Reborn as a Noble’s Son
Chapter 1200 - Chapter 1200 Chapter 1156 Deploying Action

Chapter 1200: Chapter 1156 Deploying Action Chapter 1200: Chapter 1156 Deploying Action “Awake?”

Nie Zhenbang was taken aback for a moment, but he quickly regained his composure and said to Xia Gang, “Notify the Secretary-General. No matter the situation, we’re returning to Longxi today.”

The matters in Jingcheng were by now largely settled. The Oil City and the Environmental Forest projects had obtained clear responses and approval. As for the Auto City project, this couldn’t be rushed. At least, for the time being, in Longxi Province, it was unreliable to proceed before finding a reputable investor and an automobile brand strong enough to support the Auto City.

Compared with Chubei Province, Wanzhou Province, and Baishan Province, the automotive industry in Longxi was decidedly weaker. Moreover, Hucheng City and Yuedong Province hadn’t even joined the competition.

Admittedly, Longxi Province had President Mu’s full support, but sometimes, there had to be prudence. Opting for Longxi without considering provinces with more generous foundations entailed significant risks. Therefore, it was more likely that the Auto City project would be put on hold until Longxi Province had a legitimately good opportunity to settle it.

By the time the plane from Jingcheng reached QinYang International Airport in Longxi, it was already past seven in the evening. At the airport, on the tarmac, Liu Zhentao, Liu Yueguang, and Guan Jianguo were all waiting.

When Nie Zhenbang descended the airstair, Liu Zhentao greeted him, his expression gravely serious, “Secretary, Comrade Hongyi’s driver has awakened. According to his account, at the time, an oncoming heavy truck suddenly swerved towards us. When he tried to dodge, the truck quickly returned to its original lane. Clearly, this was a premeditated murder. Additionally, the driver clearly remembers the truck’s license plate number: Longxi C-90138.”

“Secretary, the Political and Legal Affairs Committee immediately notified the Provincial Traffic Police Corps. They accessed the registration records of all large trucks in the province. According to the records, the vehicle bearing this plate isn’t a heavy truck but a medium-sized pickup, and the model doesn’t match either. We can conclude that the vehicle involved in the accident was using a fake plate,” Liu Yueguang added from the side.

Nie Zhenbang naturally understood Liu Yueguang’s cautiousness. In such a short time, less than a day after the patient awoke, the special case team had already gathered so much information. This showed that the Political and Legal Affairs Committee was indeed combat-ready.

After pondering for a moment and nodding, Nie Zhenbang did not offer any comment but slowly said, “Back to the Provincial Committee.”

When they returned to the Longxi Provincial Committee and Provincial Government compound, it was already past eight at night. But at this moment, within the entire office building of the Longxi Provincial Committee and Provincial Government, lights blazed throughout. Many staff members were still busy at work.

In the conference room on the top floor, there was even more activity as numerous staff members were busy. With Nie Zhenbang’s arrival, the meeting commenced.

First, Liu Zhentao, Liu Yueguang, and Guan Jianguo reported the general situation. Nie Zhenbang’s face turned very grave as well. His stern gaze swept over everyone presente.

“Comrades, from what we see now, Comrade Hongyi’s death was not merely an accident. It was a premeditated, planned murder,” said Nie Zhenbang, his words crisp and decisive.

With the case progressing to this point, it was essentially time to characterize the incident. An unexplained loss of control by a heavy truck, and a fake-plated one at that, selecting a location that happened to be a blind spot for surveillance–everything made the case bitterly perplexing. But as things stood, it was certain this was no random accident.

Slap!

Suddenly, Nie Zhenbang slammed his hand on the table. This action jolted everyone in the room, silencing the previously buzzing meeting space.

Surveying the attendees, Nie Zhenbang spoke with some anger, “Such audacity to murder a provincial and ministerial level leader. This is a serious provocation to the state, to the Party. It’s a disdain for our party discipline and state laws, an insult to the government. The public security department must deploy its most efficient team to conduct a surprise inspection of Lingxiao Coal Mine, which is under significant suspicion. We must capture the murderer in the shortest possible time.”

“If we do not stamp out this perverse trend, the Provincial Committee and Provincial Government will have no credibility left. How are our officials to work in the future? Will anyone dare to speak up, to tell the truth anymore? If this continues, will not everyone here, including Governor Zhentao and myself, be under constant threat? Comrade Yue Guang, the Political and Legal Affairs Committee must come up with a plan, set definitive targets, solve this case within a scheduled deadline, and severely punish the murderer as a warning to others.”

Nie Zhenbang spoke with an air of lethal determination. Everyone present felt Nie Zhenbang’s resolve, and at the same time, a sense of unease crept into their hearts. Indeed, just as Secretary Nie had said, it was an understatement to describe such a person as audacious. If someone dared to murder a leader of provincial and ministerial rank, what wouldn’t they dare to do in this world? If it were themselves in that situation, wouldn’t they too face a threat to their lives?

This was something no one could tolerate. It was the same for Liu Yueguang. From these words, Liu Yueguang fully understood Secretary Nie’s feelings.

Immediately, Liu Yueguang stood up: “Secretary Nie, rest assured. The Provincial Public Security Bureau will organize our best forces and go all out to solve this case.”

…

Linzhou City, the Lingxiao Coal Mine area. It was deep into the night. Yet, at this moment. The entire mine above the Lingxiao Coal Mine was illuminated as if in broad daylight by several large searchlights.

Mountains of high-quality raw coal. Beneath the shoveling of large engineering machinery. Truckloads of raw coal, were hauled off by lorries. What they brought back, naturally, were bundles of banknotes.

In the center of the mining area, inside the largest room of a six-story building with decor as lavish as a royal palace, enormous floor-to-ceiling windows were spotless. It was a curious thing to observe that within the mining area, hardly any coal dust had accumulated.

By the window, a young man watched the scene unfold outside. From this angle, the whole mining area was in his view. Workers frequently came and went by several mine entrances.

Behind the young man, another young man resembling an attendant whispered, “Director Ling, we have reliable information. That driver of Li Hongyi has regained consciousness. What do you think? Should we…”

The young man made a throat-slitting gesture, his face revealing a trace of viciousness. It was clear that this wasn’t the first time he had dealt with such matters.

Lingxiao’s expression turned decidedly gloomy. It didn’t much matter that Li Hongyi was dead, but the driver’s survival was a serious predicament for Lingxiao. With the driver alive, the case would surely change from an accidental car accident to murder. Next, the Longxi Provincial Committee and the Longxi Provincial Public Security Bureau would certainly expedite a thorough investigation.

“Never mind,” Lingxiao waved it off. Now was not the time to target the driver anymore; it was unnecessary. The ideal situation would have been for all involved to die in the accident–end of story.

This was also why Lingxiao didn’t act after learning the driver hadn’t died. Any action at that time would have made murder an obvious conclusion.

And now that the driver had regained consciousness, acting would be meaningless. The security around the driver would undoubtedly be extremely tight; making a move now might cost more than it was worth. The risk was too high for the potential gain.

Turning around, he addressed the young man beside him, “Ah Hu, arrange immediately for those guys from the mine to find a place to stay. Relocate them overnight. Longxi Province will definitely inspect our coal mine. We’ll talk after this period of scrutiny has passed.”

…

What Lingxiao didn’t realize was that if he could anticipate this, so could the authorities of Longxi Province. What was even more unknown to Lingxiao was that although Liu Yueguang was still out in Ancient City,

at this moment, over a thousand police officers had already been deployed outside the Lingxiao Coal Mine.

Sun Kai, the Executive Deputy Director of the Longxi Provincial Public Security Bureau, was personally overseeing the operation. Glancing at his watch, Sun Kai’s face was grave as he said in a low voice, “Comrades, today’s operation will proceed according to the original plan. All units and departments must coordinate well. The assault team, along with the comrades from the Linzhou Armed Police, will be the main force. You must storm into the mining area as soon as possible and control the situation. Regarding the timing, now it’s 9:30 PM, and we’ll move out precisely in ten minutes.”

Time waits for no one. At 9:40 PM, while the Lingxiao Coal Mine was still fully engaged in production, the armed police and public security officers hiding around the mine stood up.

At a command, the police cars deployed at every road leading to the Lingxiao Coal Mine revved to life. Their flashing lights and bright headlights were unmistakable and conspicuous.

With sirens wailing, the vehicles headed for the Lingxiao Coal Mine. The people at the mine were subdued before they could even react.

Under the leadership of hundreds of public security officers, hundreds of armed police stormed into the mining area, each heading toward crucial spots as planned.

By then, Lingxiao had been alerted to the development. Ah Hu had burst into the room looking ashen, “Boss… boss, something bad happened. Longxi Province has sealed off the entire mining area.”

Hearing this, Lingxiao stood up instantly, his expression extremely dark as he said to Ah Hu, “Ah Hu, call my mom right away. I’m going down first.”

Stepping out of the office building, Lingxiao’s gaze fell on Sun Kai as he said in a deep voice, “Director Sun, what is this all about? Is this how Longxi Province treats investors? If the province doesn’t give me an explanation, even if I have to appeal to the central government, I will seek justice.”