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

The lingering buzz of the paper shredder gradually faded away in the spacious office.

Yan Qingfeng slowly crumpled the expensive wet wipe into a ball and precisely tossed it into the trash can.

He turned around, stepped onto the soft, handmade wool carpet, and walked slowly to the French windows.

"Master Yan, what you just said about oxygen... I'm not very bright, I really didn't get it."

Zhou Yuan rubbed his hands together, chuckled awkwardly, and took half a step closer.

Fatty Liu was still kneeling on the ground like a dehydrated toad, not daring to even breathe.

Yan Qingfeng stood with his hands in the pockets of his casual suit, looking down at the bustling traffic below.

The dark gold glass reflected light, outlining his sharply defined, cold profile.

"Old Zhou, 70% of Handong's logistics and 60% of its settlement funds are now running through the Yunxiao system."

Yan Qingfeng's voice was cold and clear, exuding an air of self-righteous dominance.

"It's like a network of blood vessels laid beneath the ground in Handong. And I'm the one holding the main switch for those blood vessels."

He turned his head and glanced at Zhou Yuan, whose face was full of confusion.

"Let's take an example. Suppose that tomorrow, the district head of the northern district of Jingzhou suddenly takes the wrong medicine."

"He insists on going against the Lingxiao Chamber of Commerce and is stubbornly blocking the approval process for our new factory."

"If we used your old, crude methods, wouldn't we have to dig out that broken USB drive from Cheng Du's previous post and dig up this district chief's dirty laundry?"

Zhou Yuan nodded repeatedly and slapped his thigh.

"Yes! If we submit the evidence to the Provincial Commission for Discipline Inspection, they'll definitely skin him alive!"

Yan Qingfeng scoffed.

"Too slow and too low-grade."

He extended his right hand, pinched his index finger and thumb together, and made a light tapping motion in the air.

"To get rid of him, all I need to do is click the mouse in the system background."

Zhou Yuan was stunned.

"Click the mouse? This...this might actually work?"

Yan Qingfeng turned around and looked back at the deep night outside the window.

"I only need to issue an order to put all of Lingxiao Holdings' investment projects in the North District on pause."

"No need to issue official documents or file a formal complaint."

"I'm just a legitimate businessman. I feel the investment environment in the northern district is poor, so I'm withdrawing my investment to mitigate risks. Who can find fault with that?"

Zhou Yuan swallowed, feeling a cold draft coming from his back molars.

"On the first day of the withdrawal of investment, the construction of those large science and technology parks under construction in the North District will be completely halted."

Yan Qingfeng spoke slowly, but his words cut like a dull knife.

"Twenty thousand construction workers are not receiving their daily wages."

"The day after the withdrawal of investment, the Chamber of Commerce cut off the logistics network in the northern region."

"All local factories are unable to ship their goods out, and raw materials from outside cannot be brought in. The production lines are completely paralyzed."

Fatty Liu knelt on the carpet, imagining the apocalyptic scene, his obese body trembling uncontrollably.

"And the third day?"

Zhou Yuan subconsciously pressed for more information, his throat so dry it felt like it was on fire.

"On the third day, the tax revenue of the northern district was cut in half."

Yan Qingfeng's lips curled into a cruel smile, making him look like a living Yama manipulating an abacus.

"The district's finances are so clean that even rats won't bother with them."

"Hundreds of thousands of workers in the area haven't received their wages and don't even have money to buy rice. Guess who they'll beg from?"

Zhou Yuan gasped and blurted out.

"Find the district government!"

"That's right."

Yan Qingfeng turned around and slowly walked back to the leather sofa and sat down.

"Angry citizens will smash the gates of the district government building."

"Tens of thousands of mouths need to be fed. Can a small neighborhood head handle such a potentially catastrophic mass incident?"

He picked up the Romanée-Conti that had been poured earlier from the table and gently swirled it.

The dark red liquid clung to the glass, like dripping blood.

"At this point, there's absolutely no need for me to step in."

Yan Qingfeng sneered, "Sha Ruijin would be jumping up and down in a panic right here in the provincial party committee compound."

Zhou Yuan frowned and tentatively chimed in.

"Master Yan, do you think Sha Ruijin can swallow this insult? What if he tries to protect that district chief just to save face?"

"What guarantee does he have?"

Yan Qingfeng looked at him as if he had heard the biggest joke in the world, his eyes filled with contempt.

"Is that already empty hole in the provincial party committee's finances just the same old underwear that Secretary Bai sold us?"

"Sha Ruijin has no money to pay salaries. If he insists on protecting him, it will only cause a city-wide riot."

Yan Qingfeng brought the wine glass to his lips and took a small sip.

"In order to quell public anger and to maintain the bottom line of stability in Handong."

"Sha Ruijin will personally take action, strip that district head who's blocking my approval of my application of officialdom of his job, and kick him out of the bureaucracy!"

After he finished speaking, the office fell into a deathly silence.

Zhou Yuan was stunned, and his legs went weak.

He then fully realized that what the shredder had just shredded wasn't any dirty material at all.

That's clearly the kind of shady, old-fashioned logic of officialdom!

Fatty Liu collapsed to the ground, his shirt soaked through and clinging tightly to his back.

He raised the back of his hand and frantically wiped the water droplets rolling down his forehead.

Having spent half his life within the system, he was already used to the ways of wining and dining, giving gifts, and finding fault with people.

Now, seeing this bloodless, dimensional-reducing attack, he felt that he had completely wasted his life before.

He thought he was offering up a nuclear weapon.

Unexpectedly, in Master Yan's eyes, this broken USB drive wasn't even worth mentioning.

Yan Qingfeng ignored the trembling fat man on the ground.

He turned his head and looked at his reflection in the floor-to-ceiling window.

In the dim light, that sharply defined face appeared as arrogant as a demon god.

"Old Zhou, I've got it."

Yan Qingfeng put down his wine cup and tapped his knuckles heavily twice on the solid wood table.

"I don't know their secrets. I'm too lazy to find out who sleeps in whose bed at night and who's embezzled a few stinking bucks."

He raised his eyes, his gaze terrifyingly deep.

"I only control the oxygen they breathe."

"If they lose their oxygen, they'll die on their own without me having to lift a finger."

These few words are light and airy.

But it was like a leaden hammer, striking the air with a heavy thud.

It's so heavy that people can't even straighten their spines.

Zhou Yuan took a deep breath, his face showing an uncontrollable fervor.

Even if you end up being crushed to pieces following this kind of master, it's still like you've lived on a cloud!

"Master Yan... your methods are absolutely amazing! This is truly a divine intervention!"

After recovering, Fatty Liu stammered as he flattered him.

"Then, Mr. Yan, what about Warden Liu...?"

Zhou Yuan pointed to the fat man on the ground, who looked like a slump of mud.

They came all this way in the middle of the night to present their treasure, so they deserve some punishment.

Yan Qingfeng lowered his eyes and casually glanced at Fatty Liu.

That one glance almost scared Fatty Liu so much he peed his pants.

"What do you want?" Yan Qingfeng asked casually.

Fatty Liu quickly crawled two steps closer, banging his head against the ground repeatedly.

"Master Yan! That old dog Cheng Du wants to get medical parole, and I... I'm just here to run an errand for you!"

"I don't want anything! Just being able to work for Master Yan would be the greatest blessing my Liu family has ever had!"

That fat guy is quite the smooth operator.

Upon realizing the situation was unfavorable, they immediately distanced themselves from any selfish motives.

"You came up with that?" Yan Qingfeng scoffed.

"That old bone is doing just fine in there. Let him rot in jail, better off not coming out and making a fool of himself."

Fatty Liu nodded repeatedly, as if he had been granted a pardon.

"Got it! I'll lock him in a dark room when we get back and make him recite prison rules every day!"

"Get lost. Don't send this kind of trash to me again."

Yan Qingfeng waved his hand impatiently.

Fatty Liu quickly got up from the carpet.

He scrambled out of the office, slamming the door shut behind him.

The office was once again completely quiet.

Zhou Yuan stepped forward and refilled Yan Qingfeng's empty wine glass.

"Master Yan, since we're not going to do anything underhanded, shouldn't we give the people of Handong some tangible, real money?"

Yan Qingfeng took the wine glass, a sharp glint flashing in his eyes.

Intrigue and deception can never be openly discussed.

Only absolute strength brings true glory.

"Contact the largest newspapers in Handong, as well as the local television station."

Yan Qingfeng gave the order, his tone carrying an unquestionable domineering air.

"I'm going to buy all the front-page headlines tomorrow."

Zhou Yuan's eyes lit up.

"Are you planning to publicly hand out red envelopes to win over the people?"

Yan Qingfeng walked to the desk.

He casually flipped open a thick project proposal.

The cover prominently displays: Provincial Supercomputing Center and Livelihood Subsidy Plan.

"If we're going to leave Sha Ruijin as a commander without any troops, then we have to completely silence the people."

Yan Qingfeng closed the proposal, his smile growing even deeper.

Zhou Yuan touched his chin, somewhat hesitant.

"Buying the front page is no problem. But those writers always act so high and mighty. What if they're afraid to publish our press release?"

"You dare not?"

Yan Qingfeng turned his head, his cold gaze piercing Zhou Yuan.

"Then let them open their eyes and see whether official documents or my checks are more effective in Handong now."

He slammed his glass on the table with a soft "thump".

"Get ready. I want to see everyone change their tune before the sun rises tomorrow morning."

Zhou Yuan felt his blood boiling and immediately straightened his back.

"Understood! I'll take some men and smash up the door right now. I guarantee they won't even be able to correct a single typo!"