The richest man started taking advantage of loopholes after joining Alibaba.

Binjiang Park, Building 3, B1 Floor.

There are no windows here, and the air is filled with the smell of carbon powder and old paper all year round.

The Integrity and Compliance Department, internally known as the "Imperial Bodyguard" at Alibaba.

"Old Ghost" sat at his workstation, holding a newly printed complaint form in his hand.

His name is Li Mo, a senior investigation expert who has been with the company for eight years.

The paint on the metal filing cabinet behind him was already peeling, and the handles were polished to a shine by countless hands, gleaming with a cold, hard metallic luster.

What's locked inside is the most painful festering wound that this giant company doesn't want to see the light of day.

There was a cup of leftover tea on the table.

The cup was covered with a thick layer of tea stains, a few blackened tea leaves sank to the bottom, and a layer of murky oily film floated on the surface.

I picked up the cup and took a sip.

The bitter tea slid down my throat, rinsing off the taste of smoke in my mouth.

My gaze skipped over the impassioned words about "data fabrication" in the whistleblower letter and landed directly on the attached copy of the contract.

"Weiguang Interactive, registered three months ago, with a capital of 10."

Put down the cup and tap the table with your knuckles.

"50% down payment, no performance-based clauses."

Data can be faked, and daily active users can be inflated, but the flow of money doesn't lie.

At Alibaba, for a completely unknown new supplier to secure such terms, there are only two possibilities: either it's a relative of the boss, or there's a huge transfer of benefits.

Old Ghost doesn't need evidence.

All you need is your sense of smell.

Once you make the cut, regardless of whether there's pus underneath, stopping the bleeding is always the right thing to do.

He opened the drawer and took out an official seal.

"Smack."

The seals were heavily affixed to the "Case Filing and Investigation Approval Form".

The ink was still wet, and the red "准" character looked like a brand of some kind of judgment.

Old Gui logged into the SAP system expressionlessly and entered the project code.

Press Enter.

Status change: [Frozen].

The entire department was eerily quiet, except for the rustling sound of him turning the pages.

This silent sense of oppression is far more suffocating than shouting.

.......

Nine o'clock in the evening, at "Grandma's House" by West Lake.

The private room was sweltering, and the smell of alcohol was so strong it was almost pungent.

"Come on! Let's toast to the successful first battle of the 'Coming and Going' project!"

Old Wang stood in the main seat, holding a wine dispenser, his face beaming.

The red ribbon from the Moutai bottle dangled onto the table, one corner of which was submerged in a plate of Dongpo pork filled with red oil, absorbing the grease and turning a deep red to black.

"Lin Che! You deserve the most credit!"

Old Wang slurred his words and could barely hold the wine glass.

To let it breathe, he pulled his loose tie to one side, revealing his neck covered in red rashes.

That was a severe alcohol allergy, but it was nothing compared to the excitement of achieving the KPI.

"Mr. Wang, you're too kind. It's all thanks to your excellent leadership."

Lin Che stood up, a standard business smile on his face, his wine glass half an inch lower than Lao Wang's.

Clink glasses, tilt head back, and drink it all in one gulp.

The spicy liquid went down his throat, but his eyes remained clear as ice.

The glass turntable made a creaking sound as it slowly rotated.

The smooth glass surface reflected the distorted faces of his colleagues, contorted from drunkenness.

Some people smiled obsequiously, some stuffed themselves with meat, and some stared blankly at their phone screens.

At this moment, they didn't seem like elites.

Like a group of planktonic organisms reveling in bubbles.

My phone vibrated in my pocket.

A text message from Fatty Wang: [Brother Che, the server needs renewal again. It stopped for a minute due to unpaid fees, and 3000 scripts went offline. Quickly send the second payment, or the whole system will crash.]

Lin Che placed his phone face down on the table and looked at Lao Wang, who was still making empty promises.

This person can only be used, not relied upon.

If we tell Lao Wang now that there might be an investigation, this fat guy will definitely confess immediately in exchange for leniency.

This is the workplace ecosystem.

Lin Che poured himself a cup of tea and gently swirled it.

The cutting must be completed before the foam bursts.

He glanced at his watch.

"Mr. Wang, I still have some script parameters to adjust. I need to keep an eye on it tonight," Lin Che said apologetically. "If I don't keep an eye on it, the retention rate might drop tomorrow."

"Go! Go! Work comes first!" Old Wang waved his hand. "Young people should have this kind of drive!"

He picked up his coat, turned around, and walked out of the private room.

The moment the door closed, the noise behind me was cut off.

The smile vanished instantly, replaced by a scalpel-like coldness.

.......

Back in the Binjiang Park, only a few lights remained on in the buildings.

I walked quickly to my workstation and turned on my computer.

The blue light from the screen shone on my face, highlighting my bloodless lips.

Once the second payment is transferred, Fatty Wang can complete the final cleanup, destroy all traces, and disappear with the money.

At that time, there will be no way to verify the facts.

Open the OA system. Create a new payment request. Upload the invoice.

Upload the invoice.

Lin Che's finger hovered over the Enter key, and without any hesitation, he pressed it down heavily.

The screen flickered.

The expected "submission successful" message did not appear.

A gray pop-up window blocked the payment button, like a suddenly falling stone that severed a dragon.

Error 403: Forbidden

[System notification: The project budget has been frozen. Please contact the Integrity and Compliance Department.]

Staring at the pop-up window, his pupils contracted slightly.

There was no anger, no panic.

Only the coldness of settled dust.

The cursor turned into a blue loading icon, spinning endlessly in the center of the screen, mocking his futile efforts.

Old Ghost.

The Anti-Corruption Bureau has taken action.

It was faster than expected.

Since the funds are frozen, it means that the other party has already identified their target.

Any appeal or explanation offered now would be tantamount to walking into a trap.

The other party wants to investigate "transfer of benefits".

Unless evidence of "transfer" can be found, this is just a normal "commercial dispute".

Lin Che decisively unplugged the network cable.

He picked up his spare phone and dialed Fatty Wang's number.

"Listen, no payment is needed."

Lin Che's voice was perfectly steady, without any inflection.

"Immediately format all servers, physically destroy the hard drives, flush the SIM card in your hand down the toilet. From now on, you are an ordinary salesperson at 'Weiguang Interactive,' whose company's cash flow has been disrupted and it has gone bankrupt due to Alibaba's overdue payment."

"Brother Che, this..."

"Do as I say, and forget about the final payment; that's my resettlement allowance for you."

Hang up the phone, remove the SIM card, break it in half, and throw it in the trash.

Lin Che stood up and pushed open the door to the emergency exit.

The stairwell was pitch black, except for the escape route sign in the corner, which emitted a faint green glow.

The light shone faintly in the darkness, guiding the only "path to survival".

He stood on the platform and lit a cigarette.

Mars flickered in the darkness.

The motion sensor light above my head flickered on and off, emitting a buzzing sound.

Lin Che exhaled a puff of smoke, watching the wisp of smoke dissipate into the green halo.

He knew that tomorrow morning, two people in black suits and wearing name tags would appear next to his workstation.

That will be a real hunt.

This was the moment he had been waiting for—the moment of counterattack.