The news that Hou Wen had been successfully arrested had come through.
The city’s leaders were informed at the first opportunity.
Secretary Sun was sitting in his office at this moment, reporting to Secretary Lu.
He said somewhat sourly, "Secretary Song is really something."
An almost unsolvable checkmate position, yet Song Guanchao had managed to revive it.
It displayed Song Guanchao’s personal abilities most vividly.
"But I heard," he added with a tsk, "that to catch Hou Wen, Secretary Song arranged for a car to hit the plane. What a price to pay. The plane had already landed; couldn’t he have found a simpler method?"
Secretary Lu gave him a glance, his dissatisfaction with this secretary growing.
The plane was only hit on a wheel, and the wheel might not even be damaged, with repair costs maxing out at tens of thousands of yuan.
To him, this little cost was worth it for catching the criminal, perceiving the arrest operation as nearly perfect.
This Secretary Sun, not only was he of limited ability and character, but even his mind was so narrow.
Even if Song Guanchao stood on the opposite side, one must acknowledge his competence where due.
Not act like a shrew, throwing tantrums and feigning ignorance and deceit on oneself.
Secretary Sun thought of something and suddenly chuckled, "Even if the person is caught, the money is still unrecovered."
"Secretary Lu, do you think Secretary Song is out of his mind? He let the cat out of the bag and made the issue public knowledge."
"Even Secretary Wu is fooling around with him. Oh, and that Zhang Meilin, he’s suddenly popped up as well."
"What were they thinking, being so foolish?"
"If they want to play heroes, they should solve the problem. Just catching the person, if the money isn’t recovered, the province won’t recognize their capabilities."
Thinking this, Secretary Sun’s mood was quite elated.
Secretary Lu took a sip of his tea and said, "Go out."
After Secretary Sun left, Secretary Lu sighed.
His intention to change secretaries was growing stronger by the day.
But he simply couldn’t do it right now.
He didn’t have an appropriate position to move Secretary Sun into.
According to the unwritten rules of officialdom, a leader’s secretary who steps down usually lands a role as a county leader, either first or second in command.
He couldn’t make such arrangements right now.
Not to mention the position of the heads of the county, he couldn’t even arrange the first or second chief roles of the city departments.
The most he could do, at best, was to get Secretary Sun a deputy section-level position in a city department.
But that was not feasible.
Once arranged that way, it would be known that this City Secretary was so powerless that he couldn’t even secure a job for his subordinate.
Who would want to follow such an impotent leader?
So, for now, the best outcome for Secretary Sun was to stay put and not make a fuss.
Even if he was displeased with Secretary Sun, he had to endure it.
He lit a cigarette, drawing his thoughts back to Song Guanchao.
To be honest, he found Wu Qiangwei’s decisions perplexing.
Because they were too high-profile.
So high-profile that it felt off.
Secretary Sun may be somewhat foolish, but he wasn’t entirely wrong in what he said.
Even if Hou Wen was caught, it would be of no help.
The core of this case was the money, the 7 billion!
Song Guanchao had taken this complicated case into his own hands, indeed something that could earn him favor from the province.
But that was under the premise that the case had not been blown wide open.
Once exposed, it would need to be perfectly resolved.
If that couldn’t be done, then facing the cameras and saying one would bear it all, he truly would need to bear it all.
There could be no picking something up high and setting it down lightly.
Even if the provincial authorities wanted a low-key resolution, it was now impossible.
Including Zhang Meilin and Fu Ying.
If the money wasn’t recovered, the two of them would truly need to resign to accept responsibility.
By now, Song Guanchao had placed himself on the fire, only getting off unscathed if he managed to retrieve the money.
So, why let it out in the first place?
Secretary Lu furrowed his brow, having already guessed the answer in his heart.
The answer was simple; Song Guanchao was confident he could get the money back.
But where did that confidence come from?
Secretary Lu had a hunch in his mind.
Could it be that the money hadn’t yet managed to be transferred abroad?
The money was still within the country? ᴛhis chapter is ᴜpdated by 𝓷𝓸𝓿𝓮𝓵•𝓯𝓲𝓻𝓮•𝓷𝓮𝓽
Thinking of this possibility, Secretary Lu instinctively felt an urgent emotion.
If that was the case, giving Song Guanchao full authority over the case during today’s Standing Committee meeting was a grave mistake!
Secretary Lu exhaled a puff of smoke, pressed his temple with a finger, and gently shook his head.
He felt something was amiss.
Hou Wen had fled so decisively, and it was obviously a plan made well in advance.
The money was almost certainly out of the country by now.
It couldn’t still be within the nation.
"What exactly is the situation?"
Secretary Lu felt very puzzled.
There were too many uncertainties, and he simply wasn’t able to unravel them.
Song Guanchao’s moves, and the information currently known, were too conflicting, too contradictory.
Mayor Zheng and Mayor Jiang were also sorting through the confusion at this moment.
They shared Secretary Lu’s bewilderment, feeling overwhelmed.
By comparison, Minister Zhou wasn’t as puzzled.
The fact that Wu Qiangwei emerged at this time convinced him that the money probably hadn’t left the country.
Song Guanchao could be impulsive, but Wu Qiangwei couldn’t possibly be so rash.
There must be absolute certainty behind such an outrageous act.
"Xiao Zhang does have a bit of a leader’s stature now."
Minister Zhou smiled, quite satisfied with Zhang Meilin’s courage to make a bold move.
At the same time, he was also pleased that Song Guanchao was willing to share some of the profits with Zhang Meilin.
He knew that Song Guanchao wasn’t wooing Zhang Meilin but himself.
In the conference room, Song Guanchao’s phone never stopped ringing.
"Secretary Song, we have control of the person. In two hours, the plane will land at Lingjiang City International Airport. Please arrange for the police to take over at the airport."
"Okay, thank you, Director Liu."
This Director Liu, he didn’t dare to arrest people when asked.
Now that the person was in custody, he was the first to volunteer eagerly to bring Hou Wen over.
Song Guanchao didn’t mind his change of attitude.
Seeking fortune and avoiding disaster is human nature.
If he were in his shoes, he would do the same.
"Director Liang, arrange for a team to go to the airport. At five o’clock this afternoon, Hou Wen will land. The colleagues from the West Mountain City Public Security Bureau are in charge of the escort, and you can arrange for someone to meet with them for the handover."
After hanging up, Song Guanchao dialed Liang Jiajia’s number.
"Officer Liang, where are you now?"
"Almost at Tianhai City."
"Is the address confirmed?"
"Call me when you get to Tianhai City."
"No reason, I’m the overall commander, just listen to me."
"Fine." Liang Jiajia pouted.
At 4:22 p.m., Liang Jiajia and her team arrived in Tianhai City.
"We’ve just exited the highway and have met up with the colleagues from the Dujiang City Public Security Bureau."
"Is it Director Yao?"
"No, it’s Deputy Director Zhang Chuncheng."
"Alright, go make the arrest, and report back to me once you have him."
This Yao Jinsheng was quite composed.
For such a big incident, he only sent a deputy director.
"Miss Zhou, turn off the camera."
After the cameraman turned off the phone, Song Guanchao dialed Lu Feng’s number: "Are the people all sent back home?"
"They arrived a while ago; I’m watching them now. Squad leader, when are the police you arranged coming over?"
"They are already there, notify them to withdraw everyone in ten minutes."
"Understood." Lu Feng said, "By the way, when will the three people from Wang Meihua be released?"
"Wait for my instructions."
Song Guanchao leaned back in his chair with a smile on his face.
The plan was going very smoothly.
Hou Wen had been captured. Next, these company heads would also be handed over from the "fake police" to the real police.
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