I Cultivate in a Government Office

Chapter 175: Chapter 110: An Unexpected Incident

Deputy Director Qi seemed to have been waiting for this very moment. He immediately chimed in:

”Old Zhao is being thorough, and the importance of Lingshan Town is undeniable. However, the Director just said we’d only be sending Wenqing to take a look, not formally appointing him as the person in charge. Right now, the county can’t agree, and opinions at the city level are divided. So, why not send him on a fact-finding mission to get a clear picture of the situation? We can identify the problems and give the city a more solid basis for its decision. Isn’t this a perfect way to break the deadlock?”

He paused and looked at Director Shen, his tone seeking approval. ”The specific pretext and the extent of his temporary authority will be for you to decide, Director. But sending a driven, capable young man to gain experience in a critical area, while simultaneously providing firsthand intelligence for our decisions, is certainly better than letting certain people down there run amok and cover things up.”

Standing a few steps below, Yang Wenqing heard every word of their exchange. A fine layer of cold sweat instantly broke out on his back. The flicker of hope he’d felt at the director’s apparent appreciation was now utterly extinguished, replaced by a sense of unprecedented clarity.

’Appreciating young people? It’s all a lie!’

’This was clearly orchestrated by Director Shen. He probably found out what was going on last night when Vice Director Gao contacted the city bureau, which led to this whole charade today.’

’He wasn’t just being paranoid; everything unfolding before him forced him to this conclusion.’

’The Director knew full well that Director Qin and Deputy Director Qi would support his proposal, and that Deputy Director Zhao would certainly oppose it. And conveniently, of the city bureau’s five deputy directors, only these two were present.’

Having figured this out, Yang Wenqing quickly lowered his gaze, hiding all emotion. He stood ramrod straight, like a statue that only knew how to obey, completely surrendering the final decision to the powerful figures above who held his fate in their hands.

Director Shen’s gaze swept over Zhao Shouzheng and Qi Yue before finally settling back on Yang Wenqing, who stood with his head bowed. The gentle smile on the director’s face seemed to deepen, making him all the more inscrutable.

”This idea of a fact-finding mission from Director Qi... is rather interesting,” Director Shen said slowly, his gaze shifting between Zhao Shouzheng and Qi Yue as if he were genuinely weighing his options.

Zhao Shouzheng’s expression remained unchanged. ”A fact-finding mission is fine, of course,” he said in a grave voice, ”but the choice of personnel and the methods used still require caution. Lingshan Town has everyone’s attention right now. One misstep...”

Before he could finish, two extremely faint chimes of fluctuating energy echoed in the conference room—the alert that the emergency communication channel in the badges on Yang Wenqing’s and Vice Director Gao’s chests had been activated!

Both men stiffened, but neither dared to make a move, not even letting their eyes dart around.

With their level of Cultivation, Director Shen, Zhao Shouzheng, and Qi Yue naturally noticed it instantly. Director Shen’s eyebrow twitched. He looked down at the two visibly awkward men, an amused smile touching his lips. ”It seems our colleagues on the ground are quite busy. Since it’s an emergency communication, go ahead and take it. It might be something important.”

Vice Director Gao and Yang Wenqing exchanged a glance. Only after getting Director Shen’s nod did they dare to activate the link. To avoid interference, Vice Director Gao connected first.

An urgent, clear voice came from the badge: ”Director Gao, there’s been a massive landslide on the east side of Black Water Stream in the Lingshan Town core construction zone! We’ve confirmed at least a hundred dead construction workers, and many more are still buried. The situation is critical, but they’re still trying to cover it up!”

Over a hundred dead!

The air in the conference room instantly froze.

The gentle smile on Director Shen’s face vanished, replaced by a profound gravity. Deputy Director Qi’s brows knitted together, a sharp glint flashing in his eyes. Deputy Director Zhao’s face, however, darkened abruptly, and a strange emotion flickered deep in his eyes before vanishing.

After a brief, dead silence, Qi Yue spoke, his tone urgent and decisive. ”Director, this is no longer just a matter of public order. It’s a major industrial accident. Behind it, there could be chaotic management, illegal operations, or even worse. We must immediately dispatch capable personnel to get the situation under control. Wenqing is here, he’s from the Major Case Team, and he knows the area. I think...”

He seized the opportunity, trying to ride the momentum and push Yang Wenqing to the forefront.

However, Zhao Shouzheng reacted even faster, his tone both serious and deferential. ”Director, with a major accident like this, the top priority is to understand the complete picture. Director Qi is right that we must intervene immediately, but who we send and how they intervene requires careful consideration of all factors.”

His speech quickened, but his logic remained clear. ”First, we should establish direct contact with the Qianjiao County branch and listen to the reports and recommendations from the commanders on the ground. After all, they have the best understanding of the scene and the complex local dynamics.”

As he spoke, without waiting for Director Shen to respond, he walked directly to a corner of the conference room, activated his own higher-priority Communication Array, and began contacting Zhang Qiming, the director of the Qianjiao County branch.

At that moment, Yang Wenqing also took his call—it was the same incident report Vice Director Gao had received.

When Zhao Shouzheng returned, Yang Wenqing had just ended his call.

”Director, the report is accurate. The landslide happened last night, about ten hours ago. The cause is still under investigation, and rescue operations and a site lockdown are already underway.”

Zhao Shouzheng quickly continued, ”Director Zhang’s recommendation is to keep things calm and prevent the situation from escalating. He’s concerned that sending an investigation team from the city bureau with a lot of fanfare could cause panic among the construction company and its workers. He also fears it could be exploited by individuals with ulterior motives, hindering the rescue efforts and the subsequent cleanup.”