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

Su Jianxin adjusted his gold-rimmed glasses, a sly smile playing on his lips, and bowed slightly to see him off.

Yan Qingfeng strode forward, his leather shoes making no sound as they stepped onto the carpet.

As he reached the door, he paused, leaving behind a casual instruction.

"I'm not in Handong, so weld the capital gates here shut."

Yan Qingfeng turned his head, his profile hidden in the shadows, exuding an undeniable domineering aura.

"Let those peek-out guys see what happens when they break the rules."

Two days later, at Gyeongju International Airport.

Three brand-new Gulfstream private jets landed in succession.

As soon as the cabin door opened, several tycoon tycoons with protruding beer bellies walked down the gangway with beaming smiles.

Leading the group was Mr. Qian, the general manager of the Jiangsu, Zhejiang and Shanghai Chamber of Commerce.

This old man is worth hundreds of billions, and he walks with an air of authority in the capital circles of the south.

"Old Qian, don't you think there's something strange about Handong?"

The skinny-looking Mr. Sun handed him a Cuban cigar, but his eyes darted around.

"Wall Street giants like the William Group can go bankrupt just like that, without even taking their underwear with them."

Mr. Qian took the cigar, sneered, and looked utterly arrogant.

"Even a powerful dragon can't suppress a local snake; foreigners don't understand Chinese customs and social etiquette."

He exhaled a thick smoke ring, a greedy glint in his eyes.

"Now that foreign investment has collapsed, the high-end manufacturing park in Handong has become a piece of fat meat without an owner."

"That's thousands of acres of cultivated land! Our chamber of commerce brought in 100 billion this time."

Mr. Qian patted his bulging crocodile skin bag and grinned so hard that his back teeth were showing.

"Even if we have to throw money at it, we'll smash a crater in Jingzhou!"

The group looked at each other and burst into laughter, as if they could already see the gleaming silver flowing into their pockets.

Unfortunately, their arrogance didn't last more than forty-eight hours.

The Jingzhou High-tech Industrial Park, the Chamber of Commerce just spent a lot of money to acquire Plot No. 3.

Standing in the makeshift command post, General Manager Qian angrily slammed his safety helmet to the ground.

"What's going on! I've offered 1.5 times the market rate, and I can't even find a bricklayer in the entire Jingzhou?"

The project manager across from me was wiping the cold sweat from his forehead, stammering as he spoke.

"Mr. Qian, we really can't find anyone."

"The Lingxiao Consortium is offering triple the base salary and covering medical care for the whole family. Now, all the workers in Handong are relying on Master Yan for their livelihood."

The project manager swallowed hard, his face filled with despair.

"The foremen just said it themselves: anyone who dares to take jobs from us outsiders is taking away the livelihoods of the people of Handong!"

"Bullshit! If you can't find anyone, go find someone from somewhere else!" Boss Qian roared through gritted teeth, the veins on his neck throbbing.

The words had barely left his mouth when a muffled "bang" was heard.

Suddenly, a burst of sparks erupted from the power supply box of the temporary command post, plunging the surroundings into darkness.

Immediately afterwards, the logistics supervisor rushed in, stumbling and crawling.

Using the dim light from his phone screen, he started yelling at the top of his lungs.

"It's terrible, Mr. Qian! The power company just cut off all our power!"

"Cut off the power? I paid five million in prepaid electricity fees, what right do they have to cut it off!"

Mr. Qian stared wide-eyed, his blood pressure suddenly spiked to the top of his head.

"They said...that our construction equipment does not meet Lingxiao Energy's new environmental protection standards."

The logistics manager, with a mournful face, added an even more alarming piece of news.

"Not only the electricity, but even the water pipes were filled in by dump trucks!"

"I'm going to their municipal party committee! I brought 100 billion yuan to invest, and this is their attitude?" President Qian was so anxious he was jumping up and down.

"Don't mention Mr. Qian, the city doesn't care at all."

The project manager sighed and pointed to the empty road outside.

"I was thinking of buying some boxed lunches from a roadside vendor to tide me over, but when the vendor heard we were competing with Ling Xiao for land..."

"They won't even sell us a plain steamed bun! And they even splashed me with water used to wash vegetables!"

Mr. Qian's vision went black, his legs went weak, and he almost collapsed to the ground.

This isn't an investment to build a factory; it's like being thrown onto a deserted island!

Meanwhile, on the 88th floor of the Lingxiao Building.

Lin Yubing held a steaming cup of black coffee, coldly looking down in the direction of the science park.

"President Lin, these bosses from Jiangsu, Zhejiang and Shanghai are going crazy."

The assistant flipped open the tablet in his hand and quickly recited a series of data.

"Every day, the penalties for breach of contract due to work stoppage and the cost of idle equipment alone amount to 40 to 50 million yuan."

Lin Yubing raised her red lips slightly, revealing a disdainful sneer.

"Master Yan said before he left that the door should be welded shut. Since you dared to stick your foot in, don't even think about leaving unscathed."

Her fingers tapped rhythmically on the solid wood tabletop.

"Go tell the local building material suppliers. Anyone who dares to sell a single bag of cement to these out-of-towners can get out of Handong tomorrow."

A bloodless "economic siege" has driven these billionaires to the brink of despair.

Another day passed, in the presidential suite of the Jingzhou International Hotel.

The room was filled with smoke, so thick that it was hard to open one's eyes.

Mr. Qian, along with several business owners, huddled on the sofa like defeated roosters.

"Is this supposed to be business?! They're trying to suffocate us!"

Mr. Sun clutched his thinning hair, his eyes bloodshot from staying up all night.

The real economy has been completely and utterly blocked.

They couldn't find workers, couldn't get water or electricity, and couldn't even get a contractor to come.

The Lingxiao Consortium did not use any underworld methods at all.

All of these were legitimate business barriers and suppression of public opinion, which dealt them a direct blow.

Just when everyone was feeling disheartened, the encrypted phone on Mr. Qian's desk suddenly rang.

The caller ID displayed a name that struck fear into the hearts of the domestic capital market.

The mastermind behind China's top speculative trading alliance—affectionately known as "Old Xu the Third".

Mr. Qian, as if grasping at a lifeline, quickly pressed the speakerphone button.

"Old Xu, this is a tough nut to crack in Handong. Our business is really too much for us to crack."

The first sound on the other end of the phone was a casual shuffling of cards.

Immediately following was Xu Laosan's sinister yet manic laughter.

"Mr. Qian, don't panic. We can't compete with that guy surnamed Yan in the physical business, but we can try a different approach."

Mr. Qian was stunned for a moment, then sat up straight abruptly.

"you mean……"

"Didn't your chamber of commerce bring 100 billion? Give me 50 billion in hot money, and I'll bring my brothers in."

Xu Laosan exhaled a smoke ring, his tone revealing the arrogance of a gambler.

"As long as we short the listed companies in Handong in the stock market, we can smash their financial systems to pieces."

He paused, his voice turning as cold as a venomous snake.

"I guarantee I'll get all the money you lost back from Ling Xiao, with interest!"