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

Outside the gate of the Handong Provincial Procuratorate.

The cold autumn wind swirled withered yellow leaves on the ground.

Hou Liangping held a thin dismissal notice, his hands trembling like a leaf.

He took off his crisp, imposing uniform and put on a faded old jacket.

He was carrying a red, white, and blue woven bag that he had bought for two yuan.

Inside the bag were a few meager changes of clothes that he had left behind in Handong.

"Hey, hey, move aside! Don't block the provincial inspection lane!"

Old Li, the guard, leaned halfway out of the gatehouse and waved his plastic baton without any politeness.

In the past, whenever Hou Liangping's car came in and out, Old Li would stand up straight and salute for at least ten minutes.

Now, that disdainful look is like shooing away a stray dog ​​rummaging through a trash can.

Hou Liangping gritted his teeth and dragged his heavy steps two steps to the side.

Several young police officers, who had just finished handling a case, walked out of the building chatting and laughing.

"See that? That's the imperial envoy who used to be so arrogant."

"Come on, he's a hypocrite! I heard his wife's family was involved in fraud in Beijing and went bankrupt."

"Serves him right! He offended Master Yan; it's a miracle he wasn't sent to jail."

"Hurry up and get out of here! This guy smells like mold, and you can't wash it off."

They deliberately didn't lower their voices; every word was like a poisoned steel needle, piercing Hou Liangping's ears.

Hou Liangping lowered his head, biting his pale lower lip hard, and tasted a strong metallic taste of blood.

He couldn't even muster a single word in rebuttal.

His mind was filled with Zhong Xiaoai's heartless face after receiving that resignation letter.

"Once the papers are signed, we're even. I've already had the divorce agreement prepared by my lawyer."

"From now on, don't concern yourself with the Zhong family's debts, and don't get involved with them either. Whether you live or die is up to fate."

Those were the last words his wife left him.

So cold-blooded and devoid of any warmth, that he completely cut off all his escape routes.

He stumbled and staggered through the streets of Jingzhou like a lost soul.

This is the city he once wanted to conquer and trample under his feet.

But at this moment, it revealed its coldest fangs to him.

As Hou Liangping walked to People's Square in the city center, he was drawn to a cacophony of voices.

On a huge circular LED screen, the midday news of Handong Province is being played on a loop.

"Today, the Lingxiao Foundation officially launched a 10 billion yuan donation project for people's livelihood."

The beautiful female host had a sweet smile and a clear, resonant voice.

"Chairman Yan Qingfeng promised that the heating equipment in all old residential communities across the province will be replaced free of charge."

"The first batch of imported, highly effective drugs from top-tier hospitals will be fully included in the Lingxiao Special Subsidy Fund!"

The scene shifts to several ordinary people wearing old cotton-padded coats, who are so moved that they wipe away tears into the microphone.

"Lord Yan is a living bodhisattva in Handong! This is truly putting real money into serving the people!"

"Those officials used to just shirk their responsibilities, but the Lingxiao Consortium is much more reliable; they give us jobs and even provide medical care!"

"May Lord Yan live to be a hundred years old! We in Handong are truly blessed to have Lord Yan!"

Passersby in the square stopped and burst into enthusiastic applause.

"See that? That's some guts! They just throw away hundreds of billions like it's nothing!"

"Who says otherwise? If anyone dares to say a bad word about Ling Xiao now, I'll be the first to beat them up!"

Two men in work clothes stood next to Hou Liangping, chatting animatedly.

Upon hearing these words, Hou Liangping felt a sudden "boom" in his mind, and his lifelong faith completely collapsed.

He always claimed to represent justice and regarded Yan Qingfeng as a blood-sucking demon.

But now, the devil has become the savior revered by all.

He, the high-ranking anti-corruption bureau chief, became a pariah, hated by everyone.

absurd.

That's absolutely absurd.

He gave a wry, dry laugh, picked up his woven bag, and staggered toward the train station.

The waiting hall of Jingzhou Railway Station was crowded with people, and the stuffy heat made it hard to breathe.

"What are you pushing for! Don't you know about first come, first served!"

The blond-haired young man at the front of the line was bumped, and he turned around and shoved Hou Liangping viciously.

Hou Liangping stumbled, and the woven bag in his hand fell to the ground.

The zipper burst open, and several worn-out underwear pieces spilled out, drawing disgusted glares from those around them.

"You look all dressed up, but you're just a ragpicker!"

The blond-haired man spat, "Hurry up and pick them up and get them out of the way, don't get my new shoes dirty!"

Hou Liangping clenched his fists tightly, his whole body trembling.

In the past, he could have made a single phone call and sent that hoodlum to jail for ten days or half a month.

But now, he could only silently squat down and stuff those tattered clothes back into the bag one by one.

I finally managed to get to the ticket window.

"A hard-seat train ticket to my hometown, the sooner the better."

He took out a few crumpled coins from his pocket and slipped them through the crack in the glass.

The ticket seller rolled her eyes and started typing away on her keyboard.

"The fastest one is the slow, green-skinned K-series train, which stops at every station and takes thirty hours. Do you want to take it?"

"want."

Hou Liangping's voice was hoarse, filled with a deathly despair.

The crowded green train carriages were filled with the strange smell of pickled cabbage noodles and cheap tobacco.

Hou Liangping huddled on the hard seat by the window, like a lump of mud with its spine removed.

"Beer, soft drinks, mineral water, pull your legs in a bit, hey!"

The flight attendant, pushing the small metal cart, impatiently shoved his knee away.

Hou Liangping showed no reaction, his dull eyes fixed on the view outside the window.

"Waaah—"

The train let out a long whistle and, accompanied by the vibrations of the rails, slowly pulled out of the station.

The scenery outside the window began to rush past, and the speed increased.

Hou Liangping looked back at the city one last time through the dusty car window.

In the distance, the Lingxiao Building soars into the clouds, like a sharp sword piercing the sky.

The dark gold logo gleamed with an arrogant, cold light in the afterglow of the setting sun.

Yan Qingfeng stood there, high above, looking down on all living beings.

Hou Liangping, on the other hand, was like a grain of dust that was carelessly crushed and swept into the dustbin of history.

The thought of how I ended up with my family destroyed and my reputation ruined for that ridiculous sense of superiority is unbearable.

Extreme humiliation, regret, and despair, like a poisoned dagger, brutally tore apart his internal organs.

A surge of blood rushed straight to the top of his head.

Hou Liangping suddenly widened his eyes, and a sweet taste rose in his throat.

"puff--"

A large mouthful of thick, dark blood gushed out of his mouth without warning.

Warm blood splattered on the dirty car window, trickling down the glass in a horrifying manner.

His eyes rolled back, and his body slid down like a piece of dead wood, collapsing completely to death on the hard seat.

Those eyes, wide open and filled with resentment, were still staring intently in the direction of the Lingxiao Building, but then they were lifeless.

The elderly woman sitting across from me, who was eating sunflower seeds, was stunned by this sudden scene.

The sunflower seeds were scattered all over the ground. The old woman turned pale and screamed like a pig being slaughtered.

"Someone's dead! This person is vomiting blood!"

The flight attendant rushed over upon hearing the noise and forcefully pushed through the crowd of onlookers to get a closer look.

He trembled as he checked Hou Liangping's breath, his face turning as white as paper.

The flight attendant hurriedly pulled the walkie-talkie off her shoulder, pressed the call button, and shouted.

"Calling the train conductor! A man in carriage number 3 has vomited blood and died!"

"A red-headed document fell out of the deceased's bag, with the name Hou Liangping written on it! Quickly, give us instructions: should we take this body to the final stop, or just dump it in some field along the way?"