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

Secretary Bai gently closed the heavy walnut door.

The corridor was empty, with only a few motion-activated lights at the top still on.

A cold wind squeezed in through the window cracks, making people shrink back.

He looked down at the notebook in his hand.

The lines above are the "report of surrender" that Sha Ruijin just asked him to draft.

"I can't control myself anymore..."

Secretary Bai chewed on those words with a cold smile.

He reached out and pushed up his gold-rimmed glasses.

Behind the glasses, his former gentle, kind, and frugal demeanor had completely vanished.

All that remained was a greedy, eerie light.

This wrecked ship is about to sink.

Sha Ruijin wanted to talk about the integrity of intellectuals and die for their country, but he didn't want to be buried with them.

Back in her cubicle office, Secretary Bai didn't turn on the main light.

Using the dim light of the lamp, he pulled open the bottom drawer.

He stuffed all the anonymous prepaid cards he had saved up into his inner pocket.

Looking at the calligraphy of "two sleeves of pure breeze" hanging on the wall, he couldn't help but spit.

"Clean wind my ass. They can't even pay the salaries of the district and county officials right now, who's going to starve?"

He typed out a dry, draft self-criticism on the computer screen with lightning speed and then clicked print.

Then I shut down the computer and unplugged the private encrypted USB drive that I had prepared beforehand.

Clutching it tightly in their hands, as if holding onto a lifetime of wealth and glory.

Three o'clock in the morning.

There wasn't a single ghost in sight on the streets of Jingzhou.

A taxi quietly stopped two blocks away from the Lingxiao Building.

Secretary Bai changed into an old, faded gray tracksuit and wore a black baseball cap pulled low over her head.

He turned up his collar and, after getting out of the car, deliberately chose to walk along the green belt where there were no streetlights.

It looks exactly like a sewer rat trying to avoid a cat's claws.

After bypassing several blind spots in the surveillance cameras, he finally found the back alley of the Lingxiao Building.

Deep in the alley, there was a black modified minivan without even a license plate.

The car body blends into the night, like a lurking beast.

Secretary Bai swallowed hard, looked around, and quickly approached.

He raised his slightly trembling hand and knocked three times on the car window.

A full half minute passed.

The car window made a soft, automatic hum as it slowly lowered halfway down.

The rich aroma of an expensive cigar mingled with the warmth of the air.

It instantly landed on Secretary Bai's frozen face.

Zhou Yuan leaned back in his airline seat, toying with a pure gold Dupont lighter in his hand.

With a crisp "ding," flames shot up.

The dim light illuminated Zhou Yuan's mocking face.

"Oh, I thought it was someone begging for food in the middle of the night."

Zhou Yuan exhaled a smoke ring and glanced at them with disdain.

"Isn't this Director Bai, the top secretary of our Handong Provincial Party Committee? Pretending to be a spy in the middle of the night?"

Secretary Bai chuckled twice, his laughter more like a grimace.

He rubbed his hands, which were red from the cold, and quickly bent his waist into a humble arc.

"Secretary Zhou, you're joking. In your presence, what kind of section chief am I?"

Zhou Yuan ignored his attempts to curry favor and casually flicked his cigarette ash.

"Master Yan is resting. You'd better have something important to say if you're waking me up from my warm bed in the middle of the night."

"Yes! It's definitely important!"

Secretary Bai, as if presenting a treasure, quickly pulled the silver USB drive from her inner pocket.

He held it in both hands and carefully slipped it in through the car window crack.

"Secretary Zhou, Sha Ruijin has completely conceded defeat tonight."

Secretary Bai lowered her voice, her tone revealing barely suppressed excitement.

"He made me draft a self-criticism report for the capital overnight, preparing to take responsibility and step down from my post."

Zhou Yuan raised an eyebrow but did not take the USB drive.

"It's only a matter of time before he admits defeat. Is this worth making a trip in the middle of the night for such a trivial piece of information?"

Secretary Bai was so anxious that white sweat broke out on her forehead when she saw that Zhou Yuan was not responding.

"That's not all! Secretary Zhou, the contents of this USB drive are the real highlight!"

He quickly moved the USB drive closer to the car, his tone urgent.

"It contains the provincial party committee's most closely guarded financial secrets for the next three years."

"Every bad debt, every bottomless hole, is listed clearly."

Zhou Yuan yawned, looking rather uninterested.

"Just knowing how poor your provincial party committee is isn't enough for Master Yan to see."

"There are bottom lines! And there are also Sha Ruijin's bottom lines!"

Secretary Bai rushed forward in a hurry, and the brim of her baseball cap almost hit the car window.

"Sha Ruijin is preparing to sell shares of state-owned enterprises in three cities next week to recoup his losses. The bottom price, and which companies are just decoys, are all on my USB drive!"

"As long as Ling Xiao secures his position early, he can absorb the last remaining resources of the provincial party committee at rock-bottom prices!"

Zhou Yuan finally stopped fiddling with the lighter.

He squinted through the car window, scrutinizing the provincial party secretary in front of him.

This level of secrecy would have been considered a top priority in the past.

That's a crime of leaking secrets, which can be punishable by death.

But now, it's being offered up like a bone to curry favor with its master.

"Secretary Bai, Sha Ruijin has treated you very well."

Zhou Yuan sneered, his tone full of undisguised contempt.

"Aren't you afraid that if you do this, you'll be exposed one day and have your ashes turned to dust?"

Secretary Bai gritted her teeth.

They simply ripped off the last fig leaf.

"What good is it if he treats me well? He can't even protect himself now!"

He clung to the edge of the car window, his eyes flashing with a boundless madness.

"I'm only in my thirties, I don't want to spend my whole life grinding for seniority in that lifeless government office!"

"Secretary Zhou, please plead with Master Yan. If you can get me a job in Lingxiao, I, Bai, will be Master Yan's most loyal dog from now on!"

Zhou Yuan laughed when he heard the word "dog".

He finally reached out and, with two fingers like he was holding a cigarette butt, snatched the silver USB drive.

"Master Yan has no shortage of dogs. But he lacks an inside man who can bite into Sha Ruijin's major artery."

Zhou Yuan casually tossed the USB drive onto the leather bar counter next to him.

He opened the center console and pulled out a matte black card.

The card features a dark gold Lingxiao logo.

It gleamed with a deadly cold light in the dim light.

"Smack."

With a flick of his wrist, Zhou Yuan sent the black card flying out of the car window.

It landed right on Secretary Bai's chest and fell into the grass.

"Pick it up." Zhou Yuan looked down at him.

Secretary Bai paused for a moment, then acted without hesitation.

He, the dignified chief secretary of the provincial party committee, knelt directly on both knees on the cold, dirty asphalt road.

He groped around in the weeds and mud for a bit, then clutched the black card tightly in his palm.

They didn't even care that their trouser legs were covered in mud and water.

"There's five million in the card. No PIN, feel free to swipe it."

Zhou Yuan looked at the man kneeling on the ground as if he were looking at a discounted item with a price tag.

"This is just a resettlement allowance. From now on, as long as your information is accurate, the amount in this card will automatically increase every month."

Secretary Bai gripped the black card tightly, her breathing heavy like a bellows.

Five million!

He couldn't earn that much money even if he worked his way up to retirement in the provincial party committee, even if he worked for two lifetimes!

The intense financial shock instantly washed away the last vestiges of his sense of shame.

Faith, discipline—it's all just a bunch of worthless pieces of paper!

"Thank you, Secretary Zhou! Thank you, Master Yan, for the generous reward!"

Secretary Bai lay on the ground, her voice trembling with excitement, and kowtowed twice.

"Don't worry! I'll report to Master Yan exactly how many bowls of rice Sha Ruijin ate tomorrow morning!"

Zhou Yuan waved his hand dismissively.

"Alright, get back to your writing and don't give yourself away."

The engine started up again, and the black car window slowly rolled up.

Secretary Bai quickly got up and pressed the black card to her chest like a precious ancestor.

He bowed and staggered back a dozen steps before turning and running wildly, disappearing into the deep night.

The interior of the van remained warm.

Zhou Yuan picked up his phone, the screen's soft glow shining on his face.

His fingers flew across the keyboard as he sent an encrypted text message.

Then, he lowered the car window slightly and gestured with his chin toward the bodyguard in the driver's seat.

"The water in this provincial party committee compound is getting more and more stinky."

Zhou Yuan leaned back in his chair, fiddling with the priceless USB drive in his hand.

A cold, bloodthirsty smile curled at the corner of his lips.

"Drive back and tell Master Yan. We've finally driven this crucial nail into Sha Ruijin's head."