“Whoosh—!”
“Screech—! Screech—!”
The crowd waiting at the bus stop suddenly heard the roar of a car engine and an exceptionally piercing screech of tires, immediately turning their heads towards the source of the sound.
Jiang Yonghui, who was on his day off, was also drawn by the sudden, loud noise.
But as soon as he turned his head, his scalp tingled, and a suffocating atmosphere of impending disaster, of catastrophe striking from nowhere, of being in mortal peril and having no escape, instantly seized his body, as if his legs were filled with lead, rendering him immobile for a moment.
Ahead, just a few meters within his line of sight, an out-of-control car had already crashed through the guardrail and was speeding towards the bus stop like an untamed wild horse.
The car’s speed was too fast, estimated at over 120 mph!
Don’t ask him how he knew; this was a skill honed over more than a decade as a traffic police officer; his eyes were his “ruler”!
And at such a speed, the people waiting at the stop had no time to dodge.
People were already in a chaotic mess.
Screams and cries seemed so faint and inaudible amidst the roar of the steel beast that was rapidly growing larger in their pupils.
“It’s too late!”
Watching the car rush towards him, Jiang Yonghui told himself to stay calm.
He desperately fought the immense fear in his heart, moved his stiff body, and lunged towards the oncoming car, using all his strength to push a little girl, who was being jostled around and crying in bewildered helplessness, out of the path where the car was about to run over her.
That was all!
This was the most he could do.
“Bang—!”
“Bang—!”
“Boom—!”
… …
Consciousness was lost instantly.
Pain, despair, unwillingness, regret, reluctance…
None of it existed anymore!
Only a deep sense of longing remained!
Did he regret it?
Of course—he regretted it!
What if he could choose again?
Of course, he would still—regret it!
But, he really didn’t want to die!
He was only forty years old; he hadn’t properly shown filial piety to his parents, hadn’t properly appreciated the beautiful landscapes of his homeland… And, the warrior in hardcore mode he held in his arms hadn’t reached max level yet.
Alas, he was already level 57, what a pity!
After he died, besides his parents, who else would grieve for him?
Who else would remember him?
Besides a few good buddies, probably only Zhuang Yumeng, Bai Shiyao, Shu Man, Dong Nianwei, Zeng Bihhan, Xu Yizhi, Bao Shirui, Yu Lin, Xiao Meng'er, Tang Ziyan, Jia Chunyi, Wei Yuxuan, Shu Man, Min Feilan… them, right!
What could he do?
Alas!
It was all the moon’s fault… erm… the sin of being too handsome!
How great would it be if he could be reborn!
If he could be reborn, he would be willing to trade… hmm, that vixen Shu Man!
Anyone who wouldn’t trade is a puppy!
… …
Spring, 2010.
Wuyuan Police Station, Wuyuan Town, Lushui District, Yangcheng City.
“Ding-a-ling!”
“Ding-a-ling!”
… …
The piercing ringing continued endlessly, waking the sleeping police officers.
There was an urgent police report!
This was the alarm bell specifically set up by the station to save time and ensure quick action.
It usually wouldn’t be sounded unless a major, urgent incident occurred.
The police and auxiliary police officers in the station quickly got up and dressed, then turned to see that one guy was still soundly asleep, completely unaffected by the piercing alarm, which made them somewhat admire him.
This guy was a deep sleeper.
“Jiang Yonghui! Wake up, we’re going out on a call!”
Police officer Qian Yu stepped forward and pushed the young man on the bed, but the man remained in a deep sleep, his handsome face, turned sideways, was tightly furrowed, as if he was dreaming of something unclean, yet there was no sign of him waking up.
“Don’t worry about him for now, he went out on a gambling bust last night around ten and didn’t get back until after three in the morning; he hasn’t even slept for two hours,” another auxiliary police officer named Zhang Pengfei, who knew a bit about the situation, said.
“Working so hard, it seems Brother Hui still hasn’t recovered from the double blow of his breakup and losing his position,” auxiliary police officer Huang Yong said.
“Keep it down, let’s go, let him rest well,” Zhang Pengfei hesitated for a moment and whispered.
“Oh, I just worry about Deputy Chief Yang… Let’s go out and see first, and then decide if it’s necessary,” Qian Yu finished, and the group hurried out to assemble.
A moment later, Zhang Pengfei rushed back in a panic.
“Brother Hui, Brother Hui, wake up quickly, something happened in Baihe Village, the village you’re in charge of!”
“Brother Hui, Brother Hui,” Zhang Pengfei anxiously pushed the man’s shoulder, trying to wake him.
Under Zhang Pengfei’s persistent efforts, the man on the bed finally seemed to hear the call, furrowed his brow, pushed up with his waist, and sat up, his eyes slowly opening.
“Hoo—!”
He let out a long breath, his slightly hazy eyes fixed on the figure by the bed.
“I’m so sleepy, yelling like that, aren’t you going to let a person sleep… Hmm?”
“Pengfei?”
“Pengfei!”
He instantly sobered up.
“Didn’t you die?!”
Jiang Yonghui exclaimed.
How could this be?
He widened his eyes.
Was he still in a nightmare? He had just dreamed that he was hit and killed by a car, but Pengfei had also bravely sacrificed himself in that mass incident more than a decade ago.
So…
What was going on?
“Brother Hui, just keep cursing me, I’ll settle accounts with you later, now quickly get dressed. We just got a call from Chief Gao; all police and auxiliary police officers are to be deployed, not a single one left behind! The station is waiting for you now, Deputy Chief Yang is leading the team, so hurry up!” Zhang Pengfei, who was usually good-natured, finished speaking and ran out.
Jiang Yonghui watched Zhang Pengfei’s retreating figure, then turned to look at his surroundings—bunk beds, wasn’t this the police station dormitory?
The place where he had slept for nearly three years, no mistake!
Could it be?
I—reincarnated?
Jiang Yonghui took a deep breath, trying his best to suppress the trembling and excitement throughout his body, then took another deep breath… and then another deep breath…
No mistake, it must have been that my dying prayer was heard by some passing deity, who gave me a chance to be reborn.
“But, that was just a little joke made by a person on their deathbed!”
“Oh no! Shu Man!”
“I hope you’ll be okay, I’m sorry, brother!”
“Brother—I feel all out of sorts!”
“Brother—if I don’t go line up soon, I’ll get scolded…”
… …
In the courtyard of the Wuyuan Town Police Station, police lights shone brightly.
The 13 police and auxiliary police officers at the station stood in two rows, listening to Deputy Chief Yang Wenzhong speak.
Jiang Yonghui, at 1.88 meters tall, always stood at the very back of the line.
At this moment, he still felt incredible.
He had been reborn to his third year after passing the civil service exam, also his third year at the Wuyuan Police Station; in another four months, it would be a full three years.
At this moment, his mind was filled with countless thoughts, and as he thought of exciting things, he couldn’t help but gesticulate wildly.
This was 2010! Why be a miserable civil servant? What couldn’t make him rich? Football lotteries, stocks, real estate…
There were simply too many profitable ventures. Closer to home, there were contracting projects, interior decoration, various beverage chain franchises, and then there was transporting coal, hauling coal ash, and the king of investments—Bitcoin!
He was catching the wave of rapid economic development in the country; at this time, anything he did could make money.
He would work for another three months to save up some startup capital, then he would resign!
Why wait three months?
Because in three months, the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa would begin!
And the Bitcoin trading platform would also be launched.
He would use the money saved from the football lottery to buy 200,000 Bitcoins at rock-bottom prices!
If he held onto them until 2025, wouldn’t they go crazy in value?!
He absolutely couldn’t miss this golden opportunity. He remembered in his previous life, if he hadn’t carelessly lost the USB drive with the password for the 200 Bitcoins he had casually bought, he might have achieved financial freedom long ago.
In this life, with his foresight, he was determined to become the richest man!
Even if he couldn’t be the richest man in Mengxi Province, being the richest man in Yangcheng City wouldn’t be too much to ask, right?
… …
“Jiang Yonghui, Jiang Yonghui, I’m talking to you! What’s wrong with you, do you have ADHD? Stand properly and listen to me!”
Deputy Chief Yang Wenzhong sternly criticized Jiang Yonghui, feeling quite pleased: “Don’t think that just because you graduated from a prestigious university, you can contend with me for deputy chief? You still couldn’t beat me, could you? This place doesn’t care about your academic qualifications!”
Seeing that Jiang Yonghui had quieted down, he glared at him and continued speaking.
“Just now, we received a call from Chief Gao. Thousands of villagers in Baihe Village and hundreds of people from the Relocation Team of the demolition command center are at a standoff… All members, without exception, are to proceed there urgently. Chief Gao and Instructor Xi are going directly to the scene. Here are a few points to note: first, all official police officers are to be armed, but no drawing or firing of weapons unless absolutely necessary… second, while protecting the safety of the public, you must also pay attention to your own safety…”
Jiang Yonghui’s mind rumbled. He only heard the keywords “Baihe Village,” “thousands of villagers,” and “Relocation Team,” and it was as if a keyword had been triggered. He instantly recalled a terrifying incident that happened that year and the irreversible tragic outcome it caused.
He couldn’t help but tremble all over, and even the joy of being reborn vanished without a trace.
Yangcheng City! Wuyuan Town Baihe Village mass incident!
Resulting in 11 deaths and 136 injuries!
Among them, 22 severe injuries, 36 minor injuries, and 78 slight injuries!
This was the nationally shocking 4.14 Incident!
After the incident, the entire nation was instantly shaken, and everyone expressed their sorrow.
It even directly alarmed Beijing, which sent an investigation team to Yangcheng City.
During the final accountability, the Mengxi Province Commission for Discipline Inspection Standing Committee researched and reported to the Provincial Party Committee Standing Committee for discussion and decision, to seriously deal with the relevant units and responsible persons.
The Yangcheng City Party Committee, City Government, Lushui District Party Committee, and District Government, as the responsible entities for maintaining stability in their jurisdiction, failed to implement the main responsibility system for stability control, did not do enough public outreach, and failed to properly resolve the prominent issues strongly reported by the public, leading to extremely serious consequences and extremely negative impacts.
Therefore, the Yangcheng City Party Committee, City Government, Lushui District Party Committee, and Lushui District Government were ordered to each conduct a profound self-examination.
Nine individuals, including Su Liwei, Secretary of the Yangcheng City Political and Legal Affairs Committee and Chief of the Public Security Bureau; Zheng Jingming, Secretary of the Lushui District Party Committee; Ruan Wenyu, Deputy Secretary of the Lushui District Party Committee and District Chief; Xu Lai, Deputy Secretary of the Lushui District Party Committee and Secretary of the Political and Legal Affairs Committee; Mao Shichang, Deputy District Chief of Lushui District and Chief of the Public Security Bureau; Tao Zhiyong, Minister of the Lushui District Organization Department; Nan Zhipeng, Political Commissar of the Lushui District Public Security Bureau; Chen Minghai, Party Secretary of Wuyuan Town; and Yang Dongsheng, Deputy Party Secretary and Mayor of Wuyuan Town, were dismissed or suspended from their positions.
39 individuals from various departments and units, including Liang An, Vice Mayor of Yangcheng City; Hu Tao, Director of the Lushui District Letters and Calls Bureau; Xu Shaohua, Deputy Mayor of Wuyuan Town; and Cheng Yongrui, Party Branch Secretary of Baihe Village, were given warnings, serious warnings, demerits, major demerits, demotions, or dismissed from public office.
Jiang Yonghui belonged to the “etc.” that was omitted in that last sentence; although he was not named, the disciplinary action against him was by no means light.
Dismissal from public office!
Simply because he was the police officer assigned to Baihe Village.
With such a major incident, he was, of course, the primary scapegoat.
If it hadn’t been for his uncle’s intervention, he would have been purged from the civil service.
Ultimately, with his uncle’s strenuous efforts to smooth things over, Jiang Yonghui was given a demotion, left the Wuyuan Police Station, and eventually became an ordinary traffic police officer.
He worked as one for 15 years!
And his career path, at this point, came to an abrupt halt!
… …
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