Chapter 305: The New Year Will Be Better
"Ding-ling-ling... Ding-ling-ling..."
A call came into the mayor's office.
Qi Lang was reading the annual summary report, sitting leisurely in his office chair, with the aroma of tea wafting from the cup in his hand.
His secretary Chai An walked up, picked up the phone, and asked, "What's the matter?"
"Mr. Chai, it's about refugee resettlement housing." The voice on the other end of the phone sounded a little strange, a little nervous, mixed with the sound of dripping rain.
"Are you in trouble?"
"This is... just a little trouble."
"Don't bother the city lord with small troubles. Ask the people below to solve them." Chai An said in a flat tone.
"But, but it will probably require you or the city lord to step in personally to resolve it." The voice on the other end trembled slightly, and it was not known if it was because of the cold. The rainy winter was freezing cold.
"That's not a small problem." Chai An said, looking out the window, "Tell me the details."
"Yes, that's right..."
The person on the other end of the phone quickly recounted what happened in the east part of the city.
Chai An held the phone tightly, listening to the man's story, his face becoming increasingly gloomy.
"These bastards!"
Finally, there was a snapping sound, and the desktop phone in his hand was crushed to pieces by him.
Sparks flashed, fragments flew, and only a crackling sound was heard on the other end of the phone.
"What's wrong?"
Qi Lang shuddered all over, startled, and thought someone was attacking him, and almost shrank under the chair.
But he quickly realized that the phone was crushed by his secretary and there was no sneak attack.
"The matter of refugee resettlement housing." Chai An loosened his hand, and countless debris fell from his hand.
"Is it a project in the east or west of the city? Are those people unwilling to move away?" Qi Lang thought it was this matter. "How about giving more subsidies? I think the fiscal situation is still good this year. The deficit rate is less than 3%, which is much better than other surrounding cities."
"Those people really don't want to move away." Chai An took a deep breath, "But there is no chance to move away."
"how……"
Qi Lang wasn't too stupid. After all, he had been in this position for many years. The next thing he thought of was, "Did someone die?"
Chai An nodded: "Yeah."
Qi Lang's heart skipped a beat; the New Year was approaching, and he was most afraid of something like this happening.
There have been enough things happening this year. The masked monster has caused trouble several times, and the mechanical race launched a bloody purge not long ago. Those who survived can only hope for peace.
"How many people died?" Qi Lang asked cautiously, fearing that the number of people was too large.
"More than a few." Chai An looked grim.
"Is there more than ten?" Qi Lang took a breath. This was almost his psychological bottom line.
"Roughly estimated, more than two hundred."
"What?"
Qi Lang screamed and stood up from his chair suddenly.
This is not an ordinary construction accident, this is pure premeditated murder!
In previous years, this kind of thing could have been covered up, but the situation this year has become increasingly tense. How could such a thing happen at this critical juncture?
Bang!
The teacup in Qi Lang's hand fell and shattered to the ground, with the flowing tea still steaming.
"Oh my god, this is roasting me on the fire..."
Qi Lang's scalp was tingling and his head felt like it was going to explode.
If this were to be exposed by the fearless media, the consequences would be unimaginable. If the topic were to be brought up again by someone with ulterior motives, the riots of that night would most likely be repeated.
Qi Lang grabbed his hair. He had been working diligently and carefully during this period just to spend the New Year in peace... Why was it so difficult?
"What should we do?" Qi Lang panicked. "Can we suppress it? Can we kill all the remaining people? If we kill them all, no one will cause trouble."
"calm!"
Chai An looked very disappointed and said, "There's a big shot here. Unless he cooperates, this matter can't be suppressed."
"What? Someone else is already here?"
"Well, otherwise those audacious bastards wouldn't even report it to us!"
"Who's here?"
"Su Xia, the pharmacist."
"It was him..."
Hearing this name, Qi Lang stroked his chest and felt a lot more at ease.
Fortunately, he is one of us.
The entire Coral City knows that this young alchemy genius was willing to betray his teacher in order to establish a relationship with the mechanical race.
The interests he represents are consistent with the interests of the entire city, and he certainly doesn't want to make things worse.
"Fortunately, fortunately I listened to you at that time." Qi Lang breathed a sigh of relief, "Xiao Chai, you arranged it well. You let me get Liu Liangmu, who is related to him, up early. Now we are on the same path as him."
"Well, let's go, Lord City Lord, let's go and take a look together."
"good."
Qi Lang didn't dare to waste any more time. The longer things were delayed, the more likely they would get out of hand. He hurriedly put down the annual report in his hand, put on warm winter clothes and went out.
As soon as I walked out of the office building, a biting cold wind blew towards me, cutting my face like a knife.
The biting cold made Qi Lang shiver uncontrollably.
Even a third-level psychic creature like him found it extremely difficult to face the cold of this severe winter.
Qi Lang exhaled a breath of cold air, wiped his arms, and couldn't help saying: "This damn weather is too cold, it's warmer inside the building."
Chai An followed him, looking forward, and said, "Lord City Lord, at least you have winter clothes. Think about those people in refugee settlements and slums. Some of them are still wearing thin autumn clothes, and their shabby houses don't even have heating."
"Ah, I just complained a little bit, Xiao Chai, you scolded me again."
"I just hope that the city lord can think from another perspective."
"The poor always have their own way to survive the winter, right?" Qi Lang rubbed his hands. "So many winters have passed, and I haven't seen the untouchables freeze to death."
"I have told you so many times not to use the word 'untouchable'."
"Okay, okay, you are very capable, I will listen to you..."
The two got into the car one after the other. Chai An turned on the air conditioner in the car, and Qi Lang felt much more comfortable.
With a bang, the engine started, the wheels spun, and took the two people to the east of the city where the accident happened.
"What's the pharmacist's attitude?" Qi Lang asked as he sat in the back row.
"I'm not sure." Chai An shook his head.
"Didn't the person who called just now say that?"
"He didn't have time to say anything because I crushed the phone."
“…”
Neither of them had ever formally met Su Xia, and could only speculate about this person's attitude from various reports and deeds.
In their opinion, Su Xia would most likely not make a big deal out of this.
Chai An really disliked people who sold out their teachers for honor. He knew very well that such people were most likely to stand on the side of profit, so he said, "It should be solved."
"As long as it can be solved, I just want to have a good New Year."
"Lord City Lord, I hope you can have a good New Year. Have you ever thought about the families of the deceased?"
"Okay, I won't talk anymore..."
Qi Lang looked at the receding scenery outside the window in disappointment.
As the year draws to a close, Coral City also has a New Year atmosphere, with many streets hung with dazzling colored lights.
At this time, the east area of the city.
The entrance of the cathedral.
The rain was still falling and the atmosphere was a little subtle.
The moment Wang Hong saw Su Xia show up, he knew that things were bad and beyond his control.
No matter how reluctant he was, he had to ask someone to call the city lord.
"Boss, the city lord's secretary hung up the phone before I could finish my sentence." Someone came over and whispered in his ear.
Wang Hong's heart sank, thinking that the other party must be angry.
But he had no other choice. He could not face a heavyweight like Su Xia alone.
For the sake of Su Xia, the alchemy genius, the city lord Yu Tuo did not hesitate to fight with the people in the Zero Point Tavern, and even took action against a high-ranking mechanical clan member hiding underground in the city.
You know, even if something happened to Qi Lang, those two might not necessarily take action for him.
visible……
In the mechanical clan, Su Xia is much more important than Qi Lang.
Wang Hong now just wanted to slap himself twice. If he hadn't said something rude just now, he wouldn't have ended up in this difficult situation.
"Master Su..."
The smile on his face was uglier than crying, and his tone was flattering: "You are of noble status, what is the matter with coming to a place ? You don't need to do it yourself, just say a word, and I will do it for you immediately."
Su Xia looked at him calmly and said, "You haven't answered my question yet."
Wang Hong smiled apologetically, bowed and said, "How could I know it was you? If I had known it was you, I wouldn't have dared to say that even if I had a hundred guts."
"If it were someone else, would you dare to speak like that?" Su Xia asked him coldly.
"I……"
"The law says 'all men are equal', didn't you learn that?"
“I, I…”
Wang Hong seemed to be stuttering, looking embarrassed, with his smile frozen on his face, and he was speechless when asked.
Then, he gritted his teeth, and in order to make amends, he slapped himself cruelly.
There was a crisp sound.
His face immediately became red and swollen, but he still managed an ugly smile and said, "Master Su, I have little education, please don't be angry with a small person like me. It's not worth it to hurt your health."
"Little education?"
“Yes, yes…”
"How did you get this position with so little education? Doesn't your position require advanced education?" Su Xia looked at him coldly, "Does your family have connections? Or did you get in with money?"
"I……"
Wang Hong's body shook, his lips turned pale, and he was almost stunned by the question.
No matter what he said, Su Xia could always find a point to ask questions and didn't give him any chance to quibble.
The fine raindrops hit his face, extremely cold, and even his heart was chilled.
Regardless of whether this incident today becomes a big deal or not, it will be difficult for him to keep his position.
If the higher-ups wanted to have a good relationship with Su Xia, they might just give up on him and find someone to kill him quietly.
“Boom!”
Thunder roared in the sky, frightening Wang Hong so much that he staggered and fell into the rain, his whole body covered with mud.
None of the dozen or so people behind him dared to go forward to help.
Su Xia was gaining momentum, and those people didn't even have the courage to look him in the eye, for fear of being remembered by him.
In the back, in the church.
Everyone was shocked, and even the crying became much quieter.
Before, Wang Hong was so arrogant towards them, but now he can't even bear a few words from Su Xia. This is status!
For many children in the church, this was the first time in their lives that they faced the impact of power.
Su Xia slowly turned around, looked at everyone and asked, "Who is in charge here?"
There was a moment of silence in the church. Everyone looked at each other. Finally, a dark-skinned middle-aged man came out and said with his head down: "Sir, I... I should be able to take charge..."
"Register all the names of the dead. We will need them later."
"Okay, thank you, thank you sir..."
The people here didn't know Su Xia's identity and they all thought he was a high-ranking official in the city.
In this day and age, except when they need to put on a show in front of the media, few officials are willing to come to such a poor and dirty place in person.
Their thanks were sincere.
Su Xia glanced at the situation inside the church and found that Zhao Xiaobai was looking at him, so he nodded slightly, said nothing, and still stood by the door.
According to the system, Zhao Xiaobai is thirteen years old, but due to long-term malnutrition, he looks only eight or nine years old.
This is true for many of the kids here.
Malnutrition not only affects physical growth, but also intellectual development.
This is why wealthy families are more likely to have smart children, while children from poor families always appear to be mentally retarded or even funny, becoming the subject of jokes for some media people.
It is certain that the rich will get richer, and it will become increasingly difficult for people at the bottom to climb up. The fate of most people is determined at birth.
After a while, the list was finalized, with a total of 198 deaths and 47 missing.
Needless to say, the 47 people are probably still buried in the collapsed house.
Su Xia just sent out nanorobots to go deep into the construction site and search among the wreckage that had not yet been cleared. They found several bodies that had been smashed and deformed.
"Sir, what should we do next?" Everyone here was at a loss and regarded Su Xia as their hope.
"wait."
Su Xia took the list and said only one word.
As a level five creature, his perception was extremely sharp. He just heard the voice of Wang Hong's subordinates calling Qi Lang and even heard the conversation on the phone clearly.
Now all we have to do is wait for Qi Lang to come. Su Xia knows that he will definitely come.
In this way, everyone waited with him for more than half an hour.
During this period, Wang Hong didn't dare to speak anymore.
He could only wait, covered in mud and shivering in the cold wind.
Just when he was about to be frozen numb, a familiar voice suddenly sounded in the distance.
"The roads here are too bad. They're all mud." Qi Lang complained. The car couldn't move. The tires were stuck in the mud. He had to walk the last section of the way.
He is of noble status and has not walked on such a muddy road for many years.
"Lord City Lord, please think about the people living here." Chai An held an umbrella for him and reminded him lightly.
"Well, okay..."
The two walked one in front and one behind, walking on the muddy road, little by little approaching the cathedral.
Before they got closer, they saw Su Xia standing at the door of the cathedral and Wang Hong covered in mud.
Qi Lang couldn't help but mutter in his heart... Could it be that Wang Hong had offended Su Xia, and in order to gain forgiveness, he was willing to roll around in the mud and make a fool of himself?
He exhaled, a business smile appeared on his face, and he said with a smile: " Master , I have always wanted to find time to visit you, but I have been too busy with official business recently, and I didn't expect to meet under such circumstances."
"Many people died here. Lord City Lord, you shouldn't laugh." Chai An reminded.
"oh……"
Qi Lang immediately put away his smile and acted more serious.
Su Xia did not move, still waiting at the door. After the two approached, she handed over the list in her hand and said, "More than 200 people, you should know."
"Yes."
Qi Lang took the list and saw the rows of corpses in the church behind him. He couldn't help but take a deep breath.
If these photos of corpses were to get out, this year would definitely be an uneasy one.
"Master Su, let's not make a big deal out of this, what do you think?" Qi Lang was a little worried, afraid that Su Xia would not give in.
"Yes, sure." Su Xia nodded.
"That's good."
Qi Lang breathed a sigh of relief. He had been unsure before, but now he felt a little confident.
But Su Xia immediately said: "I have a request."
"Master Su, you say."
“It has to be handled fairly.”
"this……"
Qi Lang was stunned and didn't react for a moment.
Chai An responded quickly: "Okay, Master Su, please rest assured that everyone involved in this matter will receive the appropriate punishment."
"Yes, yes." Qi Lang also nodded repeatedly, "Master Su, rest assured, I will definitely act impartially!"
"Okay, I'll keep an eye on it."
Su Xia also thought about making a big deal out of it.
No matter how big the trouble is, he always has a way to get out of the vortex, but these poor people behind him are different.
When it comes to death, no matter how small the matter is, it is unbearable for these ordinary people.
"There have been a lot of things going on recently, and I understand the city lord's feelings." Su Xia added, "We can take our time with this matter, there's no rush."
"It's good that Master Su understands."
Qi Lang sighed and lamented repeatedly that he had been spending every day in fear during this period.
This year has been a bumpy and rough year.
Hopefully next year will be better.
