activa-t Chapter 395 Villagers Besiege Chemical Plant
Chapter 395 Villagers Besiege Chemical Plant
Hearing this was comforting, Ye Xingguo smiled. "You'd better learn your lesson. Even when it comes to solving a case, you can't treat the law like a joke. Do a good job, I'll handle this."
If a leader can handle things, then the subordinates haven't followed the wrong person; otherwise, Qi Tongwei would have ended up living off a woman in Beijing.
"Yes, Director Ye, I will definitely do my job well. Please consider Lan Weiguo's case as soon as possible."
"You should take care of your own business first. When it's time for you to investigate, you'll be asked to. Go on, get back to work."
Qi Tongwei was also helpless; reopening a closed case required the approval of his superiors.
"Yes, Director Ye."
Back at the provincial department, Lan Ying came looking for him. Qi Tongwei thought she was in a hurry to investigate his father's case and felt a little embarrassed.
"Lan Ying, your father's case will probably have to wait a while."
Lan Ying understood that this matter could not be rushed; the bigger the case, the more it would affect the official positions of many people.
"Chief Qi, it's not about that. I've already made some initial progress in investigating the chemical plant's illegal discharge of pollutants, as you asked me to do."
Qi Tongwei, blessed with an incredibly lucky system, believed that yesterday's newspaper article must have a deeper meaning, and eagerly asked, "Tell me about it."
"Weiyuan Chemical is a restructured state-owned enterprise that has been illegally discharging pollutants for a long time. The villagers downstream have protested several times, and the environmental protection bureau has also been there, but the problem has never been resolved."
"This is the first time Tianhe Metropolitan Daily has reported on this. The reporter named Li Hanbing was beaten up the following night and is still in the hospital."
"The police station is still investigating the assailant, and there's been no progress so far."
These days, journalists are bold, but some illegal businesses are also bold. Cutting off people's livelihoods often leads to malicious retaliation, or even murder.
"You and Wu Dali will come with me for a bit later. We're going to check on the villagers downstream."
Lan Ying was a little confused, since this kind of case shouldn't be the responsibility of the provincial department to get involved.
"Qi Zhi, have you made any discoveries?"
"You'll see when you get there. Go and prepare first."
Lan Ying had no choice but to comply, "Yes, Qi Zhi."
Before long, Qi Tongwei led Lan Ying and Wu Dali to Anning Village, downstream of Weiyuan Chemical Plant.
Since the car couldn't enter the village, they got out and walked. They passed the river in Anning Village. The river water was black and had a pungent smell, especially near the riverbank, where it felt like they were being poisoned.
We walked along the village and found no one there. We finally spotted an old woman in the vegetable garden. She looked to be about eighty years old.
Lan Ying quickly went to ask, but the old lady seemed very angry. She was also hard of hearing and had to speak very loudly to be heard. Qi Tongwei looked blank and couldn't understand what the old lady was saying at all.
What's going on?
Lan Ying quickly explained, "Chief Qi, the villagers went to the Weiyuan Chemical Plant again today to cause trouble. If the government doesn't resolve this, they say the whole village will die."
"Let's go take a look right away."
It's a fool not to watch the excitement; Qi Tongwei is still a curious child.
The environmental protection bureau doesn't dare to investigate; they'll probably turn a blind eye again. It's likely that the higher-ups gave instructions, and it seems like the people will suffer a bit without any consequences.
Wu Dali drove at high speed and soon arrived at Weiyuan Chemical Plant. In order to learn more about the actual situation, they parked the car on the side of the road and walked over.
The villagers of Anning Village, young and old, all arrived, carrying carrying poles and hoes. They looked fierce and angry, and there were at least a hundred villagers in the crowd.
Weiyuan Chemical Plant seemed to have come prepared, with dozens of security guards carrying batons and shields, making them look like real police officers.
Chief Du of the nearby police station was at the scene maintaining order, saying, "Fellow villagers, calm down, calm down. The government is trying to find a way to resolve your demands. Violence will not solve the problem."
The villagers were agitated, shouting, "Bullshit! The government has been dragging its feet for two years! The fish in the pond are dead, the chickens, ducks, and geese are dead! Are we going to wait until we're all dead?"
"Fellow villagers, I understand your feelings, but everything should be resolved through the law. Your threats of violence are a serious violation of the law."
The villagers wouldn't listen to reason. They thought the government would resolve the issue after the reporter's report, but the fact that the reporter was beaten ignited their anger. They felt that if the villagers didn't stand up, they would lose their homes, and they would fight to the death.
"We've already lost our homes, so what are we afraid of breaking the law for? If the government can't resolve this today, we'll smash the chemical plant and burn it down."
"If you've got the guts, come and smash it! I'll kill you if I don't!"
Security captain Chen Damao carried a large machete, making no attempt to hide it from the police officers at the police station. He had been to prison and had a scar on his face from stabbing someone, giving him a ruthless and vicious appearance.
Huang Dahai, the villager who led the group, was not intimidated. "Fellow villagers, we'll fight to the death today. Whether we live or die is up to fate."
Chen Damao, brandishing a large machete, angrily pointed it at Huang Dahai, the village leader, and shouted, "I'll be the first to kill you today!"
Director Du panicked. If a fight really broke out, he would be in deep trouble.
"Fellow villagers, fellow villagers, let's talk this out calmly, let's talk this out calmly. Impulsiveness is the devil. Everyone, please don't act impulsively, let's talk this out peacefully."
Chen Damao scoffed. So what if there were many villagers? His security guards were all gangsters, and they were experts at fighting and slashing people.
"Chief Du, I advise you to stand back a bit, so the blood doesn't splatter on you. Your job is to call an ambulance later."
Director Du knows that Chen Damao is a reckless bastard who doesn't value his life. If he kills someone, the problem will be even bigger.
"Chen Damao, what are you trying to do? If this gets out of hand, you won't be able to take responsibility."
"Director Du, I'm just a worthless life. If anyone dares to step into the factory today, I'll take their life with this knife."
Chen Damao gritted his teeth, glared, and looked like a fearless bastard. He was from Chenjiazhai, and this Weiyuan Chemical Plant was also owned by Chenjiazhai, so of course he was willing to risk his life.
Huang Dahai, the villager who took the lead, was also going all out. Two months ago, his wife died of leukemia, and he had always suspected that her death was related to the pollution from the chemical plant.
"A coward isn't a real man, folks. I, Huang Dahai, will be the first to go today. If I die, don't forget to burn some incense for me."
Huang Dahai was ruthless enough; he was holding a pig's head, and there was still blood on the knife from when he slaughtered the pig.
Chen Damao thought that his threats would scare the villagers, but he didn't expect there to be such a reckless fool. In that case, he would make an example of him.
"Come on, I'm going to fight you one-on-one today, you better not back down!"
Without saying a word, Huang Dahai rushed forward. He was really here to take someone's life. Damn it, this is too much. If you can't tolerate it anymore, you don't have to tolerate it anymore.
boom.
A gunshot rang out, and Director Du fired a shot into the air. Seeing that the situation was about to get out of control, he could not bear the responsibility for a mass incident.