Nominal: Hou Liangping blocking the door? He was slapped away!

Hong Kong, Mid-Levels villa.

The night view of Victoria Harbour is dazzling, unfolding a colorful tapestry outside the huge floor-to-ceiling windows.

Zhao Ruilong, however, had no interest in appreciating it.

He hung up the phone with Cheng Du and paced anxiously back and forth on the empty terrace, his Italian handmade leather shoes creaking on the floor.

"Useless! A bunch of good-for-nothings who can accomplish nothing but ruin everything!"

He cursed under his breath and kicked over the beach chair next to him.

The ripples in the pool reflected his face, which was contorted with fear.

Bright Peak.

That damn Bright Peak project.

He knew better than anyone what kind of mess was buried underground.

Once it's exposed, the sky will fall.

That so-called main urban drainage ditch was nothing but a facade, a prop used to pass inspections and fraudulently obtain government funding.

In order to save that huge sum of money on the project, they filled it haphazardly with construction waste and substandard cement.

Once this matter is confirmed by video, and the truth is revealed, not only Zhao Ruilong's political career, but even his father Zhao Lichun's could be affected.

This is not merely corruption; it is a catastrophe capable of threatening the lives of hundreds of thousands, even millions, in Jingzhou.

He grabbed the cell phone specifically for one-way communication, his fingertips turning white from the force.

He had to tell his father about this.

Only a father could possibly quell this fire that had already reached his eyebrows.

After hesitating for a long time, he finally dialed the number he both respected and feared with trembling hands.

Study room in Building No. 1, Hantong Provincial Party Committee Compound.

Zhao Lichun was wearing reading glasses and reviewing a report on the province's economic situation.

The red phone on the table rang. He glanced at the caller ID, took off his glasses, and answered it.

His tone was flat, revealing no emotion.

"What's wrong so late?"

On the other end of the phone, Zhao Ruilong's voice came through, suppressing his panic.

"Dad...something's happened, something really bad."

Zhao Ruilong dared not hide anything and told the whole story of what had happened at the Guangming District Branch.

From Cheng Du leading his men to arrest Zhang Xiao, to Shen Zhong leading his troops to surround the branch office, to the criminal police captain being shot dead on the spot, and finally to that fatal video evidence.

He spoke incoherently, his voice trembling with a sob he himself was unaware of.

The study was very quiet.

Zhao Lichun remained silent, simply listening attentively.

After Zhao Ruilong finished speaking, a long silence fell on the other end of the phone.

A full half minute passed.

Zhao Ruilong could only hear his father's heavy and suppressed breathing, which came through the electric current, each breath striking his heart.

He was so frightened that he didn't dare to breathe, his palms were covered in cold sweat, and he waited for the thunderous wrath he had anticipated.

The expected roar did not come.

Zhao Lichun's voice rang out again, without anger or rebuke, but instead became unusually calm, so calm that it sent a chill down one's spine.

"Shen Zhong... He's like Xiang Zhuang performing a sword dance, his real target is Liu Bang."

"Ruilong, you still don't understand?"

"A mere reporter and a video are not his goals at all."

"What he wants is the entire Guangming Peak project, the face of me as the provincial party secretary, and the foundation that our Zhao family has built in Handong for decades."

Zhao Ruilong trembled at his father's cold words.

He then realized that he had only seen the fire in front of him, while his father had seen the arsonist behind him.

"Dad, what... what do we do now?"

"Is there a backup of that video? Can we find a way to destroy the original?" Zhao Lichun asked the most crucial question.

Zhao Ruilong's voice was filled with despair.

"The degree has been completely controlled by Shen Zhong, and we can't contact him at all."

"I can't be sure, but for him to act so openly, there must be something on his phone."

"Someone has to go to the scene, rescue his people, and bring the situation under control!"

Zhao Lichun paced back and forth in the study.

"Jingzhou is Li Dakang's territory. He couldn't possibly be unaware of such a huge mess."

"I bet he's on his way to the Bright District now."

Zhao Ruilong felt like he had grasped a lifeline.

"Yes! Li Dakang! Let Li Dakang go! The Guangming Peak project is his main project; he will never let it go wrong!"

"Foolish!"

Zhao Lichun gave a low shout.

"Li Dakang is not a fool."

"He and Shen Zhong have been at odds recently, but it's all within the rules. Although Guangming Peak is his political achievement project, he has no idea about the real situation beneath Guangming Peak."

Zhao Lichun's analysis was like a bucket of ice water, extinguishing the last glimmer of hope in Zhao Ruilong's heart.

"If he knew the truth, the first person to jump out and accuse us would be Li Dakang! He would do everything he could to sever ties with us."

Zhao Ruilong panicked completely.

"Then... what should we do? Dad, we can't just stand by and watch Shen Zhong take everyone away. Once we get to the military region, we won't have any room to maneuver. If the video really exists, we won't be able to withstand it."

Zhao Lichun stopped and looked out at the dark night.

The rain was still falling, tapping against the windowpane.

"To resolve this situation, we can't use our own people; we need to drag more people down with us and make the fire burn even brighter. The higher-ups won't allow Shen Zhong to act so recklessly!"

"Since it involves the political and legal system, it should be resolved by the political and legal system itself; that would be the most legitimate and proper way."

Zhao Ruilong's mind raced, and he blurted out the answer.

"Gao Yuliang?"

"It's him, but it's not him. Without absolute certainty, he won't easily step down. However, his protégé, Qi Tongwei, seems very eager to improve."

Zhao Lichun's tone conveyed an undeniable decisiveness.

"With the deputy director of the provincial public security bureau stepping in to rescue the person, it is perfectly legitimate for them to demand the person back from Shen Zhong."

"He's reached this level because he knows what he should and shouldn't do."

"Listen carefully," Zhao Lichun's tone turned stern.

"From now on, you'd better stay in Hong Kong and not go anywhere else."

"Don't ask a single question about what's happening in Handong, and don't contact anyone else."

"Did you understand?"

Zhao Ruilong nodded repeatedly, feeling as if he had been granted a pardon.

"I understand, Dad! I'll be more careful from now on and won't cause you any more trouble."

Zhao Lichun didn't say anything more and hung up the phone directly.

He walked to the window, looked at the streetlights in the provincial party committee compound, which had been washed clean by the rain, and a long-lost ruthlessness flashed in his eyes.

Heavy.

This young man has become the biggest threat in his mind.

This time, he not only wanted to protect Ruilong, but also wanted to take this opportunity to completely break Shen Zhong's reach into Handong.

Zhao Lichun turned around and went back to his desk, picked up the red phone, and dialed a number.

The phone was answered after ringing twice.

"This is Zhao Lichun, the provincial party secretary. Tongwei, are you asleep?"

"There's an urgent mission that concerns the future of our Handong."

"You need to take care of it."