Chapter 175 Hitting a Brick Wall
Meanwhile, in a business vehicle parked across the street, a few individuals were seated, including Jared who had called them here.
Freshly arrived, they had missed seeing Joe and the numerous government officials present.
Jared, with a smug smile playing on his lips, toyed with a walnut. "A man who lives off a woman dares to oppose me? Let's see how long your clinic can stay open!"
The commotion caused by this group was loud enough to reach the clinic. Joe and a few officials heard it and came out just in time to catch the words of the fat official. Joe frowned immediately and said, "Since when did Lindwood City ban gatherings? Ale, did you issue this order?"
The one being questioned was Ale Allen, who quickly shook his head in denial.
At this moment, another official spoke up, "Larry, isn't that fat guy from your department? Why is he here? Did you send him to trouble Dr. Smith?"
Larry, who was rather short, had missed seeing the obese official in the crowd and frowned upon hearing the question. "He's from my department, but I didn't instruct him to trouble Dr. Smith! George, don't just point fingers at me. Look at the people behind him; aren't some of them from your department?"
George looked and indeed saw his subordinates, his expression turning sour.
They were all smart enough to quickly realize that someone was deliberately causing trouble for James
They were about to step forward and reprimand their subordinates when Joe stopped them. "Hold on, let's see what happens. If they are performing their duties rather than making trouble, we shouldn't interfere..."
He didn't finish his sentence, but the cold smile on his face made the officials shiver and break out in a cold sweat.
James stepped forward and said, "I'm in charge here. If there's an issue, you can speak to me."
The fat official glanced briefly at James, noticing his cheap clothes, and immediately displayed a contemptuous expression. He said arrogantly, "Who allowed you to operate? Are all your documents in order?"
Dennis, standing nearby, replied, "All the documents are in order."
"You think saying they're in order makes it so?" the fat official retorted coldly.
James remained calm. With Joe and several officials present, he knew they couldn't cause much trouble. He was curious to see who had sent them to create a disturbance.
"Dad, go get the documents," Jennifer asked.
Dennis quickly brought the documents and handed them over. The fat official barely glanced at them and said, "Where did you get these documents? They look fake. I'm telling you, making fake documents is a felony."
James was unfazed and calmly replied, "We obtained them from the relevant departments. If you don't believe us, you can verify them."
They could tell the documents were genuine. After a brief exchange of looks, the official said, "We'll take these documents for verification. They'd better be genuine. If we find they're fake, all of you will go to jail!"
Next, a person in a red uniform asked, "Is your fire safety up to code? Have you reported it?"
A civil servant in a blue uniform added, "Is your sanitation up to standard?"
"And where do you source your medicinal herbs? Have they passed the inspection?" the last person, a white-suited official from the Food and Drug Administration, asked. He then picked up a few herbs, sniffed them, and frowned. "Why do I smell mold?"
Even Jennifer, no matter how naive, could see that this group was here to cause trouble, especially on their opening day. If they didn't handle this well, their reputation would be ruined.
"Our medicinal herbs are the same as those from HC Medical Center, sourced from the largest supplier in Pearl Peak City. There should be no issues with the quality," Jennifer said in a serious tone.
"Whether there's a problem isn't for you to decide. We must verify it ourselves. Until everything checks out, you cannot operate," the white-uniformed official said coldly, his attitude extremely hostile.
"Moreover, I see that your sanitation and fire safety are not up to standard, posing significant risks! I suggest you close down and only reopen after we have verified everything," he added.
James, usually very good-tempered, was now a bit irritated. He said, "We have all the necessary certificates, and they were inspected before we opened. Why did your guys show up again today? It seems someone has sent you to cause trouble!"
"What? What did you say?"
"How dare you slander the public officials!"
"Say that again if you dare!"
Their attitudes grew increasingly hostile.
At this point, George couldn't stand it anymore. He was the first to step forward and said, "Jason Carter, you're quite bold."
The civil servant in the blue uniform, upon seeing George, froze for a moment, then shivered and exclaimed in surprise, "Mr. Clark? What are you doing here?"
The others, who also recognized George, were equally astonished.
However, they quickly composed themselves, as they were not from the Department of Health and Human Services and were not George's subordinates.
But soon, a few more people emerged from the crowd, and their expressions changed instantly.
"Mr. Scott?"
"Mr. Scott! What are you doing here?"
They were all very flustered, unable to understand why their superiors were all here.
Seeing the expressions of their superiors, they realized they had hit a brick wall this time.
"Who sent you here to cause trouble?"
Hearing George's question, they broke out in a cold sweat. They had been bribed by Jared to trouble James, and now they were feeling guilty.
"You misunderstand, sir. We wouldn't cause trouble. We received a public complaint and came to inspect. Since they are your friends, there must have been a misunderstanding. We'll leave immediately."
With that, they tried to leave.
At this moment, Joe stepped forward. "Since you received a public complaint, follow the procedure and continue the inspection."
These people had never seen Joe before and didn't recognize him, but they weren't blind. Seeing Joe's commanding presence, they knew he was a high-ranking official. The fat official cautiously asked, "Mr. Clark, who is this?"
"This is Joe Evans," George said coldly, glaring at the fat official.
Hearing Joe's name, the fat official's legs went weak, and he wobbled, almost unable to stand.
"What? Thank you, Mr. Evans... We're done for... we're done for..."
The others turned pale, realizing they had caused trouble this time.
"Mr. Evans, it's a misunderstanding!"
But Joe ignored them. He was also very annoyed. He had come to attend James's opening ceremony, only to encounter this situation!
Known for his integrity, Joe said coldly, "Misunderstanding? Your earlier arrogant behavior didn't look like a misunderstanding to me! I'll give you a chance: continue your inspection. If you find no violations at this clinic, then all of you can get lost. Lindwood City doesn't need corrupt officials who abuse their power!"
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