News Clue (2)

Two days later was Monday. As soon as Gao Weimin got to work, he was summoned to the municipal government by city leaders to discuss the demolition issues in the west of the city. Director Gao's firm adherence to police principles displeased the city leaders greatly. It wasn't until after six in the evening that Gao Weimin returned home dejectedly. 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's spirits lifted. Putting aside the day's unpleasantness, he turned on the television, wanting to catch up on the week's news.

The channel reported: "Fearless of life and death, catching robbers, a hero by the Tangdu River." On March 8th, an incident of a demobilized soldier acting bravely for a just cause occurred in our city...

In the video, faint shouts of "Caught him, he's stealing!" could be heard. Two people, one tall and one short, ran towards the riverbank. The taller one, holding a stool, blocked their path. The taller assailant, wielding a sharp knife, lunged at the one with the stool. The three engaged in a fight. The taller assailant was no match for the one with the stool, and the shorter one also drew a knife, which was knocked away by the one with the stool. The shorter one fell, while the taller one fled and jumped into the river. The one with the stool pursued closely...

A female reporter was interviewing the taller man on the bank.

Director Gao Weimin suddenly sat up and exclaimed, "The person with the stool looks so familiar. That's right, it's him! The footage inside is perfectly clear."

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

He immediately called Director Wu of the Political Department and demanded, "Why are the police always half a step behind? The television station has already broadcast it, and the police are still blind?"

Wu Dean had no information about this at all and was rendered speechless by the question.

Gao Weimin then called Director Tang of the West City Police Station, "Old Tang, what's the name of the person you brought back?"

"Tong Haojing, yes, his name is Tong Haojing," Director Tang replied, unsure of Gao Weimin's intentions, maintaining a calm and composed demeanor, fearing any mistakes.

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

"There's progress, but neither the victim nor the person who jumped into the river has been found. The deceased had a history of bad conduct and a prior drug conviction, so the nature of the case is undetermined. Evidence from the scene points to Tong Haojing accidentally killing someone. Deputy Captain Qian has taken Tong Haojing to the Criminal Investigation Detachment and placed him in the holding center for further questioning!"

Tong Haojing had already been in the holding center for three days at this point.

"What? He's been criminally detained? What's going on?" Director Gao's face instantly darkened, and he slammed his fist on the table in a rage.

"The Criminal Investigation Detachment handled it, and we cooperated. Who approved this..." Tang Changan trailed off awkwardly, only to be cut off by Director Gao.

"This is a mess! Alright! Tell him and Deputy Captain Qian to release him immediately and make good arrangements for Tong Haojing. This person acted bravely for a just cause and has been on television! You guys hurry and send someone to the television station to retrieve the video evidence. He said he wants to be a police officer, didn't he? I'm taking this person! I want to visit him with the Director of the Civil Affairs Bureau tomorrow morning!"

Director Gao thought a lot. Perhaps this could compensate for his own mistakes as the Director of the Public Security Bureau. With this thought, he immediately called Director Zheng of the Civil Affairs Bureau.

"Director Zheng? It's Old Gao. I need to inquire about something!" Gao Weimin said.

"Just give the order, and I'll handle it!" Zheng Benli was always so polite to his superiors.

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

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

"I want this person!" Gao Weimin declared, a sudden idea forming in his mind: to establish a brand-new anti-drug team in this year's police recruitment and eradicate the scourge of Tangdu City in the shortest possible time, reversing the current unfavorable situation of high drug prevalence and providing an explanation to the entire city.

Gao Weimin now had a direction, and only Wu Dean of the Political Department could accomplish this task.

"Me? How could I dare send someone with ideological problems to you?" Zheng Benli asked.

"No way, take a look at today's television news. A hero who acted bravely for a just cause!"

Director Zheng was already worrying about how to arrange for Tong Haojing. Now, the Public Security Bureau was actively requesting him, which solved the problem and kept himself clear of suspicion. Finally, a difficult issue had been resolved.

"Alright, I'll have someone send the dispatch and assignment notice for Tong Haojing to you. I'll have him report to your department."

"He's at our West City Police Station. Shall we visit this hero together tomorrow when you have time?" Gao Weimin suggested.

"Yes, yes, yes! He's from the Special Operations Reconnaissance Company," Zheng Benli replied.

"Alright, let's set the time for nine in the morning!" Gao Weimin said.

"Certainly," Zheng Benli agreed.

After finishing the call, Director Gao Weimin hung up, secretly pleased. This was exactly the kind of person with both integrity and ability that he had secretly instructed Director Wu Dean of the Political Department to look for. During Gao Weimin's time in Tangdu City, the tasks assigned by Political Secretary Li Dongfeng were still vivid in his mind, but so far, his work had been proceeding step-by-step with almost no progress.

Gao Weimin secretly congratulated himself. Fortunately, there was the video footage from the television station. Otherwise, this matter might have caused a huge scandal, turning a heroic act of bravery into the suspicion of causing someone's death. It was clear that Director Gao Weimin's thoughts also reflected his dissatisfaction with Tang Changan!

Gao Weimin had been in Tangdu City for a month. He was transferred from another region. When he first arrived, he traveled light, without notifying anyone. He took a public bus to the Tangdu City bus station, which was located in the West City district. As soon as he got off the bus, he went to the three most crowded places in Tangdu: the bus station, the Minsheng Market, and the West City Plaza.

The simple and honest folk customs of Tangdu City made him feel a sense of familiarity. He wanted to take in everything here exactly as it was, engraving it in his mind to provide the most basic information for his future work. However, just one month was far from enough time to delve into the grassroots, visit every station and community, and gather firsthand information. This would likely be his normal work routine from now on.

Gao Weimin secretly made up his mind.

In Gao Weimin's eyes, the West City area was a bustling scene of demolition everywhere. The public security situation had become his greatest concern. Just the day before, he had toured the West City area several times and encountered something that made him feel the public security situation was not optimistic. This incident coincidentally confirmed what Political Secretary Li Dongfeng had worried about – the severe drug situation.

After getting off the bus at Tangdu City Station, Gao Weimin went alone to a Minsheng Market behind the government building. It was crowded with people. He stopped and noticed a fashionably dressed middle-aged man showing excessive enthusiasm towards a rural woman. His sensitivity as a police officer made Gao Weimin suspect the man had ill intentions. Gao Weimin remained inconspicuous and quietly followed the man.

Wang Xiyue was engrossed in conversation with the man, neither of them noticing the pair of sharp eyes intently watching them from behind. This was all thanks to the excellent tracking skills Gao Weimin had learned at the police academy.

Gao Weimin saw the rural woman take out a stack of money and hand it to the middle-aged man. The man counted it carefully, estimating it to be about two thousand yuan. The greed and unease in his eyes convinced Gao Weimin that this man was a swindler.

Once the money was in hand, the middle-aged man led the way towards a street behind the bank. Gao Weimin followed closely, thinking that as long as the man remained within his sight, controlling him should be no problem. He wanted to see what ill intentions this man had towards the rural woman.

They didn't walk far before reaching an alley behind the government building. At this moment, the man quickened his pace and disappeared from the rural woman's sight.

Gao Weimin's gaze never left him. Seeing the man turn into a small alley while the rural woman was left far behind, Gao Weimin saw his opportunity. He lunged forward like lightning and, with a skillful hip toss, subdued him.

The man cried out, attracting a crowd. Gao Weimin revealed his identity as the Director of Public Security. The citizens were amazed and applauded, giving him thumbs-ups and praising, "Incredible! The Director himself made the arrest!"

"Isn't that Dong Guapi, the drug addict? He's been scamming people for a long time; he should have been jailed ages ago!" Several people in the crowd whispered, their faces showing a look of fear that instinctively spread to those around them.

"How scary. Everyone needs to be more careful when going out from now on!" passersby shook their heads in amazement. Gao Weimin felt a pang of discomfort. Was this how ordinary people felt about the local public security?

With the help of the crowd, Director Gao Weimin searched the man and found a packet of drugs. He escorted the middle-aged man out of the alley, but the rural woman had disappeared. Gao Weimin clearly remembered that the woman had a beautiful beauty mark on her forehead. He immediately called the command center to report the incident. Soon, two police officers from the West City Police Station arrived but did not recognize Director Gao Weimin. After a brief explanation of the situation, they took down Gao Weimin's contact information and then took the middle-aged man away.

Gao Weimin should have felt the joy of victory, but he couldn't bring himself to be happy. Instead, his mood became heavy.

Hu Yuancheng, the Deputy Director of the Tangdu Public Security Bureau, and Qiao Xi, the Director of the Office, had somehow heard that the new Director had appeared at the farmers' market and rushed over. They happened to see Director Gao walking towards the bureau with weary steps and a heavy heart.

"Director Gao, we're late. Why didn't you inform us when you came to Tangdu so we could pick you up! You must have been startled!" Hu Yuancheng hurried forward, followed by Qiao Xi, who seemed to know what had just happened.

Gao Weimin's mind was clouded. He recalled the hopeful gaze of Secretary Li Dongfeng when he first arrived in Tangdu, the firm look in his eyes conveying a message: serve the people, eradicate the flow of drugs. The memory was still vivid.

He remembered that as soon as he landed in Tangdu, without even taking a rest, he went straight to the office of the Political and Legal Secretary, Li Dongfeng, accompanied by the political commissar, to report for duty.

Li Dongfeng, around 50 years old, with a square face, was a member of the Municipal Party Committee and Secretary of the Political and Legal Affairs Committee. When Gao Weimin arrived at the Municipal Party Committee compound, Secretary Li was in his office.

The political commissar introduced Secretary Li to Gao Weimin.

Secretary Li's stern face inspired awe in Gao Weimin. A resolute voice revealed a sense of justice. He candidly recounted the lessons learned by previous Public Security Bureau leaders who were transferred out for failing to curb drug trafficking. This time, the matter was also related to his university classmate, though Secretary Li did not elaborate on this.

He entrusted Gao Weimin with a special mission.

"Gao Weimin, you've come at the right time. The city is about to hold a city-wide anti-drug work conference. After you arrive, familiarize yourself with the city's public security situation first, and then propose a practical and concrete plan to resolutely suppress the high incidence of drug problems in our city and completely eradicate the soil that breeds this tumor. Remember, someone once described our city as a major transit route for drugs when reporting to the provincial authorities. I disagree with that first and foremost. We must resolutely block this route, remove it, and eliminate the tumor. How we sever it depends on our determination and work performance. This determination and performance can only be achieved by you and me together! Of course, this requires time and courage! Director Gao, do you have the confidence?"

"Please rest assured, Secretary Li, I will resolutely complete the mission!"

Recalling this, Gao Weimin looked out the window, his gaze soaring into the distance. He saw a burgeoning city full of hope, with buildings rising one after another, and the people of Tangdu yearning for a happy life. Yet, beneath the surface, terrifying drug flows ran deep. The task on his shoulders was arduous, and he had to carefully consider his next steps.