Nominal: Hou Liangping blocking the door? He was slapped away!

Meeting room of the Standing Committee of the Provincial Party Committee.

The air conditioner was blasting cold air, but Li Dakang's forehead was covered in fine beads of sweat.

He stood in front of the long conference table, holding a report he had rushed out overnight, his voice hoarse.

"...As of 8:00 a.m. today, the direct economic losses in Jingzhou City have reached 230 million yuan. More than 600 businesses have been affected, and more than 2,000 vehicles have been scrapped."

Li Dakang paused, picked up his teacup to moisten his throat, and glanced at the standing committee members present before finally fixing his gaze on Zhao Lichun's face.

"This rainstorm is an extreme weather event that occurs only once in a century. In addition, Guangming District is low-lying and has too many historical problems, which led to this disaster."

"The district's finances are already stretched thin. In order to restore production and daily life as soon as possible, I request that the province urgently allocate a special disaster relief fund for post-disaster reconstruction."

He spoke with heartfelt sincerity, placing the natural disaster first and the objective reasons in the middle, completely absolving himself of any responsibility.

Zhao Lichun leaned back in his chair and nodded expressionlessly.

"Comrade Dakang has it tough too, always on the front lines..."

"despair."

A crisp metallic clang interrupted Zhao Lichun's words.

Everyone's eyes immediately shifted to the other end of the conference table.

Shen Zhong sat there, dressed in a crisp, pine-green military uniform. He held the brass bullet casing in his hand and tapped it lightly on the solid wood table.

Zhao Lichun frowned slightly, swallowing the rest of his words.

Shen Zhong didn't look at Zhao Lichun or anyone else; he just stared at Li Dakang.

"Have you finished reporting?" Shen Zhong asked.

Li Dakang's heart skipped a beat, but he forced a smile: "The report is finished. What instructions does Secretary Shen have?"

"I wouldn't presume to give instructions." Shen Zhong placed the spent cartridge case upright on the table. "I just have one question. Did Secretary Li review the disaster report for Hexi District before giving his presentation?"

"You said Jingzhou City suffered a total loss of 230 million. Then, how much did Hexi District account for?"

Li Dakang's face stiffened.

"I have a general understanding," Li Dakang said vaguely. "There aren't many tall buildings in Hexi District, mostly bungalows and old residential areas. Also, the terrain there is higher, so the drainage pressure is relatively lower compared to other areas. There's no comparison."

"There's no comparison?" Shen Zhong smiled, but the smile didn't reach his eyes.

He took out a thick stack of documents from his briefcase and distributed them to each of the Standing Committee members present.

"These are the topographic maps and hydrological analysis reports produced overnight by the provincial military district's surveying and mapping team." Shen Zhong picked up the document in front of him, opened it, and said, "Everyone can take a look."

The only sound in the meeting room was the rustling of papers being turned.

Gao Yuliang adjusted his glasses and his gaze fell on the comparison picture on the third page.

The left side is Guangming District, and the right side is Hexi District.

Both maps are labeled with altitude data.

"According to surveying data, the average elevation of the core commercial area of ​​Guangming Peak is three meters higher than that of the main urban area of ​​Hexi District." Shen Zhong's voice was calm. "Li Dakang, is this what you call low-lying terrain?"

Li Dakang's facial muscles twitched.

"High altitude doesn't necessarily mean good drainage! Guangming Peak was created by filling in a lake, and its underground water system is complex..."

"You know it was created by filling in a lake," Shen Zhong interrupted him. "Report, page five. In the past six months in Hexi District, Sun Liancheng led a team to build a deep tunnel 30 meters underground, with a total length of 12 kilometers. As for your Guangming Peak project, in order to meet the construction deadline, two of the three planned underground main drainage channels were cut off and replaced with ordinary pipe networks."

Shen Zhong tapped his fingers on the table.

"You used the 50 million yuan budget you saved for a lighting project, installing LED screens on the buildings. And what was the result? When the rain came, your LED screens were still lit, while the cars of the people below were submerged in water."

"What do you call this?" Shen Zhong leaned forward, staring into Li Dakang's eyes. "It's called prioritizing appearances over substance."

The report in Li Dakang's hand was crumpled.

"Political Commissar Shen, you can't say that!" Veins bulged on Li Dakang's neck. "Guangming Peak is the face of Jingzhou. How can we attract investment and boost GDP if we don't make it look nice? I'm doing this for the development of Jingzhou!"

"develop?"

Governor Liu Changchun suddenly spoke. He put down the report in his hand, took off his glasses, and wiped them.

"Secretary Dakang, if so-called 'development' is built on the loss of hundreds of millions of yuan in property by ordinary people, then this kind of GDP is not worth having. This data comparison is too glaring. Hexi District suffered zero losses, while Guangming District became a mess. The eyes of the masses are discerning, and you have seen the online public opinion."

"This is a very painful lesson. I think we should put the Guangming Peak Phase II project on hold for now?"

In the past, a fence-sitter like Liu Changchun would never have easily expressed his opinion. But now that Shen Zhong has taken the lead in disrupting the proceedings with sound reasoning and evidence, even Zhao Lichun has remained silent. Anyone with a brain knows which side to take.

"Let me say a few words too." Gao Yuliang slowly picked up his teacup. "Some comrades are taking too big a step. I've met Comrade Sun Liancheng before. I used to think he was dull, but now I see that's what it means to get things done. Unlike some vanity projects, which can't withstand even a little bit of trouble."

Li Dakang suddenly turned to look at Zhao Lichun, his eyes filled with a plea for help.

That was his old boss, his last lifeline.

Zhao Lichun held the report in his hand, his gaze lingering on the conclusion circled in red on the last line: "[Man-made disasters outweigh natural disasters]".

He didn't even look up at Li Dakang.

Normally, he would have tried to smooth things over and protect his key general. But Shen Zhong's report was too ruthless; the data was detailed, the logic was rigorous, and it even had the military's surveying stamp on it.

This is an ironclad case.

Anyone who speaks up for Li Dakang at this time is going against the people and against science.

Zhao Lichun gently placed the report on the table, picked up his teacup, took a sip, and concealed his expression.

"It seems that we have indeed made a mistake in our urban planning philosophy." Zhao Lichun's voice was devoid of emotion.

Li Dakang's last glimmer of hope was extinguished.

He felt a chill run through him; even in the well-air-conditioned conference room, his back was soaked with cold sweat. He had become a scapegoat.

Shen Zhong leaned back in his chair and picked up the brass cartridge case again.

"I propose that the urban pipeline construction experience of Hexi District be promoted throughout the province." His tone was heavy and left no room for argument. "Since Comrade Sun Liancheng has achieved results, let him come and give us a lesson. As for the losses suffered by Guangming District this time…"

Shen Zhong paused for a moment, his gaze sweeping across Li Dakang's face like a knife.

"Secretary Dakang, 230 million! Secretary Dakang, this isn't just a natural disaster, it's a man-made one! How do you plan to settle this score?"