Chapter 42 Meeting

It was a little after nine in the morning. Inside a café next to the Municipal Building, Su Tianyu met with Li Yuan. The two casually ordered two cups of coffee and some snacks, then began to talk in hushed tones.

"What's the city's take on this mine disaster?" Su Tianyu and Li Yuan were already quite familiar with each other, so there was no need for them to beat around the bush. Their communication was direct.

Li Yuan held his coffee cup and replied in a low voice, "What can they think? To be honest, when the Bao Long Group was approved for the mining area land, our mayor was against it. Because there was an internal government order that mining resources around Dragon City must be prioritized for state-owned enterprises, to boost our city's economy at critical moments and for infrastructure construction. But after the Regulatory Commission had its problems, didn't the First District send a new leader? He was the one who advocated contracting out some of the mining resources to private enterprises. There was a lot of infighting at the top over this, but in the end, they compromised."

"How did they compromise?" Su Tianyu asked curiously.

"Sigh, how else? They said it was contracted out to private enterprises, but it was actually given to the Bao Long Group." Li Yuan replied in a low voice, "The Bao Long Group symbolically injected capital into some Dragon City supporting enterprises, and then the city approved four mining areas for them. In short, it's a legalized way of turning state-owned assets into personal assets."

Su Tianyu was silent.

"We are both protégés of the leader, so I won't hide anything from you." Li Yuan turned his head to look around, and continued in a low voice, "This matter seems like both sides took a step back, but in reality, our leader was being checked. Bao Long's investment in local enterprises was symbolic. The total amount of money they took out was probably only twenty or thirty million, and it was all bank loans. In short, they used Dragon City's money to invest in Dragon City enterprises. It's a very fancy game. Our leader is angry about this, but he hasn't been here long, his foundation is weak, and it's really too difficult to get things done. You don't know, do you? The capital behind Bao Long is in the same boat as the Regulatory Commission and others. It's very complicated."

Su Tianyu nodded slowly, "So this mine disaster...!"

"Our leader is anxious! On the day of the incident, the Mine Safety Administration reported to the higher-ups that only twenty or so people were buried on the scene, but when I called your brother to ask, there were actually over a hundred casualties." Li Yuan frowned and said, "Such obvious concealment, such a blatant deception of the higher-ups, who could tolerate that? Our leader slammed the table at the time and ordered the judicial department to organize an investigation team to move into the mining area."

Su Tianyu blinked, "So that means the leader still wants to pursue accountability."

"He wants to, but the problem is that there's nowhere to start." Li Yuan responded softly, "Bao Long Mining said that the cause of the mine disaster was mainly due to natural disasters. Heavy rain caused the underground river to burst its banks, and the company's management was only responsible for improper command. They also admitted their mistake, fired the relevant responsible persons, and prepared to hand them over to the judicial department for handling. In short, on the surface, the Bao Long Group's attitude is very correct, and they are also very cooperative with the investigation and punishment of various municipal departments, but privately they just want to push out two scapegoats to take the blame, avoid the limelight, and then resume work."

Before Su Tianyu came back, he could imagine the energy of the Bao Long Group, but he didn't expect the enterprise background to be so complicated and the incident so thorny.

Li Yuan took a sip of coffee and softly advised, "I know you want to pursue compensation. Before you came back, I also asked about it for you. This matter shouldn't be that Bao Long Mining deliberately doesn't want to pay compensation, but rather that the insurance issue has caused a lot of disputes, and with various human factors involved, it has created the current situation."

Su Tianyu looked at him and asked, "What will happen if I pursue it hard now?"

Li Yuan turned his head to look around, "Lu Feng shot and angered the senior management and shareholders of the Bao Long Group. They feel threatened by social organizations and are angry. In addition, the mining group really doesn't want to take out more than 100 million now, so I personally think that there are two solutions. First, reduce the amount of compensation so that Bao Long Mining feels it is cost-effective, and they will pay the money all at once. Second, resolve it through a lawsuit. You sue, Bao Long responds, and after the lawsuit is over, they will pay."

"Sue? Can we afford it?" Su Tianyu frowned and cursed, "Isn't this just a rogue tactic?"

"You're right, commercial groups are rogues when it comes to absolute interests. Large game companies copy small game companies until your inspiration dries up. You can't afford to fight a lawsuit, and your capital strength isn't enough to compete, so you can only choose to be swallowed up in the end. Large groups in finance, online shopping, real estate, and entities can directly complete the monopoly by accumulating users and capital chains. Everyone says to start a business and invigorate the economy, but who is this business being created for in the end? People who shout 'Long live ideals' are all in debt and quit crying, only those who kneel and are co-opted can leave with a little hard-earned money." Li Yuan sighed, looked at Su Tianyu, and said, "I personally advise you to find a way to reduce the amount of compensation as soon as possible and settle the matter with money, otherwise it will be easy to be dragged to death if you fight them."

Su Tianyu was silent for a long time before replying, "The union can't reduce the amount of compensation. Not to mention that the workers' families already know that the insurance amount is 980,000, let's just talk about the mining company's psychological price point. If they only want to compensate 300,000 or 400,000 per person, then this matter can't be resolved. The union can't subsidize the workers with its own money. We don't have that kind of family fortune."

"Then what are you going to do?" Li Yuan asked.

"From an emotional and moral point of view, the union has an obligation to take care of the families of the fifty-odd workers who are gone." Su Tianyu replied softly, "From a development perspective, we actually have an opportunity in this matter."

Li Yuan asked curiously, "What opportunity?"

"An opportunity to build an image and truly establish a reputation." Su Tianyu said with bright eyes, "Only sudden events can reflect the value of the union."

Li Yuan was silent for a moment, "But taking on Bao Long...!"

"I'll just ask one question now." Su Tianyu interrupted, "If we are willing to be the first to stick our heads out, can our leader help us at a critical moment?"

Li Yuan blinked, "That depends on what extent you take it to. As you know, he can't express his position casually given his position."

"Help me whisper sweet words in his ear."

"Whisper my ass! The leader has already discovered that you often take me out for fun." Li Yuan rolled his eyes, "If I whisper again, he'll think I'm getting carried away."

"Brother Yuan, Father Yuan, please help me! I'll kneel for you!" Su Tianyu shamelessly pulled open the chair and made a gesture to kneel down.

Li Yuan looked at him quietly, "Then kneel!"

"Damn, I'll report you for prostituting every day, do you believe it?" Su Tianyu turned his back on his words.

…

Half an hour later, Li Yuan left. Su Tianyu walked out of the coffee shop and dialed a number: "Hello?! How are you doing at the police station hospital?"