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

The mournful sirens outside the window did not howl past as usual, but stopped abruptly at the foot of the county committee building.

Immediately following was a series of rapid and orderly footsteps, like war drums, approaching from afar, heavily pounding on the stairs and on the hearts of everyone in the conference room.

"Thump, thump, thump..."

The footsteps stopped at the door.

There was no knocking, or rather, at this moment, such a superfluous formality as knocking was no longer necessary.

A group of people walked into that already dilapidated doorway.

They were all dressed in dark suits, with bright red national emblem badges on their chests, their faces stern and their eyes piercing.

Leading the way was Zhao Rui, the iron-faced judge who had once personally taken Gou Tianming away and struck fear into the hearts of the entire Qingyun officialdom—a member of the Standing Committee of the Ningzhou Municipal Party Committee and Secretary of the Municipal Commission for Discipline Inspection.

But this time, he was followed by two uniformed prosecutors, each holding a pair of silver handcuffs that gleamed coldly under the lights.

The air in the conference room seemed to freeze completely at that moment.

All the Standing Committee members instinctively stood up, some even so weak in the knees that they knocked over their chairs with a loud crash. But at that moment, no one paid any attention to these lapses in composure.

All eyes were fixed on Zhao Rui and the thin, yet weightless piece of paper in his hand.

Zhao Rui didn't look at anyone. He walked straight through the crowd to Li Yuankui, who was slumped in a chair, covering his ears with his hands, and crying uncontrollably.

He looked down at this once arrogant "local tyrant," his eyes devoid of any pity, only cold, businesslike indifference.

"Li Yuankui".

Zhao Rui's voice wasn't loud, but it carried an undeniable authority that instantly drowned out Li Yuankui's wailing.

"Stop crying, save some dignity for yourself."

Li Yuankui shuddered, as if a pause button had been pressed, and his crying abruptly stopped. He slowly raised his head, his face, streaked with tears and snot, filled with terror and despair. He looked at Zhao Rui, his lips trembling, as if he wanted to say something, but no sound came out.

Zhao Rui unfolded the document in his hand and read it aloud in a clear and resonant voice:

"An investigation has revealed that Comrade Li Yuankui is suspected of serious violations of discipline and law during his tenure as Deputy Secretary of the Qingyun County Party Committee, County Mayor, and County Party Secretary. These violations include, but are not limited to: abuse of power, embezzlement and bribery, possession of a huge amount of unexplained wealth, and... harboring organized crime and covering up major work safety accidents."

"With the approval of the Provincial Party Committee, the Municipal Commission for Discipline Inspection has decided to place you under 'shuanggui' (a form of internal party discipline) and transfer you to the judicial authorities for investigation."

Every word was like a nail, firmly pinning Li Yuankui to the pillar of shame.

"take away!"

Zhao Rui gave the order.

Two prosecutors immediately stepped forward, and with a "click," the silver handcuffs locked Li Yuankui's hands, which had once been so arrogant and domineering.

The cold touch finally jolted Li Yuankui awake from his nightmarish daze.

He looked at the glaring metal on his wrist, and at the pairs of eyes around him that held either contempt, pleasure, or fear. He finally realized that it was all over.

His power, his status, his "independent kingdom" collapsed completely at this moment.

"Let's go."

Two staff members, one on each side, lifted up Li Yuankui, who was as limp as mud, and dragged him out.

As Li Yuankui passed by Liu Ming, he suddenly stopped.

With a sudden burst of strength, he turned his head and stared intently at Liu Ming with bloodshot, somewhat unfocused eyes.

There was no regret in those eyes, only endless resentment, like a venomous snake biting back before it dies.

"Liu Ming..."

His voice was hoarse, like two rusty pieces of iron rubbing together.

"You won... You really are ruthless... more ruthless than me..."

He was panting heavily, a ferocious and crazed smile curling at the corner of his mouth. Lowering his voice, he cursed viciously in a volume only the two of them could hear:

"But... don't get too cocky... the road to officialdom has no end... I'll be waiting for you in hell!"

This was his final counterattack, and also his final curse.

He was gambling that the young man would feel fear and unease under this curse.

However, Liu Ming looked at him without any expression on her face.

There was neither the elation of a victor nor the fear of being cursed. He simply looked at Li Yuankui calmly, as if he were looking at a pile of stinking garbage.

Liu Ming slowly leaned closer and replied in the same low, yet more firm and powerful voice:

"Li Yuankui, you're overthinking it."

"Even places like hell have entry requirements."

"It won't accept scum like you, who's not even as good as a ghost."

"boom!"

These words were like an invisible hammer blow, slamming into Li Yuankui's skull and shattering his last shred of psychological defense.

His pupils dilated suddenly, his mouth opened wide, and a strange "hoarse" sound came from his throat. He collapsed completely like a lump of mud.

If it weren't for two staff members supporting him, he probably would have collapsed to the ground.

"take away!"

Zhao Rui waved his hand dismissively.

Li Yuankui was dragged out of the conference room like a dead dog, and then dragged down the long corridor.

Downstairs, the sirens sounded again, but this time they were no longer mournful cries; instead, they sounded like the horns of victory.

As the police car carrying Li Yuankui sped away, the dark clouds that had hung over Qingyun County for ten years finally dissipated completely at that moment.

The meeting room was completely silent.

Everyone was still immersed in the thrilling scene they had just witnessed, unable to come back to their senses for a long time.

Wen Boyan stood by the window, watching the police car drive away, his eyes slightly moist. He turned around and looked at Liu Ming, who was still standing there. The young figure looked particularly tall and straight in the sunlight streaming through the broken door.

"It's over," Wen Boyan murmured to himself. "This malignant tumor has finally been removed."

Liu Ming did not speak.

He simply walked to the table, picked up the blood-stained diary, and gently wiped away the dust.

Then, he looked up at the clear blue sky outside the window.

The sun is shining brightly.

"Yes, it's over."

Liu Ming's voice was soft, yet it conveyed an unprecedented sense of ease.

"The sky has finally brightened."