The night fell like a heavy blanket of black silk, quietly enveloping the bustling city of Beijing. Next to Chang'an Street, inside the building complex that symbolized the core of national policymaking, lights still burned as bright as day. The atmosphere in one of the conference rooms was even heavier than the night outside.
The red-wood surface of the long conference table reflected a deep, subdued gloss under the overhead lights. The celadon teacups along the edge of the table sat ignored as the tea inside grew completely cold. Several gray-haired, resolute-looking elders sat around the table, every one of them frowning deeply, their gazes fixed unanimously on the newly delivered surveillance report in the center. The edges of the paper were slightly curled from being flipped through repeatedly, and the dense characters and charts upon them felt like invisible needles tightening everyone's chest.
"Bang!"
Chapter 164