Me! A high-ranking official!

After hanging up the phone, he tossed it onto the sofa, leaned back, and frantically thought about the incident.

Doing this will definitely not let that city leader off the hook. For a high-ranking official, dealing with a nobody like him is far too easy! What follows will likely be a furious revenge!

Less than half an hour later, the phone on the sofa suddenly vibrated, and an unfamiliar local number flashed on the screen.

He answered the phone without saying a word.

"Mr. Zhao, you're even bolder than I imagined." Du Yu's voice came through the receiver, but this time, his voice lacked its usual condescending composure and instead carried a chilling coldness that sent shivers down one's spine.

His heart sank. Half an hour! He had only called the Provincial Commission for Discipline Inspection less than half an hour ago, and they had already gotten wind of it! The power behind this was indeed considerable!

"What? Scared?" He sneered, deciding to completely abandon all pretense of civility.

"Du Yu, go back and tell your master! If the Provincial Commission for Discipline Inspection can't suppress this, I'll go to the National Supervisory Commission! I believe there's always a place in this world where the sun will shine! As long as I, Zhao Jianguo, have a breath left, anyone who dares to reach out to help Cao Wenting, I'll report them and their ancestors for eighteen generations! I said it!"

Faced with his hysterical threats, Du Yu on the other end of the phone fell into a long silence.

Ten seconds later.

To Zhao Jianguo's surprise, Du Yu's voice rang out again, surprisingly regaining its initial calmness, even carrying a hint of businesslike indifference: "We understand."

"Since Mr. Zhao has made such a bold statement and his attitude is so firm, then we will no longer concern ourselves with Cao Wenting's matter. She will receive the punishment she deserves."

Before Zhao Jianguo could react, Du Yu added in a strange tone, "Mr. Zhao, please rest assured, we will help you clarify the matter regarding your bank card transaction records with the county discipline inspection commission. You will not be implicated in this corruption case."

"Beep, beep, beep..."

The call was abruptly disconnected, leaving only the monotonous dial tone echoing in the living room.

He stood there, phone in hand, completely stunned, his mind blank.

What... what's going on here?!

Just moments ago, he acted like he had the upper hand and would kill him if he didn't agree, using the county discipline inspection commission's accomplices to hold him firmly in his grasp. How come, after he just called the provincial discipline inspection commission to report the matter and made things out of control, the other party not only didn't retaliate furiously, but instead... readily admitted defeat?

They even offered to help him clear his name of the money laundering allegations against his bank card and ensure that he would not be implicated.

This 180-degree turn in attitude is so bizarre! So illogical!

Could it be that Du Yu's threats and inducements just now were merely an act? A test of his bottom line and resolve? When they discovered he was a tough nut to crack, even daring to go directly to the Provincial Commission for Discipline Inspection, they felt it wasn't worth getting themselves into trouble for Cao Wenting, so they immediately abandoned him to protect themselves and remained on the sidelines?

But this is giving up too easily!

The fact that they could suppress the county discipline inspection commission's case so effectively, and that they could get the news within half an hour of him dialing the provincial discipline inspection commission's number, shows how incredibly powerful this force is. If they really wanted to take action against him, crushing a suspended clerk like him would be as easy as crushing an ant. Was it really necessary to show weakness to him in such a half-hearted way?

Or... was the other party saying this just to deliberately lull him into a false sense of security? To keep him calm while secretly preparing to launch a more lethal, fatal attack?

The next day, the alarm clock woke him up. He was still half asleep when he got up and skillfully summoned the treasure bowl in his mind.

A dark golden light shone from the depths of consciousness, and the interface of the Treasure Basin slowly appeared.

His gaze immediately fell on the string of numbers at the bottom.

Today's income: 368,400 yuan.

This is the third day since the Rejuvenation Pill was lent out.

Looking at the balance of over one million in the Sumeru Mustard Seed, he felt not the joy of sudden wealth, but rather a sense of urgency.

One million was a huge sum of money that a junior clerk with a monthly salary of five thousand would have to save for twenty years without eating or drinking. But for the twenty million debt owed by the "King of Hell" in the "treasure bowl," it was just a drop in the ocean!

"We're still short over 18 million..." He scratched his hair in frustration.

Only four days remain. If he cannot repay the 20 million by the end of the seven-day deadline, the fatal ancient poem about the treasure bowl will come true: "First, your wealth will be cut off; second, your limbs will be broken; third, your lifespan will be taken away; fourth, your thoughts will be extinguished..."

He didn't want to be cured of his terminal illness only to have his arms and legs ripped out by this strange basin, or even become an amnesiac fool!

It was absolutely impossible to conjure up nearly 20 million yuan in cash in four days using conventional methods. He couldn't help but recall the underground dog farm that Liu Tao had mentioned when they were drinking the night before last.

It was a veritable den of iniquity, a battlefield where one could become rich overnight.

"I can only try my luck." A ruthless glint flashed in his eyes. With his monstrous physique and reaction speed, which had been modified by the Treasure Bowl and could even crush retired special forces soldiers, he was confident that he would have a good chance of winning even if he were to fight the kind of brutal "human-dog battle" that Liu Tao had mentioned.

He went downstairs and bought two steamed buns to eat a few bites, then hailed a taxi and headed straight for Dongjiao Village, the westernmost part of the county.

Dongjiao Village is more than 30 kilometers away from the county seat. It is located in a "no man's land" area at the junction of two provinces. It is a poor and remote place with a tough local culture. Even the county's patrol cars rarely come here. It is a natural breeding ground for black industries.

The taxi dropped him off at the village entrance, and the driver refused to drive any further in.

Zhao Jianguo got out of the car and, following the clues left by Liu Tao's drunken confession, walked four or five kilometers west along a dilapidated cement road outside the village that was barely wide enough for one car to pass.

All around were waist-high weeds and barren, harvested wheat fields, and not a soul in sight.

It wasn't until we turned into a sparse poplar grove and walked for more than a mile that a huge complex of buildings, covering an area of ​​thirty or forty acres, suddenly appeared deep in the woods.

It was a three-meter-high red brick wall, topped with a dense barbed wire mesh. The main gate was a thick, sturdy iron-clad wooden door, tightly sealed, exuding a chilling aura that kept strangers at bay.

A security booth made of corrugated steel sheets stands at the entrance.

As he approached, the sliding window of the security booth was suddenly pulled open, and a burly man with a fierce face, wearing a black tactical vest, poked his head out, his eyes scanning him like searchlights, full of vigilance.

"What are you doing?!" the burly man demanded gruffly, his right hand already on the walkie-talkie at his waist.

"I'll go in and take a look." He said calmly, his expression unchanged.

The burly man sized him up, frowned at his cheap tracksuit, and waved him away, saying, "What are you looking at! You've come to the wrong place! This is a private estate, we don't receive guests, get out of here!"

He said casually, "I was introduced by Liu Tao."

"Liu Tao? Which Liu Tao?" The burly man scoffed, saying impatiently, "I don't care if you're Zhang Tao or Li Tao. Without someone to lead the way, even the Heavenly King himself can't help you! If you don't leave now, don't blame me for being impolite!"

Seeing that the other party was unyielding, Zhao Jianguo understood that these underground casinos, which operate on the fringes of the law, have extremely strong counter-surveillance awareness. Without a guarantor from an acquaintance, one cannot even get through the door, let alone gamble inside.

He took out his phone, found Liu Tao's number, and dialed it.

The phone rang several times before it was answered.

"Feed..."

As soon as the call connected, before Zhao Jianguo could even speak, the receiver was instantly filled with a deafening, maniacal roar!

"Bite it! Great Dragon King! Tear its throat out!"

"Thunder, don't fucking back down! Kill that yellow dog! I bet five thousand!"

"Tear it apart! Tear it apart!"

The deafening roars of men and the raucous howls of wild beasts mingled together.

Just by listening to the background noise, one could imagine how crazy the scene inside was, and amidst this frenzied sound, he clearly distinguished Liu Tao's excited, voice-breaking roar.

"Jianguo? Why are you calling at this hour?" Liu Tao's voice came through the receiver, panting heavily, clearly shouting while covering his other ear.

Hearing Liu Tao's voice, he couldn't help but smile bitterly. Just two days ago, his good brother was heartbroken and swore he would be a grandson if he gambled again at the food stall, but now he was leading the way in this den of iniquity.

"I'm outside the dog farm gate, and the security guards won't let me in." He sighed. "Could you come out and show me around?"

"What?!" Liu Tao on the other end of the phone exclaimed, her voice rising an octave in an instant, as if she'd been burned. "You're here?! Wait for me, and don't wander off!"

The call was abruptly ended.

Less than three minutes later, with a creak, the heavy iron-clad wooden door was pushed open a crack from the inside.

Liu Tao emerged, drenched in sweat, wearing a wrinkled T-shirt, her eyes bloodshot and filled with veins, exuding a sickly excitement and deep exhaustion.

Upon seeing Zhao Jianguo, Liu Tao rushed over in three strides, grabbed his arm, stamped her feet in frustration, and her face was full of exasperated reproach:

"Jianguo! Are you crazy?! I was drunk that night and rambled on to you, how did you actually come looking for me! Didn't we agree that I would never touch this stuff?!"