254: Chapter 254 You're looking for trouble, I'll flip the table.

Outside Heishi Town, on the provincial road.

Deputy Secretary-General Fang Jianping sat in the front row of the Coaster, watching the Town Government building drawing closer outside the window.

The lead vehicle did not slow down; with a step on the gas, it drove directly past the government gate and headed toward the west side of town.

"Secretary-General, are we not going into the Town Government to hear the report?" the deputy director of the Bureau of Safety Supervision, who was accompanying him, leaned over to ask.

"Listen to what report? Listen to them chant scriptures while holding the ledger?" Deputy Secretary-General Fang Jianping looked ahead, "Head straight to the scene, check for safety, catch them in the act, and don't give them a moment to catch their breath."

The motorcade roared past.

Outside the gate of the Town Government.

Town Mayor Luo Xingbang stood in the cold wind with a group of committee members.

After waiting for half an hour, the city's motorcade hadn't even left a taillight behind. Town Mayor Luo Xingbang received a call from a staff member; the city's cars had driven straight to the mining area.

The armed committee member asked, "Town Mayor, the city's cars?"

Town Mayor Luo Xingbang didn't speak, just stared at the empty provincial road as the cold wind poured into his collar.

Having just taken acting charge of the work, the city had already given him the cold shoulder.

"Town Mayor Luo, it's cold outside. Let the comrades disperse," Zhu Wenhao said, turning his head to instruct.

"The city bypassed the Town Committee and rushed straight to the mining area—it's clear they're here to find fault!" Town Mayor Luo Xingbang said anxiously, "If we don't rush over now, what if something goes wrong in the mining area…"

"If nothing goes wrong, how can the city's blade fall?"

Zhu Wenhao's tone was flat. He turned to look at Director Xu Jie: "Are the ledgers all here?"

Director Xu Jie patted the briefcase in her hand: "Pollution ledgers, tax loss ledgers, overloading and road damage ledgers. All three sets are complete."

"Prepare the car, go to the mining area," Zhu Wenhao stepped down the stairs, "Let's go meet this Deputy Secretary-General Fang."

Heishi Mining, outer mountain road.

A black Maybach with Jingjiang license plates was parked steadily on the side of the road.

Two Buick business vans followed behind.

The cabin was warm. General Manager Zhou Shutong, wearing a camel-colored haute couture trench coat, sat in the back row, watching the mining area gate through the blast-proof car window.

She didn't want to alert the authorities; she planned to take a look around first to lay a foundation for the negotiations in a few days.

The car drove to the entrance of the mining area and was blocked.

Several Coasters with "City Government" printed on them were blocking the mine entrance, and a group of people in uniforms were walking inside.

"President Zhou, the situation ahead isn't right." The assistant in the passenger seat turned back, "Linjiang City has sent a joint inspection team. Should we take a detour? Wait for them to leave before we go in for a site visit?"

General Manager Zhou Shutong's slender fingers tapped lightly on the leather seat.

She had planned to enter low-key and figure out the assets before negotiating the price.

"Take a detour?" General Manager Zhou Shutong chuckled, "The city is making such a heavy move at this time—it's not to inspect the mine, it's aimed at that Deputy Secretary Zhu."

"Zhu Wenhao's conditions were tough before because he controlled the big picture of Heishi Town. Now that there is pressure from above, if he can't hold up, the bottom line for this restructuring will have to be set by us."

"Notify the people behind, get the equipment ready." General Manager Zhou Shutong pushed open the car door, facing the cold wind, "Get out of the car."

Inside the mining area.

Beneath several towering coal washing towers, sewage flowed everywhere.

Deputy Secretary-General Fang Jianping led the supervisors from the Environmental Protection and Safety Supervision bureaus, stepping in the mud, pointing out the tattered dust nets and the illegally discharging sedimentation tanks to the accompanying staff one by one.

Shutters flashed, freezing the decay in time.

The boss of Heishi Mining, Ma Yunlong, followed behind, hunched over.

He sighed repeatedly toward the camera, then looked up and caught Deputy Secretary-General Fang Jianping's gaze before immediately looking away.

"Deputy Secretary-General Fang, look, this really isn't our fault." Ma Yunlong began to pour out his grievances, "A while ago, the town was cracking down on organized crime, coming to seal us off every few days. The workers are panicked, and the mine has stopped operating. These environmental protection facilities have fallen into disrepair; where would we get the money to maintain them? The town is not leaving a way for enterprises to survive!"

Deputy Secretary-General Fang Jianping's face darkened: "If the enterprise has difficulties, doesn't the Town Government care or ask? Safe production and environmental protection are red lines. If problems arise, where did the regulatory responsibility go?"

Just as he was speaking, outside the gate of the mining area, two official cars braked and stopped steadily.

Town Mayor Luo Xingbang pushed open the car door and trotted over through the mud, sweat on his forehead.

"Deputy Secretary-General Fang, I apologize for not welcoming you sooner." Town Mayor Luo Xingbang extended both hands.

Deputy Secretary-General Fang Jianping didn't take them, just glanced at him sideways.

"Town Mayor Luo, the County Party Committee asked you to take acting charge of the overall situation in Heishi Town. Is this how you handle the overall situation?" Deputy Secretary-General Fang Jianping pointed to the sewage outlet behind him, "Sewage flowing everywhere, hidden dangers abound. Is this the environment you use to attract investment?"

Town Mayor Luo Xingbang's hands froze in mid-air, neither retracting nor placing them down.

"Deputy Secretary-General Fang has come at the right time."

Zhu Wenhao, wearing a dark overcoat, walked with a composed gait, passing Town Mayor Luo Xingbang to face the city official directly.

"Heishi Town has been waiting for this blade from the city for a long time."

Deputy Secretary-General Fang Jianping frowned.

"Deputy Secretary Zhu, blades have no eyes. When they cut out tumors, they can easily hurt the people protecting those tumors," Deputy Secretary-General Fang Jianping said.

Just at this moment, General Manager Zhou Shutong and her capital team walked over from the periphery.

The group was dressed elegantly, looking out of place in this muddy mining area.

Zhu Wenhao's gaze swept over General Manager Zhou Shutong, and he nodded slightly.

"Director Xu." Zhu Wenhao turned his head to instruct, "Arrange a position for President Zhou and her party to listen in. Today, the city is holding office here; no unrelated persons may interfere."

General Manager Zhou Shutong was slightly stunned, then retreated to the side.

Deputy Secretary-General Fang Jianping shifted his gaze and recognized this female investor from Jingjiang.

"President Zhou has come all the way from Jingjiang. Seeing such a business environment in Heishi Town, I'm afraid you're thinking of backing out, right?" Deputy Secretary-General Fang Jianping looked at her, "With local governance in disorder, unable to even manage a mine well, how can capital feel safe enough to land here?"

General Manager Zhou Shutong looked at Deputy Secretary-General Fang Jianping without following his lead to step on Zhu Wenhao.

"Deputy Secretary-General Fang, capital values the environment, but it values rules even more." General Manager Zhou Shutong turned to look at Ma Yunlong, "Boss Ma, I just took a look. The environmental protection arrears and historical bad debts of your mine are not on the publicly disclosed list. If we restructure, who pays for these hidden costs?"

Ma Yunlong was speechless.

"As for who pays the old debts, the Town Government has a clear account of that here."

Zhu Wenhao extended his hand.

Director Xu Jie immediately handed over the three ledgers from her briefcase.

Zhu Wenhao pulled out a color-printed chart and unfolded it directly in front of Deputy Secretary-General Fang Jianping.

"Deputy Secretary-General Fang, you just mentioned the business environment. This is the road damage assessment map for Heishi Town's South Street and along the provincial road."

Zhu Wenhao pointed to the data on it, his voice resonant.

"Over the past five years, Heishi Mining has accumulated over 30 million in transportation cost savings through severe overloading. And the price of this 30 million is that the road under the common people's feet has been pressed into a mud pit. It's repaired every year, and it collapses every year. Boss Ma has shifted the entire cost of road repair onto the local finance."

Deputy Secretary-General Fang Jianping's hand, which was reaching for the chart, stopped in mid-air.

Zhu Wenhao didn't stop, pulling out the second file.

"Not only destroying the roads, but also national taxes." Zhu Wenhao looked coldly at Ma Yunlong, "This is the account initially audited by the Town Finance Office in conjunction with the tax department. The affiliated transportation company under Heishi Mining has long been evading taxes through false invoicing and underreporting production. The amount is huge."

He handed the ledger forward.

"Deputy Secretary-General Fang has brought a team to check on financial compliance. Does the city accept this bad debt of evaded national taxes, or does it not?"

The accompanying reporters' cameras were still on.

If they accepted this ledger, the city's surprise inspection plan for Heishi Town would be completely invalidated, and they would also have to deal with Ma Yunlong in the process.

If they didn't accept it, it would be shielding tax evasion in public.

General Manager Zhou Shutong stood three steps away, re-evaluating Zhu Wenhao, who was at the center of the storm.

Previously, she thought Zhu Wenhao catching local bullies was just a means to establish authority. Now, with a few ledgers thrown in the face of the city-level inspection team, she understood.

This person was not seeking compromise at all; what he wanted was to smash the old pot and reshape the rules.

Deputy Secretary-General Fang Jianping stood in the mud, unable to advance or retreat.

Ma Yunlong saw that the situation was not good, knowing that once these ledgers fell back into the city's hands, he would spend the rest of his life inside.

His knees went weak, and with a "thud," in front of everyone, he knelt directly at Deputy Secretary-General Fang Jianping's feet.

"Deputy Secretary-General Fang! Oh, you righteous official! You must decide for me!"

Ma Yunlong wailed loudly, reaching out to grab Deputy Secretary-General Fang Jianping's trouser leg tightly.

"This is all Zhu Wenhao framing me! He colluded with outside capital, wanting to kick me out of the game and swallow our local mine!"