Seeing that the director still showed no reaction, Chen Gang's expression turned cold and vicious. "Director Zhou, do you truly have no interest in money or beautiful women, or do you simply refuse to show me, Liu, any respect?"
As he spoke, he pulled out a "pistol" and slapped it down on the desk.
"Three days. I'll give you three days to consider whether you want to be a friend or an enemy, Director Zhou. In three days, I expect a satisfactory answer!"
After those words, silence settled over the director's office.
One second passed, then two, then several more.
Director Zhou, who had been waiting for him to continue, finally asked, "And then?"
Chen Gang regained his usual composure and answered in a hoarse voice, "Then it depends on what you choose, Director!"
"Refuse, of course. And then?" Zhou Yi replied without hesitation.
"Then Zhang Hao usually resorts to one of two methods. First, he sends his men to follow and watch you, looking for weaknesses. Or he targets your family and friends, threatening their lives and, depending on the circumstances, using violence to force you into submission."
"Second, he may draw on his connections in the city or the province to persecute you through official channels, either putting you behind bars or driving you out of Changning!"
Chen Gang delivered his answer with the utmost seriousness.
"What if I give in?" Director Zhou asked with a smile.
Neither method surprised him in the slightest. Just as he had his standard approach to cracking down on organized crime, criminal gangs relied on the same handful of tricks against government officials.
Yet those tricks had become standard precisely because countless cases had proven them to be the most effective methods available.
Some officials had tremendous confidence and firm convictions, believing