At the municipal bureau's canteen, Xu Damao, Tong Shuai, Qiang Da, Zhu Guangrong, and a few others came to find Lu Xiangyang for a free meal.
This guy just cracked a major case and received an award from the ministry. He's rumored to be on track for promotion from deputy captain to captain at the municipal bureau. Following his current trajectory, if he continues to perform well in his position for a few more years, after being promoted to captain, the next step is becoming the district bureau chief—a high-ranking official.
Over the years Xu Damao had been working with these people, everyone had generally made progress, except for Tong Shuai, who had remained stagnant. When they first met, he was a section chief, and all these years later, he was still a section chief. It was almost embarrassing to be in such a hurry.
According to Tong Shuai, he really has no ambition, but his brothers are all making progress, and he feels unworthy to attend these gatherings. For example, Xu Damao was someone he initially brought into the circle, and now he's his boss, which makes him feel incredibly awkward.
In fact, it's difficult to say whether someone is making progress in their career. Some people advance rapidly in the early stages but then lack momentum and stagnate in the same position or rank for twenty years; others lay a solid foundation and watch others rise to prominence, but after the age of 40, they make progress every two years and become leaders in less than ten years.
"Da Mao, now that you're Tong Shuai's boss, when are you going to promote him? He can't just stay stagnant."
After a few rounds of drinks, Zhu Guangrong said, "This guy has been transferred from the top position in Jiedaokou Subdistrict to the top position in Beixinqiao Subdistrict. It's a lateral move, but the main leaders appreciate him a lot, and he has a very high chance of being promoted next."
"Haha, Old Tong doesn't want a promotion at all, otherwise he would have left the factory long ago," Xu Damao said with a laugh.
“However, if Lao Tong really has ideas, then we should wait a bit longer. Lao Tong himself knows that Ma Dabao, the deputy director in charge of the security department, is no simple man. We need to have a foolproof plan before we can take action against him,” Xu Damao added.
He didn't hold back with his older brothers and old friends, and shared his initial thoughts as a way of giving Tong Shuai an explanation.
“Ma Dabao? I’ve heard of him. He’s got some ability, and he’s definitely a bit of a problem.” Zhu Guangrong had worked in the neighborhood office near the steel mill for many years and knew a little about the people who were somewhat well-known in the area.
“Ma Dabao has a complex social network and is closely associated with all sorts of people, including some leaders in the branch office who are very familiar with him,” Lu Xiangyang said.
"Da Mao, do you really want to mess with Ma Da Bao?" Tong Shuai asked.
"What, you have a deep relationship with him?" Xu Damao asked back.
"No, not at all. If he had connections, he wouldn't have been suppressed until now. I've followed him for years and know a bit about him. I've heard he controls several black markets in the area, and his influence is very deep-rooted; he's not so easy to deal with."
Moreover, because of the intricate network of connections, he becomes very alert at the slightest sign of trouble," Tong Shuai said.
"So you haven't gathered any evidence over there all these years?" As an investigator, Lu Xiangyang was very concerned about this aspect.
"It's not that we haven't grasped anything, but rather that we don't have any particularly useful evidence. Moreover, a long time ago, one of our colleagues seemed to have grasped something, but he died in an accident not long afterward."
Although it was unclear whether it was truly an accident, everyone remained silent about Ma Dabao's affairs outside after that. "Tong Shuai replied.
"Don't be so serious. I have my own ideas about this, and I don't need your help for now. I'll let you know when everything is ready."
Seeing that the atmosphere was a bit dull, Xu Damao temporarily ended the topic. In fact, he had already begun investigating Ma Dabao a long time ago.
This time, he asked Lou Hongsheng for help. Ma Dabao had been working at the steel rolling mill's security department for a long time, and at that time, it was still Lou Hongsheng's personal property, so Lou Hongsheng should have some understanding of Ma Dabao.
So far, the Lou family has not left the mainland, but after Xu Damao's repeated warnings and the increasingly severe situation recently, they have been speeding up the handling of related industries and it is estimated that they will leave in less than 3 months.
Lou Hongsheng has been involved in smuggling for years, and his business overlaps with Ma Dabao's. However, while Ma Dabao controls a few black market operations, Lou Hongsheng controls the flow of goods in several black markets across northern China. In other words, much of the stuff sold on these black markets originates from Lou Hongsheng.
Ma Dabao mingled with local thugs and powerful figures, while Lou Hongsheng was connected with high-ranking officials and military forces in various regions—they were nothing compared to him.
Upon hearing Xu Damao's request, Lou Hongsheng responded enthusiastically. This was akin to a minor demon from Journey to the West suddenly descending to earth and wreaking havoc. Difficult for others to deal with, but for Lou Hongsheng, he held Ma Dabao's Achilles' heel.
Besides Lou Hongsheng's gift, Fang Hu also gave Xu Damao a gift before leaving.
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"Big brother, someone's been asking about us lately." Ma Dabao's third brother, Ma Sanbao, rushed in from Ma Dabao's house.
Ma Dabao lived in a courtyard house, just like Xu Damao. However, thanks to Ma Dabao's efforts, the courtyard house was now filled with his own family members and his underlings, making it very safe.
This is not only his home, but also the final decision-making location for all his black market operations. His underlings would come to him for any issues.
"Many people have been asking about us. Who is it this time?"
Ma Dabao didn't take it seriously. Their industry was extremely profitable; colleagues were asking around, regulatory departments were asking around, and some even wanted to connect him with others to do business together.
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