Handong: Sha Li wants political achievements? I'll shut down the entire province.

Hou Liangping straightened his dark jacket and strode up the steps of the Lingxiao Building.

He was followed by seven or eight elite anti-corruption officers, each carrying a black evidence collection box.

Lin Yubing, who had just silenced Zhao Donglai in the lobby, turned around and met Hou Liangping's sharp gaze.

"Director Hou, just as one wave of police officers left, another wave of anti-corruption officers arrived."

Lin Yubing crossed her arms, her almond-shaped eyes behind her gold-rimmed glasses narrowing slightly. "It's really lively here today."

Hou Liangping sneered, pulled out his ID from his briefcase, and slammed it onto the glass coffee table with a "bang".

"The Supreme People's Procuratorate's Anti-Corruption Bureau has received a tip that your Lingxiao Group is suspected of massive corporate bribery and the transfer of benefits."

He stared into Lin Yubing's eyes, his tone carrying an arrogant air of divine justice.

"Hand over the highest level of access to the financial system; we need to audit the accounts. Anyone who obstructs us will be arrested for obstructing justice!"

Hou Liangping has absolute confidence.

Water that is too clear has no fish. This huge business empire has a turnover of hundreds of billions.

Anyone in business has bribed officials to acquire land and permits.

As long as the finance office is sealed off and the trail is followed, even if Yan Qingfeng has extraordinary abilities, he will have to be exposed!

"Check the accounts?" Lin Yubing wasn't angry at all; instead, she burst out laughing.

She picked up the notice of assistance on the table, glanced at it casually, and tossed it to her assistant next to her.

"Director Hou's procedures are quite complete, much more professional than Director Zhao's."

Lin Yubing gracefully turned to the side and gestured for them to proceed. "Thirty-sixth floor, financial settlement center. The elevator is ready for you."

Hou Liangping frowned, a hint of suspicion flashing through his mind.

So quick? Is this woman stalling for time while the higher-ups are destroying the ledgers?

"Go! Hurry, we can't let them move the evidence!"

Hou Liangping waved his hand sharply, leading his men directly into the private elevator and heading straight for the thirty-sixth floor.

As soon as the elevator doors opened, Hou Liangping led the way and rushed out, ready to shout, "Hands behind your head, get out of the computer!"

But the sight before him made him swallow his words.

In the nearly 1,000-square-meter financial settlement center, there was no panic, no roar of paper shredders.

Dozens of senior finance staff sat at their workstations, their keyboards clattering loudly.

Smelling the aroma of high-end coffee wafting in the air, Hou Liangping felt like a clown punching cotton.

Lin Yubing, wearing high heels, slowly walked out of another elevator.

She snapped her fingers crisply.

The door to the conference room next door opened, and four foreigners in suits and ties, wearing name tags around their necks, walked out.

"Director Hou, let me introduce them. These four are top independent auditors from PricewaterhouseCoopers."

Lin Yubing pointed at the foreigners, a mocking smile curving her lips.

"Our boss, Mr. Yan, was worried that your anti-corruption bureau comrades wouldn't understand a case involving hundreds of billions, so he specially spent a lot of money to invite him to accompany you in the investigation."

Hou Liangping's face darkened, feeling utterly humiliated.

"Yan Qingfeng has quite the audacity! I think he's just feeling guilty and hiring foreigners to falsify your accounts!"

"Don't speak too soon." Lin Yubing raised her chin and pointed to the four corners of the hall.

There were four high-definition cameras set up there, their red recording lights flashing.

"The entire process is recorded without any blind spots. Our accounts, executive expense reports, and even invoices for groceries purchased for the cafeteria are all in the system."

Lin Yubing took out a magnetic card and slapped it into Hou Liangping's hand. "The password is six eights. Please feel free to check it."

"Pretentious! I don't believe you're clean!" Hou Liangping gritted his teeth, a fire burning in his eyes.

He turned to the elite troops behind him: "Take control of the mainframe! Investigate! Turn every single account between them and the officials in Jingzhou!"

The anti-corruption bureau officers immediately rushed to the computer, opened the hard drive they were carrying, and began transferring data.

An unseen battle of auditing has begun.

On the first day, Hou Liangping sat at the temporary command table and downed three cups of strong tea.

"Check if there were any large cash outflows from their public accounts when Guangmingfeng acquired the land last year!"

His subordinate, sweating profusely, typed on the keyboard: "Director Hou, we've checked. The money for the land purchase came from a clean US dollar account overseas; not a single penny of kickback was taken."

The next day, Hou Liangping had dark circles under his eyes, and his tie was all crumpled.

"What about the expense reports? Yan Qingfeng usually treats those officials to meals, Maotai, and cigars; surely it has to be paid for through official accounts!"

Another subordinate looked up in despair: "Director Hou, Yan Qingfeng doesn't even collect his salary from Lingxiao Group. All his banquets are paid for through his personal overseas trust account."

"We can't even find a single invoice from a foot massage parlor in our company account!"

Hou Liangping suddenly stood up, slapping his thigh in frustration.

"Impossible! What about the gifts given during holidays? They can't be clean too!"

By the third day, Hou Liangping's voice was completely hoarse.

The four foreign auditors from PwC were chatting and drinking coffee nearby, as if watching a farce.

An old investigator from the anti-corruption bureau rubbed his sore neck and handed a document to Hou Liangping.

"Director, stop investigating." The old investigator's voice was filled with a deep sense of powerlessness.

"What's wrong? Did you find a loophole?" Hou Liangping asked as if he had grasped at a straw.

"No... it's this account book, it's so clean it's creepy."

The veteran auditor smiled wryly as he flipped through the reports: "Not only did they not evade taxes, they even paid an extra 300 million yuan in charity surcharges last quarter."

"All hospitality for officials is strictly controlled to stay below the national standards for clean governance. Even an extra bowl of rice is paid for by the official himself via QR code."

"Even the cleaning ladies in the building have their social insurance and housing fund contributions paid at the highest level in Jingzhou."

Hou Liangping snatched the report and stared intently at the numbers on it.

His eyes were so bloodshot they looked like they were about to bleed.

This isn't a business conglomerate's ledger; it looks more like a charity than the Red Cross!

A high-intensity inspection lasting three days and three nights.

Not a single bribe was found, and not a single tax loophole was uncovered.

Yan Qingfeng's business empire achieved a devastatingly low level of financial legitimacy.

The morning sunlight streamed through the blinds, so bright that Hou Liangping could barely open his eyes.

The chief auditor from PricewaterhouseCoopers came over and handed him a thick joint audit report.

It bears the official seals of both the Anti-Corruption Bureau and the international auditing firm, bearing their unqualified opinions.

Hou Liangping mechanically took the report, his hands trembling uncontrollably.

The paper made a soft rustling sound, as if mocking his arrogance over the past three days.

His investigative instincts, which he was so proud of, were utterly crushed in the face of Yan Qingfeng's perfect, overt scheme.

Hou Liangping, carrying a briefcase, walked unsteadily out of the finance office.

In the corridor, Lin Yubing was holding a cup of hot milk, leaning against the wall and smiling at him.

"Director Hou, you've worked hard for three days and three nights."

Lin Yubing took a sip of milk and asked in a light tone, "Have you caught our CEO Yan bribing us yet?"

Hou Liangping stopped in his tracks, gripping the edge of his briefcase tightly.

He took a deep breath, gritted his teeth, and stared at the woman in front of him, his eyes filled with deep resentment.

No matter how clean your books are, they can't hide your ambition to withdraw investment and force the government to comply!

Hou Liangping stared with bloodshot eyes and said, word by word.

"Go back and tell Yan Qingfeng that I don't believe there's a cat in this world that doesn't eat fish. Sooner or later, I'll personally put handcuffs on his wrists!"

Lin Yubing shook her head with pity, as if she had heard the biggest joke in the world.

"Director Hou, you still don't understand the situation. It's not our General Manager Yan who should be handcuffed right now."

Lin Yubing pointed out the window to the bustling agricultural wholesale street in Jingzhou, which was usually the most prosperous street in the city.

Instead of getting stuck on a clean bill here, why don't you go check out the market outside?

She lowered her voice, and the smile on her lips became chilling.

"The daily necessities of the people of Handong have just been completely disrupted. Guess... who will be the next to come begging to our General Manager Yan?"