The crowd was already in a state of fury, their voices roaring in anger.
"You said you’d give us an answer next week, but you started construction today—clearly breaking your word!"
"Exactly! You corrupt officials collude with each other, just a pack of liars."
"Fellow villagers, let’s go together—protect Qingshi Mountain!"
At this moment, the villagers surged forward like a raging tide.
The police simply couldn’t withstand such a terrifying force.
Next, fists rained down like a storm, smashing onto the heads of the officials.
"Protect Mayor Wu! Quickly! Protect the Mayor first!"
Huang Ming, enduring his pain, firmly shielded Wu Liang behind him.
However, Wu Liang, being the highest-ranking official present, naturally received "special attention" from the crowd.
Finally, under extreme effort from several police officers, he managed to crawl out of the crowd in a sorry state.
He no longer cared about his appearance, covering his swollen cheek as he dashed into the car.
He immediately ordered the driver to leave Qingshi Mountain.
As for Huang Ming, he wasn’t so lucky.
Facing the villagers’ punching and kicking, he could only kneel on the ground with his eyes closed, clutching his head tightly with his hands.
By the time reinforcements of police arrived, the villagers had already dispersed.
As for the officials present, almost all of them sustained injuries to varying degrees.
The most seriously injured, of course, was Huang Ming.
He was even taken away by ambulance.
Upon examination, it was revealed that he had a concussion, a fractured left leg, and extensive soft tissue injuries.
Meanwhile, Wang Jun, who left the scene unscathed, was leisurely sipping tea in his office with Chen Bin.
By noon, the two finally rode to the County People’s Hospital.
Wang Jun first visited the less seriously injured officials.
Only after that did he enter Huang Ming’s room.
Huang Ming lay on the hospital bed, his entire body feeling out of place.
His head was wrapped in layers of bandages, leaving only his eyes exposed, which made him look comical.
With his face bruised and swollen, Zhou Jiajun leaned close to Huang Ming’s ear when he saw Wang Jun enter and whispered.
"County Magistrate Huang, Secretary Wang is here to see you."
Huang Ming opened his eyes and looked at the unharmed Wang Jun, his heart churning with a storm of emotions.
The two had gone to the coal mine together in the morning. How did he end up while Wang Jun remained unscathed?
As Huang Ming struggled to understand, Wang Jun stood by the bedside and spoke in a heavy tone.
"Old Huang, you’re the pillar of our county. Seeing you injured makes me very sad. I’ve already instructed the Public Security Bureau to launch an investigation into the troublemaking villagers. We absolutely won’t let this kind of unhealthy behavior continue."
Huang Ming was overwhelmed with mixed emotions, unsure of how to respond.
All he could manage was a grunt of acknowledgment.
At this moment, the hospital director walked in from outside.
Before the director could exchange pleasantries with Wang Jun, the latter said with righteous indignation,
"County Magistrate Huang got injured because of his dedication to work. You must ensure excellent treatment to help him return to his post as soon as possible."
The hospital director nodded repeatedly. "Please rest assured, Secretary Wang. I will absolutely use the best medicine for County Magistrate Huang!"
After exchanging a few more casual words with Huang Ming, Wang Jun finally turned and left.
As he and Chen Bin stepped out of the hospital room, they ran into Xie Shan.
Xie Shan hadn’t suffered too severe injuries, but a clear five-finger slap mark was visible on his face.
When he saw Wang Jun and the others, he immediately stepped aside to make way.
Looking at Xie Shan, Chen Bin furrowed his brow slightly, his thoughts turning.
But since Wang Jun had already left, it wasn’t appropriate for him to say much. He simply followed along.
Once inside the hospital room, Xie Shan immediately asked Huang Ming,
"County Magistrate Huang, are your injuries serious?"
Huang Ming did not answer. He simply let out a deep sigh.
Then, slowly opening his eyes, he said,
"Send someone to investigate. Today’s incident was definitely incited by someone."
At this moment, Huang Ming was filled with regret.
If only he had listened to Zhou Jiajun earlier, he wouldn’t have ended up .
Xie Shan nodded, his tone heavy.
"Don’t worry. This matter has already drawn the attention of higher-level leaders. No matter what, I’ll investigate it thoroughly!"
After leaving the hospital, Wang Jun immediately asked Cheng Zhuang,
"You’re sure nothing can be traced back to you, right?"
Cheng Zhuang firmly patted his chest.
"Don’t worry, absolutely not! I enlisted two close buddies to go to the town and promote environmental awareness. The beatings were all organized by the villagers themselves—it had nothing to do with me."
Though rugged in appearance, Cheng Zhuang had his own tactics for handling matters.
He knew the older women loved to gossip and exaggerate their stories.
So he had his two friends from the Environmental Protection Department spread the word to those aunts about the harms of damaging the environment.
As for everything else, he did nothing.
Even if the two friends were investigated by the police, they couldn’t possibly arrest people spreading environmental knowledge!
Seeing Cheng Zhuang’s confidence, Chen Bin gave a slight nod.
"As long as nothing ties back to you, everything will be fine."
Hearing the two talk, Wang Jun, seated in the car, nodded repeatedly.
There was no denying that Chen Bin was his good fortune.
Not only was Chen Bin highly capable, but the people he brought along were also outstanding.
After some thought, Wang Jun decided to call Lin Hai in the district office.
"Director Lin, this is Wang Jun. Regarding this morning’s incident, Director Xie was present the whole time. Having him lead the investigation would be most appropriate. Also, since County Magistrate Huang sustained the most severe injuries, he’ll surely feel assured with Director Xie in charge of the case."
Lin Hai quickly understood Wang Jun’s intent and promptly responded.
"Got it. I know what to do."
After hanging up, Wang Jun, along with Chen Bin and Cheng Zhuang, casually grabbed a bite to eat.
Afterward, they headed to the city committee to report the morning’s events to Li Lu in detail.
He even took the initiative to admit fault.
"Although the villagers protested, I reminded County Magistrate Huang that the coal mining project was his responsibility. But as the top leader, I can’t shirk my own responsibility. I am willing to accept any discipline the city committee imposes on me."
Li Lu, his face stern, replied curtly,
"Now isn’t the time to assign blame. You must calm the villagers’ emotions and prevent this from escalating into a bigger disaster. And minimize this matter as much as possible. Got it?"
Wang Jun immediately nodded. "Please rest assured, Secretary Li. I will handle it properly!"
As Wang Jun left, Li Lu quickly called the city’s propaganda department.
"Make sure to notify the press and TV stations: no reports on the Qingshi County incident this morning—none at all!"
After leaving Li Lu’s office, Wang Jun went straight to Xu Tai’s office.
He repeated everything he had just told Li Lu to Xu Tai.
But Xu Tai wasn’t as focused on the event itself—he was more concerned about Wu Liang’s condition.
"How’s Mayor Wu? Was he seriously injured?"
Wang Jun answered honestly,
"I’m not sure if Mayor Wu was injured, but he left first when it all started. Based on that, I’d guess he’s fine."
Hearing this, Xu Tai sighed deeply, a faint trace of disappointment flashing in his eyes.
"Economic development is important, but we still need to follow the mass line and stay connected to the people. Since this incident has happened, I think the coal mining project should be put on hold until the villagers are appeased."
Nodding, Wang Jun prepared to leave.
Just then, Xu Tai added,
"Let me know immediately if there are any new developments regarding the mining issue. Got it?"
As he left the office, Wang Jun felt that there was something hidden in Xu Tai’s words, but he couldn’t put his finger on it.
Moreover, Xu Tai’s concern for Wu Liang’s condition puzzled him even more...