193: Chapter 194 Zhao Weiguo's Goodwill

"I know that there are players of the martial domain game among you. I have come here this time with no other intention; I am simply representing the organization to convey goodwill to you."

His tone was very calm, so calm that it was as if he were speaking about the most ordinary matter.

But when Lin Ye heard this, his pupils constricted slightly.

Sure enough, the other party's arrival here was no coincidence.

"Additionally..." Provincial Governor Zhao Weiguo continued.

"After careful consideration by the organization, it has been decided that starting from today, a village consolidation plan will be implemented. All rural populations will be relocated and settled into the nearest county towns, with all expenses covered by the government."

As soon as these words were spoken, the crowd, which had just been looking bewildered, instantly erupted into an uproar.

Among the words spoken by Provincial Governor Zhao Weiguo, most people only understood "village consolidation plan" and "all expenses covered by the government."

Either one of these two pieces of information, taken alone, would be explosive, let alone both combined.

The originally quiet square instantly turned into a bustling marketplace, with voices debating and discussing rising one after another.

"Village consolidation? Moving to the county town? Doesn't that make us city folk?"

"The government pays? That sounds great! I've wanted to move for a long time, I just didn't have the money to buy a house."

"Are you stupid? If we move, what happens to the land? What about the house? What about the ancestral graves?"

"Exactly, exactly! If we move away, what will we farm?"

Some were happy, some were worried, some clapped and cheered, while others shook their heads and sighed.

But on everyone's face was written the same thing: this news had come too suddenly, so suddenly that they hadn't yet figured out how to react.

"Alright, that is all I have to say." Provincial Governor Zhao Weiguo's tone rose slightly, as if he were providing a simple conclusion.

"I will be staying here for one night. If anyone among you wishes to learn more about the situation, you may come and find me at any time."

After saying this, he turned and walked off the stage.

The village head hurried to follow, bending and bowing while saying something. Provincial Governor Zhao Weiguo waved his hand and walked toward those black sedans without looking back.

The village head walked back onto the stage, picked up the microphone, and said in an excited tone: "Um, everyone, you all heard what Provincial Governor Zhao just said. Regarding the village consolidation, the higher-ups will handle it uniformly. Everyone just go back and wait for notification. Meeting adjourned."

The crowd gradually dispersed. Lin Ye watched Provincial Governor Zhao Weiguo's figure seat himself into the official vehicle, his eyes flickering.

He immediately pulled his parents along and walked home following the crowd.

Along the way, Father Lin and Mother Lin did not speak.

No expression could be seen on their faces, but Lin Ye could feel that the hand his mother was using to hold his arm was gripped very tightly.

Upon returning home, Father Lin closed the door and then plopped down onto the sofa.

The three of them sat facing each other, and no one spoke first.

After a moment, Father Lin was the first to break the silence.

"Little Ye, what do you think Provincial Governor Zhao meant by what he said just now?" Father Lin looked at Lin Ye, his tone carrying a hint of gravity.

"Has he already targeted us?"

Lin Ye shook his head: "Probably not. If they had really targeted us, it would have been the armed police showing up at our door; they wouldn't just say a couple of words and leave."

Mother Lin rubbed her hands on her knees, her expression somewhat nervous: "Then should we..."

"Mom." Lin Ye interrupted the rest of her words.

"No need to be nervous. In my view, he is conveying goodwill to us."

"Goodwill?" Father Lin frowned slightly.

He had also been struggling in society for many years and had seen too many things done under the banner of "goodwill" that ended up changing their nature in the end.

Although he had a natural awe for the organization, awe did not mean blind obedience.

Lin Ye also saw his father's concerns and smiled: "Dad, don't worry. If the state really wanted to take action against us, they wouldn't come with such fanfare, nor would they say those things in front of so many people."

"The purpose of Provincial Governor Zhao coming down to inspect is very simple: it is to tell us that the state already knows of the players' existence, but the state does not intend to use forceful means to manage us, but rather hopes to win us over with goodwill."

After listening to Lin Ye's analysis, Father Lin's brow slowly smoothed out.

"Then what should we do now?"

Lin Ye did not answer immediately. He raised his head and looked at the position of the village entrance, remaining silent for a moment before speaking slowly:

"Let's do this: I will go and test the waters first."

Mother Lin became anxious upon hearing this: "You're going alone?"

"Mom, don't worry. I'm just going to have a chat with this Provincial Governor Zhao; nothing will happen," Lin Ye said with a smile, trying to comfort her.

Mother Lin was still somewhat uneasy, but she could not think of any reason to object, so she could only turn to look at Father Lin, hoping he would say something.

Father Lin was silent for a while, then slowly nodded.

"Alright, then be careful."

"Yeah, I know. You guys just stay at home and wait in peace."

Saying this, Lin Ye stood up, opened the door, and walked out.

At this moment, the people on the village entrance square had dispersed for the most part; only a few village officials remained, tidying up the tables and chairs on the stage.

Several police cars were still parked in the same place, but the police lights on the roofs had been turned off.

As for those black sedans, they were parked quietly on the side of the square, the windows pitch black, making it impossible to see the situation inside.

Lin Ye did not take the main road; instead, he took a wide detour and approached from the other side of the village.

Relying on his powerful perception, Lin Ye discovered that there were several plainclothes officers hiding around the cars.

Those plainclothes officers possessed an aura that was completely out of place with the surrounding environment; even when they were relaxed, their gazes would intentionally or unintentionally sweep over anyone attempting to approach.

However, relying on his powerful physical constitution, Lin Ye arrived near his target silently.

Provincial Governor Zhao Weiguo's official vehicle was parked at the very inside: a black sedan, a large model, with dark anti-peeping film on the windows.

Standing on both sides of the vehicle were two men with buzz cuts, their waists straight, their gazes vigilantly scanning the surroundings.

These two people could not be bypassed.

Of course, it would be simple to avoid them; he could just knock them out, but that would be a bit impolite.

Lin Ye stopped at a distance of three zhang away from the car, then stopped hiding his footsteps.

Thud.

A light sound, not loud, but clear enough in the quiet night.

The two young men with buzz cuts immediately looked over, their gazes like knives, their hands already pressed against their waists.

Their reactions were extremely fast; from hearing the sound to making a response, it took no more than one second.

"Who?"

Before Lin Ye could answer, a voice came from inside the car: "Let him come over."

Afterward, the car window was seen slowly rolling down.

Provincial Governor Zhao Weiguo was sitting in the backseat, holding a document in his hand, his gaze shifting away from the document to look out the window.

When he saw Lin Ye, the expression on his face did not change at all, as if he had expected this long ago.

"Get in the car." Provincial Governor Zhao Weiguo said with a smile.

The car door was pushed open from the inside.

Lin Ye did not hesitate either; he bent down and climbed in.

The interior of the car was very spacious, with soft and thick leather seats that emitted a faint smell of leather.

No lights were on inside the car, only a faint glimmer from the dashboard, illuminating the outline of half of Provincial Governor Zhao Weiguo's face.