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

He Xia pointed to the red seal on the document.

"This is the filing reply from the State Council's supervisory team. It clearly states that the project aligns with national industrial guidelines and is included in the annual key monitoring list."

A national-level reply completely shut down all of Sha Ruijin's excuses.

"Let me add something."

Li Dakang, the Party Secretary of Jingzhou City, who had been silent all along, suddenly spoke up.

His brow furrowed, his voice carrying its usual decisiveness: "The Guangming Peak industrial relocation plan was personally approved by me, endorsed by the Jingzhou Municipal Party Committee, and the procedure is flawless. If there are any risks, I, Li Dakang, will take responsibility."

……

The Provincial Party Committee Building in Handong, the Secretary's Office.

The door was locked tight. The curtains were drawn shut, leaving no room for air.

"Snapped!"

A crisp cracking sound suddenly rang out in the deathly silent room. The celadon teacup that had been with Sha Ruijin for ten years and had been used to reprimand countless subordinates was now smashed hard against the corner of the wall, shards of porcelain mingling with brown tea on the floor.

Sha Ruijin braced his hands on the edge of the desk, his chest heaving violently. His tie was askew, and several strands of his usually meticulously combed slicked-back hair had fallen down, obscuring his bloodshot eyes behind his glasses.

Scenes from the Standing Committee meeting flashed through his mind like a revolving lantern.

He Xia photographed the State Council's reply. Liu Changchun's opportunism. Tian Guofu's kicking someone when they're down. And Li Dakang's high-sounding but treacherous words.

He, the dignified Secretary of the Hantong Provincial Party Committee and a powerful regional official, was rendered speechless at the conference table by a major general of the military region, his authority completely undermined!

Economic encirclement? It collapsed on its own. Political censorship? They turned the tables on them.

He has exhausted all the conventional tactics he used in officialdom.

The black, secure cell phone on the table suddenly vibrated. Sha Ruijin stared intently at the screen, took three deep breaths, forced his trembling hands to calm them, and pressed the answer button.

"Secretary Sha, isn't the tea in Handong good?"

On the other end of the phone, Zhong Xiaoai's voice carried a unique arrogance and languor characteristic of the core circle of Beijing.

"Director Zhong," Sha Ruijin said in a hoarse voice, "Shen Zhong's influence runs deeper than we thought. He has direct channels with both the Central Military Commission and the State Council. Conventional methods won't work in the situation in Handong."

"When Hou Liangping went in, I knew that conventional methods wouldn't work," Zhong Xiaoai sneered. "I only want Shen Zhong dead, and Gao Xiaoqin and those power-hungry people to be buried with him. Since the rules in the country can't hold him back, then let's find a place where the rules don't apply."

Sha Ruijin's eyelids twitched: "What does Grandpa Zhong mean?"

"Before the old man retired, he left some 'cleaners' overseas." Zhong Xiaoai's tone turned cold. "You keep things stable on the surface in Handong. As for the covert operations, my Zhong family will take over. I want people around Shen Zhong to get into trouble one after another, forcing him to make mistakes. Once he falls into chaos, even the Central Military Commission won't be able to protect him."

After hanging up the phone, Sha Ruijin leaned back in his chair and let out a long sigh.

The Zhong family has finally stepped in. The foreign machinations are beyond the reach of the military and local police; this is a true game-changer!

Just as he was plotting how to coordinate an attack from the inside out, there was a very light knock on the office door three times.

"Enter."

Tian Guofu, carrying a black briefcase, slipped in like a ghost. He glanced at the broken porcelain shards on the floor, then sat down on the sofa, seemingly oblivious to his surroundings.

"Comrade Guofu, you've got the direction of the Standing Committee meeting very well," Sha Ruijin said coldly, his tone chilling.

Tian Guofu pushed up his glasses and chuckled dryly, "Secretary Sha, the Provincial Commission for Discipline Inspection can't sink. I'm going along with them on the surface so I can keep a close eye on you from the shadows. They're powerful and influential, but there are always loopholes."

Sha Ruijin remained silent, quietly watching this number one "tumbler" in Handong.

Tian Guofu opened his briefcase, pulled out a file folder without a header, and pushed it to the center of the coffee table.

"Li Dakang jumped high today. But he forgot that his backside isn't clean," Tian Guofu said in a low voice. "Ouyang Jing and Wang Dalu are not in the country right now. They're hiding in 'Wangbeilou' in Hong Kong with fake passports."

Sha Ruijin's pupils suddenly contracted.

Wangbei Tower was a haven for corrupt officials and shady businessmen who had fled the mainland. Did Ouyang Jing and Wang Dalu escape?

"Ouyang Jing handled the mess at Dafeng Factory," Tian Guofu said, stopping short. "As long as Ouyang Jing speaks up and produces evidence of Li Dakang's illicit dealings, Li Dakang will be ruined in Handong. Once he falls, Shen Zhong's foothold in the provincial government will be halved."

Sha Ruijin stared intently at the file folder, then suddenly a cruel smile spread across his face.

He was just worried about not having a breakthrough in the Zhong family's overseas forces. It was like a pillow being delivered to someone who was dozing off.

"Guofu, you've never seen this document before." Sha Ruijin stuffed the file folder into the drawer.

Tian Guofu stood up and bowed slightly: "I've been writing my reflections on Party history all night and haven't left the house."

After Tian Guofu left, Sha Ruijin immediately sent Zhong Xiaoai an encrypted message using his secure phone: [Target: Wangbei Building, Hong Kong. Ouyang Jing. Alive, with a confession.]

Under the cover of night in Handong, a meat grinder net targeting Li Dakang was suddenly cast in Hong Kong, thousands of miles away.

……

Hong Kong, Victoria Harbour.

The Four Seasons Hotel, penthouse suite. It's jokingly referred to as the "North-Looking Tower" by people in the industry.

Wearing a silk robe, Ouyang Jing stood in front of the floor-to-ceiling window, holding a half-empty glass of Bordeaux, gazing at the neon lights outside. During the months she had been on the run, she had relied on sleeping pills and alcohol to fall asleep every night, and her mental state was on the verge of collapse.

"Bang!"

Without warning, the solid wood double door, weighing two hundred pounds, was kicked open and shattered. Wood chips flew everywhere!

Ouyang Jing screamed, and the wine glass in her hand smashed on the ground.

Four fully armed men in black tactical uniforms without any insignia stormed into the room like ghosts. No identification, no warning.

The leader of the men in black grabbed Ouyang Jing by the hair and slammed her hard onto the carpet covered in shards of glass.

The cold, silenced muzzle of the gun was pressed directly against her forehead.

"President Ouyang," the man in black's voice was like sandpaper rubbing against glass, "Where is Li Dakang's secret account at Dafeng Factory?"

The Four Seasons Hotel in Hong Kong has 3812 suites.

The red wine stains on the carpet spread like blood. Ouyang Jing's face was pressed tightly against the shards of glass, and blood dripped down her chin.

"I...I don't know what you're talking about! I'm a law-abiding citizen, I need to find a lawyer!" Ouyang Jing trembled with fear, her voice shrill, but under the pressure of the gun, she didn't dare to struggle too violently.

The man in black didn't waste any words, tightening his belt around her wrist. "It's fine if you don't talk. We have plenty of time to make you remember."

He gestured, and two of his men took out a black syringe, the tip of which gleamed with a ghostly blue light under the lamp.

The 3814 apartments are just a wall away.

Wang Dalu didn't sleep. He lay on the bed fully clothed, with a travel bag full of cash and fake passports beside him. His intuition, honed over decades in the business world, had made him feel uneasy these past few days.

When the dull thud of the door being slammed came from next door, Wang Dalu jumped up from the bed.

He didn't check the peephole at the door, nor did he call the police. He knew that anyone who dared to use a gun at Wangbeilou was definitely not a Hong Kong police officer.

Something's happened.