57: Chapter 57 Investigating the Truth

The van sped along the bumpy country road, and every jolt caused Xiao Bei to groan in pain.

The woman sat in the back row, resting Xiao Bei's head on her lap and using a scarf to press against the wound on his head.

"Hold on, Secretary Xiao!"

She repeated continuously, "We're almost there, we're almost there..."

Outside the car window, the night was as dark as ink, and in the distance, the lights of Bishi Coal Mine were still shining brightly.

General Manager Xiang Wenqiang stood before the floor-to-ceiling window in his office, holding a glass of whiskey in his hand. The phone rang, and he answered it immediately.

"Is it done?"

He asked straightforwardly.

"Hmm."

The voice on the other end of the line was brief and cold, "The driver died on the spot, and the one surnamed Xiao is seriously injured and was taken away by a few villagers."

General Manager Xiang Wenqiang frowned, "He didn't die?"

"Someone came at that moment, and there wasn't time to finish him off."

"Useless trash!"

General Manager Xiang Wenqiang smashed his glass against the wall, and the amber liquid splattered everywhere, "Keep watching him, and if there's a chance, then—"

"General Manager Xiang," the other party interrupted him, "It's too obvious to make a move now. If anything else happens to the one surnamed Xiao, even a fool could tell something is wrong."

General Manager Xiang Wenqiang took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down, "You're right, let's wait and see the situation first... By the way, was it handled cleanly?"

"The truck has already been sunk in the reservoir, and the driver has taken the money and will leave the province tonight."

"Very good."

General Manager Xiang Wenqiang hung up the phone, walked back to his desk, took a kraft paper envelope from the drawer, and gently stroked it, "Xiao Bei, oh Xiao Bei, why put yourself through this..."

He looked out at the night sky outside the window, a cold sneer curling the corners of his mouth...

Meanwhile, in the intensive care unit of the County Hospital, the ECG monitor emitted a rhythmic "beep-beep" sound.

Xiao Bei slowly opened his eyes. The glaring white light made him instinctively raise his hand to shield them, and a sharp pain shot through his right arm.

"Secretary Xiao is awake!"

A staff member from the town government office shouted in surprise, and Director Liu Yinyin hurried to the bedside to adjust the infusion speed, "How are you feeling?"

Xiao Bei tried to move his body; aside from his fractured right arm and seven stitches in his head, other parts of his body didn't seem to be seriously injured.

"Where is Xiao Zhang? The driver who brought me here..."

His voice was so hoarse it didn't sound like his own.

Director Liu Yinyin's expression dimmed instantly, "Xiao Zhang... he didn't make it."

Xiao Bei gripped the bedsheets tightly, his knuckles turning white.

Fragments of memory flooded back like a tide—the glaring headlights, the deafening sound of the impact, Xiao Zhang's twisted neck... This wasn't an accident; it was murder!

"My phone..."

Xiao Bei asked urgently.

"It's here."

Director Liu Yinyin took a plastic bag out of the bedside table drawer, "It's broken, but the SIM card is still usable, so I've prepared a temporary phone for you."

Xiao Bei took the old-fashioned button phone, his fingers trembling slightly.

He had to contact Mayor Qin Ruoxi immediately, but there were too many people and prying eyes in the hospital room...

As he was thinking, the door to the hospital room was pushed open, and two police officers walked in. "Secretary Xiao, we are from the county traffic police brigade and would like to understand the process of the car accident."

Xiao Bei's gaze sharpened. Before figuring out who the enemy was, he couldn't trust anyone easily.

"I was looking at my phone at the time, and I was suddenly hit. I didn't see the other party's license plate clearly."

He deliberately coughed a few times, appearing extremely weak.

The police officers exchanged glances, clearly unsatisfied with this vague answer.

The older one opened his notebook, "According to the on-site investigation, the angle of the impact is very suspicious, and the vehicle involved in the accident fled. Have you offended anyone recently?"

"I've only been in Bishi Town for half a month..."

Before Xiao Bei could finish speaking, the temporary phone suddenly vibrated, and "Unknown Number" was displayed on the screen.

"Excuse me, it's an important call."

Xiao Bei pressed the answer button without hesitation.

"Xiao Bei?"

Mayor Qin Ruoxi's unique, cold voice came from the other end of the line, "I heard you were in a car accident."

"Mayor Qin."

Xiao Bei intentionally raised his volume so the police could hear, "I'm fine, I'm out of danger, and there are police officers here investigating the cause of the accident."

There was a two-second silence on the other end of the line, and Mayor Qin Ruoxi immediately understood, "Give the phone to the police officers present."

The older police officer took the phone in confusion, "Hello?"

"I am Qin Ruoxi from the Municipal Party Committee."

The voice on the phone suddenly became stern, "Xiao Bei's car accident may involve a criminal case. Secure the scene immediately, preserve all evidence, and you two guard the outside of the hospital room. No one is allowed to visit without my permission. Do you understand?"

The police officer's back straightened instinctively, "Yes, Mayor Qin!"

After the police left the hospital room, Xiao Bei took the phone back and lowered his voice, "Mayor Qin, this was not an accident. I just uncovered major safety hazards at Bishi Coal Mine, and I encountered this 'car accident' that very night."

"Coal mine?"

Mayor Qin Ruoxi's voice turned cold abruptly, "Tell me in detail."

Xiao Bei quickly reported the situations such as the coal mine concealing accidents and failing to meet safety standards, as well as the details of General Manager Xiang Wenqiang's two failed attempts to bribe him.

Mayor Qin Ruoxi hung up Xiao Bei's call, tapped her slender fingers on the desk three times, and a cold glint flashed in her eyes.

She picked up the red landline phone and dialed a number she rarely used.

"Director Zheng, it's me."

The moment the call connected, Mayor Qin Ruoxi's voice was like ice, "Xiao Bei of the Bishi Town Party Committee has been the victim of attempted murder. I want you to personally supervise the case."

Municipal Public Security Bureau Chief Zheng Yufeng was lifting weights in the gym and nearly dropped them on his feet upon hearing this, "Mayor Qin? You said... murder? Is there evidence?"

"A heavy truck driving in the wrong direction, fleeing after the impact, causing the driver to die on the spot."

Mayor Qin Ruoxi's pen tip poked a hole in her notebook, "The deceased was a driver from the town government office, and Xiao Bei had evidence of major safety hazards at the coal mine, and the incident happened that same night—does this require more evidence?"

A muffled sound of a barbell hitting the floor came from the other end of the line.

Bureau Chief Zheng Yufeng grabbed a towel to wipe his sweat, "Is it Bishi Coal Mine? That guy General Manager Xiang Wenqiang has a complicated background..."

"That's why I need you to personally take charge."

Mayor Qin Ruoxi suddenly raised her voice, "Establish a Special Investigation Team, report only to me, immediately, right now!"

Bureau Chief Zheng Yufeng was silent for three seconds before asking, "Do you need to send SWAT to protect Xiao Bei?"

"There are two police officers outside the hospital room."

Mayor Qin Ruoxi opened her encrypted address book, "You can dispatch two people from the Municipal Police Bureau there."

"I'm going to the scene to investigate immediately."

Bureau Chief Zheng Yufeng ran out while fastening his belt, "By the way, Mayor Qin, should we tell Secretary Qi Zhengming of the Beijiang County Party Committee about this..."

"I am just about to call him."

Mayor Qin Ruoxi sneered, "Guess what kind of reaction Secretary Qi will have when he finds out that someone has committed murder in the county he administers?"

A harsh sound of emergency braking came from the other end of the line, and Bureau Chief Zheng Yufeng gasped, "You are really lighting a fire here!"

"No."

Mayor Qin Ruoxi pushed open the window, and the night wind, carrying light snow, rushed in, "What I want to burn is the malignant tumor that has been entrenched for twenty years!"