Cross-Province Orders

The chaos in the ward subsided.

The nurse reattached Zheng Dong's IV drip and put on an oxygen tube. Before leaving, she hesitated, but finally whispered, "Don't get angry again." The secretary carefully cleaned up the broken pieces of the cell phone on the floor and placed a spare phone on the bedside table.

Zheng Dong leaned against the pillow, his eyes closed. The anesthesia had worn off, and the dull pain in his chest became clear again, pounding against his ribs with each heartbeat. But he couldn't feel the pain now, or rather, the pain had become a kind of background noise, covered by something stronger and more burning.

humiliation.

Like scalding asphalt poured down his head, it smeared his mouth and nose, seeping into every pore. Lin Feng's last words, that calm, slightly weary tone, kept replaying in his mind:

"What caught Dongbei was your own lies, the fire you started, the knife you stabbed yourselves in."

knife.

"Yes," Zheng Dong smirked in the darkness. "But weren't you the one who first picked up the knife? Why should I be burned alive just because you said, 'It's a bit hot in here'?"

The phone vibrated on the bedside table, and the screen lit up. It was a message from the secretary. "Chairman Zheng, I've contacted Director Liu. He said he'll call you back later. Please rest."

Zheng Dong didn't reply. He opened his eyes and stared at the blurry spots of light on the ceiling.

Rest? How can he rest? All he sees when he closes his eyes is the ever-decreasing stock price curve, the empty store surveillance footage, and the overwhelming mockery and memes online. And then there's the endless stream of questions in the shareholder group, like a death knell.

He had to do something. He couldn't wait any longer.

He pulled out the oxygen tube, endured the dizziness, sat up, and reached for his spare phone. His finger swiped through the contacts, finding a name: Liu Zhenguo.

A powerful division-level cadre in the N Province Political and Legal Affairs Commission, who is technically the son-in-law of his distant cousin. A few years ago, when Dongbei was expanding, it encountered some trouble from local protectionism in N Province. Zheng Dong used his connections to get in touch with this person, gave gifts, and "helped" him with some "small favors," thus establishing a tacit relationship. In the past two years, the gifts have never stopped during holidays.

The phone rang seven or eight times before being answered.

"Hello?" Liu Zhenguo's voice carried the usual composure of an official, with a hint of barely perceptible detachment. "Xiao Zheng, so late?"

"Director Liu, I'm sorry to bother you." Zheng Dong's voice was still hoarse, but he tried to control his tone. "I have something urgent to ask for your help with."

"Go ahead," Liu Zhenguo said calmly.

Zheng Dong quickly recounted the situation, albeit a embellished version: A legal assistant from out of town (S City), harboring resentment after a dispute with Dongbei, spread numerous false rumors online, defaming Dongbei's reputation and hiring online trolls to launch malicious attacks, causing Dongbei's stock price to plummet and its business to the brink of collapse. Dongbei's repeated attempts to communicate with the other party were unsuccessful, and the other party remained arrogant. Dongbei has now collected sufficient evidence to prove that the other party's actions constitute suspected commercial defamation and other illegal and criminal activities, and hopes that the police in N Province can file a case according to law and assist in the cross-provincial arrest of the suspect.

He spoke quickly, his chest tightening with shortness of breath, but his logic was clear and his points were prominent—the key points being "outsiders," "malicious defamation," "causing significant economic losses," and "conclusive evidence."

There was a moment of silence on the other end of the phone.

"Xiao Zheng," Liu Zhenguo began slowly, "This matter... according to procedure, should be under the jurisdiction of the public security bureau where your company is located, or where the infringement occurred. Moreover, arresting someone across provinces involves complicated procedures, requiring sufficient evidence for filing a case and letters of cooperation."

"We understand the procedures," Zheng Dong said immediately. "We will follow all the necessary procedures and complete all the necessary formalities immediately. The evidence, police report, and economic loss assessment will be ready by our legal department tonight. Director Liu, Dongbei is a local enterprise in N Province, a major taxpayer, and has created countless jobs. Now it's been brought down by an outsider using such despicable means. I can't swallow this, both publicly and privately!"

He paused, lowered his voice, and said with a hint of pleading and barely perceptible implication, "Director Liu, I know this matter is difficult for you. But Dongbei is truly at a critical juncture right now. As long as we can bring the person back, clarify the matter, and clear Dongbei's name, everyone at Dongbei will never forget your great kindness. In the future... if there's anything you need, just let us know."

There was another silence on the phone, broken only by a faint static. Zheng Dong held his breath, his fingers gripping the bedsheet tightly.

Finally, Liu Zhenguo grunted an "Mmm," his voice still devoid of emotion. "Make sure the materials are thoroughly prepared. Tomorrow morning, have your people deliver the materials to Captain Wang of the Economic Crime Investigation Division of the Municipal Public Security Bureau. Just say I asked you to deliver them. I'll put in a good word. But one thing, Xiao Zheng, the procedures must be compliant, and the evidence must be solid. The higher-ups are cracking down hard right now; we can't leave any leverage."

"Understood! Thank you so much, Director Liu!" Zheng Dong breathed a sigh of relief and thanked him repeatedly. "Rest assured, it's absolutely compliant, and the evidence is absolutely solid!"

"That's all. Take care of yourself." Liu Zhenguo didn't say anything more and hung up the phone.

Putting down his phone, Zheng Dong leaned against the headboard, panting heavily. His forehead was covered in cold sweat, but his eyes shone with a sickly light.

It's done.

He pressed the call button. A moment later, the secretary pushed open the door and came in, looking anxious.

"Chairman Zheng, you called me?"

"Come here." Zheng Dong beckoned, and as his secretary approached, he lowered his voice and quickly instructed, "Return to the company immediately. Have Wang Qian from the legal department lead the effort to prepare materials overnight: all screenshots, screen recordings, and notarized documents related to Lin Feng's online false statements and hiring of online trolls to attack Dongbei. A report assessing the economic losses suffered by Dongbei as a result is also needed quickly. Find our cooperating accounting firm, and make the figures... inflate them, but have supporting evidence. Also, prepare a police report accusing Lin Feng of commercial defamation, damaging business reputation, and causing huge economic losses, requesting an investigation and cross-provincial detention."

The secretary turned pale, her lips trembling slightly. "Chairman Zheng, this... this material... some of the accusations... we don't have conclusive evidence to prove that Lin Feng himself hired online trolls, those IP addresses..."

"If there's no evidence, create it!" Zheng Dong's eyes instantly turned fierce. "Give the online marketing company money and have them issue a certificate saying the employer's IP address points to S City and matches Lin Feng's address! Don't you understand?!"

"But Chairman Zheng, what if we get caught fabricating evidence..." The secretary's voice was trembling with tears.

"Found out?" Zheng Dong stared at him, a vicious smile twisting his lips. "Dongbei's about to die, who cares if he finds out or not? Old Liu has already agreed. As long as the materials are submitted and the procedures are followed, we'll get him here first! Once he's in N Province, on our turf, we'll have plenty of ways to make him talk!"

He looked at his secretary's pale face, softened his tone, but the madness in his eyes remained undiminished. "Xiao Wang, you've been with me for eight years. Dongbei is doing well, how can you be doing badly? If Dongbei goes under, think about what will happen to your mortgage? What will happen to your child's schooling? Hmm?"

The secretary swayed, lowered his head, and gripped the hem of his clothes tightly with his fingers. A few seconds later, he raised his head, and the struggle in his eyes was slowly replaced by a desperate, resigned look.

"... I understand, Chairman Zheng," he said in a hoarse voice. "I'll take care of it right away."

"Also," Zheng Dong added, "Contact the security department and pick a few quick-witted, unfamiliar faces to go to S City tomorrow. Have them follow Captain Wang's orders. Remember, they must 'cooperate' with the police, but also ensure... the person is brought back."

"Yes." The secretary nodded, turned and quickly left the ward, her Back View some haste.

The door closed, and the ward fell silent once more.

Zheng Dong lay back down, staring at the ceiling. The liquid in the IV drip dripped down, like a countdown.

He recalled Lin Feng's calm, detached tone on the phone.

"You've stabbed yourselves in the back."

Zheng Dong laughed silently, a twisted smile.

Let's see who this knife will ultimately kill.

He picked up his backup phone and sent Zhao Bin a message: "Starting tomorrow, all public relations activities are suspended. The official statement is that the company has reported the online defamation to the police and believes the law will clear Dongbei. While cooperating with the police investigation, we will not respond to any media inquiries."

After sending the message, he turned off his phone and closed his eyes.

My chest still ached, but the burning humiliation seemed to have been replaced by a cold, blood-tinged excitement.

law?

program?

Of course, he had to follow the procedures. He had to do it openly and flawlessly. At least, on the surface, that was the case.

When that arrogant brat is handcuffed, stuffed into a car, and leaves S City, stepping onto the border of N Province, he will understand that some games are not for him.

There are some truths he can't say.

The night outside the window was as thick as ink. The city lights in the distance flickered, like countless silent eyes.

Zheng Dong waited in the darkness.

Waiting for tomorrow.

Waiting for the soft click of the handcuffs closing.