News Lead (2)

Two days later, on Monday, Gao Weimin had barely started work when city leaders summoned him to City Hall to discuss the West City demolition issue. Director Gao's firm insistence on proper policing principles displeased the city leaders greatly. It was past six in the evening before Gao Weimin returned home in low spirits. His wife, Xiao Juan, warmed a basin of water for him to wash the dust from his face and clear his head. The warmth of home made him forget his troubles. Gao Weimin immediately perked up, putting aside the day's unpleasantness so he could face work with a clear mind the next day. He turned on the television and switched to Tangdu City Television Station, wanting to catch up on the past week's news.

"This station reports: 'Braving Death to Catch a Robber, a Hero Emerges by the Tangdu River.' On March 8, our city saw an incident in which a demobilized soldier acted bravely in the face of danger..."

In the footage, faint shouts could be heard: "Catch him! He robbed someone!" A tall man and a short man ran toward the riverbank. A young man holding a stool rushed up the embankment and blocked their path. The tall man stabbed at him with a dagger, and the three began fighting. The tall man was no match for the young man with the stool. The short man also pulled out a knife, but the young man knocked it from his hand. The short man fell to the ground, while the tall man fled and jumped into the river. The young man with the stool pursued him relentlessly...

A female reporter was interviewing the tall man on the riverbank.

Director Gao Weimin suddenly sat up. "The man with the stool looks awfully familiar. That's right, it's him. The footage is crystal clear."

Director Gao Weimin cried out, "That's it! This is great!"

He immediately called Director Wu of the Political Department and demanded, "Why is the Public Security Bureau always half a beat too slow? The television station has already aired it, yet the police are still blind?"

Wu Dean had not received any such information at all and was left speechless by the question.

Gao Weimin called Director Tang at West City Police Station again. "Old Tang, what's the name of the man you brought back?"

"Tong Haojing. Yes, Tong Haojing." Director Tang had no idea what Gao Weimin intended. He maintained a calm, seasoned demeanor, afraid of making any mistake.

"What's the situation now?" Director Gao asked with concern.

"There's been progress, but neither the victim nor the man who jumped into the river has been found. The deceased had a long criminal record and a history of drug use. The nature of the case has yet to be determined. Evidence from the scene points to Tong Haojing accidentally killing him. Deputy Captain Qian has already taken Tong Haojing back to the Criminal Investigation Division and put him in detention for further questioning!"

By then, Tong Haojing had already spent three days in the detention center.

"What? He's been criminally detained? How did this happen?" Director Gao's face instantly darkened, and he slammed the table in fury.

"The Criminal Investigation Division handled it. We only cooperated. Whoever approved it..." Tang Changan trailed off awkwardly before Director Gao cut him off.

"Nonsense! Fine! Tell Deputy Captain Qian to release him immediately. Take proper care of Tong Haojing. He acted bravely in the face of danger, and he's already been on television! Hurry and send someone to the television station to collect the video evidence. Didn't he say he wanted to be a police officer? I want this man! Tomorrow morning, I'll visit him with the director of the Civil Affairs Bureau!"

Director Gao had much on his mind. Perhaps this could make up for his own failing as director of the Public Security Bureau. With that thought, he immediately called Director Zheng of the Civil Affairs Bureau.

"Director Zheng? It's Old Gao. I want to ask about something," Gao Weimin said.

"Just give the order, and I'll handle it," Zheng Benli said. He had always been this courteous toward his superiors.

"Let's skip the pleasantries. Do you have a demobilized soldier there named Tong Haojing?" Director Gao asked impatiently.

"Yes, yes, yes!" Zheng Benli replied.

"I want this man," Gao Weimin said. A thought suddenly came to him: during this year's police recruitment drive, he would form a brand-new anti-drug unit and eradicate Tangdu City's cancerous drug problem in the shortest possible time, reversing the current unfavorable situation of rampant drug activity and giving the people of the city an answer.

Gao Weimin now had a direction, and the only person who could carry out this task was Wu Dean of the Political Department.

"I... how could I dare send someone with ideological problems to your side?" Zheng Benli said.

"That can't be right. Watch today's television news. He's a hero who acted bravely in the face of danger!"

Director Zheng had been worrying over how to place Tong Haojing. Now things were perfect: the Public Security Bureau was taking the initiative to ask for him. Wasn't the problem solved? He could also avoid any suspicion of favoritism. At last, he had thrown away a troublesome problem.

"Fine. I'll have someone deliver Tong Haojing's assignment notice to your department, and I'll tell him to report to you."

"He's at our West City Police Station. Do you have time tomorrow for us to visit this hero together?" Gao Weimin asked.

"Yes, yes, yes! He was with a special operations reconnaissance company," Zheng Benli said.

"Good. Nine tomorrow morning," Gao Weimin said.

"Certainly," Zheng Benli replied.

After saying that, Director Gao Weimin hung up. He was secretly delighted. This was precisely the kind of person, one who combined character and ability, whom he had secretly instructed Director Wu Dean of the Political Department to find. Since arriving in Tangdu City, the tasks Political and Legal Secretary Li Dongfeng had assigned him remained vivid in his mind. Yet so far, work had merely proceeded step by step, with almost no real progress.

Gao Weimin secretly counted himself fortunate that there was video footage from the television station. Otherwise, the matter might have caused an uproar throughout the city, turning a hero who acted bravely in the face of danger into a suspect accused of driving someone to death. It was clear that Director Gao's thoughts reflected his dissatisfaction with Tang Changan.

Gao Weimin had been in Tangdu City for a month. He had been transferred here from another region. When he first arrived, he traveled light and notified no one. He took a bus to Tangdu City Station, which was in West City District. The moment he got off, he went to the city's three busiest places: the station, Minsheng Market, and West City Square.

Tangdu City's simple, honest customs gave him a deep sense of familiarity. He wanted to take in everything exactly as it was and imprint it in his mind, providing the most basic material for his next stage of work. But one month was far from enough. Going deep into the grassroots, visiting every station and community, and gathering firsthand information might well become the normal rhythm of his work from then on.

Gao Weimin silently made up his mind.

In Gao Weimin's eyes, West City was bustling everywhere with demolition work. Public security had become his greatest concern. Just two days earlier, he had made several rounds through West City and encountered something that made him feel the public security situation was far from encouraging. It happened to confirm the concern of Political and Legal Secretary Li Dongfeng—the drug situation was indeed severe.

After leaving Tangdu City Station, Gao Weimin went alone to Minsheng Market behind the government offices. Crowds streamed through the area. He stopped when a fashionably dressed middle-aged man's excessive enthusiasm toward a rural woman caught his attention. The instincts of a police officer told Gao Weimin that the man must be up to no good. Without revealing anything, Gao Weimin quietly followed behind him.

Wang Xiyue was engrossed in conversation with the man, and neither of them noticed the sharp pair of eyes fixed on them from behind. It was all thanks to the solid surveillance skills Gao Weimin had learned at the Police University.

Gao Weimin saw the rural woman take out a wad of cash and hand it to the middle-aged man. The man counted it carefully. There appeared to be around two thousand yuan. The greed and unease in his eyes convinced Gao Weimin that he was a swindler.

Once he had the money, the middle-aged man led her toward a street behind the bank. Gao Weimin followed closely, thinking that as long as the man remained within his sight, controlling him would not be a problem. He wanted to see what exactly the man intended to do to the rural woman.

Before long, they reached an alley behind the government offices. At that moment, the man quickened his pace and, in the blink of an eye, shook off the rural woman.

Gao Weimin's eyes never left him. He saw the man turn and slip into a small alley, leaving the rural woman far behind. Seeing the time was right, Gao Weimin rushed forward like lightning and brought him under control with a clean waist-lock throw.

The man howled loudly, drawing several bystanders. Gao Weimin identified himself as the director of the Public Security Bureau. The citizens clapped in amazement and approval, all giving him thumbs-up. "Amazing! The director caught him himself!"

"Isn't that Dong Guapi, the drug addict? He's been scamming people for ages. They should've thrown him in prison long ago!" Several people in the crowd whispered among themselves. Their fearful expressions made those around them unconsciously reveal traces of fear as well.

"How terrifying. Everyone needs to be more careful when they go out from now on!" Passersby shook their heads and sighed. Gao Weimin felt miserable hearing this. Was this truly how ordinary people felt about public security here?

With help from the crowd, Director Gao Weimin found a packet of drugs on the man. He escorted the middle-aged man out of the alley, but the rural woman had vanished. Gao Weimin clearly remembered that she had a beautiful mole on her forehead. He immediately called the Command Center to report the incident. Shortly afterward, two officers from West City Police Station arrived, but they did not recognize Director Gao Weimin. After briefly learning what had happened, they took Gao Weimin's phone number and then led the middle-aged man away.

Gao Weimin should have felt the joy of victory, but he could not bring himself to be happy. Instead, his mood grew heavier.

Deputy Director Hu Yuancheng of the Tangdu Public Security Bureau, accompanied by office director Qiao Xi, had somehow learned that the new director had appeared at the market and rushed over. They happened to meet Director Gao as he dragged his weary steps toward the bureau, weighed down by heavy thoughts.

"Director Gao, we came too late. Why didn't you let us know when you arrived in Tangdu so we could pick you up? You must have been frightened!" Hu Yuancheng jogged over in several quick steps, with Qiao Xi following behind him. He seemed to know exactly what had just happened.

A fog of confusion clouded Gao Weimin's mind. He recalled the hopeful look in Secretary Li Dongfeng's eyes when he had first arrived in Tangdu, the message in that resolute gaze: speak for the people, purge the flow of drugs. It remained unforgettable.

He remembered that the moment he arrived in Tangdu, without even taking time to rest, he had gone straight to Political and Legal Secretary Li Dongfeng's office to report in, accompanied by the political commissar.

Li Dongfeng was around fifty, with a square face. He was a member of the Municipal Party Committee Standing Committee and the Political and Legal Secretary. When Gao Weimin arrived at the municipal compound, Secretary Li Dongfeng happened to be in his office.

The political commissar introduced Gao Weimin to Secretary Li.

Secretary Li's imposing face instantly filled Gao Weimin with awe. His firm voice carried a sense of justice as he openly told Gao Weimin about the lesson learned from several previous Public Security Bureau leaders who had been transferred away for failing to combat drugs effectively. This appointment was also connected to one of his university classmates, though Secretary Li did not mention that matter.

He entrusted Gao Weimin with a special mission.

"Gao Weimin, you came at just the right time. The city is about to hold a citywide anti-drug work conference. After you arrive, first familiarize yourself with the city's public security situation, then put forward a practical and concrete plan. We must decisively suppress the high incidence of drug activity in our city and completely remove the soil that breeds this cancer. Remember, when some people reported our drug situation to the province, they described this place as a major channel for drug trafficking. I was the first to disagree. We must block this channel, cut it off, and root out the cancer. How do we sever it? By showing determination and delivering results. And that determination and those results can only be achieved by you and me together! Of course, that will take time and courage. Director Gao, do you have confidence?"

"Please rest assured, Secretary Li. I will complete the mission without fail!"

Thinking back on this, Gao Weimin looked out the window and lifted his gaze into the distance. He saw a hopeful, emerging city, high-rises rising from the ground one after another, and the people of Tangdu yearning for a happy life. Yet beneath it all flowed currents of drugs that filled people with fear. The burden on his shoulders was immense, and he had no choice but to carefully consider his next steps.