HCB Chapter 134 The house is filled with the stench of wine and meat from the powerful and wealthy; who
Chapter 134 The house is filled with the stench of wine and meat from the powerful and wealthy; who
The opened pack of Zhonghua cigarettes remained frozen in mid-air.
Ma Dapao's wrists were thick, with a ring of fat around them. His gleaming gold Rolex watch was embedded in his flesh, and the small diamonds set on the dial reflected a dazzling light in the sunlight filtering through the dilapidated roof.
The light stung Qi Tongwei's eyes.
He didn't take the cigarette, nor did he even lift his eyelids; his gaze simply shifted downwards and landed on the watch.
"Rolex Datejust, diamond-encrusted." Qi Tongwei's voice was very soft, as if he were appraising a work of art. "The market price is 128,000, and if you want to pay more, it will be 140,000 or more."
Ma Dapao paused for a moment, then a greasy smile spread across his face. He subconsciously pulled his wrist further into his sleeve: "Oh dear, boss, you have a good eye! This is a fake, a counterfeit! With our salaries, how could we afford the real thing? We're just wearing it to make a good impression..."
"To save face?"
Qi Tongwei finally raised his head.
There was no emotion in his eyes. He pointed to the three-legged bed behind him, and then to the old man on the bed who couldn't even groan.
"Then tell me, is this also just for show?"
The air inside the room seemed to freeze instantly.
Ma Dapao glanced at the finger Qi Tongwei was pointing at, his snobbish smile froze, but he quickly put on a pained expression.
"Sigh! This is also a difficult point for us to report to our superiors!"
Ma Dapao sighed heavily, stuffed the pack of Zhonghua cigarettes back into his pocket, spread his hands, and began his masterfully honed art of complaining:
"Heishi Township has a weak foundation, a remote location, and inconvenient transportation. The people have outdated ideas and a serious mentality of relying on others for help! Our township government has tried everything, but even the most skilled cook can't cook without rice..."
"That old Zhang is a perfect example! We've given him welfare, rice, flour, and oil, but his son is a good-for-nothing! He's lazy and good-for-nothing! We're so disappointed in him!"
Ma Dapao spoke with great enthusiasm, and when he got emotional, he even wiped away non-existent tears with the back of his hand.
"Rice, flour, and oil?"
Qi Tongwei interrupted him.
He walked to the dark stove and reached out to lift the lid of the chipped earthenware pot.
A pungent, sour smell wafted over.
There wasn't much rice in it, just a small half-jar of murky, black water with a few pieces of bark and wild vegetables floating on top.
"Is this rice?" Qi Tongwei picked up a dark, hard lump from the stove, squeezed it hard, and it was as hard as a rock, only crumbling to the ground. "Is this flour?"
He turned around, holding the "stone" in his hand, and walked step by step toward Ma Dapao.
The sound of leather shoes stepping on the mud was dull and subdued.
Ma Dapao subconsciously took a step back, the oppressive feeling of being approached by a ferocious beast making his scalp tingle: "Leader... this is an isolated case, an isolated case..."
"I have read your Yantai City's poverty alleviation report from last year."
Qi Tongwei stood in front of Ma Dapao, the two less than half a meter apart. Qi Tongwei was a head taller than Ma Dapao, and from his superior position, his shadow completely enveloped the fat man.
"Heishi Township applied for 12 million yuan in national special poverty alleviation funds last year. Yantai City provided a matching fund of 5 million yuan, and the province allocated 3 million yuan in special funds."
With each number Qi Tongwei uttered, his tone grew colder.
"Twenty million."
"Twenty million? Even if you dumped it into water, you'd still see a splash and hear a sound! Now, in this situation, you're telling me, where's the money?!"
The last word he uttered carried an almost tangible killing intent.
Cold sweat instantly poured down Ma Dapao's forehead.
He felt as if he were facing not a person, but a knife that had just been drawn and still smelled of blood.
"This...this money..." Ma Dapao stammered, his eyes darting around. "The money...it's all in the accounts! All in the projects! Road construction! Industrial development! Breeding base...yes! We built a breeding base! Those all take time, the returns are slow..."
"Boss! You can't just look at the surface!"
Seeing that things were going badly, the man in the white shirt who was standing behind Ma Dapao and driving an Audi couldn't help but interject:
"Our Township Head Ma has devoted himself to the development of this township, his hair has turned white! These unruly people are ungrateful, but you are a high-ranking leader from above, you have to be reasonable! Some of the funds need to be transferred, and that requires procedures and time..."
"Reasoning?"
Zhao Donglai, who had been standing silently at the door, suddenly chuckled.
That laughter was chillingly cold.
He strode in, his casual clothes unable to conceal his fierce, bandit-like aura. He grabbed the man in the white shirt by the collar and lifted him up like a chick, bringing him in front of Qi Tongwei.
"Donglai, let go," Qi Tongwei said calmly.
Zhao Donglai snorted coldly, released his hand, and casually wiped it on his clothes with disgust.
Qi Tongwei looked at the white shirt, his gaze falling on the Hermes belt around his waist.
"Your reasoning is all in the procedures. All in the meeting minutes. All in that beautifully formatted Excel spreadsheet."
Qi Tongwei turned around, no longer looking at the group of people, but looking at the dilapidated mountain village outside the door.
My reasoning is very simple.
"The common people are starving, while you drive Audis. The common people are dying in bed, while you wear Rolexes. The common people are drinking wild vegetable soup, while you have the smell of Moutai on your breath."
"That's just being unreasonable."
Qi Tongwei's voice suddenly rose, booming like thunder in the dilapidated house: "Zhao Donglai!"
"Here!" Zhao Donglai stood at attention reflexively and shouted.
That shout shook down a clump of rotten grass from the roof.
"Bring your men in," Qi Tongwei said, pointing at Ma Dapao and the group of terrified "joint defense team members" behind him. "Keep an eye on these bastards. Anyone who dares to move is considered obstructing official business; take them down immediately!"
"yes!"
Zhao Donglai had been holding back for a long time and shouted into the walkie-talkie.
Less than ten seconds.
The doors of the three SUVs opened simultaneously, and six fully armed SWAT officers rushed into the courtyard like black lightning. The dark muzzles of their guns instantly locked onto everyone present.
Those "joint defense team members" who were just swaggering around with their batons, had never seen anything like this before. Those were special police officers with real guns and live ammunition! They were the kind of killing gods whose eyes seemed to say, "If you dare to move, I really dare to shoot!"
"Clang!"
It's unclear who threw down their baton first, but then there was a chorus of weapons hitting the ground. These thugs, who were usually adept at bullying ordinary people, were now crouching on the ground, trembling with fear, their heads in their hands.
Ma Dapao was completely panicked.
His legs trembled violently, and the fat on his face jiggled wildly: "Who...who are you? I'm a government official! I'm the township head! You don't have the proper paperwork! I'm going to call the county head! I'm going to call the mayor!"
He called out as he shakily reached for his phone.
"Snapped!"
A slender hand suddenly reached out and snatched his phone away.
Ye Cunxin tossed the latest iPhone in her hand, then tossed it into the stinking swill bucket like trash.
"Do we need any paperwork?"
Ye Cunxin walked up to Ma Dapao, a dangerous smile playing on her lips. She reached out and patted Ma Dapao's greasy, chubby face, her voice as soft as a lover's whisper, yet it sent a chill down Ma Dapao's spine.
"Open your dog eyes and see who's standing in front of you."
"He is Qi Tongwei, the director of the Public Security Bureau of Handong Province."
"Here, he is the law. He is the procedure."
Ma Dapao's eyes widened instantly, his pupils shrinking to the size of pinpoints.
Qi Tongwei.
The one who slammed the table at the provincial anti-gang and anti-crime conference, the one who is rumored to have kicked drug dealers' heads like balls, is "King Qi".
With a "plop".
Ma Dapao's knees buckled, and he collapsed to the ground like a pile of rotten flesh. A foul stench emanated from his crotch.
Qi Tongwei frowned in disgust.
"Donglai, keep an eye on them. Seize those Audis and have the technical investigation team immediately investigate their origin and the flow of funds."
After saying that, he didn't even glance at Ma Dapao on the ground, and stepped over the threshold.
"Cunxin, come with me."
"Where to?"
"Let's go see what this 'breeding base' that these bastards are talking about is all about."
……
The roads in the village are difficult to travel.
It rained last night, and the dirt road turned into a muddy mess. Every step you took, the mud was up to your ankles.
Qi Tongwei walked at the front; his leather shoes were so worn that their original color was unrecognizable, and his trousers were covered in mud. But he walked very fast, his back ramrod straight, like a general inspecting a battlefield, or a lone wolf ready to pounce on its prey at any moment.
Ye Cunxin followed behind him.
These hiking boots, designed specifically for field tactics, were indeed useful, but at this moment, she felt as if her feet weighed a ton.
Villagers occasionally peeked out from the dilapidated houses on both sides.
What a pair of eyes they were!
Numbness. Fear. Avoidance.
They stared at the menacing group of outsiders, but no one dared to approach them or show any curiosity. They were like a flock of frightened quails, wanting to shrink back even more, afraid of provoking some terrible trouble.
"That's Aunt Liu's house. Her husband died while working in the coal mine, and half of the compensation was deducted as a 'handling fee'."
"That's Wang Ermazi's family. His daughter got into university but didn't have the money to go, so she was tricked into going to a foot massage parlor in the city by that Ma Dapao's brother-in-law."
The one leading the way was Old Zhang's son, a man in his forties who looked like he was sixty. As he walked, he spoke in a low voice, without anger, only a deathly silence born of resignation.
Every word was like a slap in the face to Qi Tongwei.
This is Handong under his rule.
This is the other side of the story of a province with the second-highest GDP in the country.
After walking for about twenty minutes, the view suddenly opened up ahead.
It was an open space enclosed by barbed wire. A brand-new, large bronze plaque hung at the entrance, with several large, gold-embossed characters on it: "Standardized Sheep Breeding Poverty Alleviation Demonstration Base of Heishi Township".
There was also a huge bulletin board next to it, covered with photos.
In the photo, Ma Dapao shakes hands with leaders at various levels, beaming with smiles. In the background, flocks of plump white sheep graze on green grass.
"What a grand and imposing sight!"
Qi Tongwei sneered and kicked open the gate that was covered with a large iron lock.
The iron gate crashed to the ground.
As far as the eye could see, there was only a patch of wild grass.
There were no sheep. Not even a single wool.
There were only a few rows of unbuilt red brick houses, overgrown with waist-high weeds. In the middle of that wasteland, there were a few excavators and bulldozers, but they were already rusted and had obviously been idle for a long time.
"Where are the sheep?"
Qi Tongwei turned to ask the man who had led the way.
The man shrank back and pointed to the photo on the bulletin board: "That's...that's what we rented from the neighboring county when the leaders came to inspect the area two years ago. They rented it for a day, and when the leaders left, the sheep were taken away."
"And what about the house?"
"They built half of it, then said the funding chain broke and they couldn't afford to buy a roof. Later... later, Mayor Ma said that in order to save costs, we villagers should pay for the lambs ourselves, but where would we get the money? So the project fell through."
"It's over?"
Ye Cunxin walked to the bulletin board and tore off a slightly yellowed "Project Announcement Form".
"Director Qi, come and take a look at this."
Ye Cunxin handed the paper to Qi Tongwei, pointing to a line of numbers on it: "According to this table, the construction cost of this sheepfold alone was reimbursed at 4.8 million. The cost of importing breeding sheep is 3 million."
"And this too, feed subsidies, 800,000 a year."
Ye Cunxin laughed angrily, her laughter shaking her body, but her eyes held a chilling killing intent: "There's not even a single wool here. This 800,000 yuan worth of feed, is it for feeding ghosts? Or for feeding those fat pigs?"
Qi Tongwei held the piece of paper in his hand.
The paper was thin, but it felt incredibly heavy in his hands.
Seven million eight hundred thousand.
In a place where the average annual income is less than 3,000 yuan, how many new houses could this money build? How many elderly people like Old Zhang who are waiting to die could it save? How many children like Wang Ermazi's daughter could it help return to the classroom?
They were all swallowed up.
They ate everything up, leaving not even a bone fragment.
"This is hardly a breeding base."
Qi Tongwei crumpled the paper into a ball and slammed it into the mud at his feet. He looked up at the distant, rolling mountains, his gaze colder than the mountain wind.
"This is a cannibalistic graveyard."
……
By the time we got back to Old Zhang's house, it was almost dark.
Several powerful flashlights were lit in the courtyard.
Ma Dapao and his gang were still squatting in the corner, their faces ashen, clearly realizing they had really bitten off more than they could chew.
Zhao Donglai was sitting on the hood of the Audi A6, flipping through a notebook that had been found in the car, his face growing darker with each page.
Upon seeing Qi Tongwei return, Zhao Donglai jumped out of the car, quickly went to greet him, and handed the notebook to Qi Tongwei.
"Director, what's recorded in this notebook is absolutely shocking."
Zhao Donglai lowered his voice and gritted his teeth as he said, "It's not just poverty alleviation funds. There's also the buying and selling of minimum living allowance quotas, kickbacks from dilapidated housing renovations, and even the resale of disaster relief supplies... He keeps track of every single account. This isn't just a township head; he's practically a local tyrant!"
"And..." Zhao Donglai pointed to the last page of the notebook, "There's a list here. Every month, a 'filial piety payment' is deposited. Although the names are listed using code names, the amounts..."
"They all start at six figures."
Qi Tongwei took the notebook and only glanced at it briefly.
"Okay. Very good."
Qi Tongwei closed his laptop, his voice so calm it was frightening.
He walked up to Ma Dapao, who was squatting on the ground.
Ma Dapao was no longer the arrogant man he once was, nor the panic he had shown earlier; only utter despair remained. He looked up at Qi Tongwei, his lips trembling, "Director Qi... I... I had no choice... If I didn't bribe him, I wouldn't be able to keep my position... The higher-ups need to meet targets, and the lower-ups need to eat... I..."
"Snapped!"
This time, it was Qi Tongwei who made the move.
There was no nonsense, just a simple, brutal slap across the face.
The slap was extremely heavy, sending Ma Dapao rolling twice on the ground, his mouth full of blood, and two large, yellow-stained teeth flying out.
"That's your way of surviving, I'm not interested."
Qi Tongwei took out a handkerchief and slowly wiped his hands, as if he had just touched something extremely dirty.
"All I know is that every bite of meat you eat and every sip of wine you drink is squeezed from the marrow of the villagers."
"From the East".
"exist!"
"Notify the Yantai City Bureau to tell them not to come. Even if they do, don't bother them. From now on, this case will be directly handled by the Provincial Department. Transfer police from other areas to shut down the Heishi Township government. Seal all accounts."
"yes!"
"And another one," Qi Tongwei pointed to the Audis, "all of these cars will be impounded. The proceeds from the auction will all be used to repair roads in the village. That Ma Dapao…"
Qi Tongwei paused for a moment, a chilling red light flashing in his eyes.
"Since he likes to eat it, let him eat his fill."
"Take him back, lock him in solitary confinement, and feed him only the wild vegetable soup and black cornbread that the villagers eat three times a day. His food will only be changed when the case is over."
"I'd like to see how long this body covered in fat can last."
Just then, a rapid siren sounded in the distance.
It wasn't just one or two vehicles.
Judging from the sound, there were at least a dozen police cars rushing frantically towards this place along that rugged mountain road.
Suddenly, a bright light, like a dying ember, shone in Ma Dapao's previously lifeless eyes. Ignoring the blood in his mouth, he slurred, "They're...they're here! It's a city car! It's Mayor Zhang...Mayor Zhang has come to save me!"
Ye Cunxin sneered, pulled out the Glock from her waist, and cocked it with a click.
"Looks like pulling out the radish brought out a lot of mud."