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

"Convene an emergency Party committee meeting immediately! Everyone, come to my office right now!"

A few minutes later, the atmosphere in the top-floor conference room of the Supreme People's Procuratorate became extremely tense.

A dozen or so figures, representing the highest authority in China's procuratorial system, sat upright, but none of them uttered a word.

The official letter from the General Office of the Central Military Commission circulated among them.

After everyone saw it, their faces turned extremely ugly.

The language was harsh, the attitude was tough, and every word exuded an air of ruthlessness that left no room for argument.

This is no longer a negotiation, it's an ultimatum!

Zhang Xiangyang felt extremely uncomfortable at that moment.

He knew that he was now firmly tied to Hou Liangping's ship.

He personally promoted his capable subordinates, and he personally signed off on the reports!

Now, the bomb is right under his feet!

If we don't cut him now, he'll be blown to pieces!

In the moment when everyone was silent, he suddenly stood up.

The chair scraped against the floor with a screeching sound, drawing everyone's attention.

"Distinguished leaders! Comrades!"

The big boss's face was filled with heartbreaking grief and indignation, and his voice carried a righteous and awe-inspiring rage.

"I apologize! It's my fault for misjudging people! It's my dereliction of duty! I was blind to allow a black sheep like Hou Liangping, a disgrace to our team, to reach this position today!"

With his first words, he absolved himself of all responsibility while simultaneously condemning Hou Liangping to the deepest abyss.

He pointed to the copy of the report on the table, his fingers trembling.

"Look at what he's done! He's turning the sacred public office entrusted to him by the people into a tool for his own factional infighting and suppressing his colleagues!"

"He has tarnished the honor of our entire prosecutor's team! He has destroyed the unbreakable bond between us and our comrades in the military!"

"This kind of person is a cancer on our team! A boil on our body!"

"I propose! No, I request the organization! Immediately! Right now! Remove Hou Liangping from his post and investigate him severely! Absolutely! Without leniency! We must give our comrades in the military an explanation!"

His words were delivered with a strong tone and resounding force.

In the conference room, the other bigwigs looked at his textbook-level "tearful execution of Ma Su" with a sense of disdain in their hearts, but they all showed expressions of approval on their faces.

"Zhang Xiangyang is right. This matter is too serious and must be dealt with seriously."

"I agree, we absolutely cannot let one bad apple spoil the whole bunch!"

Sacrificing Hou Liangping to quell the military's anger became the consensus of everyone within seconds.

He was once a pawn used to attack others, but at this moment, he has been completely reduced to a discarded pawn used to quell trouble.

After listening to everyone's statements, the top leader rubbed his temples wearily.

He knew this was only the first step.

His gaze fell on Zhang Xiangyang, who was giving a passionate speech.

"It's not enough for us to handle it internally. We need to make the right gesture."

"Old Zhang, since you personally promoted Hou Liangping, you will be in charge of handling this matter."

The top leader's voice was devoid of any emotion.

"You personally lead the team to Comrade Shen Zhong's home, apologize in person, and clearly inform him of our decision."

"We must make sure the other party sees our sincerity."

Zhang Xiangyang's face instantly turned a deep liver color.

Why would you send a high-ranking official like him, a vice-ministerial level official, to apologize to a young major general?

This is practically rubbing his face in the ground!

But looking at the leader's uncompromising gaze, he could only squeeze out a few words through gritted teeth.

"Yes, sir, I'll take care of it right away."

That afternoon.

Several low-profile black Hongqi sedans quietly drove into the residential compound on the Second Ring Road.

Zhang Xiangyang straightened his collar, looked up at the slightly old residential building in front of him, and felt a mix of emotions.

He took a deep breath and, accompanied by several equally tense subordinates, walked to Shen Zhong's doorstep.

He raised his hand, hesitated for a moment, and then gently knocked on the door.

"Thump, thump."

The voice wasn't loud, but it carried an indescribable sense of humility.

The door opened.

Shen Zhong stood behind the door, dressed in simple home clothes, his face expressionless.

Those eyes calmly swept over the crowd outside the door, without surprise or anger, as if they were just looking at a few insignificant strangers.

Zhang Xiangyang had prepared a string of polite words all the way, but at this moment, they were stuck in his throat, and he couldn't utter a single word.

In the presence of this excessively young major general, all his official authority and composure melted away like ice and snow under the scorching sun.

"Comrade Shen... Comrade Shen Zhong," he said with difficulty.

Shen Zhong didn't speak, but silently stepped aside to clear the way to the doorway.

A silent invitation.

Zhang Xiangyang felt an invisible pressure bearing down on him. He lowered his head and led the others in step by step.

In the living room, He Xia was sitting on the sofa. When she saw them come in, she stood up.

Zhang Xiangyang didn't dare to sit down. He stood straight in the center of the living room and bowed deeply to Shen Zhong and He Xia.

"Major General Shen, Comrade He Xia! I extend my sincerest and deepest apologies to you both!"

His voice was hoarse and filled with regret.

"It's our fault for inadequate supervision; there's a bad apple in our team! Hou Liangping abused his power and knowingly broke the law, causing you both immense trouble and harm. We feel deeply ashamed and extremely remorseful!"

Shen Zhong walked to the sofa and sat down, gesturing for He Xia to sit down as well.

He remained silent throughout.

He just listened quietly, and his calm gaze made Zhang Xiangyang feel increasingly uncertain.

Silence is a more terrifying weapon than roaring.

Cold sweat was already trickling down Zhang Xiangyang's forehead.

He could only grit his teeth and continue, "The Party Committee of the Academy held a meeting this morning and made a preliminary decision. It was decided to remove Hou Liangping from all his posts, including as Director of the Investigation Division of the Anti-Corruption Bureau, and to accept further investigation by the organization!"

He presented the outcome and nervously observed Shen Zhong's reaction.

However, Shen Zhong's face remained completely expressionless.

It was as if, to him, this decision, which was enough to ruin the political life of a division-level cadre, was nothing more than a trivial matter.

Zhang Xiangyang's heart sank little by little.

He knew the other party was not satisfied.

The living room was deathly quiet.

Just when Zhang Xiangyang was about to be overwhelmed by the pressure, Shen Zhong finally spoke.

He picked up the teacup on the table and gently stroked it, but his gaze was fixed on Zhang Xiangyang.

"His problem," the deep voice said calmly, revealing neither joy nor anger, "is it merely a matter of work style?"

This question struck Zhang Xiangyang like a hammer blow to the heart.

His calves started to feel weak.

Shen Zhong continued in that calm tone, "Isn't someone behind him directing him?"

Zhang Xiangyang broke out in a cold sweat in an instant!

He understood that Shen Zhong was not satisfied with dealing with just Hou Liangping!

What he wants is to follow this line and uproot the people behind it!

"Major General Shen, rest assured!" Zhang Xiangyang blurted out, his voice trembling slightly, "We will definitely investigate thoroughly! We will show no leniency! We will give you a satisfactory explanation!"

Seeing his expression, Shen Zhong put down his teacup with a soft thud.

Just then, the red encrypted phone on the coffee table suddenly vibrated.

Shen Zhong picked up the phone and glanced at the caller ID.

He answered the phone in front of everyone.

His entire aura seemed to subtly change the moment the call connected.

The oppressive feeling that had been directed at Zhang Xiangyang had disappeared, replaced by a calm and businesslike atmosphere.

"Former boss."

He listened to the voice on the other end of the phone and nodded.

Zhang Xiangyang and the others stood still, even holding their breath, not daring to make the slightest sound.

Then, they heard Shen Zhong speak into the phone in a casual, work-like tone:

"How's the handover process going in Handong?"