The atmosphere was celebratory both on and off the stage.

After all, the result of the disaster relief effort in Rearpond Village was that no one was injured or killed, naturally causing great joy and encouragement.

However, not everyone was happy.

Bjorn Dixon was an exception.

The past five days had been excruciating for him.

He was constantly worried that Dirk Carter and Edith Walsh would reveal her "dereliction of duty."

Unexpectedly, when faced with inquiries from higher leadership, the two said nothing about it.

Some might say, isn't that a good thing?

Of course, it is good.

But Bjorn Dixon didn't think Dirk Carter would let him off so easily.

In this regard, he was well aware.

In his view, the reason why Dirk Carter hadn't acted yet was because he was waiting for the right moment, and today's commendation conference was the best opportunity, where he would reveal the truth about the incident in front of city leaders and county officials, which would be utterly humiliating for him.

After all, city-level TV stations and media would also be present at today's commendation conference.

9:00 AM.

The entire auditorium erupted in applause.

Conway Sawyer, the city party secretary, and Brogan Grant, the head of the city's publicity department, walked up to the rostrum amidst the grand applause.

This marked the beginning of the commendation conference.

There were two rows of seats on the rostrum.

The first row had four people, with Conway Sawyer and Brogan Grant sitting in the middle.

Next to Conway Sawyer was Helen Fletcher, the party secretary of Kenton County, and next to Brogan Grant was County Mayor Dixon.

The main leadership cadres from both the city and county levels sat in the second row.

Beneath the rostrum were various units involved in the disaster relief efforts and outstanding workers who emerged during the crisis.

It must be said that this commendation conference was quite large in scale.

The top leaders of the four major committees in Kenton County were all present.

This indicated the high level of importance the city and county governments placed on the commendation conference.

Helen Fletcher personally presided over the commendation conference.

After the meeting began, Bjorn Dixon kept searching the audience below.

Finally, he spotted Dirk Carter and Edith Walsh, wearing sashes, in the first row, and his heart was filled with a mix of emotions: anger, regret, and an overall complex feeling.

According to the agenda, Helen Fletcher would host first, followed by speeches from Conway Sawyer and Brogan Grant.

Then came the formal commendation segment.

This disaster relief effort resulted in commendations for three exemplary groups and three exemplary individuals.

The exemplary groups were the Criminal Investigation Team of the Kenton County Police Department, the Kenton County Hospital, and the Ardmore City Party Committee Organization Department's Task Force.

As the first government units to arrive at the scene, they deserved praise.

As for the three exemplary individuals, Dirk Carter and Edith Walsh were of course included, as was Yan Laoguai, the village head of Rearpond Village.

The commended groups went on stage first to receive their awards.

The certificates and bonuses were personally presented by Brogan Grant, the head of the city's publicity department.

Then, the exemplary individuals took to the stage to receive their awards.

This round of awards was presented by Conway Sawyer, the city party secretary.

The three, including Dirk Carter, were all beaming, and seeing Dirk Carter like this made Bjorn Dixon's heart leap to his throat.

Thankfully, the entire process went smoothly.

Dirk Carter didn't cause any disturbances.

Just as the three were about to step down from the stage.

Suddenly.

Leonard Bates, the chairman of the County Political Consultative Conference, stood up.

He walked directly to the podium, picked up the microphone, and announced to everyone present, "Excuse me, everyone, I'd like to interrupt for a moment."

There was no speaking arrangement for Leonard Bates at this commendation conference.

His sudden appearance prompted low voices and murmurs from the audience.

Helen Fletcher asked, "Chairman Bates, is there something you need to address?"

Leonard Bates maintained a serious expression and said, "Today is a day of great celebration, and I shouldn't disturb the atmosphere. However, as the head of Kenton County's Political Consultative Conference, I, Leonard Bates, have the responsibility to participate in political discussions. I'd like to request a few minutes from Secretary Sawyer."

Conway Sawyer was also unsure what was happening.

After consulting with Brogan Grant, he finally nodded.

Having received consent from the highest leader present.

Leonard Bates turned to Dirk Carter and said, "Comrade Dirk Carter's work in the disaster relief efforts in Rearpond Village is evident to all. I express my respect to Comrade Dirk Carter, but merit is merit and faults are faults. The two should not be confused, which has been a long-standing principle of our work in the cadre."

Having said that.

He turned and reached out his hand.

His secretary handed him a folder.

He shook the folder in front of everyone and said, "Secretary Sawyer, Minister Grant, and all the leaders present, the County Political Consultative Conference accuses Comrade Dirk Carter of abuse of power and accepting bribes!"

His words hit like a thunderbolt on a clear day.

As soon as the words fell.

The entire auditorium fell into dead silence, and then after a few seconds, it began to stir.

Both Conway Sawyer and Brogan Grant's expressions turned unpleasant.

After all, there were TV crews present today.

It was supposed to be a perfectly good commendation conference, with Dirk Carter as one of the principal recipients, and now he was accused of two serious crimes by the county's Political Consultative Conference. Wasn't that a slap in the face of both the city and county committees?

Brogan Grant cleared her throat.

She said, "Comrade Bates, if there are issues, we can discuss them privately. Is it really necessary to address them in such a setting?"

When leaders speak, it's generally quite implicit.

But now, Brogan Grant's tone was clearly a bit harsh.

That is to say, both she and Conway Sawyer were somewhat angry.

Leonard Bates nodded and said, "Leaders, I know that saying such things in this setting is indeed inappropriate, but my aim is to make everyone see Comrade Dirk Carter for who he is. As I said, merits and misdeeds don't cancel each other out, and this is also essential for the purity of our party and cadre team."

Brogan Grant was about to get angry.

Bjorn Dixon suddenly pulled the microphone in front of him and said, "Secretary Sawyer, Minister Grant, I think what Comrade Bates said has merit. Comrade Dirk Carter being commended is one thing, but investigating corruption is another. Both are for the health of our cadre team. Since the Political Consultative Conference has the responsibility to participate in political matters, and Chairman Bates has said they have evidence, we should take it seriously, shouldn't we?"

At this time, Bjorn Dixon was truly overjoyed.

It was like someone offering a ladder to climb a wall or handing you a pillow when you were about to sleep. Watching Dirk Carter receive praise was truly unbearable, and then Leonard Bates jumped out to stir things up.

Could there be anything more delightful than this?

If he didn't support it, it wouldn't make sense.

With both county leaders speaking, Conway Sawyer looked at Helen Fletcher and asked, "Secretary Fletcher, you're the top leader in Kenton County. What's your take on this issue?"

Helen Fletcher pondered for a while.

She said, "Since County Mayor Dixon and Chairman Bates have raised suspicions and brought them up in public, then not clarifying them wouldn't sit well with everyone. I think with all the leaders present, investigating isn't a problem."

Seeing Helen Fletcher speak like this.

Bjorn Dixon felt even more satisfied.

In his view, Helen Fletcher had no choice but to agree. With leaders from various departments present, saying not to investigate would appear biased, effectively putting the face of the county party secretary in the dirt.

Conway Sawyer and Brogan Grant consulted with each other for a minute.

About a minute later.

Conway Sawyer raised his head.

He looked at Leonard Bates and said, "Comrade Bates, your Political Consultative Conference accuses Comrade Dirk Carter of embezzlement and bribery, and abuse of power. What evidence do you have?"

At this point.

It was equivalent to Conway Sawyer giving his tacit approval.

Leonard Bates felt a sense of relief.

He first handed the folder to the two leaders on the rostrum, then stood in the center, speaking loudly, "On the morning of February 18, at eleven o'clock, Vice Mayor Dirk Carter was conducting a survey at the Tobacco Bureau and allegedly received three cash supermarket cards from Templeton Quill, the head of the Tobacco Bureau, each worth 20,000, totaling 60,000!"

As soon as the words fell.

The audience instantly erupted in boos…

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