Chapter 55: Made a Big Deal Out of It

  Leng Yun raised his teacup and took a slow sip. He sat in the armchair, gazing out the window at the setting sun, feeling utterly relaxed.

  It's already after work hours, except for the staff on duty and Secretary Du Guoping, who insisted on waiting for Leng Yunfei to get off work before heading home, the entire city government building was eerily quiet.

  Leng Yun's office was also very quiet, he was used to sitting alone in the office after work every day, enjoying this rare moment of peace and quiet, and thinking about the recent work situation.

  After nearly half a month of effort, the Changfu Steel Plant's deal with Feiyuan Company has almost been finalized and is about to enter the signing stage. According to the agreement between the two parties, Feiyuan Company will take over Changfu Steel Plant from the municipal government at a price of 4 billion 45 million.

  After deducting various debts and back pay for employees of the steel mill, which is less than 240 million, the government still has a net income of over 200 million. At the same time as reviving Changfu Steel Mill, the government also obtained 200 million in development funds, which is especially important for Changfu's current rapid development. Many projects and local funding gaps, as well as many ideas that had to be put on hold due to lack of funds, can now be gradually realized through this injection of capital.

  To be honest, Leng Yun didn't want to sell off state-owned assets, but the current situation of the steel mill is just a heavy burden for the government. Changfu Steel Mill has reached a point where it's difficult for them to do anything about it; if they don't take care of it, then several thousand families will have no way to make a living; and if they continue to invest, it can only be a bottomless pit. The government and banks' funds can solve the problem temporarily, but can they solve it permanently? Moreover, there are no longer any banks willing to lend money to the steel mill, even if the government guarantees it. After all, banks aren't welfare organizations; the original loan of nearly 200 million hasn't been repaid yet.

  To properly resolve the issue, it is necessary to introduce a powerful company like Feiyuan. Although capitalism is not good, their pursuit of profit can enable them to find ways to operate the steel mill well, and when that happens, not only will people's employment problems be solved, but also bring financial tax revenue to the local government, killing two birds with one stone, why not?

  As for the other requirements of Feiyuan Company, they also felt reasonable after negotiation. The original iron and steel plant was a state-owned enterprise, and General Manager Li Wenhui was appointed by the government and enjoyed treatment at the level of a department head. There were also some management personnel who were part of the government's staffing system. Now that Feiyuan Company has taken over, they are definitely not going to stay on. Even if they stayed, there would be no way to arrange for them to do so. Moreover, the government now suspects that they have serious economic problems, and Leng Yunying has arranged for the municipal discipline inspection commission to conduct a secret investigation into them. Once evidence is obtained, severe punishment will necessarily follow, and every effort will be made to recover the assets of over 400 million yuan.

  For such a pest, Leng Yun is determined not to let it go.

  The current disagreement with Fei Yuan company lies in their intention to spend 330 million yuan acquiring Chang Fu Mining Company.

  Changfu Mining Company owns 6 iron mines, 2 zinc mines and 3 vanadium-titanium mines within Changfu territory, as well as a primary processing plant for minerals. A price of over 300 million is also acceptable, but the mining operation is still doing quite well, and they haven't thought about selling them all together yet. However, it seems that Feiyuan Company is very determined about this, which really puts him in a difficult position.

  Just then, the phone on the desk rang.

  Leng Yun Ai picked up the phone, "Hello, I'm Leng Yun Ai." The mayor's office phone number was not something ordinary people would know.

  "Mayor Leng, I heard you're planning to sell the steel mill and leave us brothers without a livelihood. We're not too pleased about that, so we've invited your son, Cold Bing Han, to join us for a little chat..."

  "What, Xiao Han? What have you done to him?" Leng Yun Yi was shocked and pale upon hearing this, his breathing also quickened. He never could have imagined that his own son would be kidnapped, Leng Bing Han being the apple of his eye.

  "Hehe, don't worry, Secretary Leng. Young Master is very well-behaved and cute, we treat him as a noble guest. However, if Secretary Leng doesn't behave himself, hehe, then I'm afraid we'll have to apologize in advance. If something were to happen to such an adorable child, it would be a real pity."

  Leng Yun seemed to have calmed down from his initial anxiety and worry, angrily saying: "Kidnapping is a serious crime, especially when extorting the government, it's an even greater sin..."

  "Secretary Leng, stop bothering me with these useless things. I'll tell you one more time: don't think about taking over the steel factory again. If not, heh heh, you can just wait for your son to collect your corpse!"

  "Hello!" The phone on the other end was busy with a dial tone.

  He put down the phone, his heart racing with a chill, and after a moment of panic, he took a few deep breaths to calm himself. He then quickly picked up the phone and dialed his home number.

  The phone rang for a few times before it finally connected, and Kou Yunfen's voice came through the line. Le Yunchen could no longer suppress his anxiety and asked urgently: "Afeng, has Xiao Han returned home from school?"

  "Not back yet, and I don't know what's going on. It's been so long since school let out and he still hasn't returned. Are you off work? Hey, hey..."

  Hearing the cold words, Leng Yun's heart sank to the bottom of the valley, and his heart cooled down halfway. He didn't hear what Li Huanfen said afterwards, and he sat on the chair in a daze, his face also losing color instantly.

  Although it has not been finally confirmed whether Leng Bing Han was indeed kidnapped as the person on the phone said, because Leng Bing Han is usually very self-willed and often does not follow the rules, so it's hard to say where he might be at this time. But in Leng Yun Yi's heart, there is a sense of emptiness, always feeling anxious and flustered, perhaps this is what they mean by "worrying leads to confusion".

  He was stunned for a few minutes, then seemed to remember something and hastily asked Du Guiping to inform Song Zuyun to come to his office.

  The big boss summoned, in less than twenty minutes, the Secretary of the Municipal Politics and Law Committee and the Director of the Public Security Bureau, Song Zuyun, arrived at the mayor's office. This speed is absolutely very fast, but for Leng Yun'ai, every passing minute feels like a year, long and torturous.

  "What? Xiao Han might have been kidnapped?" Song Zuyun was also shocked after hearing Leng Yunyi's words. Who had eaten the leopard's gallbladder and dared to kidnap the mayor's child, this was simply a contempt for and defiance of the government and law enforcement system.

  "Zu Yun, tell me your opinion." After all, as the mayor, after twenty minutes of contemplation, Leng Yun had basically calmed down, sat in a chair, rubbed his somewhat painful temples, and his voice was also somewhat weak.

  Song Zuyun, a professional, was still reeling from the shocking news, but upon hearing Leng Yunyi's inquiry, he quickly composed himself and replied: "Mayor, forgive me for speaking bluntly, but it's highly likely that Xiao Han has been kidnapped. The opponent wouldn't go to such great lengths to tell an easily-exposed lie. Moreover, just before I arrived, I received a report from the Mashuihe police station that half an hour ago, a resident of Yongxing Alley saw a student wearing a Number One Middle School uniform being forcibly taken away by several adults in a van. It's possible that it was Xiao Han..."

  Although he had thought of the possibility in his heart, now that Song Zuyun mentioned it, Leng Yunya still felt as if a sharp knife had pierced his heart, and suddenly a heart-wrenching pain burst out from the bottom of his heart, so painful that he convulsed all over, almost finding it hard to breathe.

  Taking a few deep breaths, he suppressed his surging emotions and said: "Zu Yun, you're an expert, how do you think this matter should be handled?"

  "This matter looks a bit tricky, but it still leaves many clues. Firstly, since there are eyewitnesses, we can start from here and investigate based on the license plate number and physical appearance of the suspects; Secondly, the phone call you just received, Mayor, we can check with the post office to verify the phone number and further grasp the physical characteristics of the caller; Thirdly, since he mentioned that the purpose was related to the steel factory issue, although it is not ruled out that it was a smoke bomb, we can also investigate along this line of thought. The city government has made great efforts to solve the steel factory problem this time, and ordinary people must be strongly in favor of it. Only a small number of high-level management personnel's interests are damaged, so our investigation scope can be locked within a relatively small range; Fourthly, the kidnapping happened only an hour ago, I believe the gangsters won't transfer Xiaohan too far even if they have a car. I will immediately mobilize all police forces in the city to set up checkpoints and conduct investigations in each community and street. At the same time, to prevent the gangsters from hiding in remote mountain villages, we require all township police stations to conduct a dragnet search of their jurisdictions. I believe that within three days at most, there will be results; Fifthly, as a precautionary measure, I suggest providing covert protection for your family members, including Rong Qing who is studying at Zhenglin."

  "And if the other party's kidnapping is really about the steel mill, Xiaohan shouldn't be in any danger. The mayor can rest assured on this point. Therefore, I ask the mayor to suspend contact with Feiyuan Company for now, so as not to provoke the culprits." Song Zuyun spoke with conviction, but still had a few worries in his heart. After all, this is the mayor's child, and if something goes wrong, it will be disastrous.

  When a person's status changes, others will have a few more hesitant attitudes, just like the imperial physician in ancient times. Before entering the palace, they were carefree, but after entering the palace, facing the royal family and nobles, they became more cautious, and naturally, their medicine was also much worse.

  "Alright, you're a professional, take charge of everything, be efficient and keep it confidential, don't make a big fuss about it, especially not to our family. I'll contact the local garrison, reserve forces, and militia to fully cooperate with your work, under your overall command." Cold Yunying slapped the table and said: "You asked for three days, I'll give you a week. Within this week, all work at the steel mill will be suspended. However, it's only limited to one week, after that, regardless of the situation, all work will resume."

  "Mayor, this won't do, what if something unexpected happens, Xiao Han will..."

  Leng Yun interrupted Song Zuoyun's words, with a hint of sadness: "That's right, I am Xiao Han's father, but at the same time, I am also the mayor of Changfu City. To suspend the steel plant for a week because of my own child has already been very unprincipled and against party nature, I cannot let one family affect thousands of families."

  "If after a week of your all-out investigation and rescue, you still can't save Xiao Han, then it can only be said that fate is like this. I..." At this point, Leng Yun also couldn't help but burst into tears, streaming down her cheeks.

  No matter what, he is still a father after all.

  Song Zuoyun saluted Leng Yunye with a solemn military salute. Seeing the usually stern and strong Leng Yunye shed hot tears, he did not expect that at such a critical moment, Leng Yunye would still make such a choice. In this era, there are many slogans shouted loudly, but how many can really make such decisions when faced with such situations?

  So, this gift is heartfelt. At the same time as showing respect, he secretly made up his mind that even if it cost him his own life, he would do his best to rescue Xiao Han. If something unexpected really happened, even if Leng Yun didn't blame himself, he would still have a psychological barrier that he couldn't overcome. How could he continue to serve as the Secretary of the Political and Legal Committee and the Director of the Municipal Public Security Bureau then?

  Song Zuyun returned to the Municipal Public Security Bureau and immediately convened a full bureau party committee meeting, quickly introducing the severity and complexity of the case to everyone. This also shocked the participants, who were sweating profusely. The vicious incident of kidnapping the mayor's child for interfering with government orders for personal gain had never occurred since the founding of the country, and unexpectedly, this time Changfu was the first to take the lead.

  Some of you may be dissatisfied with Song Zuyun's rise to power, but for such a case, we dare not relax in the slightest, nor do we dare harbor any thoughts of dragging our feet.

  First of all, the case involves Leng Yunying. The strong prestige of this new mayor is obvious to everyone. Many people regret not being able to hug his thigh earlier than Song Zuyun. How could it be possible for Song Zuyun to rise to power otherwise? Due to Leng Yunying's influence, the police officers' welfare and treatment have also improved significantly. They admire Leng Yunying's pragmatism and charisma, so who dares to make any moves against him?

  Secondly, such a case is a heavy blow to the entire Changfu City. If it cannot be solved quickly and the hostages are not rescued, the officialdom of Changfu will definitely be shaken. I dare not say how others will react, but I'm sure that the few people present here will find it difficult to avoid blame. The purpose of the Public Security Bureau is to combat crime, maintain local security, and let people live and work in peace. But if even a case like the kidnapping of the mayor's child cannot be solved, how can ordinary people still believe that the police can protect them? At that time, not only will credibility be greatly discounted, but it will also become a laughing stock among peers. In the future, where can we still hold our heads up?

  So for Song Zuoyun's arrangement, not only was there no doubt, but instead, they all contributed many supplementary ideas and methods, and everyone was divided into different tasks, each responsible for one part. They all wanted to use their skills to the fullest, hoping that in the entire operation, the part they were responsible for would save Leng Yichen, so not only could they shine, but also bring closer the relationship between Leng Yunqiao and Cold Cloud.

  The meeting was convened quickly and successfully, then with one order, the public security police, criminal police, traffic police, household registration police, armed police, railway police, civil aviation police and other types of police were all dispatched. According to the previous arrangement, each went to their respective posts. The local garrison also dispatched tens of thousands of people, especially in rural areas and mountainous regions where they assisted the police with cases while holding weapons.

  Watching the military vehicles and police cars driving by one after another on the street, watching the large number of soldiers and police officers on the street, everyone was wondering what had happened? In response to the curious questions from good Samaritans, they all said in unison that it was a joint exercise to maintain order and ensure the safety of Changfu.

  The police stations in each town also carried out a dragnet search of the mountain villages in their jurisdictions with the help of the garrison troops, even deploying police dogs, and registered and verified them one by one.

  Such a large-scale inspection and cleanup, not to mention in Changfu, is unprecedented and unmatched nationwide. The local rascals, three-handers, or former arrogant thugs are now nervous and fearful, hesitant to even step out of their doors, afraid that they might accidentally run into the authorities.

  For a time, the social order and atmosphere of Changfu City can be said to have been renewed. Although it is not possible to say that doors are not closed and roads are not picked up, they are also not far away. People's sense of security and satisfaction can be said to have been greatly improved.