Under the overwhelming pressure of Qi Tongwei’s presence, Zhong Mao and Liu Qiang looked like quails, desperately wishing they could shrink their heads into the ground.
Seeing this, Sun Da realized he could not rely on these two cowards, so he took the initiative to step forward and engage Qi Tongwei.
"I have long heard of your great reputation; it is truly an honor to meet you in person today!" Sun Da bowed obsequiously, reaching out to offer his greetings.
Qi Tongwei felt he looked somewhat familiar, but for a moment, he could not recall where they had met. He asked in a deep voice, "Who are you?"
Sun Da eagerly introduced himself. "My name is Sun Da, and I am the County Mayor of De’an County."
Qi Tongwei remembered the phone call that had failed to connect time and again, and his tone instantly grew heavier. "What is a County Mayor doing in such a small village? Could it be that you are responsible for this forced demolition?"
Seeing the target squarely on him, Sun Da found himself in a difficult spot. However, he was a seasoned operator; after a moment of awkwardness, he immediately pulled the town mayor, Liu Qiang, over as a shield.
"I am not the one in charge. He is the town mayor, Liu Qiang, and he is responsible for the demolition project. Besides, sir, do not listen to these villagers’ nonsense—this really isn't a forced demolition."
As Sun Da spoke, he sighed, putting on a show of having some unspeakable hardship. At the same time, he nudged Liu Qiang secretly and shot him a look out of Qi Tongwei's line of sight.
Liu Qiang was terrified and dared not look Qi Tongwei in the eye. But he caught Sun Da’s gaze, which seemed to say that if he did not cooperate now, he would not live to see tomorrow! With no choice, forced into a corner, Liu Qiang braced himself and said sheepishly, "The demolition work is indeed my responsibility. As for the claim of it being 'forced'..."
Liu Qiang did not know how to explain himself, pacing like an ant on a hot pan.
Sun Da stepped in to divert the fire. "He is only responding to the national call. This village is full of the elderly, the weak, the sick, and the disabled. They have no ability to farm, wasting land resources for nothing, and they cannot even sustain themselves. As a town mayor, he has been trying to reason with them for the sake of improving their lives, yet he is being painted as the villain. Sigh."
Upon hearing this, Liu Qiang immediately chimed in, feigning deep distress. "Yes, exactly! With the state advocating for rural revitalization, I wanted to clear these houses to build factories and drive rural development!"
Listening to them lie through their teeth, the villagers were filled with righteous indignation.
"You’re lying! You don't want to build any factory at all; you just want to get the government subsidies!"
"The demolition money that actually reaches our hands is a pittance, while the rest goes straight into your pockets!"
"And this is our ancestral home! You say 'demolish,' and you expect us to agree? We do not!"
The scene gradually descended into chaos. The thugs Sun Da brought and the villagers were at each other's throats. Qi Tongwei frowned, raised a hand to cut them off, and then looked at Sun Da with a firm attitude.
"Regardless of anything else, stop the forced demolition immediately!"
Sun Da opened his mouth to protest, but Qi Tongwei cut him off with a glare. "There is no room for negotiation on this matter. If you do not stop immediately, you will bear the consequences yourself!"
Having said that, Qi Tongwei turned to the emotional villagers and asked, "Which of you is the family of the martyr Liang Sanxi?"
Upon hearing this, Grandma Liang tremblingly raised her hand. "You’ve finally come! Otherwise, there’s no telling what these animals would have done!"
Qi Tongwei approached Liang Song, looked at the resolute young man before him, and patted his shoulder. "Are you heading off to join the army?"
Liang Song nodded. "Today is the day the new recruits enlist."
Seeing that Liang Song was the last remaining descendant of the Liang family, Qi Tongwei walked behind him, looked at the dilapidated house and the first-class merit plaque that had been trampled into pieces, and vowed firmly, "Rest assured, with me here, no one will be able to hurt you."
Seeing the sudden shift in the situation, everyone felt a wave of shock. Even the villagers were whispering, wondering when the Liang family had become acquainted with the Director of the Public Security Bureau.
As for the expressions on the faces of Liu Qiang, Sun Da, and the others, they were even more dramatic. Sun Da’s face shifted colors repeatedly. If it had been a mere mayor, things would not have been this difficult. But the person who had arrived was the Director of the Public Security Bureau himself, and he had brought so much police force to back him up. It truly put him in an impossible position.
Liu Qiang shook like a sieve nearby. "County Mayor, why don't we let it go for now? We can come back and demolish it after Liang Song leaves—no one will ever know."
Sun Da hesitated. He did not want a direct confrontation with the Director of the Public Security Bureau either. But Liang Song had long anticipated such behavior, so he said to Qi Tongwei, "Director, you must stand up for the villagers regarding this demolition. They don't dare to act rashly while you are here, but they will continue to oppress the villagers once you leave."
Qi Tongwei naturally understood this. Thinking of how much weight his mentor had placed on this in their phone call, he was willing to take the lead. "Rest assured, anything that goes against the wishes of the people is intolerable to the government."
After saying this, Qi Tongwei looked directly at Sun Da. "County Mayor Sun, is it? If you want to keep your official hat, you had better cooperate obediently and never think about forced demolition again! Otherwise, losing your position is a small matter, but if you are dealt with according to the law, the price will be too high. What do you think, County Mayor Sun?"
Qi Tongwei’s words left room for retreat, but his tone was far from friendly. Sun Da kept a gloomy face, refusing to respond. The atmosphere froze, pressing down on everyone until they could barely breathe. Qi Tongwei was surprised by Sun Da’s stubbornness, but no matter how stubborn he was, he was just a small county mayor.
"Sun Da, did you hear what I said?"
Sun Da closed his eyes and took a deep breath, and when he opened them again, a fierce glint flashed through them. He had not reached his position by being a pushover. If he were to bow and scrape now to swallow this insult, how could he maintain his authority in the future? He was like a local emperor in this territory, and that was not solely due to his methods! Now that someone was literally sitting on his head, even if that person were the Director of the Public Security Bureau, Sun Da did not respect him in the slightest!
"I respect that you are a Director, but you cannot cut off our path to survival, can you?"
Sun Da dropped his previous friendly facade, his tone turning arrogant and overbearing. Liang Song’s heart sank; he had a bad feeling. Qi Tongwei had not expected a small county mayor to dare challenge him, and the officers he had brought immediately turned their attention to Sun Da.
Just as the atmosphere reached a breaking point, Sun Da asked arrogantly, "You know Zhao Lichun, don't you?"
Upon hearing this name, Qi Tongwei’s body stiffened. Seeing his reaction, Sun Da knew he must know him. A triumphant smile spread across his lips.
"Take your men and clear out. I can pretend this never happened!"