My Lord, you need to stand up!

Chapter 436 There Can Only Be One Truth

The railway police who boarded the train and conducted a surprise interrogation overnight were stunned.

According to corroborating confessions, this was actually a demonic gang that had killed seven or eight miners and was demanding compensation!
They would search for targets in rural markets within a radius of two or three hundred kilometers, luring two or three people to the coal mine in batches to go down the mine together. After someone died, relatives would come from their "hometown" to handle the funeral arrangements, and each time they could get two or three thousand in compensation.

In 1985, this was definitely a huge sum of money.

The key issue is that none of the large and small coal mines that were just contracted out to private individuals have reported the case!

Whether to avoid trouble or to avoid leaving a record with safety authorities, these coal mines chose to pay money to cover up the incident.

In the 1980s, when the migrant population was just beginning to emerge everywhere, there were no communication tools, no location tracking, and no message leaving. Many people went out to work in this way and then disappeared without a trace.

Therefore, the number of missing persons is astronomical.

In the end, except for the short guy who insisted he didn't know anything, the other three confessed to each case under the police's skillful cross-examination.

The evidence corroborates that the short man surnamed Zhou had clearly committed murder before leading the three men in this scheme.

And that ruthless guy with the knife was indeed the butcher who was responsible for anesthetizing the victim each time and then making sure he was going to kill him.

He occasionally boasts that he also has a history of murder.

In short, the police handled everything in one fell swoop.

To facilitate the participation of military personnel in verifying the information, and to avoid delaying those escorting valuable supplies to Beijing, the entire interrogation was conducted on the train.

Please have a meal in the dining car during the break.

The criminal police officers who boarded the train in northern Hubei did not manage to take the man surnamed Zhou off the train until the evening of the following day in the provincial capital of southern Henan. Several groups of police officers had boarded the train along the way and taken them away one by one.

Old Geng and Old Cheng, having overheard the entire story, were filled with awe and reverence for their young boss's uncanny ability to predict the future.

They were all leaders in their forties or fifties.

I've never seen such a capable young leader with such rich social experience.

They were able to meticulously uncover "signs" from the slightest clues and unravel the mystery to solve such an unbelievable murder case!

Shen Laosan certainly wouldn't mention her street smarts skills to her face, and his face was full of composure as if he had known all along.

They actively inquired about various interrogation details and shared them with the girls' dormitory.

When they arrived at Pyeonggyeong Railway Station on the morning of the third day, there was already a banner waiting to be presented to the group of "soldiers".

This made everyone feel incredibly proud, and Lao Geng, for the first time ever, asked to take a group photo with them.

Wei Dong then skillfully exchanged a few pleasantries with the head of the railway police, mentioning that he had sent a lot of sanitary napkins to the Beijing police system last year, and asking if they had received any.

They said they didn't know... You should have said so earlier!
Tell Weidong to call Feiyan Factory from the train station immediately and have someone drive over with 5,000 packages. If any employees have purchasing needs, just let them know, and they can come directly to the factory to purchase.

Up to this point, neither Wei Dong nor anyone else realized how this chance encounter on the road might affect what would happen next.

Because there were twenty or thirty people, their own car couldn't fit them all, so the railway police arranged for a car to take them there, which also helped them get acquainted with the area.

Qin Yuye was pleasantly surprised to find that Wei Dong's car in Beijing was exactly the same as her car in Hong Kong, the only difference being whether it was left-hand drive or right-hand drive.

They drove straight there, and she and Shen Laosan, along with the Gaoyuan girls and their children, would definitely stay at a hotel catering to foreigners.

We arranged for Wei Dong and the others to stay at the factory. It was only morning, but by noon we had already contacted Jin Zhuoqun to come to the factory to meet us.

A brand-new Cherokee and a Toyota Crown arrived, carrying Jin Zhuoqun and several other distinguished-looking men.

This time, at least Jin Zhuoqun didn't try to show off or use others to put Wei Dong down. He warmly introduced him as the producer of the TV series, a well-known young reform entrepreneur in China, and a good buddy...

Wei Dong didn't introduce himself; the simply dressed demobilized soldiers were eating spicy hot pot at the table next to him.

He continued to introduce the local flavors with a humble yet assertive manner, and then got straight to the point about what the building was all about.

Shen Cuiyue knew that Wei Dong genuinely disliked discussing business with beautiful women; he never needed to use beautiful women to enhance his image.

But he also had to keep to his duties, so he brought Boss Qin and his girlfriends along, and they pretended to be customers at the next table and ate something casually.

As a result, Jin Zhuoqun explained that there are now two plots of land, and it's fine to build on them together!

One piece belongs to the railway system!

The train station square where we arrived today is located within the Third Ring Road. It is on a two-kilometer vertical line with the newly built brick building in the distance, which perfectly matches the positioning of a television broadcasting production building. It is simply a blessed place made in heaven.

The other one was located not far from this sanitary napkin factory, within the Second Ring Road, next to another train station square, but it did not belong to the railway system; instead, it was a military guesthouse.

The current plan is to renovate this guesthouse into a large hotel. Just six months ago, Wei Dong was only familiar with twenty-story commercial and residential buildings, but in the last two months, a five-star hotel has been built in the Shanghai Electronics Industrial Park, with an investment reportedly reaching 400 million yuan!

Then there's the Xishan Electronics Building area in Jiangzhou Economic Development Zone, where four-star hotels built by Hong Kong businessmen have also received roughly the same amount of investment.

You only had a few dishes, and you're already this drunk.

But Wei Dong showed no contempt or disdain on his face, and simply nodded slowly and seriously.

Following Shen Laosan's recommendation, he calmly observed the reactions of the others present.

If Wei Dong were merely a 21-year-old business genius, he wouldn't even possess such a wealth of experience and understanding of people over the years.

His forty years as a security guard had given him a wealth of experience in judging people, but he had no academic achievements.

It was precisely because of Shen Cuiyue, a cunning young woman, that he was able to discern simple differences between focus and frivolity, and to tell who would show a change in expression when a particular piece of land was mentioned—whether it was eagerness, attention, or disdain. He could always tell the difference.

By focusing on observing these reactions and then deliberately probing with some sensitive topics, you can figure out some details.

Without the experience of being sixty years old, it's really hard to understand things so easily.

However, without the foundation of these family traditions, it would be difficult to elevate and apply them even after guarding the gate for a hundred years.

"How is the property right calculated? Who owns the land? Is there a precise definition of the term of use? What is the nature of the land? Who can sign and seal a document to guarantee that it will remain unchanged for at least fifty years?"

As questions were posed one by one, the expressions of the other party indeed changed.

The reactions of those directly involved and those who were social companions were quite different.

Furthermore, Wei Dong brought up the hotel again: "What is the star rating? Who is the operator and manager? Since they've provided the land and have the qualifications for a military guesthouse, then they must be shareholders. Who holds the controlling stake, what is the profit-sharing ratio, and what about property management...?"

Here, Wei Dong deliberately used the term "property management," which is currently completely unfamiliar to people in mainland China.

Further investigation revealed who was connected to that guesthouse, and I began to revise my previous opinion. Could it be that these people with powerful backgrounds were looking for a front man to hunt down Jin Zhuoqun, a popular TV producer?

Would you dare to do this kind of work?!
Before coming to Pingjing, Wei Dong thought he could try to negotiate with the underworld gangs and see if he could gain some benefits from Jin Zhuoqun's building properties.

This can also be seen as a test to see what kind of developments are taking place in the real estate market near the capital.

Now he's quickly backing down; at least he's absolutely not going to participate in the restructuring of this guesthouse: "They both seem like two buildings of about twenty stories each, but they're actually two completely different projects. The TV production building is essentially an office building, but Lao Jin has a very keen eye and a sharp mind to define it as a professional building for TV drama production, making it easier to attract TV drama companies, TV stations, and all aspects of the industry from across the country to move in and participate..."

Jin Zhuoqun listened with great pleasure and nodded frequently.

Rang Weidong then took out a stack of five-inch photo albums from his Hong Kong-style backpack, found the one about the White Building, and handed it over: "This is the podium of our newly completed office building in Jiangzhou. Because we needed it urgently, it's still under construction but partially operational..."

Actually, the tower above is about ten stories high. Bamboo strips are laid out on the seventh floor to intercept construction debris and gravel.

Having already tasted success, Wu Shengyun plans to cover the exterior walls of the above twenty-odd floors with black marble!

It's easy to imagine that once completed, this brand-new building with its white base and black facade will remain stylish for another forty years.

Its current appearance is enough to amaze those who pass it around the table.

Those who can ignore this photo are either minor figures who are just helping out, or ruthless individuals who don't care about it at all.

Wei Dong then spoke up, saying, "The conversion of a guesthouse into a hotel would mean it's a business. To do this well, we need to introduce advanced experiences from Hong Kong and Taiwan. But whether the military can participate in this way is debatable."

Unexpectedly, the other party smiled and said, "These details are not for you to consider. You are the investor and builder recommended by Lao Jin. We can return your investment plus interest in installments over twenty years. If you can't repay, we will mortgage the building to you according to the corresponding shares."

It gave Wei Dong the feeling of "kneel down and give me a chance to beg you".

He remained neither humble nor arrogant: "Brother, as I just said, the TV drama production building is manageable, with a construction cost of around ten million. The hotel, however, only has a ten million mark on the concrete foundation. There are still tens of millions for interior decoration and renovation, tens of millions for facilities and staff training. The entire system is a commercial company, requiring a minimum of one hundred million. Two or three hundred million is enough to do it well, and four hundred million is needed to operate a four- or five-star hotel. Let alone that I can't come up with that kind of funding, even if I did, wouldn't I use it to do my own profitable business? Why would I want to get stuck in this low-profit project with so many uncertainties? If I'm not careful, I could lose everything. So I'm not considering participating in the hotel project. That's a very clear answer."

The other party maintained their condescending attitude: "Think it through. It was the reform and opening up that gave you the opportunity to get rich, and it is also an opportunity for the motherland to contribute to you. It's a matter of attitude."

Wei Dong was too lazy to even look at Jin Zhuoqun: "I am for everyone, and everyone is for me. Of course, I am willing to contribute to the development of the country's productivity. You can look into it. With an investment of about 300 million, I would rather invest in corn bioengineering under the guidance of the Science and Technology Association of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, with the state-owned assets of Jiangzhou holding a certain percentage of shares. This can bring about the transformation of agricultural products into industrial products for millions of rural people, rather than just using it to build a hotel in Beijing."

As soon as he said this, the people sitting around in the old military uniforms in the small mala tang (spicy hot pot) restaurant with only four or five tables suddenly straightened up and stood up straight.

That spontaneous feeling of being willing to serve someone wholeheartedly and even die for them instantly filled the entire store.

Compared to those who constantly shout slogans but have their own petty schemes, and those who are blinded by greed and only talk about business without any principles, isn't this kind of leader exactly the kind of person everyone wants to follow from the bottom of their hearts?

I would give everything for someone like that.

Because I know this life won't be in vain.

(End of this chapter)