Title: Reborn Qi Tongwei, who defies fate by half a move and refuses to kneel

Chapter 40: A Stormy Factory, Two Deadly Signs

Lone Eagle Ridge.

The night wind was like a knife, cutting painfully on my face.

Qi Tongwei leaned against the hood of the Audi, an unlit cigarette between his fingers.

The phone screen lights up.

A number with no registered address.

There are no notes, but the arrangement of these numbers alone represents a suffocating power.

connected.

The only sound coming through the receiver was the wind, and a steady, deep breath that seemed to echo.

"Is this Comrade Qi Tongwei?"

The sound wasn't loud, but it was like a heavy hammer blow, striking Qi Tongwei's eardrum precisely through the radio waves.

Sha Ruijin.

The new leader of Handong Province.

That Damocles' sword, which descended from the capital and hung over the heads of the officials in Handong.

Qi Tongwei's pupils contracted slightly, and his muscles tensed instantly—a hunter's instinctive reaction when encountering a top predator.

He hadn't expected that this high-ranking official would focus his attention on him so quickly.

"Hello, Secretary Sha."

Qi Tongwei stood up straight, his voice steady, without a trace of flattery or fear.

"Comrade Tongwei, I just arrived in Handong. The wind here is stronger than I expected."

Sha Ruijin's voice carried the composure characteristic of someone in a position of power, as if he were chatting about everyday matters, yet also as if he were giving important advice on state affairs.

"I heard you've been getting yourself into a lot of 'trouble' lately?"

trouble.

These two words were pronounced very heavily.

They burned the evidence, forced Chen Hai to back down, and forced him to bow down to the Zhao family.

These three events were like three fires, almost burning away the prestige that Qi Tongwei had just built up in the Handong police force.

Rumors are circulating that the former "drug-fighting hero" has finally succumbed to the power of authority.

Qi Tongwei's lips curled into a very faint smile as he stared at the dazzling yet murky lights of Jingzhou below the mountain.

"Thank you for your concern, Secretary." He paused, his tone playful, "Some troubles are self-inflicted; but some troubles must be resolved."

"Oh?" A soft chuckle came from the other end of the phone, meaningful. "So, the so-called 'bowing down' is nothing more than a lone wolf crouching low before hunting?"

Qi Tongwei remained silent.

The default is the best answer.

"It's good for young people to have ambition," Sha Ruijin's tone suddenly shifted, becoming sharp. "But the game in Handong is a dead end. Many people try to break the deadlock, but end up sacrificing themselves."

"You took over the Dafeng Factory case?"

"Yes."

"This case is a festering sore, rotting deep inside," Sha Ruijin's voice deepened. "Many people are watching you. They want to use you to puncture it, but they're afraid of getting themselves splattered with blood. So, they'll put you in shackles, and even... dig a pit for you."

Qi Tongwei gripped his phone tightly, his knuckles turning white.

This new Party Secretary has an incredibly sharp eye.

"Comrade Tongwei, I have a message for you."

Sha Ruijin paused for a moment, each word like a nail driven into the ground.

"The knife that the Party and the people have given you is for slaying demons and monsters, not for cutting vegetables."

"As long as your heart is righteous, your knife will not stray."

"Go for it. What can't you handle? This old man of mine can still support you."

beep...beep...beep...

The phone hangs up.

The sound of blind voices echoed across the empty mountaintop.

Qi Tongwei stared at the blacked-out screen, remaining motionless for a long time.

The system's virtual interface flashed wildly on his retina; it was a warning red light triggered by a "critical node."

But he didn't look at it.

He simply took a deep breath of the crisp air, his lungs feeling as clear as if they had been washed with ice water.

"A safety net..."

Qi Tongwei crumpled the unlit cigarette in the wind, a sharp glint of unprecedented intelligence flashing in his eyes.

Now that we have this powerful authority, it's time for things to change in Handong.

……

The next day.

A storm is brewing, and dark clouds loom over the city.

Dafeng Factory.

This place is no longer a factory, but a live volcano that could erupt at any moment.

Thick black smoke billowed up, darkening the sky over half of Jingzhou.

The factory gate was welded shut, and thousands of workers in blue overalls stood densely behind the wall, holding steel pipes, wrenches, and even homemade Molotov cocktails.

Their faces were filled with despair, and their eyes held a kind of madness born of being driven into a corner.

"We swear to live and die with Dafeng Factory!"

"If anyone dares to forcibly demolish our property, we'll set it on fire!"

The roar was deafening, accompanied by the pungent smell of gasoline, stimulating everyone's nerves.

Outside, hundreds of riot police stood ready with shields, but dared not cross the line.

There was a taut string in the air; the slightest spark would shatter it into pieces.

The Municipal Party Committee Building.

"Snapped!"

A delicate white porcelain teacup was smashed to the ground, shattering into pieces.

Li Dakang's face was ashen, his eyes were wide open like copper bells, and the veins on his forehead were throbbing.

"Playing the piano haphazardly! It's utterly nonsensical!"

He paced back and forth in his office like an enraged lion.

"Thousands of people gathered, and they even planned to set themselves on fire? This is hijacking the government! This is a slap in the face to me, Li Dakang!"

He suddenly stopped in his tracks, pointed at the police chief's nose, and roared.

"Tell Qi Tongwei! I don't care what methods he uses, the area must be cleared within two hours!"

"Those who instigated the trouble, especially that Cai Chenggong, arrest them all!"

"If GDP doesn't go up, I'll take the blame; but if social stability is compromised, I'll be the one to take the fall!"

Orders are as firm as iron.

With Li Dakang's unique domineering and impatient nature, he left no room for compromise.

At the same time.

Office of the Secretary of the Provincial Political and Legal Affairs Commission.

Gao Yuliang was holding a pair of pruning shears, slowly and meticulously trimming a pot of precious clivia.

His movements were gentle, his expression focused, as if the storm about to sweep through Jingzhou outside the window had nothing to do with him.

"Secretary Yuliang, Secretary Dakang has given a firm order to forcibly clear the area," the secretary reported softly.

"Oh? Secretary Dakang is still so impatient."

Gao Yuliang pushed up his glasses, a refined and easygoing smile playing on his lips, but the smile didn't reach his eyes.

"The problems at Dafeng Factory are both historical issues and issues affecting people's livelihoods."

"It's understandable that ordinary people have feelings."

He put down the scissors, picked up a damp towel to wipe his hands, and spoke in a gentle tone like a kind elder.

"Give a message to Qi Tongwei."

"Public security organs are public servants of the people, not henchmen of capitalists."

"Be restrained, be cautious, and focus on reassurance."

"We must not escalate the conflict."

Two orders.

A blazing fire, requiring swift and decisive suppression.

One should act like water, like a gentle spring breeze and nourishing rain, remaining still and inactive.

Water and fire are incompatible.

These two diametrically opposed instructions, like two death warrants, were placed on Qi Tongwei's desk at the same time.

This is a dead end.

It was also a game of strategy played from afar between Gao Yuliang and Li Dakang, these two old rivals, who used Qi Tongwei as a pawn.

Choosing Li Dakang is like being a butcher; once blood is shed, one will bear eternal infamy and ruin one's career.

Choosing Gao Yuliang would be considered disobeying orders, offending the top leader, and would result in being marginalized, or even dismissed and investigated.

No matter which option you choose, it's a dead end.

"Bang!"

The office door was kicked open.

Chen Hai rushed in, covered in sweat, clutching the two documents in his hands; the papers were crumpled from the force of his grip.

"Tongwei! They've gone mad! They've all gone mad!"

Chen Hai's voice trembled, and his face was deathly pale.

"Li Dakang wants a strong offensive, while Gao Yuliang wants to appease them! We can't afford to offend either of them!"

"This is clearly putting us in a very dangerous position! If anything goes wrong, you, the head of the task force, will be the first scapegoat!"

"How about... we fake being sick? Or pass the buck to the provincial department?"

Chen Hai had lost his composure and was rambling incoherently.

The office was eerily quiet.

Qi Tongwei sat in a large leather boss's chair, toying with the police badge that symbolized power in his hand.

His face showed none of the panic Chen Hai had expected, not even the slightest ripple of emotion.

It was as calm as a stagnant pool.

"pass the buck?"

Qi Tongwei chuckled softly and gently tapped the police badge on the table, making a crisp "ding" sound.

"Chen Hai, you'll remember this."

He slowly stood up and walked to the clothes rack.

There hung a brand-new second-level police superintendent's uniform, the silver olive branches on the epaulets gleaming under the lights.

"There is never a middle way to go in this position."

He took off his casual clothes, put on a shirt, and buttoned it up.

The movements were slow and deliberate, filled with a sacred sense of ritual.

Every movement is like the final polishing of a sharp blade about to be drawn.

Put on the uniform, fasten the top button, and put on the police hat.

Qi Tongwei walked to the full-length mirror.

The person in the mirror stood tall and straight like a javelin, with eyes as cold as piercing stars.

The memories of being human in two lifetimes overlap at this moment.

What would Qi Tongwei have chosen in his past life at this moment?

He's good at scheming and opportunism, and he'll fawn over both powerful figures like a dog, ultimately pleasing neither.

But now.

He is Qi Tongwei.

He is also a lone wolf who possesses the "Half-Child Victory System".

On the system panel, the [Dignity Value] is jumping wildly, as if yearning for a satisfying harvest.

"They all thought I was a pawn."

Qi Tongwei straightened his tie, his voice low and carrying a chilling undertone.

"pity."

"I'm here to overturn the chessboard."

He turned around abruptly, his aura suddenly exploding, and a sense of oppression instantly filled the entire room.

"Pass on my orders!"

"Special Police Detachment, Criminal Investigation Detachment, and Public Security Detachment of the Municipal Public Security Bureau, assemble!"

"Put on riot gear, fully armed!"

"Target: Dafeng Factory!"

Chen Hai's pupils dilated sharply, and he gasped.

"Tongwei! You...you really want to listen to Li Dakang? That's thousands of ordinary people! If we really take action, it will cause a huge disaster!"

Qi Tongwei neither looked at him nor offered any explanation.

He strode out of the office, his police boots making a dull, rhythmic sound on the marble floor of the corridor.

The sound was like war drums.

"Keep up."

Only two words were left, cold and unyielding, leaving no room for doubt.

His silhouette stretched long in the backlight at the end of the corridor, like a sharp sword about to pierce through the thick gloom of Handong.

Since you want to play.

Then I'll play along with you guys and go for the big game.