Chapter 52: Inverse Scales

  Huoying finished cleaning up, then took Yunnan Baiyao from home and went upstairs. She tore off the bandage and wrapped Liu Handong around his shoulder and body for several laps, finally tying a bow tie.

  Liu Handong took some Baiyao and felt much better. He picked up his phone and sent a text message to Ma Ling: I'm injured, but it's not serious, I'm resting at home.

  Soon, the mobile phone rang, and Liu Handong was prepared to face Ma Ling's scolding, but when he picked it up, it was a long-distance call from the United States.

  "Hello, is it Xiao Fan?"

  "Brother, it's me... I'm sorry, because of Xia Zhou's matter, you lost your job..." Shu Fan's voice came from across the Pacific Ocean, yet was so clear, as if whispering beside him.

  "It's okay, anyway I didn't want to do it anymore, don't worry about me, everything is fine, nothing's wrong." Liu Handong comforted, Xiaofei was kind-hearted and must have felt very guilty about this matter.

  Huǒ Yǐng shouted from the side: "What's good about it? He was stabbed in the back and hit on the head, and nothing happened? Let someone beat him to death!"

  Liu Handong covered the receiver and scolded: "What nonsense are you talking about? Don't let others hear it."

  Huǒ Yǐng said: "I just want her to hear it, which good sister of yours is it again? Does Ling Jie know?"

  Liu Handong took his mobile phone and walked onto the balcony, can't stir up trouble but also can't avoid it.

  "Brother, what's wrong with you? Are you hurt? Are you in the hospital now?"

  "It's just a minor skin injury, it's been bandaged and will be fine."

  The phone in her hand rang, and there was an incoming call.

  "Alright, I have a call, won't talk anymore." Liu Handong hung up Xiaofeng's phone and answered Ma Ling's call.

  "You're asking for trouble! Fighting with people all day long! Are you hurt anywhere? Is it serious?" Ma Ling scolded.

  "It's all right now, Huo Ying has helped me bandage it."

  "With her level of injury, hurry up and go to the hospital! Don't say anything else, drive!" Ma Ling's voice was filled with anger, making Liu Handong's eardrums ache.

  "Got it." Liu Handong replied, and the other end had already hung up.

  "She deserved to be scolded by Ling Jie, anyway." Huo Ying giggled and didn't intend to go downstairs, but then she saw a flash of white between her little vest and low-rise pants.

  Liu Handong turned his face away.

  ……

  In the suburbs, a certain hospital, a black Land Rover stopped at the farthest end of the parking lot, parked very domineeringly, occupying two parking spaces. The four people in the car were being treated in the emergency room, one had been hit and fractured bones, one had their wrist broken, one had been stabbed in the abdomen, and even the lightest injury had multiple bruises.

  They cursed and scolded, spewing smoke, the emergency room was filled with the smell of smoke, the doctors and nurses didn't dare to intervene, these four men were all thugs with gold chains around their necks, not to be trifled with.

  "Damn it, find him and get rid of him!" someone cursed.

  "Boss Jiao said, first transfer 200,000 yuan over, 50,000 per person," the leader of the men said.

  "Cao Ge, it's just 5,000, can't even fill our stomachs?" Another person said discontentedly.

  Cao Ge's face sank: "These five thousand are for you to drink tea, what identity is Jiao Ge, what level can afford to neglect you?"

  Everyone nodded in agreement.

  Cao Ge pulled out 100 yuan and shouted: "Nurse, come over, go buy me some spicy chicken feet, peanuts, and bring back two bottles of white wine."

  A young doctor came over: "Sir, no smoking or drinking is allowed in the ward."

  "Damn your mother!" Cao Ge slapped the doctor with a loud smack, knocking his glasses off.

  The rest of the medical staff were silent and retreated, reporting to the hospital's security department, which directly dialed 110.

  Soon, a 110 police car arrived at the hospital and saw a black off-road vehicle lying across the parking lot. The police's professional habit made them take a closer look, feeling that the license plate was very familiar, and it seemed to be the vehicle that the command center required to intercept today.

  The police immediately used the intercom to report to the command center and confirmed that it was this car!

  The 110 police officers followed the command center's requirements and did not act rashly, but instead worked with hospital security to seal off the surrounding area and evacuate the crowd.

  Several guys in the emergency room still didn't know what was coming and were chatting and bragging.

  Fifteen minutes later, four black-painted large off-road vehicles arrived at the hospital, with "Special Police" written on the doors. Twenty fully armed special police officers wearing hoods got out of the cars, holding shields and advancing in a combat formation, surrounding the hospital from multiple directions. Outside the hospital, two Iveco police vehicles were parked, and a group of armed police carrying 07 rifles got out to stand guard.

  The provincial government clearly instructed that this is an extremely serious assassination against senior leaders, the criminals are extremely vicious and may be armed with guns, must be taken seriously, can't have a slightest slack.

  The men were still smoking and chatting when a cylindrical object suddenly flew in, Cao Ge looked down and almost peed his pants.

  "My god! Grenade!"

  What was thrown in wasn't a hand grenade but a shock bomb used for riot control.

  The stun grenade exploded, and in an instant the emergency room was like a miniature atomic bomb had gone off. The intense light made people temporarily blind, unable to see anything. The huge roar made people's ears buzz, their brains were in chaos, almost losing their visual and auditory abilities.

  The SWAT team quickly rushed in, pinning the criminals to the ground, stepping on their backs and hands and feet, unable to move. They swiftly put black hoods over the four of them, handcuffed them, and two men carried each one out. Cao Ge felt dizzy and his feet left the ground as he slid along the floor.

  "What's all the fuss about? Can't they just get a nurse to buy some chicken feet and white wine?" Cao Ge felt that he was more wronged than Dou E.

  Four criminals were taken away by police, quickly sent to the provincial hall for two places, handed over to criminal investigation experts for separate pre-trial, and basically did not spend much effort to get the results.

  The confession was delivered to Song Jianfeng's desk in the first instance. The case was simple: Jiao Shihong, a thug hired by the Transportation Department, was ordered to intercept the car carrying the three young men and find out who wanted to mess with Director Jiao. The inside story would be provided by the Shuidu Hotel side.

  "Should we immediately arrest Jiao Shiming?" asked Secretary Shen.

  Shen Hongyi reminded the leader that Jiao Shihong's identity was quite special, he was a deputy director of the Transportation Department, with real power in his hands, and it was said that he would soon be promoted to vice minister. Moreover, this person had a complex background, and it wasn't something that could be easily handled by just saying so.

  Song Jianfeng also had his own considerations. If it were in normal times, he would have chosen to keep a low profile, gather evidence of Jiao Shiming's corruption and bribery, and let the Discipline Inspection Commission handle him. But this time was different. Jiao Shiming had actually laid hands on his own daughter, regardless of whether it was intentional or not. This was unforgivable, absolutely impermissible!

  "Immediately arrest Jiao Shi-hong on the charge of hiring someone to commit murder." Song Jian-feng had made up his mind to send Jiao Shi-hong to his death, first by slapping a big label on him, and then following up in all aspects. Ultimately, what would play a decisive role was Jiao Shi-hong's financial problems. Which one of these leaders from the Transportation Department has a clean butt? As soon as you touch any of them, it's all shit.

  ……

  At this moment, Jiao Shi-hong was still unaware of the danger approaching him. He walked out of the Transportation Department building with his hands behind his back and got into a Land Rover SUV. The provincial party committee and government had given instructions that leaders at all levels should set an example by not driving large-displacement vehicles. To show his low-key style, Director Jiao rarely used his Audi, and usually used the Land Rover as his means of transportation. Although it was more expensive than the Audi, this was considered a basic public service vehicle provided by the unit, not a luxury car, so others couldn't gossip about it.

  "The pig has left its pen." A man in a nondescript Santana at the parking lot said into a throat microphone hidden under his collar.

  The Land Rover drove towards the gate, the guard raised his hand in salute, pressed the button, and the electric door slowly opened. Just as the Land Rover was about to move forward, two sedans suddenly rushed out of the road, emitting a piercing screeching sound, and blocked the way of the Land Rover.

  The driver slammed on the brakes and Director Jiao, who had been resting his eyes, almost fell out.

  "What are you doing!" The driver was furious and jumped out of the Range Rover, questioning loudly.

  Six police officers jumped out of the two cars, all wearing police vests, one hand holding a gun and the other holding a police badge, quickly closing in, pinning the frightened driver to the car, one person opened the door, showing an arrest warrant: "Jiao Shiming! You're under arrest."

  Jiao Shi Hong was dumbfounded at first, but soon came to his senses. What he had been worried about day and night still happened, but unlike in a nightmare, it wasn't the disciplinary committee that came for him, but the police.

  With trembling hands, Jiao Shihong signed the arrest warrant and was handcuffed, taken away by police car. The whole process took less than three minutes, all of which were captured by the surveillance camera at the entrance of the Ministry of Transport.

  The news spread quickly, and Jiao Shihong from the Construction Management Office was arrested! He was taken away by criminal police right in front of the Transportation Department's main gate. At that time, leaders at all levels were very nervous, fearing they would be implicated.

  Jiao Shi-hong was taken to the interrogation room of the Provincial Hall, and was first left alone for a couple of hours. The police had plenty of experience in dealing with corrupt officials like him. People like him were either extremely bold and lawless, or very timid and would spill the beans without needing any pressure.

  Within this hour, Song Jianfeng received many phone calls, some pleading for leniency, others inquiring about the situation, and still others inviting him to dinner. He could imagine that the entire Jiangdong government was turned upside down. Although Jiao Shiming was only a department-level cadre, the scope of his involvement was vast, and the number of people implicated was staggering, far surpassing what Song had imagined.

  Those unimportant people were all blocked by Secretary Shen, but some people couldn't be blocked, such as Jin Muchen, the mayor of Jinjiang City.

  The mayor of Jin personally called over and said after a few pleasantries: "Old Song, you've made me very passive."

  Song Jianfeng said: "Mayor Jin, what are you talking about? Our Public Security Bureau can't even keep up with your coordination, how could we make you passive?"

  "Ah, that's right! The road widening and reconstruction project in Jinjiang City is something I'm in charge of. The Transportation Department is handling the specifics, and it's Jiao Shihong who's responsible for implementing it on the ground. This guy still has some ability to get things done, so please give me a heads up before you grab him, okay? Now everything is a mess, my phone is about to be blown up! Hahaha!"

  Song Jianfeng said: "It happened suddenly, I didn't plan to move him either."

  Jin Mu Chen said: "Old Song, what aspect of the mistake did Jiao Shi Hong make? Give me a hint, so I can arrange the next step of work."

  "He attempted to hire someone to kill me, and now my daughter is still lying in hospital."

  Jin Mu dust fell silent for a moment, his tone was very resolute: "For such criminals, we must resolutely crack down and seriously deal with them. Whoever dares to plead for leniency, I will be the first to not let him off! Old Song, I support you!"

  Song Jianfeng put down the phone, rubbing his temples. He knew that Jin Muchen had embezzled a lot of money in road construction projects. Jiao Shiming was his man. By saying that his daughter was lying in the hospital, he was trying to shut him up. And through Mayor Jin, he made it impossible for anyone to plead on his behalf.

  After all, I am the provincial hall, a deputy provincial leader. If I can't even protect my own daughter and can't handle a county-level cadre, what credibility will I have in the future?