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

Office of the Director of the Guangming District Branch.

Shen Zhong sat down unceremoniously in the leather swivel chair that belonged to the bureau chief.

The chair was large, making his figure appear even more upright. He casually draped his arms over the armrests, leaning back relaxedly as if this were his own territory.

Li Dakang sat on the opposite guest chair.

He felt extremely uncomfortable, his back ramrod straight, like a prisoner awaiting trial.

The office door was closed, shutting out all the chaos outside.

"Secretary Dakang, we don't have much time, so let's get to the point."

Shen Zhong didn't exchange any pleasantries and tapped his fingers lightly on the table.

Li Dakang's body trembled uncontrollably at the sound of the knocking.

Shen Zhong took out two documents from his jacket pocket.

"Here is a memorandum of understanding."

"There is also a statement of the situation."

"You signed the memorandum of understanding, and I signed the statement of facts. In this way, I can define tonight's events as a joint military and police exercise."

"You can bring back the more than 300 people outside safely."

Upon hearing this, Li Dakang felt no relief whatsoever; instead, his heart sank even faster.

Memorandum of Understanding?

He raised his head, his dry throat moving slightly.

"What...conditions?"

"Three."

Shen Zhong held up three fingers.

"First, the Jingzhou Municipal Finance Department will immediately allocate 1 billion yuan in special funds to Hexi District."

Li Dakang's breathing stopped.

One billion!

He suspected that he had heard wrongly.

This is practically like ripping a huge chunk of flesh off Jingzhou City's financial books!

"This money must be used for its designated purpose and invested entirely in the renovation of old residential areas and the reconstruction of underground pipeline systems in Hexi District."

Shen Zhong added, effectively extinguishing any thought Li Dakang might have of embezzling funds.

"That's impossible! The city's finances don't have that much money at all!" Li Dakang blurted out.

This was his instinctive reaction, the instinctive defense of financial power by a municipal party secretary.

Shen Zhong did not argue with him.

He simply leaned forward slightly and calmly offered a reminder.

"Li Dakang, you have no right to bargain with me now."

Upon hearing this, the slight resistance that had just arisen in Li Dakang vanished instantly.

He slumped back in his chair, a fine layer of cold sweat beading on his forehead.

A billion dollars could prolong his political life.

Moreover, such an operation is not against the rules.

Seeing that he had fallen silent, Shen Zhong continued.

"Secondly, at the next meeting of the Provincial Party Committee Standing Committee, you must conduct a public and in-depth self-examination regarding the Guangming Peak project."

Li Dakang's face turned deathly pale.

If the first condition is to get his money, then the second condition is to get his dignity!

He publicly apologized at the Standing Committee meeting, admitting his dereliction of duty in supervising the Guangmingfeng project.

This is not just about losing face.

This is deliberately showing a huge stain on his political career to all his political enemies.

Gao Yuliang, Liu Changchun, Tian Guofu...

The faces of those people flashed through his mind one by one.

He could almost imagine the looks those people would give him when he read his self-criticism on stage.

That would be a complete public execution.

"What, you don't want to?"

His heavy knuckles tapped the table again.

"No... I'm willing."

Li Dakang squeezed out these words through gritted teeth.

While saving face is important, it's better than being labeled a traitor.

"very good."

Shen Zhong seemed quite satisfied with his pragmatism.

He leaned back in his wide chair and threw out his last, and most fatal, condition.

"Third, Zhu Jichang, the Party Secretary of Lüzhou City, has been placed under investigation by the Provincial Commission for Discipline Inspection."

"That spot is now available."

Li Dakang's heart clenched suddenly; he had a very bad premonition.

"I want you to take the initiative to nominate and vote for Comrade He Xia to take over as Secretary of the Lüzhou Municipal Party Committee at the next Standing Committee meeting to discuss cadre appointments and removals."

"boom!"

Something seemed to explode in Li Dakang's head.

He jumped up from his chair, and because the movement was so sudden, his knee slammed hard against the edge of the desk.

"This is absolutely not going to happen!" he cried out.

Should He Xia be appointed as the Party Secretary of Lüzhou City?

That was a spot that Zhao Lichun had reserved for his troupe.

Zhao Lichun absolutely would not allow that position to fall into the hands of Shen Zhong's people.

Previously, he had only left a bad impression on Zhao Lichun, but if he did this, it would be a public betrayal of Zhao Lichun! It would be a complete break with the Zhao family troupe!

"Shen Zhong, you're trying to kill me!" Li Dakang's voice trembled with despair.

Shen Zhong looked at his excited expression, but his face remained expressionless.

He didn't say anything more.

He simply and slowly opened the drawer of his desk.

From inside, another document was taken out.

It was a very thick engineering survey report.

"Smack."

The report was thrown in front of Li Dakang.

Li Dakang subconsciously looked down.

On the cover of the report, a line of bold text stung his nerves.

Investigation Report on the Blockage of Underground Sewage Channels in the Jingzhou Guangmingfeng Project.

His hands trembled as he opened the report.

One after another, high-resolution color photos came into his view.

The excavated sewage ditch was filled with all sorts of construction waste, steel bars, concrete blocks, and even discarded tires.

The murky sewage could only flow with difficulty through the gaps in the garbage.

The report also includes detailed survey data, the specific coordinates of the blockage point, and laboratory analysis of the blockage's components.

The evidence is conclusive and irrefutable.

The deep, heavy voice sounded like a demonic chant from hell.

"Based on the clues provided by Zhang Xiao, I sent people to conduct an on-site investigation, and the Guangmingfeng project does indeed have problems."

"If you don't agree today, I will not only confirm your treasonous acts, but also submit this evidence to higher authorities."

"If you're willing to sign, I'll give you time to clean up the mess."

Li Dakang swayed, and cold sweat instantly soaked the back of his shirt.

He knew what would happen without even thinking.

Jingzhou will be hit by a magnitude 12 political earthquake.

He, the municipal party secretary and the person in charge of the Guangmingfeng project, will be torn to pieces by this earthquake.

Treason would cost him his life.

This report will ruin his reputation and leave him with no place to be buried.

He had no choice but to accept two ways to die.

A long silence fell over the office.

I don't know how much time has passed.

Li Dakang slowly raised his head, his face devoid of any emotion.

I promise you.

"However, I also have one condition."

This was his last, and only, struggle.

"Leave the details to me."

He looked at Shen Zhong and added, word by word.

"I want to take it away myself."

Shen Zhong looked at his bloodless face and suddenly laughed.

There was a hidden meaning in that smile.

He nodded.

"Can."