119: Arrogance will inevitably be punished by Heaven.

Time entered July, and the critical date known to Lu Fan was drawing ever closer.

The entire industrial zone roared like a tightly wound machine, operating day and night in a full sprint.

The civilian sector overseen by Xu Lai, including the bulletproof vest factory and the clothing and bedding factory, had already been put into operation.

The workshop producing high-calorie Nut and dried fruit cake was also smoothly outputting Nut and dried fruit cake, and the second-phase project had been scheduled.

All components for the soybean oil production line had arrived, and installation had begun.

The installation of the bullet production line entered its final debugging stage.

The production workshop for Rifling had begun preparations.

The warehouse area was piled high with supplies transported from various places.

Another phase of resettlement housing was delivered, and the small town gradually grew livelier.

However, a cold, malicious scheme was spreading on the outskirts of the industrial zone.

Early in the morning, various departments including the municipal hall, industry and commerce, taxation, health, and firefighting gathered at the industrial zone.

Minor officials in various uniforms, holding documents stamped with red seals, inspected every corner of the industrial zone.

They either nitpicked over trivialities or found fault, attempting to find reasons to halt operations and impose fines.

It didn't take much thought to know that the mastermind behind all this was Zhou Dahai.

He began using his authority to frantically create obstacles behind the scenes; the retaliation had begun.

Facing this wave of aggressive inspections, Tang Jifeng stepped forward.

He personally took charge at the industrial zone, refusing to yield an inch.

Despite his good temper, he met every official trying to pick a fight with a cold face.

Tang Jifeng was originally from a prestigious family, plus his procedures were indeed solid, and he had deep military connections.

The minor officials driven by Zhou Dahai were intimidated and eventually left in frustration.

The first wave of harassment was forcefully pushed back.

In the afternoon, when workers returned to the small town after work to boil water and cook, the water and electricity were cut off without warning.

Lu Fan asked and found out it was Zhou Dahai again.

He used his connections to pressure the Changsha Water Bureau and Power Company.

The water supply to the industrial zone was cut off under the pretext of pipeline maintenance, and the high-voltage transmission lines were notified for fault maintenance.

The entire industrial zone plunged into darkness and water shortage.

"Damn it! That bastard surnamed Zhou!" Bai Jinbiao cursed angrily, slamming his fist on the table.

Lu Fan's eyes turned cold, but he did not panic.

Among the weapons and equipment received from Wu Xue were generators and water pumps.

No electricity? We'll generate it ourselves. No water? We'll draw it from the Xiang River ourselves.

In the evening, lights lit up again in the industrial zone!

Workers lit kerosene lamps, hurricane lamps, and even torches.

Under limited light, they continued with installation, debugging, and construction work!

The industrial zone displayed astonishing resilience in adversity, not only not halting operations but working overtime, racing against time!

They thought cutting off water and electricity was the limit of what Zhou Dahai and his parasites could do.

But what happened next directly broke Lu Fan's composure.

Seeing that cutting off water and electricity didn't work, that bastard used the most vicious trick.

Under the pretext of maintaining road safety and preventing overload damage to the pavement, among other high-sounding reasons.

He directly ordered local police and road management departments to set up barricades on several main roads leading to the New Port industrial zone.

All freight vehicles were strictly prohibited from passing!

Attempting to completely cut off the industrial zone's material supply.

On the second day after the roads were blocked, Sheng Aiyi returned from the south, covered in dust.

The first batch of large-scale purchased grain she personally escorted, a full twenty thousand tons of rice and coarse grains, arrived at the outskirts of Changsha.

However, the massive convoy was mercilessly blocked outside the barricade line.

At the same time, materials purchased overseas by Lin Tianrong and transported via waterway were also tightly stuck.

They weren't even allowed to dock at the pier.

When the news reached the industrial zone, public outrage erupted!

Half an hour later, the workers' emotions began to calm down.

Without mobilization orders or promises of reward, the crowd spontaneously surged toward the barricade line like a tide.

Men, women, the elderly, and half-grown children silently joined the ranks.

The line stretched into an endless long dragon on the winding dirt road.

Strong young men gritted their teeth and carried whole sacks, their steps heavy but firm;

Adult women worked in pairs to lift grain bags, sweat streaming down their black hair;

Half-grown children and the elderly, in groups of three or five, carried supplies, walking a stretch and resting a stretch.

Shoulders were rubbed raw, oozing blood that stained the burlap sacks.

Blisters formed on their soles, each step piercingly painful.

No one complained, no one retreated.

They silently passed, carried, and bore, using their most primitive shoulders and spines to resist the shameless harassment.

Lu Fan stood on high ground watching all this, his eyes for the first time bursting with tangible, icy-cold killing intent.

Zhou Dahai, this fat rat who disregarded people's livelihoods and only knew how to suck blood, deserved to die!

Just as killing intent surged in Lu Fan's heart, ready to take extreme measures, a rapid car horn sounded.

A military jeep flying a small Blue Sky and White Sun flag ignored the blockade, roaring through the barricades.

The car door swung open, and Tang Jifeng jumped out, his face showing the fatigue of a long journey.

But his eyes were unusually sharp, tightly clutching a document in his hand.

"Order: Zhou Dahai, Acting Minister of the Central Propaganda Department, is to immediately cease all actions interfering with local construction.

He is to return to Jinling within twelve hours to accept investigation by the Central Supervisory Committee! Those who disobey will be dealt with by military law!"

As soon as Tang Jifeng finished speaking, several fully armed guards he brought immediately stepped forward.

They directly showed the content of the sternly worded handwritten order, stamped with a bright red seal, to the police chief at the barricade line.

The police chief took one look and immediately turned ashen, sweat pouring down, frantically waving: "Withdraw! Quickly remove the barricades! Let them pass! Let them pass quickly!"

The barricades were swiftly moved aside, and Sheng Aiyi's massive grain convoy.

Amidst the workers' thunderous cheers, slowly drove into the industrial zone.

And at this moment, in a mansion somewhere within Changsha city.

Zhou Dahai, dreaming sweetly and waiting to see Lu Fan's downfall, also received this sternly worded, life-threatening handwritten order.

He slumped in his chair, his face as pale as paper, the teacup in his hand shattering with a "crack."

He knew he had kicked a real iron plate this time.

Not only had his extortion failed, but his official hat was also in jeopardy.

Escorted by guards, he set off on the journey back to Jinling to accept investigation, like a stray dog.

Inside and outside the industrial zone, victorious cheers erupted.

Lu Fan looked at the bustling scene before him, looked at Tang Jifeng, and slowly withdrew the killing intent in his eyes.

But that icy disgust for bureaucratic parasites was etched even deeper in his heart.

Late at night, with the workers working desperately, whether it was the materials purchased by Sheng Aiyi.

Or the overseas-purchased materials transported via waterway, all had entered the warehouse.

A system prompt sounded in Lu Fan's mind.

[Main Mission One, completed. Reward: 20,000 Points, one Random Medicine Card]

[Mission completion rate 230%, evaluation: SS, reward 20,000 Points. One Random Equipment Card, one Random Supply Card]