“Clang!”

In the corridor, just as the sound of gunfire was about to erupt completely, the large iron door at the exit was smashed open.

“Don’t move, everyone!”

Jin Maohui fired two shots into the ceiling and led more than thirty members of the anti-terrorism squad into the corridor.

Since Gu Baisun and the others were already close to the entrance, Jin Maohui and his men arrived right in the middle of the two groups.

“Don’t move!”

Jin Maohui tugged at Guo Zhengdao, who was overly tense, and pushed the brothers Zhou Tonghui had brought from Zone One.

The corridor was dimly lit, and both sides were overly agitated. As Jin Maohui pushed the two groups apart, Niu Feng and Kong Zhenghui still managed to fire two shots at the other side in the crowded space.

“I’ll say it again, everyone back up!” Jin Maohui pointed his gun at the Zhou family, who still wanted to charge forward, and roared, his eyes bulging. “Are you tired of living?”

“Don’t move!”

“Back off!”

“…!”

The anti-terrorism squad only listened to Jin Maohui. Ignoring everyone else, four officers pushed forward with riot shields, finally separating the two groups.

Yu Mingyuan stood at the front of the crowd, almost driven mad with anger. With Wei Xiangzuo present, he couldn't act rashly. He wanted to get rid of Gu Baisun, but he didn't want to fight Wei Xiangzuo to the death, or he wouldn't be able to explain things to Lao Li.

Now that Su Tianyu had arrived and taken a stance, holding Wei Xiangzuo back, Jin Maohui showed up before he could even make a move.

“Don’t move! Back off!” Jin Maohui pushed Gu Baisun and the others.

From the side of the corridor, Su Tianyu saw Jin Maohui and released Wei Xiangzuo’s arm. The latter also stopped moving.

“What is this? Are you playing games? Did you clear this with anyone?” Jin Maohui roared at Yu Mingyuan.

“Do I need to clear anything with anyone to do this?!” Yu Mingyuan shouted back, his face flushed. “Get out of the way!”

Jin Maohui glanced at Yu Mingyuan, waved his hand, and ordered, “Go, close the back door!”

Two anti-terrorism officers immediately turned around and ran back to the exit, closing the two large iron doors.

Jin Maohui took out his phone, walked up to Yu Mingyuan, and said, “I can’t control you, but someone can!”

With that, Jin Maohui dialed a number and handed the phone over.

After a few seconds, a voice came from the receiver, “Hello?”

Yu Mingyuan stood in front of Jin Maohui, extremely reluctant and unwilling to take the call.

Su Tianyu leaned against the wall, not trying to persuade Yu Mingyuan, nor saying a word to Jin Maohui. He only lowered his head, remaining silent.

“What’s the meaning of this? Are you going to answer it or not?” Jin Maohui asked, looking at Yu Mingyuan.

Yu Mingyuan clenched his fists, trembling silently for a couple of seconds, before finally reaching out and taking the phone. “Hello?”

“I don’t care what your reasons are, you need to come here right now!” Lao Li’s voice rang out. “Immediately, right now.”

With that, Lao Li hung up the phone.

Yu Mingyuan stood motionless, clutching Jin Maohui's phone.

“Let’s end it here, okay?” Jin Maohui asked.

Yu Mingyuan looked up at him and shoved the phone back at him with a bang. “Sure! The big picture is what matters, haha!”

As soon as he finished speaking, Yu Mingyuan turned to leave. Kong Zhenghui pointed his finger at Wei Xiangzuo. “Fine, you’re really something!”

“Let’s go!” Zhou Tonghui also called out to his people.

As the crowd dispersed, Jin Maohui looked at Gu Baisun and said, “You’re coming with me to the Municipal Building later.”

Gu Baisun didn't respond, only supporting the injured Niu Feng. “To the hospital!”

By the wall, Su Tianyu reached out and patted Wei Xiangzuo on the shoulder, saying nothing as he walked towards Yu Mingyuan.

The conflict in the corridor had been temporarily suppressed by the arrival of Su Tianyu and Jin Maohui, but could the now-exposed contradictions still be resolved?

…

An hour later.

Yu Mingyuan and Su Tianyu walked into Lao Li's office in silence.

On the sofa, Lao Li was on the phone with Ouyang Zhen. “Tell that Tan Hengqiang to stop giving me this useless crap! If he wants to protect Zhang Ming, then let the results speak for themselves! The winner takes all. If I had lost, I’d be buried in a hole by now! He wants to save face, but who’s giving me face? That’s it!”

Lao Li hung up the phone angrily and looked up at the two men.

Yu Mingyuan’s face was dark, and he kept his head down, not greeting Lao Li.

“Did you know in advance that the election result would favor Gu Baisun?” Li Mingsheng deliberately asked Yu Mingyuan.

Su Tianyu looked at him, his face serious, and replied, “How could I possibly know?! Wei Ge and Gu Baisun were the ones who contacted people within the code worker association to canvass votes! And it was agreed in advance that all the votes would be concentrated on Wei Ge… They changed their strategy right before the meeting. I didn’t hear a thing.”

Li Mingsheng turned to Yu Mingyuan, his voice very gentle. “As things stand, the election results can’t be changed.”

“Kill Gu Baisun, and we’ll hold another election.” Yu Mingyuan replied, staring directly at Lao Li.

If it were anyone else, Li Mingsheng would have started scolding them by now, and his attitude wouldn't be so gentle. But this was Yu Mingyuan! The Tongji Association had contributed so much to Lao Li’s team and had been on his side from the beginning. Lao Li knew that Xiao Yu felt wronged.

If he had to choose between Gu and Yu, Lao Li would undoubtedly choose the Tongji Association. The relationship between them was far closer, and there was no need to overthink it.

After a moment of silence, Li Mingsheng rubbed his palms together and said, “There’s a reason why I say that things have come to this! We invested so many resources early on, went to so much trouble, and initiated the public vote, and the results were also favorable. But the chairman hasn’t even been in office for a day, and he’s already been killed? Isn’t that a joke? All the resources we mobilized early on, wouldn’t that also become a laughingstock?”

“Then aren’t I a joke?!” Yu Mingyuan stood up and shouted. “Why didn’t I move against him before? Didn’t I have the chance?! Before the public vote started, I had a thousand opportunities to kill him! Right?”

Li Mingsheng didn’t say anything.

“Because you wanted to use him, I temporarily abandoned my personal grievances!” Yu Mingyuan roared at him. “What happens next? Are you asking me to wear the same pants and stand on the same side as the man who killed my father?”

“Not now,” Li Mingsheng replied sternly. “Why would I rather spend money to elect a chairman through normal procedures? If the public vote for an association of nearly ten thousand people doesn’t have any credibility, then the code worker association will fall apart! Each district will break off and act on its own, and the organization will cease to exist! You can’t just decide to replace the person you supported just because you realize they’re not right! This is too childish!”

The two stared at each other for a long time. Yu Mingyuan looked at Li Mingsheng. “Then I have nothing to say!”