Chapter 1062: 708 Most Combatant Group_2
"They said they’ll negotiate over there."
Du Heng’s eyelids twitched. "Get the security guards over there, tear down their things, and drive them away. What is this nonsense?"
However, Vice Dean Zhang shook his head, looking troubled. "That won’t work, Dean. They’re on the pedestrian crosswalk across the street. We have no authority to intervene over there."
"Call the police! If we can’t handle it, let the police handle it. Are we just going to stand by and watch them cause a scene?" Du Heng said angrily.
"These people have learned their lesson. They’re no longer causing trouble inside the hospital, nor are they disrupting our hospital’s normal operations, so the police can’t do much either."
Du Heng looked at Vice Dean Zhang, truly disappointed by his inaction.
Ignoring Zhang, Du Heng walked directly towards the group. "Please remove the banner and take your belongings away, or I will call the police."
However, Du Heng’s words fell on deaf ears. No one paid him any attention, including the elderly men and women who were there to gather news.
The black banner, the large white characters, and the paper ashes fluttering everywhere infuriated Du Heng. For a moment, I should just kick this battered basin over!
But seeing the elderly men and women around him, the eager anticipation in their eyes, Du Heng took a deep breath and suppressed the urge.
After one last glance at the wailing group, Du Heng turned and left.
His departure also extinguished the crowd’s excitement; the elderly onlookers all sighed in disappointment.
Du Heng didn’t return to the hospital. Instead, he went straight to the Street Office on the backstreet.
He couldn’t control these people, but the Street Office could.
Du Heng quickly found Director Wu on the third floor of the Street Office. Director Wu welcomed him warmly.
Although they hadn’t interacted much, the Municipal Maternal and Child Health Hospital had shown great consideration when Director Wu’s daughter-in-law was hospitalized for childbirth, delivering his grandchild. Thus, their relationship was amicable.
After exchanging a few pleasantries, Du Heng stated his purpose directly; this matter couldn’t afford any delays.
Every minute that passed, those old folks would have more to gossip about, sowing more suspicion among the public.
The reputation he had painstakingly built for the Municipal Maternal and Child Health Hospital over more than half a year could be ruined.
This was a blow the hospital absolutely could not afford.
After hearing Du Heng’s account, Director Wu acted without hesitation. He immediately called a grid administrator and gave her a strict order: confiscate the banner and dispose of the broken basin.
As for driving the people away, Director Wu personally explained to Du Heng that they didn’t have the authority and couldn’t do that.
Du Heng didn’t press the issue.
Once that conspicuous banner and the detestable broken basin are gone, those people will be like declawed cats, unable to cause any significant disturbance with just their wails and shouts.
Seeing that Director Wu had promised, Du Heng didn’t stay any longer. He said his goodbyes and left the Street Office.
However, after he left, Director Wu quietly gave a few more instructions to the grid administrator before letting her handle the matter.
Upon returning to the hospital, Du Heng didn’t go back to his office. Instead, he went straight into the security’s duty room, watching the scene across the street intently, observing the paper ashes that occasionally flew up.
He paid no more attention to Vice Dean Zhang, who had been following him.
In a short while, the grid administrator he had met earlier came over, wearing a red jacket, along with several of her colleagues. There were many of them, a large and imposing group.
"Comrades, hanging banners is not permitted here. Please take it down," the grid administrator said. Her colleagues stood behind her, curiously observing the scene.
The Municipal Maternal and Child Health Hospital and the Street Office were separated by just one street, so the two workplaces were quite familiar with each other.
Du Heng, too, was a figure whose fame and reputation had recently soared.
This sudden incident piqued their curiosity immensely. They really wanted to pull these people aside and ask if Du Heng had truly made a mistake and caused a death.
However, their positions and job responsibilities prevented them from asking such gossipy questions, so they could only express their curiosity with their eyes.
The few people wailing and burning paper offerings were momentarily stunned by the sudden appearance of the people in red jackets.
They had dealt with police, security guards, doctors, nurses, and hospital leaders, but never with Street Office personnel.
In their minds, however, dealing with a mere street office employee would be a piece of cake.
So, after a brief moment of surprise, they all began to wail and accuse, attempting to exert pressure from all angles—verbally, through the volume of their voices, their actions, and by appealing to morality.
They accused them of aiding Tyranny, of colluding with the hospital, and of bullying the weak while fearing the strong.
However, they might have overlooked one thing: front-line Street Office staff are no pushovers. This group is, in fact, among the most combative and effective.
So, when these people dared to try and suppress them with shouts and moral accusations, the grid administrator wasn’t about to indulge them. With a wave of her hand, her colleagues behind her stepped forward and tore the banner off the wall.
"We spoke to you nicely, but you wouldn’t listen. What do you think you’re doing?" the grid administrator said angrily. "This is a public road, with people constantly coming and going. Is this how you seek justice?
I think you’re just posturing and grandstanding!
If you genuinely want justice, then go to the hospital. Find their leaders, find the doctor in charge. If that doesn’t work, you can go to their supervising department, or even file a lawsuit!"
Hearing the grid administrator’s words, the woman who had been jabbed against the wall with a pole the day before sneered, "Hmph, I see you’re all in cahoots! Your consciences must have been eaten by dogs!"
The grid administrator, hands on her hips, stared back defiantly. "As I said, if you want justice, go to the responsible parties! Look here, this is a public thoroughfare. What have you turned it into by blocking it?
The surrounding public has complained about you, so we had to come and see."
Then, she glanced at the broken basin on the ground. "This is being confiscated too. Look at all these paper ashes flying around; it’s too polluting.
Besides, lighting so many fires... if it causes a blaze, you’ll bear full responsibility!"
The formidable grid administrators arrived like a whirlwind and departed just as swiftly.
They took the commotion and clamor with them, leaving behind only the stunned wailers and the gossiping elderly onlookers.
What now?
The few individuals stared at each other blankly.
Without essential props like the banner and the broken basin, were they supposed to just stand there and wail dryly?
Across the street, in the duty room, Du Heng watched the community workers’ efficient actions and let out a long sigh of relief.
Without those conspicuous tools, those few people couldn’t possibly stir up any major trouble. The next step was to find a way to resolve the matter completely.
Du Heng stood up and walked out of the duty room, quietly asking Vice Dean Zhang beside him, "Have you reached Fan Bangjun?"
Vice Dean Zhang still shook his head, making Du Heng begin to question his capabilities.
However, Vice Dean Zhang quickly added, "I haven’t reached Fan Bangjun, but I’ve contacted his village party secretary."
According to the village party secretary, Fan Bangjun’s ex-wife was from the neighboring village, and this Man named Ren was indeed Fan Bangjun’s former brother-in-law.
Furthermore, the village party secretary said that this Man named Ren had previously specialized in instigating professional medical trouble in the city.
However, after the state and local governments began to crack down on such professional medical trouble, the Man named Ren was dealt with, and he stopped these activities.
This time, because his own nephew was involved, he finally found a legitimate pretext to extort money, using his status as a family member to shed the ’professional medical trouble’ label."
No wonder their methods are so professional, so infuriating, yet utterly disarming. True professionals!
Just as Du Heng was about to speak, a large jeep drove through the main gate and stopped beside him. "Xiao Heng, the people, are they still here?"
