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

The news that Ma Tengyun knelt on one knee in a courtyard house in Beijing could no longer be kept secret.

The circle of top business leaders is only so big, and this kind of nuclear-level intelligence spread throughout the south in less than two hours.

118th floor of Ping An Finance Center, Shennan City.

Outside the floor-to-ceiling windows, a tropical storm whipped up torrential rain, violently pounding against the tempered glass.

An unprecedented emergency video conference is being held in this building, which symbolizes the pinnacle of wealth in the South.

At the oval conference table sat only Chen Wanshan, chairman of Shenzhen Nanshan Technology Group.

But on the dozen or so giant screens in front of him, there were faces that could shake the national economy.

The hardware giants of the Pearl River Delta, the capital behemoths of the coast, and the manufacturing giants of the Jiangsu and Zhejiang regions are all here.

"Old Chen, is the news accurate? Did Ma Tengyun really hand over 30% of the shares?"

On the screen, Chairman Wang of South China Capital, with a cigar between his fingers, twitched the fat on his face.

"Is he senile?! A business worth hundreds of billions, given to some nouveau riche from Handong as a pledge of allegiance?"

"Not only shares, but even the underlying user data has been unconditionally integrated into the network."

Chen Wanshan leaned back in his leather chair and rubbed his throbbing temples.

"Our insider in Hangzhou saw it firsthand: Ma Tengyun stood in the autumn rain for two hours before Master Yan finally granted him a meeting."

The conference channel instantly erupted in chaos.

"Outrageous! This is a disgrace to the internet!"

"Ma Tengyun may be shameless, but our Southern Chamber of Commerce still has a reputation!"

These coastal financial giants usually have their eyes on the top of their heads.

In their view, inland provinces are the rear base that provides them with cheap labor.

As for Yan Qingfeng, he was nothing more than a local bully who swaggered around by taking down a few down-on-their-luck politicians.

"What's all the noise about! What time is it? Still acting like the big brother of the coastal areas?"

On the second screen, Mr. Liu, the head of the largest hardware OEM giant in the Pearl River Delta, slammed his hand on the table.

His hair was a mess, like a bird's nest, and his eyes were bloodshot from lack of sleep.

"You're still worried about Ma Tengyun's reputation? Look at your own necks first—aren't there already nooses around them?"

Mr. Liu's fingers flew across the keyboard.

A top-secret technical analysis video was suddenly thrust into the center of everyone's screen.

That's a screenshot from the test of the "Holographic VR Shopping System" that Lingxiao Group just launched today.

"Open your eyes wide and look carefully!"

Mr. Liu's voice was hoarse, revealing an almost manic despair.

"No external helmet is needed, and complex sensors are not required."

"They only implanted a microchip in the phone, and it was able to generate a 1:1 3D projection in the living room!"

On the screen.

A tester reaches out and touches a virtual garment in mid-air.

The fingertips actually developed real indentations due to low-frequency brainwave stimulation.

The cigar in Mr. Wang's mouth fell onto his lap with a "plop".

He didn't even notice when his expensive suit trousers got a hole burned in them.

"How...how did they do that? Is it magic?"

"Magic my foot! This is a revolutionary, dimensional-reducing attack!"

Mr. Liu clutched his hair with both hands, twisting it into a painful knot.

"Our technical department received the code and analyzed it for a full eight hours."

"The conclusion is that the Lingxiao Consortium's underlying algorithms and chip manufacturing processes are a full twenty years ahead of ours!"

The channel was deathly silent.

Only the faint rumble of thunder outside the window traveled through the microphone into everyone's ears.

What does it mean to be 20 years ahead?

That is, while they were still fighting tooth and nail over mobile phone screen refresh rates.

Yan Qingfeng had already blasted their online e-commerce platform to smithereens in his interstellar warship.

"So what if your skills are amazing?"

An old industrialist from the coast was unconvinced and stubbornly shouted.

"Business is all about capital chains and distribution channels! Our Southern Chamber of Commerce has trillions of yuan in cash flow; we could crush them even if we tried!"

"Smash? Smash with what?"

Chen Wanshan gave a wry smile and threw a newly compiled data report on the table.

"Three hours ago, Yunxiao Holographic Mall opened its nationwide merchant onboarding channel."

"The first 10,000 people will get a year's worth of commission waived. Guess how long it will take for those spots to fill up?"

No one responded; they all stared at him expectantly.

"Three seconds."

Chen Wanshan held up three fingers, his knuckles trembling slightly.

"Most of the southern OEM factories that you are so proud of are now buying their registration slots from scalpers."

"All customers are in the Yunxiao system. If merchants don't go with them, are they just going to leave their goods in the warehouse to mold?"

He stood up, walked to the floor-to-ceiling window, and looked down at the bustling southern metropolis below.

"Yan Qingfeng is not a local bully at all."

"He has the most cutting-edge technology and has seized control of the lifeline of sales across the country."

"Anyone who dares to disobey can have their accounts banned by Yunxiao's backend, and all your revenue will instantly become a pile of bad debts!"

The industrialist opened his mouth, but couldn't utter a single word.

A suffocating sense of panic permeated the entire video conference room.

They used to think that as long as they had enough money, they could control the rules.

But Yan Qingfeng doesn't play with money.

He directly reshaped the rules, turning everyone into his employees.

"Are we just going to stand by and watch him put his hand in our rice bowls?"

Mr. Wang's hands trembled as he lit another cigar, but he couldn't inhale any of it.

"This guy surnamed Yan has too big an appetite; he'll choke to death sooner or later!"

"Too full? They're watching a play in a courtyard house in Beijing right now."

Chen Wanshan turned around and looked at the bloodless faces on the screen.

"Ma Tengyun pledged his loyalty and saved half his life."

"If we keep putting on airs, once the holographic system is fully deployed, we won't even have the chance to kneel down and be treated like dogs."

This emergency meeting, the highest-level meeting of the Southern Chamber of Commerce, lasted all night.

Countless solutions were proposed, only to be ruthlessly overturned.

Engage in a price war? Their system will simply block you.

To impose a technology blockade? That would be an even bigger international joke.

The final conclusion sent chills down everyone's spine.

Unstoppable.

These four words, like an insurmountable mountain, weighed heavily on the hearts of all the capital giants in the south.

The sky began to lighten with the first light of dawn, and the downpour gradually subsided.

Chen Wanshan ended the video conference.

Dozens of screens went out instantly, except for the main screen in the center, which remained lit.

Above is a constantly changing holographic user heat map of the entire country.

The dark golden light representing the Cloud System is frantically devouring the southern territory like a virus, centered on Handong.

Chen Wanshan walked to the liquor cabinet and poured half a glass of whiskey.

He held his wine glass, staring at the glaring Lingxiao logo, his eyes filled with dejection.

"Bang!"

With a flick of his wrist, the expensive crystal goblet was smashed against the wall.

Glass shards flew everywhere, and the wine slowly dripped down the wallpaper.

"That ferocious beast in Handong, who eats people without spitting out the bones... has finally been released from its cage."

Chen Wanshan looked up at the sky and sighed, his temples seemingly turning more than half white overnight.

He slumped onto the sofa, muttering to himself.

"The business world is about to change hands."

The office door was suddenly pushed open hastily by the secretary.

"Chairman Chen! Rumors have just come from Beijing!"

The secretary was deathly pale, clutching an urgent fax in her hand.

"I heard that those bigwigs from the Red Army in Beijing are hosting a banquet at Diaoyutai State Guesthouse tonight, specifically asking to find out about Master Yan's background!"

Chen Wanshan suddenly raised his head, his eyes fixed on his secretary.

"Holding a banquet to test their mettle? Those high-ranking officials probably still think they're the ones in control."

He gave a bitter laugh, waved his hand weakly, and grabbed the car keys on the table.

"Get the car ready, we're flying to Beijing immediately. Before those people anger Master Yan, I need to get a number at the courtyard house entrance before dark."