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

Let's rewind to half a month ago, to Lone Eagle Ridge.

A cold wind swirled withered grass, whipping it up and swirling mournfully over the barren mountain.

Qi Tongwei leaned against the dilapidated earthen wall, panting heavily.

He knew that his game, which he had "won by half a point against fate," had become a dead end.

A young man in a black trench coat crept up like a cat under the cover of darkness.

"Director Qi, did you bring the things?"

The young man lowered his voice and warily scanned his surroundings.

With trembling hands, Qi Tongwei pulled a warm, silver USB drive from his inner pocket.

He clutched the USB drive tightly, his eyes filled with resentment and despair.

"Give this to Yan Qingfeng personally."

Qi Tongwei's voice was hoarse, like sandpaper rubbing hard on glass.

The young man took the USB drive, his brows furrowing slightly.

"Director Qi, Mr. Yan is a businessman. Do you think he'd get involved in this mess?"

Qi Tongwei pulled at the corners of his cracked lips and let out a chilling laugh.

"A businessman? If Yan Qingfeng only cared about accounts, this Handong would have been owned by the Sha family long ago."

He leaned back against the corner of the wall and raised the scorching hot pistol in his hand.

"This USB drive contains all the dirty secrets about the officialdom of Handong that I've collected over the years when I was the director of the Public Security Bureau."

A venomous glint flashed in Qi Tongwei's eyes.

"Tell Yan Qingfeng, if those hypocrites won't let me live, I won't let them die a good death either!"

"Only his wealth is worthy of this murderous knife!"

Gunshots rang out over Lone Eagle Ridge, startling a flock of crows into flight.

……

Let's shift our focus back to the present, to Lingxiao Manor on the outskirts of Beijing.

In the study, a vinyl record was playing a deep blues tune.

Yan Qingfeng sat behind a large rosewood desk, fiddling with a silver USB drive in his hand.

"Click".

The solid wood double doors were pushed open from the outside, and a captivating fragrance wafted in first.

Ye Qingmei, president of Lingxiao Intelligence Network, walked gracefully in, wearing ten-centimeter high heels.

She wore a form-fitting black velvet dress, her figure alluring and captivating.

"Master Yan, although Sha Ruijin has bowed his head, those monsters and demons under him are still restless."

Ye Qingmei walked to the desk, her jade-like hands supporting her on the tabletop, and leaned forward slightly.

"Yesterday afternoon, Director Wang of the Municipal Construction Bureau was still holding back the approval procedures for our new industrial park."

Her red lips curved slightly, and a chilling murderous intent flashed in her eyes.

"There are also several section chiefs in the tax bureau who are deliberately delaying the release of tax refunds from subsidiaries."

Yan Qingfeng didn't respond, but simply tossed the USB drive lightly onto the table.

The silver metal shell struck the mahogany with a crisp sound.

"These people, they never learn from their mistakes."

Yan Qingfeng leaned back in his chair, his deep eyes filled with mockery.

"I have a feeling that even if Sha Ruijin backs down, they can still secretly take advantage of him."

Ye Qingmei glanced at the USB drive, a hint of doubt flashing in her peach blossom eyes.

"Master Yan, what is this?"

"A big gift that Senior Qi gave me before he left."

Yan Qingfeng reached out and flicked the USB drive's casing, as if he were flicking away a speck of dust.

"What's inside is a death warrant for these officials in Handong."

Ye Qingmei was stunned for a moment, then covered her mouth and giggled.

"Director Qi's use of a borrowed knife to kill someone is truly ruthless."

"It's not about using someone else to do the dirty work, it's about going with the flow."

Yan Qingfeng stood up, walked to the panoramic floor-to-ceiling window, and looked down at the dazzling night view of Jingzhou.

"Sha Ruijin has become spineless; it's time we helped him clean house."

He turned his head, his eyes turning cold and ruthless.

"Qingmei, spread your intelligence network out and compare it with the information on this USB drive."

Yan Qingfeng put his hands in his pockets and delivered the final verdict.

"Select a few dozen of the most vocal individuals and send them a large compressed file to the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection's complaint email address."

Ye Qingmei stopped smiling, straightened up, and her aura instantly became sharp.

"Understood. I guarantee that all this irrefutable evidence is legal and compliant down to the punctuation marks."

She turned and walked towards the door, her high heels clicking loudly on the floor.

"Jingzhou is going to be quite lively tonight."

Two o'clock in the morning, Xishan Villa District, Jingzhou.

Director Wang of the Urban Construction Bureau was fast asleep on the velvet bed, embracing the female college student he had just started dating.

In his dream, he was still planning how to squeeze some money out of the Lingxiao Consortium tomorrow.

"Bang!"

The villa's heavy security door was smashed open with a hammer.

Wood chips flew everywhere, and a loud thud jolted Director Wang right off the bed.

"Who's there! It's a robbery!"

He grabbed the bed sheet while naked, and turned green with fright.

The bedroom light suddenly turned on, so bright that he couldn't open his eyes.

A dozen or so men in dark jackets rushed in, led by the head of the special task force dispatched by the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection to Handong.

"Wang Defa, put on your clothes and come with us."

The head of the task force, with a cold face, slammed a warrant for arrest on the bedside table.

Director Wang swallowed hard, his legs trembling, but he kept trying to hold on.

"What are you doing! I'm a government official! You're trespassing!"

The task force leader sneered, pulled a thick stack of documents from his briefcase, and threw it directly in his face.

"A government official? That 30 million euro account you have in a Swiss bank, was that also issued to you by the state?"

Director Wang stared wide-eyed at the bank transfer records scattered all over the floor.

He hadn't even told his wife about these top-secret overseas accounts!

"And this villa, registered under your distant brother-in-law's name, is entirely funded by kickbacks obtained illegally."

The task force leader's gaze swept over them like a knife.

"The evidence is conclusive; even without a confession, you can be locked up and sentenced to death! Take him away!"

Two burly police officers pounced on him, and a pair of gleaming silver handcuffs locked his wrists.

Director Wang's legs went weak, and he was dragged out of the bedroom like a limp rag.

That night, the sirens of police cars in Jingzhou never stopped.

Red and blue police lights flashed wildly under the gloomy night sky.

He rose through the ranks from director of the tax bureau to powerful deputy in the industry and commerce bureau and environmental protection bureau.

All political enemies who previously jumped around and attempted to seize Lingxiao's assets.

They were all taken from their beds by the task force who broke down the door while they were asleep.

There was no frame-up, no trap.

All of these were their own corrupt crimes, which were thoroughly exposed.

A large number of police cars roared through the night, as if performing a precise surgical operation.

The officialdom of Handong was shaken by an unprecedented upheaval.

The next morning, at the provincial party committee compound.

Sha Ruijin slumped in his large office chair, two dark circles under his eyes.

He held a long list of notices in his hand, the papers rustling in the air.

"Forty-seven people were arrested overnight?"

Sha Ruijin's voice was weak, and he felt a chill run down his spine.

Li Dakang stood opposite the desk, his gray hair disheveled like a clump of withered grass.

"Secretary Sha, this is all irrefutable evidence. The order came directly from the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection; they didn't even consult our provincial party committee."

Li Dakang swallowed hard, his mouth filled with bitterness.

"These people are all the key members who previously supported the joint investigation team and wanted to put Yan Qingfeng in a bad light."

Sha Ruijin slammed the list onto the table, closed his eyes, and rubbed his temples in pain.

"How ruthless Yan Qingfeng is! He's harvesting wheat like this!"

The official surrender treaty had just been signed when he turned around and wiped out all those who had been secretly sabotaging him!

"With so many vacant positions, the government's operations are going to be disrupted, and the entire area is in complete chaos."

Li Dakang was so anxious that he kept rubbing his hands together, his forehead covered in cold sweat.

Sha Ruijin suddenly opened his eyes, stared intently at the ceiling, and forced a bitter smile that was more like a grimace.

"Chaos? If Yan Qingfeng dared to pull up the radish, he must have already prepared a trap."

He turned his head and looked at Li Dakang like a resigned death row inmate.

"Go and call Yi Xuexi here."

Li Dakang was stunned for a moment, and his face instantly turned ugly.

"His name is Yi Xuexi? He's a fence-sitter who led the way in siding with the Lingxiao Consortium!"

"If he hadn't sided with Ling Xiao, he would be on the list of those arrested today!"

Sha Ruijin slammed his hand on the table and roared.

"Only those pragmatic individuals who know how to align themselves with the interests of capital can secure these vacant positions!"

"Go and draft the appointment list! Anyone Yan Qingfeng approves of, bring them all up!"

In just one morning, the officialdom of Handong was completely overhauled without firing a single shot.

Those corrupt officials who only knew how to spout bureaucratic jargon and abuse their privileges were swept away.

Instead, they are all pragmatic people like Yi Xuexi, who know how to follow the rules of the Lingxiao Consortium.

Around noon, in the corridor of the provincial party committee office building.

Yi Xuexi was wearing that faded old jacket and holding the appointment document that had just been stamped with a red seal.

He walked to a secluded corner, took out an encrypted phone from his pocket, and dialed a number.

The phone rang twice before being answered.

"President Yan, Secretary Sha approved all the vacant positions according to our wishes."

Yi Xuexi lowered his voice, his tone revealing an overwhelming sense of shock.

On the other end of the phone, Yan Qingfeng's soft laughter came through, accompanied by the bubbling sound of tea being brewed.

"Mayor Yi, congratulations on taking office. But this is just the appetizer."

Yi Xuexi's heart skipped a beat, and he tightened his grip on his phone.

"Master Yan, is there some other unexpected event?"

Yan Qingfeng slowly blew on the tea, his voice as cold and sharp as a knife.

"Before these people went in, they uncovered a real tough nut to crack, who was about to be parachuted into Handong from the capital."

"Mayor Yi, let's see if you dare to take this newly sharpened knife!"