Nominal: Hou Liangping blocking the door? He was slapped away!

Gao Yuliang, holding his ever-present thermos, leaned back slightly, widening the distance between them.

Zhong Xiaoai braced herself heavily on the edge of the large desk, her knuckles turning white from the pressure.

"Is Secretary Gao planning to protect himself, or is he planning to shield corrupt officials?"

She spoke in a low voice, each word sharp and aggressive.

"Military-civilian relations? I'm handling this case through the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection! Even if someone is the Emperor himself, they still have to follow the rules! You think I need to report the case to the military? Are you kidding me?!"

"I don't get involved in unwarranted conflicts between local authorities and the military." Gao Yuliang wasn't buying it at all. His eyes behind his reading glasses revealed a numbness that came from years of experience. "The Central Commission for Discipline Inspection is too big a job for the small Political and Legal Affairs Commission of Handong Province. It's not up to my standards."

Gao Yuliang picked up his thermos and drank some water. He didn't even lift his eyelids. This woman usually had it easy in Beijing; she really thought she could do whatever she wanted in Handong just because she had the Zhong family's name.

"Secretary Gao!" Zhong Xiaoai raised her voice, "Don't you know what will happen once this is reported to the military's internal oversight department? Officials protecting each other! Covering up for each other! Shen Zhong might even die mysteriously in the detention center tomorrow! That's called silencing a witness!"

She patted the stack of whistleblower materials submitted by Cai Chenggong.

"I must personally lead the team! I must personally collect the evidence! I will ensure the military cannot overturn this case!"

Gao Yuliang slowly and methodically tightened the lid of the thermos. He then pushed it a little further away.

He'd seen through it all. After Hou Liangping went in, this woman went completely mad. Her mind was consumed by revenge. All political common sense and the big picture were completely forgotten.

If others want to jump into the minefield, Gao Yuliang will never stop them.

"Since Director Xiao Ai insists on her opinion," Gao Yuliang picked up the red and blue pencils on the table, "then the Handong Political and Legal Committee cannot interfere. It's late at night, and the local police force is simply not available. Please do as you see fit."

The order to leave was made perfectly clear.

Zhong Xiaoai grabbed the materials on the table and stuffed them into her bag. The movement was quite dramatic.

"Let's go!"

She turned around in her high heels. Several officers from the special task force immediately followed. The door slammed shut.

Gao Yuliang looked at the empty office and sneered repeatedly. Utterly stupid. He put his reading glasses back on and continued reading the reference document.

Handong Guesthouse, the temporary residence of the special task force.

The suite was filled with smoke. The table was piled high with various files and coffee cups.

Zhong Xiaoai tossed her briefcase onto the sofa. Frustrated, she loosened the buttons on her collar. The local bullies in Handong were all playing dumb; even Gao Yuliang wasn't buying it.

She paced back and forth in the room. She stopped in front of the coffee table.

The chain of evidence was perfect. The flow of funds, the copies of signatures, the overseas accounts—everything matched up.

There must be a breakthrough. No matter how powerful Shen Zhong is, financial operations still require accounting, and engineering projects still require approval.

She pulled out a project approval document tucked among the documents. This was the initial approval document for the second phase of the Guangmingfeng project, which involved the redevelopment of the Dafeng Factory site.

There's a hastily written signature in the bottom right corner.

Zhao Dehan.

Director of the Project Department of a certain national ministry.

Zhong Xiaoai stared at the name, her mind racing.

All national-level project subsidies and land use changes at the local level must go through this section chief. Shen Zhong's plan to seize the Dafeng Factory land and obtain huge compensation payments is absolutely inextricably linked to Zhao Dehan!

This old man is the key! Once we get him to talk, the irrefutable evidence of Shen Zhong's collusion with local criminal gangs will be completely confirmed!

"Pass on my orders!"

Zhong Xiaoai slammed her hand on the coffee table.

The officers waiting outside quickly pushed open the door and came in.

"Change strategy. Withdraw the surveillance in Handong for now. Everyone pack your things, book the next available flight, and head back to Beijing tonight!"

The officers were somewhat taken aback.

"Director, are we just going to ignore Shen Zhong?"

"How can we investigate! Gao Yuliang isn't cooperating. We, as powerful officials, can't suppress local bullies. Shen Zhong has fortified his defenses in Handong like an iron barrel. We'll go straight back to Beijing, arrest Zhao Dehan, and get the bribery confession from the source of the approval process. Shen Zhong won't be able to escape then!"

The roar of the night flight cut through the clouds.

3:30 a.m., Beijing Daxing International Airport.

Zhong Xiaoai led the core members of the task force out of the terminal. Three black official cars were already waiting outside.

She opened the car door and sat in the back seat. The head of the intelligence department who remained in Beijing immediately handed her a tablet computer.

"Director, as per your instructions, we have located Zhao Dehan's whereabouts in advance."

The tablet displays the trajectory of a moving point of light.

"That old man is home alone tonight; his wife took the kids to tutoring class."

Zhong Xiaoai swiped the stylus. A building zoomed in on the screen.

The apartment building is dilapidated. There's no elevator. The property management is practically non-existent.

Zhong Xiaoai issued the order.

"Notify the SWAT team. Surround that compound. Don't let a single fly out!"

Several cars sped through the deserted streets with sirens blaring.

Less than half an hour later, the convoy stopped at the entrance of a narrow alley.

This place consists entirely of red-brick tenement buildings constructed in the 1980s. The exterior walls are covered with dried ivy. The stench from the garbage cans is overwhelming.

Zhong Xiaoai stood outside the flower bed downstairs. The surrounding light was dim. Only a faint yellow light shone through a window on the third floor.

Several fully armed special police officers had already made their way up the stairs. The motion-sensor lights in the corridor were old and in disrepair, so they could only move forward by the light of flashlights.

They're about to ram the door.

If we can capture Zhao Dehan and obtain the ledger detailing the enormous bribes he received from Shen Zhong, we'll win this battle. Hou Liangping's humiliation and the Zhong family's loss of face will be repaid today, with interest!

Handong Provincial Military Region. Underground command center.

The air conditioning was blasting. Dozens of high-performance computers hummed and whirred. Technical officers in training uniforms sat in front of the screens, typing away on their keyboards.

Shen Zhong stood solemnly in front of the huge tactical monitoring screen at the very front.

He wore that black jacket, his figure as imposing as a mountain. He held a white porcelain teacup in one hand.

The screen is divided into four areas.

In the upper left corner, there is a real-time satellite infrared aerial view of that old residential area outside Beijing's Second Ring Road. A dozen red dots surround the apartment building where Zhao Dehan lives.