Chapter 233: Chapter 223: Everyone’s Thoughts
Secretary Luo had just returned from West Mountain to his residence in the city committee compound, finished bathing, and was preparing to rest when suddenly the phone rang. Upon picking it up, he saw it was Hua Muyun calling, and quickly answered.
A hurried voice came through the phone: "Emergency standing committee meeting in twenty minutes, inform them!"
"Yes!" After Secretary Luo replied with a single word, the line was immediately disconnected.
Putting down the phone, Secretary Luo suddenly felt lost. There were usually emergency standing committee meetings when something big happened, and the matter was passed to him directly, then he would notify Hua Muyun. But this time was different; Hua Muyun directly called to notify him, which was the first time.
Although Secretary Luo wanted to understand what was happening, Hua Muyun just asked him to notify the other committee members about the emergency meeting in twenty minutes, leaving him hardly any time to investigate what happened.
However, there were only twelve other committee members, and not all of them needed to be notified by Secretary Luo. Usually, for emergency committee meetings, he only needed to inform five or six members, while others would be notified by someone else, sometimes even by Hua Muyun personally. This time, it was clear the other six or seven members must be informed by Hua Muyun himself.
Secretary Luo began making calls. Although he only needed to inform four or five members, to ensure everyone arrived at the city committee punctually in twenty minutes required selective calling, starting with those committee members living closer.
Previously, Secretary Luo would typically notify these members’ secretaries, but now there was no time for that, so he dialed their numbers directly.
Secretary Luo felt relieved because these committee members, upon receiving the call, didn’t question the reason for the meeting, simply responding lightly before decisively ending the call.
Of course, although these members appeared indifferent, upon hanging up, they began making inquiries while preparing, questioning where the situation occurred that necessitated an emergency committee meeting.
As for the reason behind the emergency committee meeting, only Hua Muyun and Xiao Lin knew, and the other members naturally received no news on it.
The recent crackdown on organized crime was certainly grand, and along with what happened to the Jiangling Zhang Family, there was no emergency committee meeting initiated. What matter required activation now?
Soon, the large committee members of Yanjing and their connections essentially realized that something big seemed about to happen in Yanjing. Because if they couldn’t find any procedures requiring an emergency committee meeting, it proved the matter hadn’t happened yet but was about to.
At the City Committee Building, it was originally supposed to be quiet at this time, yet due to Hua Muyun’s call, the entrance suddenly became lively, with government vehicles streaming in.
"What’s going on? Has something big happened in Yanjing again?" muttered the security guard on night duty at the city committee, seeing one committee member after another arriving.
"This emergency committee meeting seems stranger than usual; typically, the matter that occurs is well-known before initiating a meeting. This time appears without warning!" another gate guard discussed.
Normally, an emergency committee meeting is initiated following a large-scale incident, but this no-warning meeting is the first since Hua Muyun took office.
Not only were outsiders confused, but among the twelve committee members who received the message, except for a few whom Hua Muyun had disclosed a bit, the rest were completely clueless; this situation was too peculiar.
The Number One Meeting Room at the city committee, usually where members held meetings, was small with just one long marble conference table and thirteen seats. At the moment, only Hua Muyun was seated inside, with four armed police guards at the entrance. This was starkly different from usual committee meetings, adding a deadly atmosphere.
Beside the door was a table with three phones neatly placed on it, recognizable to anyone who knew that these phones belonged to Hua Muyun.
The first committee member to arrive was Gong Shenglong, the deputy secretary dedicated to the city committee, who was one of Hua Muyun’s most loyal supporters. Upon arriving and seeing four armed police standing guard, his heart skipped a beat. Was such a large formation necessary?
"Secretary Gong, please hand over your communication devices; we’ll keep them safe for you!" said one of the police officers, saluting Gong Shenglong.
Gong Shenglong glanced at the three phones on the table but said nothing. He could naturally recognize that the phones belonged to Hua Muyun and cooperatively handed over his phone to the police officer.
Of course, given Gong Shenglong’s firm loyalty to Hua Muyun, he had nothing much to say. Others were less willing, but seeing that Hua Muyun’s and Gong Shenglong’s communication devices were placed on the table, they could only secretly complain about whatever tricks Hua Muyun was pulling today, making everyone so tense.
"Old Hua, what’s the matter today? Even if it’s a committee meeting, does it need to be so tense?" Yanjing City Mayor Liu Kunnan strode in, appearing in his forties, even younger than Hua Muyun, standing nearly 1.9 meters tall, with a rough exterior that would mislead those who truly knew him.
At this moment, seven committee members were seated, with four still absent. Looking at Liu Kunnan, Hua Muyun spoke softly: "The situation is urgent; there must be no leaks. Extraordinary times call for extraordinary measures!"
Liu Kunnan might seem carefree, but his mind was sharp, casually asking: "On my way here, I noticed personnel from the police station on the move? I heard it was news from North Mountain!"
Hua Muyun had partnered with Liu Kunnan for over four years and knew that his counterpart wasn’t as carefree as he appeared. Given Liu Kunnan was probing in the right direction, Hua Muyun had no reason to conceal anything, so he nodded: "Indeed, you guessed correctly. It concerns matters from North Mountain. I just received the stirring news, hence the unavoidable emergency committee meeting to discuss it!"
Before Hua Muyun spoke, other committee members didn’t know why the emergency meeting was initiated. But now that Hua Muyun was speaking, no one who had reached this level was foolish. While Hua Muyun didn’t name any specifics, they understood what had transpired in Yanjing tonight before even coming here. By logic, such minor issues shouldn’t necessitate an emergency committee meeting at all.
So the remaining explanation was that the Poison Dragon Gang was about to face trouble, and the Wang Family and its allied interest groups were about to suffer as well, indicating that the Hua Family intended to act against the Wang Family.
Liu Kunnan felt a shock inside, though he didn’t show it outward. The situation in Yanjing was very harmonious presently, whether it be the four great families or the political scene. Although there were minor frictions, it wasn’t anywhere near reaching a critical point. He couldn’t understand what Hua Muyun had planned with today’s arrangements?
From the police guarding the entrance, one could gather that Hua Muyun was determined to eliminate the Poison Dragon Gang, which was backed by the Wang Family and other interest groups. Would Hua Muyun manage this sudden upheaval well?
Liu Kunnan didn’t believe he would avoid implicating himself if Hua Muyun couldn’t handle it well, for he too was part of the city committee. Yet opposing him in this situation seemed practically impossible.
"Oh!" Liu Kunnan took his seat, casually acknowledging, though it was unclear whether he supported or opposed the situation.
Throughout the committee, Hua Muyun could be confident in the votes of four members, plus his own, totaling five votes. Three members generally remained neutral, while four held specific stances within two factions—City Mayor Liu Kunnan and Organization Minister Wang Zhanting. Typically, Liu Kunnan and Wang Zhanting stood on opposition lines against Hua Muyun, though most of the time, they couldn’t outmaneuver him.
Looking at the current situation, it seemed even worse as three usually neutral committee members, including Yanjing Military Region Commander Lu Yihang, had arrived early, despite being farther from the city committee, indicating a very unfavorable sign.
"Looks like the Wang Family won’t be able to withstand this time!" Within a minute of entering, Liu Kunnan comprehended the committee meeting’s outcome.
Soon after, the remaining four committee members streamed in, including Organization Minister Wang Zhanting and Yanjing City Government Executive Deputy Mayor Lou Shixin, among others. Wang Zhanting’s face didn’t look good upon entry, and he didn’t speak as he looked at Liu Kunnan, who pretended to read documents, avoiding Wang Zhanting’s gaze.
All thirteen committee members were present. Hua Muyun glanced across the venue; irrelevant individuals had perceptively withdrawn, leaving the meeting room closed tightly, with all communication devices confiscated.
"Alright, since everyone’s here, let’s start the meeting!" Hua Muyun gently remarked before turning to the military region commander, Lu Yihang, saying, "Commander Lu, tell us about your discoveries tonight!"
The crowd was suddenly amazed. Lu Yihang was recognized for abstaining at committee meetings, regardless of the agenda. He would merely sit silently and never intervene in local matters. Why was he the first to speak today?
"Tonight, a vile incident occurred on North Mountain. The sister of National Special Warrior Liang Hu was chased by the Poison Dragon Gang, rampaging as if it were nobody’s land!" Lu Yihang spoke slowly: "Therefore, I request Yanjing’s city committee and city government address Yanjing’s social atmosphere, particularly the Poison Dragon Gang, which must be eradicated!" (To be continued. If you like this work, please visit Qidian () for recommendations and monthly votes. Your support is my greatest motivation.)