Chapter 8: The High Official

  Several police officers lifted Li Run-ge from the car, and the hospital leaders, experts, and nurses who had been waiting at the hospital entrance rushed over to prepare to take him to the emergency room.

  Li Runji waved his hand and said to the hospital leaders: "You first give me emergency treatment now, just stop the bleeding, don't take me in for the time being, I still have extremely important things to arrange."

  He said to the head of Dongcheng District Public Security Bureau who was surrounding him: "Please lend me your mobile phone, I'll make a few calls. My mobile phone has just been crushed!"

  The director hastily handed over his mobile phone.

  Li Runji first called Bai Shijie, the provincial discipline inspection secretary who was attending a meeting in Beijing, to report on his assassination attempt. Then, he separately called the deputy director of the Provincial Public Security Department in charge of criminal affairs and the Deputy Procurator-General of the Provincial Procuratorate in charge of anti-corruption work, asking them to rush to the entrance of the Provincial People's Hospital, where he had important matters to discuss with them.

  As Li Run-ji was the Standing Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Discipline Inspection Commission, and it is said that he will soon be promoted to a member of the Standing Committee of the Provincial Party Committee and Secretary of the Provincial Discipline Inspection Commission in the upcoming provincial party congress. Therefore, after receiving his call, the deputy director of the Public Security Department and the deputy procurator-general did not dare to delay and immediately rushed over.

  It turned out that Li Runki had already realized at this time: the assassination attempt against him was very likely to be instructed by Su Wei, the vice mayor of M City who was being investigated. Because he didn't know how deeply Su's backstage had infiltrated into which level of officials, he no longer dared to trust any cadres in M City lightly. Therefore, he directly called over Chen Hua, deputy director of the Provincial Public Security Department, and Gong Yiru, deputy procurator-general of the Provincial Procuratorate.

  After emergency treatment and hanging up the blood transfusion bag, Li Runji ordered the nurses to move himself and Ye Ming, who had been bandaged, into a high-end ward, and asked Chen Huan to arrange for several trusted police officers to stand guard at the door.

  Then, he weakly raised his left hand and pointed to Ye Ming who was lying on the opposite bed receiving a blood transfusion. With an infinitely moved voice, he said: "Comrade Chen Huo, Comrade Gong Yiru, if it weren't for this young comrade today, I, Li Runji, would have already reported to Marx. Thinking about what happened today still makes my heart skip a beat!"

  Chen Hao and Gong Yiru looked at Ye Ming, who was covered in blood, with surprise and quickly asked: "Secretary Li, what's going on?"

  Li Runji then intermittently told them about the assassination that had just occurred at the entrance of "Heji Steamed Restaurant".

  When he mentioned the details of Ye Ming using a round stool to kill an evil-doer, throwing himself on his body to take two knives for him, and then striking down another evil-doer and wounding another one, Chen Huan and Gong Yiru both showed expressions of surprise and admiration on their faces, constantly turning their heads to look at Ye Ming.

  After he finished speaking, Chen Hao and Gong Yiru went over without saying a word, smiling all over their faces as they shook hands with Ye Ming.

  Chen Hao shook hands with Ye Ming while praising: "Little comrade, not bad, not bad! I remember in 'Water Margin', there's a chapter called 'Shi Xiu jumps off the building to save Lu Junyi from the law court', which describes Shi Xiu risking his life to rescue Lu Junyi. Maybe even that scene isn't as moving as your heroic act today. You're a true, unadulterated hero of our times! Alas, it's a pity you're not part of our public security system. Otherwise, based on your bravery today, we could totally nominate you for the Ministry of Public Security's First-Class Hero title!"

  "Everyone, you're overpraising me! Actually, I just did what any young person with a sense of justice should do in this situation. There's nothing special about it."

  Li Runji looked at him with admiring eyes, and said emotionally: "Little comrade, if the young people in our society could all be like you, who can stand up bravely without regard for personal safety when the lives of the masses are threatened, then our society would be much more stable, harmonious, and the social atmosphere would be greatly improved! Your actions today, from a public perspective, have eliminated and captured several dangerous criminals, removing a major hidden danger from society! From a private perspective, you pulled me back from the gates of hell at a critical moment, and are my savior! Therefore, both publicly and privately, I should thank you!"

  Kong Yiru asked beside: "Little comrade, where are you from? What's your name? What do you do?"

  "I am Ye Ming from K City Xinleng County Local Taxation Bureau."

  "Oh? Are you from the Land Tax system?"

  Li Runji was taken aback when he heard Ye Ming's response, then suddenly burst out laughing: "Little Ye, my wife is also in your tax system, currently serving as the director of the Women's Committee at the provincial bureau. I've heard that your system is vigorously carrying out the 'Serving the People and Striving for Excellence' activity, preparing to select ten tax workers who are satisfactory to the people. I think you're an outstanding representative of your tax system's excellent cadres, and also a model of advancement in promoting this activity. In a few days when I have time, I'll tell Provincial Bureau Director Xia Bicheng about your story, and let him hold you up as a model of righteousness and bravery within the entire provincial tax system."

  Ye Ming hadn't responded yet, when Gong Yiru chuckled and added on the side: "Little Ye, your provincial bureau's Xia Bizheng Director, was originally under Secretary Li in the army. When Secretary Li was a division commander, Director Xia was one of his regiment commanders. Now, Director Xia's daughter still calls Secretary Li 'godfather'!"

  Gong Yiru, as the deputy procurator-general in charge of anti-corruption and dereliction of duty work, had a good relationship with Li Runke and Xia Bicheng, so he was very familiar with their situation.

  Ye Ming heard Li Runji say that he wanted to recommend himself as a model for the land tax system, and thought of the "major demerit" penalty he was currently carrying, his heart sank, and he said dejectedly: "Secretary Li, you must not mention my business to Director Xia."

  Li Runji saw that he was not right, and asked strangely: "Xiaoye, what's wrong with you? You risked your life to fight against the knife-wielding villain, and saved me from the brink of death. This is a heroic feat worthy of being written in big books! Why don't you want me to mention it to the provincial bureau chief?"

  "Leaders, my situation is a bit special, I'm not comfortable reporting to you today. In short, I implore you not to tell our provincial bureau leaders about what happened to me today, thank you!"

  Li Runji, Chen Huan and Gong Yiru looked at each other, none of them knew what he was getting at, but seeing how serious he was, they couldn't say anything else, so they all nodded in agreement.

  Next, Li Run-ji began discussing with Chen Huan and Gong Yi-xu the background and reasons behind the assassination attempt by those few assassins today.

  As Ye Ming was also a party involved, and Li Runji saw that he was full of righteous indignation, and was from Xinleng County, it was impossible for him to have any connection with Su Wei and others, so they did not ask him to recuse himself when analyzing and discussing the case.

  According to Li Runke's analysis, these three assassins should be the killers hired by Su Wei's backer, with the purpose of getting rid of Li Runke who insisted on investigating to the end. Then, taking advantage of the Provincial Discipline Inspection Commission and Su Wei's special case team being in disarray, they would try to get Su Wei out, or kill him to silence him, directly eliminating Su Wei, so as not to implicate those higher-ranking officials...

  Chen Hao and Gong Yiru both agreed with Li Runji's analysis and asked him what to do next.

  Li Runji thought for a moment and then made three points:

  First, Director Chen should personally take charge of ensuring the safety of the assassin who was captured alive after being stabbed by Ye Ming today. This is to prevent him from being assassinated by people arranged by Su Wei within the public security system. At the same time, the Provincial Public Security Department's Criminal Investigation Corps will personally interrogate him, and the results of the interrogation will be reported directly to the Provincial Disciplinary Committee's special case group, without disclosing it to anyone else.

  Second: Please ask the Provincial Procuratorate's Anti-Corruption Bureau to intervene in Su Wei's case ahead of time, immediately arrest him and put him in detention, on the one hand to cut off his illusions, on the other hand to strengthen protection for him, so as not to let him commit suicide or be murdered during the double designation stage.

  Third: Please instruct the police officers who were present at the scene today to strictly seal off all information and not disclose any details about this assassination incident to the outside world. No news media is allowed to report on this incident. If anyone violates this, they will be punished according to the relevant regulations of the secrecy system...

  Ye Ming sensed from their ambiguous conversation that they might be investigating a shocking case, and his heart couldn't help but feel a little surprised...

  Not long after Chen Hao and Gong Yiru left, several doctors and nurses walked into the ward, preparing to transfer Li Runqi to the operating room for surgical debridement and suturing of his abdominal and back wounds.

  At this moment, a middle-aged woman in her 40s with elegant temperament suddenly rushed into the ward, panting, and saw Li Runji who was receiving blood transfusion on the bed. Tears burst out of her eyes, she threw herself to his bedside and cried: "Old Li, what's wrong with you? How could you be injured like this? Who is so cruel to want your life? Who is it?"

  Li Runji smiled and patted her head, comforting her: "Jingya, don't worry, my life is big, I won't die for the time being. Moreover, I still have a lifesaver!"

  As he spoke, he pointed to Ye Ming on the opposite bed and said: "You see, that little comrade is my savior. You may not believe it: He is also a cadre in your local tax system! Hahaha!"

  This middle-aged woman called "Jingya" by Li Run-kei is his lover, Lai Jingya.

  After hearing Li Runji's words, Lijin Ya turned her head in surprise and stared at Ye Ming for a few moments, asking incredulously: "Young man, are you really from our land tax system? What's your name? Which county, city or district bureau?"