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

Special detention cell at Handong No. 2 Prison.

The cold rain slanted against the high windows covered with rusty wire mesh, making a soft, pattering sound.

Prison guard Xiao Wang skillfully took out his key, opened the small square opening on the iron bars, and took out the empty lunchbox.

He casually handed him a cup of steaming hot tea.

Gao Yuliang sat cross-legged on the hard bed, took the enamel mug with both hands, and slowly warmed his palms.

"Teacher Gao, you just said the warm-up has only just begun?"

Xiao Wang leaned on the railing, lowered his voice, and his eyes gleamed.

"This forced Secretary Sha to issue an official document overnight, kicking the entire Zhong family out. Is this what you call a warm-up?"

Xiao Wang had never seen such a thrilling scene in his life.

As he spoke, he gestured animatedly to indicate the name.

"My cousin, who works as a security guard at the Provincial People's Hospital, told me all about it."

"The families of high-ranking Beijing officials who usually act arrogantly in the special needs wards were all kneeling on the ground crying and begging for their parents last night."

Xiao Wang smacked his lips, his face full of satisfaction.

"Zhong Xiaoai's uncle was so angry he turned purple. These powerful and wealthy people are finally experiencing what it's like for ordinary people to queue up and not be able to get an appointment!"

Gao Yuliang held his teacup, listening to Xiao Wang's vivid description.

His face, covered with age spots, paused slightly for a moment, then the corners of his mouth couldn't help but turn up in a smile.

"Ha ha ha ha!"

A burst of hearty, cheerful laughter erupted in the empty, oppressive detention cell.

Gao Yuliang laughed so hard he almost fell over, spilling a few drops of tea onto his faded prison uniform.

Xiao Wang was startled and quickly looked at both ends of the corridor.

"Oh, Mr. Gao, please keep your voice down, don't attract the attention of the team leader on duty."

Gao Yuliang didn't care at all, and only slowly stopped laughing after he had finished.

He slammed the teacup onto the iron shelf by the bedside, making a crisp sound.

His thin, bony fingers tapped twice in mid-air, and his cloudy old eyes gleamed with a sharp light.

"That felt great! That was so satisfying!"

Gao Yuliang took off his tortoiseshell-rimmed reading glasses, pulled out a tattered eyeglass cloth from his pocket, and slowly wiped them.

"Xiao Wang, you are still too young and cannot see through the underlying logic of officialdom and human nature."

He put his glasses back on and straightened his back.

That air of a university professor pontificating about everything returned to him.

"That kid Yan Qingfeng, once he makes a move, he cuts off the lifeline of these old guys."

Gao Yuliang shook his head with a cold laugh, his tone filled with undisguised astonishment.

Xiao Wang scratched his head, looking puzzled.

"Isn't this just threatening Yan with medicine? Those high-ranking officials in Beijing have power and guns. Once they recover, will they let Master Yan go?"

"Let them go?"

Gao Yuliang scoffed, looking at Xiao Wang as if he were a failing student.

"Not only will they have to let him go, but they'll also have to wag their tails and smile obsequiously whenever they see Yan Qingfeng in the future!"

Gao Yuliang stood up, put on a thin coat, and walked to the iron fence.

The cold wind outside ruffled his gray hair, but he seemed oblivious to the cold.

"Strike the snake at its vital point—that's what true striking the snake at its vital point is all about!"

Gao Yuliang curled his fingers and slammed them hard against the cold iron pole, making a loud bang.

"If you cut off these corrupt officials' source of income and their political achievements, they will be desperate and will definitely fight you to the death."

He stared into Xiao Wang's eyes, his voice low and chilling, revealing a worldly wisdom.

"But as long as you hold onto the oxygen tubes of these old geezers, and hold onto the medicine bottles that keep them breathing and alive."

Gao Yuliang curled his lips into a mocking smile.

"They'll obediently become the most well-behaved dogs in the world!"

Xiao Wang gasped, and a layer of white sweat instantly broke out on his back.

"No matter how much power you have or how high your official rank is, you're nothing but a fart in front of the King of Hell's Book of Life and Death."

Gao Yuliang paced back and forth in the narrow cell with his hands behind his back.

Why did Sha Ruijin expel the Zhong family from Handong overnight?

He stopped and asked a question in return.

"Because those old leaders in Beijing who value their lives have spoken. Anyone who dares to stop them from taking their medicine to prolong their lives is an enemy of the entire world!"

Xiao Wang suddenly realized what was happening and slapped his own thigh.

"Holy crap! Master Yan is using their strength against them! He's exploiting the cowardice of these old fogies in Beijing to take down the Zhong family and Sha Ruijin!"

"That's right."

Gao Yuliang sighed deeply and looked out the window at the gloomy night sky.

"Back then, Qingfeng took my class in the Department of Political Science and Law at Wuhan University, and he would sit in the last row and sleep all day long."

The image of that carefree young student in the white shirt flashed through his mind.

"I just thought of him as an ignorant and good-for-nothing rich kid. Who would have thought that he was the one who saw through the whole game the most?"

Gao Yuliang gripped the iron railing with both hands, the veins on the back of his hands bulging.

"This child has cunningly exploited human greed and fear to the very core of his being. He's a million times more ruthless than I am as his teacher."

This sigh contained reverence for his former students, as well as self-mockery at his complete defeat.

Xiao Wang was so excited that his eyes widened like saucers.

"Professor Gao, according to you, now that Master Yan controls the pharmaceutical and infrastructure sectors, the entire Jingzhou region has completely changed hands to the Yan family?"

"Change your surname?"

Gao Yuliang snorted coldly, sat back down on the edge of the bed, and pulled the thin blanket over his legs.

"If the name is not correct, the words will not be proper. Holding onto the economic lifeline is called warlordism, not truth."

Xiao Wang was stunned; the excitement that had just ignited instantly got stuck in his throat.

"Then what else does Master Yan need to do? He can't really just go and take up an official position in the provincial party committee compound, can he?"

"A temporary post? He wouldn't even consider it."

Gao Yuliang slowly picked up the teacup and took another sip of the lukewarm tea.

"Although Sha Ruijin has bowed his head, half of the officials in Handong are still Li Dakang's men, as well as the old subordinates left behind by Tian Guofu."

He smacked his lips, savoring the bitter taste of the tea leaves.

"These people are like leeches in the gutter, always ready to leech off the Lingxiao Group."

"Yan Qingfeng went to such great lengths to break Sha Ruijin's spine, not to raise this bunch of ungrateful wretches."

Xiao Wang was so anxious that he kept rubbing his hands, wishing he could rush out and clear away the obstacles for Master Yan.

"What can we do then? Surely Master Yan can't just fire everyone in the entire municipal government compound? Wouldn't that paralyze the government?"

Gao Yuliang didn't reply, but stared intently at the water stains on the opposite wall.

The cell was so quiet that the only sound was the howling wind outside.

After a long while, Gao Yuliang slowly extended two thin fingers and pinched the stubble on his chin.

The cunning glint in his eyes suddenly became almost blinding.

"The roots of Sha Ruijin's tree have rotted, and the Zhong family's tattered umbrella has also been overturned."

He seemed to be talking to himself, his voice so soft it was like chanting a spell.

"The situation outside is now completely clear."

Xiao Wang leaned on the railing, straining his ears, afraid of missing a single word.

"Teacher Gao, what riddle are you playing? It's driving me crazy!"

Gao Yuliang looked up and glanced at the old, ticking clock on the wall.

The clock hand was pointing exactly to 2 a.m.

A deep, unfathomable smile played on his lips as he slowly took off his reading glasses and tucked them under his pillow.

"Xiao Wang, do you still remember?"

Gao Yuliang's voice echoed faintly beneath the cold iron bars of the window.

"Did Qi Tongwei secretly meet with Yan Qingfeng before he came in?"

Xiao Wang's eyes widened suddenly, and his breathing became rapid.

"I remember! Director Qi was on edge back then, and even resorted to personal channels..."

"Um."

Gao Yuliang nodded, crossed his hands behind his head, and lay down comfortably.

"Although Tongwei is stupid, he has been operating in the Public Security Bureau for so many years. The dirt he has is enough to blow up half of the officialdom in Handong."

He closed his eyes, a look of anticipation and satisfaction on his face as he awaited the start of a good show.

"Now that the obvious obstacles are gone, it's time to put the big gift that Qi Tongwei left for Qingfeng before he left into use and completely reshuffle the deck."