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

The fear of being crushed by capital in Qian Dafu's eyes was now perfectly replicated in another pair of bloodshot eyes.

The camera pans across most of Jingzhou City, finally landing on the First Prison on the outskirts of the city.

Cell number six, the cell for serious offenders.

A draft of wind blew in through the iron railings, carrying the biting chill of late autumn.

Cheng Du huddled in a damp corner of the shared bed, wrapped in a rotten, tattered quilt.

He was holding half a hard, cold steamed bun in his hand, mechanically stuffing it into his mouth.

He was once the powerful police chief of Handong Province.

Now I'm like a neglected old mangy dog.

The clattering sound of leather shoes came from the end of the corridor.

Two prison guards on night patrol strolled over leisurely, cigarettes dangling from their lips.

"That was so satisfying! The Land Bureau made a complete fool of themselves this afternoon." The younger prison guard exhaled a smoke ring.

"What's up? Which big corrupt official are you investigating this time?" the old prison guard asked, a cigarette between his fingers.

"He's not an official! He's a coal mine owner from another province, who claims to be worth billions."

The young prison guard gestured excitedly to indicate the name.

"I went to get the land approved with all the legal paperwork, only to be berated like a grandson by a junior manager from the Lingxiao Consortium!"

"Wow! A billionaire boss?" The old prison guard clicked his tongue twice.

"In our Handong, a billion is nothing! Haven't you heard the saying? The municipal party committee's seal is no match for Master Yan's mouth!"

The young prison guard lowered his voice, his tone full of envy.

"Master Yan is now all-powerful, even our humble government office has been affected."

"Didn't you see our Warden Liu arrived in his new car today? A Maybach worth over a million!"

"I heard it's a 'judicial visit vehicle' donated by the Lingxiao Chamber of Commerce!"

The old prison guard chuckled, "Even a single hair plucked from Master Yan's leg is more substantial than the financial allocation given by Sha Ruijin."

The two chatted idly as they walked away.

Cheng Du was huddled in the corner, his action of gnawing on a steamed bun suddenly freezing.

His bloodshot eyes widened instantly.

Yan Qingfeng?

That young capitalist, reeking of money, actually trampled the entire officialdom of Handong underfoot.

Even the impenetrable provincial party secretary, Sha Ruijin, has become a mere figurehead?

Du Cheng's mind was buzzing.

He looked down at his trembling hands, and a wildfire suddenly ignited in his heart, which had been ashen.

A lifeline!

This is the last way to get him out of this living hell!

Cheng Du abruptly threw away the cold steamed bun in his hand.

He frantically groped around on the rough cement wall like a madman.

Finally, a sharp, rusty piece of iron was pried off.

Without hesitation, he cut his index finger with the sheet metal.

His fingers were connected to his heart, and the pain made him gasp for breath, but he couldn't care less about that.

He tore off a crumpled piece of scrap paper and, with the blood oozing from his fingertips, quickly wrote down a string of coded text.

The bloodstains were dried and black, with a strong, foul odor.

The next day at noon, it was time for outdoor exercise.

On the prison's exercise yard, a cold wind mingled with a light drizzle.

Warden Liu, dressed in a crisp police uniform, was inspecting the prison with his large belly, holding two walnuts in his hands.

He's riding high now, having latched onto the Lingxiao Consortium, a powerful force he's set for life.

"Warden Liu! Director Liu!"

A piercing howl suddenly erupted from the crowd.

Cheng Du scrambled out of the line, knocking aside two prison guards who tried to stop him.

Like a mad dog guarding its food, he slid down and knelt in front of Fatty Liu with a thud.

He clung tightly to Fatty Liu's perfectly ironed trouser leg.

"Get out of here! Where did this mad dog come from!"

Fatty Liu was startled, raised his big leather shoe, and kicked Cheng Du hard in the chest.

Cheng Du groaned as he was kicked, a trickle of blood spilling from the corner of his mouth.

But he scrambled to his feet again and shoved the bloodstained piece of paper into Fatty Liu's hand.

"Warden Liu! I know you're working for Master Yan now!"

He lowered his voice and spoke so fast it was like pouring beans.

"I have an extraordinary gift to present to Lord Yan!"

Fatty Liu shook the paper in his hand with disgust, and was about to call someone to drag him away when he suddenly stopped.

"In the abandoned fertilizer plant in the southern suburbs, there's a hidden compartment beneath the third reactor containing a coded metal box!"

Du Cheng tilted his head back, his features contorted with longing.

"There's an encrypted USB drive inside, containing shady records of several of Sha Ruijin's trusted confidants!"

"And there's also top-secret, irrefutable evidence of the assets transferred by Gao Yuliang and his gang of former Han University alumni!"

The playground fell silent instantly.

The only sound was the patter of raindrops hitting the concrete.

Several prison guards tried to come up and arrest him, but Fatty Liu stopped them by raising his hand.

Fatty Liu's hands, which were fiddling with the walnuts, froze.

He narrowed his beady green eyes and stared intently at the down-on-his-luck former police chief at his feet.

If this thing is real, it could be a nuclear bomb that detonates in the officialdom of Handong!

If I were to hand over this nuclear bomb to Master Yan, wouldn't I rise to great heights?

"What do you want?" Fatty Liu bent down, his voice low and menacing.

"Medical parole!"

Cheng Du clenched his fists tightly, his eyes filled with hysterical pleading.

"As long as Master Yan is happy, just give me any pretense of a terminal illness and send me out!"

"After I get out, I'll live under an assumed name and serve Master Yan like a slave!"

Fatty Liu sneered and subtly slipped the blood-written letter into his pocket.

"Take him back to the solitary confinement cell and keep him under strict guard. No one is allowed to visit him without my order."

He straightened up and strode away from the playground, not even bothering to play with the walnuts.

That night, it was dark and windy.

In an abandoned fertilizer plant in the southern suburbs, beams of flashlight beams dart erratically among the rusting machinery.

"Warden, we've found it!"

A trusted confidant, his face covered in mud, dug a coded box out from under an abandoned reactor.

Fatty Liu had his men break the lock.

Inside lay a USB flash drive wrapped in multiple layers of waterproof tape.

"Quick! Get the car ready! To Lingxiao Building!"

Fatty Liu held the USB drive in both hands, as if he were holding the Jade Emperor's Imperial Seal.

Two o'clock in the morning.

The highest point in Jingzhou is the 120th floor of the Lingxiao Building.

The air was filled with the cool, refreshing scent of top-grade agarwood.

Yan Qingfeng, dressed in a pure black haute couture casual suit, leaned lazily against the sofa.

The heavy walnut door was pushed open.

Fatty Liu rolled in like a ball of flesh, his suit still covered in mud from the countryside.

He didn't even dare to lift his head, and knelt down directly on the gleaming, handmade carpet.

"Master Yan! Great news, Master Yan!"

Fatty Liu held his hands high, cradling the dirty, earthy-smelling USB drive in his palms.

"That old bastard Cheng Du revealed his trump card to get a reduced sentence!"

His voice trembled with excitement as he raised his head as if seeking praise.

"As long as you hold this power, even if those people in the provincial party committee have the guts of a bear and the gall of a leopard, they'll have no choice but to obediently serve you as your dogs!"

The USB drive was still covered in yellow mud.

With a "thud," a clod of mud fell onto the spotless solid wood table, appearing incredibly glaring.

Zhou Yuan's eyes lit up, and he immediately strode forward.

"Master Yan, this is some really good stuff!"

"Just slap the dirt on their faces and make them obediently leave!"

Yan Qingfeng remained silent.

His deep eyes lowered slightly, his gaze falling on the dirty USB drive.

The atmosphere in the quiet office suddenly became eerie.

Yan Qingfeng showed no sign of joy; instead, the curve of his lips grew colder and colder.

The cold made Liu Pangzi's entire body of fat shiver uncontrollably.

"Master Yan... if you think it's dirty, I'll clean it for you right away!"

Cold sweat poured down Liu Pangzi's forehead in an instant, and he stammered as he reached for his handkerchief.

Yan Qingfeng chuckled softly, but there was no warmth in his laughter.

He slowly extended his long, slender fingers and pulled out an expensive wet wipe.

Through the wet wipe, I pinched the USB drive as if it were a stink bug.

"Using this piece of junk to threaten those beggar bureaucrats?"

Yan Qingfeng glanced at Fatty Liu kneeling on the ground, his tone revealing undisguised disgust.

"Old Liu, do you think I, Yan Qingfeng, am as low-class as a despicable politician like Cheng Du?"

Zhou Yuan, who was standing to the side, was stunned and his mouth opened slightly.

"Master Yan, what should we do with this thing...?"