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

"yes!"

Zhou Weiguo immediately turned around and went inside. A moment later, he returned quickly with a yellow kraft paper bag in his hand.

He respectfully handed the document bag to Shen Zhong.

Li Dakang's body trembled almost imperceptibly. He stared at the file folder, an indescribable, immense fear surging up from the depths of his heart.

He didn't know what was inside.

But he instinctively knew that this was the consequence Shen Zhong had mentioned.

Shen Zhong did not open the file bag.

He raised his hand, first pointing to the crowd squatting in the courtyard, then to the small mountain of weapons.

His movements were unhurried, yet carried an undeniable air of authority.

His expression became extremely serious, all his previous emotions had faded away, leaving only a cold, detached demeanor when performing official duties.

Zhou Weiguo took the file bag and pulled out several documents stamped with a red seal, a roll of yellow warning tape, and several brand-new signs.

At Shen Zhong's signal, he led several soldiers down the steps.

Without looking to the side, they walked straight toward the iron gate of the branch office compound.

"Snapped!"

A sign the size of an A3 sheet of paper was forcefully affixed to the cold iron gate.

White background, black text, and thick red border.

The top line of large characters was dazzling under the beam of the searchlight.

[Military restricted area, trespassing prohibited]

Then, the second piece, and the third piece.

The soldiers moved swiftly, quickly affixing the same signs along the branch office's wall.

Another team set up a yellow cordon, sealing off the entire branch office compound with a cold, ritualistic approach.

Li Dakang and Qi Tongwei's eyes twitched uncontrollably at the sight.

They are not fools.

They instantly understood Shen Zhong's sinister intentions.

This is a fixed location!

This operation to surround the branch office with more than 300 people is forcibly defined as—storming a military restricted area!

"Heavy!"

Li Dakang screamed in terror, like a wild beast whose sore spot had been touched.

"This is a frame-up! This is a trap!"

Qi Tongwei also realized what was happening and instinctively wanted to step forward to stop him.

But as soon as he took a step, two cold gun barrels were pressed against his temples once again.

The metallic touch made his blood seem to freeze.

Shen Zhong looked down at Li Dakang with a calm gaze, devoid of disdain, only displaying a sense of calm in the face of established facts.

"Secretary Li, you must be responsible for your words."

He pointed to everything in the yard.

"You've mobilized 327 armed police officers, carrying heavy equipment including automatic rifles, to surround our temporary military base. What are you trying to do?"

His question was crystal clear, every word of it crystal clear.

"I'll say it again, this is the Guangming District Branch! It's a national administrative unit!" Li Dakang's voice cracked with excitement as he tried to salvage his last shred of dignity in the name of the law.

Shen Zhong cut him off abruptly.

"What evidence do you have to prove that this place was not a military restricted area before you surrounded me with your men?"

Li Dakang was speechless for a moment.

His heavy hand pointed to the brand-new signs, then swept over the more than three hundred captured special police officers.

"I have witnesses, physical evidence, and records of the on-site blockade, proving that you continued to maintain an armed encirclement of our military restricted area after 4 a.m.

"Secretary Li Dakang, what about you?"

"What evidence do you have to refute my claim?"

Li Dakang's lips moved, but he couldn't utter a single word.

evidence?

All their recording equipment was destroyed!

All communication signals have been cut off!

Here and now, everything Shen Zhong said is the truth!

He said this is a military restricted area, so this is it!

Shen Zhong ignored the twitching of his facial muscles and stated the next definition in a factual tone.

"Li Dakang, do you know?"

"In a military court, your actions could be preliminarily classified as..."

He paused deliberately.

This brief silence, however, made Li Dakang feel an unprecedented sense of suffocation.

"mutiny."

mutiny.

The moment those two words were uttered, it was as if all other sounds were sucked away, leaving only a sharp buzzing in Li Dakang and Qi Tongwei's ears.

This is no longer an administrative error.

This is a charge that could send any politician plummeting into an abyss.

Shen Zhong's expression remained unchanged. He seemed to feel that the two words were not enough, so he took a step forward and added another sentence.

"And taking into account your special status as a member of the Provincial Party Committee Standing Committee and Secretary of the Jingzhou Municipal Party Committee."

"The nature of this matter can be further defined as..."

He looked into Li Dakang's eyes, which were filled with fear.

"Treason."

At this moment, Li Dakang's thinking ability completely stopped.

Treason!

His legs went weak, his knees buckled, and if it weren't for the wall behind him, he would have collapsed to the ground.

The police officers squatting in the courtyard fell into a deathly silence upon hearing those three words; even their breathing became heavy.

If convicted of this crime, everyone present will be sent to a military court as accomplices.

That place isn't about reason.

Qi Tongwei was completely stunned.

He finally realized that the situation before him had completely exceeded all his past experience and understanding.

This is not a power struggle within the bureaucracy.

This is like being in hell, listening to the devil read out the verdict.

Shen Zhong took in everyone's reactions.

He knew that Li Dakang's last pillar of support had been completely crushed by those three words.

From now on, he will set the rules of the game.

Li Dakang raised his head and looked up at Shen Zhong.

In those eyes, all the toughness and anger had vanished, leaving only the most primal fear and a hint of pleading hope.

He lost.

They were utterly humiliated.

The power, status, and leverage he pursued throughout his life were as insignificant as a feather in the face of the words "treason."

His remaining life, his very existence, rested entirely on the other person's decision.

Seeing that the time was right, Shen Zhong's tense expression finally relaxed slightly.

"Of course, considering the overall situation in Handong, I don't want to make the situation unmanageable."

His tone softened, as if offering a drowning person a straw.

Li Dakang immediately seized the opportunity, nodding repeatedly, his voice trembling.

"Secretary Shen... I... I will definitely cooperate, I will cooperate with anything..."

Dignity is no longer important; survival is the most important thing.

Shen nodded in agreement.

He turned around and walked into the hall.

"Come to my office, let's talk and see what you have to offer to save yourself."

Li Dakang dared not refuse and quickly followed behind Shen Zhong.

Before entering the hall, Shen Zhong stopped and turned back to give Zhou Weiguo an order.

"Take control of the scene."

"Any unusual behavior will be dealt with according to wartime regulations."