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

Sha Ruijin held the phone, remaining silent for a few seconds.

"Let him in."

Ten minutes later, Zhao Donglai, dressed in a crisp police uniform, walked alone into the office that represented the pinnacle of power in Handong.

He was only holding a thin brown paper document bag in his hand.

"Secretary Sha."

Zhao Donglai's demeanor was neither humble nor arrogant, unlike the usual trembling of a lower-level cadre when facing the provincial party secretary.

Sha Ruijin leaned back in his wide chair, his fingers interlaced in front of him, scrutinizing the uninvited guest with a critical eye.

"Comrade Donglai, it's so late, what urgent matter requires your attention?"

Zhao Donglai didn't beat around the bush; he walked straight up and placed the file bag in his hand on the huge desk.

He unsealed the package and pulled out several high-resolution color photographs, which he neatly arranged in front of Sha Ruijin.

The first picture shows Gao Yuliang embracing a young woman on the beach at Repulse Bay in Hong Kong, their posture intimate.

The second picture shows a woman holding an infant in her arms, standing on the balcony of a mid-rise apartment, her face radiating maternal glow.

The third photo is a candid shot of Gao Yuliang holding up the baby's profile.

Sha Ruijin's gaze swept over the photos, and his previously calm face finally showed a change.

He picked up the photo of Gao Yuliang holding up the baby and tapped Gao Yuliang's profile heavily with his fingertips.

He instantly understood Zhao Donglai's purpose.

They instantly realized the value of this "pledge of allegiance".

Gao Yuliang, who had always been cautious and vacillating in the Standing Committee meetings, actually had such a fatal weakness in someone else's hands.

Once this Achilles' heel is seized, it's as if a huge gap has been torn open in Shen Zhong's seemingly impregnable camp!

The anger and frustration that had been suppressed all night transformed into a euphoric joy at the prospect of turning the tide.

Sha Ruijin slowly put down the photo and leaned back in his chair.

"Comrade Donglai, what do you want?"

He knew that the man in front of him was risking offending both Li Dakang and Shen Zhong by sending this generous gift late at night, and it was definitely not for any so-called "organizational discipline".

"I want the seat that Meng He is currently sitting in."

Zhao Donglai finally stopped hiding his ambition; his voice wasn't loud, but every word was clear.

He wants the Director of the Public Security Bureau of Handong Province.

Sha Ruijin stared into Zhao Donglai's eyes for a full half minute.

He suddenly burst into a hearty laugh.

"Ha ha ha ha!"

Laughter echoed in the empty office, carrying a sense of unbridled exhilaration and ruthlessness born from a narrow escape.

"Well done! Zhao Donglai is truly remarkable!"

Sha Ruijin stood up, took out a box of treasured Cuban cigars from the cabinet, tossed one to Zhao Donglai, and lit one for himself.

"As long as you can help me keep that old fox Gao Yuliang firmly on my side."

Sha Ruijin took a deep drag on his cigar and exhaled a thick cloud of white smoke.

"The position of Director of the Public Security Bureau is yours!"

Two disillusioned men, shrouded in heavy shadows, strike a sordid deal amidst the thick smoke of cigars.

Sha Ruijin, with a cigar between his fingers, gently stroked Gao Xiaofeng's gentle face in the photo again, and spoke softly, as if to Zhao Dong, or perhaps to himself.

"Shen Zhong, Shen Zhong, once our Secretary Gao, who has always wanted to stay out of it, personally gets involved, I'll see if you can still hold your own."

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

Zhao Donglai saluted, turned and left, his steps steady and powerful.

Sha Ruijin watched as the office door was gently closed, then sat alone behind the huge mahogany desk for a long time.

He picked up the photos on the table again and ran his fingertips over Gao Yuliang's profile repeatedly.

Zhao Donglai's offer of this knife came at just the right time.

But Sha Ruijin was not blinded by ecstasy.

He carefully reviewed all the recent intelligence, and a detail he had overlooked resurfaced in his mind.

When Zhao Ruilong kidnapped Gao Xiaofeng and her son in Hong Kong, it was only by Shen Zhong's deployment of the Dragon Fang Special Forces that they were rescued unharmed.

This matter was kept highly confidential within the military, and no one in the Han Dong officialdom knew about it except for Shen Zhong's inner circle.

This huge information gap is a lever that can shake up the entire political landscape of Handong.

Let Gao Yuliang fight Shen Zhong.

The person who was saved by Shen Zhong turned into a knife that stabbed himself.

This game is still going!

The pent-up frustration in Sha Ruijin's chest vanished, replaced by a morbid excitement.

He picked up the red secure phone on the table and dialed a number he knew by heart.

The call was connected very quickly.

On the other end of the receiver came Zhong Xiaoai's cold voice, which carried suppressed anger.

"Secretary Sha."

"Any results?"

Sha Ruijin could hear the impatience in her voice.

The Zhong family lost their most elite group of cleaners in Los Angeles, without even touching Li Jiajia's hair. This caused the usually arrogant Zhong Xiaoai to lose face, and her hatred for Shen Zhong had reached its peak.

"The result wasn't great, but the process was very interesting."

Sha Ruijin's voice was neither hurried nor slow.

"Li Dakang's daughter has returned to Handong and is safe and sound."

There was a brief silence on the other end of the phone, with only Zhong Xiaoai's increasingly heavy breathing audible.

"However, I do have a new plan."

Sha Ruijin leaned back in his chair, his fingers tapping lightly on the table.

"A plan that could set Shen Zhong's backyard on fire and cause his so-called allies to crumble from within."

"speak."

Zhong Xiaoai only uttered one word.

"We will not touch Shen Zhong, nor will we touch He Xia."

A sinister smile curled at the corner of Sha Ruijin's mouth.

"We're going to target someone he has to protect, but who isn't directly related to him."

"Gao Yuliang, Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee of Handong."

Sha Ruijin succinctly recounted the intelligence report Zhao Donglai had sent, emphasizing that Gao Xiaofeng and her son were currently being protected in Hong Kong by Shen Zhong's men.

Zhong Xiaoai on the other end of the phone instantly understood the ruthlessness of this move.

They kidnapped Gao Xiaofeng and her son, then cleverly led the clues to Shen Zhong.

Given Gao Yuliang's shrewdness, he might not believe it completely, but he would never dare to gamble.

As long as he harbors even the slightest doubt or apprehension towards Shen Zhong, an irreparable rift will appear within the so-called "Shen Family Team" alliance.

This was practically a decisive, game-winning move.

"it is good."

Zhong Xiaoai's voice carried a chilling undertone.

"Regular administrative power and security systems are useless in this matter; the military's influence is too great."

"I'll take care of it."

Before Sha Ruijin could ask any further questions, Zhong Xiaoai spoke up first.

"Our Chung family operates several shady businesses on Hong Kong Island."

"There's a building called Wangbeilou, which specializes in taking on dirty jobs."

"I asked them to step in and borrow a knife whose origin cannot be traced to handle this matter."

Sha Ruijin gripped the receiver, his smile growing even wider.

This is exactly the effect he wanted.

Let the Zhong family's underhanded tactics clash head-on with Shen Zhong.

He himself could sit back and wait for Gao Yuliang to be driven to the brink and submit to him at the provincial party committee standing committee meeting.