dkrc Chapter 97 Tearing Away the Last Fig Leaf
Chapter 97 Tearing Away the Last Fig Leaf
Chapter 96 Tearing Away the Last Fig Leaf
Footsteps sounded outside the door, and Lin Chen abruptly stopped.
The warmth of their lips hadn't yet dissipated when his face pressed against Tang Xin's, his heavy breaths spraying onto her flushed cheeks. The office was eerily quiet, broken only by the pounding of their hearts.
Zhang Junmin's voice came from outside the door: "Director Tang, are you there? Director Tan asked me to take experts from the municipal company to the Wushan Hydropower Station to conduct a safety inspection of the dam and uncover the truth about the accident. I just wanted to let you know."
This is a necessary procedure; if something goes wrong, someone definitely needs to investigate. Should we find experts from the city company? Lin Chen scoffed. These people are most likely Zeng Huihuang's cronies; this isn't investigating the truth, it's clearly their own people fooling each other. Even a fool could tell how absurd that report would be.
Tang Xin tried to push Lin Chen away, but he grabbed her hand, his fingertips deliberately brushing against her sensitive areas. A tingling sensation spread through her body, making her weak. She could only whisper to the door, "Go ahead."
Once Zhang Junmin's footsteps had completely disappeared at the end of the corridor, Tang Xin pushed Lin Chen away, frantically adjusting her ripped bra strap, her voice trembling with anger and frustration: "You're crazy, Lin Chen, you're really crazy."
Lin Chen knew he had acted impulsively, but the feeling was too wonderful, so he didn't regret it. At worst, he could lose this job, go back to writing novels full-time, and still live a comfortable life. Money gives people courage, and he wasn't short of that meager salary.
"No need for a vacation." He released her hand, took a half step back, and fixed his gaze on the woman before him, whose face was flushed and eyes were watery. His tone was resolute. "Director Tang, I will not take a vacation. You can either transfer me or fire me. Anyway, I, Lin Chen, will never lie. I don't know why you are so afraid of Zeng Huihuang, but I am not. If he dares to make things difficult for you, just push all the blame onto me."
Tang Xin leaned on the desk, her fingertips still trembling slightly, the tingling sensation in her body lingering.
She watched Lin Chen's resolute back and finally sighed heavily: "If you really want the truth and justice, go to the archives on the 10th floor of the company. There are some acceptance documents and factory data of Wushan Water Station stored there. I secretly had them backed up, but I don't know if they will be of any use."
Lin Chen's eyes lit up, and he turned to push the door open.
"Wait a minute." Tang Xin called out to him, a hint of resentment flashing in her eyes. She took a heavy key from the drawer and handed it to him. "This is the spare key to the archives. Remember, you can only look, don't tell anyone."
Lin Chen was taken aback for a moment, then grinned and quickly kissed Tang Xin's flushed cheek before grabbing the keys and rushing out.
Tang Xin stood there, covering her face, feeling both angry and ashamed—how could she have let this brat take advantage of her?
In fact, she had long harbored a phobia about matters between men and women.
Zeng Huihuang, emboldened by alcohol, grabbed her from behind and dragged her into his office. If someone hadn't knocked on the door, the consequences would have been unimaginable. Since then, she has instinctively resisted any touch from men. Her husband even left because of this incident.
I haven't been back for several years.
But when Lin Chen hugged her just now, she didn't feel nauseous at all. Instead, she felt hot all over, and deep in her heart, she even harbored a desire that she dared not admit to herself.
Lin Chen, with the key in his pocket, headed straight for the archives on the 10th floor. Sure enough, in the corner, he found a thick stack of documents in a metal cabinet: construction drawings, civil engineering production reports, acceptance minutes, and everything else.
"Capable people are reliable," Lin Chen thought to himself, burying himself in the documents.
The official acceptance report showed that all the data were impeccable: the dam structure was stable, the soil quality met the standards, and the water tightness was good. The signature column was filled with Tan Huasheng's name, but Zeng Huihuang's name was nowhere to be seen.
Attached to the last page of the report was a yellowed, handwritten original test report, the handwriting crooked and messy, clearly a hasty draft by the on-site inspector: the compressive strength of the concrete test blocks only reached the C20 standard, far from the design requirement of C35; the actual thickness of the anti-seepage layer was less than 10 centimeters, less than half of the design value; the compaction degree of the dam foundation fill was as low as 72%, with many sections of the dam riddled with honeycomb holes, and the spacing of the reinforcing bars seriously exceeding the standard.
This is the real evidence.
Sure enough, they knew there was a problem, but they managed to suppress it.
He recalled the scene he saw at the water station that day: the dam was covered with dense honeycomb holes, like gaping mouths that would devour people. Water, once out of control, was a raging flood; power, once out of control, was a knife that could cut off all conscience.
Today is the third day since the accident.
During these three days, Zeng Huihuang was busy, dealing with the company, the county government and various relationships, working "exhausting his energy" to try and clean up this mess.
At 2 p.m., the conference room was packed.
This is the third accident briefing.
Zeng Huihuang sat in the main seat, his face beaming, as if he were there to celebrate a victory rather than to deal with an accident.
Tan Huasheng stood beside him, cleared his throat, raised the document in his hand, and said in a loud voice: "Ladies and gentlemen, after a comprehensive inspection by the expert group of the municipal company, the cause of the Wushan water station dam collapse has been identified. The continuous torrential rain caused the water level to exceed the warning line. The dam body was soaked by the flood for a long time, and finally the dam collapsed naturally. This was an irresistible natural disaster and had nothing to do with the quality of the project. Please take a look at this inspection report."
很快投屏就出现了一份详细的检测报告：巫山水站大坝工程质量检测报告，报告编号：XSJC—2006X—008；检测依据1.《混凝土结构工程施工质量验收规範》（GB50204—2015）
2. Technical Specification for Testing of Concrete Dams in Water Conservancy and Hydropower Projects (SL734—2016)
3. Test Procedures for Hydraulic Concrete (SL/T352—2020)
The entire section was a long, messy mess, and no one read it; they went straight to the final test results:
Comprehensive testing revealed that all indicators of the Wushan Hydropower Station dam project, including concrete strength, anti-seepage layer thickness and integrity, dam foundation backfill compaction, and steel reinforcement protective layer thickness and spacing, met design and relevant specifications. The dam structure appeared to be in good condition, with only a few minor cracks that did not affect safety. The overall stability and anti-seepage performance of the dam met operational requirements. The breach was caused by years of wind, sun, and rain erosion, which weakened the dam's strength, coupled with a sudden surge in water level during a major flood, leading to thermal expansion and contraction.
After reading the entire report, a chorus of agreement arose from the audience.
"I knew it! It must be a natural disaster. There's no conspiracy theory involved." "Wushan Water Station is our benchmark, so there's definitely no problem with that. But this flood was just too big, so the breach is understandable."
Zhang Junmin led the applause, his face full of fawning smiles: "The experts are really amazing. They found out the truth in no time. Now our Xinhai's reputation is saved."
Zeng Huihuang nodded in satisfaction, his gaze sweeping across the room before finally settling on Song Jiehui. His tone carried a hint of condescending smugness: "To be honest, after the incident at the Wushan water station, I couldn't eat or sleep, fearing it was a quality issue. After all, I built this water station from scratch; if something went wrong, I'd have a guilty conscience for the rest of my life. Of course, even if it wasn't a quality problem, our daily maintenance had its oversights, and we can't shirk that responsibility. Comrade Song Jiehui, what do you think?"
Song Jiehui glanced at the closed conference room door, took a deep breath, and replied in a deep voice, "I have no objection. I trust President Zeng and the expert group's conclusions."
"Okay." Zeng Huihuang slammed his hand on the table, about to announce the nature of the accident, but was interrupted by a clear, cold voice.
"Wait a moment."
The door was pushed open, and Lin Chen strode in, carrying a stack of documents, and walked straight to the podium.
All eyes immediately fell on him.
Zeng Huihuang's face instantly darkened, and he glared fiercely at Tan Huasheng. This idiot, how could he let Lin Chen in? Tan Huasheng was also completely dumbfounded; Lin Chen hadn't been notified of this meeting at all!
Ignoring the undercurrents, Lin Chen picked up the report on the projection screen, glanced at it, and chuckled softly. His voice wasn't loud, but it was like a pebble dropped into the room's silence: "This is your expert report? I'd like to ask, are these so-called experts here to investigate the truth, or to clean up someone else's mess?"
Tan Huasheng's face flushed red instantly. He pointed at Lin Chen and shouted angrily, "Lin Chen, what nonsense are you spouting? The expert's report has undergone extensive testing and scientific verification. How dare you speak so carelessly?"
"Multiple tests? Scientific verification?" Lin Chen seemed to have heard the biggest joke in the world. He slammed the materials in his arms onto the conference table with a loud "bang," which made everyone's heart skip a beat.
"Then explain to me why your newly released test report is exactly the same as the factory acceptance report from five years ago!"
Testing the internal structure of the dam will take at least 24 hours.
These experts went in the morning and came back with a report in the afternoon. What else could it be but fabrication? They were clearly just taking money to do their job and then directly copied the factory report. They're shameless.
Zeng Huihuang's gaze suddenly narrowed, and Tan Huasheng panicked, subconsciously looking at Zhang Junmin.
Zhang Junmin's face turned pale instantly, and he was in great distress. His superiors were forcing him to produce a report in half a day. What other choice did he have but to copy the old report? Little did he expect that Lin Chen would also have obtained that backup.
Zhang Junmin, forcing a smile, retorted, "Lin Chen, stop making baseless accusations. This report is based on actual measurements by the expert team. Who knows where you got your stuff from?"
"Hahaha." Lin Chen laughed even harder, his laughter tinged with a mix of madness and sorrow: "Zhang Junmin, you say this is based on actual testing? Then tell everyone, what does '2006' in the report number mean?"
Zhang Junmin retorted, his neck stiff: "It's just a normal serial number! What could it possibly mean!"
"Stupid dog." Lin Chen enunciated each word clearly, his voice full of sarcasm: "With your pig brain, you still managed to fabricate a report? 2006 is the year this report was issued. It's a five-year-old report, just repackaged and it becomes the test results for this time. Zhang Junmin, are you trying to drag everyone down with you, disregarding the safety of millions of people?"
This question was utterly resounding.
Zhang Junmin's face turned ashen, his legs went weak, and he almost collapsed to the ground.
Tan Huasheng, still unwilling to give up, stubbornly shouted, "It's just a number, it's no big deal! Lin Chen, don't try to scare us! The expert's report is beyond question!"
Lin Chen was so angry he almost laughed. How could there be such a shameless person in the world?
Is it really true that the truth can't be explained anymore?
He grabbed an acceptance report and threw it directly at Tan Huasheng's face.
The words written in black and white on the paper made Tan Huasheng stagger.
"Tan Huasheng, take a look at this original test report. What's going on? The acceptance report says it's C35 concrete, but why is it actually only C20? The marked 25 cm anti-seepage layer is less than 10 cm. Is this what you call 'scientific proof'?"
Lin Chen's voice grew louder and louder, each word piercing the heart.
"This original document clearly states that potential quality issues with the dam were discovered before the inspection. To meet the deadline and to profit from the project, you insisted on calling this shoddy construction a qualified one. Tan Huasheng, do you dare say you didn't receive any bribes? Do you dare say you didn't know about the shady dealings involved?"
Tan Huasheng stared at the scattered documents and the glaring raw data, his face turning a deep purplish-red. Pointing at Lin Chen's nose, his voice trembled, "Lin Chen, where did you get all this? You—you fabricated evidence! This is defamation!"
"Forgery? Defamation?" Lin Chen picked up the acceptance report, pointed to the signature at the bottom, and said, "This report is full of your own signature, Tan Huasheng. Do you want to have it examined for handwriting analysis? Let's see if I forged it."
The meeting room erupted in chaos.
A cacophony of whispers and gasps filled the air as everyone's eyes were fixed on the shocking documents. Their gazes toward Zeng Huihuang and Tan Huasheng were filled with astonishment and disbelief.
Sitting in the corner, Chen Ya looked at the figure with a straight back on the stage, and her heart was filled with turmoil. She used to think that Lin Chen was too impulsive and didn't know the rules, but now she realized that there really are people in this world who dare to stand tall in the mud.
They dared to confront the entire corrupt system for the sake of the truth.
An indescribable admiration quietly took root in her heart; perhaps she shouldn't have left him in the first place.
Tang Xin also looked at Lin Chen, seeing him as a sharp sword drawn from its sheath, cleaving through the hypocrisy and filth in the room. Her eyes reddened slightly. She knew Lin Chen was gambling, gambling with his future, gambling with his life, but she just couldn't help feeling that this man was much better than her husband.
Tan Huasheng panicked completely, his eyes filled with murderous intent. He stared intently at Lin Chen, his teeth grinding together: "Lin Chen, do you know what you're doing? You're ruining Xinhai, ruining all of us."
"I ruined Xinhai?" Lin Chen's gaze was sharp as a knife, piercing straight into Tan Huasheng's eyes.
"The real destroyers of Xinhai are you corrupt officials who line your own pockets and disregard human life! The collapse of the Wushan Hydropower Station caused countless people to be displaced and countless families to be torn apart! You think you can erase all the sins with a mere dismissive 'natural disaster'?"
Have you lost your conscience?
Tan Huasheng went completely mad and lunged forward to snatch the documents from Lin Chen's hand: "Shut up and hand over the stuff!"
Lin Chen dodged to the side, his gaze sweeping across the entire room. His voice was firm and powerful, each word striking the hearts of everyone present: "I'm putting this out there today: the truth will not be buried. I have made ten copies of this evidence, and they are placed in different locations. Even if something happens to me today, these things will be made public tomorrow."
Lin Chen actually only gave one copy to Tang Xin.
"This is outrageous! Outrageous!" Tan Hua trembled with anger, slammed his fist on the table, and roared hysterically, "Security! Where is security? Drag this disrespectful, slanderous bastard out and fire him! Fire him immediately!"
He was like a mad dog driven to the brink of despair, acting like a madman.
Zeng Huihuang and Song Jiehui remained seated, each lost in their own thoughts, just as the security guards rushed into the conference room and reached out to grab Lin Chen.
The conference room door was pushed open again, and a steady, powerful voice resounded throughout the room: "Why is a meeting like a fight? What kind of behavior is this?"
Everyone looked in the direction of the sound and saw Fan Jianfeng, the general manager of the city company, standing at the door with several staff members, his face so gloomy it could drip water.
Zeng Huihuang's face turned pale instantly. He immediately made room for him and stepped forward awkwardly, saying, "President Fan, what brings you here? You didn't even say hello. If you did, I wouldn't have felt so much pressure."
"
Fan Jianfeng looked at Zeng Huihuang, then at Lin Chen, and after a while said, "President Zeng, the breach of the Wushan Water Station this time is not as simple as you said, just an accident. It seems there was some dereliction of duty involved, so I was worried and came to check."
Zeng Huihuang's face stiffened for a moment, but he reacted quickly: "I only just got some clues about this situation, and I haven't had time to report to you yet."
Fan Jianfeng nodded: "Chairman Tang of the provincial company has given a strict order that the investigation must be thorough and meticulous. No one can be wronged, and no one who has neglected their duties can be let off the hook. You were once a senior leader in Suicheng. If you can't make up your mind, I can do it for you."
Zeng Huihuang glanced back at Tan Huasheng, then gritted his teeth and replied, "President Fan, please rest assured, I will handle this matter impartially and without favoritism. I will definitely give the company an answer and the public an explanation."
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