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

The Secretary's Office, in the building of the Discipline Inspection Commission of Handong Province.

Tian Guofu stared intently at the television screen.

In the video, more than three hundred thugs, their faces bruised and swollen, are kneeling like maggots in front of the municipal police station.

His hand holding the thermos was as steady as a mountain, and the corners of his withered lips slowly curled up into a chilling smile.

"Well played!"

He muttered something under his breath and tapped the mahogany tabletop with his finger.

To others, this was the Lingxiao Consortium's security team acting chivalrously.

But in the eyes of Tian Guofu, that old fox, this was a peerless knife handed to him!

"Five hundred veterans, all in uniform and carrying riot control equipment, beat three hundred people into cripples in one night."

He put down his cup, a sinister glint flashing behind his glasses.

"What kind of self-defense is this? This is clearly a gang fight! It's a compromise-based brawl between criminal gangs!"

He grabbed the red secure phone on the table and skillfully dialed a number.

As soon as the call connected, he lowered his voice.

"Old Qi, Sha Ruijin and the others are spineless and have to beg for help, but we can't back down. Yan Qingfeng has given himself away."

Tian Guofu snorted coldly, his eyes full of calculation.

"As long as we arrest that security chief Shen Pojun on charges of being involved in organized crime and bring him back for trial."

"By following the clues, are we still afraid of not being able to expose Ling Xiao's true nature?"

On the other side, Lingxiao Manor in the suburbs of Beijing.

The beat-up Santana, its exhaust pipe belching black smoke, finally screeched to a halt outside the brass gate.

Sha Ruijin rubbed his face, which was covered in cold sweat, and was about to get out of the car to continue standing under the surveillance camera as punishment.

"Click".

The heavy door actually moved on its own, slowly sliding open to both sides.

The old butler, Afu, dressed in a well-tailored tuxedo, stood on the steps and gestured for them to proceed without any expression on his face.

"Secretary Sha, Mayor Li. President Yan, please come into the reception room."

Afu didn't even give him a smile before turning around and leading the way.

Li Dakang climbed out of the back seat, his legs went weak and he almost knelt on the ground.

He quickly grabbed the car door and followed Sha Ruijin, steeling himself as he walked inside.

The reception room on the first floor of the manor was so luxurious that one dared not breathe too loudly.

There are very few modern furniture pieces; the display is full of antique items from the Ming and Qing dynasties.

The floor was covered with a thick Persian carpet, so soft that not a sound could be heard when you stepped on it.

"Please have a seat, both of you." Afu gestured to the rosewood armchair.

"Where is President Yan?" Sha Ruijin didn't dare to sit down and looked around the empty hall.

As soon as he finished speaking, a faint blue light suddenly shone in the center of the hall.

Dozens of invisible projectors were activated simultaneously.

The interplay of light and shadow instantly created a lifelike holographic image in front of the two people.

The picture shows the sunroom in the backyard of the manor.

Yan Qingfeng, dressed in loose cotton and linen casual wear, was sitting in a rattan chair.

He held a small purple clay teacup in his hand, slowly skimming off the tea foam, without even lifting his eyelids towards the camera.

Sha Ruijin's Adam's apple bobbed, and he spoke dryly.

"President Yan, what brilliant technology! Are we just going to talk through the screen like this?"

Yan Qingfeng blew on the tea, took a small sip, and then raised his eyes.

The holographic projection perfectly reproduced his deep, cold gaze, creating an overwhelming sense of oppression.

"Secretary Sha is extremely busy. I'm just a businessman; how could I dare to take up your precious time? Please speak frankly."

Sha Ruijin clenched his fists, his nails digging into his palms.

He came here today to admit defeat, but he still retains the airs of a powerful regional official and wants to preserve his dignity.

"President Yan, let's put the withdrawal of investment on hold for now."

Sha Ruijin straightened his back and adopted a measured tone.

"The incident at the logistics park last night caused quite a stir. Your security team didn't know their own strength."

He stared at Yan Qingfeng in the holographic image, trying to regain some of his official demeanor.

"Hundreds of people fighting with weapons—this is vigilante justice! You've crossed the line."

"In Handong, law enforcement power must remain in the hands of the government; this is the bottom line!"

Li Dakang, sitting next to him, was so frightened that he kept tugging at Sha Ruijin's clothes, afraid that his words would anger the God of Wealth again.

Upon hearing this, Yan Qingfeng stopped what he was doing.

He placed the purple clay teacup on the table, making a crisp clinking sound.

Then, he suddenly chuckled, his laughter carrying three parts mockery and seven parts arrogance.

"Vigilante justice? Crossing the line?"

Yan Qingfeng leaned forward slightly, his eyes like two sharp knives, piercing through the screen and stabbing straight at Sha Ruijin.

"My employees were working the night shift at my own logistics park when hundreds of thugs wielding machetes blocked the entrance."

His face hardened, and every word he uttered was firm and resolute.

"My people acted in legitimate self-defense; there was video footage and authorization letter—everything was there. How did that become vigilante justice?"

"And what about the bottom line that your provincial party committee is so proud of?"

Yan Qingfeng raised his hand, pointed at the camera, exuding an aura of dominance.

"Zhao Donglai's police car is just sitting in the yard like scrap metal! When you call the police, the city bureau can't even send out a single operator!"

"Ordinary people are starving and freezing, while thugs are robbing people in the streets. You can't control that, so I help you clean up your mess, and you turn around and talk to me about overstepping your boundaries?"

Sha Ruijin was speechless, his face turning pale and then red.

He opened his mouth to refute, but couldn't utter a single word.

"Secretary Sha, don't value power too much."

Yan Qingfeng leaned back in his rattan chair, his tone turning cold, exuding an unyielding authority.

"Power is just a tool. The truth is that it can ensure that ordinary people have enough to eat and that petty thieves dare not act recklessly."

He spoke each word slowly and deliberately, making the two high-ranking officials' eardrums ache.

"You can no longer provide the order that Han Dong needs. The order I, Yan Qingfeng, give is the true order!"

Upon hearing this, Sha Ruijin's shoulders slumped, like a puppet whose spine had been removed.

His pitiful self-esteem was crushed to dust in the face of absolute power.

He lowered his proud head and closed his eyes resignedly.

"I concede. Mr. Yan, name your terms. How can we resume operations?"

Just then, the side door to the reception room opened.

Lin Yubing walked gracefully in, wearing a burgundy business suit and high heels.

She held a thick document in her hand and slammed it directly onto the coffee table in front of the two high-ranking officials.

"Secretary Sha, Mayor Li."

Lin Yubing pushed up his gold-rimmed glasses, a professional smile playing on his lips.

"This is a franchise agreement for the core infrastructure, water supply, and gas network of Handong for the next fifty years."

Li Dakang's eyes widened, and he gasped.

"Fifty years? You want all the water, electricity, and gas? You're trying to swallow the lifeline of Handong whole!"

"Mayor Li doesn't have to sign."

Yan Qingfeng spoke calmly on the holographic screen.

"As long as you're not afraid that tomorrow at dawn, the entire city of Jingzhou will be without water and electricity, and the people will storm into the municipal government compound and smash your pots and pans."

Sha Ruijin gave a wry smile and stopped Li Dakang, who still wanted to argue.

With trembling hands, he took out a pen from his pocket and unscrewed the cap.

Just as the pen tip was about to touch the paper.

Outside the gate of Jingzhou Public Security Bureau.

"squeak--"

Several military green troop transport trucks slammed on their brakes, their tires screeching as they scraped against the wet road.

Dozens of fully armed police officers jumped out of the vehicle and blocked the entrance to the municipal police station with riot shields.

Tian Guofu, wearing a black overcoat, led Team Leader Qi out of an Audi.

He strode up the steps, pointed at Zhao Donglai who had just come out to greet the guests, and spoke in a booming voice.

"Zhao Donglai! Bring Shen Pojun from Lingxiao Security to me immediately! This case involves organized crime, and the Provincial Commission for Discipline Inspection and the investigation team have taken full control!"