Official excuse: I've put you on patrol in Handong, and the whole province is in a panic.

Su Zhe said, "Director An, you can report when I need you to."

An Changlin nodded immediately: "Understood."

Su Zhe ignored everyone else and turned to Li Wei, saying, "Let's go to the hotel."

Li Wei replied, "Yes."

As Zhao Lidong watched the work group walk past them and head directly towards the parking area, he slowly lowered his hand, which had been outstretched in mid-air to guide them.

Secretary Wang leaned closer and whispered, "Mayor, the working group has already left."

Zhao Lidong stared at Su Zhe's retreating figure for a while before saying, "Notify all units to disband immediately. The Jinghai Municipal Party Committee and Government respect and support the working group. No one is allowed to discuss the working group behind its back."

Yang Jian, the director of the power bureau standing next to him, couldn't help but mutter, "This is too disrespectful to local officials. A deputy director-level official acts more like a provincial leader."

Upon hearing this, Meng Dehai's face immediately darkened: "Yang Jian, shut up."

Yang Jian wanted to say a few more words, but seeing Meng Dehai's expression, he could only swallow his words.

Zhao Lidong, however, heard it.

He didn't reprimand Yang Jian, but instead said to the surrounding cadres, "As you all have seen, the central working group has strict requirements and high standards. Local cadres in Jinghai should be prepared. They come from Yanjing, so it's normal that they look down on some of our local practices. We should humbly accept it and not be emotional."

Meng Dehai understood the implication in those words and turned to look at Zhao Lidong.

An Changlin also frowned.

Zhao Lidong had already turned and walked out, saying to Secretary Wang as he went, "Notify the Municipal Party Committee Office that all meetings this afternoon are canceled. I'm going back to my office."

Secretary Wang quickly followed up: "Mayor, should we reconsider the reception plan?"

Zhao Lidong said in a low voice, "We don't need to work on the reception plan anymore. Let's work on how to survive."

Secretary Wang slowed down.

After Zhao Lidong got into the car and closed the door, all the politeness on his face disappeared.

He took out his phone, looked at He Liming's name in his contacts, but didn't dial it immediately.

Secretary Wang, sitting in the passenger seat, turned around and said, "Mayor, should we issue a briefing from the airport?"

Zhao Lidong stared at his phone and said, "Send the briefing as is, stating that the working group arrived in Jinghai, and that the main leaders of the municipal party committee and government went to the airport to welcome them. The working group emphasized traveling light and carrying out its work pragmatically."

Secretary Wang asked, "Should we include what Team Leader Su said in the script?"

Zhao Lidong gave him a cold look: "Are you trying to include me in the list too?"

Secretary Wang quickly bowed his head: "Understood, I'll arrange it right away."

Zhao Lidong placed his phone face down on his knee, a sudden tightness gripping his heart.

As soon as Su Zhe arrived in Jinghai, he overturned the table in front of everyone.

This is not the attitude of investigating a problem.

This is a gesture of clearing out the area.

As the car drove out of the airport, Zhao Lidong finally got through to He Liming on the phone.

As soon as the call connected, he said, "Old boss, Su Zhe has arrived. He reprimanded me in front of everyone at the airport, saying some very harsh things."

The sound of files being flipped through came from He Liming's end: "What are you panicking about?"

Zhao Lidong said, "I'm not panicking, I just feel that this situation is different. He's not giving local officials any way out at all."

He Liming said, "He's young and has connections, so he's naturally impulsive. Just stick to the original plan and don't mess things up."

Zhao Lidong asked, "Is Jinghai really going to descend into chaos?"

He Liming said, "If things stay calm, he can investigate one case at a time. But if things get chaotic, he'll first face pressure regarding people's livelihoods, public security, and public opinion. You've been working in local government for so many years, do I really need to teach you this basic principle?"

Zhao Lidong said in a low voice, "Gao Qiqiang and Xu Jiang have already made their move."

He Liming said, "The key figures shouldn't show their faces. If the peripheral figures cause trouble, the police will escalate, shops will close, and the public will be dissatisfied. At that time, the higher-ups won't care how many clues he uncovers, but rather why Jinghai has become chaotic after his arrival."

Zhao Lidong slowly released his grip and said, "I understand."

He Liming said, "Also, don't contact those people directly. Your most important task right now is to keep the municipal party committee and government on track. Say that everything is a historical case, a persistent problem in public security, or a concentrated exposure of conflicts after the arrival of the working group."

Zhao Lidong asked, "Old leader, what's Secretary Gao's attitude?"

He Liming paused for a moment, then said, "I'm going to see Secretary Gao later. You don't need to ask too many questions, just focus on your own work."

After hanging up the phone, Zhao Lidong leaned back in his chair and finally let out a sigh of relief.

Secretary Wang asked cautiously, "Mayor, what did the old leader say?"

Zhao Lidong looked out the window, a smile slowly spreading across his face.

He said, "The more chaotic things are in Jinghai, the more stable we will be."

As soon as the working group's vehicle came to a stop at the entrance of the Jinghai Zhixin International Hotel, the hotel manager and his entourage came out to greet them.

The manager bowed and said, "Team Leader Su, the room is ready. In accordance with official reception standards, all irrelevant services have been removed."

Su Zhe said, "Don't hold a welcoming ceremony, don't lay out a red carpet, and don't arrange for special service staff. The working group is staying here simply to borrow your space for work."

The manager quickly replied, "Understood, understood, we will not disturb the work group."

Standing behind Su Zhe, Cheng Du looked at the street corner outside the hotel and suddenly said, "Team Leader Su, there are many vendors around here, and the people are quite diverse."

Su Zhe glanced at him: "You used to work in the police force in Guangming District. You could spot problems just by looking at the streets of Jinghai?"

Cheng Du said, "The public security system doesn't differentiate between areas when it comes to patrolling the streets. Places with dense vendors, lax management, and no patrol cars are visible are the most likely places for incidents to occur."

Changshan also said, "When I came from the airport, the main road was relatively normal, but after turning into the hotel area, many of the shops along the street were closed."

Li Chengyang chimed in, "That's not quite right. At lunchtime, so many restaurants and convenience stores shouldn't be closed."

Su Zhe handed the luggage to Li Wei and said, "Let's go upstairs and have a quick meeting."

As soon as everyone entered the hotel lobby, a scream suddenly came from outside.

A female vendor cried out, "Stop smashing! Stop smashing! I just got my goods today!"

Immediately afterwards, the sound of a plastic basket being kicked over echoed into the hall, fruit rolled everywhere, and the sound of men laughing.

"Who told you to put this here? Didn't you know we have important guests staying at the hotel today?"

"Get out of here! If you dare come back tomorrow, I'll flip your car over."

The hotel manager's expression changed, and he quickly said, "Team Leader Su, it might be urban management officers enforcing the law. I'll go check it out."

Su Zhe looked at him: "Have you ever seen urban management officers using steel pipes to enforce the law?"

The manager's lips were dry, and he didn't dare to say anything more.

Su Zhe turned to leave, and Li Wei quickly said, "Team Leader Su, I'll let Changshan and the others go first."

Su Zhe said, "It's too late."

At the hotel entrance, a dozen or so young people were rampaging through the vendor area. Some were smashing fruit carts with steel pipes, some were overturning vegetable baskets, and one was grabbing a middle-aged man selling pancakes and slapping him twice.

The surrounding crowd kept their distance, and no one dared to approach.

A thug pointed in the direction of the hotel and shouted, "What are you looking at? Look again and we'll smash all of you!"