In name only: The land of Handong, I shall rule its fate.

"Director Hou..."

Wang Jun was surprised to see the visitor. Hou Liangping, who was engrossed in reading the classics in his room, had actually come over on his own initiative.

"A call from Captain Wang of the Economic Crime Investigation Team?"

Hou Liangping casually found a seat and plopped down. "Captain Wang called me first. I guessed you might be in some trouble, so I came to check on you."

"Yes."

Wang Jun felt ashamed and embarrassed, never expecting that he would need to ask his boss for help right from the start.

"When you're at a loss, try going for a walk."

Hou Liangping brewed himself a cup of tea and said slowly, "The outside world will give you the answer."

Wang Jun was puzzled.

"This is what a senior colleague told me when I first joined the Anti-Corruption Bureau and was having trouble solving cases."

Hou Liangping laughed and said, "The world whispers different secrets to each person. Whether you can hear them and what you can hear depends on your ears."

"Let's go for a walk."

"The team leader, Huang Hao, and the comrades from the Discipline Inspection Team will verify the filing documents."

"I'll keep an eye on it too."

Hou Liangping finished his cup of tea and left again.

Watching the departing figure, Wang Jun finally changed into civilian clothes and walked out of the Municipal Procuratorate.

Ling Chamber of Commerce…

As a new type of chamber of commerce, its members are mainly small and medium-sized new enterprises, and its scale is not large.

However, their combined influence is considerable, with their product chain covering all aspects of the daily lives of Diaozhou citizens, from small department stores to large RVs.

Its brand recognition is even greater than that of many leading companies.

but…

This has a bad reputation.

It's related to Feng Beibei and the group of spoiled brats she hangs out with, and it often disturbs the peace, but it hasn't affected the company's product sales at all.

The Ling Chamber of Commerce is able to establish itself on a very real basis, focusing on high-quality products at low prices. It is through this approach and several years of operation that it has managed to carve out a path for itself from the existing market structure.

Wang Jun was preoccupied with his own thoughts and absent-minded; he himself had no idea where he had wandered off to.

The weather in May is hot and dry.

My lips are dry.

Wang Jun then turned around and went into a convenience store to get water. The store was small and filled with shelves, making it difficult to turn around. There were a few people gathered in front of the counter, and a family of three seemed to be choosing something.

"Yes, we'll use the crescent-shaped power strip."

The father directly asked the boss to take the goods.

"Dad, choose a reputable brand! I've never even heard of this Crescent Moon brand before. Be careful of poor contact and short circuits."

The son, who looked like a high school student and was still wearing his school uniform, complained.

"Why do I need big brands! They're ridiculously expensive."

The old father suppressed the situation and lectured, "Crescent Moon is an old brand in our Diaozhou and a member of the Ling Chamber of Commerce. Its quality is well-known and its materials are very solid. Even the old power strip in your room that you've been using for three or four years is a Crescent Moon brand."

"If something was going to happen, it would have happened already."

"Son, listen to your dad. Crescent Moon power strips are good, and they're only two-thirds the price of big brands."

The family left noisily after shopping.

"Sorry to keep you waiting, sir."

The boss greeted us warmly.

"Boss, I have a question for you. The Ling Chamber of Commerce has a terrible reputation, so shouldn't their products be boycotted? Why do I see so many older residents of Lingzhou supporting the Chamber's brand? Is it just because their products are good quality and cheap?"

Wang Jun's question was perfectly timed, and it was asked entirely from the perspective of the Xin Diaozhou people, instantly bridging the gap between the two sides.

"Hi!"

The boss wasn't surprised. In recent years, with development, more and more people from other places have flocked in to become new citizens, especially young people. Many of them boycott the products of the Lingnan Chamber of Commerce. "We are just ordinary people. Naturally, we choose what is good and what is cheap."

"Of course not, I'm not aiding and abetting evil."

"The main problem is that the reputation of the Ling Chamber of Commerce is just that—a few good-for-nothing, ill-mannered young people who mess around outside, racing cars and throwing parties. They're kept in check by the Municipal Bureau, so they don't usually affect us."

"As long as no family can guarantee 100% that their children won't go astray or do anything illegal or criminal, that's fine."

"Young people are stubborn and can't understand, but we older folks have our own sense of right and wrong."

"However..."

The boss seemed to have thought of something and let out a long sigh.

"What's wrong?"

The king asked.

"It's nothing."

The shopkeeper shook his head, skillfully gave Wang Jun change and packed the money into a bag, and sighed, "I just don't know how long the Crescent Moon brand can last. Actually, the entire Ling Chamber of Commerce is like this."

"Buying things now is not the same as before. People seek beauty and novelty, but most of these things are flashy but impractical and of poor quality. Old-fashioned products like Crescent Moon, which are made with solid materials, are no longer in demand."

"Aside from the older generation in our area, how many people know about Crescent Moon? Nobody buys it, the profit margin is low, and the kids in my family aren't doing well. I'm afraid Crescent Moon won't last much longer."

Wang Jun was greatly puzzled, as this was completely different from what he had learned.

"Boss, didn't you say the Ling Chamber of Commerce is riding high? They're famous in Diaozhou, with a constant stream of buyers. How could a brand under the Ling Chamber of Commerce not sell?"

Wang Jun then asked.

"Wherever there are people, there is a world of its own!"

The boss glanced at him, as if to say that the young man was too young. "The Ling Chamber of Commerce is also divided into different groups. Some people are doing better and better, while others are doing worse and worse. The Ling Chamber of Commerce will only release good news and overall benefits to the outside world. We would never release the bad news to the public."

"That's how I opened this shop."

"I often deal with delivery drivers and learn about these inside stories."

"So, boss, you're saying the entire Ling Chamber of Commerce is finished?"

Wang Jun was like a curious child, asking one question after another, but he accurately hit the boss's desire to show off.

"Hey, sir, you don't understand, do you?"

The boss chuckled and said, "There's an old saying that goes, 'One general's success is built on the bones of ten thousand soldiers,' which also applies to the business world."

"Just like the Ling Chamber of Commerce."

"It was orchestrated by someone with ulterior motives, and in the end, it only strengthened the top players by stepping on ordinary manufacturers who genuinely wanted to band together for mutual support."

"The others!"

"They're all just firewood."

"Burning themselves, they gave fire and light to others."

Wang Jun seemed to be deep in thought.

"Boss, give me a crescent-shaped power strip too. We can't let this kind of reputable old brand disappear."

"Okay!"

"Here's your power strip, sir."

...

One evening, Wang Jun wandered through the streets and alleys, his hands full of shopping bags of all sizes, each containing products from brands under the Ling Chamber of Commerce, as well as various news items about the Ling Chamber of Commerce.

He made a huge mistake.

The Ling Chamber of Commerce is both a whole and an individual entity, but he subjectively regarded it as an intractable behemoth, making it difficult to truly penetrate its core.

"Meeting!"

Upon returning to the Municipal Procuratorate.

Wang Jun swiftly convened all members of the task force and issued action orders.

"One team narrowed the scope of the investigation and focused all its efforts on the leading companies of the Ling Chamber of Commerce, with a focus on investigating Lan's Department Store, Jiangling Real Estate, and Black Gold Wealth."

"The second team is investigating the brand information I brought back; I need to know their true financial situation."

"Get moving!"