Li Dejun paced back and forth a few times before slowly sitting back down at his desk. Finally, as if having made up his mind, he reached for the bottom drawer.
As the drawer slid open, three mobile phones lay neatly inside, prominently labeled with the numbers 1, 2, and 3. His gaze lingered briefly on the three phones before he locked onto the one marked with a 3. Reaching out, he picked it up and pressed the dial button with slightly trembling fingers.
"Ring, ring..."
The phone ringtone sounded exceptionally harsh in the quiet night. A monotonous ringing came through the earpiece, and each tone felt like a heavy strike against the strings of Li Dejun's heart.
Finally, after ringing three times, the call connected, and a voice came through, carrying a hint of wine and an unmistakable exhaustion:
"Secretary Li, hello. You're still not resting this late."
"Chairman Zhao, how are your funds coming along?"
Li Dejun had no appetite for pleasantries; his mind was entirely consumed by how to get the money into his hands as quickly as possible.Meanwhile, in a private club in Beidu, Zhao Yongfu, chairman of Meiai Group, was lying on a soft, large bed with a graceful woman snuggled against him. Hearing Li Dejun's words, he was momentarily stunned before rolling over and sitting up:
"Secretary Li, is there good news? My funds are definitely not a problem. This little bit of money is just a drop in the bucket for our Meiai Group; we can mobilize it anytime, anywhere."
Zhao Yongfu had drunk quite a bit of alcohol that evening while accompanying an important leader from the Central Committee. After thoroughly enjoying themselves, the leader and he had each taken a beauty to chase pleasures, just having fought several hundred rounds.
Currently in a state of exhaustion, he instantly perked up upon hearing Li Dejun's call.
"Chairman Zhao certainly has deep pockets!"
Hearing this, Li Dejun forced a smile onto his face and laughed it off.
After all, as a trillion-yuan enterprise, Meiai Group was famous nationwide, and its formidable strength was no boast. A cash flow of three to five billion might truly be a drop in the bucket for them.
"I'm planning to push forward comprehensively on my end, aiming to complete the restructuring within a month."
Li Dejun's voice regained a measure of seriousness and firmness, his eyes revealing an unquestionable resolve.
"Good!"
Zhao Yongfu grew interested as well, and said with a serious expression:
"Secretary Li, I've been waiting for those words from you. The restructuring of the water and medical sectors has been dragging on for over half a year now, and it's always been like a wheel stuck in the mud, unable to budge."
"Look, you're also nearing retirement age. At most, you have less than a year left, yet right at this critical juncture, the Tang family has stuck their nose in, making the situation increasingly complex and unpredictable. If we drag this out any longer, heaven knows what kind of mess will break out."
"I've thought of that too. Fortunately, there's no outside interference at the moment."
Li Dejun rubbed his temples, a trace of fatigue showing on his face.
"Don't you worry, my dear Secretary Li. As long as the restructuring is successfully implemented, those three billion will be transferred to your account immediately."
Zhao Yongfu's tone instantly became forceful and full of temptation. He narrowed his eyes slightly, as if he could already see the wonderful blueprint after a successful restructuring.
In his eyes, the three billion promised to Li Dejun was merely a small key to unlocking this door of wealth.
After hanging up the phone, Li Dejun resumed his pacing, waiting for the good news that Wang Tie had succeeded.
The moment he stepped out of the municipal party committee residential building, Wang Tie felt his heart pounding like a drum. He eagerly pulled out his phone, his fingers trembling slightly from excessive excitement, and dialed the number as fast as he could:
"Hey, where are you?"
A deeply flattering voice came from the other end of the line:
"Brother Tie, I'm at the club. What are your orders?"
Suppressing his restless and wild joy, Wang Tie took a deep breath:
"Gather all the brothers you can use right away, and try to find smart and decisive ones. I have a major operation for you to handle. I'll be at your place in twenty minutes. Usual rules, wait for me at the back door."
"Received, Brother Tie, I'll arrange it right away."
Old Jiang, who ranked third among the forces in Longcheng, held his phone and did not forget to add another display of loyalty:
"The brothers are just waiting to go all out with you. Which of us in this crew isn't fiercely loyal to you? At a single word from you, we'll go through fire and water without hesitation. Don't worry, as long as our brothers step up, we'll definitely handle this smoothly."
Old Jiang—his original given name was long forgotten; even he didn't remember it, let alone anyone else—had been abducted by human traffickers in his early years. After escaping, he made a living by begging, stealing, and robbing, gradually growing stronger until he became the third-in-command of Longcheng's underground world. The reason he was able to attain this position was primarily thanks to Wang Tie.
The two had interacted for over a dozen years, and relying on Old Jiang, Wang Tie had solved quite a few cases, especially the burglary cases at several leaders' homes, which he had handled particularly brilliantly.
As a result, he not only won praise from several leaders but also gained the secretary's favor. Meanwhile, because of Wang Tie's continuous promotions, Old Jiang's status in the underworld also skyrocketed. Over the dozen years, the two complemented each other and each got what they wanted.
Wang Tie did not bring a driver and drove himself. After hanging up the phone, filled with restless agitation and longing, he slammed his foot down on the accelerator.
With a roar, the car engine sounded like a released behemoth, appearing particularly abrupt and harsh in the quiet night, seemingly cheering on the "glory moment" about to descend upon him.
Speeding through the night, Wang Tie's heart was in turmoil. The promises Secretary Li Dejun had just made to him still echoed in his ears. As his entire body and mind were immersed in surging and restless emotions, his thoughts drifted far away, and he couldn't help but fall into memories of the past.
He clearly remembered that at the age of twenty-four, he had entered the police force with a chest full of passion and grand ambitions.
At that time, he was naive and pure, his heart and eyes completely filled with wonderful aspirations to carve out a vast world for himself in the police force in the future.
He had fantasized countless times about becoming the embodiment of justice, using wisdom and courage to bring all evil to justice, and filling every corner of the city with peace and tranquility.
However, reality proved to be like heavy hammer blows, mercilessly shattering his fantasies. He soon realized that the seemingly sacred realm of officialdom was entirely unlike the pure and simple place he had imagined, nor was it a place where one could establish themselves with mere enthusiasm.
Here, he witnessed firsthand the infighting and power struggles, with various factions stopping at nothing to edge out competitors and recruit allies for their own interests. The intertwined roots of interests left him utterly dazzled.