Chapter 1 The Release Conference Was Postponed

In the afternoon, the "Supervisory Committee Hostage Case" press conference, originally scheduled for 1:00 PM, was ultimately postponed to 5:00 PM due to Lao Lu's "bizarre death."

During this time, Gou Liuzi was taken into custody by the Violent Crime Unit because he had a conflict with Secretary-General Lu in the car, which resulted in the latter's death while attempting to seize a gun.

Inside the Violent Crime Unit's building, Jin Maohui pointed to his office and said, "Get in!"

"Okay." Su Tianyu nodded, stepped into the office, and turned back to ask Jin Maohui, "I'm just staying here, right?"

"That's right. If I don't come, no matter who looks for you, you can't leave with them," Jin Maohui replied.

"Alright," Su Tianyu said with a yawn, heading towards the sofa.

Jin Maohui personally locked the door with a key and turned to the dozen or so Violent Crime Unit members standing on either side of the door, saying, "No matter who comes looking for him, you are not to let anyone take him. Stand guard with your guns."

"Yes!"

The others nodded.

Jin Maohui left quickly with his followers.

Inside the room, Su Tianyu lay on the sofa, extremely tired, staring at the ceiling with a fleeting worry in his mind.

Now that Secretary-General Lu was dead, would Li Mingsheng discard him like a used millstone? Could he be given the death penalty, resolving everything once and for all?

However, this worry was quickly dispelled. The deceased Secretary-General Lu was merely a figurehead. On his own, he wouldn't dare to touch Li Mingsheng. There would be future struggles, and it would be unwise to eliminate those who were handling matters now. Moreover, Yu Mingyuan had connections with the garrison, and they wouldn't let anything happen to him at this time.

Thinking of this, Su Tianyu felt even more exhausted. Every inch of his skin, every joint, was filled with an unbearable ache.

Overcome by sleepiness, Su Tianyu fell asleep on the sofa.

...

Around 3:30 PM.

Li Mingsheng, who had been missing for more than ten hours, had swaggered back into The Dragon City, personally appearing at the municipal government and presiding over the press conference preparations.

Li Mingsheng's return and Secretary-General Lu's death clearly demonstrated one result: the upper-level struggle had ended.

Lao Li had narrowly escaped and struck back, killing Secretary-General Lu.

As a result, many neutral factions and small circles in The Dragon City who had been watching the spectacle instantly understood who they should be siding with.

Political alignment may be early or late, but sucking up to someone knows no precedence. As long as your posture is good and your technique is refined, you will always shine.

The Police Department, The Dragon City Inspection Department, and even the Procuratorate and the Court began to openly lean towards Lao Li, sweeping away all the members of the circle led by Secretary-General Lu like autumn leaves.

Within three hours, evidence of these people's corruption, bribery, and indirect involvement in crimes, along with accusation materials, had filled the Mayor's Secretary's office.

This phenomenon does not mean that all parties, circles, and groups in The Dragon City would completely align with Li Mingsheng from then on. Rather, when a certain faction fails in a political struggle, it will face a situation where everyone pushes the falling wall.

Among those who exposed and accused were even people who were very close to Secretary-General Lu.

Why did they do this? Because they were afraid that Li Mingsheng would misfire and take advantage of this favorable wind to get rid of them as well.

Those neutral factions who had ruthlessly attacked Secretary-General Lu were now also acting out of a desire to avoid suspicion. As long as they killed people who had good relations with Secretary-General Lu, they could gain favor with Lao Li and clear themselves. Why wouldn't they do it?

So, Lao Li had won, and the reaction from all sides was simply the dividend he deserved.

Secretary-General Lu had the support of the First District's Republican Party, but at this moment, the upper echelons of this faction were turning a blind eye to what was happening below. Because the matter had failed, the People's Political Party was currently counterattacking, so they had to hand over some sacrifices to quickly end the negative impact of the defeat.

...

In the evening, around 4:40 PM, the press conference was about to begin.

Li Mingsheng, wearing a well-tailored suit, sat alone in the lounge, with at least fifty or sixty city leaders waiting quietly outside for him.

A phone rang. Li Mingsheng picked up the phone and said softly, "Speak!"

"I've arrived. I'm going to move on him."

"Okay, do it," Li Mingsheng responded.

At the gate of Kals's villa, the chairman of the Supervisory Committee and a deputy ministerial-level cadre of the First District's state department, thirty or so people emerged from seven or eight Violent Crime Unit vehicles.

Jin Maohui personally led the team and quickly arrived at the villa gate, ringing the doorbell.

After a short while, the villa door was opened, and Kals, wearing a suit, looked at the crowd expressionlessly.

"Mr. Kals, your political career in The Dragon City is over." Jin Maohui showed the arrest warrant.

Kals stood at the door, took a deep breath of fresh air, and said with emotion, "I am finally leaving this dirty, poor colonial city. I yearn for the freedom of Hua Du and enjoy eating the beef there. The taste is really..."

"Wait a moment, Mr. Kals!" Jin Maohui interrupted him.

"Do you have anything else to say? You wouldn't want to interrogate me, would you, Commander Jin? Hahaha!" Kals's voice was full of arrogance.

Jin Maohui waved his left hand, and the twenty or so arresting officers collectively turned their backs.

"Smack!"

Jin Maohui raised his arm and slapped Kals in the face unexpectedly. The force of the blow made Kals unsteady, and his shoulder slammed into the door frame.

"Damn yellow-skinned..." Kals angrily tried to retaliate.

Jin Maohui pushed him away, pointed at his face, and said, "This is a gift from Mayor Li. He asked me to convey a message to you: take your stupidity and arrogance and get the hell back to the First District! What awaits you will be the abandonment by the Republican Party and the hatred of sixty or seventy thousand Chinese laborers!"

Kals gritted his teeth, looking at him with hatred in his eyes.

"Oh, I forgot to remind you, Zhao Weihu is an extremist. You ordered the killing of many of his soldiers. Be careful of his revenge," Jin Maohui took a step back and waved his hand, saying, "Take him away!"

...

Before Su Tianyu went to the airport, Li Mingsheng's order to him was to capture Secretary-General Lu alive.

But after the arrest, Secretary-General Lu was shot and killed by Su Tianyu because he tried to seize a gun along the way.

Why did this happen? Did Su Tianyu take it upon himself to kill Secretary-General Lu? He certainly wouldn't dare!

In fact, Li Mingsheng had given Su Tianyu new orders before he entered the airport.

Secretary-General Lu was not to be brought back alive. The events of this chapter were to end with him.

Lao Li was forced to do this because the upper echelons of his People's Political Party had already spoken with the Republican Party. In order to prevent the incident from escalating again, they tacitly agreed to let Li Mingsheng attack for only one round and then stop.

Secretary-General Lu's death, the purge of the municipal team led by him, and finally Kals's packing his bags and leaving were the results of this struggle.

...

Kasaro region.

Zhao Weihu, who had been fleeing all the way, finally returned to his base camp.