"You're about to die. What's the use of holding it?" Lin Chuan sneered at Song Ming.

Song Ming swallowed, "You...you're going to kill me?"

"That's right!" Lin Chuan nodded, "Anyone who dares to point a gun at me only has one outcome—death. So, you can't escape that fate either. Deputy Secretary Song, your son is dead, why don't you go down and keep him company?"

"You!" Song Ming gritted his teeth.

"Kneel!" Lin Chuan shouted.

"Never!" Song Ming glared angrily.

Lin Chuan rushed forward with a swift step, kicking the back of Song Ming's knee. Song Ming immediately knelt on the carpet, struggling to stand up, but Lin Chuan aimed the dark gun muzzle at Song Ming's forehead. Lin Chuan spoke coldly, "Deputy Secretary Song, if you dare stand up, I'll blow your head off. Believe it?"

Gulp...

Song Ming swallowed, staying motionless on the carpet, his tone softened, "Lin Chuan, please...don't kill me."

The yearning for life stems from an innate fear. He was very afraid and ashamed. Anyone, any creature facing death feels fear, and this fear intensifies over time, becoming deeper and more memorable.

"You forced me," Lin Chuan sneered, "Deputy Secretary Song, you brought this upon yourself. If it weren't for you, we wouldn't have come to this point, and your son wouldn't have been sent on the road to the underworld by me. All of this happened because you couldn't stand me. So, your son's death...you bear a significant responsibility."

"Yes, I'm responsible." Song Ming nodded.

"So, go keep your son company." Lin Chuan pressed the gun barrel hard against Song Ming's head.

Song Ming bit his teeth, raised his hands high, "Lin Chuan, please...don't kill me. I can't die; I still have many things to do, the people of Jiangbei City need me. I can't just die here."

"Sorry, Deputy Secretary Song." Lin Chuan's voice was extremely cold.

Click...

Lin Chuan pulled the slide with his left hand, loading the bullet instantly. The bullet was chambered, everything was ready.

"No, no!" Song Ming panicked even more.

To preserve a deputy secretary's dignity, he tightly closed his eyes, forcing himself to remain composed. Though he wished to plead, if pleading could save his life, he'd rather beg, he'd use begging to exchange for his existence. Sadly, even if he begged, Lin Chuan might not spare him. So, Song Ming decided to hold on to his last bit of dignity. He closed his eyes, calmed his emotions, letting death approach more calmly and elegantly.

Lin Chuan looked coldly at Song Ming, "Song Ming, blame yourself for making mistakes from the start; blame yourself for spoiling your son too much; blame your poor choice of name, Song Ming-'Certain Death'!"

With eyes closed, Song Ming tried hard to keep calm and composed. Even in death, he must die with dignity, with pride. Today, he was doomed, even if he died, Lin Chuan had ways to escape blame, after all, this was Lin Chuan's territory. Once he was killed, Lin Chuan would surely find ways to hide the body, maybe even sink it in the East River or find a lackey to take the fall.

Hence, suddenly, Song Ming regrets trying to assassinate Lin Chuan here. Now, having failed in assassination, his safety was further compromised.

But, since it's come to this point, there's no room for regret.

Song Ming closed his eyes, waiting for death. Fear, dread...all the tension and anxiety surged from deep within. His body trembled uncontrollably while he tried to steady himself...

Bang!

Suddenly, Lin Chuan pulled the trigger.

Song Ming felt dizzy instantly, slowly falling down. At that moment, he lost control of his bowels, a stench emanating from his pants.

Lin Chuan was startled, holding the handgun, opened his left palm, revealing six golden bullets. He wondered, "Strange, there weren't any bullets in the gun, yet he just fell. Is this the legendary death by fright?"

Lin Chuan didn't bother with Song Ming, directly walking out of the private room with the gun.

...

After Lin Chuan left, who knows how long passed before Song Ming slowly woke up. When he did, he found himself completely lying on the floor, surrounded by an overwhelming stench. Song Ming opened his eyes, shocked. He hurriedly touched his face, then his body.

"How... how am I still alive?" Song Ming looked around in astonishment at the familiar surroundings. Wasn't this the private room at Sichuan Restaurant?

Song Ming tried hard to recall the previous scenes, Lin Chuan pointing a gun at him, distinctly pulling the trigger. He should have gone to meet King Yanluo by now, so how was he alive again? Song Ming found it strange and a bit puzzling. He stood up and immediately felt something foreign roll down his pant leg.

Plop...

In the end, a blackish-yellow lump dropped onto the carpet.

"Shit?!" Song Ming was stunned.

This lump of feces instantly sobered him up. He finally understood that Lin Chuan hadn't killed him but instead had scared him so much that he soiled himself. Song Ming's face turned red instantly. He sat on the chair for a long time, and after a while, he finally caught his breath.

Song Ming suddenly realized that, whether in the open or in the dark, he could never compete with Lin Chuan. Lin Chuan was truly terrifying. From the beginning until now, he had struggled with him so many times, yet all along the way, he stumbled and fell, not only losing his son but also putting his wife in the hospital. In the end, he nearly lost his Vice Secretary position as well.

All of a sudden, Song Ming understood life and death.

Perhaps, just tonight, Song Ming suddenly understood many things. He knew that some things could not be forced. Now, he was already over fifty years old, and in a few years, he would retire. Why fight with young people?

In the soft package, Song Ming thought about many things; he was full of emotion. Maybe, from the beginning, he was wrong. Otherwise, there wouldn't be so many problems. Life is precious, and at his age, he should enjoy life.

Having figured it all out, Song Ming felt a sense of relief. He slowly walked towards the outside, not caring at all about the foul smell his body emitted.

............

The next day. City Committee Office.

In Tang Yumeng's office, she was working at her desk. It was the end of the year; there was too much work, approving many things in the morning and attending various meetings in the afternoon. As the year-end approached, the City Committee's work became hectic. Tang Yumeng was so busy that she could hardly leave her chair.

"Secretary Tang." At this moment, Xiao Xue ran in from outside, dressed in a white professional suit.

"What's the matter?" Tang Yumeng didn't even look up.

"Vice Secretary Song said he wants to convene a meeting of the City Committee members." Xiao Xue hurriedly said, "He specifically named you to attend. Should you go or not?"

"Song Ming wants to hold a City Committee meeting?" Tang Yumeng was taken aback and said, "Why does he want to convene a City Committee meeting?"

"How would I know!" Xiao Xue said awkwardly, "Everyone is waiting for your opinion. Director Chen and the others said that if you go, they will go; if you don't go, they won't go. They are your loyal supporters."

"Go." Tang Yumeng nodded and said, "Why should we fear him? We must go, definitely go. I want to see what exactly Song Ming is up to. Could it be that even now, he still doesn't realize and is trying to fall out with me?"

Tang Yumeng was now full of confidence; almost the entire City Committee was centered around her. Most of Song Ming's people had been wiped out. Some were detained, and some were relocated. The power institutions no longer had Song Ming's people except for some idle positions, and those there had no real power.

Therefore, Tang Yumeng was fearless and wasn't afraid of the other side at all.

Tang Yumeng's lips curled into a strange smile. She was quite eager to see what trick Song Ming wanted to play.

Soon, the City Committee members, with Tang Yumeng at the center, marched grandly towards the City Committee meeting room.

In the meeting room, Song Ming and his group of subordinates were already sitting upright inside. Their expressions were serious, and the atmosphere at the meeting site was very heavy. Especially when the two sides met, there seemed to be sparks about to fly. Although Song Ming's people were no longer in power, they always believed that the local faction could rise again, and Song Ming was the leader of the local faction. They believed Song Ming would definitely lead everyone out of the encirclement and towards victory.

However, they never anticipated the purpose of today's meeting convened by Song Ming.

After both sides were seated in the meeting room, Tang Yumeng and Song Ming sat side by side at the front.

"Vice Secretary Song, why did you suddenly want to convene a City Committee meeting?" Tang Yumeng asked curiously.

"Well, today, I called everyone together just to chat." Song Ming showed a rare gentle smile.

But this smile, in the eyes of the local faction, was interpreted as Song Ming having a strategy to deal with Tang Yumeng. They thought Song Ming must be very confident; otherwise, he wouldn't act like this.

However, the faction led by Tang Yumeng sensed something was amiss.

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