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

Shen Zhong was dressed in a pine-green uniform, the gold stars on his shoulders gleaming in the dim light. His expression was utterly calm, as if the person kneeling outside was not a municipal party secretary, but an ant.

"Sir, should we let him in?" Zhou Weiguo asked in a low voice.

Shen Zhong reached into the ashtray and stubbed out his cigarette, saying calmly, "Tell him to go to Operations Room Number One. Get him a dry towel."

Three minutes later.

The military region's No. 1 operations room. A huge electronic sand table emitted a cold blue light, illuminating the room like a cold temple.

Li Dakang was soaked to the bone, clutching a dry towel tightly in his hand, shivering in front of the sand table.

The door to the operations room opened. Shen walked in heavily, his military boots making a steady, authoritative sound as they stepped onto the anti-static floor.

"Secretary Shen!" Li Dakang immediately went to greet him, took out a black notebook warmed by his body heat from his pocket, and handed it to him with both hands.

"This is the list of core personnel of the Jingzhou Municipal Party Committee, as well as all the underlying information and plans for the Guangming Peak project."

Shen Zhong didn't even glance at the notebook that represented the highest power in Jingzhou.

He stood in front of the sand table, his gaze fixed on the tectonic plates of the Americas.

"Put away your pledge of allegiance." Shen Zhong said calmly, "You're not worthy of me taking advantage of your misfortune."

Li Dakang stood frozen in place, his face turning pale and then flushed.

"Zhong Xiaoai has gone mad. She dared to send field agents overstepping boundaries just to force you to turn against her," Shen Zhong said coldly. "Rules are meant to be followed. If they cross the line, I'll chop off their outstretched claws."

Li Dakang suddenly raised his head, his eyes bursting with ecstasy and awe.

"General...you've agreed?"

"The military can't get involved in the Los Angeles matter. I'll have someone handle it." Shen Zhong turned to Zhou Weiguo, "Bring Chen Hai and Qi Tongwei over."

Li Dakang was stunned. Chen Hai? Qi Tongwei? These two not only had a blood feud, but one had just been released and the other was still suspended from duty for investigation. How were they going to get there?

"Secretary Li, you can go back and wait for news now," Shen Zhong said, issuing a dismissal order.

Li Dakang dared not ask any more questions, bowed deeply, and turned to leave the war room. He knew that he no longer even had the right to watch this game.

1 a.m. Military region interrogation room.

Chen Hai sat on the iron chair, his face haggard. He had only been released a few days earlier, and the matter at Dafeng Factory had just subsided when he was taken here by a military vehicle in the middle of the night.

The door opened, and a gust of cold wind swept in.

Qi Tongwei walked in. He was wearing a training uniform without epaulets, his eyes were sunken, but his gaze was as sharp as a hungry wolf's.

When Qi Tongwei saw Chen Hai, a cold smile appeared on his lips.

"Old classmate, it's nice to see you again."

Chen Hai suddenly stood up, staring intently at Qi Tongwei, his fists clenched. His imprisonment and his father's hospitalization in the ICU were all thanks to this man! And what's even more absurd is that just a few days ago, he had slept with this man's wife in a hotel.

Overwhelmed by a mix of old and new grudges, Chen Hai's eyes instantly turned red.

"Qi Tongwei, how dare you show your face in front of me!"

"What do I have to be afraid of?" Qi Tongwei sneered, pulling out a chair and sitting down. "This is the military region, not your anti-corruption bureau. Put away your high and mighty attitude."

Just as the two were about to clash, the door was pushed open again. Zhou Weiguo strode in, followed by Shen Zhong, whose face was ashen.

Shen Zhong pulled up a chair, sat down with an air of authority, and glanced at the two men.

"Forget about catching up," Shen Zhong said without a word of preamble. "I have a job. It involves international matters. Los Angeles."

He threw two forged passports and two American-made Glock 19 pistols on the table.

"The Zhong family sent cleaners to Los Angeles to arrest Li Dakang's daughter. You two, go and intercept her."

Chen Hai was stunned. A cross-border pursuit? This was completely against the rules!

"Secretary Shen, my current identity is the Chief Prosecutor of Guangming District. I do not have the authority to enforce the law beyond my jurisdiction; this would be a violation of discipline!" Chen Hai instinctively resisted.

"Discipline?" Qi Tongwei suddenly laughed, his laughter filled with endless mockery. "Chen Hai, don't you understand? The Zhong family directly used guns to arrest people in Hong Kong. Did they follow any discipline? In this bureau, there is only life and death, no rules!"

Without hesitation, Qi Tongwei grabbed the fake passport and pistol from the table, skillfully sliding the slide to check the magazine. "General, I'll take the job. When do we depart?"

Shen Zhong looked at Qi Tongwei, a hint of admiration flashing in his eyes. This was an extremely useful vicious dog; given meat, it could kill anyone.

Shen Zhong turned to Chen Hai: "You can refuse. Go back to being your chief prosecutor, watch Li Dakang betray you, and watch Handong descend into chaos. Or, pick up a gun."

Chen Hai's hand paused in mid-air for a few seconds. He thought of his father, Chen Yanshi, with the oxygen mask on his hospital bed, and of Hou Liangping's hypocritical smile.

Finally, he gritted his teeth and grabbed the cold Glock.

"I'll do it."

"Very good." Shen Zhong stood up. "The Gulfstream business jet is already waiting for you on the runway. It carries the weapons and intelligence you need. I only want the result—Li Jiajia lives, and the Zhong family dies."

Half an hour later, at Handong Military Airport.

An unmarked Gulfstream G650 tore through the night sky in a downpour, flying straight across the ocean.

At an altitude of 10,000 meters, the cabin pressure of a Gulfstream business jet is extremely low, not only due to the altitude but also because of the atmosphere.

Qi Tongwei sat on the leather sofa, carefully wiping the gun barrel. He hadn't been home for half a month and was completely unaware of Liang Lu's betrayal. He had only one thought on his mind: to achieve merit. If he could perform an extraordinary service to Shen Zhong, he could completely clear his name and climb back to the pinnacle of power.

Chen Hai sat opposite him, eyes closed, seemingly resting. But his hand remained on the holster at his waist.

"Chen Hai, do you feel wronged?" Qi Tongwei suddenly spoke, his voice sounding somewhat jarring in the quiet cabin. "Do you feel like I've schemed against you, used as a pawn by Hou Liangping, and now you have to do dirty work for me?"

Chen Hai opened his eyes, his gaze icy: "I just feel disgusted. You've lost all humanity in your pursuit of climbing the ladder."

"Humanity? What's that worth?" Qi Tongwei sneered. "After you've been struggling in this quagmire for over a decade, being trampled on like a dog by those high and mighty people, you'll realize that humanity is the most useless thing."

He paused, as if remembering something, his eyes darkening slightly: "Like Liang Lu. She thought she could win my heart by using her power to force me to submit. What a joke. I feel it's superfluous to even look at her now."

Chen Hai's heart skipped a beat. A scene flashed through his mind: Liang Lu crying desperately beneath him in room 318 of the business hotel a few days ago.