Chapter 19: Beyond Endurance

“What do you want to do?” Yang Delin felt a pang of unease as Qin Feng approached him.

At that moment, several men suddenly entered from the office doorway, all dressed in matching suits, each bearing a national emblem on their lapels.

Their faces were expressionless, exuding an air of authority.

Seeing them enter, Qin Feng stopped in his tracks.

“Which one of you is Yang Delin?” the man at the forefront asked coldly.

“That’s me. Who are you? What do you want?” Yang Delin stammered, momentarily stunned.

“We are from the Discipline Inspection and Supervision Commission,” the leader said, flashing his ID card before telling Yang Delin, “You’re coming with us.”

The words stunned everyone present; Yang Delin was even more shaken, his legs trembling uncontrollably. He quickly grabbed the nearby table for support, swallowing hard as he asked, “You... you’re here for me? What for?”

“What do you think? Are you coming willingly, or do we have to take you?” the leader replied icily.

“I... I...” Yang Delin began to stutter.

“Take him away!” Without wasting any words, two men immediately seized Yang Delin by the arms.

“You... on what grounds are you taking me away? On what grounds?” he demanded.

No one answered. They simply escorted him out.

Everyone in the office was left in shock. For all of them, this was the first time such an event had occurred; for Qin Feng, it was especially unprecedented. He stood there dumbfounded, watching the scene unfold.

Still in shock, Qin Feng went to the office entrance to retrieve his bag and suitcase. Before stepping out, he saw Xiao Bo being dragged out as well, passing right in front of him.

Xiao Bo hung his head, his face pale, looking like a prisoner about to be led to the execution ground.

Soon after, all the staff in the Civil Affairs Office were summoned one by one by the Discipline Inspection officials for questioning, including Qin Feng.

Upon returning from the commission, Qin Feng found that only he, Lin Xiaoyan, and Wang Xiaojun remained in the Civil Affairs Office. The others, after being taken away for questioning, had vanished just like Xiao Bo and Yang Delin.

No one spoke as the three returned to the office; silence enveloped the room.

Just as Qin Feng was uncertain of his next steps, Xiao Liu from the Party and Government Office came to the Civil Affairs Office again: “Qin Feng, Secretary Hu has ordered you to temporarily oversee the daily operations of the Civil Affairs Office.”

“Me?” Qin Feng was taken aback.

“Yes, until further notice, you are to take charge temporarily. Also, the investigation into you and the others has concluded; you are free to resume your activities,” Xiao Liu said before leaving.

Qin Feng hurried after him: “What about my disciplinary action? What’s going on?”

“That, I don’t know. I’m only here to relay Secretary Hu’s orders,” Xiao Liu replied and left, leaving Qin Feng more perplexed than before.

“Am I really dismissed or not?” Qin Feng wondered, utterly baffled and unable to grasp the situation.

After work that day, Qin Feng heard some news: apart from those from the Civil Affairs Office who had been taken away, Li Dejun, Chang Yong, Wang Yunfei, and Xu Guoli were all questioned as well. Currently, Deputy Secretary Hu Jiayun was in charge of Bìshān’s affairs.

After work, Qin Feng returned to his dormitory, feeling deeply confused.

With Li Dejun gone, Qin Feng had no one to turn to for answers, so he took out his phone and called a woman.

“Hello, Qin Feng, what’s up?”

“Sis, are you home?” Qin Feng asked.

“I might be a bit busy these days. Why? Feeling uneasy?” she asked with a smile.

Qin Feng always felt she had a sixth sense, able to see right through his thoughts.

Before he could answer, she added, “Relax. Just do whatever the leadership asks of you. This will be resolved in a few days. No matter how bad things get, it can’t be worse than now, right? I’m a bit tied up here, so I won’t chat longer. Bye!”

She hung up after speaking. Qin Feng pondered her words seriously, finding them quite reasonable. He had already been dismissed; how much worse could it get? If he had to leave, a day or two more wouldn’t matter.

What puzzled Qin Feng, however, was how she knew all this.