Me! A high-ranking official!

The skinny man's neck was being choked by his collar, his face flushed red, and his voice trembled: "Mr. Sun... Mr. Sun! It's Mr. Sun!"

"Sun Jianjun?"

"Yes, yes, yes! It's him! He gave us a thousand dollars and told us to come over... to teach you a lesson."

Where did he go?

"He...he's outside the park, in his car...waiting for our reply." The skinny guy's voice was almost crying: "Big brother, I'm just doing this for money, I don't know anything else, please let me go."

Zhao Jianguo sneered, loosened his grip, and the skinny monkey collapsed back to the ground like a lump of mud. Without giving these people another glance, he turned and rushed out of the park.

Outside the park was a two-way four-lane road with a few cars parked sparsely on the side. He rushed out of the park gate and his eyes swept across the road, where he spotted the black Volkswagen.

The car window was open, and Sun Jianjun was sitting in the driver's seat with his phone to his ear. He looked flustered and mumbled something unintelligible. After hanging up, he looked up and glanced in the direction of the park gate.

Their eyes met, and they were less than thirty meters apart.

Sun Jianjun's face changed instantly, and he almost dropped his phone. He frantically started the engine, stepped on the gas, and the front of the car just started to stick out.

Zhao Jianguo moved with lightning speed. Seeing that the car had already started, he bent down, picked up half a brick, swung his arm in a wide arc, and smashed it against the car window.

The brick tumbled twice in the air before smashing the right rear window with a loud bang. Glass shards shattered, and the brick, still carrying momentum, struck Sun Jianjun's right arm.

Sun Jianjun screamed, his arm went limp, he lost control of the steering wheel, and the car veered sharply to the right, crashing into the roadside green belt with a loud thud. The front of the car plunged into the evergreen bushes, the bumper scraping against the concrete curb, chipping a large patch of paint.

He rushed forward, yanked open the car door, grabbed Sun Jianjun by the back of the neck, and pulled him out of the driver's seat like a chick.

Sun Jianjun, who is over 1.7 meters tall and weighs at least 150 or 160 kilograms, was lifted above Zhao Jianguo's head with both hands, his limbs flailing wildly in the air, and he let out a pig-like howl.

"Zhao Jianguo! How dare you..."

Before he could finish speaking, his body was lifted into the air and then crashed heavily into the green belt.

The green belt was planted with evergreen plants, which were trimmed neatly, but the branches were as hard as iron wire. When Sun Jianjun fell in, he broke off a large number of branches and leaves. The broken branches were like countless needles piercing into his clothes and flesh. He screamed in pain and thrashed about, trying desperately to crawl out.

The evergreen tree was pinned down by him, and he managed to stick half of his body out by clinging to the cement curb.

Zhao Jianguo raised his foot and kicked him back.

Sun Jianjun fell backward into the evergreen bushes, his back riddled with broken branches. The pain made him curl up like a shrimp, and he let out a long, piercing scream.

"Zhao Jianguo!" he cried out as he struggled, his voice shrill and panicked. "How dare you treat me like this! Do you know who I am? I'm the vice president of the Construction Group!"

Zhao Jianguo stood outside the green belt, arms crossed, looking at him with a cold smile.

"So what if it's the vice president? Even if Qi Honghai comes in person, I'll still beat him up."

Sun Jianjun's face paled even further. He hadn't expected Zhao Jianguo to disregard even Qi Honghai. This kid used to be so timid and obsequious when he worked in the government office, always smiling at everyone. Who would have thought he'd be so ruthless when it came to fighting? No longer daring to be defiant, he struggled to climb out from the other end of the evergreen tree. The branches and leaves pricked him, making him grimace. His face and the backs of his hands were covered in streaks of blood. He finally managed to climb to the other side of the concrete curb, and just as he put his hands on it, preparing to force his way out...

Zhao Jianguo took two steps back, then leaped into the air and landed steadily at the other end of the green belt.

Sun Jianjun looked up and saw Zhao Jianguo blocking his way. The color drained from his face instantly. Just as he was about to beg for mercy, Zhao Jianguo kicked him back.

Sun Jianjun fell back into the evergreen bushes, completely unable to climb out. He lay there, panting heavily, his whole body burning from the thorns of the branches. His face, neck, and arms were covered in bloody welts, and his clothes were torn in several places. He looked utterly wretched.

"Xiao Zhao... Jianguo..." His voice softened, carrying a pleading tone: "I'm sorry, I was confused. I shouldn't have ordered someone to touch you, but this really isn't entirely my fault. I was just following orders. I did whatever they told me to do. I'm just a gofer. Making things difficult for me is useless, isn't it?"

Zhao Jianguo looked down at him with a cold smile on his lips.

Sun Jianjun pressed his advantage, speaking faster: "How about this, you let me go back, and I'll have a proper talk with President Qi. We can come up with a compromise that's better than things being like this. Cao Wenting's matter isn't entirely without room for negotiation, is it?"

Zhao Jianguo bent down and stared into Sun Jianjun's eyes. Sun Jianjun felt uneasy under his gaze, and the smile on his face froze.

"I won't make things difficult for you." Zhao Jianguo's voice wasn't loud, but every word was clear: "Go back and tell that guy surnamed Qi that if he has something to say, he should come up with it openly and honestly. If he doesn't have the guts, he shouldn't resort to these dirty tricks behind the scenes."

After saying that, he straightened up, didn't even look at Sun Jianjun again, and turned to walk across the street.

Sun Jianjun lay in the evergreen bushes, every part of his body aching. After struggling for a long time, he finally managed to crawl out. His body was covered in broken branches and leaves, and his face and arms were covered in bloody streaks, a shocking sight.

He stood up, leaning on the dented car door, and watched Zhao Jianguo's departing figure, his face so gloomy it could drip water.

"Damn it!" He slammed his fist on the roof of the car, and the bloody cut on the back of his hand burst open again, making him wince in pain.

A few pedestrians watched him from a distance, pointing and whispering, but no one dared to approach.

Sun Jianjun glared at those people, opened the car door, got in, and started the car.

The front bumper was hanging crookedly, dragging on the ground. The right-side window had a large hole, and shards of glass were scattered all over the back seat. As the car reversed and turned the steering wheel, it made an unpleasant screeching sound and drove away from the green belt.

Zhao Jianguo walked out of Xihai Square and headed home along the shaded roadside trees.

The May sun was already high overhead, casting a wave of heat on the asphalt road. He didn't walk fast, his mind replaying what had just happened.

Sun Jianjun is the vice president of the Construction Engineering Group and a man of Qi Honghai. Qi Honghai is the father of Qi Xiongwen and the boss of the Construction Engineering Group. Qi Xiongwen, along with Cao Wenting and Xu Qingqing, has been taken away by the Discipline Inspection Commission. He doesn't know where they are being investigated, but given the Construction Engineering Group's influence in the county, Qi Honghai is unlikely to sit idly by and wait for his doom.

He wasn't entirely sure how much money Cao Wenting had taken from the Construction Group, but most of the gold bars, US dollars, and property deeds in the secret room were probably related to the Construction Group. Qi Xiongwen was also involved with Xu Qingqing; their interests were already inextricably linked. If Cao Wenting fell, the Construction Group's shady dealings would be exposed. If Qi Xiongwen couldn't withstand the pressure and confessed, or if Cao Wenting betrayed the Construction Group to protect herself, then Qi Honghai would be finished.

Therefore, Qi Honghai had to work on him. He was the whistleblower, and he made a real-name report. According to the rules of the Discipline Inspection Commission, the whistleblower's attitude has a direct impact on the nature and handling of the case. If he loosened his stance and said that it was a misunderstanding, that he fabricated the evidence, or that the stolen goods did not belong to Cao Wenting, then even if the Discipline Inspection Commission verified the facts, the punishment would be much lighter. If he remained adamant and refused to loosen his stance, with irrefutable evidence, it would be very difficult for Cao Wenting to recover.

Qi Honghai would not let him go no matter what, for the sake of his son and the company.

We sent Sun Jianjun today with the intention of being courteous first, then resorting to force. If we could reach an agreement, great; if not, we would take action and beat him into submission before talking again. But to our surprise, not only did he not submit, he also took care of Sun Jianjun and his seven or eight men.

This deepened the grudge even further.

As Zhao Jianguo walked, he thought to himself. He was coming openly and honestly, so he wasn't afraid. His body had been modified by the Treasure Basin, making him much stronger, faster, and more responsive than ordinary people. Seven or eight people couldn't get close to him. If Qi Honghai sent anyone else to fight him, he would take them down no matter how many came.

What's truly frightening is that these people resort to underhanded tricks; they might not kill anyone, but they'll disgust people.

Zhao Jianguo is not alone. He has parents and friends. His parents live in an old house in the countryside and are known by all the neighbors. He also has a younger sister. If these people target the people around him, he will be unable to defend himself.

We need to think of a solution!

Just as I was pondering this, my phone vibrated in my pocket.

He took it out and saw that there were more messages in the Hair Loss Alliance. He clicked on it, scrolled to the top, and started reading from the beginning.

Liu Peng: Something's happened.

Zhang Lei: What is it now?

Liu Peng: Secretary Zhou has had an allergic reaction again.

The group chat was silent for a few seconds, then messages poured out like a bomb had gone off.

Li Ming: What's going on? Didn't you just come out of the ICU? How come you have an allergic reaction again?

Xiao Sun: Holy crap, is this serious?

Liu Peng: It was even more serious than last time. Luckily, it happened in the hospital, and the nurses discovered it in time and immediately started desensitization resuscitation. If it had been a few minutes later, he would have died.

Zhang Lei: Damn! What's the reason? Wasn't the penicillin already metabolized? How can I still have an allergic reaction?

Xiao Chen: My wife said it wasn't penicillin.

Li Ming: What is that?

Xiao Chen: I don't know. Secretary Zhou's medical records are now locked up by the hospital. Only the hospital director and the head of the emergency department can access them. All the nurses who handled the case have been required to sign a confidentiality agreement and are not allowed to say a word. My wife can only find out some bits and pieces. She said that Secretary Zhou seemed to have taken some medicine in the morning and his condition worsened shortly after taking it.

Liu Peng: What medicine did you take?

Xiao Chen: I don't know. It's said that Secretary Zhou asked to take it himself. The hospital doesn't know what kind of medicine it is or where it came from. Anyway, he had an allergic reaction after taking it. His laryngeal edema, difficulty breathing, and his blood pressure dropped even lower than last time. The people in the emergency department were so exhausted that their shoes flew off.

Zhang Lei: This is terrifying! What kind of medicine did Secretary Zhou have a bad chemistry with?

Xiao Sun: I'm allergic to penicillin. I switched to another medication and had another allergic reaction. What kind of constitution do I have?

Xiao Chen: My wife said that two severe allergies in a row have put a lot of strain on the body. Although Secretary Zhou is out of danger, he is very weak and will definitely not be able to leave the hospital for the next day or two. Several county leaders went there again, and County Chief Han's face turned green.

Liu Peng: I can understand. The new secretary was admitted to the ICU in the middle of the night on his first day in office, and then to the emergency room again the next morning. If this got out, people who didn't know the situation would think that our county secretary was corrupt.

Zhang Lei: Don't fucking talk nonsense.

Li Ming: By the way, what exactly is Secretary Zhou's illness? Why is he constantly taking medication?

Xiao Chen: I don't know, I really don't know. My wife said that people in her department are also guessing in private, but no one dares to ask. The dean is personally watching over it, and anyone who dares to ask around will be dealt with.

He put down his phone, stood by the roadside, and a chill ran down his spine.

Doxycycline.

Zhou Qingyan must have been taking doxycycline.

She somehow obtained the medicine and took it at the hospital, resulting in a severe allergic reaction, just like with penicillin.

I am allergic to penicillin and also to doxycycline.

These two drugs are the most commonly used and most effective treatments for syphilis prevention. Penicillin only requires one injection, while doxycycline is taken for fourteen consecutive days. Clinically, there are people who are allergic to both drugs at the same time, but the proportion is very low, about 10%.

Zhou Qingyan happens to be one of those ten percent.

He stood there, rubbing his face vigorously. He told Zhou Qingyan everything: the 72-hour intervention period, penicillin, doxycycline, the success rate of intervention. He told her everything he had found online, thinking that she was the county party secretary, with connections and resources, so getting the medicine wouldn't be difficult. As long as the medicine was taken on time, the success rate of intervention was over 95%, and there was a high probability that nothing would happen.

But who would have thought that she was severely allergic to both medications?

Isn't this just watching someone get infected with syphilis?

The incubation period for syphilis is one to four weeks, with an average of about three weeks. After the incubation period, a chancre will appear, and then it enters the secondary stage, with syphilitic rashes all over the body. After that, it is the tertiary stage, where bones, nose, and heart rot, and it is probably impossible to hide it anymore!