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

The dawn tore through the thick clouds over Handong City.

A Gulfstream private jet, its fuselage painted with the dark gold "Lingxiao" logo, took off from Hantong International Airport with a deafening roar.

The plane pierced through the thin fog and flew straight to the capital.

Edge of the airport runway.

With his hands in his suit trouser pockets, Zhou Yuan looked up as the plane became a black dot on the horizon, a smug arrogance creeping onto his lips.

He turned his head and looked at Su Jianxin, who was dressed in a suit and tie, beside him.

"Old Su, Master Yan went to the capital to set rules for those immortals."

Zhou Yuan grinned, revealing a set of white teeth, his eyes gleaming with bloodthirsty excitement. "It's time we cleaned up all the foreign trash in the Handong area."

Su Jianxin slowly pushed up his gold-rimmed glasses.

This seemingly refined scoundrel, who had just wiped out $200 billion in the financial markets, was now grinning like a butcher ready to close the net.

"The net has been tightened long ago." Su Jianxin straightened his cuffs. "Go collect the debts. Don't keep our old friends on Wall Street waiting."

At the same time, in the core area of ​​Jingzhou CBD, at the Handong branch of the William Group.

Inside this 120-story skyscraper, a symbol of foreign hegemony, a chaotic apocalyptic carnival is currently unfolding.

"Sell off! Put all the land, office buildings, and logistics parks under my name up for sale!"

Branch President Smith stood behind a large mahogany desk, roaring like a wild dog whose tail had been stepped on.

His expensive Savile Row bespoke suit was already soaked with sweat, and his tie was pulled crooked.

Just minutes earlier, the devastating news of the Wall Street headquarters' margin call crossed the Pacific Ocean, shattering his dreams.

George Williams' multi-billion dollar myth has been shattered, and the headquarters now desperately needs cash to stay afloat.

"President, there's simply no one willing to take over!"

The CFO stared at the computer screen, his eyes practically bulging out of their sockets, his hands trembling uncontrollably on the keyboard.

"Local businesses in Handong seem to have tacitly agreed beforehand; they've all fallen silent. Our listed assets haven't even attracted a single inquiry!"

Smith slammed his hand on the table, causing the coffee cup to tip over and the dark brown liquid to drip down the edge of the table.

"Then lower the price! Offer a 50% discount! As long as we can cash out, we'll immediately wire the money back to New York!"

His eyes were bloodshot, and his features were distorted. "Quick! Headquarters won't be able to hold out for tonight's purge!"

The CFO scrambled to find a new computer and logged into the online banking system.

The next second, his face turned ashen, and he slumped into the swivel chair.

"It can't be transferred out."

The CFO's teeth were chattering, and his voice trembled as if he had been soaked in ice water.

"Our corporate account has been unilaterally locked by 'Lingxiao Financial Network.' All fund transfer channels are now blocked!"

"Fuck! This is robbery! It's a violation of international financial law!"

Smith was so angry that he kicked over the leather swivel chair next to him and started cursing.

"Bang--!"

Before he could finish cursing, the two heavy, soundproof doors to the CEO's office were violently kicked open from the outside.

The huge door slammed heavily against the wall, sending wood chips flying everywhere.

Zhou Yuan swaggered across the threshold.

Behind him were more than a dozen burly men wearing sunglasses and black suits, as well as several legal personnel carrying briefcases.

"Hey, Mr. Smith, what are you doing, tearing the house down so early in the morning?"

Zhou Yuan casually pulled over a chair, sat down with an air of grandeur, and propped his legs up on the expensive mahogany desk.

Smith's pupils contracted sharply, and he instinctively took half a step back.

"Zhou Yuan! You've trespassed! I'm going to sue you for illegal entry!"

He pointed at Zhou Yuan's nose, shouting with a show of bravado but a hollow heart, while his legs trembled secretly inside his suit trousers.

"Sue me?"

Zhou Yuan scoffed and turned his head to wave to the legal representative behind him.

A thick legal document, hundreds of pages long, was slammed onto the table in front of Smith with a loud "thud."

"Mr. Smith, our Lingxiao has always been the most disciplined."

Su Jianxin slowly walked out from the back of the crowd, a signature professional fake smile on his lips.

"This is the incidental penalty bill triggered after your failed short-selling of Lingxiao last night. It's not much, only about 50 billion."

Smith stared at the document, his eyes nearly popping out of their sockets.

"Five hundred billion? This is extortion! When did we ever sign such a betting agreement!"

"Don't rush." ​​Su Jianxin reached out and flipped to the last page of the document, pointing to the electronic signature on it.

"Last month, in order to short us, you borrowed a large amount of bridge financing from Lingxiao."

"The additional terms on the back of the contract are clearly stated. If you default and your assets are liquidated, all assets of the Handong branch will be transferred to the Lingxiao Consortium as collateral without compensation."

Smith was struck dumb, frozen in place.

That's the "malicious debt collection" clause most commonly used on Wall Street!

They used these thuggish methods to swallow up countless domestic businesses in the past.

Unexpectedly, today, this noose is now wrapped around my neck intact!

"This is fraud! It's a black contract that's not protected by law!"

Smith, as if grasping at a last straw, lunged at the landline on the table.

"I'm calling the police! I'm looking for officials in Handong! You're damaging the investment environment!"

His fingers trembled as he quickly dialed the number of Zhao Donglai, the director of the Jingzhou Public Security Bureau.

"Beep—beep—"

The phone is on.

Smith clung to the microphone like a drowning man grasping at a piece of driftwood.

"Director Zhao! This is Smith from the William Group! The Lingxiao Group is robbing foreign assets, please dispatch officers immediately..."

"Beep beep beep—"

Before I could finish speaking, the other end hung up, leaving only a cold, silent tone.

Smith was stunned.

Unconvinced, he dialed the internal line to Li Dakang's office in the provincial party committee compound.

This time, a secretary answered the phone.

"Secretary Li is in a meeting. Regarding disputes concerning the withdrawal of foreign capital, the province will not interfere. Please resolve them through your own negotiations."

Clean and efficient, I hung up again.

The huge office was deathly silent.

Only the cold air blowing from the central air conditioning system made a faint whistling sound.

Zhou Yuan shifted into a more comfortable position, leaning back in his chair, and looked at Smith's face, which looked worse than if he were crying.

He pulled out a toothpick, put it in his mouth, and grinned like a complete thug.

"Go ahead and call. Let's see who dares to answer your call in this small corner of Handong."

Zhou Yuan slowly stood up and walked step by step to Smith.

The murderous aura honed through years of hard work and bloodshed made it almost impossible for Smith to breathe.

"To tell you the truth, it happened just half an hour ago."

Zhou Yuan leaned close to his ear, lowered his voice, and spoke slowly and deliberately.

"Master Yan has issued the highest blockade order for Handong. Your William Consortium won't be able to take even a single steel bar out of this province."

Smith's psychological defenses completely collapsed.

His legs buckled, and he knelt down on the expensive Persian carpet with a thud.

The Wall Street elite who used to be high and mighty, treating domestic companies like lambs to the slaughter, is now crying like a child who has lost a lollipop.

"I'll sign... I'll sign..."

Smith trembled as he grabbed the Montblanc pen from the table.

Snot and tears mixed together and dripped all over the asset gratuitous mortgage agreement.

With a few quick strokes, he signed his name and affixed the branch's official seal.

Overnight.

The William Group's business empire, painstakingly built up over decades in Handong, was uprooted and vanished without a trace.

Zhou Yuan took the signed agreement and flicked the paper with satisfaction.

He handed the documents to the legal representative behind him, then turned to look at Su Jianxin and raised an eyebrow.

"Old Su, we've completely stripped away the shell of this foreign-owned branch."

Zhou Yuan spat the toothpick from his mouth into the trash can, his eyes suddenly turning sinister.

"However, that foreign devil who orchestrated this air battle behind the scenes, George William, is currently trembling in a hotel in Jingzhou. What should we do with this dog, as per Master Yan's instructions?"