Brian Sullivan felt as if he had been struck by lightning. He had pinned all his hopes of getting his life back on track on Mark Brooks, and just this afternoon, his mind was still preoccupied with this matter. Who would have thought he’d be hit with another blow so soon—Mark Brooks died of a heart attack?

What the hell is going on?

Brian Sullivan stood there in a daze for quite a while, only snapping back to reality when William Harris turned around in the lobby, prompting him to walk into Building Six.

Chapter 9: Never Shy from the Worst Malice

Mark Brooks had only been in Donghua for just over half a year. His family stayed behind in the provincial capital and hadn’t come with him, so he lived and ate at Nanyuan. In fact, Brian Sullivan, afraid that Mark Brooks would keep too close an eye on him, didn’t move into Nanyuan, but instead “endured hardship” by staying in the municipal government dormitory...

At the corridor entrance stood two officers from the city public security bureau. In the lobby, there were two doctors in white coats, as well as two young women assigned by the Nanyuan Hotel to be on duty in Building Six—having never experienced anything like this before, their faces were bloodless, clearly frightened by what had happened.

Brian Sullivan was also deeply shocked inside, thinking to himself, “When it rains, it pours”—that must be the best way to describe his current predicament.

Just this morning, he had beaten up John Reed’s brother-in-law, Big Mouth Harris, relying on Mark Brooks’s backing to force John Reed and his brother-in-law to swallow their anger. Who could have imagined that the very person supporting him, Mark Brooks, would suddenly die of illness that afternoon...

Heaven really is screwing with him!

Brian Sullivan followed William Harris upstairs, not even in the mood to glance at her round, tight pants as she walked.

Upstairs on the second floor was the living room. Through a half-open door, he could see Mark Brooks lying stiffly on the bed in the bedroom, the sheet already covering his face—he was indeed dead.

At this moment, Brian Sullivan felt no particular emotion toward Mark Brooks, but seeing the scene before him, he was still deeply shocked.

Just yesterday morning, Mark Brooks had called to ask about his injuries, and now today it was his turn to lie stiffly on the bed. Life truly is unpredictable.

Party Secretary Henry Parker stood in the outer living room with his hands on his hips, his face clouded as if a storm was brewing, making people instinctively want to avoid him.

John Reed, the Nanyuan Hotel manager Paul Morgan, and the lead doctor who had rushed over for the emergency all stood there, reporting the rescue situation to Henry Parker...

“How do you people take care of the leaders’ daily lives? Mayor Brooks came back to rest at noon, and you didn’t even bother to check on him? With something like this happening, how am I supposed to explain to the province?”

Henry Parker’s reprimand wasn’t loud, but it was like thunder rumbling in low clouds, full of suppressed power. As he spoke, his finger nearly jabbed into the faces of John Reed and Paul Morgan. “And also, exactly who went in and out of Building Six at noon? You must report truthfully, not a single detail can be omitted.”

As the director and deputy director of the municipal government guesthouse, John Reed and Paul Morgan were naturally the first to be held responsible for such a major incident.

These days, leaders all have bad tempers, and Henry Parker rarely shows mercy when scolding people.

“Mayor Brooks specifically instructed that no one was to disturb him when he returned.”

Paul Morgan looked pale. Though he usually strutted around arrogantly and had already prepared some excuses, in front of the furious boss, he couldn’t help but tremble as he replied, “By two in the afternoon, I still hadn’t seen Mayor Brooks come out, so I came over to check. It’s my fault, Secretary Parker, you can scold me as much as you want. It’s just that no one expected something like this to happen, and no one had ever mentioned that Mayor Brooks had a heart condition. As for whether anyone went in or out of Building Six at noon, honestly, no one paid attention. The two staff members on day shift for Building Six slacked off a bit—after hearing Mayor Brooks’s instructions, they ran out, so there was a period of time when no one was in Building Six.”

“Utter chaos! For now, keep this news from getting out—don’t let anyone outside start gossiping.” Henry Parker snapped angrily, supporting his chin with his hand, and said nothing more.

The conversation between the Party Secretary and Paul Morgan made Brian Sullivan sense something was off.

He was no longer the old Brian Sullivan. He’d had his glory days at the city steel plant, and had also spent years being trampled underfoot. In just a few short years, his life had seen dramatic ups and downs, making his reflections on life much deeper than most; his insight into problems was also much sharper.

Brian Sullivan stood with William Harris at the doorway. Seeing that no one was paying him any attention, he sidled into the bedroom and lifted the corner of the sheet to look at Mark Brooks’s body.

At first glance, Brian Sullivan was startled: the lifeless, pale-faced Mark Brooks under the sheet wasn’t wearing a single piece of clothing...

Brian Sullivan stood there in shock: a standing committee member of the municipal party committee, a deputy mayor, dying naked in a hotel room—what a sensational news story and political scandal this would be for Donghua City!

No wonder Henry Parker was so grimly questioning who had entered or left Building Six beforehand.

“Brian Sullivan, what are you doing in there?” Only then did Henry Parker notice Brian Sullivan had entered the bedroom, his voice suddenly sharp as he barked at him to come out.