Smartphone reading Pingcheng City, the airport. Eight Zero E-book A man wearing large sunglasses walks toward the boarding gate, dragging a suitcase. His phone rings—he pulls it out from his pocket and heads to a quiet corner. "Hello, Go Zihao, right? The mission is complete. I’ll be leaving China shortly. You need to transfer the remaining funds to my account… What? You said again? The target was clearly killed—how is he still alive?" While on the phone, the man walks toward the entrance, saying, "Don’t worry. Our Blood Shadow Assassins have always kept our word. I’ll carry out a second assassination right away!" On the other end of the line, Go Zihao sits in a luxurious private room of a high-end hotel. Before hanging up, he says, "I hope this time you don’t let me down. The first assassination failed—there’s no guarantee the other side won’t be on guard. I recommend you take extra care this time." "Just after hanging up the phone, the guests were pushed in from outside by the server, greeted by a senior official. "Comrade Lian has arrived! Please, please—we've been waiting for you all along," said Gao Zihao with a warm smile. The visitor was Lian Mingfei, the Party Secretary of Pingluan City. "Little Gao, it's been over ten years since we last saw each other—back then, you were still a primary school student. How remarkable you've grown! Now you're a big business executive." Lian and Gao had known each other for a long time. Gao came from a once-prominent but now-dwindling leadership family, and during the early stages of his career, Lian had always been a regular guest at the Gao household. "Actually, I don't think I've grown as much as you, Comrade Lian. In just over a decade, you've risen to become the top leader of a mid-sized city in the central region of China." Gao quickly helped Lian sit down and said, "My future business ventures will truly depend on your continued support!" Lian waved his hand with confidence and said, "Don't worry— "No matter when the city party secretary visits, he always forgets nothing but to pursue investment projects, adding more strokes to his performance achievements. Go Zihao sat beside him, smiling and saying, "My business portfolio is quite diverse—I've acquired several local enterprises, so funding injections are certain. At the same time, I'll also invest in other sectors, such as real estate and finance!" Upon hearing this, Lian Mingfei immediately became even more enthusiastic, saying, "Don't forget to leave me your business card—I'll assign a dedicated person to discuss investment opportunities with you. Rest assured, with Lian Uncle's support, you won't be shortchanged at all!" Fine dishes and premium wines filled the table, perfectly matching the warm and lively atmosphere of their meeting. In the adjacent dining room, Qin Feng was enjoying his meal heartily, with Shu Jinghua sitting beside him, while He Muqing and Luo Man sat across from him. The three women dined with grace, standing in sharp contrast to Qin Feng's enthusiastic, almost hungry, eating style. "Qin Feng, who exactly is it that wants to kill you?" asked the leader. He hadn't even had time to divert his attention when Roman spoke up first, "He mustn't know how many enemies he has—how many people are out there determined to take his life!" Qin, the young magnate, scoffed, "Among them, you're definitely one. If I die, you won't have to repay your debts, right?" The beautiful manager countered firmly, "Of course—I'd love to get rid of my massive debts all at once. That's exactly what I hope for. But heaven seems so blind. As the saying goes, 'Good people don't live long; misfortunes thrive for centuries.' It seems that saying was especially written for you!" The leader and the policewoman both smiled warmly. The leader added, "Manman, your remark is absolutely spot-on. He's truly a century-long misfortune—no one knows how many people he'll harm throughout his life. By the way, Qin, the company's performance has been excellent lately, hasn't it? We're making solid profits. Why don't you lend us a hand? We're so strapped for cash—we're practically down to our trousers!" "Qin Feng chuckled, "That's great! From now on, I'll be the one supporting you all—don't worry, I won't buy you new pants. Of course, I won't let you go bare-bottomed either—ha ha!" Leader He waved his arms vigorously, "Don't distort my meaning! Saying that we're poor enough to wear our pants as a sacrifice isn't really about being so broke that we can't afford pants at all. Isn't that exactly what you're implying? If you dare to say again that I made Manman beat you up!" "Why me?" Romana said, eyes blazing, "I can't even beat him!" "Of course not," Leader He replied, recalling the time he'd been beaten on the buttocks by him. A gentle blush crept onto his cheeks. Qin Feng swallowed a bite of red braised pork and smiled, "Why don't I put my selfless, always-ready-to-help spirit into action and manage to keep you both on my payroll—how about that?" The two women stared at him with wide eyes. Qin, the younger son, deliberately changed the subject, calling out to the waiter at the door, "Our dishes haven't arrived yet—there's still one crystal-glazed trotter dish missing. If it doesn't come soon, we'll have to cancel it!" The waiter quickly responded politely, "I've already checked and urged the kitchen—just a moment, just a moment!" Qin Feng, sharp-eyed, noticed that on a tray carried by a male waiter, there was indeed a serving of crystal-glazed trotter, which he had assumed was his. To his surprise, however, the waiter carried it directly into the adjacent dining room. "What does this mean?" Qin Feng exclaimed, his voice rising. The room next door had ordered their dishes later than theirs. Even if the dishes were the same, it should have been their room that received them first. The waiter continued to deflect, repeating the familiar, often unconvincing phrase—spoken by both parties, yet rarely believed—"It will be ready shortly, shortly!" Qin Feng could only imagine that the hotel's arrangement must have some deeper intention behind it. Alright, if I can't have it, the guest next door won't either. He placed his hand on the wall, guiding the qi outward, along the wall all the way to the ceiling, and snapped the expansion bolts securing the chandelier. Below the chandelier, Gong Zi Hao pointed to the newly arrived dish and introduced, "This is our hotel's most famous crystal trotter—made from cow hooves, deer hooves, and snow ginseng. It's a complex process and very nourishing!" Lian Mingfei had already tasted this dish on more than one occasion. To honor Gong Zi Hao's genuine enthusiasm, he smiled and said, "Such a fine dish—let's both try it together, huh?" "Then, Uncle Lian, you go first," Gong Zi Hao had picked up his chopsticks, yet remained courteous, politely inviting the party leader to begin. Lian Mingfei took a piece of snow ginseng, about to bring it to his mouth, when suddenly a loud "crack" echoed from above. As he raised his head, a sharp "pop" sounded, and the metal-glass chandelier, with a diameter exceeding one meter, fell straight down, crashing directly onto him. "Uncle Lian, please get out of the way..." Lian Mingfei was stunned. Before he could react, he was hit squarely, and instantly his vision blurred—blood gushed out from a large wound on the side of his forehead. The blow was powerful, and he collapsed ungracefully onto the chair. "Uncle Lian, are you all right? Wait, where is the server? Where is the server? We need to call for emergency medical help right away!"