Just when everyone thought the matter was over for the night, an uninvited guest arrived. This uninvited guest was Ma Dabao, the deputy minister of the armed forces department and head of the security section.
As soon as Xu Damao arrived at the security department, a clever clerk sensed something was wrong and quickly slipped out to ride his bicycle to Ma Dabao's house to warn him. Ma Dabao happened to be home that day and, after hearing his subordinate's brief account, knew things were bad.
He knew his subordinates well; Fang Hu, with his personality, was prone to arguing and would easily clash with Xu Damao. Ma Dabao disliked Xu Damao, but that didn't mean he didn't acknowledge Xu Damao's abilities.
At less than 30 years old, Xu Damao was the only one in the steel rolling mill to become a division-level cadre. Even if he got it by flattery, no one else could match his flattery skills.
Normally, Ma Dabao tries to avoid contact with Xu Damao. Besides really disliking him, he also worries that too much contact might create loopholes in his security department, allowing Xu Damao to take advantage of the situation.
But upon hearing his subordinates' report today, Ma Dabao still sighed inwardly; Xu Damao had still managed to find the problem.
Ma Dabao had actually been at the security office for several minutes, but he didn't rush in. Instead, he had other people scout out the situation first, so he could make his move after knowing the enemy's strengths and weaknesses. Unexpectedly, Xu Damao not only took Sha Zhu away, but also suspended Fang Hu from his post and even secured evidence for further processing.
He couldn't wait any longer and immediately came in. If he had been any later, the evidence would have been taken away by Xu Damao, and everything would have been irreversible.
"Minister Xu, do you need my permission to suspend my subordinates from their positions?"
Ma Dabao's voice was calm and steady, without any anger, but it had an undeniable quality, which was not at all like someone who had been riding a bicycle for more than 10 minutes.
Ma Dabao had been deeply entrenched in the security department for decades, having been there since before the founding of the People's Republic of China. He had served as a key leader for over a decade, and his connections were incredibly complex and his influence immense. The moment he entered, all the security personnel in the room instinctively stood at attention and moved aside to make way for him.
Seeing this, Xu Damao suddenly recalled the scene of a big shot appearing in a movie. Hmm, no, shouldn't the big shot be himself? Did Ma Dabao steal his spotlight?
"Old Ma, the victim also filed a complaint with you?"
Xu Damao suddenly asked, then looked at Sha Zhu and Qin Huairu.
The atmosphere that Ma Dabao had painstakingly created was thrown off balance by Xu Damao's question. His domineering gaze gradually faded, replaced by doubt, before his domineering aura immediately returned.
The so-called domineering aura was nothing more than an atmosphere that Ma Dabao deliberately created. It was the submission and fear of others that came from his long-standing power. He hoped to make Xu Damao understand through this atmosphere that this was the territory of the Security Department, and that this was Ma Dabao's place.
"Minister, no one has complained to me, but as the head of the security department, I bear some responsibility for these irregular law enforcement incidents within my department, so I came to take a look."
Xu Damao could call him Old Ma, but he couldn't call Xu Damao Little Xu, even though he always called him that in his heart.
"Yes, as the section chief, you definitely have responsibilities. You will need to write a self-criticism at the department meeting later."
"Things here are temporarily settled. As for Sha Zhu's theft, you can continue your investigation. Let him go back for treatment first, otherwise we can't bear the responsibility if anything unexpected happens," Xu Damao said.
Since you yourself say you bear responsibility, fine, Xu Damao will accommodate your idea and then ask you to write a self-criticism. Ma Dabao didn't expect Xu Damao to act unpredictably. His claim of responsibility was just a humble expression and didn't mean he truly believed he was responsible.
But the words had already been spoken, and Xu Damao told him to write a self-criticism, so he could only nod silently. However, today's events wouldn't let Xu Damao have his way.
Ma Dabao was getting annoyed with the person who had gone to his house to deliver the message. He didn't know what was going on, but since the person had delivered the message, he was obligated to come. However, given Xu Damao's domineering attitude, things were bound to be difficult to handle.
Looking at Sha Zhu and Qin Huairu sitting to the side, he thought that perhaps he could solve the problem indirectly.
"Shazhu, our law enforcement officers were at fault for what happened today, causing you physical harm. On behalf of the security department, I apologize to you again. I'm sorry."
After saying that, Ma Dabao bowed deeply to Sha Zhu.
This revelation shocked everyone, including Xu Damao. It's important to understand that Ma Dabao, the deputy minister and head of the security department, was no ordinary deputy minister; he was a truly powerful figure in the steel rolling mill.
In the current state of inadequate oversight mechanisms, the security department can handle all illegal and criminal activities involving the factory area, including those involving factory leaders. Often, even the factory's top leaders have to treat Ma Dabao with special respect.
Now, he bowed to Sha Zhu to apologize, making Sha Zhu very embarrassed. Ignoring his pain, Sha Zhu stood up to support him and kept saying no, no.
"This is just a small token of my appreciation, as compensation for you. I hope you can accept our apology and give our staff a chance to make amends," Ma Dabao continued, then pulled out two large black ten-dollar bills from his pocket and handed them to Sha Zhu.
Sha Zhu stared at the money offered to him, unsure whether to accept it or not. Sha Zhu wasn't truly stupid; he knew best how to bully the weak and fear the strong. He knew Ma Dabao best. Offending Fang Hu wasn't a big deal; Sha Zhu believed he had good relationships with the factory leaders and could keep Fang Hu in check.
But Ma Dabao's words and the factory leaders' words are not necessarily so effective, especially in cases where the relationship with the leaders is not particularly close. It is impossible to offend Ma Dabao for the sake of a cook.
Qin Huairu was clever enough to know that accepting the money would mean giving up on pursuing Fang Hu's responsibility, which would put Xu Damao in a dilemma. Since she had invited Xu Damao, Qin Huairu pulled Sha Zhu's hand and looked at him.
“Since Lao Ma is compensating you, then you should accept it. This is the compensation from the security department for the injury you suffered,” Xu Damao said.
Upon hearing Xu Damao's words, Sha Zhu quickly accepted the money and then expressed his gratitude to Ma Dabao.
"Minister Xu, since the victim has accepted the compensation and is not pursuing Fang Hu's responsibility, can we destroy the statement we just made?" Ma Dabao's meaning was clear: could the statement be destroyed and the responsibility no longer be pursued?
“Deputy Section Chief Fang Hu’s violation of law enforcement resulted in Comrade He Yuzhu’s injury, and you compensated him on his behalf, which exempts you from civil liability. However, Fang Hu’s actions violated Party discipline and national laws, and it is not something that you, I, or Comrade He Yuzhu can decide to exempt from liability on your own. It requires investigation and a collective vote,” Xu Damao said.
"Minister Xu, are you not giving me any face at all?" Ma Dabao was genuinely angry.
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