Chapter 114: Spreading Rumors

The joint investigation between the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) and the public security bureau was utilizing the best technology and the most trusted personnel.

The goal was simple: uncover the truth.

The entire nation had its eyes on this mining accident. Pressure was coming from all directions.

TV stations and newspapers from various regions were all eager to get inside, snap some photos, and report on the incident.

But Chief Song made a decisive order—starting today, no media personnel would be allowed through.

It wasn’t because they feared the public knowing the truth, but rather because these reporters had a tendency to distort facts and stir up unnecessary panic.

Something that wasn’t even that serious could be twisted beyond recognition by a few strokes of their pens.

And sure enough, one particular newspaper from another province had already been summoned for questioning due to spreading misinformation.

Inside an office, Song Qi and the local public security chief sat facing a seemingly well-mannered male reporter.

He was dressed professionally and wrote articles that exuded righteousness.

But the moment he sat down in front of them, he looked like a drenched rat—utterly miserable.

Song Qi held up the reporter’s article and read aloud in an emotionless voice:

“Jihe Province Mining Disaster: A Loss of Humanity or a Collapse of Morality? Why Is the Government Deliberately Concealing the Death Toll? The Actual Number of Deaths Is as High as Thirty!”

As soon as he finished reading, sweat began to bead on the reporter’s forehead.

His fingers anxiously twisted the hem of his shirt.

The investigation had already confirmed that in just a few days, over twenty thousand copies of this article had been printed and widely circulated, causing severe social repercussions.

Song Qi’s gaze was sharp as he asked, “So, tell me, where are the remaining twenty-seven bodies? Unless, Reporter Feng Ziran, you saw them with your own eyes?”

Feng Ziran’s body trembled as he abruptly stood up. “I—I only heard about it! I didn’t mean to write it that way. I interviewed some of the victims’ families outside, and they said thirty people had died, so I—”

Song Qi cut him off with another question. “Did you hear about it, or did the families tell you directly?”

Feng Ziran stammered, “The families… but some of it was also hearsay…”

His response was a jumbled mess.

Song Qi casually tossed the newspaper at Feng Ziran’s head. “Don’t worry, Reporter Feng. I never falsely accuse a good person. In a few days, once the truth is fully revealed, all the workers and their families will come to the mine to receive compensation. At that time, someone will personally take you to identify exactly which families made those claims.”

Feng Ziran shuddered.

When Song Qi stepped closer, his piercing gaze made Feng feel as if he was suffocating.

It was over.

Song Qi walked behind him and added, “Oh, by the way, do you see that tape recorder on the table? For the sake of fairness, justice, and transparency, I trust that you, Reporter Feng, won’t object to me recording our conversation. After all, Director Wei is here, the office door is open, and everyone outside has heard everything loud and clear. They’ll know the authenticity of this recording, don’t you think?”

Beads of cold sweat dripped from Feng Ziran’s forehead, falling onto his now-drenched shoulders.

Seeing his panicked and guilty expression, Song Qi let out a cold laugh before turning to leave with Wei Yun.

Just as he reached the door, he instructed, “Xu Chen, take good care of our dear Reporter Feng!”

“Yes, Chief!”

The Public Security Bureau’s director remained silent throughout.

This time, in the mining disaster investigation, the police were merely assisting the PLA.

The higher-ups had been extremely cautious, sending in a team directly from the capital to prevent any potential local cover-ups.

For the police, this meant less pressure and more time to relax.

With the military taking the lead, they only had to provide support.

However, after working with Song Qi for the past few days, Wei Yun realized that relaxing was simply not an option.

This man—Colonel Song Qi—was young but incredibly decisive, meticulous, and efficient.

He was also extraordinarily energetic, available at all hours, and never seemed tired.

He was always sharp, always composed.

Nothing escaped his eyes.

Even his subordinates—every single one of them—were disciplined, well-trained, and top-tier soldiers.

Curious about this man, Wei Yun had secretly reached out to some contacts in Beijing for information.

The results left him in shock.

Song Qi came from one of the most prestigious high-ranking military families in the capital.

His father was a commander.

His uncles, brothers, and even his friends were all influential figures.

The women in his family weren’t ordinary either—

His mother’s family owned a major steel corporation.

His sister and brother-in-law were elite members of a reconnaissance unit.

His wife ran a successful restaurant business.

Even his in-laws were war veterans who had fought on the battlefield.

An entire family of dignified and capable people.

Their background was as solid as steel.

Yet, despite all this, Song Qi had none of the arrogance or entitlement of a second-generation elite.

He had earned his position through sheer ability—through real combat experience.

At the military academy, his grades had consistently ranked among the top.

Now, Wei Yun was completely convinced.

If Song Qi told him to go east, he wouldn’t even glance west.

Even though he was more than ten years older than Song Qi, in front of true competence, age meant absolutely nothing.

When they reached the ground floor, Wei Yun noticed that Song Qi had slowed his pace to wait for him.

“Colonel Song, what do you plan to do with this man?”

Song Qi glanced at Wei Yun and said, “I’ll leave this matter to the police. I was just scaring him a little. This is your area of expertise, so I won’t overstep my bounds.”

Wei Yun hadn’t expected Song Qi to be so courteous—he had done the work but was leaving the credit to the public security bureau.

“Alright! I’ll make sure my men handle this properly. There can’t be a second case like this. If rumors start spreading, our public credibility will definitely suffer!”

Song Qi looked at Wei Yun and patted him lightly on the shoulder. “Director Wei, you know more about this than I do. Just handle it as you see fit.”

Being acknowledged like this made Wei Yun feel slightly uneasy.

But when he thought about his own experience, he regained some confidence.

Then he remembered his subordinates mentioning that they had seen Song Qi and Long Yue Zhi speaking in private.

Not wanting to offend the wrong person, he decided to ask, “Colonel Song, if I may ask, do you know Long Yue Zhi, the largest shareholder of this mine?”

Song Qi gave a neutral hum of acknowledgment and didn’t hide anything. “He’s a close friend of my wife.”

Wei Yun responded with an “Oh.”

Testing the waters, he asked, “Then… should I give him special consideration?”

Song Qi turned around, a faint smile appearing at the corner of his lips, and asked in return, “Why would Director Wei need to give him special consideration? Has Long Yue Zhi committed a crime or broken any regulations? He isn’t even the one managing the mine.”

Realizing his mistake, Wei Yun immediately corrected himself. “My apologies, I understand now. I will handle this case with fairness and impartiality.”

Song Qi gave another indifferent hum and then added, “Director Wei, everything should be handled impartially. That’s the only way to stay in your position for the long run. You’re older and more experienced than me—you already understand this better than I do.”

With that, he turned and left.

Wei Yun took a deep breath.

By official rank, he was actually higher than Song Qi. He was even more experienced and older.

Yet, in this place—his own jurisdiction—he had unconsciously followed Song Qi’s lead without even realizing it.

Some people are just born with leadership and presence.

In that aspect, he had to admit he couldn’t compare.

=====

Four days later.

The mine’s shareholders, workers, and some of their family members all gathered in the cafeteria.

Long Yue Zhi, Quan Zhiwen, and Xu Jin had already held a shareholders’ meeting the day before and finalized the compensation plan for the workers.

The families of the three deceased workers would each receive 6,000 yuan in compensation.

The sixteen injured workers would receive compensation ranging from 500 to 1,000 yuan, depending on the severity of their injuries.

The remaining 94 workers would each receive an additional two months’ salary—roughly 200 yuan.

When this compensation plan was announced, the crowd immediately started whispering among themselves.

It was too much.

They all knew that in this era, 6,000 yuan was a massive sum of money!

The families of the deceased workers had secretly discussed that if the compensation was less than 3,000 yuan, they would cause a scene and refuse to sign a settlement agreement.

But 6,000 yuan?!

That was completely unexpected.

Without hesitation, all three families signed the settlement agreement on the spot, even fearing that the mine might change its mind.

Seeing that even the families of the deceased weren’t causing trouble, the surviving workers were even more content.

No one raised any objections. They simply lined up and signed their names.

After the compensation was distributed, Long Yue Zhi had another important announcement to make.

He glanced at Quan Zhiwen and Xu Jin, then handed the microphone to Hu Wei.

“Director Hu, I’ll leave this announcement to you.”

Hu Wei took the microphone and immediately looked toward Quan Zhiwen for confirmation.

After receiving a nod from him, he took the speech that Long Yue Zhi had prepared.