Courtyard House: Erguotou (a type of Chinese liquor) Traded for an Aircraft Carrier, the Whole Count

Before he could finish speaking, and before anyone could even react to what "curing illness" meant, Jiang Chen moved.

His body, enhanced by a basic body-enhancing agent, already possessed explosive power far exceeding that of ordinary people. With a single hand bracing against the greasy cement windowsill, he nimbly and swiftly vaulted over the waist-high food service window, like a lithe cheetah.

"Clang!"

The sound of the military boots hitting the ground was dull and powerful, landing directly on the slippery kitchen floor tiles.

Sha Zhu was stunned for a moment. He had been running rampant in the steel rolling mill for so many years, and he had never seen any cadre dare to climb through the window and make a move in the kitchen. But after all, he was the self-proclaimed "Courtyard War God," having fought since childhood, and his reaction was extremely quick.

"You little brat! How dare you cause trouble in the kitchen! You're asking for it!"

Sha Zhu roared, his ruthless and unruly nature instantly surging. He didn't take Jiang Chen, this pretty-boy cadre, seriously at all, and swung the heavy iron ladle in his hand, smashing it hard against Jiang Chen's head.

This spoonful of water whistles through the air; if it lands squarely, the head will surely crack open.

The kitchen helpers around them screamed in fright, and Ma Hua's eyes widened in shock.

However, Jiang Chen neither dodged nor avoided, his eyes filled with indifference. Just as the iron spoon was about to hit his face, he slightly turned his body, the movement extremely small yet precise, and the iron spoon whistled past the tip of his nose.

The next second, Jiang Chen's right hand shot out like lightning, his five fingers like iron clamps, tightly gripping Sha Zhu's wrist that was holding the spoon.

"Snap!"

A sickeningly crisp sound exploded in the kitchen.

That wasn't the sound of a bone breaking; it was the sound of a joint being violently dislocated.

"ah--!"

Sha Zhu's horse-like face instantly contorted into a purplish-red color, and the large iron ladle in his hand clattered to the ground. He felt as if his wrist had been clamped by hydraulic clamps, and the excruciating pain instantly rendered him incapable of resisting.

But this is just the beginning.

Without any hesitation, Jiang Chen pressed down hard on Sha Zhu's wrist with his other hand and pressed down on the back of Sha Zhu's head.

"Your hands are shaking, aren't they? I think you have too much water in your brain, you need to control yourself!"

With a loud shout, Jiang Chen exerted force with both arms, pressed Sha Zhu's head down directly into the large bowl full of leftover food in front of him!

"Gurgle—"

Sha Zhu struggled desperately, kicking his legs wildly, but under Jiang Chen's absolute strength, he was like a toad pressed down on a chopping board, utterly powerless. His entire face was pressed firmly into the greasy, warm soup.

Oily soup splattered everywhere, splashing onto Jiang Chen's crisp uniform, but he didn't care at all.

"Master!"

Seeing this, Ma Hua's eyes turned red. He always followed Sha Zhu's lead in the kitchen, and now that his master was being beaten, he acted impulsively, grabbed a cleaver from the cutting board, and was about to rush over.

"Don't move!"

Jiang Chen turned around abruptly, his hand still pressed against Sha Zhu's, but his eyes were as cold as ice, fixed on Ma Hua.

That was the look in someone's eyes who had truly seen blood and killed people.

"Security department is handling this case! Anyone who dares to move an inch is an accomplice! Shoot them on the spot!"

The stern shout was like a thunderclap, carrying an unquestionable official authority.

Overwhelmed by the murderous aura, Ma Hua felt as if he had fallen into an ice cave. His hand, holding the cleaver, froze in mid-air, trembling violently. He was just a cook, and while he could bully honest people by relying on Sha Zhu's influence, he instantly cowered when faced with a ruthless character who was about to kill him on the spot.

"Clang." The kitchen knife fell to the ground.

The kitchen was deathly silent, except for the "whooshing" sound that Sha Zhu made from the vegetable basin.

Jiang Chen felt it was about time, and suddenly pulled Sha Zhu, whose face was covered in vegetable leaves and oily soup and who looked disheveled, out of the basin.

Sha Zhu coughed violently, spitting out two streams of soup from his nostrils. His eyes were burning and he couldn't open them. He was still mumbling incoherently, "Grand...grandson...you dare..."

"Snapped!"

Jiang Chen slapped him hard across the face, interrupting his foul language.

Then, Jiang Chen took out a pair of shiny silver handcuffs from his waist and, with two "clicks," skillfully handcuffed Sha Zhu's hands behind his back.

He turned around, facing the dumbfounded workers outside the window, picked up Sha Zhu, who was lying like a dead dog, and loudly announced:

"He Yuzhu! As the canteen foreman, he openly sabotaged production, withheld workers' wages, and attacked security personnel! This is current counter-revolutionary behavior! The evidence is conclusive!"

"take away!"

As soon as he finished speaking, two veteran security officers who had been waiting at the door rushed in, grabbed Sha Zhu on the left and right, and dragged him out like a dead pig.

Sha Zhu was still struggling, but under the intimidation of the cold handcuffs and the dark muzzle of the gun, his struggles seemed pale and powerless.

As Sha Zhu was led out of the cafeteria, someone in the previously quiet crowd shouted, "Good! Well done!"

Immediately afterwards, thunderous applause and cheers erupted.

"Serves him right! That bastard should have been arrested a long time ago!"

"Section Chief Jiang is mighty! He rid the people of a scourge!"

The workers clapped and cheered, their long-suppressed resentment finally released. In their eyes, the usually arrogant and domineering Sha Zhu, who held the power of life and death over their livelihoods, had finally been exposed for who he really was.

Jiang Chen stood at the entrance of the cafeteria, slowly straightening the slightly wrinkled collar of his uniform, then took out a handkerchief to wipe the grease off his hands. He coldly swept his gaze over the silent kitchen helpers, and no one dared to look him in the eye.

"From now on, if anyone dares to shake their ladle even slightly while cooking in the cafeteria, that's what He Yuzhu will do."

Leaving behind this chilling warning, Jiang Chen turned and left, leaving behind only an awe-inspiring silhouette.

……

Half an hour later, in the security department's interrogation room.

This is a specially made room with soundproof padded walls and only a dim chandelier swaying overhead.

Sha Zhu was chained to a specially made interrogation chair, his face covered in dried grease, looking extremely disheveled. But he was still cursing: "Jiang Chen! You're taking revenge on me! Wait until Uncle Yi comes, wait until Director Yang comes, I'll make you pay! I'm a top-tier worker, the factory can't do without me!"

The iron gate slowly opened.

Jiang Chen walked in, carrying a thermos, looking relaxed. He closed the heavy iron door behind him, shutting out all outside noise.

He ignored Sha Zhu's shouts and walked to the air conditioner control panel on the wall. Although air conditioning was a rarity in those days, the interrogation room of such a vital department as the security department was still equipped with an old-fashioned window unit.

Jiang Chen's fingers slid lightly across the panel, using the system's micro-operation function to bypass the mechanical lock and set the temperature to the lowest setting—below zero.

After doing all this, he pulled up a chair, sat opposite Sha Zhu, and smiled as he looked at the "God of War" who was still dreaming.

"Tired of yelling?" Jiang Chen unscrewed his thermos, took a sip of hot tea, and said, "No rush, let's take our time. The night is long, I have plenty of time to teach you a lesson."