296: Chapter 296 Substances Underground

Late at night, the snow in Heishi Town intensified.

The phone in the Town Government duty room rang.

The duty officer picked up the receiver, listened for a few seconds, and his expression changed.

He hung up the phone, grabbed his coat, and ran out, heading straight for the second floor.

The door to the Deputy Secretary's office was knocked open.

"Secretary Zhu, we received an anonymous tip," the officer said, standing at the door. "The caller said that dozens of tons of hazardous waste are buried under the planned site for the South Town cold chain logistics park. Once construction begins, the water source and hundreds of acres of farmland in South Town will all be destroyed. They even reported the plot number with perfect clarity."

Zhu Wenhao sat behind his desk, looking at the town planning map in his hands.

Town Mayor Luo Xingbang, who lived in the town's cadre dormitory, received the news and rushed in, draped in a down jacket.

There was still snow and mud on his shoes.

"Comrade Zhu Wenhao." Town Mayor Luo Xingbang rubbed his hands, his tone anxious. "If this tip reaches Jingjiang, the moment the people from the Zhou Investment Bank hear the words 'hazardous waste,' the investment will go down the drain."

He pulled out a chair and sat down.

"My opinion is to block the news first. Wait until the environmental protection department investigates it secretly before coming up with countermeasures. We must not let General Manager Zhou Shutong hear any wind of this."

His hat as acting secretary wasn't even firmly on his head yet; if the logistics park project failed, Secretary Lu from the County Party Committee would be the first to hold him accountable.

Zhu Wenhao put down his pen.

"It can't be hidden."

"The informant called the duty room and gave the plot number so clearly; they just want us to panic and mess up."

He leaned back in his chair. "He is forcing us to suppress the news. As soon as we suppress it, rumors will spread tomorrow that the Heishi Town Government is covering up pollution and harming investors. When that happens, it will be perfectly justified for General Manager Zhou Shutong to withdraw the investment."

Cold sweat beaded on Town Mayor Luo Xingbang's forehead; this situation was a dead end.

"Then we dig," Zhu Wenhao commanded.

Town Mayor Luo Xingbang was stunned. "In the middle of the night? Dig?"

"Dig through the night." Zhu Wenhao stood up and took his coat from the hanger. "Notify the town's environmental protection station and water conservancy station. Have Police Chief Zhao Gang take the Police Station officers to set up a cordon. Go to Heishui Village and call up Zhang Yuanhang and the village representatives. Record the whole process."

"Call everyone?" Town Mayor Luo Xingbang panicked. "If we make such a scene, isn't it just telling everyone that there's a problem with this land?"

"Put the problem under the sunlight, and the problem is no longer a problem." Zhu Wenhao put on his coat and straightened his collar. "Rather than blocking the people's mouths, it is better to let the people supervise the work."

Director Xu Jie took out her phone and began coordinating the various departments.

Zhu Wenhao picked up his personal phone and sent a text message to General Manager Zhou Shutong.

[We received an anonymous tip about the South Town plot claiming there is hazardous waste. The town is digging through the night to verify it. We are informing you of this.]

He didn't hide anything and showed his hand directly to the investor.

In less than a minute, the screen lit up, and General Manager Zhou Shutong replied with only five words.

[I will arrive tomorrow morning.]

Zhu Wenhao put his phone back in his pocket.

Capital is not stupid; the more you try to hide, the more suspicious the other party becomes. By opening the doors wide, the other party will instead have to weigh your confidence.

"Let's go, to South Town." Zhu Wenhao stepped out the door.

Late at night, in the wasteland of South Town.

Snowflakes danced wildly in the beams of the searchlights.

The cordon was pulled open, encircling the east side of the thousand-acre wasteland.

Police Chief Zhao Gang stood guard on the perimeter with the police officers, while technicians from the water conservancy and environmental protection stations stood in the mud, wearing gloves and holding testing equipment.

Zhang Yuanhang led a few village representatives, draped in military overcoats, stamping their feet to keep warm.

Town Mayor Luo Xingbang stood in the wind and snow, his face pale, his heart pounding.

The tracks of the excavator crushed the frozen earth, making a harsh, grating sound.

The shovel was raised high and slammed heavily into the ground.

The first scoop brought up yellow soil that was frozen hard.

After digging more than two meters deep, a pungent odor drifted into the air.

"Stop!" the technician from the environmental protection station shouted.

The excavator engine cut off.

The technician jumped into the bottom of the pit with a high-intensity flashlight.

The searchlights shone down; in the turned-up soil, there was a layer of viscous, dark black substance, glistening with oil. In the mud layer, one could even see broken plastic buckets and old filter cartridges.

Town Mayor Luo Xingbang leaned over to the edge of the pit and took a look, and his vision went black.

"There really is pollution." Town Mayor Luo Xingbang's voice trembled.

Zhu Wenhao stood at the edge of the pit, looking down at the black soil, his expression unchanged.

"Test." He spat out only one word.

The technician took samples and used a portable instrument for preliminary analysis.

Ten minutes later, the technician climbed up.

"Secretary Zhu," the technician reported, "the preliminary test results are out. This is not hazardous waste from a chemical plant; the indicators don't reach that level of toxicity. Based on the composition, it looks more like oil-contaminated soil left over from car washing, mechanical repairs, and transportation links in the old mining area."

Old mining area.

Director Xu Jie pulled up the historical transfer records for this plot of land.

"This wasteland used to be the edge of Ma Yunlong's old mining area," Director Xu Jie said, looking at the documents. "Five years ago, Ma Yunlong rented this land to park large transport vehicles and pile up waste."

Zhu Wenhao looked at the surrounding snow-covered ground.

"It's not from five years ago." Zhu Wenhao pointed to a slope not far away.

Police Chief Zhao Gang walked over and shone his flashlight.

On the slope, several wide, heavy tire tracks were half-covered by fresh snow; the snow had just fallen last night.

"Fresh tire tracks." Police Chief Zhao Gang squatted down and touched the impressions in the soil. "Someone just transported this batch of oil-contaminated soil here in the last two days and buried it underneath."

Deputy Police Chief Li Sanqiang rummaged through the pile of waste soil at the edge of the pit and used iron tongs to dig out a plastic label.

"Police Chief Zhao, there's something here." Deputy Police Chief Li Sanqiang handed over the label.

The label had blurred handwriting on it; Director Xu Jie took the flashlight to illuminate it.

"Shunda Logistics," she read aloud.

"Investigate," Zhu Wenhao ordered.

Director Xu Jie took out her tablet and connected to the internal business registration system.

"Shunda Logistics, the legal representative is a taxi driver in the county. But in the actual controller's capital flow..." Director Xu Jie looked up, "there is the shadow of Wang San."

Wang San, underground banks, old construction debts, and now, the transport of contaminated soil.

"Fill in the pit and protect the scene," Zhu Wenhao said, turning to walk back. "Wait until dawn."

The second day of the Lunar New Year, early morning.

The snow on South Street in Heishi Town had not yet melted completely when several business vehicles with Jingjiang license plates pulled up outside the wasteland in South Town.

General Manager Zhou Shutong, wearing a camel-colored coat and ankle boots, got out of the car with two engineering consultants.

She didn't go to the Town Government but went straight to the scene.

Outside the cordon, Town Mayor Luo Xingbang rubbed his hands and went up to greet her.

"General Manager Zhou Shutong, in this cold weather, you came all the way here yourself." Town Mayor Luo Xingbang tried to gloss over the situation. "It's just a small problem; the town can solve it. It will absolutely not affect the logistics park planning."

General Manager Zhou Shutong didn't respond to his pleasantries; she looked at the excavator standing by the pit and walked towards Zhu Wenhao.

A thin layer of snow had fallen on Zhu Wenhao's shoulders; he had clearly guarded the scene all night.

"Secretary Zhu," General Manager Zhou Shutong said, getting straight to the point. "I saw the text message. Since there is a problem, capital needs to be re-evaluated. If this land is seriously polluted, the logistics park must change its location. The costs of re-surveying and leveling the land will increase significantly."

The engineering consultant from Zhou Investment Bank followed up: "Secretary Zhu, if this land is to be used for cold chain logistics, the environmental impact assessment is a hard requirement. Now that oil-contaminated soil has been dug up, the costs of cleanup and restoration are extremely high. The investor suggests that the Town Government allocate another piece of clean land."

Town Mayor Luo Xingbang nodded repeatedly from the side: "Yes, there is another piece of land at the east end of the town that can be swapped. Let's set this piece of land aside for now."

He was afraid that General Manager Zhou Shutong would lower the price, and even more afraid that the project would fail because of a patch of contaminated soil.

"The land will not be changed." Zhu Wenhao's gaze was calm as he looked at General Manager Zhou Shutong.

General Manager Zhou Shutong frowned slightly.

"This land connects to the Old River Levee and the provincial road; it has the smallest transport radius and is the best location for cold chain logistics." Zhu Wenhao pointed to the wasteland in front of them. "Changing the land means the entire industrial plan has to be scrapped and redone. Heishi Town cannot afford that time, and the vegetables in the farmers' fields cannot afford it either."

"But the investor will not bear this cleanup cost." General Manager Zhou Shutong stated her bottom line.

"The contaminated soil was maliciously transported and buried by someone attempting to create public opinion pressure." Zhu Wenhao made it clear. "The contaminated area is less than two acres and has not penetrated the groundwater layer."

He turned to look at the people from the environmental protection station.

"The Town Government will issue an official commitment letter. We will legally clear away this batch of contaminated soil and be responsible for subsequent environmental monitoring. The cleanup costs will be advanced by the town's finance department and finally deducted from the fines and confiscations of the perpetrators."

"The investor does not need to pay for other people's evil deeds."

General Manager Zhou Shutong looked at Zhu Wenhao; when facing pressure from capital, this man did not retreat but took the responsibility directly upon himself.

"However." Zhu Wenhao changed the subject.

"Since the town has assumed the environmental risk, the construction of the cold chain logistics park must be carried out according to the previous rules." Zhu Wenhao stared at her. "The priority procurement rights for farmers' cooperatives, the worker protection fund, and the road repair fund you promised—not a single cent can be less, and not a single day can be delayed."

The engineering consultant was anxious: "Secretary Zhu, the town has made such a big mistake, and we, the investors, have assumed huge uncertainty risks. The payment schedule for these three funds should be relaxed!"

Town Mayor Luo Xingbang tugged at Zhu Wenhao's sleeve from the side and lowered his voice: "Comrade Zhu Wenhao, take a step back. Let's get the funds in first and talk later."

Zhu Wenhao brushed off Town Mayor Luo Xingbang's hand.

"Heishi Town does not trade its bottom line." His voice was deep and cold.

"Pollution is our responsibility, we will bear it. The livelihood and security of the common people are the costs you pay. You want to use this contaminated soil to lower the price and evade social responsibility?"

Zhu Wenhao stared down General Manager Zhou Shutong.

"General Manager Zhou Shutong, the rules of Heishi Town are not discounted."

The cold wind swept across the wilderness, blowing the withered grass until it rustled.

General Manager Zhou Shutong met Zhu Wenhao's gaze.

In those eyes, there was not a hint of compromise.

At the negotiation table of capital, she was used to local officials making bottomless concessions for the sake of political achievements.

But here, all the rules she was familiar with had failed.

"Secretary Zhu," General Manager Zhou Shutong withdrew her gaze. "I agree to your proposal."

She turned to look at her team.

"The construction team will enter the site for exploration tomorrow. The funds will be deposited into the tripartite supervision account according to the original plan."

The consultant wanted to speak but was stopped by General Manager Zhou Shutong raising her hand.

"But I need to see a report on the progress of environmental cleanup every day." General Manager Zhou Shutong dropped the last sentence and turned to walk toward the business vehicle.

Town Mayor Luo Xingbang watched the departing convoy and let out a long puff of white breath.

"Comrade Zhu Wenhao, you are too bold. If General Manager Zhou Shutong had turned and left just now, this game would have been ruined." Town Mayor Luo Xingbang was still shaken.

"Capital chases profit, but it values predictable stability even more." Zhu Wenhao turned around, looking at the excavator. "The more you have no bottom line, the more they feel this place has no law and order, and they won't dare to invest real money. Holding onto the bottom line is holding onto the dignity of the place."