Me! A high-ranking official!

The commotion in the lobby alerted the people in the building. The sound of doors opening came from the other end of the corridor, and several office doors opened one after another. People peeked out and looked into the lobby. Soon, footsteps increased, and seven or eight staff members poured out of the corridor and stood behind Sun Jianjun. There were men and women, all wearing professional attire and employee badges of the Construction Group pinned to their chests.

"Mr. Sun, what's wrong?"

Who is this person?

"I don't know, they seem to be looking for trouble."

Those eager to show off pushed their way through the crowd, blocking Sun Jianjun's path, chin raised, nostrils flared towards Zhao Jianguo: "Who are you? Do you know where you are? Get out of here! Or we'll call the police!"

Sun Jianjun glanced at the people around him. There were seven or eight staff members and five or six security guards, more than a dozen people surrounding Zhao Jianguo. He immediately felt more confident and curled his lips into a mocking smile.

"Zhao Jianguo, you've chosen the path to hell when there's one. We let you escape yesterday, but today you've delivered yourself right to our doorstep."

He raised his hand and pointed at Zhao Jianguo: "Grab him! I want to see where you can run to today!"

Upon receiving the order, several security guards immediately surrounded Zhao Jianguo. The guard who was holding his arm tightened his grip, while another guard came around from the side to grab his other arm.

He sneered, forcefully shaking off the security guard's hand with his left. He looked at Sun Jianjun with a cold smile: "Are you sure you want to do this? Vice President Sun, have you forgotten something? I have AIDS and syphilis!" He opened his palm, a little blood seeping from beneath the scabs. "If you hurt me, Vice President Sun, you should know better than I how serious the consequences will be!"

Just as Sun Jianjun was about to mock Zhao Jianguo, something suddenly occurred to him, and it was as if something exploded in his mind. The color drained from his face at a visible speed, his lips trembled twice, and he suddenly stretched out his hand, spread his five fingers, and frantically waved at the security guards.

"Don't move! Don't move!" The voice was shrill and filled with panic.

The security guards were about to pounce when Sun Jianjun's shout startled them all. They looked at each other, bewildered, not knowing what had happened.

The staff members surrounding Sun Jianjun were also stunned. They had initially thought Zhao Jianguo was bluffing, since who would go around talking about such a disease? But seeing Sun Jianjun's expression, everyone's hearts skipped a beat.

No, this isn't a scare tactic, it's real.

This guy really has AIDS!

The atmosphere in the hall changed instantly. The people who were blocking Sun Jianjun's way began to move to the side unconsciously. One, two, three, like the receding tide, they all retreated to the sides in a flash, leaving Sun Jianjun all alone at the front. The staff members looked at Zhao Jianguo in fear, their backs pressed against the wall, wishing they could embed themselves into it.

The security guards panicked. They unconsciously loosened their grip on Zhao Jianguo's arm and took a step back, then another. It was AIDS, a terminal illness once contracted. They only earned 3,500 yuan a month; it wasn't worth risking their lives.

Seeing this, Zhao Jianguo couldn't help but chuckle. He used to think that having this disease made life miserable, but now he realized it wasn't all bad! Sometimes it was quite nice. He slowly walked forward: "I'm going to find Qi Honghai. Anyone who's not afraid of death, try to stop me."

He took a step forward, and the person blocking his way took a step back.

The staff who had been so aggressive just moments before were now scrambling back in a panic, as if they wanted to hide behind others. The security guards looked at each other, none of them daring to be the first to rush forward. They gripped their rubber batons tightly, but their feet moved backward uncontrollably.

As Sun Jianjun retreated, he pointed a finger at Zhao Jianguo, his voice trembling, but he still tried to appear tough: "Zhao Jianguo! If you dare to spread the virus, the police will definitely not let you off!"

He scoffed dismissively, unmoved, and continued walking.

Sun Jianjun took another step back, his back slamming into a pillar behind him. With nowhere left to retreat, he glanced around frantically and yelled at the security guards, "Don't be afraid of him! Stop him! So what if he has AIDS? As long as you take the preventative medication within 72 hours, you'll be fine! What are you afraid of! Get him! Stop him! I'll reimburse you for the medication!"

Several security guards rolled their eyes at the sound of it.

A 72-hour shutdown? Nothing? If nothing's wrong, then why don't you go and do it yourself? What are you yelling about from behind?

They acted as if they hadn't heard anything, and instead of rushing forward, they retreated even faster.

Zhao Jianguo suddenly flipped his palm over, letting the bead of blood hang on the edge of his palm, and then swung his hand sharply towards the security guards.

The blood droplet detached from his palm, tracing a thin arc in the air.

"ah……"

Someone shouted first, and the security guards scattered like a hornet's nest that had been poked. Some bumped into their colleagues, some tripped and almost fell, and some even threw down their batons and scrambled to hide in a corner of the lobby.

Sun Jianjun was also terrified. He abandoned all pretense of being a vice president and the dignity of a leader. He bent down and crouched down, following the security guards to hide behind a pillar, only showing half of his face as he looked at Zhao Jianguo in horror.

The drop of blood landed on the marble floor, splashing out a small, dark red dot.

"Haha!" Zhao Jianguo let out a loud laugh, withdrew his hand, and strode towards the elevator.

Sun Jianjun peeked out from behind a pillar, watching Zhao Jianguo's retreating figure. A surge of furious anger welled up within him, and he roared at the people hiding in the corner, "What are you all standing there for! Stop him!"

Those people looked at each other, and no one moved.

Sun Jianjun's face turned green with anger, and he pointed towards the elevator: "You...you..."

Next to the elevator door hung a floor plan with a stainless steel frame and an acrylic panel inside. The floor distribution of each department was printed in bold on it. Zhao Jianguo looked up and saw that the leaders' offices were all on the fifth floor.

He pressed the elevator's up button, and the doors slowly opened. The elevator car was empty. He stepped inside, turned to face the people in the lobby, and saw Sun Jianjun and a few others dawdling over, seemingly trying to stop him. He pointed to the empty car beside him and grinned, "Anyone want to ride with me?"

The hall fell silent instantly. Sun Jianjun shoved the security guard next to him. Caught off guard, the guard took a step forward and then, like a startled rabbit, slipped and dodged to the side, turning back to glare at Sun Jianjun with a hint of resentment.

Seeing their actions, Zhao Jianguo chuckled and pressed the button for the fifth floor.

Sun Jianjun watched the elevator doors slowly close, his expression changing several times. Finally, he gritted his teeth, burst out from behind the pillar, and ran towards the stairwell.

"Come upstairs with me!" he shouted, turning back as he ran. "Hurry!"

Those people hesitated for a moment, then slowly emerged from the corner and followed Sun Jianjun into the stairwell, but they all dawdled and no one wanted to be the first.

The elevator stopped on the fifth floor.

Zhao Jianguo stepped out of the elevator. The corridor on the fifth floor was covered with a dark gray carpet, and several landscape paintings hung on the walls. The decoration was obviously a grade higher than that of the downstairs. At the end of the corridor was a double solid wood door with a sign in gold lettering that read: Chairman's Office.

The door was ajar, and the light was on inside.

He walked over and pushed the door open.

The office was huge, bigger than any other leader's office he had ever seen in the government office. Floor-to-ceiling windows occupied an entire wall, the curtains were half-drawn, and a huge boss's desk was placed by the window, with a tabletop made of a single piece of mahogany.

Qi Honghai sat in the boss's chair. He was probably in his early fifties, with a square face, thick eyebrows, and a high nose. He must have been good-looking when he was young, but now he had gained weight, and the flesh on his cheeks sagged down, obscuring his jawline. He wore a dark gray polo shirt, revealing a gold chain about the thickness of a little finger around his neck, and a string of amber beads on his wrist.

He leaned back in his chair, his hands clasped over his slightly protruding belly, and looked at him with the amusement of a superior looking at a subordinate: "You've arrived?"

He looked at Qi Honghai, about to speak, when suddenly a series of hurried footsteps came from behind him, so fast that he could barely react. He instinctively tried to turn around, but it was too late. A huge force slammed into his back.

................................................................. ................................................................. ......................................................