Chen Fusheng straightened his back slightly, a barely perceptible glint of anger rising in his eyes.
Old Ghost... how could he possibly guide Qin Che to only connect with the Sand Castle Pavilion and bypass him?
“We have already completed the transaction with Mr. Qin, and I will be in charge of all grain supplies in Black Street.” Chen Fusheng stood up and slowly bowed to Sha Qingsui.
Sha Qingsui didn't look at him or say anything, but stared straight at Qin Che.
Qin Che smiled slightly. The cabinet did not want to see the radical party become a dictatorship, so it could only bypass Chen Fusheng and deal with the Black Street alone.
That's impossible.
Existing allies should be held tightly in one's grasp; bypassing Chen Fusheng would only make things more complicated.
In cities like Sandcastle, where factional strife is rampant, too many and complex supply chains can make them difficult to manage, and the behind-the-scenes struggles can become even more intense.
By establishing a dictatorship, one can achieve a transcendent position.
Sha Qingsui saw no sign of wavering in Qin Che's eyes, sighed, and waved her hand, saying, "Meeting adjourned."
A cabinet meeting rife with undercurrents ended as if it had been prematurely interrupted.
Fei Qing pulled Jiang Tianfeng and led his team of officials away quickly. Hu Jinglin slowly stood up, remaining silent as if the meeting had nothing to do with him. Before leaving, most of the Crocodile Head's henchmen gave Qin Che another look, still feeling lingering fear.
Only a few people retained a sense of contemplation and hesitation in their eyes...
Qin Che and Chen Fusheng exchanged a glance. Sha Qingsui's subordinate slowly walked up to him and said, "Mr. Qin, the leader requests your presence in his office for a private talk."
Chen Fusheng laughed and said, "Is there anything I can't let you know?"
Qin Che waved his hand, "You go first."
Chen Fusheng was taken aback, first puzzled, then suddenly realized...
“I’ll be waiting for you in my office,” he said.
"good."
After parting ways with Chen Fusheng, Qin Che followed Sha Qingsui's subordinates out of the council hall and into the leader's office.
The room was luxuriously decorated, with soft carpets, heating, a full set of wooden tables and chairs, and a comfortable sofa. Next to the bookshelf was a small coffee table with several bottles of clear, golden-yellow liquor on it.
Qin Che walked through a corridor guarded by six men and was led inside by Sha Qingsui's subordinates. Once the door closed, the sounds outside could no longer be heard.
These people didn't even look at Qin Che; they just treated him as an ordinary guest.
Hmm... they're all psionicists.
The moment Qin Che drew his sword, he sensed the aura of multiple spiritual energy particles emanating from behind Sha Qingsui, which made him wary.
Upon entering the room, Sha Qingsui had already poured him a glass of wine, which even contained three ice cubes. She handed the crystal-clear handmade glass to Qin Che.
"Speak your mind," Qin Che said.
Sha Qingsui smiled slightly, "Mr. Qin is a straightforward person. Very well, I won't hold back anymore."
"Hu Jinglin is actually one of my men."
Qin Che was taken aback, the wine glass he was holding stopped abruptly, and he looked at him in surprise.
Sha Qingsui shrugged. "I'm sure you're wondering about this."
After a brief moment of stunned silence, Qin Che put the drink in his mouth, shrugged, and said, "It's easy to understand. Your relationship with the Old Crocodile Group is the same as Zheng Shishu's relationship with them. But the difference is that Zheng Shishu is a member of the Old Crocodile Group, while you... are not."
Sha Qingsui sighed: "When I took office, I promised those people that I would secure more benefits for them, including their smuggling operations in the Southwest Old City, Wind Fortress, Bunker, Garbage Mountain, and other places. These operations secretly involve grain, industrial products, firearms and ammunition, and even people..."
“Old Crocodile Head is a large group. They are not only greedy, but also have an enormous appetite. My leadership position for the past two years was actually not my own choice, and I was not comfortable in the position at all. Therefore, I broke my promise.”
"After that, the crocodiles cleared the way and, after the food industry, monopolized Sandcastle's most important oil industry. The Conservatives took over the pharmaceutical market, but the people of Sandcastle were having an increasingly difficult time. Even within the inner city walls, the number of people who couldn't afford to eat began to increase year by year, and various riots, marches, and protests... emerged one after another. That's why the Conservatives wanted military reform."
Qin Che said calmly, "Capital is profit-driven."
Sha Qingsui shrugged: "After the grain and factories were taken away by the Crocodile Heads, the army was also out of my control. Gradually, I was sidelined. In recent years, the factional strife in Sand Castle has become more and more frequent and fierce. In fact, I can't control it at all. The Crocodile Heads' conflict is about resources, while the citizens' conflict is about the widening gap between classes."
Qin Che already knew this. Although it was his first time attending a meeting in Sand Dune Tower, he could sense the attitudes of the high-ranking officials towards their leader.
It wasn't out of respect... but rather out of politeness.
Sha Qingsui had his own reasons for feeling helpless.
"Under these circumstances, I had no choice but to launch the major election ahead of schedule..."
Qin Che looked at him: "You've actually wanted to retire for a long time? What's Hu Jinglin's political background?"
"He was a backup plan I arranged, and also to keep the old crocodile gang's plan to form a new ruling party in check. With Hu Jinglin's help, Zheng Shishu will give me some face, allowing me to get out unscathed."
Qin Che asked, "Is that all?"
Sha Qingsui smiled bitterly and said, "Otherwise, Hu Jinglin's faction is not a local faction of Shabao. They have received support from several outside crocodile leaders and have given Shabao a lot of help. One of the crocodile leaders is a good friend of mine from many years ago. I saved his life. After the election is over, I will leave Shabao with Hu Jinglin and let them fight it out."
"But I never expected that someone like you would emerge from the Black Street."
Qin Che looked directly at Sha Qingsui and said, "Tell me, what do you want?"
He realized that the cabinet meeting just now was entirely official business, while the private conversation in the office now was a private matter.
Sha Qingsui's political stance does not represent his personal views.
This is a leader who is not in control of his own destiny, a leader who is manipulated and treated like a puppet.
He also had reasons why he had no choice.
Sha Qingsui turned his head to look at the sandcastle scenery outside the window. Standing here, he could see the whole area, and the entire city could be seen in his eyes.
“I can suppress the Conservative Party’s attempts to harm you. If I’m not mistaken, Jiang Tianfeng and Fei Qing are already planning to file a complaint against you at No. 1 Wall.”
Qin Che fell into deep thought.
During this period, the Awakening Department of Wall One was just established.
Even if they file a lawsuit, it won't cause much of a stir.
Even if the Number One Wall were to bring in an extraordinary being, I wouldn't be too worried about it anymore.
He has a level III Dark Soldier.
There's no need to worry too much about your own life; just be careful in your actions.
But things are different now. Qin Che has built a business empire, transforming from an unknown vagrant into the current king of the underworld and the future head of Sandcastle. Even if No. 1 Wall can't do anything to him, if they send a regular army to attack Sandcastle, Qin Che can ruthlessly abandon everyone to save himself, but Sandcastle cannot.
At that point, he would probably have to start all over again, and it would be difficult for him to be accepted by external forces.
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