Chapter 348: Chapter 348
Li Jing glanced at the gradually darkening sky outside the window, took the towel from the coach’s hand and wiped his sweat, and said, "Let’s call it a day, Ah Liang, take a break and then go for dinner."
Hearing this, Ah Liang, who was sitting on the platform, gasped heavily, his chest rising and falling:
"Yes, I do need a rest... Otherwise, I’d have no strength to get up..."
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On the other side, Zhou Li felt a weight lift off her heart as she left the testing company.
Confirming that the test report provided by Li Jing’s company was legitimate, proving that the underground water pollution had nothing to do with Li Jing.
But her eyebrows were still furrowed; this also likely meant the issue wasn’t as simple as it seemed on the surface.
She still had to go to the site to find out how Li Jing’s company got blamed for the underground water pollution.
With various doubts, Zhou Li decided to discuss with her colleagues about visiting the construction site again, believing that since the pollution wasn’t caused by the construction, there must be some clues at the site.
Previously, she had investigated all the materials in Li Jing’s company and found no problems, while the public opinion was all pointing towards the construction site.
If there’s a problem, the problem must be at the construction site.
As the sky darkened, Zhou Li worried about delaying any longer and decided to drive directly with her colleagues to the vicinity of the Cultural Park Phase II.
To facilitate splitting up, Zhou Li left Xiaozhu in the car and herself, along with Xiaowu, dressed in plain clothes, infiltrated the construction site.
The construction site in the evening only had a few large machines left.
Several street lamps emitted a dim glow, barely illuminating the somewhat cluttered area.
"Section Chief Zhou, how do we check such a large construction site?"
"Examine the drainage pipes and sewage channels. It’s inconvenient to check these during the day, and it’s easier to find problems at night when the site is empty."
"If there’s indeed an issue with the discharge of construction wastewater, what does that indicate?"
"Then it would indicate shortcuts were taken, possibly discharging sewage directly to save costs, and from this, we might uncover some underhanded dealings..."
"And if there’s no problem?"
"If there’s no problem..."
Zhou Li squinted slightly, "Then it likely means someone is deliberately targeting the Cultural Park project."
"Deliberately targeting the Cultural Park project?" Xiaowu, wearing glasses, showed a hint of surprise, "The Cultural Park was pushed forward by Mayor Hu. Is someone trying to frame him at any cost..."
Before the words were finished, Zhou Li’s expression changed slightly, and she immediately pulled Xiaowu down into a crouch, signaling silence.
Then, amidst the other’s puzzled gaze, she leaned against the nearby pile of earth, cautiously turning her head to look toward the distance, hearing a rustling sound coming from the corner.
"Is there... someone there?"
Zhou Li did not answer Xiaowu’s question but instead crept closer along the piled materials on the site, following the direction of the sound.
Not until she was less than ten meters away did Zhou Li, illuminated by the moonlight, discover a group of people stealthily busying themselves.
Their swift movements carried a hint of panic, unlike the workers from a construction team.
The following Xiaowu was even more surprised, standing nervously behind Zhou Li and tugging her sleeve, with eyes asking what to do next.
After Zhou Li signaled "let’s watch first," she took out her phone, switched to night mode, and began secretly filming.
Those people used specially made tools under the cover of night to vigorously dig some "ditches" around the construction site. These "ditches" were extremely concealed and couldn’t be spotted without careful inspection.
After finishing, they drew wastewater from the nearby drainage network, channeling it through these inconspicuous "ditches" to outside the construction site.
"In that direction is..."
Zhou Li suddenly thought of something, and her heart skipped a beat: Could it be the direction of the underground water source?!
And those people didn’t stop there; they began to forge traces seemingly left by construction work around the trenches, then scattered some building materials over the surroundings, creating a cluttered look.
There was even someone pushing an old wheel, pressing tire marks back and forth nearby, all seemingly done purposely during the construction process.
While filming, Zhou Li frowned deeper, the more she looked, the more familiar some of these people seemed, especially the burly man in charge.
She recalled and realized that he seemed like those who caused trouble yesterday at the site.
The burly man was precisely the middle-aged man leading the troublemaking. Zhou Li had found them suspicious then, and now spotted them here again.
With this thought, Zhou Li’s face showed uncertainty, quickly thinking for a moment, then discreetly signaled Xiaowu behind her to retreat together.
This group of people must not be simple. Having witnessed them frame the construction site, they must not be discovered, or conflict might arise.
For her and her colleagues’ safety, Zhou Li resolutely chose to withdraw silently after the filming was complete.
Just as they were about to leave, the leading middle-aged man turned his head, saw the shadow behind the pile of materials, his eyes sharpened, and he immediately shouted:
The man’s sudden voice startled the already nervous Xiaowu, causing him to stumble and crash into the pile of materials, causing sand and rocks to spill noisily through the tilted bag opening.
"Stop everything, someone’s over there!"
Seeing that there’s really someone hiding nearby, the middle-aged man, both shocked and furious, ordered his companions to stop and led the chase himself.
Zhou Li and Xiaowu’s faces changed dramatically, immediately breaking into a run, quickly heading toward the exit and notifying Xiaozhu to come and assist.
"Let’s see where you’ll run to!!"
The leading middle-aged man revealed a fierce look under the moonlight, picked up a shovel from the ground, and threw it hard.
With an "ah," a figure fell to the ground ahead.
Beside her, Xiaowu was startled, hurriedly bending over to assist: "Section Chief Zhou, are you okay?!"
Zhou Li clutched her arm, under the torn shirt from the shovel was a wound seeping blood.
"Let’s see where you’ll run!"
At this moment, the burly man, already with seven or eight accomplices pursued, paused upon catching up to the two.
Especially upon seeing Zhou Li’s delicate young face, his pupils shrank slightly, incredulous: "It’s you?!"
"Seems you remember us."
Holding her arm wound, with Xiaowu’s support, Zhou Li maintained her composure and sternly looked at the group:
"I’m Zhou Li from the City Commission, investigating matters related to the Cultural Park. Aren’t you local residents? What are you doing here so late?!"
The burly man’s face changed slightly, shaken by her imposing manner; he hesitated, considering what to do when a companion whispered beside him:
"Brother Dao, she’s holding a phone, maybe she recorded what we did just now.
If tonight’s events are leaked, President Huang won’t spare us..."
Hearing this, the burly man’s expression shifted, realizing he had no room to retreat, he gazed at Zhou Li with a sinister look again:
"I don’t know you, nor do I know what you’re talking about.
Now you have two choices, either give me your phones, or neither of you leave!"
With that, under the burly man’s gaze, seven or eight men quickly surrounded the two in the dim night.
Xiaowu was startled, seeing the six-foot-tall men encircle him and feeling panic, unable to voice any strong words.
"Section Chief Zhou, what do we do..."
Hearing Xiaowu’s anxious voice, Zhou Li’s face turned pale; she tightly gripped her phone, biting her lip without speaking.
At this moment, she didn’t know what to do either; the other side was clearly desperate, unlikely letting her take the phone and video back.
But if she handed the phone over, Zhou Li wouldn’t have the same luck retrieving evidence of the Cultural Park’s framing.
"Are you handing over the phones or not?!"
Seeing the burly man stepping forward again, menacingly, Xiaowu shivered with fear.
Facing the seven or eight older men nearly twice her size, Zhou Li also felt a helpless despair.
At this moment, her mind flashed with various thoughts, finally settling on a familiar figure.
The person she most hoped to see now was the man she had liked since middle school.
Suddenly, the sound of a horn pierced the night sky, followed by two bright headlights shining over.
The harsh light made everyone instinctively turn away and cover their eyes.