Chapter 256: I’m Here to Report

Although Nanjing is an economic special zone and a window for the country's reform and opening-up, Baiyun City is actually the provincial capital of Lingnan. However, in terms of political status, Nanjing holds a higher position than Baiyun, which is a result of the country's special policies.

Naturally, while the country focuses its efforts on developing Nanjing, Baiyun City has not been left behind. As the provincial capital of Lingnan, Baiyun City's economic foundation and political status are indeed higher than those of the up-and-coming Nanjing.

The White Sheep Hotel is a large hotel located on the outskirts of Baiyun City. A car with Nanjing plates drove into the hotel parking lot, and Hua Shao got out of the car. He walked into the hotel and, familiar with the place, went straight to the fifth floor. After exchanging greetings with a few people playing cards at the entrance, he knocked on the door of a suite. Tao Guoling was sitting on the sofa, smoking and counting the accounts.

Seeing Hua Shao enter, Tao Guoling gestured for him to wait and finished calculating his accounts before asking, "Sorry for keeping you waiting, Hua Shao. How did it go with Zhou Ming yesterday?"

"Honestly, Tao Ge, the situation yesterday was terrible," Hua Shao said.

Tao Guoling asked curiously what happened, and Hua Shao pointed to his face, saying, "Tao Ge, have you noticed anything different about my face? It's because Zhou Ming hit me."

Tao Guoling frowned immediately and asked, "Zhou Ming actually dared to hit you? Is he out of his mind? Doesn't he understand the current situation? Or did the people I sent to smash the car yesterday not show up?"

"Zhou Ming is just that kind of person with a bit of a screw loose!" Hua Shao said. "With your connections, Tao Ge, whatever you order will definitely be done. I personally saw Zhou Ming's car being smashed. I went over to deliver your message, and guess what Zhou Ming said?"

"What did he say?" Tao Guoling asked with a grim expression, as if he already had an inkling of the answer.

"Actually, I shouldn't mention this in front of you, Tao Ge, but since you asked, I have to tell you," Hua Shao said. "Tao Ge, he cursed at you, saying that smashing his car was like a dog biting him, and he regretted not having a dog stick to beat you to death."

Smack!

Tao Guoling slapped the table, his face twisted in a sinister smile. "Good, Zhou Ming's got some guts! It looks like he won't learn unless we give him a real lesson."

"Tao Ge, isn't that a bit too much? You're a big shot in Lingnan, and Zhou Ming is just a nouveau riche who suddenly rose to prominence through Du Peng's connections. It's too much to have you personally deal with him," Hua Shao said.

If Zhou Ming were here, he would definitely give Hua Shao's words a thumbs-up, as Hua Shao's goal was to pin the blame on Zhou Ming and make Tao Guoling take action against him. Hua Shao cleverly avoided directly criticizing Zhou Ming and instead suggested that Tao Guoling should not take action, implying that Zhou Ming was not worth his effort.

This situation was similar to Zhou Ming persuading Boss Luo and his group to invest in Linyang. The more you discourage him, the more eager he becomes.

As expected, after hearing Hua Shao's words, Tao Guoling immediately declared, "Hua Shao, you don't need to say more. Regardless of Zhou Ming's background, we need to use a sledgehammer to deal with him to ensure he gets the message!"

Hua Shao wanted to say more, but Tao Guoling cut him off. "Alright, Hua Shao, don't say any more. I will handle this. I'll go to the military district and make him understand what special interrogation means."

Hua Shao was initially concerned about Chen Yunfei, the Secretary of the Nanjing Municipal Committee, who was a prominent figure in Nanjing. Chen Yunfei had supported Zhou Ming regarding land and stock market matters. If Hua Shao followed the normal route, getting past Chen Yunfei would be quite difficult. But with Tao Guoling opting for the military district's special procedures, he could bypass Chen Yunfei and directly deal with Zhou Ming. Moreover, military district affairs often related to national security, and once labeled, Zhou Ming's life would be over!

Zhou Ming, Zhou Ming, who would have thought you'd end up like this? I'm looking forward to seeing how you fare in the military!

Hua Shao thought this to himself, but on the surface, he continued to persuade Tao Guoling, "But Tao Ge, wouldn't this be a bit problematic?"

Tao Guoling waved his hand dismissively. "Don't worry. With the help of the Cao family, handling such minor matters in the military district is no problem at all! From now on, Zhou Ming will be labeled as a traitor and enemy of the state. Such people have no future! As for his grievances, it's his own fault. I've warned him already. If he doesn't listen, it's his own problem. We must follow through with Cao Jianing. Who else should we target?"

Hua Shao smiled. "Of course. He brought this on himself, ignoring even your warnings. That's what you call asking for trouble."

"Someone asking for death deserves to be fulfilled," Tao Guoling said. "Alright, let's stop discussing Zhou Ming. He's a goner. No need to worry about him. Let's talk business. My goods have arrived. When will you be sending the payment? I need to arrange for shipping. Otherwise, keeping the goods here is quite troublesome."

Hua Shao nodded. "Don't worry, Tao Ge. I contacted them yesterday. The payment will be here soon, but it might take some time due to currency exchange with the bank."

"Just make it quick. I don't know why, but I have a feeling of unease with the goods here," Tao Guoling said.

As if to confirm Tao Guoling's premonition, just as he finished speaking, the door to their room burst open. The young man Hua Shao had seen earlier, who was playing cards at the entrance, ran in in a panic and said, "Tao Ge, something bad has happened. A lot of armed police have come into the hotel!"

"Armed police?" Tao Guoling and Hua Shao's eyes widened in shock, their expressions showing complete confusion.

Meanwhile, urgent footsteps echoed in the corridor. Before Tao Guoling and Hua Shao could react, several uniformed armed police officers rushed into the room and subdued Tao Guoling, Hua Shao, and the young man.

A young officer, looking like a military officer, walked in holding a radio. He glanced at Tao Guoling and Hua Shao and then reported into the radio, "Report, sir! Operation One completed. All target suspects have been apprehended!"

At this moment, Tao Guoling suddenly realized what was happening. He struggled and yelled, "Which unit are you from? Who gave you the orders? Do you know where this place is, and what you're doing? I want to see your superior!"

The young officer ignored Tao Guoling's struggles and simply signaled the armed police to keep an eye on the suspects.

Footsteps approached again, and someone walked into the room who Tao Guoling and Hua Shao never expected.

"Zhou Ming? You ****!" Hua Shao said, incredulous.

The person who entered was none other than Zhou Ming. Zhou Ming immediately slapped Hua Shao's face. "Hua Shao, how can you have such a poor memory? Still running your mouth off, huh? It's really not comfortable until I hit you. Look at Tao Ge; he's doing much better than you."

Hua Shao glared at Zhou Ming with hatred but did not speak. Tao Guoling gritted his teeth and said to Zhou Ming, "I didn't expect you to move so quickly, Zhou Ming. But do you think you can take us down like this? Don't dream!"

Zhou Ming shrugged innocently. "Tao Ge, you've misunderstood. I didn't intend to take you down. I merely reported some illegal activities and fulfilled my duty as a citizen to fight against criminals."

"Report? I didn't expect you, Zhou Ming, to play these bureaucratic tricks!" Tao Guoling sneered.

"Bureaucratic tricks? Do you really think so, Tao Ge?"

Zhou Ming's rhetorical question made Tao Guoling's heart skip a beat. He asked warily, "Isn't that the case?"

Zhou Ming smiled but did not answer immediately. Instead, he stood up and walked around the room, then said to Tao Guoling, "Tao Ge, this hotel is quite luxurious, but it's in a rather remote location. Doesn't your hotel lose money?"

"I can open my hotel wherever I like. What does it have to do with you?" Tao Guoling replied.

"I don't have any say in that. But if I report that there are illegal activities happening in your hotel, does that concern you?" Zhou Ming asked.

This question made Tao Guoling nearly choke with anger. Damn it, you report me and call the armed police to arrest me, and now you question if it concerns me? What kind of logic is this?

But this question only made Tao Guoling angry. Zhou Ming's next words made him wish he could jump up and bite Zhou Ming.

"I told you, Tao Ge, I had already warned you not to mess with people you can't afford to provoke. If you had stopped when I first warned you, I might have considered letting you off the hook. But now, I can only say sorry."

This line, originally used by Tao Guoling to threaten Zhou Ming in the Nanjing nightclub, was now being thrown back at him. It was not just angering Tao Guoling but also humiliating him, especially since, as the son of the military district's chief of staff, he had never faced such disgrace. Tao Guoling wanted to slap Zhou Ming, but he was helpless.

Tao Guoling could only shout, "Zhou Ming, you bastard, just wait! I will make sure to kill you!"

"Is that so? Then I'll be waiting," Zhou Ming said coolly. "But I advise you to think about how you're going to handle your current situation."

With that, Zhou Ming's expression turned cold, and he told the young officer, "Take them away." The armed police officers then escorted Tao Guoling, Hua Shao, and the young man out of the room.