56: Chapter 56 Unexpected Disaster

The entire table stood up, the sound of clinking glasses rising one after another.

Xiao Bei only took a sip of mineral water, while General Manager Xiang Wenqiang drained his glass in one gulp. As his Adam's apple bobbed, his gaze from behind his gold-rimmed glasses remained fixed on Xiao Bei.

After a few rounds of drinks, General Manager Xiang Wenqiang gave a wink, and the others found excuses to leave the table. In the blink of an eye, only the two of them remained in the large private room.

"Secretary Xiao is clearly a man of great ambition; it is truly a waste of talent for him to be in a small place like Bishi Town."

General Manager Xiang Wenqiang poured tea himself, the Patek Philippe on his wrist reflecting a blinding light.

Xiao Bei replied calmly:

"The grassroots level is the best place to temper a person, and I cherish this opportunity."

"Right, right, right!"

General Manager Xiang Wenqiang leaned in closer, the smell of alcohol mixed with cologne rushing towards him. "However… people always strive for higher ground. I have some friends in the city who would surely appreciate a talent like Secretary Xiao."

As he spoke, he took a kraft paper envelope from his inner suit pocket—it was more than three times thicker than the last one—and pushed it across the table:

"Just a little travel allowance, let's consider it making friends."

Xiao Bei looked at the bulging envelope and suddenly laughed:

"General Manager Xiang Wenqiang, do you know how the previous Secretary Wu fell from power?"

General Manager Xiang Wenqiang's expression stiffened, but he immediately smiled:

"That was because he was insatiably greedy and didn't know when to quit while he was ahead. Secretary Xiao is different, you…"

"I only look at the facts."

Xiao Bei interrupted him, his voice turning abruptly cold. "The gas concentration in the West Third District exceeds the limit, the ventilation system is damaged, and the tunnel cracks exceed safety standards—these facts cannot be erased by any amount of money."

The temperature in the private room seemed to drop suddenly. General Manager Xiang Wenqiang slowly withdrew the envelope, his eyes behind his gold-rimmed glasses narrowing into slits:

"Secretary Xiao, in today's society, many things are not just black and white…"

"Work safety is strictly black and white."

Xiao Bei stood up. "The Safety Supervision Station will move in tomorrow. There will be no work until the rectification is fully completed. Goodbye."

Just as Xiao Bei walked out of the Bishi Villa gate, a loud "bang" came from behind him.

General Manager Xiang Wenqiang had smashed his glass hard against the wall, sending glass shards flying everywhere.

"You ungrateful bastard!"

General Manager Xiang Wenqiang's face was flushed, the veins on his neck bulging. "Do you really think you're some kind of big shot?"

He took out his phone, his fingers trembling slightly with rage, and dialed a number.

"Hello, it's me."

General Manager Xiang Wenqiang lowered his voice, but every word sounded like it was being squeezed through his teeth. "That man surnamed Xiao must be taken care of."

There was silence on the other end of the line for a few seconds, then a hoarse male voice came through:

"General Manager Xiang Wenqiang, are you sure? He is…"

"Of course I'm fucking sure!"

General Manager Xiang Wenqiang kicked over a chair. "He almost shut down my mine today! Proceed as planned, and keep it clean!"

Hanging up the phone, General Manager Xiang Wenqiang walked to the window, watching the back of Xiao Bei disappear into the night.

He took off his gold-rimmed glasses, wiped the lenses with his suit cuff, and a cold sneer appeared at the corner of his mouth.

"Secretary Xiao, have a safe journey,"

he whispered to himself.

Meanwhile, Xiao Bei stood at the entrance of the mining area waiting for a ride.

The night breeze dispersed some of the smell of alcohol, but his temples were still throbbing.

Headlights lit up in the distance, and a black Passat slowly drove over.

"Secretary Xiao, I'm the driver from the Town Government office sent to pick you up. You can just call me Xiao Zhang."

The driver rolled down the window; he was a young man, looking to be in his early twenties.

Xiao Bei nodded and got into the car:

"Back to the Town Government."

The car drove away from the mining area and turned onto a pitch-black country road.

Xiao Bei leaned back in his seat, closing his eyes to rest. The safety hazards discovered today lingered in his mind—excessive gas, damaged ventilation systems, tunnel cracks… any one of them could lead to a major accident.

"Xiao Zhang, slow down,"

Xiao Bei suddenly spoke up. "This road has many curves."

"It's fine, Secretary Xiao, I know it very well,"

the driver Xiao Zhang said with a smile. "I grew up here; I could drive it with my eyes closed."

Xiao Bei smiled and didn't say anything more. He took out his phone, preparing to send a message to the head of the Safety Supervision Station to arrange tomorrow's inspection work.

Just then, a blinding glare shot from the opposite direction.

"Fuck!"

Xiao Zhang jerked the steering wheel. "That asshole has his high beams on!"

Xiao Bei looked up and saw a heavy truck fully loaded with sand and gravel rushing toward them at an alarming speed, its headlights so blinding that one couldn't open their eyes. What was even more terrifying was that the truck was driving in the wrong lane!

"Dodge!"

Xiao Bei shouted. Xiao Zhang tried desperately to steer to the right, but the truck driver seemed to have premeditated it, adjusting his direction to crash straight into them.

"Bang—"

In the deafening sound of the collision, the Passat was sent flying like a toy, rolling twice in the air before smashing heavily into the drainage ditch on the side of the road.

The windshield shattered instantly, and all the airbags deployed.

Xiao Bei felt a sense of vertigo, followed by severe pain—his right leg was trapped by the deformed car door, and warm liquid flowed down his forehead, blurring his vision.

He struggled to turn his head and saw Xiao Zhang's head tilted to one side, his neck twisted at an unnatural angle, blood gushing from his seven orifices.

"Xiao… Zhang…"

Xiao Bei wanted to reach out to check his pulse, but his arm wouldn't obey him.

In the distance, the sound of the truck braking sharply could be heard, followed by the sound of a car door opening and closing, and footsteps.

Xiao Bei tried hard to stay conscious; he had to remember the murderer's appearance…

But the footsteps didn't approach; instead, they gradually moved away, the truck engine roared again, and it sped off.

Xiao Bei's consciousness began to blur. He tried to reach for his phone to call the police, but his fingers could only twitch weakly. Blood continued to gush from his wounds, pooling beneath him.

"Am I going to die…"

Scenes began to flash before Xiao Bei's eyes like a revolving lantern—his father's dying wishes, his ideals from university, his promise to Qin Ruoxi when he took office in Bishi Town…

"Look! There's a car accident here!"

A rough male voice suddenly rang out.

"My God! It's a Town Government car!"

another voice exclaimed.

A few blurred figures gathered around, flashlight beams sweeping over the wreckage.

"He's still breathing! Get him out quickly!"

"No, the door is deformed, we have to pry it open!"

"Watch his arm! It looks broken!"

Xiao Bei felt someone grab his arm, followed by excruciating pain.

He let out a weak groan and finally sank completely into darkness.

"It's Secretary Xiao! The new Secretary Xiao from the town!"

a woman exclaimed. "Hurry and take him to the hospital!"

"The County Hospital is too far; should we take him to the town health center first?"

"No! The town health center can't treat such severe injuries!"

An older man said decisively, "Old Wang, go get my van! Everyone else, be careful, lift him out!"

A few minutes later, Xiao Bei was carefully lifted into an old van.

As the car started, a young man suddenly shouted:

"Wait! Where's the driver?"

Only then did everyone realize that Xiao Zhang in the driver's seat was no longer breathing.

"There's no saving him…"

The older man checked Xiao Zhang's carotid artery and shook his head heavily. "Save the living one first! Go!"