Chapter 312: In the Name of Counter-Revolution (Part 2)

The officials of Jinning City, mentioned by Zhou Ming, were now as frantic as ants on a hot pan. Whether it was the municipal party secretary or the mayor, they couldn't care less about their own images at this moment. They stretched their necks like curious onlookers on the street, standing on the road outside, desperately peering into the courtyard of the tenement building. It was as if doing so would allow them to see through the soldiers at the entrance and the walls of the building to grasp the situation inside.

It's not surprising they reacted this way. In officialdom, the term "counter-revolution" is akin to a nuclear bomb with enormous power. It doesn't matter who you are, what level you're at, or what kind of background or support you have—once you're implicated in a counter-revolutionary event, you're done for life. Since the founding of the nation, countless prominent figures have fallen because of this.

If even central government figures can be toppled, there's no hope for ordinary officials—it's like a deadly plague that touches anyone involved.

For the current batch of officials, they came through the last decade, where the concept of revolution versus counter-revolution was deeply ingrained in their minds, etched into their souls, making them instinctively fearful.

Now, they were suddenly informed that a counter-revolutionary group had been discovered in Jinning City, and that it was even supported by the city's deputy party secretary. How could they possibly remain calm? Mishandling this could lead to the entire team being wiped out.

The Secretary of the Jinning City Party Committee was named Wang Changhao. From his attire and demeanor, it was evident that he was a well-cultured individual. However, regardless of what kind of person he was originally, at this moment, he was no different from a neighborhood committee member facing a difficult problem.

He paced at the entrance and then stepped forward to ask, "Comrade soldier, I am Wang Changhao, the Secretary of the Jinning City Party Committee. What exactly is happening in there? How could there be counter-revolutionaries in Jinning City? Could I go in and see Captain Lin? As the leader of Jinning City, I have the right to know what's going on."

Although Wang Changhao's words were strong, he didn't dare take a step forward in the face of those dark gun barrels.

"Sorry, but we have orders from above. No one is allowed to enter until we receive permission. You can contact our superior leadership, and once you get permission, you may enter," the young officer at the gate replied in an official tone.

This response made Wang Changhao even more anxious. If he could have gotten permission from the military district, he would have done so already. However, just over an hour ago, he had suddenly received a call from the provincial party secretary, who harshly questioned him about the appearance of a counter-revolutionary group in Jinning City. He had rushed over here in a hurry and still didn't fully understand what was happening. Where would he find the time to contact the military district?

Wang Changhao wanted to force his way in, but he didn't dare risk the possibility that the soldiers at the gate might actually shoot him, a city party secretary, given that this was a counter-revolutionary matter, and the troops had the authority to handle the situation.

Frustrated, Wang Changhao scratched his head, nearly tearing off his scalp, when he suddenly saw several people walking out of the tenement building. Among them, he immediately recognized Captain Lin in his major's uniform. At this moment, Wang Changhao felt as if the clouds had parted and the moon had appeared. But then, he noticed something was wrong because Captain Lin was walking in the third position.

As a city party secretary at the department level, Wang Changhao was very sensitive to political hierarchies. He immediately wondered: Captain Lin was supposedly the highest commander from the military handling this counter-revolutionary event, so who could the two people in front of him be?

Naturally, those walking ahead of Captain Lin were Zhou Ming and Du Peng. As they approached the gate, the guards immediately stepped aside to make way. Zhou Ming walked up to Wang Changhao and asked, "Are you Secretary Wang Changhao of the Jinning City Party Committee?"

"I am Wang Changhao," he instinctively nodded.

"Since you're Secretary Wang, please come inside for a discussion. There are some matters we need your cooperation on," Zhou Ming said.

"Alright," Wang Changhao responded, still acting on instinct.

Zhou Ming turned to Captain Lin, nodded, and only then was Wang Changhao allowed to enter. At this moment, the mayor of Jinning stepped forward and asked, "Who are you? How can you just let Secretary Wang go in? What if there's danger?"

Zhou Ming smiled and replied, "This must be Mayor Kong? I'd like to say that these are soldiers from the Lingnan Military District, not some dragon's lair. Secretary Wang is, after all, the Party Secretary of Jinning City. We can definitely ensure his safety. As for me, I'm Zhou Ming from Linyang. I believe everyone has heard of my name, and today, I'm here to help the nation crack down on a counter-revolutionary group."

Zhou Ming's words were like a bomb, instantly causing a stir. Everyone stared at Zhou Ming in shock, murmuring his name in disbelief.

Even Mayor Kong was stunned, staring at Zhou Ming for a long time before finally saying, "Aren't you Zhou Ming, the businessman? Since when did you start dealing with counter-revolutionary groups?"

Mayor Kong's question reflected the thoughts of others, who all nodded in agreement.

Zhou Ming regretfully shook his head and said, "If an ordinary citizen asked this question, it would be understandable, as not everyone has the same level of political awareness. But for Mayor Kong to ask this is hard to accept. It's true that I am a businessman, but I am also a committed Party member. I have a responsibility and duty to fight against all anti-Party and counter-revolutionary criminals!"

His words left everyone speechless, not because they were impressed by Zhou Ming's lofty ideals, but because they didn't know how to argue against such high-minded rhetoric.

Indeed, every citizen has the duty to fight against anti-Party and counter-revolutionary criminals, but that's just a slogan to fool children. Who in their right mind would actually fight criminals? You'd have to be insane!

But this time, Zhou Ming seemed determined to slap everyone in the face. Just as they were all thinking this, Zhou Ming calmly took out a Red Star Medal from his pocket, pinned it to his chest, and proudly said to everyone, "I know you don't believe me, but that doesn't matter because I have a clear conscience. I am always a good son of the Party and the people, and I will always fight against all anti-Party and counter-revolutionary criminals. This is the honor awarded to me by the central leadership for my contributions to the country and the people!"

Everyone was dumbfounded by the sight of the medal, feeling as if the world had turned upside down.

It hadn't been long since the grand medal-awarding ceremony on Army Day, and as government officials, they were very familiar with this type of medal. But it was precisely because of this familiarity that they found it so unbelievable.

Aren't these medals awarded to military personnel? While it's true that such medals have occasionally been awarded to civilians, those recipients were national heroes of great renown. How could it be Zhou Ming? Who remembers this tycoon from Jingchu doing anything to save the Party or the nation?

What's more, even though the recent medal ceremony was grand and involved many recipients, none of them remembered Zhou Ming's name.

But what does it matter? The irrefutable fact was right before their eyes. They might have wanted to believe the medal was fake, but with soldiers present, and judging by the reverent look in Captain Lin's eyes, this Red Star Medal was undoubtedly genuine. This mind-boggling contrast was driving them insane.

Zhou Ming, however, was indifferent to the impact he was having on them. He continued, "Because the state trusts me so much, I cannot let down the country and the central leadership. Therefore, I will fight to uphold the honor of our nation and resist any actions that endanger the Party and the country. I will also ensure that I live up to the Red Star Medal on my chest!"

Zhou Ming's righteous words might have drawn inward scorn, but no one could refute them. Many wished they could bash Zhou Ming with a brick, but they knew it wasn't possible. This feeling of helplessness made them feel like dying would be better than living.

Among them, Wang Changhao was the first to grasp the situation. He stepped forward and addressed everyone, "Comrade Zhou Ming's spirit of putting the Party and the country first is indeed something we should all learn from. I trust Comrade Zhou Ming, I trust the Party and the country, and with the soldiers here to protect us, I believe no harm will come."

"So," Wang Changhao concluded, "I ask Mayor Kong and the others to wait outside for a moment. I'll go in with Comrade Zhou Ming to understand the situation and then come out."

With that, Wang Changhao followed Zhou Ming into the courtyard and into one of the rooms in the tenement building.

Once inside, Wang Changhao said, "Comrade Zhou Ming, I've come in as you requested. Now, you can speak your mind."

"Secretary Wang, you're indeed straightforward. Since you've said so, I'll get straight to the point. This time, Jinning

 City indeed has a counter-revolutionary group, led by Gao Ming, chairman of the Jinning Company. Moreover, Gao Jianhui, the Deputy Party Secretary and Secretary of the Political and Legal Committee of Jinning City, is their protector and mastermind behind the scenes," Zhou Ming explained to Wang Changhao.

Wang Changhao frowned immediately, "Comrade Zhou Ming, are you sure about this? Why does the information I have differ from what you're saying?"

Zhou Ming calmly explained, "That's because this counter-revolutionary group has been well hidden, and Gao Jianhui, as a senior official of Jinning City, has effectively deceived you, Secretary Wang."

"What exactly are you trying to say?" Wang Changhao asked thoughtfully, as if he had guessed something but was unsure.

Wang Changhao's puzzled expression was caught by Zhou Ming, who immediately smiled and said, "What I mean is that this counter-revolutionary group, led by Gao Ming, has brought great suffering to the people of Jinning City. But it was Secretary Wang's decisive cooperation with the central government and the military district that led to the successful eradication of this group, restoring peace and justice to the people of Jinning!"

Finally, Zhou Ming added, "In the name of counter-revolution, we have completely dismantled this black-evil gang in Jinning!"