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

That gold-plated fountain pen was cold and heavy, like a piece of raw iron.

Li Dakang gripped the pen tightly, his knuckles turning bluish-white.

A full five minutes.

The only sound in the ward was the ticking of the second hand on the wall clock.

Yi Xuexi tilted his head to the side, his back teeth grinding together, unable to utter a single word.

Gu Ming, however, leaned back comfortably in his chair, his long legs crossed, waiting to watch a good show.

A soft "snap" sounded.

A bead of cold sweat fell onto the bottom of the document page.

Li Dakang seemed to have lost his last bit of spirit.

He slumped his shoulders, his hands trembling, and signed his name on the contract of servitude.

The handwriting is crooked and messy, a far cry from the elegant and flowing style of his past document approvals.

Gu Ming took the document with satisfaction and flicked the paper.

"Secretary Li, you've gone to so much trouble. With your signature, the sky over Jingzhou has finally brightened."

a few days later.

The back gate of Jingzhou Municipal Hospital.

The autumn wind carried a chill, swirling up a few withered leaves from the ground.

A black Hongqi limousine silently pulled up at the bottom of the steps.

The car door opened.

Li Dakang, wearing a loose, old-fashioned jacket, slowly stepped out the door with Yi Xuexi's help.

The once swift and decisive municipal party secretary is gone.

Now, his back is hunched, and his temples are covered with white hair, making him look like a withered old man who has been drained dry.

"Secretary Dakang, slow down, watch out for the steps."

Yi Xuexi gently supported his arm and helped him into the back seat of the car.

The car door closed, shutting out the cold wind from outside.

Driver Xiao Wang barely dared to breathe, carefully shifting into gear and starting the car smoothly.

Let's go to Bright Peak.

Li Dakang leaned back in his chair, his voice hoarse like a leaky bellows.

Yi Xuexi's expression changed slightly, and he quickly turned half his body to the side.

"Secretary Dakang, the doctor advised you to rest. That place is in a lot of chaos right now. How about we try another day..."

"Let's go take a look."

Li Dakang closed his eyes and exhaled a breath of stale air.

"I must see the blueprint I drew myself one last time, even if it's stillborn."

The car drove smoothly on the asphalt road and turned towards the Guangmingfeng project.

Even from a distance, Li Dakang frowned.

He originally thought that the place would still be an unfinished building overgrown with weeds and lifeless.

Even from two streets away, the continuous bass was enough to make the car windows tingle.

Half the sky was covered by swirling yellow dust.

"What's going on? Who allowed this large-scale construction?"

Li Dakang suddenly opened his eyes and sat up straight.

The car rounded the last bend.

The scene before him struck Li Dakang like a heavy hammer blow to the chest.

On thousands of acres of wasteland, the roar of machinery could be heard everywhere.

Hundreds of giant excavators, bulldozers, and heavy dump trucks covered the sky like steel monsters.

Each machine is painted with a striking dark gold logo.

——Lingxiao Heavy Industry.

Sunlight shone on those metal shells, giving them an arrogant, cold sheen.

This isn't some kind of work resumption scene; it's clearly Yan Qingfeng's military parade!

Li Dakang's hands trembled as he pressed the button on the car window.

The windows were lowered, and a gust of wind carrying the smell of diesel fuel and the earthy odor rushed in.

"Stop the car! Xiao Wang, pull over!"

Li Dakang patted the leather seat urgently.

The car stopped at the curb.

Li Dakang clung to the car window, staring intently at the direction of the construction site gate.

There used to be a huge sign there that read, "The Municipal Party Committee Leads the Way, Creating New Glory."

Now, that sign has been roughly torn to shreds and trampled into the mud.

Instead, a giant banner spanning more than ten meters was erected.

"Lingxiao Future Science and Technology Park, the benevolence of Lord Yan benefits all people."

"Absurd! Utterly absurd!"

Li Dakang's lips trembled as he pointed at the banner.

"That land was allocated to Guangming Peak by the municipal government! Doesn't Yan Qingfeng even leave them a fig leaf?"

Yi Xuexi's mouth was full of bitterness, and he lowered his voice.

"Secretary Dakang, the contract is signed in black and white, and now it's someone else's private property."

"We don't even have the right to go in and inspect anymore."

Just then, several wooden carts were pushed over from the roadside.

A group of nearby villagers, dressed in coarse cloth and wearing straw hats, were busily unloading things from a vehicle.

"Come on, guys! Take a break and have some hot mung bean soup!"

An old man leading the group shouted at the top of his lungs.

Several workers covered in mud and dust climbed down from the scaffolding and approached with smiles.

"Sir, you've been sending me meals every day these past few days, it must have been expensive, right?"

"What a load of rubbish!"

The old man glared at him and shoved the large bowl into the worker's hands.

"Master Yan took on this project and settled all the land acquisition compensation, including interest, that had been delayed for half a year!"

The middle-aged woman next to her chimed in, her face crinkling with laughter.

"That's right! Master Yan has spoken, a science and technology park will be built in this area, and my grandson can start working here after graduation."

"This is a true bodhisattva! Unlike those officials in the previous municipal party committee, who did nothing but hold meetings and bicker all day long!"

These words, like poisoned blades, slashed into the carriage with the wind.

Li Dakang stiffly turned his neck to look at the common people.

The foundation of his rule that he was once most proud of.

He once presented a blueprint for a GDP-driven province to boast about.

Now, they've all become bargaining chips for Yan Qingfeng to win people over.

The people don't care who the municipal party secretary is.

They only recognize Master Yan, who distributes real gold and silver.

"Beep beep!"

A piercing horn blared from behind.

A heavy truck with the Lingxiao logo was parked behind, and the driver stuck his head out and waved impatiently.

"That black cab in front! Don't you know the rules? You're blocking Lingxiao's way for transporting building materials!"

Xiao Wang was startled and instinctively wanted to roll down the car window to reveal his identity.

"Don't make a sound."

Li Dakang grabbed Xiao Wang's arm, his hand icy cold.

The old man who delivered the mung bean soup earlier came over with the bowl and knocked on the front of the Hongqi car.

"Hey, I'm talking to you guys! Move forward a bit!"

The old man peered through the car window and gave a disdainful look.

"Judging by the license plate, they must be an inspection team from the city."

"Go back and tell your superiors that this place now belongs to the Yan family, so don't come here acting like officials and blocking the way!"

The carriage was deathly silent.

Li Dakang listened to the old man's reprimand, his Adam's apple bobbing up and down with difficulty.

He stared intently at the energetic construction team outside, the bloodshot veins in his eyes gradually spreading.

The roar of those hundreds of excavators seemed to mock his incompetence.

The sky over Handong did not fall.

It just changed owners.

Xiao Wang swallowed hard, quickly shifted into gear, and stepped on the gas.

The car sheepishly made way for the building materials trucks behind it, clearing the main road.

The billowing yellow dust instantly engulfed the car belonging to the top official of the municipal party committee.

Like a layer of loose soil covering a coffin.

Li Dakang slowly released his grip on the car window.

He pressed the window up button with trembling hands.

The thick glass slowly rose, shutting out the noise from outside.

The car fell into a suffocating silence once again.

Li Dakang leaned back in his chair and looked up.

Two streams of murky tears slid uncontrollably down her sunken eye sockets.

Hot tears fell onto the old jacket collar, spreading into a dark stain.

Looking at his old friend's state, Yi Xuexi felt as if a huge stone was lodged in his heart.

He handed over a tissue, his voice slightly hoarse.

"Secretary Dakang, we've done our best, let's go back."

Li Dakang did not accept the tissue.

He watched the Lingxiao Heavy Industry logo recede into the distance through the gray-covered glass.

"Old Yi, did you see that?"

Li Dakang gave a bitter laugh, his voice as soft as a withered leaf that would shatter at the slightest touch.

Yi Xuexi gritted his teeth and studied hard.

"I see, Master Yan's reach is too far."

Li Dakang slowly closed his eyes, the tear stains at the corners of his eyes distorted by the force of the tears.

"Handong... is no longer ours."