novelhk Chapter 133 A Silent Thunderclap: The Audi A6 and the Man-Eating Muddy Pond
Chapter 133 A Silent Thunderclap: The Audi A6 and the Man-Eating Muddy Pond
The red landline phone's microphone was slammed back on, making a crisp "click" sound that echoed for a long time in the empty interrogation room.
Qi Tongwei didn't speak, but simply stood quietly in front of the huge map of Handong Province.
He held a freshly lit cigarette between his fingers; the cigarette butt was scarlet, and the smoke swirled and rose, blurring his profile, which was as hard as granite.
That tearful outburst in dialect felt like a dull knife, sawing a gash in his heart.
Yantai City, Heishi Township.
He knew that place; it was an inconspicuous little dot on the map, surrounded by dense contour lines. It was a typical deep mountain area, one of the poorest and most forgotten corners of Handong Province.
"What? What did that old man say?"
Ye Cunxin's languid voice broke the silence.
She maintained that extremely alluring pose, half of her body leaning against the edge of the interrogation table, her two long legs wrapped in wine-red velvet crossed, peeking out from the high slit of her skirt. Her skin was dazzlingly white, like a freshly peeled lychee, exuding a moistness that made one's mouth dry.
She extended a finger and gently hooked it around her swaying shoulder strap, casually pulling it up slightly. The movement was incredibly alluring, and her captivating eyes, almost dripping with moisture, remained fixed on Qi Tongwei, as if the murderous female demon from just moments ago was merely an illusion.
"It's nothing." Qi Tongwei turned around, his gaze lingering on her alluring curves for a moment before returning to his senses.
He walked to the table and stubbed out his cigarette in the ashtray with such force that it almost pierced the bottom of the glass ashtray.
"Someone told me that in this world, some people can't even afford to eat, while others are squandering their life-saving money at the dinner table."
Qi Tongwei's voice was very flat, so flat that it made people uneasy.
He picked up the secure cell phone on the table and, without hesitation, dialed the private cell phone of Provincial Party Secretary Sha Ruijin.
The phone was answered after only two rings.
"Secretary Ruijin, this is Qi Tongwei."
Without any pleasantries or formalities, Qi Tongwei went straight to the point: "I need to ask you for leave; I'll be disappearing for a few days. Also, I need an imperial edict."
Sha Ruijin on the other end of the phone was visibly taken aback, then asked in a deep voice, "Where are you going? What big commotion are you up to this time?"
"Go to the countryside." Qi Tongwei's gaze pierced through the one-way glass of the interrogation room, looking at the group of criminal police officers busy outside. "I need a temporary authorization to conduct unannounced inspections of poverty alleviation work across the province. No prior notice, no greetings, no reports, no accompaniment or reception—just go straight to the grassroots and directly to the scene."
"You want to investigate Blackstone Township?" Sha Ruijin was an extremely perceptive person, and he guessed the general idea in an instant.
"Someone told me that the poverty alleviation funds there have become some people's private money, and that the local people live in dilapidated houses, yet they have been 'lifted out of poverty' on forms without their consent." Qi Tongwei paused, his tone tinged with a bloodthirstiness.
"Secretary, since this matter has fallen into my hands, I have to deal with it. No matter whose relative he is, no matter who's backing him, this time, I'm going to overturn their table."
There was a full five seconds of silence on the other end of the phone.
"Okay." Sha Ruijin's voice came through, carrying a resolute tone. "Tongwei, go ahead and investigate. The director of the Provincial Poverty Alleviation Office is reporting to me. Do you need him to accompany you...?"
"No need," Qi Tongwei interrupted directly. "If those people go, they'll only see what I want them to see. I want to bring my own people to see the most authentic things."
"Then you need to be careful. Even if you are the head of the Public Security Bureau, when you go to a place where the emperor is far away, even a powerful dragon can sometimes find it hard to suppress a local snake."
"A snake?" Qi Tongwei unbuttoned a button on his collar, revealing his muscular chest and the hideous scar. A cruel smile curled at the corner of his mouth. "Then I'll show them what a dragon is."
After hanging up the phone, Qi Tongwei looked at Ye Cunxin, who was still playing with a lighter.
"I'm going on a long trip to a really bad place. A pampered young lady like you should just go back to the hotel..."
"I don't."
Ye Cunxin jumped off the table and walked barefoot to Qi Tongwei. She stretched out her arms and wrapped them around Qi Tongwei's neck, hanging on him, her breathtakingly soft breasts pressed tightly against his chest, gently rubbing against him with each breath.
"Wherever you go, I'll go." She breathed into Qi Tongwei's ear, her warm breath carrying a wild allure. "Don't forget, you're the one who saved me. You'll never get rid of me in this lifetime. Besides..."
Her beautiful eyes narrowed, a murderous glint flashing within them that was completely at odds with her appearance. "I'd like to see which bunch of bastards dare to mess with me."
The next morning, just as dawn was breaking.
The back door of the Jingzhou Public Security Bureau opened silently, and three black SUVs with ordinary civilian license plates filed out without sirens or flashing lights. Like a group of ghosts lurking in the dark, they quickly merged into the morning rush hour traffic and sped off towards Yantai City.
Besides Qi Tongwei and Ye Cunxin, the car also contained Zhao Donglai and six fully armed SWAT team members. Everyone had changed into civilian clothes, and even their distinctive police equipment was hidden in their backpacks.
After driving for a full five hours, the asphalt road turned into a cement road, the cement road turned into a bumpy gravel road, and finally it turned into a dirt road that was only wide enough for one car.
The mountains here are so vast that they inspire despair.
Layer upon layer of mountains, shrouded in mist. For tourists, this is a paradise on earth; but for those seeking survival, it is a prison that suffocates.
The SUV bumped along the muddy dirt road, Zhao Donglai gripped the steering wheel tightly, his brow furrowed.
"Director, this is too poor." Zhao Donglai couldn't help but curse as he looked out the car window at the low, dilapidated houses that flashed by from time to time.
"What era are we living in? How can there still be places like this? I saw in the report that Yantai City's GDP growth rate was among the top three in the province last year!"
"GDP?" Qi Tongwei, sitting in the passenger seat, scoffed. "That's just a numbers game for the higher-ups. Look at this road, look at those houses, even a pig could see where the money went."
In the back seat, Ye Cunxin had changed out of her fiery red dress and put on a tight-fitting black windbreaker.
Although the clothes were conservative, they accentuated her stunning figure, especially her long legs encased in tactical trousers. With nowhere to go in the cramped carriage, they could only bend slightly, exuding a powerful beauty.
She was holding the Glock pistol that Qi Tongwei had confiscated and then returned, idly wiping the barrel, her eyes revealing a hint of impatient irritation.
Just then, a black sedan suddenly turned out from the narrow dirt road ahead.
It was a brand new Audi A6L.
This high-end car, gleaming clean and with hardly any mud even in the tire grooves, looked utterly out of place in this impoverished village.
The two cars met on a narrow road.
The SUV stopped, and so did the Audi A6L.
The two cars were no more than ten meters apart.
Through the windshield, Qi Tongwei could clearly see a middle-aged man in the driver's seat of the Audi, wearing a white shirt and with slicked-back hair. In the passenger seat sat a glamorous woman, touching up her makeup with a powder compact.
When the man saw three mud-covered, grimy SUVs blocking his path, his face immediately showed impatience. He honked his horn, the piercing beeping echoing through the valley with an air of arrogant arrogance.
Then, he rolled down his window, leaned out, and pointed at Zhao Donglai, yelling, "Are you blind? Can't you see the car coming? Back up! Get out of the way!"
Zhao Donglai had a terrible temper. He was a big shot in Jingzhou, and upon hearing this, he immediately tried to get out of the car.
"Sit still." Qi Tongwei pressed down on Zhao Donglai's shoulder, his gaze sharp as he stared intently at the Audi.
He was looking at the license plate of that car.
There was no sign.
But in the lower right corner of the windshield, there is a red pass with gold lettering that reads "Iwatai Municipal Government Pass".
"That's interesting." Qi Tongwei laughed in anger, tapping the edge of the car window lightly with his fingers. "In this poor, remote place where even riding a bicycle is difficult, someone drives an Audi worth hundreds of thousands and expects us to give way to him."
Just then, the Audi driver seemed to realize that something was wrong.
Although the three SUVs looked dirty, they were all the same model and parked there with an air of composure. Especially through the car windows, he could vaguely see the man sitting in the passenger seat.
Although he couldn't see her face clearly, the look in her eyes... that feeling of being stared at by a wild beast sent a shiver down his spine.
Moreover, none of the three cars were turned off; the deep roar of their engines blended together, like a beast gathering its strength.
That was an intuition honed from years of navigating the murky waters of officialdom and the gray market—the people in those cars were not to be trifled with.
"Damn it, this is a ghost."
The man cursed, and a fine layer of cold sweat appeared on his forehead.
Without saying a word, he shifted into reverse and floored the accelerator. The massive executive sedan pulled off an extreme U-turn on the narrow dirt road, ignoring the rattling noises from the undercarriage as it scraped against the rocks. It sped off towards the township government like its rear end was on fire.
As he ran, he pulled out his phone and frantically dialed numbers, his face full of panic.
"Looks like he went to report." Ye Cunxin blew on the muzzle of her gun, a playful smile on her face. "Should I give him a flat tire?"
"No rush." Qi Tongwei waved his hand. "Let him call people. The more people the better, so I don't have to go looking for them one by one."
The convoy continued on, driving over the tire tracks left by the Audi, toward the village halfway up the mountain.
Ten minutes later, the car stopped at the entrance of the village.
This can hardly be called a village.
Everywhere you look, there are dilapidated mud-brick houses, some without even roof tiles, just covered with a thick layer of thatch and dark plastic sheeting. The village roads are all mud, mixed with animal excrement, emitting a nauseating sour stench.
Several children, dressed in tattered cotton-padded coats and with faces covered in frostbite, were squatting in the corner playing with mud. When they saw strangers arrive, they didn't run away, but just stared blankly with their big, clear black and white eyes, their eyes lacking any of the intelligence that should be present in someone their age.
Qi Tongwei felt as if something had squeezed his heart tightly.
Following the address given over the phone, he trudged through the mud until he reached the door of a house.
This is the home of Lao Zhang, the whistleblower.
Of the three mud houses, one had collapsed, and the walls of the remaining two houses had large cracks, big enough to fit a fist. It wasn't raining outside, but water was dripping from the eaves, rainwater that had accumulated in the rotten thatched roof the night before.
Qi Tongwei pushed open the wooden gate, which didn't even have a lock, and went inside.
The room was dimly lit, and the air was filled with a strong musty smell and the bitter smell of boiled Chinese herbs.
On a wooden bed with only three legs, propped up by bricks against the corner of the wall, lay an old man who was so thin he was practically skin and bones.
The quilt covering the old man was so worn that its original color was no longer visible; it was blackened and hardened, with cotton wadding sticking out from the holes, like festering wounds.
Hearing the noise, the old man turned his head with difficulty, and his cloudy eyes moved.
"Is...is it one of the leaders who has arrived?"
The old man's voice was so weak it sounded like a mosquito's buzz, but the man who reported him, Old Zhang—his son—was not home.
"Sir, I was just passing by." Qi Tongwei walked to the bedside. He didn't mind the dirt and sat down directly on the dusty stool. "I came to see you."
His gaze swept across the room.
The house is empty.
The house was truly destitute. There wasn't even a decent bowl. On the stove sat half a hardened, black cornbread and a bowl of soup that looked like it was leftover broth from a hot pot, with a few wild vegetable leaves floating on top.
This is the "poverty alleviation household" mentioned on the phone.
This is the family that is listed on the form as having "already escaped poverty" and "with an average income of over 10,000 yuan per person".
Qi Tongwei gripped the edge of the small stool tightly, his knuckles turning white from the excessive force, and the solid wood stool creaked under the weight.
anger.
An unprecedented, overwhelming rage surged from the soles of his feet to the top of his head, burning his internal organs with pain. This was even more furious than when he faced drug traffickers at the border.
Drug dealers kill for money, but these people are cannibalizing! They're eating the flesh and blood of unarmed people who have no voice!
Ye Cunxin stood at the door; she did not come in.
She had her back to the house, her hands gripping the doorframe tightly, her nails digging deep into the rotting wood. As a princess born with a silver spoon in her mouth, she had seen poor people, but she had never seen such a soul-crushing despair.
Just then, a loud car engine noise suddenly came from the village entrance.
Immediately following was a series of sharp braking sounds and a cacophony of footsteps.
"Hurry! Hurry! It's at Old Zhang's house!"
"Are these troublemakers going to cause trouble again? I think they're tired of living!"
Qi Tongwei slowly stood up and straightened his clothes. Although his jacket was stained with mud, at this moment, the aura he exuded was heavier than the mountains.
A group of people walked in, surrounding the door.
The leader was a fat man.
She was really fat; her belly was so big it looked like she was ten months pregnant. Her belt was so tight it was almost about to break. Her designer shirt was soaked with sweat and clung to her body, outlining rolls of fat.
His face was flushed and his mouth was greasy, clearly indicating that he had just come from a drinking party. You could smell a strong Moutai aroma from a distance.
This must be Ma Dapao, the mayor of Heishi Township.
Behind him followed the man who had driven the Audi, along with seven or eight thugs who were supposedly "joint defense team members," and they were even carrying batons.
Ma Dapao originally had a fierce look on his face and was about to come in and start cursing.
But when he saw Zhao Donglai standing in the courtyard, and the several special police officers behind Zhao Donglai who, although dressed in plainclothes, stood with sturdy postures and wolf-like eyes, his beady eyes darted around, his fierce aura instantly vanished, and the layers of fat on his face quickly piled up, squeezing out a smile that was uglier than crying.
The speed at which he changed his expression was truly exceptional.
He didn't recognize Qi Tongwei. After all, although Qi Tongwei was famous throughout the province, few people in this remote and impoverished area really knew him. In addition, Qi Tongwei was dressed in civilian clothes and covered in mud, so he didn't look like a high-ranking official.
But he recognized that aura.
"Oh my, which leader is here to inspect the work?" Ma Dapao asked, wiping the sweat from his brow as he bowed and scraped closer, his eyes darting furtively into the room.
"Why weren't you notified us beforehand? We could have met you at the intersection! This...this shows the boss this run-down place, it's truly a dereliction of duty on our part!"
Qi Tongwei came out of the house.
He stood on the steps, looking down at the fat man who reeked of alcohol, and then glanced at the billowing dust left by the Audi.
"Are you the township head here?" Qi Tongwei's voice wasn't loud, but it was like an icicle in winter, piercing straight to the heart.
"Yes, yes, yes, I am Ma Dapao, the mayor of Heishi Township." Ma Dapao quickly pulled out a pack of Zhonghua cigarettes, intending to hand it to Qi Tongwei. "Sir, what is your surname? Are you from the city, or...?"
Qi Tongwei did not accept the cigarette.
He simply stared at Ma Dapao's wrist adorned with a gold watch, then glanced at the old man beside him who couldn't even afford medicine.
"Mayor Ma, you're doing quite well."
Qi Tongwei suddenly laughed.
The smile was radiant, revealing pearly white teeth, but in Ma Dapao's eyes, it concealed a ferocious tiger ready to devour its prey.
"Since you're here, don't leave."
Qi Tongwei reached out and gently straightened Ma Dapao's collar, which was stretched open by his fat, his movements as gentle as if he were tidying up a dead person's shroud.
"This place has beautiful scenery and good feng shui. I think it's particularly suitable as a cemetery."
Ma Dapao's smile froze instantly, and the cigarette in his hand fell into the mud with a "plop".