Chapter 83

Chapter 22, The Smoke of Struggle Suddenly Arises (Part 2)

"However, I still want to thank you for saving me on the mountain yesterday," Zeng Jingzi said softly, looking at Yang Zixuan's chiseled face.

Yang Zixuan smiled faintly and said, "You don't really need to thank me. I just didn't want anything to happen to you on Hongshui County's territory."

"By the way, have you made any enemies in Luofu? Or do you have any enemies on the mainland?" Yang Zixuan asked, somewhat puzzled.

Zeng Jingzi thought for a moment and said, "I do have some enemies, mainly business competitors in the electronics manufacturing industry. But I don't really have any enemies in Luofu. I usually travel with bodyguards, and I didn't expect to let my guard down on Tianma Mountain and have this happen."

Hearing Zeng Jingzi's words, Yang Zixuan couldn't determine the real intentions of the masked thugs and decided to put it aside for now.

Zeng Jingzi smiled gracefully and said, "Once your hand gets better, we'll sign the Tianma Mountain cooperation agreement."

"So soon?" Yang Zixuan was greatly surprised. He thought that even if Zeng Jingzi really wanted to take over the Tianma Mountain tourism project, she would still take some time to wait for other investors to reveal their bids before making a move to secure the project at the lowest price.

"You are a trustworthy leader, so I'll be straightforward too," Zeng Jingzi said with a smile. "Get well soon!"

"However, with such a beautiful health care doctor, I doubt you'll recover that quickly," Zeng Jingzi teased.

With that, she swayed her round buttocks and slowly walked out, leaving a graceful and delicate silhouette behind.

...

As soon as Zeng Jingzi left, a round head peeked into the ward.

Yang Zixuan looked up and saw that it was Xu Ming, the husband of his classmate Su Chen.

"Old Xu, is there something you need?" Yang Zixuan called out.

Xu Ming, with his square body, cautiously entered, his face showing some unease. He whispered, "County... County Chief, are you okay?"

Xu Ming didn't know Yang Zixuan's identity before, and Yang Zixuan hadn't told him. At the time, Xu Ming just thought Yang Zixuan had relatives in the county committee because of his young age.

Unexpectedly, during the New Year, while watching TV, he saw Yang Zixuan speaking at a government meeting, which gave him a cold sweat. He thought he might have mistaken the person, but after calling Su Chen to confirm, he learned that this young man was indeed the County Chief of Hongshui County.

Seeing Xu Ming's nervousness, Yang Zixuan spoke calmly, "I'm fine, just a minor injury to my arm. It will be better in a few days. Old Xu, there's no need to be so formal. You're Su Chen's friend, so you're my friend too. There's no need to be so formal."

Xu Ming relaxed a bit but still didn't dare to sit down. At that time, the power of a county chief was still very intimidating to ordinary people.

"Old Xu, how did you find out about my injury?" Yang Zixuan felt something was off and asked.

Currently, in the entire county, only a few people in the county committee and government knew about the County Chief's assassination attempt on Tianma Mountain. The news hadn't spread, and Su Chen hadn't even heard about it. How did Xu Ming know?

"County Chief, I came here to tell you something important," Xu Ming lowered his voice and leaned in, afraid of being overheard.

"Go ahead," Yang Zixuan encouraged.

"Actually, I learned this from an old comrade from my military days. He has a bit of a temper and was very skilled in the army, much better than me, Old Xu. After being discharged, he couldn't find a good job and eventually joined a gang in our area. The leader of that gang is now a powerful figure in Hongshui County—Black Three," Xu Ming whispered.

Yang Zixuan's pupils suddenly contracted. Could it be that the people who injured him were Black Three's men?

"This old comrade of mine is a very loyal person. He became the second-in-command in Black Three's gang because of his fighting skills. He left the gang because he couldn't stand Black Three's behavior and was tired of that life. He has been hiding out of fear that Black Three would send people after him. A few days ago, he heard that Black Three's gang was planning a new mission and wasn't focused on him, so he sneaked back and is now hiding at my place..."

"My old comrade received word from some of his trusted contacts in the gang that Black Three's plan was to assassinate a Taiwanese woman!" Xu Ming quickly finished, seeing that Yang Zixuan's expression had changed.

Indeed!

Yang Zixuan frowned, confirming his guess. The target of the thugs was not him but Zeng Jingzi!

But why did Black Three have such a deep grudge against Zeng Jingzi?

"How did your comrade know I was injured?"

Xu Ming bent down and said, "My comrade still has trusted contacts in Black Three's gang. His contacts told him that the mission failed and the County Chief was injured instead. Now, Black Three has fled to avoid the police."

Yang Zixuan nodded.

Black Three and Xu Ming's comrade are key figures.

"Can I meet your comrade?" Yang Zixuan asked. "Don't worry, I just want to ask him some questions. I won't make things difficult for him. If I can get to the bottom of this, I can ensure that he can move freely in Hongshui County without fear of Black Three."

Xu Ming, having been in the military, knew that a gang like Black Three's couldn't stand up to the government. With Yang Zixuan's promise, he nodded immediately.

Yang Zixuan called An Zai, saying he had an urgent matter to discuss and asked him to come to Xu Ming's house. After hanging up, Yang Zixuan followed Xu Ming out of the county hospital.

...

Liu Kek was watching TV at Xu Ming's house. The TV was showing a special program about the recent reforms in Hongshui.

"Old Liu, isn't Hongshui the place you were assigned to after being discharged?" Xu Ming's wife asked while picking vegetables.

"Yes, I was a security guard at Hongshui. The factory's performance was very poor back then, relying on bank loans. We security guards didn't get paid for months. I had no choice but to quit. I never thought it would do so well now," Liu Kek sighed, looking much older than his thirty-something years.

"A few days ago, when Old Xu and I went to the mall in Daming City, we saw Hongshui's wool products in several high-end stores!" Xu Ming's wife sighed. "Our county has a new County Chief, and I heard that many of the reforms at Hongshui were his doing."

Liu Kek nodded. "This County Chief is quite capable. Even in the neighboring county where I was hiding, I heard many people discussing him. He abolished the illegal head tax, cleared out the corrupt officials who were overcharging for family planning fees, and is working on establishing an economic development zone in the city. He's done a lot of practical things!"

As they were talking, Liu Kek saw Xu Ming leading a young man with a bandaged arm into the house.

"Old Xu, who is this young man you brought back? I've never seen you have such a relative," Liu Kek sized up Yang Zixuan, noting his youthful but well-dressed appearance.

Yang Zixuan stepped forward and shook Liu Kek's hand, smiling. "I'm a friend of Old Xu. My name is Yang Zixuan."

Liu Kek, who had spent a few years in the gang, had a bit of a thug's air about him. He put his arm around Yang Zixuan's shoulders and laughed heartily. "A friend of Old Xu is a friend of mine. No need for formalities like handshakes. Let's go have a drink!"

Seeing Liu Kek's casual behavior, Xu Ming quickly intervened, "Old Liu, this is the County Chief of Hongshui County. Be respectful!"

Liu Kek, still with his arm around Yang Zixuan's shoulders, turned and laughed, "Old Xu, don't fool me! A County Chief is like a former regiment commander. How could he be so young? What was the name of our County Chief again? It was something like Yang..."

Liu Kek's words suddenly stopped, as if he had touched a hot iron. He quickly released his arm from Yang Zixuan's shoulders, looked at Yang Zixuan's bandaged hand, and stood there with his mouth agape, unable to speak.

This young man was indeed the County Chief of Hongshui County!

Xu Ming's wife was also shocked, looking at Yang Zixuan. She had only known that Yang Zixuan worked in the county committee and thought he had relatives in the committee. Xu Ming hadn't told her about Yang Zixuan's identity, so she was also very surprised.

Yang Zixuan patted Liu Kek's shoulder and smiled. "You don't need to treat me as the County Chief. Just consider me a friend of Old Xu. I came here today to learn about Black Three and the recent assassination attempt on the Taiwanese businesswoman."

Liu Kek was somewhat frightened, standing there in silence, not daring to look at Yang Zixuan.

"Old Liu, don't worry. Your past mistakes weren't major. You're a good friend of Old Xu, and I won't hold anything against you. If you tell me about Black Three's whereabouts and their plans, I can ensure that Black Three and his gang will be sent to prison, and you won't have to hide from them anymore!" Yang Zixuan said calmly, but his tone carried a sense of authority.

"Really?" Liu Kek's eyes lit up.

"I, as the County Chief, wouldn't lie to you!"

Liu Kek thought for a moment and then looked up. "Alright! I'll tell you everything I know. And a few of Black Three's current subordinates are my informants, so I know his movements."

Xu Ming's wife brought over a few stools and added a pot of tea. The three of them sat down, and Liu Kek began to speak.

"Actually, Black Three's plan wasn't his own idea. He doesn't even know why he was ordered to assassinate the Taiwanese businesswoman. This plan was ordered by his superior, who has a lot of power in the county committee!"