Chapter 8 — The Gateway to Public Service

Everything is tied to various city officials.

It is a web.

I tapped my fingers lightly against the desk. Just as I had suspected.

Send the list to me immediately.

I will bring it over right away, Qian Feng replied.

After hanging up, I gazed out the window at the night. The entire city was ablaze with dazzling lights. Yet, hidden beneath this radiance, how many such webs of influence existed? How many more people like Liu Li were being created, sacrificing the public interest for their own gain? My phone rang again. It was the City Party Secretary, Secretary La.

Comrade Tran Duong, I have already heard about the events today at the administrative center.

Secretary La’s voice was steady and powerful.

You did well.

It was only four simple words, yet they held the weight of a thousand pounds.

Secretary, I was just preparing to report to you.

No need for reports, Secretary La replied. Investigate with a heavy hand. Whoever you uncover, deal with them strictly. Absolutely no tolerance. The City Committee is your firm backing. I only require one outcome: purity and integrity.

Understood! I guarantee the mission will be accomplished!

I gripped the phone, feeling strength surging through me. With the support of Secretary La, my last lingering hesitations vanished. This battle had to be fought, and it had to be won. Half an hour later, Qian Feng knocked and entered. He handed me a sealed envelope.

Secretary, the list and the preliminary evidence are all here.

I opened the folder. Seven names. Seven dossiers. Behind them lay links to four different high-ranking city officials. My eyes swept across the list. I picked up the red pen from my desk and drew a thick, bold line under the name Chu Van Hai. We would begin with him. I picked up the phone and dialed the number for the Deputy Secretary of the City Commission for Discipline Inspection.

Old Wang, send out the notification. At eight o'clock tomorrow morning, convene a meeting of the Standing Committee of the Discipline Inspection Commission. There is only one agenda item: establish a special task force and open an investigation into the matters concerning Comrade Chu Van Hai.

That night, many people surely did not sleep.

The following morning, the meeting of the City Discipline Inspection Standing Committee proceeded on schedule. The atmosphere was somber and grave. I briefed the committee on the plan to form the task force and the preliminary evidence we had gathered. Not a single person voiced an objection. It passed with a unanimous vote. The investigation into Chu Van Hai and his associates began to operate like a precision machine, running at full speed. Meanwhile, the Southern Administrative Center experienced an unprecedented transformation. Truong Khai Minh and his subordinates finally traded their suits for work attire, sitting obediently at their service windows. Initially, the public remained skeptical. But as they watched the once-haughty director patiently analyze documents and even make calls to coordinate with other departments on their behalf, the way people looked at them changed. The window for difficult cases became the busiest area of all. Every day, Truong Khai Minh had to assist dozens of citizens like the uncle and elderly woman I had seen before—people whose cases had been stalled for years. He was so busy his head spun and his voice grew hoarse, yet he dared not slacken for a moment. He knew that in some corner not far away, a pair of eyes was likely watching him.

Half a month later, the task force achieved a major breakthrough. Chu Van Hai’s psychological defenses completely collapsed. He not only confessed to arranging the job for his niece but also took the initiative to admit to massive bribery involving urban construction projects and land planning. A tangled web of corruption was torn wide open. The individuals involved, ranging from city-level leaders to department heads, numbered over twenty. When the news broke, the entire city was shaken. The citizens applauded in approval. Those who were once protected by networks of influence were now prisoners. And the ordinary people who had once been harassed or ignored finally felt the touch of fairness and justice.

That afternoon, I finished my work early. I did not ask for my driver, but instead scanned a code to rent a public bicycle. I pedaled back to the Southern Administrative Center. Compared to my last visit, the place felt like an entirely different world. The hall was orderly, free from the previous cacophony. Every window had clear signage. The faces of the citizens waiting for service showed less anxiety and more composure. I noticed that Window Number Three was now staffed by a young man in glasses, looking quite refined. He was smiling, patiently explaining something to an elderly person. Because the senior was hard of hearing, he leaned in close, raising his voice to repeat himself without a hint of annoyance. I saw Truong Khai Minh standing at the difficult cases window. His hair had turned much grayer, and he had thinned out significantly. Yet, he looked more spirited than he ever had as the director before.