109: Chapter 109 Investigation of the Clubhouse

When the call connected, Luo Jinghui was presiding over a Party Committee meeting at the Tongan Municipal Bureau.

He made a gesture for a pause and stood up to walk out of the conference room.

Lu Zheng's words made Luo Jinghui's heart tighten.

"Director Lu, this..." Luo Jinghui weighed his words. "The situation at Platinum Night is quite complex. If we act rashly..."

Although he hadn't personally led the team during the last joint operation with the Provincial Commission for Discipline Inspection, He Yunqiao had already reported to him.

Luo Jinghui was well aware of the nature of the Platinum Night Club.

This club had been open for several years, and membership cards had been distributed for free to all officials at the deputy division level and above.

In other words, in Tongan City, there were hundreds of officials who held Platinum Night membership cards.

The number of cadres who had run into trouble here was definitely not small.

Even though Luo Jinghui was an "airdropped" cadre, he still had to consider the stability of Tongan City and the smooth operation of government departments.

But he was only halfway through his sentence when Lu Zheng interrupted him.

"Director Luo, have you ever thought about it? Knowing this is a tumor yet allowing it to exist is a serious case of inaction."

Lu Zheng's words were somewhat blunt.

Luo Jinghui felt his face flush and fell silent.

Lu Zheng naturally knew he was in a difficult position and immediately offered a solution:

"The public security will be responsible for cracking down on its underworld-related activities, while involved officials will be handed over to the Provincial Commission for Discipline Inspection. Those with minor offenses can be given an Admonitory Talk."

At this time, Admonitory Talks had not yet become a unified national supervisory measure.

After Gong Chengze became the Secretary of the Jianghan Provincial Commission for Discipline Inspection, he had tried to admonish cadres who violated public order and good customs, such as cohabiting with others or keeping mistresses.

It was a warning, but also a form of protection.

The goal was to nip problems in the bud, helping cadres recognize their mistakes, correct their shortcomings, and prevent small issues from escalating into major ones.

Luo Jinghui was naturally aware of the admonition system being trialed in Jianghan Province.

After a few seconds of contemplation, Luo Jinghui made a decisive choice:

"Director Lu, thank you for the reminder. I'll arrange it right away."

Returning to the conference room, Luo Jinghui glanced at the deputy directors and detachment leaders present and said in a low voice:

"We will discuss the remaining topics another day. Director He and Captain Xu, please stay. Everyone else is dismissed."

Everyone looked at each other and stood up to leave one by one.

The conference room door closed.

Luo Jinghui placed his phone on the table and lowered his voice:

"Director Lu Zheng from the Provincial Commission for Discipline Inspection just called and suggested we remove this tumor that is Platinum Night."

A hint of excitement flashed in He Yunqiao's eyes, and he couldn't quite suppress his voice.

"Director Luo, I've been saying for a long time that Platinum Night is a major problem and we should wipe them all out at once..."

"I know it's a major problem," Luo Jinghui interrupted him with a wave of his hand. "That's why I kept the two of you here."

His gaze swept across their faces:

"For this operation, mobilize only trustworthy people. If word gets out, you know the consequences."

Xu Yiming asked, "When do we move?"

Luo Jinghui glanced at his watch. "Nine o'clock tonight. When the club is most crowded, we'll catch them off guard."

...

Meanwhile, at the Integrity Education Center.

Lu Zheng reported the work progress to Gong Chengze, including the issues with Liu Yi and the suggested follow-up actions for Platinum Night.

Gong Chengze's response was decisive and firm:

"Regarding Liu Yi's issue, I trust you will handle it impartially."

"I completely agree with your suggestions for the follow-up on Platinum Night. I'll add some fuel to the fire over at the Provincial Public Security Department."

That afternoon, Liu Yi was sent back to Jiangzhou and transferred to the Judicial Authorities.

Zhao Yang stayed in the breakroom, buried in the restructuring documents backed up by the Municipal Commission for Discipline Inspection.

He compared them with existing data, looking for loopholes.

It had to be said that some of the accounts were quite a mess. Having studied journalism, he got a headache just looking at them.

After flipping through them for a while without making any headway, he could only hand them over to Gao Yan, who was proficient in accounting and auditing.

Gao Yan looked at the piles of materials and smiled.

"You usually treat me like I'm invisible, but now you realize how important I am, don't you?"

Zhao Yang said, "It's because you're too good-looking and not fierce enough to be intimidating, which is why we usually don't have you do interrogations."

Gao Yan was dazed for a moment, only remembering the first part, and her face flushed for some reason.

She quickly lowered her head to flip through the materials, only to find that they weren't as dry as she had imagined.

Shortly after five in the afternoon, Lu Zheng called Zhao Yang into the breakroom.

"Tongan Police have decided to bust Platinum Night tonight. Go to the Criminal Investigation Detachment. If there's anyone we need to bring back, notify me immediately."

Lu Zheng looked at Zhao Yang, the corners of his eyes crinkling with a smile as he spoke.

Zhao Yang's eyes lit up, and he quickly picked up a cigarette from the table to light it for Lu Zheng.

"Master, my dear Master, you really are the best to me!"

Lu Zheng laughed. "You two—one in the Commission for Discipline Inspection and one in Public Security—it really isn't easy to date."

Zhao Yang suddenly felt as if he were dating by imperial decree.

Leaving the room, Zhao Yang immediately called Jiang Nan.

"Nannan, I miss you. I want to see you right now!"

Jiang Nan curled her lip. "Give it a rest. Don't think about using me for manual labor; I really don't have time today."

Zhao Yang laughed. "Is that all I am to you? Believe it or not, I'll be right in front of you in a moment!"

Jiang Nan said, "Don't push yourself. Don't I know your disciplinary rules?"

Zhao Yang said, "Haha, just teasing you, and you caught me."

Hanging up, Zhao Yang drove out, bought some of Jiang Nan's favorite snacks, packed two orders of her favorite Sesame cakes with pork tenderloin, and headed straight for the Criminal Investigation Detachment.

Seeing Zhao Yang suddenly appear at the entrance of the Technical Brigade, Jiang Nan looked pleasantly surprised.

She quickly realized. "Your Provincial Commission for Discipline Inspection is going to pick people up tonight?"

Zhao Yang laughed. "It's no good for a girl to be too smart; it ruins the mood."

8:50 PM.

At the entrance of the Platinum Night Club, neon lights flickered, and luxury cars arrived in a steady stream.

Greeting hostesses dressed in qipao stood at the door, welcoming every guest with sweet smiles.

By this time, twenty officers from the SWAT Detachment had already spread out around the perimeter.

Xu Yiming led thirty elite members of the Criminal Investigation Detachment straight to the entrance of Platinum Night.

Seeing a large group of fully armed police officers approaching aggressively, the hostesses' expressions changed instantly.

"I'm sorry, no one can enter without a membership card."

One hostess raised her hand to stop them, while the other picked up a walkie-talkie, preparing to tip off those inside.

Xu Yiming was quick, snatching the walkie-talkie from her hand while pulling out his police ID.

"Police! Everyone stay where you are, don't move!"

Ten minutes later, more than thirty disheveled hostesses were escorted into the courtyard by the police, where they squatted down with their hands behind their heads.

The group of men escorted out afterward were in various states of embarrassment—some were barefoot, while others wore nothing but boxer briefs.

Zhao Yang and Jiang Nan stood side by side in the courtyard, silently counting the people.

There were fewer than twenty men, which didn't match the number of women.

It seemed some of these guys were playing quite adventurously.

Jiang Nan curled her lip in disgust and said to Zhao Yang:

"Let's go take a look and see who these people are!"