Chapter 66: The Municipal Fire Brigade Sets Off

Just as Du Long left, the phone on Huang Jiehao's desk rang. Huang Jiehao picked up the receiver and said casually, "This is Huang Jiehao..."

"I know who you are," the voice on the phone was not polite. Huang Jiehao was taken aback; the voice sounded familiar. He heard the person on the phone continue, "I am Lu Hongguang. There is an urgent task from the higher-ups, and Du Long needs to be called to help. It will take a few days. During this time, mark Du Long as fully present."

"Ah?" Huang Jiehao was stunned and blurted out, "This is Director Lu. Du Long just left. Should I call him?"

Lu Hongguang said, "No need. He already knows and is on his way to the municipal compound. You must keep this confidential and not let anyone else know, or I will hold you responsible!"

Huang Jiehao was puzzled but still said loudly, "Yes, I will follow the directors' orders!"

Lu Hongguang hung up directly, and Huang Jiehao was still puzzled as he put down the phone. What was going on? What kind of urgent task would call a small police officer from the front line? And the deputy director himself called to notify. This Du Long is really something.

Du Long arrived at the municipal compound in a flash. The guard at the gate had already been notified and let him in after checking his police ID. Although it was Du Long's first time entering the municipal compound, he immediately felt that the atmosphere was off.

There was a tense atmosphere spreading here, and people and vehicles were moving quickly, as if something major had happened.

Du Long slowly drove forward, observing as he went. A young man who looked a bit older than him waved from a distance, saying, "Du Long! Are you Du Long?"

Du Long nodded and sped up to stop beside the man, saying, "I am Du Long. You are..."

The man was Ma Guangming's new secretary, Lu Shunyu. Lu Shunyu said, "Mayor Ma sent me to pick you up. Follow me."

Lu Shunyu walked quickly, occasionally glancing back curiously at Du Long. He was very curious about Du Long, and in fact, everyone passing by was curious about Du Long, as he was the first person to enter the municipal compound on such a powerful motorcycle.

Du Long soon met Ma Guangming. Several shiny black Audi A6L 2.0Ts were parked in front of a five-story building. Ma Guangming and a few familiar-looking people were talking on the steps extending from the building.

Lu Shunyu said to Du Long, "Park your bike over there and wait a moment. Mayor Ma is talking with Secretary Wang and the standing committee members. I will call you when it's time to go."

Du Long followed Lu Shunyu's instructions, parked his bike, and waited quietly.

Secretary Wang Shuwei gave a few instructions to Ma Guangming and said earnestly, "Guangming, if this matter is not handled properly, the consequences will be unimaginable. I believe in your ability. You must handle this matter well!"

Ma Guangming said solemnly, "Please rest assured, Secretary. I will do my best to handle it!"

Wang Shuwei nodded and said, "Time is of the essence. Go and come back soon. Go!"

Wang Shuwei shook hands with the secretary and the standing committee members one by one, then got into an Audi. Lu Shunyu waved to Du Long, who hurried over. Lu Shunyu gestured for Du Long to get into Mayor Ma's car, then he went around to the other side and got in as well, but he sat in the front passenger seat.

The municipal standing committee members, including the discipline inspection commission secretary and the political and legal affairs commission secretary, would accompany Ma Guangming, but they did not immediately get into the car. Instead, they watched as Du Long, dressed in a police uniform and wearing sunglasses, got into Mayor Ma's car.

"Is he Du Long?" Many people wondered silently and watched as the Audi convoy slowly left.

"Uncle Ma, what happened? It seems very serious," Du Long asked as soon as he got into the car.

Ma Guangming hummed and said, "Yes, it's a big deal. I'll explain on the way. Let me introduce you first. This is my secretary, Lu Shunyu, and the driver, Wang Zhiqiang."

The secretary and driver were the closest subordinates to the leaders. However, the car in front was driven by Zhang Xing, and it was unknown how this new secretary was. Du Long greeted them warmly, and the two knew that Du Long had risen rapidly and held a position in Mayor Ma's heart no less than theirs, especially Lu Shunyu, who, being new to Mayor Ma, spoke to Du Long in a very low-key manner.

Two police motorcycles led the way, and six Audis quickly drove onto the northern third ring road out of the city. Along the way, several more cars joined the convoy. As they were about to enter the G108 National Highway, Du Long suddenly saw a familiar face in the distance. He quickly rolled down the window to confirm that he was not mistaken.

He saw a traffic police officer in a reflective vest standing in the middle of the road, standing straight and saluting the passing government convoy.

The convoy slowed down slightly as it entered the intersection. Just as Mayor Ma's car was about to pass the traffic police officer, Du Long suddenly leaned out and shouted, "Feng Weiwu! Why are you here as a traffic police officer!"

The traffic police officer was Feng Weiwu, who had also come from Liyuan Police Station. In a situation where no one was willing to take Feng Weiwu, Deputy Mayor Feng Jianwen personally instructed that Feng Weiwu be sent to the Baihua District Traffic Police Team and even assigned to the outskirts. It was his first day on the job, and he had received orders to maintain traffic and ensure the smooth passage of the municipal leaders' convoy. He did not expect Du Long to be in the municipal leaders' car.

Du Long's words made the proud Feng Weiwu almost lose his composure. His face turned red, and he looked at the smug Du Long with eyes full of hatred.

After Du Long closed the window, Ma Guangming said solemnly, "Du Long, you wanted to know where we are going, right? Now I can tell you. We are going to Wuxi County to deal with a fire."

"Wuxi County?" Du Long asked, puzzled. "What happened in Wuxi County? Is it... a mine disaster?"

Ma Guangming shook his head and said, "It's not a mine disaster, but it is related to a coal mine. Around 5:00 PM last Friday, the workers at the state-owned Tieling Coal Mine in Wuxi County heard a loud explosion from the mine. At first, they thought it was a collapse, but later they found that the coal seam had been dug through from the other side by a private coal mine called Black Gold. The workers from both sides soon got into an argument. By 6:00 PM, the situation worsened, and a group of people rushed into the Tieling Coal Mine, beating people and destroying machinery. The police arrived at the scene half an hour later, but the attackers had already fled. Six workers from the Tieling Coal Mine were seriously injured, and over thirty were lightly injured. A large amount of coal mining and transportation equipment and vehicles were destroyed, with direct economic losses exceeding 30 million yuan."