The Strongest Master Venturing Urban-Chapter 249: The Mastermind Behind the Scenes

The start of a new week, Chen Bin, accompanied by a deputy director from the Agriculture Bureau, embarked on grassroots investigation work.

He originally thought Qinghe Town was the poorest township in Dragon Mountain County.

Surprisingly, after visits, he discovered that other towns were on par with Qinghe Town, not any better.

Evidently, it’s imperative to put Dragon Mountain County’s development path on the agenda.

When Chen Bin and his party arrived in Shiqiao Town, the town’s Party Secretary didn’t appear due to illness, and Town Mayor Yao Pang, along with several Town Committee members, greeted them at the gate.

Faced with such a grand reception, Chen Bin found it somewhat excessive.

However, before he could speak, Yao Pang laughed as he said,

"Welcome County Magistrate Chen to our Shiqiao Town for investigation work. Everyone knows you’re a wealth expert, so they’re eager to behold your prestige."

Upon hearing this, Chen Bin couldn’t help but feel a bit pleased.

Say what you will, Yao Pang’s flattery skills were undeniably formidable.

After exchanging pleasantries, Chen Bin dismissed everyone except Yao Pang.

Then, the two strolled around the town for the entire morning.

After lunch, they continued their walk for the remainder of the afternoon.

Shiqiao Town is a major disaster area for saline-alkaline land, with even less arable land than Qinghe Town.

Having taken lessons from the past, many Shiqiao Town residents also followed Qinghe Town residents in venturing out for work.

After spending a day together, Chen Bin realized that Yao Pang wasn’t merely a talker putting up appearances.

He genuinely contemplated benefiting the people daily and could be counted as a commendable official.

By evening, after a day of walking, Chen Bin’s legs throbbed with aching pain.

He then stated he wanted to rest for a while.

Yao Pang hurriedly escorted him to the guesthouse.

The guesthouse in Shiqiao Town, compared to Qinghe Town’s, was on a completely different level.

The rooms were extremely outdated and carried a moldy odor.

Still, Chen Bin was utterly exhausted and fell asleep immediately upon laying down.

He didn’t know how long he had been asleep when a knock at the door startled him awake.

When he got up to open the door, he saw that it was Yao Pang.

"County Magistrate Chen, it’s time for dinner."

Chen Bin hurriedly washed his face before following Yao Pang to another guesthouse room.

The dining table was already laden with food and drinks, with no other attendees.

Clearly, this meal was specially arranged for Chen Bin by Yao Pang.

Once they sat down, Yao Pang immediately opened a bottle of liquor, filling their glasses to the brim.

"County Magistrate Chen, I offer you a toast. You’ve come to our Shiqiao Town for investigation work; it’s truly a hard task!"

Chen Bin raised his glass to clink with his, smiling as he responded, "It’s work, after all. A bit of fatigue is to be expected."

With the first sip of liquor down his throat, Chen Bin now noticed the meal on the table was exceptionally sumptuous.

It even included quite a few delicacies from the wild.

Chen Bin picked up his chopsticks, grabbed a piece of wild rabbit meat, and popped it into his mouth.

After chewing a bit, he found it surprisingly tasty.

"Where did you get these items?"

"Some folks in our town like to hunt for wild game during their downtime. I specifically asked someone to procure them for tonight."

Yao Pang clearly was an expert in food and knew how to cater based on people’s tastes.

Today’s elaborate feast was evidence of how highly he regarded Chen Bin.

As Chen Bin ate, he spoke.

"The flavors are indeed excellent. In the city, some of these items might even be unobtainable regardless of cost."

Nodding along, Yao Pang refilled Chen Bin’s glass.

"County Magistrate Chen, I truly admire you. In just six months, you’ve managed to develop Qinghe Town. I hope to learn from you and strive to help the people of Shiqiao Town end their hardship sooner too."

Nodding again, Chen Bin’s impression of Yao Pang improved even more.

"As long as you care about the people, you’ll definitely achieve results. By then, the people will thank you, and the higher-ups will promote you."

With a sigh, Yao Pang’s face grew heavy with melancholy.

"If all our county leaders were as capable and pragmatic as you, Dragon Mountain wouldn’t be as impoverished as it is now."

"Oh? Is there some secret to this?"

Downing several more glasses of liquor, Yao Pang finally began to open up.

He laid bare all the scandals Ye Hong had been involved in at the County Government.

"In summary, it boils down to one thing: as long as Ye Hong still exists in Dragon Mountain County, there’s no way for us to truly prosper!"

After hearing this, Chen Bin didn’t utter a word.

He only stared at the liquor in his glass, his gaze gradually growing colder and more steely.

The next day, after leaving Shiqiao Town, Chen Bin didn’t return to the County Committee or County Government but instead headed straight to Qinghe Town.

However, as soon as he entered his office, Jia Fugui burst in anxiously.

"County Magistrate Chen, something terrible has happened! There’s trouble in our test field!"

Chen Bin, just about to sit down, sprang to his feet in alarm at the news.

"What happened exactly?"

"Early this morning, several people broke into our test fields and sabotaged the seedlings. They were spotted by patrolling villagers nearby, and while they fled, one of them accidentally fell into a ditch and was caught."

Furrowing his brow, Chen Bin’s expression darkened.

"How severe are the losses?"

"At least two acres of land are damaged to varying degrees. If we hadn’t organized the villagers for patrol shifts in advance, the damage could have been worse."

"Where is the person who got caught from?"

"No one recognizes him, and he refuses to answer any questions. I’ve already brought him to the town government office."

"Then bring him here now. I want to see for myself what he’s up to!"

"Alright!"

With that, Jia Fugui turned and left promptly.

Soon after, he returned, leading a man in his forties into the office.

Just as Jia Fugui described, the man didn’t respond to any questions, behaving as though he were deaf.

In the end, Chen Bin resorted to a threat.

"You may remain silent about your accomplices, but who instructed the sabotage? If you won’t speak, I’ll have no choice but to hand you over to the authorities!"

The man turned his head away, continuing his silence.

With no alternative, Chen Bin picked up the phone and called the County Police Bureau.

"This is Chen Bin. I need Director Tan to return my call."

Soon, the call came through, and Tan Rongxi’s voice was heard on the other end.

"County Magistrate Chen, what can I do for you?"

"We’re currently working on saline-alkaline land improvement in Qinghe Town. Last night, a group sabotaged our test field, and one man was caught by local villagers during the escape. Please send someone to the town government office to take him in for a thorough investigation."

"Alright, I’ll send people over right away."

Annoyed by Tan Rongxi’s lukewarm tone, Chen Bin couldn’t help but give a reminder.

"Director Tan, improving saline-alkaline land is a top priority for Qinghe Town and holds great importance for Dragon Mountain County. I urge you to take this matter seriously and bring the mastermind to justice as soon as possible."

"Got it, got it!"

With that, Tan Rongxi hung up abruptly.

Not long after, police officers arrived to take the middle-aged man away.

However, several days passed, and Chen Bin still hadn’t received any updates.

Finally left with no choice, he took the initiative to call Tan Rongxi again.

The response he got shocked him: nothing had been found. They’d already released the man.

The response enraged Chen Bin, causing him to shout angrily,

"If you didn’t uncover anything, why did you release him?!"