accusation is very dangerous. You can't make such a statement without evidence."
There was still no obvious emotion on the Chief Councilor's face, except for a very subtle movement of his right eyeball.
Wang Xinfa's face was frozen with shock. He stared at Zheng Geng intently. If looks could kill, the latter would have been cut into pieces by him.
"How dare he? He's just a specialist from the maintenance department, how dare he do that? Who is it? Who's behind this? Is it Zhang Deming? Or someone else?!"
Wang Xinfa was roaring madly in his heart, his anger almost bursting through his head.
But he managed to regain his composure in a very short time, but his eyes were so cold that it made people's heart frightened.
Zheng Geng forced himself to meet Wang Xinfa's icy gaze. Even though he had prepared himself mentally, he still felt a chill all over his body. He truly felt the power and oppression of a powerful parliamentarian, which was a hundred times more terrifying than he had imagined.
His heart was trembling, and his calves were even a little weak, but his tone was firm and he showed no sign of weakness.
He knew that he really had no way out this time.
His accusation not only offended Wang Xinfa, but also aroused the disgust of many parliamentarians present.
Next, he will either win or die without a burial place.
Zheng Geng licked his lips and said with a stiff upper lip:
"I don't have any evidence yet to prove that Councillor Wang kidnapped the special commissioner, but I seriously suspect that the current patrol captain, Li Shang, is acting suspiciously and is a major suspect."
Zheng Geng was well prepared, and without hesitation, he threw out his carefully prepared "reason":
"According to my preliminary investigation, Li Shang's whereabouts last night remain a mystery, and he is unable to provide a convincing alibi.
Moreover, during the time of the incident, his vehicle happened to appear near Jade Garden and has remained there until now.
In addition, I have also found out that Li Shang had previously had a rather unpleasant relationship with the Special Envoy due to certain matters."
He forcibly pieced together some fragmented information, trying to construct a suspicious outline.
Wang Xinfa was so angry that he almost laughed:
"Based on these two points, you want to frame the captain of the police station, and even frame me?"
Zheng Geng knew that his evidence was not very convincing, but he had to act as the center forward in the meeting today. He said in a deep voice:
"This is not a false accusation, but a reasonable suspicion based on the existing clues.
In short, I believe Li Shang is a serious suspect in this case and cannot be ruled out. Therefore, he must not participate in this investigation. Instead, he should be immediately suspended and placed under quarantine."
The more he spoke, the louder his voice became, and he said aggressively:
"After all, this is a matter of life and death for the special envoy, and not a single minute can be wasted.
Anyone who is suspected should be detained and investigated first. This is the responsible attitude towards the safety of the special envoy's life.
Otherwise, if due to our momentary negligence or shielding, we missed the best opportunity to rescue, and the special envoy was ultimately unable to be rescued, and the city were to blame, who would be able to bear the responsibility?"
Many of Zheng Geng’s words were illogical, but his last words clearly stood for “righteousness”.
Under the enormous pressure of the people coming to Shangcheng to punish them, holding high the banner of "everything for the rescue of the special envoy" is the greatest justice at the moment.
Wang Xinfa would never allow Li Shang to be arrested. Everyone knew that Li Shang was his man. If he couldn't protect Li Shang today, a bunch of people would come and attack him tomorrow.
Given the naked malice Zheng Geng is showing at this moment, if Li Shang falls into his hands, what will be the result of the so-called "interrogation"? Is there still a need for a trial?
I'm afraid the other party has even prepared Li Shang's "confession" in advance!
Wang Xinfa's mind was racing. He knew that at this moment, it was meaningless to argue with the other party about specific "evidence". Since the other party liked to hold high the banner of "righteousness", he must immediately raise the same banner of "righteousness" to fight back.
He sneered, his voice suddenly rising, full of majesty:
"Li Shang is a recognized detective in District 9. He has solved many major cases. You are removing him from the investigation based on trumped-up charges.
I seriously suspect that you, Zheng Geng, are the one harboring the most malicious intentions. You are trying to use this opportunity to expand the scope of the attack and disrupt the direction of the investigation. You are the one who has no regard for the life and death of the special envoy."
He stared at Zheng Geng with a sharp gaze:
"My judgment is just one: there is absolutely no problem with Li Shang.
On the contrary, he was the key to solving this case. If you don't allow Li Shang to participate in the investigation, and the case is ultimately unsolved and the special envoy can't be rescued, will you bear this responsibility?!"
Without waiting for Zheng Geng to answer, he slammed his palm heavily on the heavy mahogany table, making a dull and shocking sound that made everyone's heart tremble.
He practically pointed at Zheng Geng's nose and roared, enunciating each word:
"You're just a mere maintenance specialist! How can you shoulder this enormous responsibility? You! Can't! Bear! It!"
After Wang Xinfa finished speaking, he suddenly turned his head and looked around at all the councilors present. Finally, he fixed his gaze on the chief councilor and said in a heavy and earnest tone:
"Chief, this responsibility will ultimately fall on you. Shangcheng will only hold you accountable! You must consider this carefully.
I believe that, based on Zheng Geng's current extremely unprofessional, irrational, and presumptuous behavior, I formally propose that he be removed from his position as head of the organization.
Since the other party was so close to him and was so aggressive, Wang Xinfa no longer cared about offending one or two parliamentarians.
Zheng Geng's expression changed, and he said anxiously:
"Not only is Li Shang a suspect, but Councillor Wang, your wife, Ms. Li Hanyu, is also a major suspect and needs to be investigated.
According to our preliminary understanding, the villa where Li Hanyu lived was right next to the special envoy's villa, and at the time of the incident, there were at least ten professional bodyguards in Li Hanyu's villa.
They could have noticed something was wrong and even had a chance to rescue them, but they did nothing.
Were they all blind and deaf at the time, choosing not to help?! Is there another possibility, that they were…"
“That’s enough!”
The chief councilor suddenly interrupted in a cold voice.
Zheng Geng couldn't stop talking at this moment, but he suddenly felt as if his throat was being strangled by something invisible but cold. His trachea was compressed and he couldn't utter a single word.
He tried to cough in horror, but found that he couldn't even cough, and his whole face turned red in an instant.
What made him even more disheartened was that he found that none of the parliamentarians present seemed to notice his abnormality. They just thought that he was frightened by the chief parliamentarian's scolding and stopped talking.
The Chief Councillor swept his cold gaze across the room, and finally looked at Zhang Deming and said quietly:
"Councilor Zhang, you have the most seniority in District 9. I'd like to hear your opinion on the current situation."
Zhang Deming was stunned for a moment, and met the cold eyes of the chief councilor. His heart inexplicably skipped a beat and he shuddered.
According to his original intention, he naturally wanted to see Wang Xinfa in trouble.
Although he did not think that Zheng Geng's methods could bring down Wang Xinfa, if Wang Xinfa could be brought down so easily, why would they have to wait until today.
However, it would be good if we could force Wang Xinfa into a bad state and force him to reveal some of his hidden cards.
But when the words came to his lips, Zhang Deming made it clear that he did not intend to help Zheng Geng, at least he did not want to be too obvious in favor of Zheng Geng.
With his sophisticated political sense and intuition about danger cultivated through years of ups and downs, he felt that the Chief Councillor's decision to ask him directly without asking anyone else at such a fierce moment seemed to be giving him the power of decision, but was actually very intriguing and made him feel a little uneasy.
Even though Zhang Deming didn't figure out what the chief councilor's intention was, he felt like there was a huge pit waiting for him ahead.
The pit that you can't figure out is the most dangerous, so you must never jump into it.
He let out a long breath, avoided the chief councilor's gaze, then looked at Wang Xinfa with a hypocritical smile and said:
"Xinfa, to be fair, I think some of the suspicions raised by Commissioner Zheng, while somewhat radical, are not completely without reason. After all, this is a serious matter, so it's always better to be cautious.
However, I have worked with you for decades, and although we have some differences in ideas, I still trust your character.
So, since Li Shang is your man and you trust him, let me ask you one thing: are you willing to guarantee for Li Shang that he has nothing to do with the kidnapping of the special envoy?
As long as you trust Li Shang, I believe that all the members present, including the chief, will trust Li Shang just as they trust you."
Zhang Deming thought for a moment, and instead of responding to the chief's words, he threw the ball back to Wang Xinfa.
The members of the parliament almost cursed in their hearts at the same time: "Old fox!"
But they all looked at Wang Xinfa with eyes full of trust and expectation, waiting for his answer.
This is tantamount to putting Wang Xinfa on the fire.
Wang Xinfa felt a chill in his heart. Compared with Zheng Geng's rough and straightforward attack, Zhang Deming's methods were indeed more sophisticated, more insidious and vicious.
This was done in full view of the public, using "trust" and "morality" to dig a bottomless pit for him.
But he had to jump now.
Wang Xinfa had never given a guarantee to anyone in his life, but at this moment, he answered in a resolute and loud voice:
"Yes, I trust Li Shang, there is absolutely no problem with him.
It is precisely because I trust him that I believe Li Shang should be fully responsible for the specific investigation and search and rescue work."
Zheng Geng's face turned pale, and veins on his forehead bulged with anxiety. He wanted to open his mouth to refute, but his throat was still tightly locked by the invisible force, and he couldn't say a word.
He was filled with fear and despair, not knowing what was going on.
The Chief Councillor looked at Zhang Deming again and said quietly:
"Okay, then I'll follow your advice, remove Zheng Geng, and let Li Shang take full charge..."
Zhang Deming panicked. He didn't mean that at all. He interrupted the chief and explained hurriedly:
"No, Chief, you misunderstood me!
What I mean is that the position of head of the investigation will still be held by Commissioner Zheng Geng. However, given that he does lack front-line case handling experience, Captain Li Shang can be asked to serve as his deputy and take charge of specific investigation matters, while Commissioner Zheng will be responsible for overall coordination.
Well, although some of Commissioner Zheng's ideas are too extreme, his starting point is good. He also wants to rescue the special envoy as soon as possible. It's understandable that young people are motivated..."
The Chief Councillor listened quietly, his expression unchanged. He simply nodded calmly and said,
"Okay, I'll do as you say."
When the final decision was made, Wang Xinfa secretly breathed a sigh of relief, Zheng Geng breathed a sigh of relief, and Zhang Deming also breathed a sigh of relief.
This result is not the best for everyone, but it is not the worst either, and everyone can accept it.
However, for some reason, Zhang Deming looked at the chief councilor's face which remained frozen and unchanged, but he always felt that he had fallen into the trap dug by the chief without realizing it.
An inexplicable feeling of uneasiness quietly lingered in his heart.
After finishing his report, Zheng Geng obediently left the meeting room at the indifferent glance of the chief councilor.
The heavy oak door slowly closed before his eyes, blocking out the sounds from within.
As soon as the door closed, Zheng Geng opened his mouth and let out a few suppressed coughs. The terrifying feeling of having his throat strangled finally disappeared completely. Fresh air rushed into his lungs, bringing a cool and stinging sensation.
He touched his neck with lingering fear. The skin was smooth without any marks, but the cold and stiff touch from before seemed to still remain.
He had a look of doubt and thought on his face:
"Just now... that was definitely not an illusion! Something, like an invisible needle and thread, tied my neck.
It doesn’t matter if I can’t see it, after all, I’m just a small commissioner.
But, didn’t so many parliamentarians present see it?
Did they not see it like I did, or did someone see it but pretend not to see it?"
(End of this chapter)
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