Title: Reborn in Handong, Starting with an Investment in Gao Yuliang

Zhou Jian picked up a pen.

It was stuffed directly into Zhao Ruilong's worn-out right palm.

"If you sign this plea agreement now..."

"Take the initiative to confess to all the crimes."

"Perhaps we can still negotiate for leniency."

"I'll spare your dog's life."

"If you continue to fight to the bitter end..."

"Wait until the Provincial Party Committee launches a full-scale purge of your father."

"You and your son can then be reunited at the execution ground."

Zhao Ruilong's body trembled violently as if he had a seizure.

He stared at the plea agreement on the table.

Every word on it felt like it was sucking his blood.

His right hand grasped the pen very slowly.

The pen tip was less than a centimeter away from the paper.

Sweat dripped from his wrist onto the white paper.

A water stain spread out.

Just as the pen tip was about to touch the paper.

Zhao Ruilong suddenly pulled his hand back as if he had been electrocuted.

The pen clattered onto the metal plate.

He tilted his head back and burst into a heart-wrenching wail.

The heart-wrenching cries echoed in the closed basement.

It was filled with endless regret and despair.

Zhao Ruilong was just one millimeter away from signing the plea agreement.

Extreme fear forced him to stop moving.

The pen lay quietly on the cold iron plate, mocking the once arrogant young master of Handong.

Zhao Ruilong is going through a brutal internal struggle.

He knew all too well the weight of that agreement.

As long as your name appears on it.

The bright red fingerprint was pressed down.

Zhao Ruilong's life is now completely over.

The underground sewage pipes at Crescent Lake are spewing out highly toxic wastewater every day.

Such a shocking case that endangers the lives of millions of people might normally be something that could be bribed to cover up.

But now Lu Kangcheng is in charge of Handong!

That iron-fisted secretary clearly intended to make an example of him!

If you confess, you will definitely face severe punishment.

He could end up spending his life in jail, or even be forced to eat a peanut.

What's even more terrifying is that once this loophole is exposed, Liang Qunfeng and Lu Kangcheng will definitely follow the clues and investigate further.

He turned the fire on his father, Zhao Lichun.

At that time, the entire Zhao family will collapse like dominoes.

But what if they don't plead guilty?

Zhao Ruilong swallowed hard, his saliva tinged with blood, his Adam's apple bobbing violently.

He has been working non-stop for more than 40 hours now.

The four high-powered incandescent bulbs were about to burn his retina.

Severe dehydration made every breath feel like swallowing shards of glass.

If he relaxes even slightly, the piercing high-decibel alarm will pierce his eardrums.

This torment, worse than death, is ten thousand times more unbearable than being killed outright.

Zhao Ruilong's mind was in complete chaos.

He was terrified of being convicted, yet he still clung to a last shred of hope that Zhao Lichun would help him.

In the first twenty years of his life.

No matter how terrible the disaster, even if it's a huge hole in the sky.

As long as his father intervenes, all the troubles will disappear within half a day.

According to past practice.

I've been detained by the Provincial Commission for Discipline Inspection for so long.

Zhao Lichun would have lost his temper long ago.

But even now, the iron door to the interrogation room remains tightly closed.

Not a single phone call came in demanding their release.

This unusual silence sent chills down Zhao Ruilong's spine.

Zhou Jian coldly observed Zhao Ruilong's disgraceful behavior.

This top interrogation expert from the provincial discipline inspection commission was very clear about the prey's current state.

Having endured this long and arduous process, the opponent's psychological defenses are now riddled with spiderweb-like cracks.

All that's needed is that tiny, insignificant push at the very end.

This once rampaging bird of prey in Handong Province will be completely reduced to a pile of mud.

Zhou Jian did not shout at him as he had before.

He slowly bent down and picked up the pen that had fallen to the ground.

He held it in his hand and played with it casually.

Zhou Jian pulled out a chair and sat back down.

The sternness and murderous intent on his face vanished instantly.

Instead, there is a gentleness that comes from an elder looking at a younger person who has gone astray and returned to the right path.

This deceptively kind expression seemed extremely eerie in the interrogation room at that moment.

"Zhao Ruilong."

Zhou Jian spoke, his voice calm and even.

Are you still waiting for your father to come and rescue you from this door?

These words precisely struck Zhao Ruilong's deepest vulnerability.

Zhao Ruilong suddenly raised his head, his bloodshot eyes fixed on Zhou Jian.

Deep in his eyes lay a hint of panic at his secret being exposed.

He wanted to speak in rebuttal, his chapped lips twitched a few times, but no sound came out.

Zhou Jian picked up the enamel mug on the table and slowly took a sip of strong tea.

Spit a few floating tea leaves back into the cup.

"Don't be silly, face reality."

Zhou Jian placed the teacup back on the table, making a crisp clinking sound.

"Did you really think the official document I just showed you was a forgery to fool you?"

"Do you really think your father is still the powerful Standing Committee member who can wield influence in Handong Province?"

Every word Zhou Jian uttered was like a dull knife.

Cut off Zhao Ruilong's last remaining rationality.

"Let me analyze the current situation for you."

Zhou Jian leaned forward slightly, his gaze fixed on Zhao Ruilong's evasive eyes.

"It's no secret that you polluted Crescent Lake."

"The whole officialdom of Handong Province, and even the streets and alleys of Jingzhou City, are talking about this."

"The drinking water safety of millions of people is under deadly threat."

"This overwhelming public resentment must be quelled by someone."

Zhou Jian raised his right hand and made a chopping motion in mid-air.

The movements were swift and decisive.

"Secretary Lu Kangcheng was worried about not finding a stepping stone to establish his authority."

"You and your son simply handed the knife to him."

"In order to give an explanation to the people of the province, and to demonstrate the provincial party committee's determination to enforce strict discipline."

Do you think Secretary Lu will let you off so easily?

Zhou Jian's voice gradually grew louder, carrying an irresistible sense of oppression.

"Zhao Lichun's suspension is an indisputable fact!"

"He can't save you, he can't even save himself now!"

Zhao Ruilong's breathing suddenly became rapid, and his chest heaved violently like a bellows.

The steel shackles rattled as he pulled on them.

He was vehemently resisting the terrifying reality that Zhou Jian was instilling in him.

But reason was frantically telling him that every word Zhou Jian said was true.

If Zhao Lichun were safe and sound outside, he would never allow the Discipline Inspection Commission to torment his own son like this.

For a full forty hours, not a single person tried to find out what was going on.

There is only one explanation.

That means Zhao Lichun has really lost power, and may even have had his personal freedom restricted.

They are currently under close scrutiny by a special investigation team.

"Think about it."

Zhou Jian pressed his advantage, continuing to dismantle Zhao Ruilong's psychological defenses.

"Your father is a member of the Provincial Party Committee Standing Committee, no matter how high his rank is."

"With such a huge blunder, can he get away unscathed?"

"Those scoundrels who used to fawn over your Zhao family are now running away from you like the plague. Who would dare to walk into the line of fire?"

Zhou Jian sneered, his face full of mockery.

"You still expect someone else to save you?"

"You're now just a completely useless piece, utterly discarded!"

"The entire Zhao family is utterly finished!"