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

That grating, screeching sound was like a rusty saw blade tearing away the fig leaf of the old era.

Supported by his secretary, Lao Wang, Sha Ruijin stepped out of the overgrown provincial party committee compound.

It was midday outside, and the blazing sun was blindingly white.

The newly paved intelligent constant-temperature road network in Handong Province is in operation, with the asphalt surface churning with twisting heat waves.

The heatwave instantly brought out the musty smell from Sha Ruijin's old suit, which had been sitting for a night, mixed with the sour smell of sweat from his undershirt.

A nauseating, rancid odor assaulted my nostrils.

Several low-level employees of the Lingxiao Consortium who were passing by covered their noses in disgust and quickly moved away.

Sha Ruijin's thigh muscles twitched and spasmed intermittently.

With each step, his kneecaps felt like they were being chiseled with an awl, the pain making his teeth chatter.

Half an hour later, the two stood in front of the towering Lingxiao Building plaza.

The massive glass curtain wall reflected a blinding halo of light, creating a sense of oppression that made it hard to breathe.

Sha Ruijingang walked to the spacious automatic sensor gate.

"Beep—Warning: Unregistered individuals with no points are prohibited from passing!"

The alloy security gate popped out instantly, its red warning lights flashing wildly and emitting a piercing high-frequency beeping sound.

"What are you doing? Go beggars to the shelter in the third block!"

A young woman in a sharp business suit walked out from behind the front desk in high heels.

She wore exquisite lipstick and held a glass of mutated freshly squeezed juice with ice in her hand.

The little girl fanned her nose with her hand in disgust, looking at them with the same disdain she would give two stray dogs.

"Our building's access control system only recognizes Yunxiao AI's identity chip."

"Comrade, I am Sha Ruijin from the Provincial Party Committee. I have something urgent to discuss with your General Manager Yan..."

Sha Ruijin's Adam's apple bobbed dryly twice as he forced a smile that looked more like a grimace.

His parched lips had long been cracked, and speaking caused the skin to ache, with dark red blood seeping out.

The little girl rolled her eyes and took a sip of juice.

The ice cubes made a "crunch" sound in the glass.

"What's this about Sha Ruijin and Tu Ruijin?"

"A nobody who doesn't even recognize the authorities dares to say he wants to see Master Yan? Get lost, and don't dirty our freshly waxed floor!"

Sha Ruijin was forcibly pushed back to the square by several bionic security robots.

They were exposed to the scorching sun at a temperature of 35 degrees Celsius without any shade.

Overhead, three patrol drones hovered like greenbottle flies.

Scarlet infrared rays swept from his head to his feet repeatedly.

The clicking sound of the scanner, like taking measurements of a death row inmate, exudes a cold, mechanical feel.

Two hours.

Sha Ruijin was severely dehydrated from the sun, and his vision blurred intermittently.

The stomach wall burned with pain from the emptiness, and sour, bitter fluid kept pushing up into the esophagus.

He clutched his stomach, swaying as he looked about to collapse onto the scorching hot marble floor.

"Bang!"

The side door of Lingxiao Building was kicked open.

Shen Pojun, standing two meters tall, strode out, reeking of engine oil and gunpowder.

The soles of the military boots slammed heavily onto the floor tiles, producing a dull thud.

He shoved Old Wang, who was blocking his way, aside with his large, fan-like hand, as if grabbing a chick.

He grabbed Sha Ruijin by the back of his neck and lifted him up by the feet.

"Well!"

Sha Ruijin's neck tightened suddenly, the tattered collar of his suit tightly constricting his trachea.

His two thin legs kicked weakly in mid-air, and a bellows-like sound came from his throat.

"Master Yan is in a good mood today. You're lucky to be alive, old man."

Shen Pojun's rough voice was like sandpaper grinding iron.

He carried Sha Ruijin, whose eyes were practically rolling back in his head, and strode across the turnstile into the private elevator that led directly to the top floor.

The feeling of weightlessness as the elevator rapidly ascended made Sha Ruijin's stomach churn violently.

"vomit--"

He gagged and spat out a mouthful of sour, yellowish liquid, which dripped all over his collar.

A sour, foul smell permeated the cramped elevator car.

"bite."

We've reached the 33rd floor.

As soon as the elevator doors opened, a blast of bone-chilling cold air mixed with the scent of high-end fir floss instantly hit you.

The central air conditioning tirelessly spewed out white mist, keeping the temperature locked at sixteen degrees Celsius.

Sha Ruijin was already soaked in cold sweat.

Stimulated by the icy airflow, the chill seeped directly into my bones through my pores.

He was shivering violently, and a layer of goosebumps rose on his skin.

Shen Pojun casually tossed it aside, and with a "thud," Sha Ruijin fell heavily onto the expensive Persian carpet.

His kneecap slammed against the hard floor, causing him to gasp in pain.

In the spacious CEO's office, the only sound was the low-frequency hum of the equipment running.

Yan Qingfeng, wearing a perfectly wrinkle-free black shirt, was standing in the center of the office.

A huge holographic map that occupied half the room floated in front of him.

A beam of pale blue light outlined the contours of the European waters, where countless red anchor points were moving rapidly.

Those were the real-time coordinates of the EMP fleet led by Lu Yuan.

Yan Qingfeng held a half-glass of whiskey in his hand, with an ice ball slowly swirling in the amber-colored liquid.

He didn't even lift his eyelids, as if the person lying on the ground was just a pile of musty garbage.

"Mr. Yan... Mr. Yan..."

Sha Ruijin's legs went weak, and he couldn't stand up at all.

He simply used both hands and feet, crawling forward two steps like an old dog, and knelt down in front of the leather sofa.

He reached his hand into his suit pocket with trembling hands.

He pulled out those crumpled pages of letter paper, stained with bile.

Ten withered fingers trembled violently, the edges of their nails turning a bloodless, pale white.

The paper rubbed violently between the fingertips, making a dry, hissing sound.

"President Yan, my five-year term... is over. The capital requires me to submit a performance report..."

Sha Ruijin's voice was hoarse and cracked, revealing a sense of utter humiliation as if his spine had been completely shattered.

He held the blank exam paper, which had not been written at all, high above his head with both hands.

"Handong's current political achievements are all thanks to your Lingxiao Consortium."

"I, Old Sha, am just a good-for-nothing who eats a lot of rice; how could I dare to claim credit for something that doesn't belong to me!"

Sha Ruijin's eyes were so red they looked like they were about to bleed, and tears mixed with the dust on his face streamed down his cheeks.

Salty tears streamed into my chapped lips, stinging painfully.

He pounded his head on the carpet, his voice filled with a mournful sob.

"I ask for nothing else, I only ask President Yan for a favor."

"Just stamp this report with your foundation's seal, or even just sign it."

"At least leave me a way out, so I can crawl back to the capital smoothly and report back!"

Yan Qingfeng still did not accept the report.

He didn't even glance at Sha Ruijin, who was kneeling on the ground.

The enormous holographic map emitted a regular "tick-tock" sound, and a cold blue light shone on Yan Qingfeng's face, which was devoid of any human warmth.

A deathly silence, like an invisible iron hand.

He gripped Sha Ruijin's neck tightly, slowly sucking away the surrounding air.

Sha Ruijin's Adam's apple bobbed wildly, and his breathing became increasingly rapid.

Fear and despair, transformed into a tangible chill, coursed through my blood.

Large beads of cold sweat slid down his wrinkled forehead.

"Clatter."

The beads of sweat slammed heavily onto the thick Persian carpet, making a faint thud.

In the empty, cold office, the muffled sound seemed amplified countless times, making Sha Ruijin's heart almost stop beating.

His arms were sore, numb, and swollen from being held up, but he dared not put them down at all; the muscles in his fingers had begun to cramp and spasm.

Just when Sha Ruijin thought he would suffocate from this oppressive feeling.

"Ding-dong."

Yan Qingfeng tilted the crystal glass in his hand slightly, and the ice cubes struck the glass, making a crisp, cold sound.

Yan Qingfeng finally turned his head, his dark, deep eyes sweeping over him condescendingly.

He looked at the crumpled letter and a cold, mocking smile curled at the corner of his mouth.

"You want me to stamp and endorse the official performance report?"

Yan Qingfeng's voice was flat, yet it carried an arrogance that seemed to transcend all rules.

He leaned down, his intensely imposing gaze fixed on Sha Ruijin's sweat-drenched forehead.

"Secretary Sha, I won't stop you from going back to Beijing to retire. But why should I give you that option?"