Special forces soldier demobilization: Starting from the county government compound, a meteoric rise

three days later.

The news broadcast in Ningzhou was unusually extended by fifteen minutes.

There were no usual celebrations of singing and dancing, no ribbon-cutting ceremonies or inspections by leaders. The entire screen was filled with blue-background, white-text announcements.

[Important Announcement]

With the approval of the Provincial Party Committee, the Provincial Commission for Discipline Inspection and Supervision has initiated an investigation into the serious disciplinary and legal violations of Li Jianguo, a member of the Standing Committee of the Ningzhou Municipal Party Committee and Executive Vice Mayor…

An investigation revealed that Li Jianguo had lost his ideals and beliefs, betrayed his original aspirations and mission, and resisted organizational review; he disregarded the spirit of the Central Eight-Point Regulation and illegally accepted gifts; he sought benefits for others and accepted money and property in the selection and appointment of cadres; he used his position to seek benefits for others in project contracting, land approval, and other areas, and illegally accepted huge amounts of money and property...

[It has been decided to expel Li Jianguo from the Party and remove him from public office; confiscate his illegal gains; and transfer his suspected criminal case to the procuratorate for investigation and prosecution in accordance with the law...]

Following closely behind was a report on Wang Dawei, the director of the High-tech Zone Management Committee.

The content is largely the same, but the endings are all the same.

That night, a magnitude 12 earthquake struck the officialdom of Ningzhou.

Countless people were sleepless all night, while countless others applauded with joy.

At the end of this dazzling series of announcements, there was a line of inconspicuous small print that, to those with a keen eye, seemed particularly jarring.

"...In the course of handling this case, Comrade Liu Ming, Deputy Director of the Ningzhou High-tech Zone Management Committee, adhered to principles and dared to fight, playing a key role in recovering huge economic losses for the country and eliminating bad elements. After deliberation by the Municipal Party Committee, he was awarded a major merit."

He was awarded a major merit.

In peacetime officialdom, this is an extremely important honor.

This means that Liu Ming's role in this case has been definitively defined by the authorities as that of a meritorious official and an anti-corruption hero.

Those who had originally hoped to see Liu Ming punished later, or sidelined for being too outspoken, have now completely shut their mouths.

They knew that this tiger, now with fangs, was uncontrollable.

……

The Municipal Party Committee building, the Secretary's office.

Feng Jiang stood by the window, looking at the city washed by the rain, and seemed to be in a good mood.

Although Li Jianguo's downfall was a blow to the leadership of Ningzhou, it also completely eradicated this long-standing cancer, allowing the city to regain its vitality.

"Knock knock".

Shen Congwen knocked on the door and came in, followed by Liu Ming, who was at the height of his fame.

"Secretary, Liu Ming is here."

"Little Liu is here? Have a seat."

Feng Jiang turned around, pointed to the sofa, and acted as amiably as a friendly neighbor.

Liu Ming didn't stand on ceremony. After sitting down, he casually took out a pack of cigarettes worth a few yuan from his pocket. Just as he was about to light it, he suddenly realized that he was in the secretary's office and reluctantly put it back.

"Go ahead and smoke, it's fine." Feng Jiang smiled and even pushed the ashtray over to me. "What's wrong? Are you getting all reserved here? You weren't this polite when you were flipping the table in the High-tech Zone."

"Hehe, that's for work, for work."

Liu Ming lit a cigarette, took a deep drag, and his nonchalant demeanor made Shen Congwen shake his head.

Only this guy dares to be so disrespectful to Secretary Feng. Anyone else would have been suffocated by that official's arrogance.

"Alright, stop joking with me."

Feng Jiang's smile vanished, and his expression turned serious.

"Li Jianguo went in, and Wang Dawei went in too. The lid has been lifted on the High-tech Zone, but the mess has also been exposed."

"People are restless, projects have stalled, and there's a mountain of unfinished debts from that abandoned building... The current management committee is a powder keg, ready to explode at any moment."

Feng Jiang's fingers tapped lightly on the table, making a "tap-tap" sound.

"This mess needs to be cleaned up. And it needs to be someone who can keep things under control, has the skills, and the guts to do it."

Upon hearing this, Liu Ming immediately had a bad feeling.

He instinctively shrank back into the sofa, looking at Feng Jiang with a wary expression.

"Secretary, what do you mean by that? You wouldn't be thinking of..."

"That's right."

Feng Jiang interrupted him, his gaze sharp as he revealed his trump card.

"The decision was made after an emergency meeting of the Standing Committee of the Municipal Party Committee."

"You, Comrade Liu Ming, will temporarily preside over the overall work of the Party Working Committee and Management Committee of the High-tech Zone."

"Pfft—cough cough cough!"

Liu Ming didn't even get a puff of smoke; it went straight into his lungs, causing him to cough violently and tears to stream down his face.

"Wh...what?"

His eyes widened, he pointed to his nose, his face full of disbelief.

"Oversee all operations?"

"Secretary, are you kidding me? I'm only twenty-seven! I was just promoted to deputy director less than a month ago! You want me to be the top leader?"

This is insane!

Although nominally still the deputy director, he was in charge of all operations; in the administrative hierarchy, this was considered "acting authority." In other words, until a new director was appointed, Liu Ming was the highest-ranking official in the High-tech Zone!

This is not just breaking the rules, it's like taking a rocket to heaven!

"What? Scared?"

Feng Jiang looked at his shocked expression and a playful smile appeared on his lips.

"Back when you dared to go to see Black Dragon all by yourself, you seemed pretty bold, didn't you? And when you dared to call my secretary directly to ask for an imperial edict, you were pretty arrogant too, weren't you?"

"Now that we're giving you more responsibility and putting you on the main stage, you're backing down?"

"It's not that I'm cowardly, it's just... this isn't the right thing to do, is it?" Liu Ming said with a bitter face. "I'm too inexperienced to command respect. Besides, I just wanted to go to the High-tech Zone to find some peace and quiet, and maybe do some logistics work..."

"Stop talking nonsense!"

Feng Jiang glared at him, directly exposing his lie.

"Seeking peace and quiet? Is that what you call seeking peace and quiet? You're practically raiding homes!"

"You've already got the top official and the executive vice mayor locked up, and now you're telling me you want to handle logistics? Too late!"

Feng Jiang stood up, walked up to Liu Ming, patted him on the shoulder, and spoke in a serious tone.

"Little Liu, in extraordinary times, extraordinary measures must be taken."

"The High-tech Zone is currently in disarray. Although those vested interests have been frightened by your actions, they are not all gone. If we send a stable, reliable veteran cadre there, he won't be able to keep things in order, and he might even be turned against by them."

"Only you."

"You are a knife, a sharp knife that has seen blood and has been honed."

"Those people fear you and dread you; that is your greatest advantage."

"As for qualifications..."

Feng Jiang sneered, exuding an aura of dominance.

"The 10 billion yuan investment you brought in is your qualification! Your achievement of bringing down Li Jianguo is your qualification!"

"In this position, whoever can boost the economy and lead the team well will have the qualifications!"

"You have to take this acting director position, whether you like it or not! This is an order!"

Since things have come to this point...

Liu Ming knew that she couldn't avoid it anymore.

He sighed helplessly, stubbed out his cigarette, stood up, and straightened his collar.

"Alright."

"Since you've put it that way, Secretary, then I'll... reluctantly accept this job."

"but……"

Liu Ming raised her head, a sly glint in her eyes.

"I have a condition."

"Speak," Feng Jiang said, in high spirits.

"Since I've been put in charge of the work, I have to have full control over personnel and finances. I don't want to see anyone trying to bribe me anymore, nor do I want my decisions to be hampered by certain departments in the city."

"Granted!"

With a wave of his hand, he established a powerful frontier, displaying boundless ambition.

"As long as it's within the bounds of the law, you're in charge of things in the High-tech Zone! Anyone who dares to trip you up, let them come straight to me!"

……

It was already dark when I walked out of the municipal party committee building.

Holding the heavy appointment document in her hand, Liu Ming looked at the endless stream of car lights on the street and suddenly felt a bit absurd.

One month ago.

He was still an idle person who was relegated to the Youth League Committee and relegated to a dead-end job.

A month later.

He became the helmsman of Ningzhou's economic engine—the High-tech Zone.

Life's twists and turns are truly... more thrilling than a roller coaster.

"Buzz—"

My phone vibrated.

It was a WeChat message from Xi Wanqing: 【I heard you got promoted again? Director Liu? No, now you should be called Secretary Liu (in charge of the work)?】

They're very well-informed.

Liu Ming smiled and replied: "Keep it low-key, keep it low-key. It's mainly because my peers make me look good in comparison."

Xi Wanqing: [What a character! But... congratulations anyway. I knew you were a hidden dragon; this little Ningzhou can't hold you back.]

Looking at the words on the screen, Liu Ming felt a warmth in her heart.

He put away his phone and opened the door of the Audi A6.

The driver, Xiao Zhang, was already waiting at the door. When he saw him come out, he immediately straightened his back, respectfully opened the car door, and even his breathing became cautious.

Previously, he drove for the deputy director.

Now, he drives for the "top leader".

His identity and status changed instantly.

"Director Liu...where are we going back to?" Xiao Zhang's voice trembled slightly.

Liu Ming sat in the back seat, leaned back, closed her eyes, and rubbed her temples.

"Back to the Management Committee."

His voice was calm, yet carried an unprecedented air of authority.

"Notify all members of the leadership team, as well as the heads of all bureaus and offices."

"Meeting in half an hour."

Tell them, the world has changed.

"From now on, the high-tech zone will have to follow my rules."

The car started and, like a black fish, glided into the night.

Liu Ming opened her eyes and looked out at the brightly lit city.

he knows.

From this moment on...

He is no longer a troublemaker.

He became the one who...made the rules.