Names: Uncle Zhao Mengsheng, Father-in-law Pei Yihong

Wang Dalu smiled. "Xiao Feng is coming! That's great..."

Soon, snoring filled the air.

The next day.

As dawn broke and the entire city of Jingzhou seemed to be still asleep, the streets were deserted and quiet.

A convoy of vans quietly drove out of the city and sped towards the suburban assembly point.

There were no police lights leading the way, no police cars escorting them; they kept an extremely low profile.

In the second car, Gao Yuliang's eyelids drooped, and he looked exhausted.

As people get older and their routines become more fixed, being woken up in the early hours of the morning leaves them feeling listless and unable to muster any energy. So they simply close their eyes, remain silent, and quietly rest.

In contrast, Li Dakang, standing to the side, was wide awake.

He sat upright, his eyes were clear, and he seemed a little puzzled.

What exactly is Qi Tongwei trying to do?

It's just a trip to Lincheng, not a disaster relief operation. Why did we have to assemble the whole team before dawn?

Isn't that making a huge fuss?

In the following car, Governor Liu Changsheng leaned back in his seat, his head slightly drooping, still half asleep.

Qi Tongwei glanced at it sideways and shook his head slightly.

It's because I'm getting older; my energy can't keep up with that of younger people.

Getting up early once in a while is too much for the older generation.

Not long after.

The gathering point in the suburbs was quite lively.

Officials at the provincial and ministerial levels arrived one after another. Led by Gao Xiaoqin, the vice president of Dalu Group, the group boarded the tour bus in turn.

The words "Dalu Group" are displayed on both sides of the vehicle.

Gao Xiaoqin, dressed in a fitted red suit, with her long hair neatly tied up, exuded a capable and dignified air as she stood in front of the car door.

After everyone was seated, she got into the car. "Distinguished leaders, as instructed by Governor Qi, this trip will be conducted using civilian vehicles. We will keep a low profile, avoid road closures and disturbances to the public, and minimize public opinion concerns. Everything will be kept simple."

I hope everyone understands.

As soon as she finished speaking, Gao Yuliang, Governor Liu, Qi Tongwei, and Li Dakang all turned to look at Gao Xiaoqin.

Zhou Zhongping, Director of the Education Department of Handong Province, Gu Mingyuan, Director of the Land and Resources Department of Handong Province, Xu Zhenbang, Director of the Agriculture Department of Handong Province, Jiang Bowen, Director of the Culture Department of Handong Province, and Lü Qitai, Director of the Industry and Commerce Bureau of Handong Province, were all shocked.

All four powerful members of the provincial standing committee were present.

The overall configuration of the vehicle can be described as top-of-the-line luxury.

Zhou Zhongping thought to himself that yesterday Sha Ruijin went to Lincheng with four other members of the Standing Committee, which was already a top-tier research team.

Unexpectedly, Qi Tongwei organized this meeting on short notice today, with four members of the Provincial Party Committee Standing Committee in charge, plus several bureau-level officials.

This is no simple inspection; it's clearly a major operation planned for Lincheng.

Most importantly, everyone only received a notification to gather and depart in the early morning; they knew nothing about the destination, the research project, or the specific tasks.

No one dared to be absent or shirk their responsibilities after the provincial government issued the notice.

Even though they were full of doubts, everyone had no choice but to obediently show up and wait for orders.

The carriage fell silent for a moment. Li Dakang glanced out the window and asked, "President Gao, is the vehicle security adequate?"

For example, critical components like car windows.

Li Dakang was worried that it wasn't as safe as the Coaster.

Gao Xiaoqin nodded. "Secretary Li, please rest assured. The vehicle used this time is a business bus customized by Dalu Group. The entire vehicle is equipped with top-grade bulletproof glass as standard, and all the seats are customized to the standards of aircraft seats. The comfort and safety are top-of-the-line in the industry, and there will absolutely be no safety issues."

Upon hearing this, Gao Yuliang looked at Qi Tongwei and asked, "Executive Qi, the vehicle is well-equipped. Didn't the Public Security Bureau send anyone to accompany you for security?"

Because no police cars or uniformed police officers were seen.

The car door was pushed open as soon as the words were spoken.

Zhang Qi, deputy director of the Public Security Bureau of Handong Province, carried a security-specific secure case and quickly got into the car, followed by Wang Dalu, chairman of Dalu Group.

Zhang Qi raised his hand to salute the four standing committee members in the front row, "Good morning, leaders. I am Zhang Qi, Deputy Director of the Public Security Department, in charge of the safety of this trip."

Then, Zhang Qi quickly walked to Qi Tongwei's side, leaned down and whispered a few words to report.

Qi Tongwei tilted his ear slightly, listened, and nodded gently. Then he turned to Liu Changsheng and Gao Yuliang and exchanged opinions in hushed tones.

After a brief exchange, Liu Changsheng stood up, looked up at all the cadres in the car, and said, "Comrades, to ensure absolute confidentiality of this trip and prevent any leaks, all of your mobile phones must be handed in and sealed."

A rustling sound suddenly filled the carriage, and the expressions on everyone's faces varied.

Everyone was puzzled. It was really unusual to have such strict confidentiality rules for a mere grassroots investigation.

But that's how the rules of officialdom are: orders from above are carried out without question, and no one dares to utter a single word in public.

Moreover, it was Liu Changsheng from the Second Provincial Department who spoke.

Without saying a word, everyone took out their phones, put them in envelopes, wrote their names on labels, and deposited them into the secure box.

Of everyone on the bus, only Liu Changsheng, Gao Yuliang, and Qi Tongwei had cell phones.

Li Dakang's cell phone was also confiscated.

At six o'clock in the morning, the sky began to brighten.

The bus started and drove away from Jingzhou.

Everyone in the car knew perfectly well that this impromptu gathering was by no means a simple grassroots inspection.

Only after they entered the highway did Wang Dalu speak, "As instructed by Executive Director Qi, our destination this time is Lincheng City. Lincheng is a vibrant city..."

The only media person on the bus was Fan Jiahui, the president of the Jingzhou Times, who felt incredibly lucky to know Qi Tongwei.

This is the first time in my life I've shared a car with so many provincial and ministerial-level officials.

Several department heads were also eager to try, and one after another they approached Governor Liu, Gao Yuliang, Qi Tongwei, and Li Dakang to exchange a few words.

Without him.

Such an opportunity is too rare; who doesn't want to improve themselves these days?

Qi Tongwei opened a notice and handed it to Fan Jiahui, "President Fan, send it to the Jingzhou Times' new media social media account according to this wording."

"Yes, Governor Qi." Fan Jiahui did exactly as instructed, regardless of the content.

On the other side, at the Lincheng Municipal Party Committee Guesthouse.

The sky was bright in the early morning.

Sha Ruijin got up early, washed up, and had just picked up his water glass to drink when he heard hurried footsteps outside the door.

Secretary Bai, clutching her phone, rushed in, pushing open the door. "Boss, look! The Jingzhou Times just published a breaking news report, and now it's being widely reprinted by media outlets across the internet!"

"Oh, Xiaobai." Sha Ruijin thought it was a news report about his research trip to Lincheng and thought it was making a fuss over nothing.

That makes perfect sense.

Secretary Bai handed over his phone. "Governor Liu, Gao Yuliang, Li Dakang, and Qi Tongwei, the four members of the Standing Committee, set off at dawn and arrived at Guangming Lake early this morning for an inspection. There are all the photos taken on site online. Pictures don't lie. It's the most talked-about event in Handong."

Sha Ruijin glanced down at the photos on the screen, tapped the screen lightly with his fingertip, and then shook his head slightly.

He sneered inwardly. Qi Tongwei's eagerness to gain a foothold in Handong was blatantly obvious.

"Xiao Bai, you saw it too. Qi Tongwei, this newly appointed executive vice governor, is quite mediocre."

Focusing on the 28 billion yuan Guangming Lake project and repeatedly manipulating it, frankly speaking, it's a sign of running out of ideas.

Ultimately, it's due to Li Dakang's past achievements.

He has absolutely no connection with Qi Tongwei.