Chapter 61 Shrewd and Calculated

Tian Wei received a severe tongue-lashing, leaving him with a dark expression as he had no choice but to continue calling the county Work Safety Bureau, all the while harboring a deep resentment toward Lu Hao.

If Lu Hao hadn't pressed him with those extra questions, he wouldn't have been yelled at by Hong Haifeng yet again.

Soon, the call to the director of the county Work Safety Bureau went through. Tian Wei hurriedly reported the situation, and, unsurprisingly, was chewed out once more. After hanging up, his expression was uglier than if he had swallowed feces.

Seeing Tian Wei's unreliable demeanor, Hong Haifeng directly called Gao Tao, the deputy director of the Work Safety Station, to inquire about the exact cause of the chemical plant explosion.

Although Tian Wei played a double game with him, there were still those within the Work Safety Station who leaned toward Hong Haifeng, and Gao Tao was one of them.

Upon hearing Gao Tao state that the chemical plant explosion was caused by a lack of safety alarms and inadequate protective measures, Hong Haifeng trembled with rage.

Of course, this was merely Gao Tao's preliminary assessment and still needed to be verified on-site. Even so, the chemical plant would undoubtedly bear the primary responsibility, but Fangshui Township would also not escape the blame for lax supervision. If the county decided to dig deeper and assign accountability, his position as acting township head might well be stripped away, reducing him to square one.

Fortunately, the incident only involved a dust explosion in one of the chemical plant's workshops rather than a catastrophic blast encompassing the entire facility.

One person had died on the spot, another was severely injured, and six others sustained minor injuries. They had all been rushed to the hospital in emergencies, while the local township fire brigade had already arrived to secure the scene.

Although the situation was grave, it had not yet blown up into a media scandal, which provided Hong Haifeng with a slight sense of relief.

Lu Hao had also overheard the conversation and could not help frowning as he analyzed, "Mayor Hong, I don't think we can allow this chemical plant to continue operating in Fangshui Township. Leaving aside its failure to meet safety standards, its destruction of the ecological environment and severe pollution of the air and rivers are completely intolerable. Furthermore, some villagers in Fangshui Township who worked at the plant have contracted pneumoconiosis and have yet to receive any compensation. I suggest we take this opportunity to force them to shut down."

"You're right. I'll find an opportunity to bring this up at the Party committee meeting later. But right now, the top priority is to comfort the family of the deceased and properly handle the aftermath," Hong Haifeng said, narrowing his eyes.

He had previously put forward suggestions regarding this matter, but back then, as the executive deputy township head, Li Haotian had completely disregarded his opinions. Now, however, he was the township head; as long as he stood his ground, Li Haotian would be forced to bring the issue to the table for discussion.

Realizing that Lu Hao and Hong Haifeng intended to drive the chemical plant out of business, Tian Wei's expression turned even gloomier.

The money he pocketed from the chemical plant every year was by no means a small sum, which was precisely why he had turned a blind eye to its safety hazards.

If the chemical plant went under, wouldn't that cut off his financial lifeline?

Thinking of this, Tian Wei felt an even deeper hatred toward Lu Hao.

...

Twenty minutes later, at the entrance of the chemical plant.

Gao Tao, the deputy director, had arrived ahead of them. In his early thirties, he was older than Tian Wei and took his work with utmost seriousness and responsibility, yet due to a lack of personal connections, he had been repeatedly passed over for promotion.

He had previously reported many of the chemical plant's issues to Tian Wei, but Tian Wei had never taken them seriously.

Being a cautious man, Gao Tao had no choice but to bypass Tian Wei and report these problems privately to Hong Haifeng. Through this back-and-forth, in the eyes of others, he had effectively been labeled as one of Hong Haifeng's men.

As for the plant's underlying issues, the management had never been willing to spend money on rectifying them. After all, investing in safety alarms, protective gear, sewage treatment, and air emission controls required a massive sum of money—an expense the chemical plant naturally wished to avoid. Li Haotian, meanwhile, had consistently turned a blind eye, which ultimately led to today's explosion.

Seeing Hong Haifeng and the other two arrive, Gao Tao hurried forward and said, "Secretary Li is already inside."

"Secretary Li? Secretary Li Haotian has arrived?" Hong Haifeng asked in astonishment.

"Yes, Secretary Li arrived fifteen minutes ago. Township Head Wang Shaojie is here as well, and the manager of the chemical plant is on the scene. They are currently working on pacifying the family of the deceased," Gao Tao reported in a low voice.

Lu Hao wore a startled expression and couldn't help but exchange a glance with Hong Haifeng.

As far as he knew, Hong Haifeng had spoken with Li Haotian on the phone, and Li Haotian had explicitly told Hong Haifeng to wait for him at the township government office.

Had it not been for Lu Hao's timely reminder, Hong Haifeng might have continued waiting for Li Haotian.

Yet neither of them had expected Li Haotian to arrive at the chemical plant a step ahead of them.

To anyone unaware of the circumstances, the order of arrival was crucial; it could easily create a preconceived notion, subconsciously leading people to believe that Li Haotian was conscientious and devoted to the villagers, whereas Hong Haifeng had arrived late, perhaps caring little about a human life.

"Let's hurry over," Hong Haifeng said, his heart sinking.

As they spoke, he and Lu Hao rushed into the chemical plant.

The air quality at the chemical plant was already poor to begin with, and with the dust explosion having just occurred, the odor in the air was pungent and irritating.

Gao Tao obtained professional protective masks from the security guards at the gate and handed them to Lu Hao and the others, and they all put them on.

Working at the chemical plant was indeed grueling and exhausting. Many villagers from Fangshui Township toiled here every day, breathing in God-knows-how-much harmful dust—it was truly no place for a human being.

Inside the plant, the workshop where the explosion had taken place had collapsed, and firefighters were already working on the site.

The corpse of the sole fatality had already been carried out into the courtyard, surrounded by numerous workers and villagers whose clamor filled the air, occasionally punctuated by the sound of weeping.

"You must compensate me for my son! He was only thirty-two, the pillar of our family, and just like that, a perfectly fine man is gone!"

"Your factory must pay compensation! If you don't pay, we aren't leaving here today!"

At that moment, Hong Haifeng, Lu Hao, and the others reached the edge of the crowd, spotting Li Haotian, Wang Shaojie, and the others.

Li Haotian glanced briefly at Hong Haifeng and Lu Hao, then cast his gaze toward Gao Tao.

The next second, Tian Wei stepped behind Li Haotian, clearly choosing his side.

With Li Haotian present, he refused to believe Hong Haifeng would dare to scold him anymore.

A cold chill swept through Hong Haifeng's heart, but he no longer regarded Tian Wei as a factor, choosing instead to address Li Haotian directly: "Secretary Li, so you had already arrived. I waited for you quite a while back at the township government office."

Though spoken with outward politeness, the tone was unmistakably rigid, reflecting his lingering displeasure at being outmaneuvered by this old fox, Li Haotian.