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

"I'll use the matrix from Daqingshan to fire ultra-high-frequency electromagnetic pulses at them, directly burning out the circuit boards of these satellites!"

Sun Liancheng's hoarse, manic roar, traveling along the encrypted frequency band of Yunxiao AI, instantly pierced through the ocean, spanning tens of thousands of kilometers.

A centuries-old castle deep in the Alps of Europe.

The heavy oak door was tightly shut, and the air was filled with the strong smell of Cuban cigar tobacco, mixed with the smoky aroma of burning pine in the fireplace.

The military-grade tactical screen on the wall, which occupied half of the wall, was flashing a blinding red light.

Above the map of Handong Province, a dense network of satellite counter-reconnaissance devices lit up.

Like a barbed wire mesh with no blind spots, it completely shredded the detection signals of the secretive European families.

Old Rothschild, seated at the head of the long table, had a face full of age spots.

He stared intently at the big screen, the old skin on his cheek twitching violently.

"Click."

With a muffled thud, the old man crushed the thick, custom-made cigar in his hand into two pieces.

The dried tobacco leaves instantly pierced the tender flesh of his well-maintained palm.

A few streaks of dark red blood seeped out, sticking to the spaces between his fingers, and smelling salty and fishy.

"A bunch of good-for-nothings! They can't even figure out the details of Handong!" The old man slammed tobacco dregs onto the carpet.

He had no idea that Sun Liancheng's defection was just a prelude.

A terrifying storm, draining the very marrow of the old system, is sweeping wildly across every corner of Handong Province.

Jingzhou Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Underground Variety Seedling Room.

In the basement, which never sees sunlight, large patches of plaster have peeled off the walls, emitting a sour, musty smell of fertilizer.

Academician Chen Jianguo was leaning over a broken table, carefully cutting open a withered yellow corncob with a rusty scalpel.

"Bang."

The iron gate was pushed open.

Lin Yubing, dressed in a tight black suit and wearing high heels, stepped across the puddle on the ground.

The toes of the shoes tapped on the floor tiles, producing a crisp, cold "tap-tap" sound.

Two security guards in black followed behind her, carrying two silver temperature-controlled incubators.

Lin Yubing didn't waste any words. Her lips, painted with bright red lipstick, opened and closed, her voice carrying a metallic coldness.

"Academician Chen, the city owes you two years' worth of research funding. I'll settle it for them."

With a flick of her finger, a dark gold electronic agreement slid into Chen Jianguo's hand.

"An annual salary of two million Lingxiao Points, and the position of Chief Expert of Lingxiao No. 3 Experimental Base are yours."

"Also, this box of things is for your spouse who suffers from uremia."

The security guards in black stepped forward and pressed the combination lock on the temperature-controlled box.

"Sizzle—"

Liquid nitrogen vapor billowed out, releasing a rich, fresh aroma of mutated fruits and vegetables that instantly overpowered the stench of fertilizer in the room.

It contained ten kilograms of premium-grade strawberries from Lingxiao, as well as a complete set of top-of-the-line dialysis and filtration equipment.

Chen Jianguo's hand trembled, and the rusty scalpel fell directly to the ground.

The blade struck the concrete floor, chipping a hole in it.

Two streams of bitter tears welled up in his cloudy old eyes.

His withered fingers gripped the agreement tightly, and without even looking at the clauses, he pressed his fingerprint directly.

"I'll sign! I'll go pack up the machine right away!"

The same scene is playing out wildly in every corner of Handong Province.

The chief engineer of the water resources bureau, who was stuck in the clerk position for fifteen years because he refused to give gifts.

He was demoted to a low-level criminal police captain in the traffic police team because he offended powerful figures.

These hard-working individuals who only know how to do the work but don't know how to choose sides have all become precise prey in Yunxiao AI Big Data Network.

They were bent over by life and trampled underfoot by their superiors.

Now, the Lingxiao Consortium is using legal violence to smash money and dignity right in their faces.

They don't talk about dedication or sentiment; they just shower you with real, specially supplied resources until you're completely devoted to them.

3 PM, Office No. 1 in the Provincial Party Committee compound.

This house, which once symbolized the highest power in Handong, is now as silent as a morgue.

The central air conditioning vents are tirelessly spewing out biting cold air.

This was forcibly taken over by Yunxiao AI, and the temperature was locked at an uncomfortable 16 degrees Celsius.

The air was filled with the smell of ozone from a heated photocopier, making it hard to breathe.

Sha Ruijin sat alone in the large leather swivel chair.

He was wearing a heavy military overcoat, but the chill still crept up his kneecaps and into the bone crevices.

The pain in my leg, caused by chronic arthritis, felt like countless rusty steel needles were pricking me.

He gasped in pain, his teeth chattering.

The government office computer screen in front of me was devoid of the usual official documents.

The entire OA system was filled with glaring red lights.

Each flashing red light is accompanied by a cold, mechanical system voice:

"Your resignation application has been automatically approved. Your personnel file has been cancelled."

"Thirty-seven key personnel from the Water Resources Bureau have resigned..."

"The entire staff of the Academy of Agricultural Sciences has been purged..."

"The Second Squadron of the Municipal Public Security Bureau's Criminal Investigation Division has been disbanded..."

As Sha Ruijin looked at the constantly flashing red characters, the acid in his stomach churned up.

A sour, bitter taste rushed down my esophagus and into my throat.

He covered his mouth, leaned forward violently, and his Adam's apple bobbed up and down with difficulty.

He gagged a few times, but only vomited a few mouthfuls of sour water, without even a trace of food.

He wanted to slam his fist on the table and yell at people, and he wanted to throw the phone down.

But his hand was suspended in mid-air, and he couldn't even muster the strength to smash it down.

The entire official apparatus of Handong has been reduced to a hollow radish.

The system completely crashed; even when a sewer got clogged, no one bothered to fix it.

As the provincial party secretary, he no longer even has the authority to turn on the lights in the meeting room.

The CEO's office on the top floor of the Lingxiao Building.

Here, the sweltering heat outside is gone, and the air is filled with a faint, luxurious fir fragrance.

Yan Qingfeng stood in front of the huge floor-to-ceiling window, looking down at the city below that was completely caught in the gears of conglomerates.

Countless drones crisscrossed the skyline, their green guide beams weaving through the post-rain mist.

He was holding a glass of whiskey that was only a third full.

Long, slender fingers gently swirled the crystal glass.

The hard ice cubes struck the glass, producing a crisp, cold "clinking" sound.

Yan Qingfeng tilted his head back and drank the strong liquor in his glass in one gulp.

The spicy liquid burned down my throat, like a raging fire igniting my internal organs.

He exhaled a breath of alcohol with a malty aroma, his eyes as cold as if he were looking at a nest of ants that had been trampled.

"I have drained the marrow from the old system."

Yan Qingfeng casually tossed the empty wine glass onto the Persian carpet behind him, making a dull thud.

Zhou Yuan stood behind him, a half-smoked, cheap cigarette dangling from his mouth.

Rough, large hands were fiddling with a dark gray tactical dagger.

"Master Yan, those old geezers down there aren't even uttering a fart now. What do we do next?"

Yan Qingfeng turned around, walked to the control panel, and pressed a red physical button with his slender fingers.

"Handong's body is now mine, but his mind is too old."

His gaze was fixed on the dilapidated old town of the Bright District on the holographic projection, his voice devoid of any warmth.

"Zhou Yuan, take your engineering mech squadron and raze the old city of Guangming District to the ground."

"It's time to reshape the mindset of this city."