Chapter 31

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"Uncle Su, Uncle Su is here!"

"Uncle Su, you're finally back."

"Uncle Su, please take a look at Xiao Ke, her arm is broken."

The moment Su Mu appeared on the playground, a group of children came into view. These children were sitting on a pile of rubble, each with dust all over their clothes, and their little faces were blackened by the light. If you looked closely, you could see a hint of fear in their eyes.

Indeed, not just these children, even adults would be terrified if they suddenly saw a house collapse right in front of them.

Now, the moment these children saw Su Mu, they all stood up, shouting loudly and rushing over in a swarm. It was as if Su Mu was their mainstay.

"I didn't expect Su Mu to be such a child magnet!" Li Letian smiled.

"He's better than you." Zheng Doudou snorted. She could genuinely feel the trust and reliance these children had in Su Mu. She never thought a town mayor could be so close to the people.

"It seems this guy really connects with the common folk, not just putting on a show."

As Zheng Doudou's eyes flickered, Su Mu had already gathered a few children in his arms and quickly walked forward. Teacher Gu Dianxiang was sitting on a brick, holding Tang Ke. The little girl's arm had been treated with a simple bandage, and her black eyes were wide with tears when she saw Su Mu.

"Uncle Su, our classroom collapsed..."

"These scoundrels all deserve to die!"

When Zheng Doudou heard Tang Ke's spontaneous words, she turned and left the scene. An injured little girl, whose first words upon seeing Su Mu were not about complaining but about the classroom. Those scoundrels, do you have any conscience at all, to even touch such money?

Su Mu hurried over, stroking Tang Ke's head and gently asked, "Does it hurt, Xiao Ke?"

"It doesn't hurt!" Tang Ke gritted her teeth.

"It's okay, if it hurts, just cry." Su Mu said.

"I won't cry. But Uncle Su, will we really have no place to go to school in the future?" Tang Ke asked with teary eyes.

"Don't worry, I promise you, a new school will be built here soon, and everyone will be able to go to school and read books." Su Mu said firmly.

"Really?" Tang Ke asked in surprise.

"Really! If you don't believe me, let's pinky promise!" Su Mu nodded.

"Pinky promise, no changing for a hundred years!" Tang Ke finally smiled.

"Teacher Gu, please take care of these children. I'll handle the rest." Su Mu said to Gu Dianxiang. This woman, who should have been in the bloom of her youth, was now disheveled and covered in dust, with a face that couldn't hide her sadness and anger, making Su Mu's heart ache.

"Okay!" Gu Dianxiang didn't say much, just tightly holding Tang Ke and making the other children sit around her, waiting quietly.

Su Mu took a deep breath, suppressing his anger, and turned to Lin Chen and Xu Yan, who had been waiting on the side. He said sternly, "Tell me, what's the situation now?"

Lin Chen's face was covered in mud, though he looked a bit tired, his spirit was high. He didn't have Su Mu's high moral standards; he just knew this was an opportunity, and he had bet all his chips on Su Mu. If Su Mu didn't get a promotion this time, he would be heartbroken. Therefore, he was very serious about the current task.

"Mayor Su, when the Daliu Primary School collapsed, there were twenty-six children left here. Now, except for Tang Ke, whose arm was broken by an accident, the rest are all safe and uninjured." Lin Chen said loudly.

"Mayor Su, the initial investigation shows that this building was a shoddy construction. Look at the foundation; it doesn't even meet the required depth, and the filling material is all broken pieces. The bricks are all substandard and not solid. I also have some evidence that the design of this building is different from the original plan you left behind." Xu Yan reported solemnly, not calling Su Mu "Old Su" as he usually did in such formal settings.

"Is the evidence solid?" Su Mu asked sternly.

"Solid!" Xu Yan nodded. "After the school collapsed, Lin Chen and I had the village chief Chang Shun seal off the area. Secretary Liang arrived shortly after. The scene was well-preserved until you came, with no damage at all. I believe that if experts are sent from above, they will quickly find out what happened."

"Good, keep all the evidence safe." Su Mu said coldly.

"Mayor Su, according to my investigation, the construction company responsible for the Daliu Primary School renovation, Yingli Construction, is a subsidiary of Tianwei Company in Xingtang County. This project was overseen by Mayor Yang, and the school's security was handled by Yang Hu. Today, Yang Song represented Heishan Town for the inspection." Xu Yan said.

"I understand, I'll handle it." Su Mu said.

While the three were talking, Liang Changgui walked over, holding a phone. He looked at Su Mu and said, "Su Mu, I've already reported to the county government and the county party committee. The leaders are very concerned, and County Chief Zhao has already sent people over. As long as we can hold out until dawn, the county investigation team will take over."

"Okay, that's good!" Su Mu nodded.

Liang Changgui's words conveyed a clear message. Normally, he should have reported to the county party committee and the county government, but he deliberately put the county government first. He also specifically mentioned that County Chief Zhao had sent people over. This indicated that Liang Changgui did not trust Xie Wen and was, in fact, a supporter of County Chief Zhao Rui'an.

Such a good opportunity, if Zhao Rui'an were to miss it, he wouldn't be the county chief!

Bang!

Just as Su Mu and Liang Changgui were discussing what to do next, a sharp gunshot rang out, breaking the quiet of Daliu Village and echoing in everyone's ears, challenging their limits.

"Who fired the shot?" Su Mu's face changed, and he shouted loudly.

"It's at the entrance, it seems to be... Yang Hu!" Xu Yan said urgently.

"Damn, how dare he fire a gun? What does Yang Hu want to do? Does he want to point his gun at the people?" Su Mu, full of anger, turned and ran towards the entrance.

Liang Changgui and the others followed closely, their faces full of determination. What was this? Armed assault? Breaking the law? Disregarding the law?

When Su Mu reached the entrance, he found the scene was extremely tense. Yang Hu and a few others from the Heishan Town police station were standing outside, staring menacingly. Yang Hu held a smoking gun, his face full of anger, shouting loudly.

"I'm saying this again, if you don't get out of the way, I'll shoot you!"

"You bastard, if you dare to shoot at me, you're dead! No one can save you!" The one being shouted at was Li Letian, who was fuming.

Li Letian never imagined that while he was dealing with the troublemakers like Diao Yifei, a group of police would suddenly appear. They came, and it turned out they were in cahoots with Diao Yifei, demanding that he release them. Li Letian, of course, refused.

Before he could say much, Yang Hu pulled out his gun and fired into the air, looking extremely arrogant. It seemed that if Li Letian didn't move, he would shoot.

"Yang Hu, what are you doing? Put down the gun!" Su Mu shouted as he arrived.

"Put down the gun? Dream on! He's interfering with the normal operations of the police station and attempting to assault a police officer. I can shoot him on the spot. But Deputy Mayor Su, what are you doing here? Shouldn't you be attending a seminar in Qinglin City?" Yang Hu shouted, holding the gun.

Yang Hu, on the brink of losing control, had only one thought: to have Diao Yifei and his men destroy all the evidence at the school and tamper with the scene. If he could do that, he could survive. To live, he would kill anyone who stood in his way without hesitation!

"Damn, Yang Hu, I order you, as the Party Secretary of Heishan Town, to put down your gun and step aside, and await organizational handling!" Liang Changgui, who had just arrived, shouted angrily at the scene.

With Liang Changgui and Su Mu present, things were getting worse. Why didn't Mayor Yang tell me about this? Yang Hu's heart raced, and Liang Changgui's appearance made him lose his composure. He thought it was just the village chief Chang Shun and Xu Yan sealing off the scene, but it turned out to be more serious.

"I..."

"You what? Yang Hu, do you know what you're doing? Your actions are criminal. If you don't stop, the consequences will be unimaginable! And you, are you really going to help Yang Hu commit crimes? Have you forgotten that you are police officers, the protectors of the people? Have you forgotten who gave you the uniforms you wear? Or do you want to die with Yang Hu?" Su Mu, seeing Yang Hu's hesitation, shouted loudly.

His words made the few police officers behind Yang Hu hesitate. They were different from Yang Hu and didn't have a reason to risk their lives. They didn't know they would encounter such a situation and, as regular police officers, didn't have the courage to oppose the town committee and government.

"Listen up, I'm acting on Mayor Yang's orders. Anyone who obstructs me is obstructing official duties and will be arrested!" Yang Hu, seeing the situation turning against him, shouted loudly.

"Wang Bing, Zhang Ning, you are from Heishan Town. Are you going to stand by and watch Yang Hu commit crimes? Do you have the courage to face the national emblem on your caps? Are you not afraid of being criticized by your fellow villagers?" Su Mu shouted coldly.

"Zhang Weiguo, you little brat, do you want to rebel?" Liang Changgui suddenly shouted, making Zhang Weiguo, who was trembling, feel as if a thunderbolt had struck his brain. He had always been at odds with Su Mu but had grown up under Liang Changgui's watch. Liang Changgui's authority made him break down on the spot.

"Chief Yang, put down the gun!" Zhang Weiguo said urgently.

"Damn, you dare to tell me to put down the gun!" Yang Hu, turning angrily, pointed the gun at Zhang Weiguo. "Bring your men and arrest them all."

Bang!

At this critical moment, a flying knife suddenly shot out, hitting Yang Hu's wrist with such force that it pierced through his hand, breaking the bone.

The pain forced Yang Hu to release the gun, which fell to the ground. Su Mu knew it was Zheng Doudou who had acted. Seizing the opportunity, he rushed forward and, while Yang Hu was stunned, kicked him to the ground and seized the gun.

"Xu Yan, tie him up!" Su Mu shouted.

"Yes!" Xu Yan ran over and quickly tied up Yang Hu.

"Xu Yan, from now on, you are the acting chief of the police station, responsible for the security here!" Liang Changgui said in front of everyone.

"Yes!" Xu Yan saluted in response.

Only then was the danger averted!

"Brother, I'm in Daliu Village, Heishan Town, Xingtang County. The car you gave me was smashed by a group of scoundrels, and a police officer just shot at me. If you don't come soon, you'll be picking up my body tomorrow!" As Su Mu instructed Xu Yan to tie up Yang Hu, Li Letian suddenly took out his phone and, regardless of the late hour, called Li Leming and shouted.

"What? Are you okay? What about Doudou?" Li Leming, who had been half-asleep, was suddenly wide awake upon hearing this.

Li Leming knew that if anything happened to Li Letian, it would cause a huge earthquake in the Li family. Moreover, Zheng Doudou was with Li Letian, and if anything happened to her, even with the Li family's protection, Li Leming would be held responsible. As the Secretary of the Political and Legal Affairs Committee of Qinglin City, he couldn't escape the blame if his subordinate hurt Zheng Doudou.

"I'm fine now, but if you don't come soon, I'll be dead. We're in Daliu Village, bring your people over!" Li Letian hung up after saying this.

"Su Mu, don't worry, I've already called my brother, and he'll bring people over. Damn, I won't believe I can't deal with these scoundrels!" Li Letian said angrily.

"That's good!" Su Mu said.

From the beginning, Su Mu knew he had to leverage the situation. He originally planned to use Vice Mayor Li Xinghua's influence, but now, even the County Party Committee Standing Committee member and Secretary of the Political and Legal Affairs Committee, Li Xinghua, was involved. This was even better; with these two powerful figures, even if Xie Wen tried to interfere, he couldn't protect Yang Song.

"Doudou, thank you for your help just now. If you hadn't acted, things would have been bad." Su Mu turned and said.

"It was nothing, just a scoundrel. But Su Mu, I have a word of advice. Just tying them up isn't enough. To truly deal with these troublemakers, we need to gather evidence now, before it's too late." Zheng Doudou said calmly.

"Understood!" Su Mu nodded. "Old Secretary, I suggest that Secretary Dong from the town disciplinary committee and Secretary Zhang from the party committee come over immediately to interrogate Yang Hu and Diao Yifei."

Liang Changgui didn't hesitate, "I'll call them right away!"

Su Mu looked at his watch; it was already 1:30 AM, with four hours until dawn. He hoped to gather new evidence during this time. Only by legally punishing these corrupt officials could justice be served for these children.

Yang Song, this time, I want to see who can save you!

Those who do evil will eventually destroy themselves!