Nominal: Hou Liangping blocking the door? He was slapped away!

The doors to the Standing Committee were pushed open, and Li Dakang was the first to walk out.

He walked quickly, taking long strides, his suit jacket hem billowing in the wind.

In the past, this was called decisive and efficient, but today it looks like a hasty retreat.

In the conference room behind him, Shen Zhong was still slowly tidying up the documents, the brass bullet casing spinning on the table, emitting a slight buzzing sound.

That afternoon, a screenshot of a document marked "Internal Reference" went viral on various forums in Handong.

The local forums in Jingzhou were in complete uproar.

In the pinned post, a photo of Sun Liancheng squatting by the roadside wearing mud-covered yellow rubber shoes and holding a large tea mug was pushed to the top by netizens.

No one in the comments section calls him "Cosmic District Chief" anymore.

"This is what you call lazy governance? If this kind of lazy governance can prevent my beat-up car from getting flooded, I suggest it be implemented citywide!"

"I used to think that Sun Liancheng was wasting his time stargazing, but now I realize that he has the universe in his heart while keeping his eyes on the road ahead. Unlike some people, who only have GDP in their eyes and see pitfalls everywhere."

"Stop being sarcastic, just give me Li Dakang's ID number."

Some busybodies even combined a photo of Li Dakang covered in mud, standing in the water and roaring, with a picture of Sun Liancheng giving orders calmly.

The caption was just four words: "The difference is immediately apparent."

The Municipal Party Committee Building, Office No. 1.

Li Dakang stood in front of the floor-to-ceiling window, a cigarette between his fingers, a long trail of ash accumulated.

At the main entrance downstairs, dozens of shopkeepers wearing raincoats unfurled a white banner with black lettering that read: "Give us back our hard-earned money! We demand compensation for the shoddy construction project at Guangmingfeng!"

The security guards couldn't stop it, and the cordon tape was washed away and became crooked.

"Is this what you wanted to show me?" Li Dakang turned around and threw the tablet computer in his hand onto the sofa.

Zhao Donglai stood in front of his desk, his face also looking grim.

"Secretary, the online public opinion is escalating too quickly; it's obvious there's someone pulling the strings," Zhao Donglai said in a deep voice. "The account that leaked the internal documents has an IP address that has been redirected multiple times, making it impossible to locate."

"Shen Zhong," Li Dakang uttered, his teeth grinding together.

"No one but him could have started this fire in such a short time." Zhao Donglai nodded. "He's determined to completely ruin your reputation."

Li Dakang took a deep breath and shoved the cigarette butt hard into the ashtray.

"He's getting revenge. He'll stop at nothing for his wife," Li Dakang sneered. "But he shouldn't forget, I'm still in charge of Jingzhou."

A knock came at the door.

Secretary Xiao Jin leaned in halfway, looking somewhat flustered: "Secretary, Director Cheng from the Guangming Branch Bureau is here. He says he has an emergency to report."

"Let him in."

Cheng Du pushed open the door and entered, hat in his hand, his expression serious yet revealing a hint of anxiety.

"Secretary Li, Director Zhao," Cheng Du greeted them first, then quickly walked to the table. "I've looked at what's online, and something's not right."

"Nonsense, everyone knows something's wrong," Li Dakang said irritably.

He lowered his voice and said, "Secretary, it's not just that internal report. Several groups of people are spreading rumors online, saying that the drainage system under Guangming Peak has not been built at all, and even that we embezzled project funds to rush the construction. There are also people wandering around the construction site with cameras, specifically filming the exposed garbage."

Li Dakang suddenly looked up: "Filming garbage? Which construction site?"

"It's the second phase area." Cheng Du's eyes flickered. "You know, construction just started there, and there are still some unresolved issues from the demolition. If these people with ulterior motives take pictures of it and add sensational headlines, our municipal party committee's image will be completely ruined."

Li Dakang frowned, his hand tapping unconsciously on the table.

His biggest fear right now is damage to his image. Zhao Lichun was already very dissatisfied with him at the Standing Committee meeting, and if public opinion can't be suppressed, he, the municipal party secretary, will truly be left with no one to rely on.

"Don't just talk about problems, come up with solutions!" Li Dakang stared at Cheng Du.

Cheng Du straightened his back: "In times of chaos, harsh measures are necessary. These are extraordinary times, and we cannot allow these rumors to spread unchecked. I suggest activating the public security management plan and summoning and educating those who maliciously spread rumors and incite trouble online. In particular, those who take photos everywhere, indiscriminately taking pictures of so-called 'truths' that are actually taking things out of context, must be controlled."

Zhao Donglai frowned: "Chengdu, you're arresting people for this? What law did they break by taking a picture?"

"Director Zhao, this isn't just ordinary photography." Cheng Du said urgently, "The whole province is laughing at Jingzhou right now. We have to stabilize the situation. As long as we can suppress this wave of criticism, once the floodwaters recede, we can repair the roads, clean up the trash, and who will remember all this?"

Li Dakang remained silent.

The rain was still falling outside the window, and the noise from downstairs could be faintly heard.

"We can't let things get out of control." Li Dakang finally spoke, his voice a little hoarse. "Does the Provincial Party Committee care about the truth? No, they care about order, the stability of Jingzhou, and whether we can maintain our GDP."

He looked at Cheng Du: "You go and do it. Remember, be careful with your methods, don't give anyone a handle to use against you."

A hint of joy flashed in Cheng Du's eyes. He snapped to attention and saluted, "Understood! I'm going to purge these bad apples and ensure a clean and healthy internet environment in Jingzhou!"

Li Dakang waved his hand, signaling him to leave.

As Zhao Donglai watched Cheng Du's retreating figure, he felt that something was amiss.

"Secretary, I'm not comfortable with this level of involvement," Zhao Donglai warned. "He's very close to those demolition companies at the Guangmingfeng project."

"Use people with suspicion, and use those you suspect." Li Dakang lit another cigarette. "As long as he can put out this fire for me, I'll pretend I didn't see it."

Cheng Du walked out of the municipal party committee building and got into a police car.

The expression of concern for the country and its people vanished instantly, replaced by a sinister look.

He took out his phone and dialed a number.

"Hey, Tiger, find out which accounts are the most active online. Also, send men to the construction site to keep an eye on things. If anyone dares to take a camera and try to crawl into the pit, pin them down."

Cheng Du looked out the car window at the gloomy sky and grinned.

Li Dakang thought this was just a war of public opinion, but he knew to a large extent that it was a life-or-death situation.

If the filth hidden beneath Guangming Peak were ever unearthed, it wouldn't just be ordinary people's cars that would drown, but also Cheng Du's life.

"Drive," Cheng Du ordered. "Back to the station. We'll work overtime tonight."