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

Late at night, the compound of the Hantong Provincial Party Committee was as quiet as a graveyard.

The withered yellow sycamore leaves were swept up by the cold wind, making a soft rustling sound as they brushed against the asphalt road.

This lifeless atmosphere is like a completely different world from the place just two kilometers away.

Sha Ruijin leaned back in the large boss's chair.

He turned his head and looked out the floor-to-ceiling window.

The towering 120-story Lingxiao Building, like a dark golden sword, pierced the night sky of Jingzhou.

Cold fireworks were going off all night in that direction.

The dazzling lights reflected a reddish hue onto the windows of the provincial party committee office building.

"Cough cough..."

Sha Ruijin covered his mouth and coughed twice.

He's been staying up late these past few days, and it feels like there's a shard of glass stuck in his throat; even swallowing his saliva tastes bloody.

"Secretary Sha, please have some hot tea."

Secretary Bai tiptoed over and placed a cup of freshly brewed Maojian tea on the corner of the table.

Sha Ruijin didn't touch the cup of tea.

His gaze was fixed on a document in the center of the table.

It was a thin list printed on A4 paper.

The top right corner displays four large bold characters: Lingxiao Chamber of Commerce.

"Has this been confirmed?"

Sha Ruijin's voice was hoarse, and his knuckles were pale and bloodless from excessive force.

Secretary Bai lowered her eyelids and replied in a low voice.

"It's been verified. It was taken at great risk by our informant who was planted inside Hongyu Building Materials."

"Everyone who went to the Lingxiao Building tonight made a pilgrimage there and left their red handprints on it."

Sha Ruijin, his hands trembling, pulled his reading glasses from his breast pocket.

The temples of his glasses were a bit deformed, but he didn't bother to straighten them and simply placed them on the bridge of his nose.

He lowered his head and scanned the text word by word.

The first line: Dalu Group, Wang Dalu.

They handed over 30% of their core shares and fully integrated them into the Yunxiao system.

"Great, that's really great."

Sha Ruijin gave a bitter laugh and pointed at Wang Dalu's name.

"Li Dakang's former personal money bag, a long-established red-hat merchant in Handong."

"That old fox, who always held his head high in the municipal party committee compound, has now gone to become Yan Qingfeng's lackey!"

Secretary Bai adjusted his glasses and cautiously continued the conversation.

"I heard that Chairman Wang stood in the Lingxiao Hall for five hours and kowtowed before Master Yan finally accepted his shares."

"Snapped!"

Sha Ruijin slammed his hand on the table, making the teacup lid rattle.

"Shameless! A boss with billions in assets, you're as spineless as a mule!"

He gritted his teeth and continued to look down.

Hongyu Building Materials, Sun Hai.

Jingzhou Ocean Logistics, Fatty Liu.

Chairman Qian of Handong Heavy Industry.

The further Sha Ruijin looked, the more his hands trembled.

The thin A4 sheet of paper rustled in his hands.

None of the top 50 private entrepreneurs in the province's GDP ranking have been eliminated!

Even those troublemakers who usually put on airs when they see members of the Provincial Party Committee Standing Committee are now begging for shares like grandsons.

This is not a list at all.

This is clearly the economic lifeline of the entire Handong Province, which has been uprooted and put into private pockets!

Sha Ruijin abruptly pulled open the drawer on his right.

With a "whoosh," he pulled out a thick provincial party committee directory from inside.

That was a symbol of the highest power in the political circles of Handong—the list of members of the Provincial Party Committee Standing Committee and the heads of various departments.

He placed the two lists side by side.

It's like forcibly dragging the old master and the new king of Handong onto the same card table.

"Xiao Bai, take a look at the team we have here."

Sha Ruijin looked up, pointed at the red address book, and laughed in a way that was more like a grimace.

"Yi Xuexi spends his days outside the Guangmingfeng construction site eating dust and cleaning the backs of dump trucks."

"Li Dakang pretended to be dead in his hospital bed and didn't even dare to answer the phone."

"The public security and urban construction departments are now afraid to approve even a road closure order, for fear of offending Ling Xiao's convoy."

Secretary Bai remained silent, not daring to even breathe loudly.

Sha Ruijin extended his withered finger and tapped on the list of chambers of commerce.

"Take another look at the hand of cards in Yan Qingfeng's hand."

"Logistics, building materials, heavy industry, and even wholesale of agricultural and sideline products for the entire city!"

Sha Ruijin suddenly stood up, and because he stood up so suddenly, his vision went black for a moment.

He leaned on the edge of the table, panting heavily.

"He, Yan Qingfeng, randomly picked two people from this list and made a phone call."

"Tomorrow morning, the vegetable markets in Jingzhou will be out of food, and supermarket prices will increase tenfold!"

"Millions of people in the city can't survive even a single day!"

Cold sweat trickled down Sha Ruijin's temples.

He served as an official for half his life, defeating countless political enemies.

He always thought that as long as you hold the seal of office, you can crush everyone.

But now, Yan Qingfeng has taught him a lesson in real terms, using hundreds of billions of dollars.

This bloodthirsty capitalist behemoth wouldn't even deign to try and seize his position.

They bought the entire land in Handong!

No matter how many stamps you, Sha Ruijin, put on or how many official documents you issue, it won't matter.

If the businesses below don't listen, logistics won't operate, and the money won't go into the national treasury.

What's the difference between the provincial party committee leader and a commander without any real power?

Dead silence.

In the spacious office, only Sha Ruijin's heavy breathing could be heard.

The cold wind outside the window crashed against the glass, making a mournful, whistling sound.

The towering skyscraper in the distance still shines as brightly as day, arrogantly overlooking the city.

Sha Ruijin slumped back into his chair, utterly dejected.

In those few short minutes, he seemed to have all his energy drained away.

The white hair at his temples was particularly glaring under the light, and the wrinkles on his face were so deep they looked like they had been carved by a knife.

old.

He really looks ten years older.

"Put it away."

Sha Ruijin waved his hand and pushed the list of chambers of commerce aside.

His voice carried a sense of utter resignation and despair.

Secretary Bai quickly stepped forward, deftly folded the two documents, and put them into a confidential bag.

Sha Ruijin took off his reading glasses and threw them on the table.

He rubbed his stiff cheeks with both hands and exhaled a long breath.

"Xiaobai, go get a pen."

Secretary Bai was taken aback and quickly took out a notebook and pen from her pocket.

"Secretary Sha, what are your instructions?"

"Draft a top-secret report. Send it to the capital before dawn via encrypted channels."

Sha Ruijin closed his eyes, and a trace of murky water even seeped from the corner of his eyes.

"The notice reads: 'The economic situation in Handong is abnormal, and the provincial party committee has committed a major dereliction of duty.'"

"I, Sha Ruijin, am deeply responsible and request that the organization impose severe penalties on me."

Secretary Bai paused, then abruptly looked up.

"Secretary Sha! If you submit this self-criticism, your political future might be ruined..."

"Future? We don't even have a way out now!"

Sha Ruijin suddenly opened his eyes and laughed self-deprecatingly.

"If Yan Qingfeng dares to establish the Chamber of Commerce today, he'll dare to cut off the province's tax revenue tomorrow."

"When that happens, tens of thousands of mouths will be waiting to be fed, and I'll be the first one in the capital to be used as a sacrifice!"

He waved his hand weakly, as if trying to shoo away a fly that he couldn't kill.

"Stop talking nonsense. Go write it."

Secretary Bai's grip on the pen tightened slightly.

He lowered his head, his glasses reflecting the glaring incandescent light overhead, obscuring the strange fervor in his eyes.

"Yes, I'll draft it right away."

Secretary Bai closed the notebook, turned around, and walked towards the door.

Just as he reached the door, Sha Ruijin's hoarse voice came from behind him again.

"Xiao Bai, try to use more profound language."

"Don't be afraid of losing face. Report our current dire situation truthfully. I, Sha Ruijin, truly have lost control of the situation in Handong."

Secretary Bai paused, her hand resting on the brass doorknob.

"Secretary Sha."

He didn't turn around, his voice was very low, and it had an unfathomable chill about it.

"Don't worry. I will write down every single word of this top-secret report for you, making it crystal clear."

"I will make sure the capital knows who Handong should listen to now."