Nominal: My senior brothers are all big shots

His voice rose slightly: "I also know that some people are afraid. Afraid of being investigated, afraid of their problems being exposed. What I want to say is that fear is useless. The only thing that's useful is to proactively explain the problems to the organization, proactively confess, and proactively return the stolen goods. The organization will give you a chance. By the time the organization comes looking for you, there will be no chance."

There was a deathly silence in the audience.

Liu Zhi's face was beyond ashen; it was as white as paper, his lips were tightly pressed together, and the muscles in his jaw twitched slightly. Huang Zhiqiang had his head down, so his expression was obscured, but his hands were clenched into fists under the table.

Lin Feng concluded by saying, "Comrades, the future of Pingjiang does not lie in the hands of those who slack off, but in the hands of the people of Pingjiang. All of you here are cadres of Pingjiang. Where Pingjiang is headed depends on each and every one of us. I hope that you will all work together with me to make Pingjiang a success."

The applause started sparsely, but grew louder and more frequent.

Li Jianping clapped, Zhao Liangyu clapped, and Du Chenglin clapped as well. Sun Xiaomei and He Yongchang clapped, and Ye Jin clapped as well. Liu Zhi did not clapped; his hands remained motionless on the table. Huang Zhiqiang also did not clapped.

After the meeting, Liu Zhi was the first to leave the venue. He walked quickly and didn't greet anyone. Huang Zhiqiang followed behind him, and the two disappeared at the end of the corridor.

Li Jianping walked over, grasped Lin Feng's hand, and shook it vigorously. "Secretary Lin, thank you."

Lin Feng said, "Mayor Li, don't thank me. We did it together."

Zhao Liangyu also came over and whispered, "Secretary Lin, the Discipline Inspection Commission is on standby at any time." Lin Feng nodded.

Back in his office, Lin Feng closed the door and stood by the window. Outside, the sky over Pingjiang was still hazy, but he felt that the fog was thinner than it had been a few days ago.

His phone vibrated. It was a text message, not sent to him, but forwarded to him by someone else. The content was received by Liu Zhi, and the sender was Zhou Tianming.

The text message contained only one sentence: "Time to prepare Plan B."

Lin Feng looked at it for a long time before putting his phone on the table.

He walked to his desk, picked up the internal phone, and dialed Lei Ming's number. "Director Lei, how's the situation with Zhou Tianming's Yuanda Group?"

Lei Ming said, "Keep an eye on him. His warehouses, docks, and several of his core members are all under surveillance." Lin Feng said, "Tighten the grip. Don't let anyone escape."

Lei Ming said, "Understood."

Lin Feng dialed Qian Shumo's number again. "Secretary-General Qian, notify the Public Security Bureau, Natural Resources Bureau, Ecology and Environment Bureau, and Market Supervision Bureau to hold a meeting at the Leading Group Office at 9:00 AM tomorrow to discuss the specific implementation plan for the special rectification campaign."

Qian Shumo said, "Okay, Secretary Lin."

Three days after the city-wide cadre meeting, the air in Pingjiang seemed to freeze.

Sun Decai's case is still unfolding, and although some anonymous posts about Lin Feng on the internet have been deleted, the repercussions have not subsided.

Liu Zhi has rarely shown his face these past few days, Huang Zhiqiang has also become much more restrained, and even Han Ligang, who is usually very active at dinner parties, has fallen silent. Everyone knows that the storm is yet to come.

Lin Feng received the notification from the Provincial Party Committee that afternoon. The call was from Song Yunsheng, the Secretary-General of the Provincial Party Committee, whose tone was more formal than usual: "Comrade Lin Feng, the Provincial Party Committee has decided that a joint task force composed of the Provincial Commission for Discipline Inspection, the Provincial Public Security Department, and the Provincial Procuratorate will be stationed in Pingjiang to thoroughly investigate corruption in the rare earth sector. The task force will be headed by Comrade He Bing, Director of the Tenth Investigation and Review Office of the Provincial Commission for Discipline Inspection and Supervision. The task force will arrive in Pingjiang tomorrow morning; please make preparations for coordination."

Lin Feng held the phone, and a weight was finally lifted from his heart.

He said, "Okay, Secretary-General Song. Pingjiang will fully cooperate."

After hanging up the phone, he stood by the window, looked at the gray sky outside, and let out a long breath.

He Bing, Lin Feng remembered him.

Two years ago, the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection held a national training course for discipline inspection and supervision cadres. Lin Feng, as a local cadre, participated in one of the special seminars on "coordinated development of anti-corruption and economic construction," while He Bing shared his experience as an "outstanding director of the investigation and review office."

He Bing's speech left a deep impression on Lin Feng—he didn't use clichés or read from a script; he spoke entirely based on real, concrete examples.

He explained how to break through the psychological defenses of those involved in the case, how to find clues from a massive amount of accounts, and how to break through layers of obstruction.

He spoke calmly, as if he were talking about someone else's affairs, but every word he uttered revealed a profound coldness.

After the meeting, Lin Feng exchanged contact information with him, but the two had almost no contact for the next two years. Unexpectedly, they met again in Pingjiang.

The next morning, the joint task force's convoy drove into Pingjiang.

Three low-profile minibuses, without any markings, were escorted by a police car in front and behind.

The convoy did not drive into the municipal party committee compound, but went directly to the Pingjiang Military Sub-district Guesthouse. This was Lin Feng's suggestion; the guesthouse was located within the military sub-district compound, making it independent, quiet, and safe, with armed police on guard and strict entry and exit controls, making it more reliable than the municipal party committee guesthouse.

Lin Feng arrived ahead of time. He stood downstairs at the guesthouse, watching the convoy drive in. The car doors opened, and He Bing was the first to get out. He was forty-five or forty-six years old, of medium build, wearing a dark jacket, with a thin face, sharp eyes, and neatly combed hair. When he saw Lin Feng, he quickly walked over and extended his hand.

"Secretary Lin, we meet again."

Lin Feng grasped his hand, feeling its dryness and strength. "Director He, welcome. You must have had a long journey."

He Bing shook his head and said, "It's not hard work. Let's go inside and talk."

The two entered the guesthouse's small conference room and closed the door.

The accompanying staff waited outside. The conference room was small, with a long table, a few chairs, and two cups of tea on the table. Lin Feng and He Bing sat opposite each other, and without exchanging pleasantries, went straight to the point.

"Director He, I've received the notification from the province. Pingjiang will fully cooperate. Just let me know if you need anything."

He Bing took a document from his briefcase, placed it on the table, and pushed it towards Lin Feng. "Secretary Lin, this is the Provincial Party Committee's decision regarding the establishment of a joint task force. The task force will have four subgroups—an interrogation group, an external investigation group, a funds tracing and control group, and a protective umbrella investigation group. The interrogation group will be responsible for questioning those involved; the external investigation group will be responsible for gathering evidence; the funds tracing and control group will be responsible for tracking and freezing the funds involved; and the protective umbrella investigation group will be responsible for thoroughly investigating the underlying corruption issues. I will be the group leader and will be fully responsible. The Provincial Public Security Department's Economic Crime Investigation Division and the Provincial Procuratorate's Anti-Corruption Bureau have both dispatched capable personnel."

Lin Feng opened the document, quickly glanced through it, and closed it. "Director He, what do you need Pingjiang to do?"