A Bumpy Road to Power

Dirk Carter had just left Kent Hamilton's house.

Kent Hamilton's wife, Holly Quill, came over immediately.

She picked up the bottle and examined it carefully.

"Old Kent, why do I feel like this bottle looks like an antique?"

Holly Quill asked.

Kent Hamilton got anxious at once.

He snatched it away.

He wiped it carefully with a towel, respectfully placed it on the table, and said: "An antique? Do you think he would possibly gift me an antique? If he did and I turned it over to the disciplinary committee, wouldn't that be the end for him? This thing, its price isn't high, but he said it's been blessed by a master and receives incense offerings, so I believe it. Surely, a vice mayor can't think of getting me to do something for him with just a worthless porcelain bottle?"

Holly Quill heard this analysis.

And she thought it made a lot of sense too.

On Dirk Carter's side, he had just appeared on the road.

A car drove over and stopped in front of him.

The driver was Gwendolyn Lewis.

"I just don't get it, you're giving those two antiques to Kent Hamilton, aren't you afraid he'll report you? Besides, aren't those items Cora Young's? Isn't this like walking right into a trap?"

Dirk Carter chuckled.

He said: "I want Cora Young to see them."

Hearing this,

Gwendolyn Lewis suddenly had a moment of realization.

She said: "I get it, you deliberately said the items were in the office effectively so Cora Young would see them accidentally. This way, Cora Young will think all the valuable stuff in her house was taken by Kent Hamilton."

Dirk Carter snapped his fingers.

He said: "Exactly, Kent Hamilton was a problem to begin with, and at The Empyrean Palace, there's no dirt on him for embezzlement, bribery, or being a philanderer. His only weakness is superstition. We can't catch him red-handed; we can't bring him down. Cora Young now should be in a frenzied state. Once she sees these things, she's bound to go after Kent Hamilton. When they start biting at each other, we'll see who's more capable."

"Hopefully, they both lose."

Gwendolyn Lewis said excitedly.

After completing this setup,

Dirk Carter felt quite pleased.

He let out a long breath and said: "Let's go to Apricot Grove Estates, let's check out the renovations we've done."

Gwendolyn Lewis pressed the gas pedal.

The car disappeared into the traffic.

Apricot Grove Estates is located in Northvale District on Redrun Street.

It's one of Veridia City's oldest residential areas.

Before the renovation, Apricot Grove Estates had parking shortages, aging sewage systems, and chaotic electrical wiring. As for greenery and other living facilities, they were virtually nonexistent.

After the old urban district renovation work began,

Apricot Grove Estates was one of the first areas to be renovated and has now passed inspection.

Dirk Carter was going there this time to see the specifics of the neighborhood renovation.

Although he had seen some photos in the documents, personally checking is always more reassuring.

The two had just gotten out of the car at the entrance of the estate.

They saw the newly refurbished apartment gateway.

Dirk Carter had seen the previous photos; it was small and cramped, barely allowing one vehicle to pass. Now, after renovation, it looked quite grand, and barriers were installed at the entrance, giving off a good impression.

"Not bad."

Dirk Carter muttered.

He then led Gwendolyn Lewis inside for a walk around the estate.

Apricot Grove Estates isn't big.

It has only twelve buildings in total.

From a distance, the effect of the freshly painted outer walls was evident.

External elevators were also installed at the building entrances, solving the issue of accessing upper floors in an old neighborhood.

Not far away,

there was a fitness square.

It was equipped with quite a few pieces of fitness equipment for residents.

A few elderly people were chatting there.

Dirk Carter and Gwendolyn Lewis also went up to them.

"Hello, Aunties. We're here to buy a house. How's this neighborhood?"

Dirk Carter intentionally fabricated an identity and asked.

He originally thought these aunties would enthusiastically recommend it.

Unexpectedly, a permed-haired aunt shook her head promptly upon hearing this and said: "Young man, don't come here to buy a house. If you do, you'll regret it."

Dirk Carter was taken aback.

He gestured around the neighborhood.

He said: "I think this neighborhood looks clean and tidy, and I read in the newspaper that it recently passed a renovation inspection."

Hearing this, another auntie chuckled.

She said: "Young man, do you really believe the government would spend money to renovate your house? Dream on. What you see has indeed been done on the surface, but the underlying issues? It's still a mess. Take the sewage system renovation, for example. They just opened up the ground, then covered it back up. They did nothing, just pocketed the money. These days, government money is quite easy to earn."

Gwendolyn Lewis heard this.

She asked urgently: "Auntie, are you saying the sewage system renovation wasn't actually done properly?"

The permed-haired aunt said: "Still clogged, still leaking. If you buy a house here, you wouldn't dare to use the toilet, or else it won't flush, and your whole house will stink."

"Besides the sewage system, are there other problems?"

Dirk Carter realized the issue was not simple and hastily pressed on.

The permed-haired aunt pointed at the external elevators and said: "And the elevators, you saw them, didn't you? Not a single one works. Who knows where they got these pieces of junk? They're always under repair. It's been two months since the inspection. Ask anyone if they've used them – they're just for show."

"And the rooftop waterproofing, just a thin layer of asphalt, completely ineffective, just for show and deceiving people."

Another aunt chimed in.

At this moment,

the other residents got more animated in their discussions.

An aunt pulled Gwendolyn Lewis to the fitness equipment and gave it a push.

The equipment, supposedly anchored to the ground, could be easily rocked by an elderly person.

Gwendolyn Lewis bent down to inspect.

She found the equipment was all rusted.

They merely painted a new layer over it.

And the internal roads surrounding the neighborhood, barely two months past inspection, many parts were already pothole-ridden. Pressing lightly, the supposedly solid cement road could be broken off.

It's evident the construction was thoroughly shoddy.

It's known that the total bid for Apricot Grove Estates was nine million yuan, yet such an entire project likely cost less than two million.

After a long silence,

Dirk Carter said with a stern expression: "Let's go to Prosperity Gardens."

Prosperity Gardens isn't far from Apricot Grove Estates.

It is currently undergoing renovation.

Last night, the Veridia City News reported on the renovation progress at Prosperity Gardens.

At that time, the project manager claimed they would tackle challenges and complete the neighborhood's renovation within three months.

The two had just arrived at the entrance of Prosperity Gardens.

They saw a lot of construction vehicles coming and going.

It looked like a scene bustling with activity.

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