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

Chapter 42 The East is Shaken, Heaven Descends

The wind seemed to have stopped.

Qi Tongwei's voice traveled along the radio waves and penetrated the eardrums of every police officer at the scene, like a drop of cold water falling into boiling oil.

Protect?

The SWAT team leader's hand, gripping the riot shield, froze in mid-air; the heavy shield felt as if it weighed a ton. He instinctively glanced at the walkie-talkie, wondering if the signal had been misinterpreted.

Not clearing the area?

Not suppression?

Is it to protect this "mob" who just now held up Molotov cocktails and shouted that they wanted to die together?

A deathly silence lasting several tens of seconds.

Until, in the crowd opposite, the old worker, holding his grandson and covered in cigarette ash, dropped the half-brick in his hand with a "thud" to the ground.

The old man's chapped lips trembled, and turbid tears rolled down his deeply lined face, splashing onto his coal-dust-covered work clothes and leaving clear streaks.

"Officer... said you'd protect us?"

This question was like a fuse that ignited some kind of emotion.

The crowd, which had been tense and like a powder keg, suddenly seemed to have had its spine removed.

The hot-blooded young men slowly lowered the steel pipes in their hands; the women who were prepared to fight to the death covered their mouths and cried out.

From hostility to astonishment, from astonishment to disbelief, it finally turned into a deafening roar of cries and cheers.

"Oh, Your Honor!"

"Long live Director Qi!"

The sound was deafening; it was the catharsis of someone who had escaped from a desperate situation, the tears of gratitude of a lowly ant being looked down upon by a powerful figure.

The sound waves pounded against the eardrums of the special police officers, and also against their hearts.

A young SWAT officer sniffed, feeling his eyes burning. He quietly loosened his finger from the trigger, realizing for the first time that his sweat-soaked uniform was incredibly hot.

This is what the police should be doing.

This is the burning passion they had when they took their oath to join the police force!

"What are you all standing there for? Can't you understand human language?!"

Chen Hai's loud shout broke the silence of the police force.

His eyes were red-rimmed, and his chest heaved violently, as if he had just finished a marathon. Looking at Qi Tongwei's back, which stood like a javelin in the eye of the storm, he felt a lump in his throat.

That was his brother.

Those were his brothers whom he once thought had fallen and had knelt down.

It turns out he was playing a much bigger game.

So this is the real "half a move to defeat fate"!

"Everyone! About face!" Chen Hai roared, his voice cracking with extreme excitement. "Set up a perimeter! Guns pointed outwards! Anyone who dares to touch a blade of grass at Dafeng Factory is going against us!"

"yes--!"

Hundreds of special police officers roared in unison, their voices shaking the heavens.

The yellow warning tape was quickly pulled up.

This time, it was no longer a cold isolation zone, but an indestructible wall of sighs, forcefully separating the greed of power from the survival of the people.

……

Overnight, the sky over Handong changed.

Contrary to some people's expectations, the Dafeng Factory incident did not result in a bloodbath; instead, it ended in a highly dramatic manner.

The news spread like a plague with wings, and even the tightest blockade could not stop it.

At first, nobody believed it.

Would the dignified Director of the Jingzhou Public Security Bureau, and the Zhao family's "prospective son-in-law," offend powerful figures for the sake of a few thousand poor workers?

Until the next morning.

Long queues formed in front of newspaper kiosks across Handong Province, and newspapers, still smelling of fresh ink, were snapped up one after another.

The front page headline featured a black-and-white photograph that took up half the page.

The composition is minimalist, yet extremely impactful.

The background is the ruins of the Dafeng Factory, shrouded in dark clouds, while the foreground is a densely packed, angry crowd.

Between the two, there was only a proud and resolute figure standing alone.

He took off his police hat, bent his back at a ninety-degree angle, and bowed his head to the people.

The title consists of only six characters, bold and detailed, as if carved with a knife and axe.

I vouch for it with my badge!

boom!

The entire public opinion field in Handong was in an uproar.

On the streets and in the alleys, during leisure time, everyone was talking about this name—Qi Tongwei.

"This is the kind of official we ordinary people should have!" The woman selling pancakes said, wiping away her tears.

"Qi Qingtian! This is the reincarnation of Qi Qingtian!" The retired cadre slapped his thigh excitedly.

Overnight, the name Qi Tongwei transformed from a "drug-fighting hero" into a symbol, a totem embodying the hopes of the underprivileged.

This wave of public opinion crashed heavily against the dilapidated ship of the Han Dong officialdom, shaking everyone to their core.

The Municipal Party Committee Building.

Li Dakang stood in front of the floor-to-ceiling window, the cigar between his fingers already half-burned, the long ash about to fall.

He read the newspaper on the table over and over again at least ten times.

"secretary……"

The secretary stood to one side, her forehead covered in fine beads of sweat, cautiously probing, "This Qi Tongwei is outrageous! This is blatant disobedience! And... what does he mean by doing this in the newspapers? Where does he put the Municipal Party Committee? Isn't this a slap in your face?"

Li Dakang didn't turn around, but glanced coldly at his secretary through the reflection in the glass.

That look in his eyes was like he was looking at an idiot.

"A slap in the face?"

Li Dakang chuckled and finally flicked the ash off, which shattered in the ashtray with a "thud".

"He's saving my life."

The secretary froze, her mouth slightly agape.

"What I want is stability, GDP, not bloodshed." Li Dakang turned around, his eyes becoming incredibly sharp, like two razor blades. "Although this kid's methods... are a bit wild, a bit arrogant, and even a bit unconventional in terms of political discipline."

He paused, his gaze returning to the photograph, his expression complex.

There was admiration, there was apprehension, and even a hint of envy that he himself was unwilling to admit.

This kind of courage, this kind of boldness to dance on the edge of a cliff and still dare to drag everyone else along for a celebration...

"It's a fine knife."

Li Dakang muttered to himself, his voice low, "It's a pity this knife is too sharp, and it has no scabbard. If used well, it can help me cut through thorns and brambles and expand my territory; if used poorly..."

He stubbed out his cigar in the ashtray with a thud, sparks flying everywhere.

"The first person to get cut might be the one holding the knife."

……

At the same time.

In the family quarters of the provincial party committee compound, there is a small building nestled among green trees and red walls.

Wearing reading glasses, Gao Yuliang held a pair of delicate little scissors in his hand, pruning a pot of precious clivia.

"Click."

A withered yellow leaf fell.

The newspaper was spread out on the table, and the bowing figure seemed to be silently mocking something.

Gao Yuliang's movements were slow and steady, showing no sign of emotional fluctuation.

But the pile of fallen leaves at his feet was twice as much as usual.

"Retreat to advance, put yourself in a desperate situation to survive."

Gao Yuliang put down the scissors, took off his glasses, and carefully wiped the lenses with a clean white silk handkerchief. His voice was warm and mellow, as if he were lecturing a student, yet it carried a chilling undertone that sent shivers down one's spine.

"Using public opinion to manipulate officialdom."

"Place yourself on the moral high ground, so that anyone who wants to touch him will have to think twice about the spittle of tens of thousands of ordinary people."

He put his glasses back on, and the world instantly became clear, yet also instantly turned cold.

"Tongwei, your teacher really underestimated you."

Gao Yuliang picked up his teacup, blew away the foam, and took a sip. The tea was slightly cool and a little bitter.

"You're not playing chess, you've overturned the chessboard and forced us to play by your rules."

A deep sense of apprehension flashed in the depths of his eyes.

This little wolf cub, which used to obey him without question, has now not only grown fangs, but has also learned how to hide its claws and how to use an opponent's force against them.

It's even... already starting to backfire.

"Since you want to be a hero, then you can be one to your heart's content."

Gao Yuliang put down his teacup and tapped his fingertips lightly on the table, making a "tap-tap" sound.

The higher you lift someone up, the more shattered they'll be when they fall.