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

Less than two hours after Shen Zhong left Handong, a supplementary notice from the Provincial Government Office arrived.

The official document was directly issued to thirteen prefecture-level cities and various departments. The title was very long, but the words conveyed a cold and oppressive feeling.

Each city must submit a categorized list of military-civilian integration projects for filing within three days, along with an explanation of the economic contributions of the non-classified portions.

Looking at the notice, Li Dakang felt a surge of anger rising from his throat to his head, and he squeezed the pen in his hand so hard it cracked.

"What is Chu Pingshan doing?"

The secretary stood in front of the desk, not daring to breathe.

Li Dakang slammed the document on the table, making the paper rattle.

"The military-civilian integration project was just transferred from the province, and now he wants a list and explanations. He wants to peel off the outer layer as well."

Gao Yuliang sat on the sofa next to him, did not take the tea, and first flipped through the documents, his fingertip pausing on the words "Explanation of Economic Contributions of Non-Confidential Parts".

"He doesn't want to start gnawing on the bone right now." Gao Yuliang put down the paper, his tone steady. "He wants to force you to expose the bone."

Li Dakang's face was grim.

"Luzhou, Jingzhou, Lincheng—every project related to the military industry is a core asset wrapped in layers of secrecy. He's making us open the door ourselves."

"If you don't pay, he'll say you're hiding something."

Gao Yuliang picked up the teacup and gently blew away the foam.

"If you give him too much information, he'll just take advantage of the loopholes you provide."

Li Dakang was silent for a few seconds, then suddenly looked up.

"Then what are you doing here? To laugh at me?"

Gao Yuliang was not annoyed. Instead, he put the heavy memorandum of military and civilian bottom lines he had left behind on the table and pushed it in front of him.

"Shen Zhong's absence does not mean that Handong has no one else."

Li Dakang stared at the document, his brows slowly furrowing.

Get to the point.

Gao Yuliang's voice was very calm, as if he were describing a game of chess that had already been laid out.

"Chu Pingshan wants three things now: first, a list of projects; second, ownership of assets; and third, incriminating evidence against cadres."

Li Dakang tapped his finger on the table.

"He wants to use these three things to peel us apart."

"right."

Gao Yuliang nodded.

"So we can't follow his lead. Now is not the time to confront the provincial government head-on; we need to figure out what he's up his sleeve first."

Qi Tongwei stood to the side, having just come in from outside, his shoulders still damp from the rain.

He placed a list of audit outsourcing companies that he had compiled overnight on the coffee table, the pages neatly pressed together.

"Secretary Gao, we've found something."

Li Dakang's eyelids twitched, and he leaned forward slightly.

Qi Tongwei tapped the last line of the first page with his finger.

Haiheng Consulting.

Gao Yuliang's gaze fell over, and his fingertips paused on the rim of the cup for a moment.

"The audit outsourcing brought by Chu Pingshan?"

"right."

Qi Tongwei pushed the list forward again.

"The independent certified public accountants are from the coastal areas and have no direct affiliation with the local authorities in Handong. Their salaries are paid through a special outsourcing agency, making it difficult for the local discipline inspection commission and public security bureau to intervene directly."

Li Dakang's face darkened further.

"Did he hand the knife over to an outsourcing company?"

He handed the knife to the person who looked the cleanest.

There was no warmth in Qi Tongwei's eyes when he said this.

"Last night, I followed the chain of Haiheng Consulting's outsourcing files and found a few names that didn't match."

Gao Yuliang raised his hand, signaling him to continue.

Qi Tongwei turned the page and pointed to a familiar word.

"Team Leader Ma's brother-in-law is on the list."

There was a two-second silence in the office.

Li Dakang's hand froze in mid-air, as if he was about to slam his hand on the table, but then abruptly withdrew it.

"Team Leader Ma?" He narrowed his eyes. "The head of the audit team that the provincial government sent to Luzhou?"

"right."

Qi Tongwei added a sentence.

"He's currently working as a data clerk under Haiheng Consulting. He's doing a lot of work, but he's only dealing with the most peripheral things. But that's the problem—his brother-in-law shouldn't be on the list."

Gao Yuliang didn't rush to ask questions. He first took the list and flipped through it from beginning to end.

He flipped through it very slowly, as if he were looking at a ledger that could bite.

What does this mean?

Qi Tongwei looked at him.

"This indicates that there are people working behind closed doors within Haiheng Consulting. The person who actually obtained the key information may not be openly known within the audit team."

Li Dakang understood, and his expression immediately turned even uglier.

"Chu Pingshan divided the people into several layers. The people on the outside checked the accounts, the people on the inside took things, but the hand at the very top was completely clean."

Gao Yuliang closed the list and gently placed it back on the table.

"Then we won't touch Chu Pingshan himself."

Li Dakang was taken aback.

Gao Yuliang raised his eyes, his voice steady, yet revealing an uncontrollable ruthlessness.

"Check the knife in his hand first."

Qi Tongwei nodded.

"I'm preparing to have someone keep an eye on several of Haiheng Consulting's outsourced locations."

"Don't move too soon." Gao Yuliang raised his hand and pressed down on the edge of the list. "We're not checking the accounts now, we're checking the people. For every outsourced worker, I need to know where they sleep, who they've met, what they're afraid of, and who they owe money to."

Qi Tongwei responded and was about to turn around when Gao Yuliang added another sentence.

"Also, don't leave Chu Pingshan any procedural leverage."

"clear."

Li Dakang leaned back in his chair and tapped his fingers heavily on the armrest.

"This person is really cunning. He talks about compliance on the surface, but he's secretly handing a knife to outsiders."

Gao Yuliang tilted his head slightly and glanced at him.

"The most dangerous time for someone like Chu Pingshan is when he stops pretending to be aloof."

No sooner had he finished speaking than Sha Ruijin was listening to his secretary report in an office on the other side of the provincial party committee compound that Gao Yuliang had convened a small meeting of local factions.

He put down his teacup and gave a cold laugh.

Is Kao Yu-liang making a final push before retiring?

Chu Pingshan stood by the window, a cigarette dangling from his fingers, his expression as indifferent as a thin layer of frost.

"The most difficult thing about dealing with someone like Gao Yuliang isn't whether he can tolerate things."

He turned around and looked at Sha Ruijin.

"Once he can't hold back, he'll bite very accurately."

Sha Ruijin's eyes flickered slightly, but his lips remained pressed together.

Are you afraid of him?

Chu Pingshan put the cigarette back in the pack, his tone remaining calm.

"I am not afraid of anyone who can talk."

"I'm only afraid of someone who knows which bone to start with when they begin to take action."

At the same time, Qi Tongwei had already reached the door when he suddenly stopped.

He glanced down at the last page of the list, his gaze lingering on one name.

That was the full name of Team Leader Ma's brother-in-law, followed by a string of internal numbers from the outsourcing company.

He stared for two seconds, his brows furrowing slightly.