152: Chapter 152 Li Changgeng Logs Offline

In the Heishi Town Government, in the office of the Deputy Secretary.

Zhu Wenhao sat behind his desk, his knuckles tapping rhythmically on the surface.

The town Party committee meeting this afternoon was Secretary Qiu Dehai's counterattack.

Having operated in Heishi Town for many years with deep-rooted connections, he was bound to try to regain his standing at the committee meeting today.

Zhu Wenhao had already rehearsed how to block this offensive and take the initiative multiple times in his mind.

The response plan was right there on his desk, just waiting for the meeting to start in the afternoon.

Just as he was deep in thought, his phone on the desk buzzed.

The name Su Qinghan popped up on the screen.

He answered the call, and before any pleasantries could be exchanged, Su Qinghan's cold voice pierced through.

"Zhu Wenhao, Secretary Li Changgeng has committed suicide."

Zhu Wenhao's fingers, which had been tapping the desk, stopped.

The Municipal Commission for Discipline Inspection's detention room had specially padded walls, furniture without sharp corners, and 24-hour dedicated guards.

For a key figure like Secretary Li Changgeng who was involved in such extensive matters, the security level should have been at its highest.

"How did he die?" Zhu Wenhao asked.

"Hanging," Su Qinghan's voice dropped. "He used the bedsheet, tore it into strips, and hung it from the handle of the detention room door. He strangled himself to death."

A strip of bedsheet, a doorknob at waist height.

This required extreme willpower; if his legs had shown even the slightest instinctive struggle to stand, he wouldn't have died.

Secretary Li Changgeng was determined to die.

On the other end of the line, Su Qinghan continued, filling in the details.

When Secretary Li Changgeng was first detained, he was extremely resistant to the investigation and didn't say a word.

The special investigation team applied high pressure, using continuous policy persuasion and fatigue tactics, which finally showed signs of cracking last night.

Secretary Li Changgeng changed his attitude and began to show high levels of cooperation, voluntarily confessing to a few trivial incidents of grassroots rule-breaking, dining at public expense, and a few thousand yuan in favors.

In discipline inspection cases, this was a positive signal.

Once a person opened their mouth and made a crack, the defenses would collapse layer by layer.

The investigators had been working for several days and nights, and seeing this tough nut finally soften, they suffered a fatal lapse in vigilance.

It happened to be mealtime, and the two staff members responsible for guarding him went downstairs to get their boxed lunches.

There was a blind spot in the surveillance for over ten minutes.

It was in those ten minutes that Secretary Li Changgeng completed his "sacrifice."

"Secretary Li Li of the Municipal Commission for Discipline Inspection was furious and smashed her cup on the spot," Su Qinghan said concisely. "Now the entire special investigation team is suspended; not only do they have to write self-criticisms, but they also have to undergo internal supervision."

She reported her own safety: "Because of the family avoidance principle, I didn't participate in the interrogation or guarding. I am not a suspect in this internal investigation."

Zhu Wenhao leaned back against his chair, his gaze fixed on the sky outside the window.

With Secretary Li Changgeng dead, the clues leading upward in the Taiyao Gang case had been cut off in one stroke.

No evidence left.

"Mayor Su has good tactics. A lizard cutting off its tail—he played this game ruthlessly."

Su Qinghan asked: "Killing two birds with one stone?"

"More than that," Zhu Wenhao's voice was very calm. "First, with Secretary Li Changgeng dead, Mayor Su's own suspicions are wiped clean. Dead men don't talk; the case stops here, becoming an ironclad case and a cold case simultaneously."

"Second, purging the Discipline Inspection Commission. A suspect hanging themselves while in custody is a major case-handling accident. Mayor Su can take advantage of this to intervene in the internal personnel adjustments of the Discipline Inspection Commission in a legitimate way."

"Third, and the most fatal blow. His real target is Secretary Li Li of your Municipal Commission for Discipline Inspection."

"Secretary Li Li is fifty-three this year, and the threshold for the department-level is right before her. She wanted to use this major Taiyao Gang case to drag Mayor Su Changming into the water; that merit would be enough for her to be promoted to the Provincial Commission for Discipline Inspection."

"Now that the person has died in the detention room, how will the Provincial Party Committee leaders view her? Incompetent and lax in supervision. Once this black pot is thrown onto her and she gets a disciplinary mark, Secretary Li Li's career will be completely over."

On the other end of the line, Su Qinghan's breathing became slightly heavy: "Zhu Wenhao, the situation is passive. Do you have any ideas?"

"When the sky falls, there's someone tall to hold it up," Zhu Wenhao said with confidence. "I'll give Secretary Zhu a call later. I'll have him step in to intercede with Secretary Lin at the Municipal Party Committee, and at the level of the Linjiang Municipal Party Committee, suppress the impact of this incident."

Su Qinghan immediately understood the subtext: "Will Secretary Lin buy that?"

"He will. And he definitely will," Zhu Wenhao analyzed the logic of checks and balances at the top. "Secretary Lin Weimin is a new official, and although he has temporarily suppressed Mayor Su Changming, a starving camel is still bigger than a horse. If Secretary Lin wants to press his advantage, Secretary Li Li and the Municipal Commission for Discipline Inspection are entities he cannot abandon. If he lets Mayor Su Changming take this opportunity to suppress Secretary Li Li, Mayor Su Changming's power will surge; this is something Secretary Lin Weimin absolutely cannot tolerate."

"My father going to intercede represents the attitude of the Deputy Secretary of the Municipal Party Committee. This is not only giving Secretary Lin a way out, but also showing him that our Zhu family stands with him on the matter of checking and balancing Mayor Su Changming."

"However, this favor cannot be done for free," Zhu Wenhao decided. "The internal self-inspection of your Discipline Inspection Commission must go through the motions to make the attitude clear. At the same time, you must find a suitable opportunity to 'inadvertently' let Secretary Li Li know that Deputy Secretary Zhu came forward to protect her."

"Secretary Li Li has been in the officialdom for decades; as long as she knows you have the Zhu family behind you, she will understand your value. From now on, she will personally pave your way in the discipline inspection system."

Su Qinghan did not refuse; she understood his plan. "Okay, I understand what to do."

After hanging up the phone, Zhu Wenhao leaned back in his large office chair, hands folded.

Li Juan had once said that marriage requires equal resource mutual aid. Su Qinghan had a weak foundation and shallow roots; she was indeed disadvantaged.

Since she was disadvantaged, he would use acquired power to make up for it.

To build a high platform, one must first solidify the base.

What Zhu Wenhao wanted to do was to personally cast a ladder to the sky for Su Qinghan, allowing her to stand invincible within the discipline inspection system. To deal with Mayor Su Changming, Zhu Wenhao had laid a hidden move.

He picked up the phone on the desk, opened his contacts, and dialed Police Chief Li Jianguo.

The phone was answered after two rings.

"Zhu Wenhao, do you need something from me?" Police Chief Li Jianguo's voice was steady.

"Uncle Li, how is the situation with Zheng Jianguo's illegitimate child?" Zhu Wenhao asked directly.

That little boy with the account book was the most innocent, yet most critical, witness in the whole case.

On the other end of the line, Police Chief Li Jianguo's voice dropped.

"After the child was brought back from the abandoned warehouse, his condition was very bad. He has completely closed himself off, refusing to eat or drink, curling up in a corner all day, and his cognitive logic is completely chaotic."

Police Chief Li Jianguo said with hatred: "The bureau secretly arranged for doctors to give him a full examination. The results are out. During the time he was kidnapped, he was injected with large doses of neuro-agents."

"This agent directly destroys the hippocampus, causing irreversible brain nerve damage. Let alone identifying the killer, whether he can live like a normal person in the future is unknown."

To keep someone quiet, they didn't even spare a ten-year-old child, using drugs to destroy his sanity.

Mayor Su Changming's bottom line was far lower than imagined.

"Continue to do your best to treat him," Zhu Wenhao said, not swayed by emotion. "If the medical conditions in Linjiang are not enough, I will contact top brain experts in the provincial capital. No matter the cost, his life must be saved."

"However, this matter must be kept strictly confidential. Externally, we will maintain a unified line, saying the child was extremely traumatized and is undergoing psychological counseling, and is temporarily unable to cooperate with questioning."

"I understand, I will monitor this personally, and it will not leak." Police Chief Li Jianguo agreed.

After handling the aftermath in Linjiang City, Zhu Wenhao turned his attention back to Heishi Town.

"Uncle Li, there is one more thing. The Heishi Town Party Committee is holding a meeting this afternoon, and I expect there will be a tough battle."

Zhu Wenhao arranged his backup plan: "Just in case, I need you to cooperate from the level of the Municipal Public Security Bureau."

He whispered a few specific arrangements over the phone.

After listening, Police Chief Li Jianguo laughed heartily: "No problem, go ahead and do it. The Municipal Public Security Bureau will handle it as you said, and we will ensure the act is convincing."

After cutting off the communication with Police Chief Li Jianguo, Zhu Wenhao did not put down the phone.

The situation was volatile; for every step taken, one must look three steps ahead. With Secretary Qiu Dehai dominating Heishi Town, a single cooperation from the Municipal Public Security Bureau might not be enough to completely suppress him.

He needed to add another layer of insurance.

He swiped his fingertip and dialed another number.

This mysterious call lasted for three minutes, with very brief words, finalizing the last trump card.

After hanging up, the hour hand had already pointed to 2:10 PM.

The sound of high heels came from outside the door, and Director Zhou Mei of the Party and Government Office knocked and entered.

"Secretary Zhu," Director Zhou Mei held a meeting notebook, "Secretary Qiu has notified that this afternoon's Party committee meeting is scheduled for 3:00, and the location is the small conference room on the second floor. Please attend on time."

"I know." Zhu Wenhao put the draft on his desk into a folder.

Director Zhou Mei finished her report but did not turn to leave immediately. She stood in front of the desk and bowed deeply to Zhu Wenhao.

"Secretary Zhu, thank you."

It was a double entendre.

Director Zhou Mei's transfer order had been officially issued, and she was about to be transferred to the Organization Department of the Qingjiang County Committee.

She knew clearly in her heart that if it weren't for this young Deputy Secretary pushing from behind, she would have been working like a beast of burden for Secretary Qiu Dehai in Heishi Town for the rest of her life.

Transferring her away was not only giving her a path to success but also allowing her to completely escape from this quagmire that was about to erupt.

This "thank you" was the heartfelt gratitude of a small person at the bottom to the person in power for showing mercy.

Zhu Wenhao sat upright in his chair and accepted the gesture.

"When you arrive at the County Organization Department, work steadily. The road ahead is long, so keep to the rules."

He did not claim credit, nor did he try to win her over. A gentleman's friendship is as pure as water; the grace and power of those in high positions are nothing more than this.

"I will remember it. Secretary Zhu, please take care of yourself." Director Zhou Mei's eyes were slightly moist as she turned and exited the office.

2:40 PM.

Zhu Wenhao stood up and straightened the collar of his dark jacket.

He picked up the folder and pushed open the door of his office.

The light in the corridor was slightly dim, and he took a step, walking towards the small conference room on the second floor.

His pace was steady, and every step was in rhythm.

The chessboard of Heishi Town would see the real outcome today.