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

"Beep—beep—"

The busy tone on the satellite phone felt like cold steel needles piercing George's ears.

He knelt stiffly in the pungent blood on the dock, his expensive white suit stained dark red by the foul water.

The sea breeze swept by, but it couldn't dispel the stench of melting seafood scattered on the ground, nor could it dispel the despair in his heart.

"Ding ding ding!"

Before he could catch his breath, the specially encrypted phone in his hand suddenly started ringing like crazy.

On the screen, emails with the blood-red "URGENT" logo popped up like a waterfall.

George, his hands trembling, opened the first email with his muddy fingers.

He glanced at the title and his eyes nearly popped out of their sockets, letting out a strange, distorted cry.

"European distributors have sent a claim letter demanding double the penalty of 200 million euros!"

He slid down in a panic.

"Southeast Asian distributor refuses to accept goods, initiating unilateral claims proceedings!"

"South American branch..."

There are too many emails; I can't even scroll to the bottom.

The comprador stood two steps away, covered his nose, and shakily leaned over for a peek.

With just one glance, the comprador's legs went weak, and he collapsed into the muddy pit filled with foul-smelling water.

"Boss...the penalties for breach of contract add up to billions of RMB a day!"

The comprador had a mournful face, and his voice trembled like a broken gong in the cold wind.

"This isn't doing business; it's a money-devouring black hole!"

George grabbed his blond hair and ripped at it like a wild beast cornered in a desperate situation.

"Yan Qingfeng! He's already dug a pit for me to fall into!"

He suddenly scrambled up from the mud, his face contorted in a ferocious expression.

"Back to the hotel! Connect with the Wall Street board immediately!"

Half an hour later, at the Jingzhou International Hotel, the temporary office of the William Consortium.

On the huge conference room screen, more than a dozen video split screens were displayed.

The images show board members of powerful conglomerates on Wall Street, all dressed in suits and smoking cigars.

George stood in front of the screen, still covered in the stench of fish, without even bothering to change his clothes.

"George! You stupid pig!"

The white-bearded chairman, sitting in the main seat, slammed his hand on the desk, spitting onto the camera lens.

"Do you even know what kind of devil you've messed with?!"

The chairman was so angry that his face turned red, and he pointed at the screen and started cursing.

"The Lingxiao Consortium's offshore funds have just bought out all of our debts!"

"They are now our biggest creditors! Hundreds of millions of dollars in default fees are burning through our parent company's cash reserves every day!"

George swallowed hard, his legs trembling.

"Chairman, please let me explain. This is the fault of the Handong government, it's their fault..."

"Shut up! I don't want to hear you shirking responsibility!"

Another director with a hooked nose rudely interrupted him.

"The board of directors has just unanimously passed a resolution to formally remove you from your position as CEO of the Asia region!"

The hook-nosed man sneered, his eyes scraping like knives across George's face.

"Get ready for an FBI investigation, George."

"We'll prosecute you for malfeasance and commercial fraud, so prepare to spend the rest of your life picking up soap in federal prison!"

The screen went completely black with a "whoosh".

The video conference was unilaterally and forcibly cut off.

George stared blankly at the black screen, cold sweat dripping down his chin.

Prison? Deprivation of everything?

In this game of capital, he became a complete pawn!

"No! I can't go to jail! I can't lose everything!"

George suddenly turned around and kicked the crystal coffee table in front of him away.

Glass shards littered the floor, and a hysterical madness ignited in his eyes.

He grabbed the terrified chief lawyer, Smith, who was standing next to him.

"Come on! Follow me to the municipal party committee compound!"

George gritted his teeth and squeezed out the words like a gambler who had lost everything.

"These Chinese officials tricked me into coming here to be cannon fodder. Even if I die, I'll drag them down with me!"

This is Office No. 1 in the office building of the Hantong Provincial and Municipal Party Committees.

Li Dakang was slumped in the boss's chair, vigorously rubbing his throbbing temples.

The ashtray on the table was overflowing with cigarette butts, and the room was filled with smoke.

He had just been thoroughly berated by Sha Ruijin, and he was seething with anger.

"Bang!"

Two solid wood doors were kicked open from the outside, the door panels slamming against the wall, sending wood chips flying everywhere.

Li Dakang was startled and almost dropped the thermos in his hand.

"What are you doing! Rebellion!"

He slammed his hand on the table, stood up abruptly, and shouted angrily.

George, reeking of rotten fish, stormed in like a mad dog.

Behind him followed an equally aggressive lawyer, Smith, and several foreign bodyguards.

Secretary Xiao Jin tried desperately to stop them from behind, but she couldn't.

"Secretary Li, I can't stop them, these foreigners have gone mad..." Xiao Jin said anxiously, wiping away sweat.

Li Dakang covered his nose, backing away repeatedly from the stench.

"Mr. George, what kind of behavior is this, coming to the municipal government compound dressed like that!"

Li Dakang adopted an official demeanor and reprimanded the man with a stern face.

"If there are difficulties, we can sit down and talk it over. What are you doing?"

"Talk? I'll talk about your mother!"

George wasn't having any of it. He strode over the desk and grabbed Li Dakang by the tie.

The immense force caused Li Dakang's eyes to roll back, and his neck instantly turned purplish-red.

"Let go! Security! Where's the security!" Li Dakang desperately tried to pry George's fingers off, shouting for help in fear.

The nauseating stench of rotting seafood assaulted his nostrils.

George gripped him tightly, spitting all over Li Dakang's face.

"You damn liar! Didn't you pat your chest and guarantee everything would go smoothly?!"

His eyes were red, like a wild beast about to devour someone.

"My goods are rotting at the docks, and I can't even find a crane operator!"

"The machines won't start, and now even ships can't get on the ship. Billions in breach of contract fees every day—I'm bankrupt!"

George shoved Li Dakang into a chair and kicked over the tea cabinet next to him.

"Your Handong Municipal Party Committee is a fraud ring! You colluded with Yan Qingfeng to set me up and swindle my money!"

Li Dakang was pushed so hard he was dizzy and disoriented, his tie askew, looking disheveled.

He was panting heavily, pointing at George and cursing him.

"Stop making baseless accusations! Dockworkers are legally entitled to a day off. Would our municipal party secretary force them to work at gunpoint?!"

Li Dakang was still stubbornly denying everything.

"This is beyond our control! You can't handle Yan Qingfeng yourself, so why are you causing trouble here!"

Attorney Smith, who had been observing coldly, suddenly chuckled.

He adjusted his gold-rimmed glasses, walked forward slowly, and pulled a thick document from his briefcase.

"Secretary Li, the term 'force majeure' isn't used like that in international commercial law."

Smith slammed the file down in front of Li Dakang with a thud, his eyes cold.

"This is the indictment drafted by our William Foundation."

Li Dakang was stunned for a moment, his eyes swept over the document, and his eyelids twitched wildly.

"An indictment? You're suing the Lingxiao Consortium?" He swallowed hard.

Smith's mockery deepened, and he wagged his finger.

"No, no, no."

He leaned down, braced his hands on the desk, and stared intently at Li Dakang's pale old face.

"Lin Yubing's legal team is so well-prepared that not even a fly can get in. We can't win against the Lingxiao Consortium."

Smith grinned, his smile like that of a viper.

"But Secretary Li signed a 'comprehensive guarantee of the interests of foreign investors' clause in black and white in the investment promotion contract."

He pounded the indictment heavily with his knuckles.

"Therefore, we have decided to file a lawsuit with the International Court of Justice, formally accusing the Hantong Provincial Committee of commercial fraud and breach of contract, and demanding that you pay 30 billion US dollars in compensation."