0150 159 Slaying the Dragon's Foot
In the darkness, a section of the Kunming Second Ring Road elevated highway was closed, and the traffic radio in the car kept telling drivers to take detours.
"An accident has occurred on the Second Ring Road elevated highway leading to Dianchi Road. Drivers on the Second Ring Road elevated highway need to take a detour..."
No one knows what happened, but everyone also knows what happened. The cryptic statements on various social media platforms, and the constant deletion of messages and comments, all confirm the mystery and complexity of this matter.
The director of the Transportation Bureau and a group of members of the Municipal Party Committee Standing Committee stood in a circle, their car headlights shining brightly behind them, and roses swaying in the breeze by the roadside. Two police cars and an ambulance were parked next to the damaged vehicle. A black car drove up amidst the noise of the crowd, and the police and motorcycles made way for it, only to block the road again after it drove away.
Ling Xingzhi got out of the car with a sullen face.
Before I had taken more than a few steps, the wind carried the sound over.
"...What will we say about Director Li's accident? I don't care about myself, but what about the Central Procuratorate personnel who have an accident right after arriving here? What will outsiders think? What will the people in the Central Committee say? Is someone deliberately targeting Director Li?!"
Ling Xingzhi paused, then quickened his pace. In the crowd, Zhou Xiye had bloodstains on her face, her hair was flying wildly, and she was wrapped in a huge blanket, but her expression was extremely irritable and angry, and there was blood on her fingers.
The people around me had their heads down, wearing the most common jackets in the system, along with white shirts; some were pot-bellied, others had receding hairlines.
Zhou Xiye looked around at them, extremely angry.
Ling Xingzhi squeezed in and saw Zhou Xiye's appearance. He was both annoyed and amused. "Sorry, I'm late."
Zhou Xiye looked at Ling Xingzhi, "You're late? What are you doing here?! Director Li was just put on the ambulance. What kind of mayor are you? You didn't even know to entertain Director Li, let alone protect her? How did you explain this? What will the people from the central government say? Will they think that local bullies in Kunming can be so arrogant as to ride roughshod over the Discipline Inspection Commission?"
He launched into a tirade of abuse, and Ling Xingzhi lowered his head and remained silent, silently enduring Zhou Xiye's reprimands.
"I can let it go; I don't care if you don't listen to me, we'll see each other again. But you dare to offend the Discipline Inspection Commission? Are you tired of wearing your official hats?!"
He nodded in agreement, but his words were a veiled attack, a diversionary tactic.
The reason Li Ling got into trouble was entirely due to Zhou Xiye himself, and had nothing to do with Kunming City or Ling Xingzhi.
But Zhou Xiye used this incident to suppress everyone—if something happens, I dare to scold even the son of a committee member, let alone you.
Having vented their anger and released their pent-up emotions, the next step was to resolve the issue. Zhou Xiye instructed the traffic management bureau chief to handle the scene, while Meng Qinggong investigated the cause of the car malfunction. As Meng Qinggong was leaving, Zhou Xiye suddenly remembered something and called out to Meng Qinggong and Qiao Senxi, "This matter is of great importance. Secretary Qiao is assigning you as his deputy. The two of you will investigate together, and you must ensure that the number of people who know about this matter is kept to within five. That includes me."
Meng Qinggong nodded, but as the bureau chief, why did the secretary send another person? Was it to monitor him and make sure he did his job properly, or was it really to improve his efficiency?
In any case, it's more important to get the results of the investigation first.
This matter had little to do with Ling Xingzhi. He stood beside the busy crowd, lit a cigarette, and watched as they walked away with serious expressions.
The number of unlicensed taxis parked on the road decreased one by one, and a green cartoon electric vehicle from Wuling Hongguan cleverly turned around, with the words "Prosecutor's Office" written on its side.
After explaining everything, Zhou Xiye walked towards the ambulance, glancing at Ling Xingzhi along the way. She got into another ambulance, in which lay Li Ling. Li Ling's injuries were more severe than Zhou Xiye's; she had a broken leg and chest compression injuries.
She saw Zhou Xiye get into the car, and the doctor got up and left after noticing the person who had arrived.
"How are you?"
Zhou Xiye looked at Li Ling, whose head was wrapped in bandages and whose cheeks were scratched.
Zhou Xiye felt that Li Ling's injuries were not serious, and hesitated for a moment before saying, "I'll talk to you for a bit and then have them take you to the hospital for a check-up."
“Someone’s got their eye on you, Zhou Xiye,” Li Ling said, turning her head to look at her. “You and I both know this is just a warning. If you don’t hand over the stuff, you’ll suffer a terrible death.”
Zhou Xiye nodded. "I understand, but I have a few questions." Zhou Xiye looked at Li Ling seriously. "You'd better tell me honestly."
A confident smile appeared on Li Ling's face. "No one can walk alone. The wolf king of the wolf pack, the lion king of the lion pride, they can only be glorious for a while, not forever. It's true that the strong prey on the weak, but humans are different from animals. If humans want to move up, they need help from others."
"Everyone knows that what you have is important, but since you are the Party Secretary of Kunming, they don't dare to openly target you... As I said before, if you want to climb the ladder, you have to leverage your connections. Whether you rely on the east wind or the west wind, and no matter how you deal with it in the future, the expedient measure now is to choose sides. Zhou Xiye, you have no choice."
Zhou Xiye did not respond to Li Ling's words, but continued, "I want to know, besides Ye Lifeng, who else is behind you? Secondly, if I tell you everything I know, what kind of protection can you provide for me?"
"I will definitely let you live."
Zhou Xiye laughed out loud, "Living? If I were alive, I would have a better way out. Why would I choose you?"
“Ye Lifeng, not just Ye Lifeng,” Li Ling turned her head and closed her eyes, “that’s all I can say.”
Zhou Xiye lowered her head and thought about it. She was indeed at her wit's end. Ye Rouxin could die because of this, so her life was even less valuable and she could die even more easily. She had to find a way out.
“Alright,” Zhou Xiye sighed and looked up. “We’ll exchange information. I’ll tell you part of the truth about what I have, and you have to tell me who’s behind you.”
Li Ling turned her head and said a name.
Zhou Xiye raised an eyebrow in surprise, and sighed, "He's involved? Li Ling, your family's affairs are probably related to him, aren't they?"
Li Ling forced a smile, a pale smile, "I want to live too."
Zhou Xiye nodded. "Okay, I can only tell you that there is a group of people who are preparing to rebel. They are a third group of people who are hiding outside of the intellectuals and the practitioners."
After hearing this, Li Ling didn't seem particularly surprised.
Zhou Xiye noticed her expression and then asked, "You knew all along?"
Li Ling nodded. "Your information is accurate. I'll help you negotiate with the higher-ups. You can join us, how about that?"
Zhou Xiye hesitated for a moment, "I need to think about it some more."
"No rush, but your time is running out."
After watching Zhou Xiye get into the ambulance, Ling Xingzhi stood outside waiting. A moment later, Zhou Xiye pushed open the car door and got out. Ling Xingzhi went to help her up, and Zhou Xiye frowned. Once she was standing, Ling Xingzhi ripped off the blanket wrapped around Zhou Xiye; her clothes were already stained red.
The dried parts turned dark red.
"The wound has torn open?"
When asked to follow orders, Zhou Xiye nodded.
In fact, this car accident tore open Zhou Xiye's shoulder wound, which had not yet fully healed, causing blood to flow down his arm. He also had scratches on his face, and his waist and legs suffered varying degrees of injury, but fortunately, there were no fractures.
"Let me call the doctor to bandage you up," Ling Xingzhi said, covering the other person with the blanket. The two then boarded another ambulance.
The doctor sat between the two, Ling Xingzhi leaned against the car with his eyes closed, and Zhou Xiye frowned as he obediently let the doctor bandage him. The three of them remained silent, but the doctor, caught in the middle, felt somewhat awkward. After finishing the bandage, he left immediately.
The car door closed.
Before Zhou Xiye could speak, Ling Xingzhi preemptively said, "This matter has nothing to do with the Ling family. Many people want to warn you."
Zhou Xiye nodded, her whole body wrapped in a blanket, her hair pressed into a curl. She looked at Ling Xingzhi and blinked. "I didn't say it was related to the Ling family. You're by my side. I can make my move whenever I want. There's no need for such a big fuss."
Ling Xingzhi sighed and turned to sit down next to Zhou Xiye. "What do you plan to do? The promises made by the Ling family still stand."
Zhou Xiye smiled and said, "Indeed, the enemy is in the dark while I am in the light. I need help."
"Hmm," Ling Xingzhi's Adam's apple bobbed, "Does it hurt?"
“It hurts,” Zhou Xiye shook his head helplessly. “I’m not afraid of trouble, but it’s exhausting to have to worry about how to protect myself every day.”
Zhou Xiye turned to look at Ling Xingzhi, "Tell me your terms for cooperation."
Ling Xingzhi was stunned for a moment. He didn't expect Zhou Xiye to compromise so quickly. He turned to look at Zhou Xiye and asked, "How should I check the authenticity of the information?" He stared intently at Zhou Xiye, not ruling out the possibility that Zhou Xiye really wanted to cooperate, but based on past experience, Zhou Xiye's purpose was definitely not to seek protection.
"I can't verify the authenticity of the information I have, but Ye Rouxin's death has already proven it to us, hasn't it?"
Ling Xingzhi nodded, turned his head, and a breeze blew by, carrying the scent of roses. He took a deep breath. "I can protect you, but I have conditions. First, you must take the original documents Ye Rouxin left you to Ling Qingyun and explain the situation; second, from now on, all your schedules must be kept secret, and you must also tell others that you have health problems and need to rest; third..."
Ling Xingzhi stepped back, tilted his head slightly, and looked at Zhou Xiye's profile. "Third, to join the Ling family, you need a pledge of loyalty."
After hearing Ling Xingzhi's conditions, Zhou Xiye turned to look at him. Ling Xingzhi was sitting with his head up, and Zhou Xiye had to turn his body completely to the side to see his eyes. "So troublesome? Ling Xingzhi, let me tell you, Ye Rouxin left a list. The people on this list have joined forces and want to rebel."
Ling Xingzhi was completely unprepared when Zhou Xiye blurted out the question he had been curious about for so long, "Zhou Xiye, you..."
Zhou Xiye smiled and said, "I know everyone on the list. There are no paper documents. I memorized all their names. I destroyed the original documents, so their authenticity cannot be verified."
"Do you know how many people your words can influence?"
“I know, but I don’t know who killed Ye Rouxin. Was it one of their people, or someone who was afraid of them, or... was it the path he chose himself?” At this point, Zhou Xiye suddenly narrowed his eyes, turned his head, and a few strands of hair floated in the air. “Ling Xingzhi, no one can walk alone forever, and I am no exception. That day you asked me why I couldn’t join you. I joined Ye Lifeng before, and you know what the result was.”
The two remained silent.
"But... whenever I think of Ye Rouxin, who can move forward without hesitation and without fear, I feel weak."
Ling Xingzhi's Adam's apple bobbed. "You're different from him," he said, moving closer to Zhou Xiye and taking her arm. "Zhou Xiye, I believe you this time, but don't try to play the emotional card. It won't work after you've used it once."
Zhou Xiye tilted her body and rested her head on Ling Xingzhi's shoulder.
"good."
The ambulance arrived at the hospital, and Zhou Xiye needed to undergo a comprehensive physical examination.
As Ling Xingzhi watched Zhou Xiye walk in, and a group of people passed by him, his calm smile gradually deepened.
The phone in his pocket rang. Ling Xingzhi took it out and glanced at it. Not keeping pace with the people next to him, he stepped back, then turned and walked away against the flow of the crowd.
"Dad, it's all arranged. Zhou Xiye said she'll consider the collaboration."
He obeyed orders and walked against the flow of the crowd.
After hanging up the phone, Ling Xingzhi made another call.
"The evidence of the car accident must be destroyed, and no one but you and me should know about it."
After hanging up the phone, he stepped into the elevator, his smile growing increasingly unrestrained.
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