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

Chapter 56: Supply Chain Completely Disrupted; Foreign Investors Can't Even Buy a Single Screw.

"Splash—"

An expensive set of bone china coffee cups was smashed to pieces on the wall.

Dark brown coffee liquid flowed down the snow-white wall, like an ugly scar.

George William, like an enraged bull, panted heavily in his spacious office.

He ripped off his silk tie and threw it hard onto the soft Persian carpet.

With high-end lithography machines locked up and international lawsuits lost, he's been like a monkey locked in an iron cage these past few days, being played around by others.

"If you can't handle the high-end market, then do the lowest-end OEM manufacturing for me!"

He kicked over the leather swivel chair in front of him and roared, pointing at the noses of several purchasing managers.

"Go buy it! Even if it's just the most basic screws, silicone, and cardboard boxes, get the assembly line moving!"

George's eyes were bloodshot, like a gambler who had lost everything.

"As long as we can make the cheapest electronic watch, we can recoup our investment! Let's go!"

Half an hour later, at Jingzhou's largest hardware and building materials wholesale market.

The place was bustling with noise, and motorized tricycles carrying goods shuttled back and forth, their horns blaring incessantly.

Mike, the purchasing manager of the William Group, carrying a heavy briefcase, led several domestic compradors into a large stall.

"Boss! 3.5mm industrial screws, plus two hundred barrels of insulating silicone!"

The comprador slapped several stacks of bright green US dollars onto the greasy glass counter.

"Cash on delivery, expedited shipping, money is no object!"

The portly owner of the hardware store was lying on a rattan chair, cracking sunflower seeds, his eyelids lazily drooping upwards.

Upon seeing the "Williams Foundation" employee badge hanging around the other person's neck, he spat the sunflower seed shells from his mouth onto the ground.

"Oh, what a coincidence."

The portly boss dusted off his hands and leisurely picked up a large tea mug.

"We're out of stock today during inventory."

The comprador was taken aback after hearing this, and pointed to the pile of cardboard boxes behind the counter that looked like a small mountain.

"Boss, the back is clearly full! We'll pay double, in US dollars!"

"Double?" The fat boss sneered, his belly trembling.

He slammed the large tea mug heavily on the table, splashing tea everywhere.

Even if you offer ten times the price, I'll still say we're out of stock. They're all pre-ordered.

After hearing the translation, Mike was so anxious that he jumped up and down, shouting in broken Chinese.

"Triple! I'll bet triple!"

The fat boss rolled his eyes and grabbed a feather duster from the side to start chasing people away.

"Get out! Don't even mention screws, I won't sell you foreigners a single broken cardboard box!"

He pointed to the gate, his expression defiant.

"Master Yan has spoken. Our Handong Chamber of Commerce has rules: anyone who dares to make dirty money from you can forget about ever doing business in Jingzhou again!"

The comprador was rebuffed and could only slink out the door in disgrace.

I visited more than a dozen stalls, selling everything from large electronic components to small items like transparent tape for packaging.

Local business owners would shake their heads at the mere sight of someone from the William Group, as if avoiding a plague.

Seeing no hope of purchasing, Mike gritted his teeth and led his men to the freight station outside the building materials market.

Since we can't buy it, let's get it from another province!

Dozens of heavy trucks bearing the "Lingxiao Logistics" logo were lined up along the wide roadside.

"Master, go to the next province and bring back a truckload of parts!"

The comprador pulled out a wad of red bills from his pocket and offered cigarettes to everyone he met.

"I'll give you five times the shipping fee! Check out now!"

Several truck drivers who were squatting on the curb smoking exchanged glances and chuckled.

The experienced driver in the lead threw his cigarette butt on the ground and crushed it out with his toe.

"Sorry guys, Lingxiao headquarters just issued an official document yesterday."

The experienced driver patted the empty carriage behind him, his face full of mockery.

"Our transport capacity is fully booked right now, and there are simply no empty trucks available."

The comprador, his eyes red with anger, pointed at the open, empty carriage and shouted.

"Your carriage is completely empty! Not a single thing in it, what were you loaded with?"

"Why isn't it full?" The experienced driver grinned, revealing a mouthful of yellow teeth.

He reached out and grabbed a handful of air, spouting nonsense with a straight face.

"My car is so full of northwest winds that there's not even a crack left. There's simply no room for your foreign treasures."

The surrounding drivers burst into laughter, their laughter filled with undisguised mockery.

Chu Yunfei had long ago laid a trap, and the entire logistics artery of Handong was in the hands of the Lingxiao Consortium.

Without Yan Qingfeng's approval, these foreigners wouldn't have been able to smuggle even a fly into Jingzhou.

At dusk, in the high-tech park.

George stood in the empty cleanroom, listening to Mike's report, his face ashen.

"Boss, I've run myself ragged, and I still haven't been able to buy a single screw."

Mike was almost in tears, clutching the suitcase full of US dollars tightly in his hand, feeling that the money was a complete joke.

"Their local suppliers are a solid block, and the truck drivers are even more unyielding."

George's legs gave way, and he collapsed onto the cold concrete floor.

That's it, we're completely stuck.

This place is now an isolated island, cut off from the world.

Inside are high-end devices that can't be turned on, and outside are impenetrable walls made of copper and iron that can't be bought.

The salaries of thousands of foreign engineers, plus the daily maintenance costs of the factory.

The moment I opened my eyes, I saw millions of dollars burning.

Meanwhile, outside the large iron gate of the science park.

The cold wind howled, swirling up the withered yellow leaves on the ground.

More than 3,000 local assembly line workers, recently recruited by the William Group, were trembling at the entrance.

With the factory shut down, the foreign workers were too busy to even take care of themselves, and they hadn't received a single penny of the promised daily wages.

"Give us our money! Give us back our hard-earned money!"

"We need to eat! The kids are crying from hunger at home!"

Angry shouts rose and fell, the workers, their eyes gleaming with hunger, shook the large iron gate incessantly.

Several security guards hid in the gatehouse, not daring to even show their heads.

A slightly worn, ordinary Santana quietly pulled up to the side of the road.

Acting Mayor Yi Xuexi of Jingzhou got out of the car wearing a faded old jacket.

He had no entourage and no police escort.

Standing there in the cold wind, watching those fellow villagers suffering from cold and hunger, my heart ached as if it were being pricked by needles.

Sha Ruijin and Li Dakang were so busy arguing that they were willing to suffer for the sake of saving face.

Foreign investors only think about making money; if they can't get any, they just give up.

In the end, it is always the ordinary people at the bottom who suffer.

An elderly worker in his fifties squatted on the curb, clutching an empty lunchbox tightly in his hand, his eyes red-rimmed.

Yi Xuexi walked over, gently patted the old worker on the shoulder, his eyes filled with remorse.

The municipal party committee secretary followed behind, stamping his feet anxiously and sweating profusely.

"Mayor Yi, please don't get too close! These people are getting angry; be careful they cause trouble and hurt you!"

The secretary reached out to pull him, but Yi Xuexi shoved her away.

Yi Xuexi's brows furrowed into a deep "川" shape, his facial features hard and resolute.

He took a deep breath of the biting cold air, his gaze sweeping over the chaotic crowd and landing on the towering Lingxiao Building in the distance.

"I don't care about the fate of foreign investors, nor do I care about Li Dakang's reputation."

Yi Xuexi tugged at his collar, which had been ruffled by the wind, his eyes revealing a resolute determination to burn his bridges.

"But I can't just stand by and watch the people of Handong go hungry on their own land."

He turned his head sharply, staring at the secretary who looked completely bewildered, his tone leaving no room for argument.

"Fill up the car with gas. Prepare two bottles of good wine; I'm going to meet that General Manager Yan in person."