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

On the top floor of the Jingzhou Municipal Party Committee building, the light from an office pierced the night.

Li Dakang loosened the red tie around his neck and paced around the desk like a donkey pulling a millstone.

"Get the tax, business registration, and fire departments up! Sleeping? What are you sleeping for!"

He glared at his bloodshot eyes and pointed at his secretary, Xiao Jin, who was on the phone, and started cursing.

Xiao Jin was startled and quickly covered the microphone, nodding and bowing.

"Secretary Li, don't worry, the heads of all departments are on their way to the bureau, and the emergency response plan will be ready soon."

Li Dakang snorted coldly, walked to the floor-to-ceiling window, and looked at the dazzling night view of Jingzhou outside.

"Yan Qingfeng, you think money can buy you everything in Handong? Tomorrow, when the sun rises, I'll show you who's in charge!"

At the same time, on the winding mountain road on the outskirts of Jingzhou.

A convoy of twelve black Mercedes-Benz G-Class cars escorted a Maybach with consecutive black license plates in the middle as it slowly drove into Lingxiao Manor.

Two massive, ornate brass doors slid open to the sides, and hundreds of bodyguards in black stood ramrod straight on either side of the driveway.

The Maybach came to a smooth stop in front of the white marble steps, and the butler, Afu, quickly stepped forward and opened the car door.

Yan Qingfeng stepped out of the car, the night wind blowing the hem of his suit jacket, his posture as upright as a pine tree.

In the manor's main hall, the marble floor reflected the dazzling crystal chandeliers, and several original works by renowned artists worth tens of millions of dollars hung on the walls.

Every brick and tile here silently exudes a suffocating sense of oppressive wealth.

Yan Qingfeng didn't linger and went straight to the encrypted study on the second floor.

"Young Master, all eight managers are already online waiting for you." Afu pushed open the heavy, soundproof oak door.

In the center of the study, a huge holographic projection table was flashing a deep blue light.

Yan Qingfeng walked to the large rosewood desk and sat down, casually unbuttoning his suit jacket.

The projection screen lit up, and eight people, including Mr. Zhang from Fuhai Technology and Chairman Wang from Feixun Group, appeared on the screen.

These business tycoons, who were pretending to be poor in the municipal party committee meeting room just half an hour ago, now all looked solemn and stood up straight.

"President Yan, the legal and financial departments of all the companies are in place," President Zhang reported first, his voice tinged with suppressed excitement.

"All penalties for breach of contract have been calculated, and the funds can be transferred to the Jingzhou Finance Account at any time."

Chairman Wang also leaned closer to the camera: "The N+3 compensation for departing employees has been fully prepared, and there will be absolutely no way to leave any handle for labor disputes."

Yan Qingfeng picked up a cup of pre-Qingming Longjing tea from the table and gently skimmed off the floating tea leaves.

"Hurry up, we have to go all out." He blew a breath, and the water surface rippled.

"Since Secretary Li thinks we've gotten a good deal in Handong, then we won't take this prime location."

Yan Qingfeng raised his eyelids, his deep gaze piercing through the screen, as if it could be fixed on everyone's face.

"Three hours to go, at midnight, a joint statement will be released across the entire internet."

His tone was nonchalant, as if he were casually deciding what to have for breakfast the next morning.

But the eight tycoons present all knew that the weight of those words was enough to crush the economic backbone of the entire Handong Province.

"Understood!" The eight voices answered in unison, without the slightest hesitation.

Time passed by, and although Jingzhou appeared calm on the surface under the cover of night, undercurrents were surging beneath.

The clock struck midnight, its dull toll echoing through the antique clock at Lingxiao Manor.

At the same moment, a super tsunami triggered by capital swept across the entire country via the invisible network.

The official websites of eight companies with assets exceeding 100 billion yuan, including Fuhai Technology, Feixun Group, and Nanhu Heavy Industry, were simultaneously transformed into a jarring black and white color scheme.

A joint statement bearing the bright red seals of eight companies was placed at the top of the headlines in all media outlets.

The title is simple and direct, yet it has a strong visual impact.

Joint Announcement Regarding the Relocation of Eight Corporate Headquarters from Handong Province and the Complete Suspension of Investment in Hanzhong.

The main text uses rigorous business terminology to subvert legal and compliant practices.

"Due to the recent major changes in the business environment in Handong Province, in order to effectively protect the legitimate rights and interests of investors."

"Following a joint resolution by the boards of directors of eight companies, effective immediately, the headquarters will be gradually withdrawn from the jurisdiction of Handong Province."

"All construction projects and infrastructure cooperation agreements in Wuhan are hereby suspended indefinitely, effective immediately, in accordance with Article 4 of the contract."

"The total amount of related penalties, amounting to 47 billion yuan, was transferred to the Jingzhou Municipal Finance Account at midnight today."

The announcement also included clear screenshots of the transfer receipts and tax settlement certificates.

It was clean and transparent, leaving no room for the authorities to make a fuss.

The announcement caused major social media platforms to crash for three minutes.

These eight companies dominated the top ten trending topics, with their entries followed by a glaring dark red "hot" label.

"Holy crap! A nuclear bomb dropped in the middle of the night? Eight major companies with assets exceeding 100 billion yuan collectively fleeing?"

"What changes in the business environment could have forced these powerful figures to leave? What outrageous thing has the Handong Provincial Party Committee done?"

"Hey upstairs, I heard that the Guangming Peak project in Jingzhou is forcing people to make contributions; they're basically just throwing the table and refusing to play anymore!"

"It's all over! With these companies leaving, Handong's GDP is going to plummet! The stock market is going to be a bloodbath when it opens tomorrow!"

Business tycoons and ordinary people across the country were completely awakened by this midnight thunderclap.

1:15 a.m., Jingzhou Municipal Party Committee Building.

Li Dakang sat in his office chair, studying the planning map of Guangming Peak.

The departments just called to say that the task force to seize Ling Xiao's companies has been assembled.

A cold smile played on his lips as he reached for a freshly brewed cup of strong tea, intending to moisten his throat.

"Bang!"

The solid wood door of the office was suddenly kicked open with great force, and the door panel slammed against the wall.

Secretary Xiao Jin stumbled in, her tie askew on the back of her head, her face as pale as an A4 sheet of paper.

"Secretary Li... Secretary Li! Something terrible has happened! The sky has fallen!" Xiao Jin's voice trembled and changed tone.

Li Dakang frowned, about to reprimand the other party for being clumsy.

Xiao Jin shoved the tablet computer in her hand in front of Li Dakang, the screen displaying the glaring joint statement.

Li Dakang's gaze swept over the few lines of bold text, and his pupils suddenly contracted to the size of pinpoints.

Withdraw? Cease investment? Pay the penalty and leave?

A loud "buzz" went through his mind, as if he had been hit by a heavy hammer.

His firm belief in the weakness of capital shattered into a pile of glass before Yan Qingfeng's unreasonable and legal overturning of the table.

"Crack!"

Li Dakang flicked his wrist, and the ceramic teacup he had just picked up fell straight to the ground and shattered, splashing scalding tea all over his trouser leg.

But he completely ignored the heat and rushed to the French windows, pressing his hands firmly against the glass.

It was the middle of the night, and the streets outside should have been deserted.

But at this moment, on the main road of Jingzhou, countless heavy trucks and construction machinery vehicles with flashing yellow warning lights were lined up in a long queue.

They drove out of the Guangmingfeng project site, merged into the traffic, and headed towards other provinces without looking back.

Xiao Jin slumped to the ground, pointing at the despairing traffic outside the window, letting out a terrified scream.

"Secretary, they not only issued a notice, but all the construction vehicles outside Guangming Peak... are being moved out!"