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

At this moment.

On a high ground 800 meters away from Hou Liangping's location.

Two figures dressed in ghillie suits, almost blending into the withered grass, were lying on the ground.

One of them had his eyes pressed against a military high-powered telescope and was chewing on a foxtail grass.

"The target has gotten into the car. License plate number Han A-T7892."

Another person held a tactical tablet, their fingers flying across the keyboard as they took notes.

"That idiot, was he trying to go to the countryside to visit the poor and ask about their hardships? I saw how disgusted he was, he didn't even dare to get his shoes muddy, and he still wanted to get information out of the villagers? His brain must be full of mush."

The observer chuckled and adjusted the focus.

"Don't underestimate him. He's a high-ranking official from the capital. This is called 'going on an incognito.' I almost burst out laughing when that old man spat out that phlegm just now."

"Make a note of this: The target is impatient, lacks popular support, and has severe mysophobia and a sense of superiority. Also, I saw clearly the cigarette he was smoking just now, it was a Zhonghua brand. This level of spending doesn't seem to match his payslip."

"Send this video to the boss later, it's great material."

……

Hou Liangping had no idea that his clumsy performance had become a laughing stock in other people's eyes.

Back in the city, he checked into a hotel, took a shower, and changed into more inconspicuous casual clothes—though still designer brands, he considered it very low-key.

Since we can't break through head-on, we'll try to take a roundabout approach from the side.

Shen Zhong is a tough nut to crack, so we'll start by targeting the people around him.

He Xia is now the Party Secretary of Hexi District.

According to the contents of the whistleblower letter, Shen Zhong, in a fit of rage for his wife, leveled the sand quarry just to vent his anger.

As long as we can find evidence that He Xia used her husband's power to retaliate or even accept bribes, Shen Zhong won't be able to escape, no matter how powerful he is!

Two o'clock in the afternoon.

Hou Liangping, wearing a baseball cap, appeared on the curb opposite the compound of the Hexi District Committee and Government.

He bought a newspaper and pretended to read it, but in reality, his thieving eyes were constantly watching the vehicles and people coming and going at the gate.

He felt like a lone hero in a movie, lurking in the heart of the enemy, ready to deliver a fatal blow at any moment.

But what he didn't know was that the atmosphere in the Hexi District government compound had long since changed.

Ever since Shen Zhong's thunderous operation, everyone in the district committee and government, from the gatekeeper to the canteen auntie, knows that the newly arrived Secretary He is an untouchable "real Buddha" and that her husband is a ruthless man who dares to drive bulldozers into the Zhao family's territory.

The security guard at the gate had already noticed this strange man who was wearing a baseball cap on a hot day and had been reading a newspaper for two hours without turning a page.

Inside the security room, several security guards were pointing at the monitor screen.

"Who's that kid? He looks shifty over there."

"They don't look like good people. Could they be sent by one of those small business owners who got punished?"

"Keep an eye on him. If he dares to take one step closer to the gate, take him down immediately."

Inside a black minivan, about 200 meters away from the district government compound.

Zhou Weiguo sat in front of a monitoring console filled with screens, holding a cup of freshly brewed strong tea.

On the screen, Hou Liangping is squatting under the shade of a tree, occasionally pretending to tie his shoelaces, and then sneaking peeks at the gate.

"This counter-surveillance awareness... is practically zero."

Zhou Weiguo shook his head, somewhat disappointed. He had originally thought this would be a formidable opponent, but it turned out to be just a bookworm who only knew how to bang on the table in the office.

"The boss is right, this guy is spoiled and thinks too highly of himself."

The technician next to him asked with a smile, "Team Leader Zhou, when are we going to make our move? This kid's been squatting there for two days already, I'm tired just looking at him."

Zhou Weiguo checked the time.

"That's about it. The boss said that since they've come all this way to 'investigate,' we have to cooperate and not let them leave empty-handed."

He picked up the walkie-talkie and pressed the call button.

"Lure number one, time to deploy. Remember, keep your acting natural, don't overdo it."

"clear."

……

Hou Liangping felt like he was about to get heatstroke.

He spent two days squatting in this run-down place, and apart from getting a leg full of mosquito bites, he didn't find any valuable information. He Xia's car kept coming and going, its windows tinted black, making it impossible to see inside.

Just as he was about to give up his stakeout for the day and find a place to eat some cold noodles to cool down,

A young man walked out of the district government building.

The man was wearing an ordinary white shirt with a work badge hanging around his neck.

But this young man is clearly not in good condition right now.

He kicked at the pebbles on the roadside as he walked, muttering curses under his breath, his face full of resentment and grievance.

"What a piece of trash... She's just taking advantage of her husband's power... treating us like servants..."

The intermittent complaints drifted into Hou Liangping's ears on the wind.

Hou Liangping's nerves, which had been feeling somewhat drowsy, suddenly jolted.

There is a play!

He immediately put away the newspaper, pushed his baseball cap up, and followed along as if nothing had happened.

The junior clerk went into a small roadside eatery, ordered a bottle of beer and a plate of peanuts, and sat down in a corner to drown his sorrows in alcohol.

Hou Liangping went inside, sat down at the table next to him, and ordered a bottle of beer.

"Young man, why are you drinking alone in this sweltering heat?"

Hou Liangping adopted the demeanor of a caring older brother and took the initiative to strike up a conversation.

The junior clerk looked up, his face flushed, clearly unable to hold his liquor, or perhaps too angry inside.

"Who are you? What's it to you?" The tone was very aggressive.

Hou Liangping wasn't angry. He smiled and picked up the wine bottle, pouring the other person a glass.

"I was just passing by. You look so unhappy. Did you just get off work too? We're all just trying to make a living. It's not easy. Here, let me toast you."

Perhaps it was the effect of the alcohol, but after taking a sip, the junior clerk started talking non-stop.

"Working for someone else? Ha, working for a normal person would be one thing. But you have no idea, our new female Party Secretary is practically a Wu Zetian!"

Hou Liangping was overjoyed inside, but pretended to be surprised on the surface.

"The female Party Secretary? You mean Secretary He from Hexi District? I've heard she has a good reputation."

"Pah! That's just gossip from outsiders!" The junior clerk slammed his wine glass down on the table. "Everyone's afraid of her! Who doesn't know who her husband is? He's that... that living devil from the provincial military region! His name's something like Shen!"

"Heavy?" Hou Liangping added at the opportune moment.

"Yes! That's him!" The junior clerk lowered his voice and leaned closer mysteriously. "You're from out of town, so you wouldn't know. Remember that sand quarry on the Baima River a while back? Such a huge site, supposedly operating illegally, but really? It was just because they hadn't paid enough!"

Hou Liangping's heart pounded. He felt he had finally touched the edge of the truth.

"Didn't pay enough? Whose place is that?" he steered the conversation.

"Liu Xinjian! The boss of Handong Oil and Gas!" The junior clerk gave him a look that said, "You don't even know that? He's from the Zhao family! And what happened? That Shen Yanwang (a notorious figure in Chinese mythology) made outrageous demands, asking for this much!"

The junior clerk held up five fingers and waved them.

"Five million?"

"Fifty million!" The junior clerk's eyes widened in exaggerated surprise. "General Manager Liu didn't agree, and that very night, the troops marched in! The bulldozers roared and bulldozed, and tens of millions of yuan worth of equipment vanished!"