I bought a prison in the United States.

Underwood's thoughts drifted back to that morning many years ago, to the story his father had told him.

That was in 1932, the year the Great Depression was at its worst. My father slammed the entire company ledger on the bank manager's desk and frankly told him:

"All my savings are here. Lend me another 50,000. If I fail, I will leave my life here."

The bank eventually approved a loan of 30,000.

But his father later told him that the bank was willing to lend him money at the time not because of intimidation, as the bank received countless intimidation threats every day.

The bank did this not out of pity or compassion, but because the honest and unfalsified accounts were convincing and intimidating.

Sincerity forged in dire straits is the sharpest weapon.

Seeing Underwood lost in thought, Gloria spoke up:

"Sir, he also said something that I think you should definitely listen to."

"What did you say?"

He said that once his monitoring system and electromagnetic door locks are all installed and completed, he will personally invite people from the state corrections department to conduct a follow-up inspection.

"If they can't give it an A grade, they're slapping themselves in the face."

Underwood let out a low laugh.

He hadn't heard such assertive and frank words in a long time.

This small town is bound by personal relationships and constrained by rules everywhere.

A young man from out of town used his own money to revitalize a public prison for the government.

When the bureaucrats allocated funds, he paid for the security upgrades himself.

When the government delayed subsidies, he used factory profits to cover the losses.

Day after day, without interruption.

This isn't doing business at all; it's an almost obsessive struggle.

As long as I set the standard to the absolute limit, you won't be able to find a single flaw and you won't be able to stop me!

What's even more remarkable is that he voluntarily exposed all his financial evidence and all his efforts to the media.

This is both an appeal for help from outside and a statement to the entire state of Oklahoma.

I'm betting everything I have on fair rules!

If the rules are unfair, then let this newspaper show everyone!

Underwood almost had a premonition that the newspaper would sell very well.

Aside from the presidential election, this newspaper is probably the biggest news story in Oklahoma this year!

He turned to look at Gloria and said in a deep voice:

"How do you plan to write this report?"

Gloria reopened the notebook and looked at the outline she had jotted down while traveling:

"I plan to approach this from several dimensions."

"First, at the institutional level."

"Write about how his points-based management system transformed a dilapidated prison on the verge of abandonment into a self-sustaining factory."

"Using data on prisoner labor participation rate, scrap rate, and recidivism risk as support, it is objective and truthful, and enough to attract attention."

"Then focus on those prisoner engineers, how they developed a high-performance monitoring system at the lowest cost."

"Finally, I'll briefly describe the prisoner's transformation and story, so that readers can empathize with him."

"Of course, it's not appropriate to include their low labor costs and strict management system in the report."

She paused, then added:

"However, I will subtly mention in the article the county court's audit concerns, clarifying that a judge determined that the security here did not meet the standards."

"Then immediately refute it with facts: the security upgrade of the entire prison, which cost more than 200,000 yuan, was all paid for privately."

"The government didn't spend a penny, but an outsider boss paid for the entire correctional center's security system out of his own pocket."

"This is a huge blow to the credibility of the county government, and Judge Hammond is clearly not in a position to withstand such pressure."

"The higher-ups will definitely come to inquire and investigate the facts, and then the prison problem will be easily solved."

"good!"

After listening, Underwood got up, walked to his desk, and picked up a pen.

Pushing the pen cap open, the pen tip hovered on the blank sticky note for two seconds before falling a string of smooth italic English letters.

He handed the note to Gloria.

It was written on the paper:

"A first in US prison history: individuals using their own assets to operate a government correctional center!"

Use this sentence as an introduction.

Upon reading these words, Gloria's vague thoughts finally settled.

What Underwood wanted was not just a regular positive interview.

He wanted a groundbreaking case draft that could be submitted to the state legislature, appear at a hearing, and shake up the existing order!

The introduction sets the tone, and all the facts in the entire article serve this core message.

Underwood continued to instruct:

"You can amplify the highlights to a certain extent; there's no need to be too conservative."

"Don't mention anything negative, just talk about solid results. We need to convince ordinary readers and make sure that the people in the state government can see them."

"But remember one thing: all content must be verifiable."

"Since you've chosen to write that he funded the prison out of his own pocket, you must ensure that every expenditure in the ledger corresponds to his actions."

"The IRS will help us verify the authenticity."

"Understood."

Gloria took out a recorder and pressed the record button.

This means that the following content will be officially included in the editorial archive.

She read the introductory sentence aloud to the machine, then turned it off and clipped the note to the cover of her notebook.

"Knock knock".

Just then, there was a soft knock on the door of the reception room.

The door was pushed open a crack, and the secretary's upright face peeked in:

"Mr. Underwood, Judge Hammond has arrived."

Underwood glanced at Gloria, a hint of dry, amused humor flashing in his eyes.

The show is about to begin.

"Let him in. Gloria, you can go back and prepare."

"Yes."

Gloria quickly packed her things, slung her canvas bag over her shoulder, and stood up.

She walked to the door and bumped right into Hammond, who was pushing the door open and entering.

Hammond was dressed in a dark gray suit, a dark red tie, and a small balance scale tie clip. He was surrounded by the cologne scent that only old-fashioned barbershops in Tulsa had.

Gloria has been running around court for years, so she knows this place all too well.

People who frequent that shop are never just people who want to get haircuts.

Hammond's gaze swept across her face indifferently, without offering any greeting.

A chill ran down Gloria’s neck and down to her shoulder blades.

She nodded politely in acknowledgment; as a reporter, she had long since learned not to care about other people's opinions.

Hammond watched her departing figure, his eyes gradually turning cold.

Only after she stepped out of the room and her secretary closed the wooden door was that sharp gaze completely shut out.

Inside the reception room, Underwood did not rise to greet the guests.

He was still sitting behind his desk, with a fresh cup of black tea that his secretary had just prepared in front of him.

The coaster sat silently on the worn-out Tulsa World custom coaster.

Hammond stood at the door for a few seconds, deliberately remaining silent in the standoff.

This is a tactic he has used for many years in the courts: whoever speaks first exposes their weakness.

But Underwood simply sipped his tea slowly, his gaze calmly fixed on him, as if he were waiting for an old friend to chat, without giving himself away.

Hammond knew this tactic was useless against him, so he took the initiative to step forward and sit down on the green sofa opposite him.

He leaned slightly forward, his hands resting on his knees, his posture respectful, yet his aura subtly powerful.

"Hollis, it's always so quiet here."

"The court calls constantly and the typewriter keeps ringing, it's giving me a headache. Coming here occasionally is much quieter and more comfortable."

Hammond spoke in the tone of an old acquaintance in order to build rapport, since he needed to gauge the other party's opinion this time.

"Tranquility is something that takes decades to cultivate. When I was young, I loved excitement, but I later realized that excitement doesn't bring anything, only a lot of restlessness."

Underwood spoke slowly and deliberately, his tone neither hot nor cold.

This means that the old fox has once again entered that most unpredictable business state.

Hammond's heart sank, but he still put on a friendly face:

"Yes, fifteen years have passed in the blink of an eye. I've spent a full fifteen years at the McLean County Courthouse."

"The Tulsa newspaper has had several editors-in-chief, but Le Monde has never published an article questioning or criticizing the work of the county court."

"I've always felt that this is an unspoken understanding between us."

"The media and the judiciary should each respect their boundaries and not overstep each other's limits."

Underwood put down his teacup, looked up and stared directly at him, his eyes devoid of any warmth.

"Robert, this isn't some kind of tacit understanding; it's just that you haven't done anything worth reporting in the past fifteen years."

"I didn't mean to back down; it's just that you're not good enough for our space."

Hammond's eyes twitched violently. These words were blunt and cutting, each one a thorn in his side.

But Underwood said it in the gentlest tone, as if it were an objective statement that it would rain tomorrow.

He had no way to refute it and could only swallow his anger.

Underwood abruptly changed the subject and said:

"However, there is something worth mentioning recently."

"Your Honor, do you recall a previous case involving minor assault?"

"The defendant pleaded guilty and negotiated a six-month sentence, but you rejected that and insisted on sentencing him to twelve months in prison."

"I won't comment on whether the verdict is right or wrong, but the number of prisoners you've sent to correctional centers in the last six months is almost equal to the total number sent in the past two years, isn't it?"

"Such a big change, sooner or later someone will be watching and holding you accountable."

Hammond subtly clenched his knees, instantly understanding Underwood's unspoken message.

The other party wasn't really interested in sentencing; they were interested in the prison report that was about to be published.

The gun was already pointed at him.

"Hollys, I'm not beating around the bush."

Since that's the case, Hammond might as well be frank:

"I know you sent Gloria to McLean prison for interviews, and I also know she's writing about Ringo Chen."

"I'm here today to kindly remind you of something."

"This Chinese man has been in Tulsa and McLean for less than three months, and his background and funding are all unclear."

"You want to stake the credibility that Le Monde has built up over the years on an unknown outsider."

"If something goes wrong later, it won't just damage the newspaper's reputation, but also the entire Tulsa business community's trust in the media!"

Hammond's words even carried a subtle threat at the end, but Underwood remained calm and chuckled as he said:

"Robert, are you starting to get anxious?"

"In three months, he transformed an empty prison into a cooperative factory with dual certification from GE and General Motors."

"His points-based management system is the first pilot project of its kind in the state corrections bureau. This is not your average shell company."

"Robert, let me ask you, if a white businessman had accomplished all this, would you still say he has an unclear background and questionable origins?"