255: Chapter 255 Ma Yunlong is arrested

Ma Yunlong knelt down, wailing with heart-wrenching intensity.

As a veteran of the underworld, he knew full well that in such situations, whoever occupied the position of the victim first could muddy the waters.

"Deputy Secretary-General Fang Jianping, the town is implementing a one-size-fits-all policy, and my hundreds of miners are about to lose their livelihoods. Secretary Zhu is bringing in outside capital, and this is cutting off our path to survival!"

Every word of this statement struck at the heart of public livelihood.

Those unaware of the truth would truly believe him to be a benevolent man who cared for his workers.

Deputy Secretary-General Fang Jianping stood with his hands behind his back, his brow furrowed.

He had come to Heishi Town specifically to cause trouble, and Ma Yunlong's bitter scheme provided the perfect ladder for him to climb.

"Comrade Zhu Wenhao." Deputy Secretary-General Fang Jianping turned around, "Attracting investment is a good thing. But implementing a one-size-fits-all policy, smashing the rice bowls of local enterprises, and causing mass unemployment—can you bear that responsibility?"

His tone was unkind, clearly the interrogation of a superior towards a subordinate.

With the high-ranking municipal official having spoken, the accompanying heads of the Work Safety and Environmental Protection Bureaus cast their gazes over.

Town Mayor Luo Xingbang stood in the back, his palms slick with sweat.

Once the label of damaging the business environment and forcing private enterprises to shut down was firmly affixed, no one in the Heishi Town Party Committee leadership would be able to escape.

Only Zhu Wenhao remained composed.

"If rice bowls are being smashed, naturally we must listen to the voices of those who eat from them."

Zhu Wenhao spoke, his voice piercing through the north wind, "Police Chief Zhao Gang, have you brought the people here?"

Outside the large iron gate of the mining area, two police vans drove in.

The doors opened, and seven or eight men wearing tattered work clothes and faces covered in coal dust stepped out.

These were the old miners from the pit.

Having spent their lives working underground, they had never seen such a gathering of municipal leaders; they stood in the mud, feeling uneasy and anxious.

As soon as Ma Yunlong saw these people, his wailing stopped. His triangular eyes widened, and he shot a vicious glare at them.

The few old miners instinctively shrank their necks under that gaze.

Police Chief Zhao Gang stepped out, his police uniform crisp and straight, placing himself directly in front of the miners.

"With the municipal leaders present and the Town Police Station backing you up!" Police Chief Zhao Gang shouted, "Whatever grievances you have suffered, whatever illnesses you have contracted, speak openly about them today. Let's see who dares to settle scores later!"

Police Chief Zhao Gang's words acted like a shot of adrenaline.

An old miner in his early fifties with a hunched back moved half a step forward.

Having inhaled dust for years, he coughed twice.

The old man pointed at Ma Yunlong on the ground, his hand shaking violently, "It's this beast who wouldn't give us a way to live."

"The ventilation fans underground have been broken for a long time, and they won't fix them. The gas detectors are just for show. When we go down to work, we are essentially putting our lives on the line."

The old man became increasingly agitated, tearing open his tattered cotton jacket to reveal his shriveled chest.

"I worked for ten years and got pneumoconiosis. When I asked the mine for some medical expenses, Boss Ma had his thugs break my leg and throw me in a mountain ravine."

As soon as these words were spoken, the whole scene erupted in an uproar.

Another man, missing three fingers, also stepped forward: "The year before last, the Number Two pit flooded, and two people died. Boss Ma bribed the authorities, paid fifty thousand yuan per person in compensation, and used a private car to transport the bodies back to their hometowns in another province overnight. He never reported this at all!"

Covering up mine disasters, treating human life like grass.

One bloody case after another, in the mouths of these low-level miners, was laid bare in the sunlight without any concealment.

Deputy Secretary-General Fang Jianping's expression changed.

He had come to Heishi Town to find faults with Zhu Wenhao and use them as a pretext to make a scene.

But now, what these miners were spitting out far exceeded the scope of mere safety hazards.

These were major criminal cases.

If he took up this matter, it would mean completely disrupting the task assigned by Mayor Su Changming, and he would also have to investigate Ma Yunlong thoroughly.

If he didn't take it up, there were county police on the side, and the capital team from Jingjiang watching. Although the media cameras had been suppressed, how could he silence the endless voices of the people?

"Deputy Secretary-General Fang Jianping."

Zhu Wenhao pushed the account book in his hand, along with the mine disaster report materials compiled by Director Xu Jie, in front of Deputy Secretary-General Fang Jianping.

"The municipal joint inspection team came to the grassroots to check safety and environmental protection. This case of Heishi Mining covering up disasters, violently protecting the mine, and causing injury and disability falls squarely under the jurisdiction of the Work Safety and Public Security departments."

Zhu Wenhao stared intensely at this Deputy Secretary-General of the municipal government.

"The materials are here. Will the municipal government receive them according to the law, or will you choose to be selectively blind?"

Selective law enforcement—this label was heavier than damaging the business environment.

Deputy Secretary-General Fang Jianping stared at the thick stack of materials; taking them was problematic, and not taking them was also problematic.

He had been calculating the whole way, but he hadn't expected Zhu Wenhao to not play by the rules at all.

He didn't use power to resist power; instead, he made public opinion and the rule of law into a giant rock, smashing it squarely onto his feet.

If he accepted it, he would offend Mayor Su Changming; if he didn't, his bureaucratic skin would be stripped off in public.

A few steps away, General Manager Zhou Shutong's knuckles were slightly white as she gripped her folder.

She was deeply shocked.

This man was not using power, but the will of the people and the rule of law.

Ma Yunlong lay in the muddy water, and seeing that Deputy Secretary-General Fang Jianping remained silent, he knew his backer could no longer be relied upon.

The underworld banditry in his bones surged up, and he knew that if he stayed any longer, he would be finished here today.

"I don't care anymore! I'm not running this mine!"

Ma Yunlong sprang up from the ground, pushed through the crowd, and tried to run toward the Land Rover parked behind the mining area.

"Take him down." Zhu Wenhao spat out the two words.

Police Chief Zhao Gang had long been prepared for this.

Before Ma Yunlong could run ten meters, two police officers lunged forward, cleanly and efficiently pinning his hands behind his back and pressing him firmly into the mud.

The handcuffs clicked shut, a crisp and piercing sound.

"On what grounds are you arresting me!" Ma Yunlong, his face pressed against the muddy water, was still roaring, "What law have I broken! This is a kangaroo court!"

Police Chief Zhao Gang walked up, pulled a summons from his inner pocket, and slapped it in front of Ma Yunlong.

"Suspected of organizing a gang with underworld characteristics, concealing major safety accidents, and illegal money laundering."

Police Chief Zhao Gang's voice was like a booming bell, "Take him back to the Police Station and interrogate him through the night!"

These few words completely nailed Ma Yunlong's fate.

Deputy Secretary-General Fang Jianping watched this swift and decisive scene, a chill running down his back.

"Comrade Zhu Wenhao, arresting people requires evidence. Isn't it too hasty to make a determination based solely on one-sided testimony?" Deputy Secretary-General Fang Jianping bit the bullet to find a way out, attempting to regain some initiative.

"The rule of law comes first, and evidence will naturally speak for itself."

Zhu Wenhao turned around, his overcoat billowing in the cold wind. He looked at Deputy Secretary-General Fang Jianping.

"National law is not anyone's cudgel."

"If you want to use it to hit others, you must first see if your own hands are clean."

Deputy Secretary-General Fang Jianping felt a constriction in his chest, and cold sweat broke out on his back.

He had come down this time under the banner of inspecting work safety, but in reality, he was doing the dirty work of eliminating political opponents.

This intention was punctured by Zhu Wenhao's words.

Deputy Secretary-General Fang Jianping opened his mouth but couldn't say another word.

He waved his hand, signaling for the people from the Work Safety Bureau to take the materials.

"The municipal government will continue to follow this case. Since the police have already intervened, handle it according to the law."

Deputy Secretary-General Fang Jianping was preparing to use this as an excuse to step down, suspend the investigation, and quickly withdraw the motorcade back to the city to make other plans.

However, the stage in Heishi Town, once the curtain was raised, did not allow him to call a halt.

Outside the mining area gate, a clamor of voices and the roar of tractor engines could be heard.

Director Xu Jie walked quickly to Zhu Wenhao's side: "Secretary Zhu, the merchants from South Street and the villagers along the route have arrived."

Looking in that direction.

Dozens of common people, some riding tricycles, some on foot. They held up pieces of thick cardboard, covered with enlarged color photos.

They were all scenes of the miserable state of South Street—the road surface collapsed, deep pits, and shops flooded.

"We want an explanation!" the leading merchant shouted, "Heishi Mining's vehicles crushed our roads! Today, with the municipal leaders here, they must solve this for us!"

The crowd grew larger and larger, directly blocking the municipal inspection team's motorcade inside the mining area gate.

The masses were indignant.

Deputy Secretary-General Fang Jianping looked at the surging crowd and completely lost his composure.

This was no longer just Zhu Wenhao's personal counterattack; this was the boiling resentment of Heishi Town.

Once it escalated into a mass incident, he, as the Deputy Secretary-General leading the team, would become the primary scapegoat.

His retreat was sealed off.

This fire had finally reached the hem of his own clothes.