"How was it? Did I make it in time?"

The situation at the scene finally came under control.

A cute girl with a ponytail on a minivan blinked her big eyes at Dirk Carter and said.

"Thanks. If you hadn't arrived in time, I would've been in big trouble."

Dirk Carter said.

This quirky girl was the reporter Blue Green, whom he met earlier at the Work Safety Administration.

Seeing Dirk Carter being so polite,

Blue Green felt a bit embarrassed.

She said, "Alright, you do your thing. I need to get to work, too."

"Okay, I'll treat you to dinner later."

After saying this,

Dirk Carter got on the repaired motorcycle by Zach Griffin and headed to the clinic.

That would be the next main battlefield.

By the time the reporters arrived,

Tristan Reid had already returned to his car,

disappearing from the fire scene.

Furious, he returned to the cooperative office in Pinegrove Village, turned around, and slapped the young man following behind him: "Useless, absolutely useless! Four people, with guns involved, yet you couldn't keep even one person back! What's the point of keeping you around?"

The young man knew he was at fault,

so he didn't dare speak.

Tristan Reid wasn't done venting his anger.

He continued to kick the young man's legs consecutively.

Edward Locke, who came in with them, hurriedly stopped Tristan Reid, saying, "Old leader, now is not the time to vent your anger. The most pressing issue is to solve the problem. Denton Quincy hasn't woken up yet, so we still have a chance. Once he regains consciousness, we won't know what will happen next."

Edward Locke's words

finally made Tristan Reid stop.

He sat down on the sofa,

paused, and said, "Gather everyone for a meeting!"

...

The rescue conditions at the clinic were limited.

As soon as Dirk Carter arrived, he made the first call to Delilah Goodman.

Delilah Goodman is the head of the Health Bureau, and he asked her to arrange for some doctors and medications from the county hospital to come over. Under the current circumstances, Denton Quincy cannot be transferred to another hospital.

Denton Quincy is the key to breaking this case, so Dirk Carter could only feel assured if he was under his own watch.

Once he hung up Delilah Goodman's call,

Dahlia Hughes' call came in.

Yesterday afternoon, the county government held a party meeting.

Sherman Summers, the county governor, decided to let Dahlia Hughes lead a team to conduct a three-day research visit in the neighboring Eastgate County.

She didn't expect that on the first day of the research, such a big incident would occur in Sunglow Town.

On the phone,

Dirk Carter briefly reported the situation.

Dahlia Hughes asked, "What do you think about this incident?"

Dirk Carter thought for a moment and said, "I think it's a conspiracy, specifically targeting you."

"Targeting me? What do you mean?"

Dahlia Hughes didn't quite understand.

Dirk Carter took a deep breath and asked, "Considering the current situation, Denton Quincy seems to be the arsonist. If I hadn't arrived in time, what do you think would have happened to him?"

"He would definitely have been beaten to death." Dahlia Hughes said without thinking.

"After Denton Quincy is beaten to death, what would the aftermath be?"

"Hmm... There might be another conflict between the two villages."

Dirk Carter nodded and said, "Yes, the two villages might end up in a confrontation like they did four years ago. Even though Denton Quincy would have been beaten to death, the loss of the warehouse is still there. Provoking people from Pinegrove Village to demand an explanation from Tea Hill Village would be easy. As for Tea Hill Village, with their local being killed for no reason, they'd also assume it was intentional by those from Pinegrove Village. Their fury would be unavoidable, making a bloody clash between the two villages inevitable."

Over the phone, Dahlia Hughes was silent for a moment and then asked, "I still don't understand. Why is a conflict between the two villages aimed at me?"

Dirk Carter paused and asked, "This matter still goes back to when Dylan Tate died. Normally, if the county governor position were to be filled internally, who do you think is most likely to get it?"

"Augustus Hendrix, Deputy Secretary."

"Yes, theoretically, it should have been Augustus Hendrix promoted to the county governor. Why was it Sherman Summers and not Augustus Hendrix? It's because in Stillwater County, Sherman Summers had achievements. His biggest one was the bamboo product industry in Sunglow Town. Likewise, when I helped you get promoted to Deputy County Governor, it was also because of your achievements, notably when the disciplinary committee had just cracked down on the Work Safety Administration's license trade case."

At this point,

Dahlia Hughes suddenly realized,

She said, "I understand now. Sherman Summers had just become governor, and I had just become Deputy County Governor. At that time, when I announced my support for the tea industry in Sunglow Town, it was like infringing on Sherman Summers' corner, stealing his limelight. He wouldn't allow such a thing to happen, so he amplified the conflict through this incident. This way, no businessmen would dare invest in tea in Sunglow Town, right?"

"Yes, that's one aspect. There's more: First, the melee conflict four years ago. This matter was linked to you, and I already knew that. If this fire was caused by people from Tea Hill Village, wanting to alter the verdict from four years ago becomes difficult. In everyone's mind, Tea Hill Village is a haven of wrongdoers, and that's the image they've borne for the past four years."

"Second, Secretary Li's term is nearly up, and he might soon be transferred. From a qualification standpoint, Sherman Summers' chances of moving up immediately aren't great, but if his achievements are solid enough, that wouldn't be an issue. Either when the conflict arises, he'll handle the crisis, or he'll take this opportunity to further expand the bamboo industry. By holding these cards, his chances of competing for the top position increase significantly."

"Considering their efforts to prevent your involvement in Sunglow Town's affairs, I personally think there's a deeper, more fatal reason, likely related to Deputy Mayor Xu's death four years ago."

All the intricacies involved,

Dirk Carter had analyzed thoroughly.

Dahlia Hughes took a sharp intake of breath,

subtly fearful.

As a disciplinary committee secretary, Dahlia Hughes only needed to see things in black and white.

But now she's risen to a higher position,

and things have become different.

Something seemingly unrelated to you might indeed be a lurking danger.

They say that in politics, every step could lead to an abyss—it's not false at all.

Her sudden trip to Eastgate County for research,

was also part of the chessboard.

That way, during major upheavals in Sunglow Town, she couldn't be on the scene immediately.

Luckily, she made one right move.

That was arranging for Dirk Carter to come to Sunglow Town in advance.

"I might not be able to return until the day after tomorrow. What do you plan to do next?"

Dahlia Hughes asked.

Dirk Carter gave a wry smile and said, "What else can I do? The murderer, Denton Quincy, is still in danger. If he dies, the truth behind many matters may never be uncovered. So, I have to do everything to save him. But Tristan Reid won't just sit by and watch; he'll definitely try to seize him from the clinic."

"Then I'll have the Public Security Bureau go there to protect him,"

Dahlia Hughes said.

Dirk Carter sighed and said, "It's useless. Since they've planned to keep you away, the Public Security Bureau will surely have made prior arrangements. You can't do much right now. Rest assured, before things escalate to the point of no return, I'll do my best to hold them off."

These words moved Dahlia Hughes.

She suddenly lowered her voice and said, "Dirk, I've missed you. Just hearing your voice, I can't help myself..."

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