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

The wet wipe, stained with ink, fell into the smart trash can with a hollow "thud".

The sound seemed to travel along the signal tower all the way to Handong International Airport, hundreds of kilometers away.

A private jet with a Beijing license plate slammed its wheels onto the scorching asphalt runway.

"Sizzle—"

The screeching sound of tires tore through the sweltering air of the airport.

A strong, pungent smell of burning rubber forced its way in through the cracks in the cabin door.

The newly appointed head of Handong, Zhao Gang, stood at the cabin door, wearing a perfectly wrinkle-free bespoke suit.

The hatch had just slid open.

A sweltering heatwave of 35 degrees Celsius, mixed with the pungent smell of aviation kerosene, swept over us.

His stomach churned; the food he had eaten in the capital the night before turned into acid, rising straight to his throat.

Zhao Gang's Adam's apple bobbed twice with difficulty as he forced down the bitter bile.

Before his departure, the highest levels of the central government summoned him to the inner palace, but gave him neither soldiers nor money.

He was given only a seemingly casual yet incredibly weighty command:

"Once you get to Handong, don't touch anything. Just be blind and make sure you can come back alive."

Zhao Gang took a deep breath and walked down the gangway.

The muscles in my groin were taut like a fully drawn bowstring, and with every step I took, my knees tingled and felt numb.

Cold sweat seeped from his thinning temples, sticking stickily to his skin.

Outside the tarmac, two vehicles were parked in a clear distinction.

On the left is an older black Audi sent by the Provincial Party Committee Office to pick them up at the airport.

The car paint was peeling, and even the air conditioner exhaust fan made a dry, throbbing sound like a tractor.

On the right is a sleek, silver-white, and imposing Lingxiao driverless maglev car.

Old Li, the provincial party committee's reception secretary, ran over, sweating profusely.

Old Li's white shirt was soaked with sweat, and the collar was covered with a layer of white salt frost.

He reeked of fermented, sour sweat from the previous night, making people feel nauseous.

"Secretary Zhao! We've been waiting for you!"

Old Li's voice trembled as he reached out his dust-covered hand to take Zhao Gang's briefcase.

"The municipal party committee compound has been cleaned up. I'll take you there now..."

When Zhao Gang heard the words "Municipal Party Committee Compound," his eyelids twitched violently.

Go to that godforsaken place?

For five years, Sha Ruijin ate leftover rice from the Lingxiao Consortium in that overgrown yard.

Who in Beijing's social circles doesn't know about this mess?

Now, when you go to take up a post in the city, even the traffic lights at a crossroads are not under the government's jurisdiction.

That's not called taking office, that's called queuing up at the crematorium to get a number.

Zhao Gang pushed away Lao Li's outstretched hand.

The force was too great, and Old Li staggered back two steps.

My worn-out leather shoes slipped on the scorching asphalt and I almost fell flat on my face.

"Secretary Zhao, what's wrong with you...?" Old Li was stunned, looking at him with a deathly pale face.

"What about the road outside the airport?" Zhao Gang tugged at the silk tie that was tightening around his neck.

My carotid artery was throbbing, and my brain felt foggy from the scorching sun.

Old Li wiped the mud and sweat from his face, his voice filled with a desperate sob.

"The airport expressway... has been physically blocked by the Lingxiao Consortium's heavy mechs."

"They said they need to inspect the road, and our beat-up cars can't get out at all!"

Upon hearing this, Zhao Gang felt another violent spasm and tightening in his stomach.

Yan Qingfeng has stopped pretending altogether.

They simply blocked the road, waiting for this new bird from the capital to choose his own cage.

If he hadn't ridden in Ling Xiao's car, he wouldn't have been able to even get out of the airport's barbed wire fence today.

Zhao Gang gritted his teeth, making a soft, grinding sound as they rubbed together.

He didn't even glance at the beat-up Audi, and walked straight toward the maglev car that gleamed with a cold, metallic sheen.

The car door opens automatically via sensor.

An aggressive, icy white vapor billowed out, carrying a faint scent of fir.

Zhao Gang scrambled into the back seat, the biting cold air making him shiver and his hair stand on end.

"Secretary Zhao! That's not our car! You can't get in!"

Old Li was frantically banging on the car window from outside.

The palm struck the bulletproof glass, producing a dull "bang" sound.

Zhao Gang ignored him.

Cold sweat trickled down his spine, soaking the legs of his expensive trousers.

The fabric clung tightly to my cold skin, making me feel incredibly uncomfortable.

He gripped the edge of the leather seat with all ten fingers, his fingernails turning a bloodless, pale white.

"Welcome aboard Lingxiao's exclusive vehicle. Please confirm your destination."

The sweet but emotionless mechanical voice of Yunxiao AI suddenly rang out in the closed carriage.

Zhao Gang's Adam's apple bobbed again as he forcefully suppressed the spasmodic pain in his stomach.

He swallowed hard, his voice hoarse, as if he were forcing the words out from between his bones.

"We're not going to the city."

"Go straight to Daqingshan, to Lingxiao Manor. I'm going to pay my respects."

A low-frequency electromagnetic hum emanated from the bottom of the maglev car.

The car body rose silently.

The excellent soundproofing of the carriage completely blocked out Old Li's desperate pounding sounds from the old era.

The car smoothly entered the main road, so fast that you couldn't even feel the push-back sensation.

Zhao Gang turned to look out the window.

The enormous holographic neon GG sign blotted out the sky, its blinding blue light making his eyes ache.

The steel megastructure, hundreds of meters high, is like a series of steel nails firmly nailed to the land of Handong.

The sky was filled with heavily armed security drones flashing red and blue warning lights.

Like steel locusts, they patrolled the cyber empire without leaving any blind spots.

There are no official laws here.

All that remains are the cold, hard points system and the aloof and unapproachable Lord Yan.

Zhao Gang closed his eyes; his back was completely soaked with cold sweat.

The leather seat was stained with a dark water stain from sweat.

He knew better than anyone that he wasn't there to become a powerful regional official.

Instead, they came to this lawless place to sign a waiver of their right to life or death.

Just then, the maglev car suddenly slowed down without warning.

"Sizzle—"

The in-vehicle holographic screen emitted a soft electrical sound and lit up instantly.

Zhou Yuan's face, with a cigarette dangling from his lips and a face full of fierce features, popped out.

The screen was filled with a strong smell of cheap tobacco, which seemed to penetrate the screen and choke Zhao Gang.

Zhou Yuan exhaled a puff of smoke, grinning to reveal his gleaming white teeth.

"Secretary Zhao is a smart man. He knows which temple a new official should visit first in Handong."

Zhao Gang froze, his fingers digging deep wrinkles into the leather seat.

He was about to force a smile and exchange a few polite words.

Zhou Yuan flicked the ash from his cigarette with his finger, then pointed at the screen with the cigarette between his fingers.

"However, the threshold for Daqingshan is a bit high. Master Yan complained that the official vehicles were muddy and had dirtied the manor's grounds."

Zhou Yuan's voice was rough like sandpaper grinding iron, revealing a cruelty as if he were looking at a dead dog.

"Your car can only be parked at the foot of the mountain. Secretary Zhao, how do you plan to get up the remaining ten kilometers of winding mountain road?"