Official Career Storm

Chapter 1615

After Song Guanchao finished speaking, the other end of the line was silent for a few seconds, then asked, "Who are you?"

"Hey, Secretary Xue, don’t ask who I am."

"Heh." Secretary Xue said, "I don’t even know who you are, why should I believe you?"

"Well..." Song Guanchao hesitated.

"If you don’t want to say, I’ll hang up." Secretary Xue put pressure on him.

"No, Secretary Xue, don’t hang up." Song Guanchao said, "I’m the director of the Jiangzhou City Government Office, Song Guanchao."

He was keeping his voice very low, as if afraid someone would hear.

"So it’s Director Song. Director Song, how come you’re so kind, telling me all this?"

"Well... ahem, Mayor Fang said he has a safe at home, with some good stuff inside. Hey, Secretary Xue, could you do me a favor?"

Song Guanchao put it rather tactfully, but Secretary Xue understood right away.

He had his eye on Mayor Fang’s money and wanted to cash in.

Seeing Secretary Xue not respond, Song Guanchao sounded a bit anxious: "As long as Secretary Xue can help me get that safe, if Mayor Wu makes any move, I’ll tell you at once. How about it?"

Secretary Xue had just hooked a dead battery up to power and was sitting in the car.

Listening to what Song Guanchao said, he smiled and said, "How about you tell me first what Mayor Wu is planning to do?"

"No way. What if I tell you and you don’t help me get the safe? Wouldn’t I be losing out?"

"Then forget it." Secretary Xue showed no intention of backing down.

Song Guanchao was getting a bit anxious: "Secretary Xue, the current situation is very bad for you! Mayor Wu knows you plan to run, and the province has already informed the airport. The moment you show up at the airport, you’ll be taken down on the spot! Doesn’t that intel deserve a safe?"

"No, it doesn’t." Secretary Xue chuckled. "I wasn’t planning to go to the airport anyway."

"You think you’ll be safe just because you don’t go to the airport?"

Song Guanchao said, "All the expressways in Pinghai City have been notified. Every car getting on the highway will be checked. And don’t think you’ll be safe taking provincial or national roads either. The surrounding cities have already sent people to lock down every way out of Pinghai City. Unless you can fly, there’s no way you’re getting out!"

Secretary Xue fell silent.

"Well, does that intel deserve a safe or not?"

"It does." Secretary Xue said, "But if I can’t get out anyway, why should I help you?"

"You..." Song Guanchao was momentarily at a loss for words, then forced himself to say, "I can help you!"

"Help me? You?" Secretary Xue laughed with a hint of mockery. "Do you believe that yourself? You’re just the director of the City Government Office. If you really had that kind of pull, would you be eyeing a safe?"

It was like stepping on his tail; Song Guanchao snapped, furious: "Secretary Xue, you’re already a turtle in an urn. You should be worrying about yourself!"

"Worry? What’s there to worry about?" Secretary Xue said. "Maybe I can’t leave, but Pinghai City is huge. If I really want to hide, no one will find me."

Song Guanchao took a deep breath. "Secretary Xue, I think I’ve already shown enough sincerity. If I hadn’t told you this, you’d definitely be arrested tonight! One way or another, you owe me. Isn’t that enough to trade for a safe?"

"Enough! More than enough!"

"But in my opinion, the safe at Mayor Fang’s place, at most it’s worth two or three million. Do you really care about that small change?"

Like an old fox, Secretary Xue spoke in a patient, coaxing tone: "Why don’t I give you a piece of advice?"

"What advice?"

"I’ll give you ten million. You do something for me."

"Ten million... what is it?" Song Guanchao swallowed.

"Give me Wu Qiangwei’s address."

"What are you going to do?"

"What do you think?"

"You... no way!" Song Guanchao was a bit worried. "If something happens to Mayor Wu, they’ll definitely suspect me."

"Ten million, Director Song. Think it over carefully. As for your concern, I do have a way to fix that."

"What way?"

"I’ll grab you along with her. That way, they won’t suspect you tipped me off."

"Uh..."

Secretary Xue didn’t rush him and gave him time to think.

After a few seconds, Song Guanchao said, "I can tell you, but ten million is too little."

As if afraid Secretary Xue would refuse, Song Guanchao gave his reasoning: "I’m taking such a big risk here. At least... at least add another five million!"

"Five million?" Secretary Xue laughed. "Five million is too little. Let’s stick with ten million. I’ll give you twenty million total..."

"And Mayor Fang’s safe!"

"Fine, the safe at Mayor Fang’s place is included."

"Then give it to me now!" Song Guanchao said. "I want cash, no transfers!"

"Cash?" Secretary Xue sounded like he’d heard a joke. "Do you have any idea what twenty million in cash looks like? You can’t even fit that much in a trunk."

"In any case, no wire transfers!"

"Gold then."

Secretary Xue wasn’t stumped by Song Guanchao’s demand. "I’ll give you the equivalent in gold."

"Fine, you give it to me!"

"Don’t rush. Even for me, it takes time to put together that much gold. Here’s the deal: I have one million in cash and two million worth of gold on hand. You give me the address, I’ll have someone send it to you first."

"No!" Song Guanchao refused. "How do I know you’re not just fishing for the address so you can send people straight to grab me? I’m already on the wanted list. The police can arrest me on sight! I don’t trust you!"

Secretary Xue said helplessly, "You want the money, but you don’t want to meet. Director Song, with you being so timid and jumpy, it’s hard for us to work together."

"Let me think..." Song Guanchao sounded extremely anxious.

After thinking for quite a while, Song Guanchao said, "I’ll give you an address. Have your people drop the money there."

"That works too." Secretary Xue agreed without hesitation.

Song Guanchao gave him an address, then asked, "When can you have the rest of the gold ready?"

"Give me an hour. Once it’s ready, you give me another address and I’ll have it delivered."

"Okay! Call me when you’re ready."

Just as Song Guanchao was about to hang up, he suddenly remembered something and added, "Use a different number when you call me next time."

"Director Song, you really are cautious. Got it."

Secretary Xue hung up with a smile. This Director Song was a textbook case of having a thief’s heart but not a thief’s guts.

There were too many people like this in the system.

But he didn’t mind them; in fact, he quite liked it.

Everyone has flaws—either lust or greed.

If someone has flaws, they have weaknesses. With weaknesses, they can be used and controlled.

See? Because of Song Guanchao’s greed, he had found out about Wu Qiangwei’s plan and that the province was already preparing to arrest him.

Secretary Xue did feel a bit shaken.

At the same time, he also thought his luck was pretty damn good.

Every critical moment, luck seemed to be on his side.

Originally, he had planned to just drive along the national highway and leave Pinghai City.

If he’d followed that plan, he really might have been caught.

But now that he knew about the province’s plan to nab him, he had dodged that bullet.

But dodging it wasn’t enough; he needed to strike back!

The counterstrike was simple.

Grab Wu Qiangwei!

Make Wu Qiangwei contact the province and change their arrest plan for him.

Then, take the opportunity to slip out of Pinghai City.

As long as he got out of Pinghai City, the sky would be high and the sea wide, and no one would ever find him again!