allonlinenovel Chapter 280 The whole village felt guilty!
Chapter 280 The whole village felt guilty!
At this moment, at the village chief's house.
Zhao Qiangsheng was having a lively conversation with a gaunt man, wisps of smoke rising from the cigarette between his fingers, a relaxed smile on his face.
however.
"What's going on? Why are there fire trucks in the village?!"
When Zhao Qiangsheng heard the urgent siren of the fire truck, his smile froze, and his brows furrowed involuntarily.
The villagers also rushed out of their homes.
As one fire truck after another roared past, everyone was filled with questions and worries.
"What's going on? Is someone's house on fire?"
An elderly woman was holding her grandson's hand as they walked, asking questions of her neighbors.
"Such a big commotion must be something serious."
A young man wiped the sweat from his forehead and muttered to himself.
"Go check on them quickly, the children can't run around."
A young mother held her child's hand tightly and quickened her pace.
"Could it be... a problem at the construction site?"
Another villager muttered under his breath, his eyes revealing unease.
The arrival of the fire trucks plunged the entire village into chaos.
As the villagers discussed the possible reasons, they were guided to gather at the east entrance of the village.
Meanwhile, vehicles from other departments were also quietly approaching the village from another direction.
An investigation is being prepared.
These people were very careful with every step they took.
Every movement is preparation for the crucial moment that is about to arrive.
Zhao Qiangsheng led the gaunt man toward the fire truck, a smile still on his face, as if he were completely unaware of the impending change.
As they approached the fire truck, Captain Wu had already jumped out.
"Comrade, what's going on?"
Zhao Qiangsheng spoke first, his tone tinged with doubt and unease.
"Are you the village chief? I received a call from a villager reporting a fire."
Captain Wu immediately composed himself, adopting a businesslike attitude, "We rushed over here immediately because we were afraid the fire would spread."
He explained.
"This is no small matter. The weather is dry, and if a fire breaks out, it will be too late."
Upon hearing this, Zhao Qiangsheng scratched his head, looking puzzled.
He looked around; the village under the cover of night appeared unusually peaceful, with no signs of fire whatsoever.
"Captain, are you sure there's no mistake? Our village isn't on fire!"
He pointed around and said,
"It's all very quiet here, there's no such thing at all. Could it be that someone is deliberately causing trouble, trying to pick a fight?"
Captain Wu shook his head, his expression grave.
"I'm not sure about that. But according to the regulations, I still need to evacuate the villagers first. Village Chief Zhao, please cooperate and help evacuate the villagers to the east end of the village. We'll proceed after we've verified the situation and confirmed it's safe."
Zhao Qiangsheng was filled with questions and reluctance.
But faced with the current situation, he knew he had no other choice.
With many doubts in his mind, he could only obey orders for the time being and turned to go to the village office.
Upon arrival, he quickly notified all the villagers through a loudspeaker.
"Villagers, evacuate to a safe area immediately and come back later when it is safe!"
As the broadcast began, people from every household came out of their homes.
People whispered among themselves, their eyes filled with worry and curiosity.
The children held tightly to their parents' hands, while the elderly supported each other, ensuring that everyone arrived at the meeting point safely.
These people gathered on the street and then slowly moved toward the east end of the village.
Seeing the villagers evacuate in an orderly manner, Captain Wu finally showed a relieved smile.
He took out a walkie-talkie from his pocket and sent a brief and clear report to Uncle Chu.
"Reporting to Elder Chu, the evacuation is underway and everything is going smoothly."
After just a few minutes.
As night fell, the village gradually became deserted.
Only a few fire trucks remained parked there, their red warning lights flashing in the darkness...
At this moment, Chen Le, Uncle Chu, and others had quietly arrived at the gate of the abandoned factory in the village.
The gate was locked, and a firefighter rushed over with a fire axe in hand.
After several consecutive slashes, the chain was broken.
The large, rusty iron gate was slowly pushed open.
Suddenly a figure walked out from inside, holding a flashlight, the light illuminating everyone.
"Who are you? Who let you in!"
"Get out of here right now, or I'll call for help!"
The man holding the flashlight was an elderly man with gray hair and a somewhat hunched posture.
It seemed like they were working here, but Chen Le frowned slightly, realizing something was wrong.
This abandoned factory looks like it has been abandoned for a long time.
Why would someone need to work here?
All of this reveals a serious irrationality.
At that moment, a firefighter said with a smile.
"Sir, we're here to investigate. Please cooperate!"
"Please leave first, we need to search this place!"
"Don't give me that crap. This is Mang Village's territory. Who are you to inspect it?"
"You're a firefighter, how come you're doing detective work!"
Although the old man is old, he is not senile.
After hearing what the firefighters said, he rolled his eyes and then stood in front of everyone with a very domineering air.
Immediately afterwards, the criminal investigation team leader walked over and showed him his documents, work certificate, and law enforcement ID.
"Sir, I'm from the Criminal Investigation Bureau. We're on an investigative mission this time. Please cooperate."
However, when the criminal investigation captain said these words...
The old man shook his head again, his attitude firm.
"Get out of here right now! No one is allowed in except the village chief!"
"Otherwise, I'll fight you to the death! My old bones may not be worth much, but if any of you dare to hurt me, you'll regret it!"
"I'll say it again, this is private property in our village. What right do you have to investigate?!"
The atmosphere froze instantly; everyone could sense the seriousness of the situation.
Uncle Chu also became serious.
Just as he was considering splitting up to avoid direct confrontation, a series of hurried footsteps broke the deadlock.
Zhao Qiangsheng rushed over with several villagers and stood in front of the crowd.
Upon closer inspection, his forehead was covered in cold sweat.
Clearly, he had realized the urgency of the situation.
"What are you doing?"
Zhao Qiangsheng looked at everyone and questioned them sternly.
His gaze swept over the chaos before him.
Clearly, his appearance added a twist to this already tense situation.
At this moment, every decision could affect the course of the entire event.
When Chen Le saw Zhao Qiangsheng arrive, his heart sank.
He understood that things were about to become more complicated.
However, at this moment, there is no room for retreat.
He took a deep breath, walked slowly forward, and wore a helpless smile on his face.
“Village Chief Zhao, things have come to this point, you don’t need to pretend anymore.”
"To be honest, you know better than anyone why we're here."
His voice was deep and firm, each word seemingly carrying weight.
Under the moonlight, Zhao Qiangsheng's expression shifted between light and shadow, eventually settling into a contemptuous laugh.
"President Chen, President Chen,"
He mimicked Chen Le's tone and said sarcastically, "I didn't expect you to play this diversionary tactic on me?"
"What do you mean? Is it because we, from the online community, exposed the pollution sources at your construction site, that you want to retaliate here?"
"How interesting. You brought so many people for such a small matter. Isn't that going too far?"
Before he finished speaking, he cast an almost imperceptible glance at the gaunt man beside him.
The man understood and quietly turned to leave, clearly having received some kind of instruction.
Chen Le's gaze was sharp as a knife, so he naturally wouldn't miss this scene.
But he did not rush into action.
He knew that the other side's move was simply an attempt to buy time and gather more villagers to put pressure on them.
The real source of pollution was right in front of them, and they didn't have much time left to investigate.
Once all the villagers gather here, even now, these law enforcement officers will find it difficult to break through the defenses.
“Village Chief Zhao, you should know how serious the mistake you made is.”
Chen Le's voice suddenly turned cold, "If you continue to obstruct us, you will be crossing the legal line! Doing so will not do you any good."
His words were like icy blades, piercing straight to the heart.
However, Zhao Qiangsheng simply shook his head, pretending not to understand.
"I don't know what you're talking about. Please leave here immediately."
Uncle Chu also came out at this moment, stood next to Chen Le, and looked at Zhao Qiangsheng with a serious expression.
"Village Chief Zhao, do you know what you're doing?!"
"This is a clear case of obstructing law enforcement!"
"We can take you away now in accordance with the law!"
Zhao Qiangsheng, however, looked disdainful, a cold smile curling at the corner of his mouth.