Chapter 81: Fear
In a safe room, several government officials were gathered here for a secret discussion.
They sat around a table, all of them frowning and looking pained.
Recalling the events of the past few days, they felt like they were dreaming.
They had been doing well at their workplace and hadn’t made any big mistakes.
But in the end, everyone present were either demoted or transferred away.
All in all, the outcome made them very miserable.
Moreover, there was nothing they could do even if they wanted to resist, because the other party had enough evidence to make them resign.
Only, they didn’t want to be too ruthless, so they had them transferred.
But even so, it still made them very miserable.
After this incident, the series of plans that many people had prepared for this year were thrown into chaos.
To put it simply, this change in position caught them off guard, and all of them suffered great losses.
Most importantly, this incident had happened too suddenly and without any warning. They were not prepared at all.
This was simply too unbearable.
As such, these victims are now gathered here to discuss strategies.
They were discussing strategies, but in reality, they were just gathering together for warmth, licking each other’s wounds and seeking comfort.
Now that things had come to this, they knew that with their own strength, there was nothing they could do to change it.
They all worked in the bureaucracy so they knew the rules very well.
However, if possible, they still hoped that they could come up with something during this gathering.
And it really worked.
“Any news?”
A female official sorted out her thoughts and looked at her fellow women in suffering.
When a person is suffering, she would feel better when she sees other people suffering as well, especially those who were doing even worse than her.
This woman’s position was considered the highest among them. Furthermore, she had only met with a transfer of position.
In reality, she had been demoted. As long as she manages things properly, there is still room for promotion.
Apart from seeking comfort, she had come here because she wanted to find out the reason behind this incident.
There must be a reason why such an incident happened. It couldn’t have happened without reason.
Hence, she needed to figure this out. Otherwise, she might encounter something similar in the future.
However, these people were just like her. They had no clue about what had happened.
“No, not at all.”
“Do you think this matter has anything to do with the Gao family of Cloud City?”
Right then, an official who had a close relationship with the Gao family suddenly raised a possibility.
Everyone was silent for a moment.
The people present were familiar or on average terms with the Gao family, but none of them were strangers with them.
After confirming with one another, things became clear for everyone.
“I didn’t expect a Gao family from Cloud City to go to such an extent.”
Many people nodded in agreement.
If they had really encountered such a situation because of the Gao family, wasn’t that making a mountain out of a molehill?
In the past, it was not like there weren’t any large families that were uprooted, but there really hadn’t been any government officials who were connected to this family that were implicated.
At this moment, an official who had a close relationship with the Gao family suddenly said,
“Speaking of which, I wonder if you guys know, everyone in the Gao family can’t be contacted now.”
Sensing the gazes from the crowd, the person explained what she had encountered recently.
“I noticed the news about the Gao family a while ago. I called their people immediately, but no one answered.”
“…” Hearing this person’s words, everyone held their breaths and listened attentively.
They suddenly had a premonition that perhaps the reason laid with the Gao family.
“The company was either transferred, acquired, or closed down. However, there was no sign of the legal representatives or person in charge.”
At this point, the woman seemed to have thought of something terrifying. She shivered and hesitated for a moment before continuing,
“I did a thorough investigation. All the Gao family members have disappeared for various reasons.”
“How is that possible? Could the Gao family have evaporated overnight?”
Everyone present was no fool. Upon hearing this person’s words, a terrifying possibility flashed through their minds.
Although they didn’t believe it, the truth was right in front of them. They were also implicated because of it. Even if they wished to deny it, they didn’t know how to do so.
“Recently, things have been happening to the Gao family one after another. I’m also rather afraid that I’ll be implicated.”
A female official who had a good relationship with the Gao family covered her face in grief. Her tone was filled with dissatisfaction towards the Gao family.
A few relatively rational officials discussed with each other and came up with a rough guess.
“Looking at the situation, this seems to be the doing of the other three families in Cloud City?”
If they wanted to know who was the mastermind behind this matter, they would have to see who would benefit most from it.
Such a thing just needed some thought. It was naturally the three other big influences in Cloud City.
Reaching this point, the others could not help but exclaim,
“Are they crazy?”
“Who gave them the guts to do that?”
At this point in the discussion, it was already clear. Everyone started chiming in. Then, the least affected person suddenly thought of something and asked,
“Have the higher-ups been informed about this?”
Upon hearing this question, everyone shook their heads.
“Not yet.”
When she saw everyone shake their heads, her blood pressure instantly rose. She looked at the official who was closest to the Gao family and said,
“I can’t believe you didn’t think to report it after discovering something so serious?”
“I was also very anxious at the time. I couldn’t reach anyone that I could contact. I even asked the school. I was very scared.”
That person couldn’t maintain her expression anymore. She spoke with a sobbing tone, her eyes filled with helplessness and fear.
“Do you know how I spent those few days?” At this point, the woman hugged herself and curled up in a corner, shivering.
“I’ve been living in fear every day. I was afraid that someone would come and take my life if I wasn’t careful.”
Seeing this person’s pitiful state, the woman was too embarrassed to say anything more.
Looking around at her colleagues who wore different expressions, she could not help but roar angrily,
“Are you guys watching a show here? Hurry up and contact them. If we don’t report this, we would really be done for.”
Hearing this person’s reminder, these people quickly took out their phones.
But when the screen lit up, their expressions suddenly changed and their hearts sank.
There was no signal at all on their phones.
Fear was spreading.