Chapter 385: Reporting Yourself to the Police

"You're saying this, Zhou Ming, but it sounds like you've lost your mind. You talk about letting the law handle things and paying compensation if necessary, serving jail time if needed. Are you just telling me a story here?"

Liang An glared at Zhou Ming with an expression of disbelief, as if Zhou Ming's words were fairy tales.

Of course, Liang An's disbelief wasn't due to arrogance or a belief that he was above the law. He remembered that Zhou Ming had led a large petition to the city committee yesterday, and the city secretary had personally responded. It was clear that the issue would be addressed. Moreover, Liang An was aware of other developments, including the fact that the Tan family had been taken down by the central authorities. The main obstacle for Zhou Ming had been removed, and the matter of the township industrial park was too significant to be delayed indefinitely.

Because of these thoughts, Liang An had chosen today to demolish the Ba Bao Congee Factory, intending to damage the building before the city's decision arrived. He hoped that by creating a fait accompli, even if the city's decision came later, it would be too late for Zhou Ming to reverse the situation. Liang An was confident that Zhou Ming would be left in a difficult position.

Liang An was convinced of his plan and thus acted boldly, but now Zhou Ming was talking about letting the law handle things. To Liang An, this seemed like a joke.

Who did Zhou Ming think he was? The city secretary, the provincial secretary, or even the president of the country? Did he think he could just decide the outcome?

Not only Liang An but also the staff and cadres of the Ba Bao Congee Factory, who had gathered behind Zhou Ming, were equally confused. Despite their belief in Zhou Ming, they looked at him with puzzled expressions, unable to understand his approach.

Zhou Ming made no attempt to explain further. He simply told Liang An, "You can continue with the demolition if you wish. My people are here to take photos and videos. This will be evidence for our court case in the future."

Liang An instinctively turned his head and saw that several people from the 760 Factory's television station were indeed taking photos and recording videos of the ongoing demolition. This sight gave Liang An a chilling feeling. The cameras and video recorders seemed to him like soul-devouring demons.

However, Liang An was not easily intimidated. He forced himself to respond to Zhou Ming, "Are you trying to scare me? I'm not afraid! And as for the photos and videos for court, I'm going to court as well. I'm going to sue you for seriously interfering with our normal operations!"

"Interfering with another company's demolition isn't normal work. It seems the situation at your company is quite severe!" Zhou Ming remarked with a hint of irony.

"Shut your mouth!" Liang An shouted angrily. "This is a legitimate factory renovation. The serious situation here is yours. I'm calling the police right now to arrest you!"

As Liang An shouted, he pulled out his phone to call the police. At that moment, Zhou Ming said, "I'd advise you against calling the police, Liang."

Liang An raised an eyebrow. "Why? Are you afraid, Boss Zhou?"

Zhou Ming smiled. "Afraid of what? I just think it's a bit odd for you to call the police on yourself."

Liang An was taken aback by Zhou Ming's words, and it nearly drove him mad with frustration. He pointed at Zhou Ming and said angrily, "Zhou Ming, who do you think you are? Calling the police on yourself? I'm definitely calling the police today!"

As Liang An made the call, an unexpected event occurred that stunned everyone. As soon as Liang An dialed, police sirens could be heard approaching from a distance.

What was happening? Was technology for calling the police this advanced now? How could the police arrive so quickly after Liang An just made the call? The police cars arrived almost instantly, and before Liang An could even react after the call was connected, they were already at the scene.

Liang An stood there frozen, his face filled with disbelief. Even as the phone call connected, he couldn't comprehend the situation.

Police cars roared to a stop, and over twenty officers and a few young men in suits got out. The leading young man was someone many in the factory recognized—Zhao, the secretary of the city committee. Seeing him, people also noticed that among the police cars, there was a vehicle with the city committee's license plate.

Zhao came over and shook hands with Zhou Ming. Zhou Ming said, "Director Zhao, you've finally arrived. If you hadn't come, my factory would have been completely destroyed by now."

Zhao looked surprised for a moment and then saw the factory being demolished. He immediately said, "Boss Zhou, what's going on? Stop this immediately! Stop!"

"I've been eagerly waiting for you to come and seek justice, Director Zhao!" Zhou Ming sighed.

Zhao was at a loss. He turned to Liang An and asked, "Mr. Liang, could you explain what's happening here? Why are you destroying Boss Zhou's factory?"

Liang An's eyes widened in anger. "His factory? Secretary Zhao, are you mistaken? This factory was already transferred to Linchu Machinery Company. This was a decision made by the provincial authorities. You saw the official document. How is it now Zhou Ming's factory? Secretary Zhao, are you favoring Zhou Ming and bullying us outsiders?"

Hearing Liang An's words, Zhou Ming could only shake his head. Was it really acceptable to speak like this? Zhao was the secretary of the city committee, and though he was called a secretary, his title was more appropriately "Director Zhao," which sounded more authoritative. Liang An's comments were simply inappropriate.

Liang An's background was good, so he should have understood these basic rules. It was only that Zhou Ming's actions had thrown him off balance, causing him to overlook them.

However, Zhao could not ignore Liang An's comments. His expression turned cold as he said, "Mr. Liang, I'm not clear on the specifics, but the documents about the Ba Bao Congee Factory were issued yesterday afternoon. Starting today, the factory still belongs to the 760 Factory. The provincial authorities have approved this, and I'm here to issue this notification. This is the official document from this morning."

Zhao then took out the red-headed document he had brought with him. "If Mr. Liang has any doubts, you can write directly to the provincial authorities for clarification."

Seeing the document, Liang An was utterly shocked and finally understood the source of his earlier uneasy feeling. He realized why Zhou Ming had been so calm. It turned out Zhou Ming had already known this information in advance.

Though Liang An understood, he couldn't fathom how this had happened so quickly. In his mind, the efficiency of government departments was always slow. How could the city respond so rapidly? Zhou Ming's visit to the city committee in the morning, and by the afternoon, the red-headed document was prepared and sent to the provincial authorities—this was unbelievable!

Seeing Liang An's stunned expression, Zhou Ming couldn't help but feel a bit of pity for him.

Zhou Ming understood what Liang An was thinking. Normally, no matter how urgent the situation, the city committee would need some time to respond. It was impossible to resolve everything on the same day, especially when it involved the provincial authorities. Decisions required communication and coordination.

But this was beyond ordinary expectations. Zhou Ming had already coordinated with the provincial and city authorities before bringing people to the city committee. The visit was just a formality. That's why the city's response was so swift. Liang An could never have imagined this level of coordination.

Pity or not, Zhou Ming had to proceed with his plan.

With that thought, Zhou Ming turned to Zhao and said, "Director Zhao, I want to report Liang An for maliciously destroying my company's property and request that the police handle this matter according to the law immediately."

At this, Liang An panicked and said, "Secretary Zhao, I didn't know about the new document. I'll stop immediately!"

Zhou Ming insisted, "Not knowing doesn't excuse you. Does that mean if someone doesn't know murder is illegal, they can commit murder without legal consequences? Mr. Liang, how can someone of your stature not understand such a basic principle?"

"But it's different. The previous document did transfer the factory to us…" Liang An began to explain.

Zhou Ming interrupted, "But didn't I already tell you? I warned you that destroying others' property is illegal and criminal. You deliberately ignored this warning. That's breaking the law."

Zhou Ming then pointed to the TV station's camera crew. "Our factory's TV station has recorded everything we've said, so don't try to back out."

At this point, Liang An felt a strong urge to vomit blood. The situation was exactly as Zhou Ming had described. Liang An had indeed been informed about the factory being returned to the 760 Factory and had been warned.

Realizing he had been completely trapped by Zhou Ming, Liang An finally understood why Zhou Ming had advised against calling the police and what he meant by "calling the police on yourself." But by then, it was too late. Liang An turned to Zhou Ming and said, "Boss Zhou, I'll withdraw my people right away…"

Facing Liang An's explanation, Zhou Ming was uninterested and turned to Director Zhao. Zhao, understanding the situation, turned to a police officer and said, "Director Guo, please give the orders."