Chapter 87: Too Crazy
Inside Qingzhou Tower, in the Deputy General Manager's office.
Burton put down the phone and furrowed his brow.
"Qingzhou Cement is about to change hands, it seems," Burton muttered with a sigh.
He had been at Qingzhou Cement for nearly three years. Things had been decent — good salary and benefits — but he could never integrate into the core senior management.
He knew the reason: he wasn't part of the Chairman's inner circle, just an externally recruited executive.
Still, this was definitely good news for him.
Because during their phone call, Lin Haoran had already told him that he intended to promote him to replace Ziegler as General Manager.
From deputy to the top operational role — second only to the Chairman — it was an unexpected but delightful promotion.
Over these two or three years, Burton had already familiarized himself with the inner workings of the senior management — and their dirty secrets.
As a Deputy GM, he hadn't had the power to change anything and had chosen to stay quiet.
But now, with a chance to rise, he had every reason to act.
"With Ziegler and the CFO's personalities, they'll definitely try to destroy the financial records.
If I can stop them, that would surely earn major credit with the new Chairman," Burton thought.
Lin Haoran had already briefed him.
Thus, Burton knew that by the time he had learned about it, Halier Centurion must have known too.
He quietly checked the neighboring General Manager's office, the Finance Office, the Marketing Department, and the PR Department.
Sure enough, Ziegler and the three department heads were missing from their offices.
They must be gathered in the Chairman's office.
Burton didn't know exactly how they planned to destroy the financial documents, but he had already decided: tonight, he would keep a close watch on the Finance Office.
Years of experience had taught him that where there's effort, there's reward.
The General Manager's office, Deputy General Manager's office, and various department offices were all on the same floor.
And from his office, Burton could see into the Finance Office through the window.
After returning to his office, Burton called his wife.
"Darling, I'll be working late tonight, no need to wait for me for dinner," he said.
Then he settled in, working while occasionally glancing across the hall at the Finance Office.
After about half an hour, he spotted the CFO returning.
Soon after, a man in an electrician's uniform entered Burton's view.
An electrician?
Burton watched the man enter the Finance Office and start repairing something.
Through the window, he couldn't see very clearly, but he quickly figured it out.
He casually took his mug and walked toward the water boiler at the end of the hall.
Passing by the Finance Office, he glanced inside — and saw the electrician unscrewing a wall socket.
Right next to that socket was a stack of account books.
Burton didn't linger. He filled his mug with hot water and returned to his office.
He had guessed correctly.
Having been at the company for three years, he knew many things.
That electrician was close to Ziegler — Burton had seen them chatting many times before.
Time passed slowly.
In the evening, Burton ordered a quick meal to be delivered to his office.
Gradually, the mid- and senior-level managers finished their work and left.
Of course, Qingzhou Cement operated 20 hours a day producing cement, so even at night, many production staff were still working.
But the high-level managers rarely stayed late — only a few mid-level production managers took night shifts, and they weren't based on this floor.
The CFO also left early — no doubt to avoid suspicion.
Soon, the entire floor grew quiet.
No one realized that Burton, the Deputy General Manager, had stayed behind — his office door remained closed.
Once the floor was empty, Burton went to the tool room and fetched a crowbar.
He had a clear idea of what was about to happen.
Time ticked by.
He patiently waited, reading a book in his office, keeping one eye on the Finance Office across the hall.
He was prepared to stay up all night.
If he managed to protect those records for Lin Haoran, the credit would be immense.
At around 11 p.m., activity finally stirred in the Finance Office.
Flashes of light flickered inside the otherwise dark room.
Then came a faint "pop" sound — not very loud, but Burton heard it.
The circuit had shorted.
He couldn't see exactly how they had tampered with the socket, but when he saw the electrician earlier dismantling it, he had already suspected it.
Sure enough.
He immediately grabbed his walkie-talkie and called the security guards patrolling nearby.
Within a minute, two guards were running up.
Burton didn't wait.
With the crowbar, he rushed toward the Finance Office and began smashing the wooden door.
Under his blows, the wooden door quickly fell apart.
Inside, flames were already growing.
The two guards arrived just in time.
"Quick! Break in and put out the fire!" Burton shouted.
Thanks to his advance preparation, the fire was swiftly controlled.
Although a small part of the financial documents was damaged, most of them were saved.
"Secure the scene," Burton ordered.
Then he returned to his office and called Lin Haoran.
Earlier that afternoon, Lin Haoran had given Burton his private number.
At that moment, Lin Haoran had already fallen asleep, but the ringing phone quickly woke him.
"Hello, this is Lin Haoran…" he said groggily.
After the call, Lin Haoran was fully awake.
"I can't believe they really did it!" he muttered.
These people were insane — willing to set the Finance Office on fire just to destroy evidence.
One small mistake, and they could have burned down the entire building.
Lin Haoran immediately instructed Burton to have the surviving financial records moved to his own office and lock the door.
Additionally, he ordered more security patrols overnight.
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