#369 - Chapter 369 I've been looking forward to this day

"Everyone, stop! Listen up, everyone! Gong Kaiming is colluding with a cult and wants to lead you all to your deaths. Don't be fooled by him! Once you leave, you're doomed!" Several anti-gravity aircraft hovered over Meilin, someone shouting from above.

"Now, listen to my orders, everyone go home and do not leave the city under any circumstances!"

"Gong Kaiming, for his own selfish reasons, is planning to lead everyone to their deaths. Don't be fooled!"

… …

The planes shouted the same message over and over, aiming to ruin Gong Kaiming's reputation.

The people didn't know the truth and stood on the streets, at a loss.

They dared not leave the city, nor dared they return home, and could only huddle together on the road, discussing amongst themselves.

Gong Kaiming was shocked to see this.

"Don't believe them, it's not true! They're talking nonsense, how could I collude with a cult?" He hurriedly explained to the staff in the command center.

But in this kind of situation, explaining is the same as covering up.

Whether he was colluding with a cult or not wasn't the point, the point was that everyone would rather believe it than risk it. Gong Kaiming's sudden request for everyone to leave in the middle of the night was already suspicious. Now that both the Huatong Chamber of Commerce and the Mercenary Guild were saying this, it must be true.

"What are you all standing around here for? Hurry up and go do your jobs! Tell everyone that this is all a conspiracy by the Huatong Chamber of Commerce, they just want to seize power!" Gong Kaiming said.

He urged them for a long time, but no one moved.

"The Huatong Chamber of Commerce wants to seize power?"

The staff's true thoughts were:

"That's great! Come on!"

They couldn't wait to join the Chamber of Commerce; life would be so much better.

Many people from Meilin had gone to work at the Chamber of Commerce headquarters, and it was said that the conditions there were outrageously good.

Everyone had been looking forward to this day for a long time.

There were already many such rumors circulating. Everyone believed that since the Huatong Chamber of Commerce was born in Meilin, it should build its headquarters there. After learning that Gong Kaiming was unwilling and had driven Niu Xingwang away, they all thought he was short-sighted and didn't deserve to be the mayor.

"Mayor Gong, I don't think it's a bad thing for the Huatong Chamber of Commerce to seize power. I suggest you step down, it would be a good thing for Meilin," a staff member said.

"What are you saying? Nonsense! This is a rebellion, don't you understand? As a national civil servant, how can you say such a thing? What about your awareness? What about your position?" Gong Kaiming was furious to hear this.

"Oh, come on! You're just saying high-sounding words. Who doesn't know that you just can't bear to give up the position of mayor?" Someone else spoke the truth.

"You…" Gong Kaiming was about to scold when someone came in.

"Everyone, don't move! The Mercenary Guild is on a mission!" The door of the command center was opened, and a group of fully armed mercenaries walked in, surrounding everyone.

"Yinghua, you…" Gong Kaiming was a little incredulous to see that the leader who came in was Cao Yinghua.

Cao Yinghua was the mole he had sent to the Huatong Chamber of Commerce.

"Mayor Gong, I'm sorry, I've offended you!" Cao Yinghua walked up to him, politely replied, and then shouted:

"Take him down!"

"Cao Yinghua, what are you doing!" Gong Kaiming shouted loudly.

"Mayor Gong, I'm sorry, I can't just stand by and watch you kill the people," Cao Yinghua said politely but firmly.

"Everyone, I have been entrusted by the Huatong Chamber of Commerce to clarify something. The Huatong Chamber of Commerce has no intention of seizing the administrative power of Meilin. Today's action is only to crush Gong Kaiming's conspiracy. As for who will be in charge of Meilin in the future, everyone needs to choose for themselves. But one thing I want to say is that before Meilin elects a new person in charge, I will be temporarily responsible for law and order," Cao Yinghua said to the staff.

He was reminding these people that if they wanted to gain power, they could do so through democratic elections. No one should think about inciting the people and engaging in a military coup.

"You, surnamed Gong, tell me, where is my Lao Xue?"

Just as Cao Yinghua finished speaking, a disheveled middle-aged woman ran in from outside the door.

"Take her away!" He didn't know what was going on and didn't intend to pay attention to it.

"You can't go! You can't go! Tell me, where is my Lao Xue!" The woman stopped the mercenaries from leaving and ran over to grab Gong Kaiming tightly.

"Madam, if you have anything, you can go to the Mercenary Guild. He will be temporarily detained there," Cao Yinghua frowned and said.

"Okay, okay, okay! Thank you! I'll go with you!" The woman didn't seem to be making trouble unreasonably.

After people learned that Gong Kaiming had been arrested, the farce quickly subsided.

Early the next morning, Niu Xingwang returned to the Meilin resettlement area.

"What's going on?" As soon as Niu Xingwang entered the gate of the Mercenary Guild, he saw the middle-aged woman.

Her attire was out of place here, making it hard not to notice her.

"Guild Leader, she's looking for Gong Kaiming. I heard that her husband is missing, and she came to ask him for him," a mercenary reported.