Flip the table and divide the family property! Take his wife and daughter into the mountains and eat

The room fell silent immediately.

half a month.

When those three words landed heavily on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed), Zhao Shanhe's tightly taut nerve finally relaxed almost imperceptibly.

Zhao Shanhe forced a smile from his chapped lips: "Ivan, you handled this matter with integrity."

Ivanov's bright blue eyes immediately lit up.

To be able to extract a single conciliatory word from this man-eating Siberian tiger would obviously be very pleasing to him.

He grinned, about to burst into laughter, but when his gaze swept over the glaringly red gauze on Zhao Shanhe's thigh, the fervor on his face slowly subsided.

"No, Zhao."

Ivanov spread out his two rough, large hands, lowering his voice slightly: "You don't need to thank me, this is a deal we've already agreed upon. You hand over Shanwang to me, and I'll send the Soviet experts you want into the machine factory. This is a fair deal, a win-win situation."

Zhao Shanhe glanced at him: "A win-win situation?"

Ivanov nodded confidently: "Of course! I'll earn my rubles, and you save your factory. Zhao, we're both people who risk our lives for food."

Zhao Shanhe didn't reply, but just looked at him quietly.

Ivanov leaned forward again: "But Zhao, I still think..."

"Alright!"

Old Sun suddenly flipped his wrist, slamming his pipe heavily onto the brick bed, sending sparks flying.

Ivanov was startled by the commotion and turned to look.

Old Sun stared coldly at the old Soviet bear, his tone hard: "Experts, machines, factories—that's all hindsight! The man's still lying dead on the bed; are you blind to see how many stitches he had in his thigh?"

He didn't bother arguing with Ivanov, and simply pointed his calloused finger at Zhao Shanhe: "He only has one thing to do now: eat, take his medicine, and sleep! Get him back to his life first!"

Following Old Sun's words, Lin Xiu whispered, "Uncle Sun is right."

She scooped up another spoonful of lukewarm rice porridge and carefully brought it to Zhao Shanhe's lips, her eyes red from staying up all night.

"Mountains and Rivers, promise me."

Zhao Shanhe lifted his heavy eyelids to look at her.

"Stop gambling with your life."

The room fell silent again, a silence that tugged at the heartstrings.

Looking at Lin Xiu's haggard face, Zhao Shanhe swallowed hard, and after a moment, he uttered a single word in a low voice: "Okay."

Lin Xiu didn't believe it immediately.

She stared intently into his eyes, tears welling up, and gritted her teeth as she added, "You're not just trying to comfort me."

Zhao Shanhe twitched the corners of his mouth, his voice hoarse as if it had been sanded.

I won't try to comfort you.

"Whatever I do in the future, I'll think of you and Niu Niu first."

The anger that had been simmering in Lin Xiu's throat finally burst forth through her tears, and she then carefully brought the spoonful of porridge to his lips.

Zhao Shanhe lowered his head and swallowed the porridge from her hand.

Old Sun tapped his pipe next to him and snorted, "That's more like human speech."

Ivanov glanced at Zhao Shanhe, then at Lin Xiu, who was holding a bowl of porridge.

This old Soviet bear, usually as shrewd as a fox, was surprisingly sensible at this moment, knowing that talking about machines, experts, and big deals would only annoy people.

He shrugged helplessly.

"Okay, the patient comes first."

He pulled the greasy dog-skin hat back onto his head and waved at Zhao Shanhe: "Zhao, focus on recovering. I'll come back to talk big business with you once your leg has fully healed."

After saying that, the burly brown bear strode across the threshold, lifted the curtain, and disappeared into the wind and snow outside.

The heavy curtain fell, blocking the howling cold wind outside.

The room fell silent again.

The kang (heated brick bed) was burning hot, and the frost on the window paper was baked into a layer of fine water droplets.

Zhao Shanhe leaned against the pile of quilts and slowly closed his eyes.

Just as Zhao Shanhe was resting with his eyes closed on the heated kang, a hundred miles away at the Hongxing Machinery Factory, the storm not only did not subside, but instead stirred up even more terrifying waves.

The atmosphere in the innermost room of the factory office building was so oppressive it felt like ice was about to freeze.

With his hands tied behind his back, Wang Guowei lay limply in the corner like a lump of mud just pulled out of the mud.

The bloodstains on his face had been hastily wiped away with a damp cloth, but blood was still seeping from the corners of his mouth. The purplish-black bruises on his neck, which Da Niu had pinched with one hand, looked particularly gruesome under the pale light.

Da Niu and Er Ga Zi blocked the doorway from the left and right.

The ox's face was still stained with dried blood, and its broad chest heaved violently, like an old ox that had just been forcibly bridled but was still panting heavily.

Erga's eyes were even redder as he stared intently at Wang Guowei's neck, his fingers clenching and unclenching repeatedly, as if he would immediately draw his bloodletting knife and pounce on Liang Tiejun if he looked away for even a second.

Wang Guowei didn't dare to look up at them.

He huddled in the corner, trembling violently, his trousers still covered in shards of broken glass he had brought from Zhang Dafa's house.

Zhang Dafa stood in the middle of the room, his once slicked-back hair now disheveled, and his face ashen, as if he had aged ten years overnight.

When Zhang Dafa kicked Wang Guowei hard in the chest, he already knew what was going on.

This nephew whom I've protected since childhood is now completely beyond saving.

It's too late to save it now.

Liang Tiejun sat behind his desk with an air of authority, a cigarette dangling from his fingers, his eyes bloodshot from staying up all night.

He ignored Da Niu and the other man panting heavily at the door, and he didn't even look at the distraught Zhang Dafa. He just stared at Wang Guowei in the corner like he was staring at a dead object.

"Wang Guowei".

Liang Tiejun's voice was very low, but it carried a weight that could crush a person's bones.

"I'll ask you one last time, where exactly is Sun Changgui hiding now?"

Wang Guowei's chapped lips trembled violently.

"Director Liang... I... I really don't know."

The sparks in Zhang Dafa's eyes finally exploded.

He took a sudden step forward, raised his thick leather-shoe-clad foot, and kicked Wang Guowei hard in the shoulder.

"Bang!"

This kick was delivered with no restraint, sending Wang Guowei sprawling like a tattered sack onto the cold cement floor, where he slid half a meter away.

Zhang Dafa was still not satisfied. He strode over and grabbed Wang Guowei by the collar, lifting half of his body off the ground.

"Even at this point, you still won't tell the truth!"

Do you know how serious this really is?

Zhang Dafa suddenly shook his collar, gritted his teeth, and slammed those deadly words into his nephew's ears, one by one.

Someone died last night!

"Liu San'er is dead!"

Wang Guowei suddenly shuddered, his pupils dilated abruptly, and even his sobs were caught in his throat.

The veins on the back of Zhang Dafa's hands bulged, and his eyes revealed a sinister look of disappointment and frustration: "Now that Zhao Tiezhu is seriously injured and Liu San'er is dead, this matter can no longer be covered up. If we can't find Sun Changgui and Lao Ba's gang, you'll be the only suspect. When the city bureau investigates, this blood debt of murder will all be pinned on your head!"

He gripped Wang Guowei's collar tightly, almost whispering in his face, "This is all your fault! How many heads do you have to be shot?"

These words struck Wang Guowei like a thunderbolt, splitting him right in the head.

Get shot.

These three words shattered the last shred of hope in Wang Guowei's mind.

He was so frightened that his bones went limp. He shook his head desperately and clung to Zhang Dafa's leg, tears streaming down his face.

"I really don't know!"

"When we parted ways last night, Sun Changgui said that the factory would definitely investigate, and he had to lay low for a while and wait a couple of days before going to Lao Ba to get the rest of the money. I just went home by myself."

"Uncle! I really don't know where he is now!"

"Don't you dare call me 'uncle'!"

Zhang Dafa roared like a mad boar, his eyes bloodshot.

Wang Guowei's cry suddenly caught in his throat.

Zhang Dafa stared intently at him, his chest heaving violently, his finger trembling as he pointed at his nose: "From the moment you led your men to ambush Zhao Tiezhu, you were no longer my nephew! You are a sinner of the Hongxing Factory, a beast who almost ruined the livelihoods of thousands of people in the factory!"

Wang Guowei's face instantly drained of all color, turning deathly pale.

He opened his mouth, wanting to cry out and beg for mercy, but when he met Zhang Dafa's completely cold eyes, he didn't dare to utter the word "uncle" again.

Behind his desk, Liang Tiejun gently squeezed the unlit cigarette in half with his fingers.

"Where did Sun Changgui get so much money?"

Liang Tiejun suddenly spoke, his voice not loud, but like a bucket of cold water mixed with ice, poured over the room.

Zhang Dafa was stunned for a moment, his hand pointing at Wang Guowei froze in mid-air, and he suddenly turned his head away.

"Old Liang, what do you mean?"

Liang Tiejun stood up and clapped the tobacco off his hands.

"The factory is in trouble right now; they can't even pay next month's wages in full. Sun Changgui used to be a heavy drinker in the security department; he had to buy alcohol on credit from the convenience store outside. How much money does he have in his pocket?"

Liang Tiejun walked step by step to the corner of the wall, looking down at Wang Guowei who was slumped on the ground.

Even if he harbors immense resentment.

Even if he hates Zhao Shanhe.

"Even if he dreams of turning the old security guards around."

"You can't get a job from a ruthless thug like Old Scar by just buying him a drink or a couple of packs of cigarettes."

Liang Tiejun's tone grew increasingly somber, like a boulder pressing down on everyone's hearts.

"Moreover, this time it's not about cornering someone in an alley and beating them up."

"They stole the key to Workshop Number One."

"They're going to set those German-imported machines on fire!"

"If this really happens, it's a capital offense!"

Liang Tiejun stared intently at Wang Guowei's ever-shrinking pupils, uttering his question word by word.

"Why would someone like Old Scar, who won't act until he sees a benefit, risk his life for Sun Changgui?"

"Where did this money for buying his life come from?"

Wang Guowei froze, as if those few words had drained all his strength, and even his breathing stopped.

Liang Tiejun slowly squatted down, his gaze as sharp as a knife as he stared at him.

"What else do you know?"

Wang Guowei shook his head frantically like a rattle-drum, tears and snot streaming down his face, unable to utter a single word.

Seeing his appearance, Zhang Dafa assumed that the little beast was trying to hide his life even when it was about to end, and his anger, which he had just suppressed, suddenly flared up again.

He strode forward, raised his thick leather shoe, and was about to kick Wang Guowei.

Wang Guowei was so terrified that he scrambled to the corner of the wall, clutching his head tightly with both hands and howling in agony.

"Uncle! I really don't know!"

Liang Tiejun stood up and stopped Zhang Dafa from kicking him down.

"Alright, Lao Zhang, stop hitting him."

"No matter how hard you try, you won't get anything out."

Zhang Dafa's chest heaved violently. He gritted his teeth and remained silent, but eventually withdrew his foot.

Liang Tiejun turned his head and looked at Da Niu and Er Ga Zi, who were blocking the doorway.

"Big Bull".

Da Niu suddenly raised his head, his bloodshot eyes fixed on the person behind the desk.

Liang Tiejun stood up, his hands braced on the table: "You and Ergaizi take the security guards and go find Sun Changgui! Especially the train station, the bus station, and those run-down taverns he used to frequent—don't miss a single one!"

"Let me make this clear from the start."

"Find the person and bring them back to me safe and sound!"

Liang Tiejun walked around the desk, his tall frame looming over the two men. He lowered his voice and said, "No one else can die in this factory tonight. Even if not for yourselves, for Zhao Shanhe who paved the way for you, think carefully. We can't afford to cause him any more trouble!"

The name Zhao Shanhe is like an invisible straitjacket.

Erga Zi gritted his teeth, making a grinding sound, and the muscles in his cheeks twitched violently a few times.

Da Niu stretched out his thick arm and pressed down on Er Ga Zi's shoulder, his deep voice like a piece of hard iron hitting the ground: "I know."

Liang Tiejun withdrew his gaze, nodded, and then added, "We also need to dig deeper into Old Scar's situation."

"Wang Guowei previously instructed that Old Scar and his gang of vagrants hang around the train station area all day long. You take your men there and ask them everywhere: the back street of the train station, the scrap yard, the backyard of the guesthouse, and those small shops selling bulk liquor!"

Da Niu didn't waste any more words. He grabbed Er Ga Zi's arm tightly and turned to walk out the door.

Erga was dragged across the threshold, but before leaving, he paused for a moment.

He turned his head, his bloodshot eyes looking over Liang Tiejun's shoulder, and glared at Wang Guowei, who was slumped in the corner.

That gaze was as cold and menacing as an ice blade in the dead of winter, exuding an undisguised chilling murderous intent.

Wang Guowei shuddered under the gaze, his bladder tightened, and he wished he could turn into a puddle of water and shrink into a crack in the wall.

The heavy footsteps faded into the distance along the corridor.

Zhang Dafa wiped the cold sweat from his face, his voice still a little strained: "Old Liang, what do we do now?"

Liang Tiejun reached out and grabbed the pistol on the table, deftly tucking it into the holster at his waist.

"Go to Workshop Number One and keep a close eye on those machines."

Zhang Da was stunned for a moment.

"What are you going to do at Workshop Number One?"

Liang Tiejun looked at Zhang Dafa with a serious expression.

"The security personnel have all been deployed."

"We need to find Sun Changgui and Lao Ba everywhere: the factory gate, the staff quarters, the train station, and the old alley outside the factory."

"Now workshop number one is the emptier, I'm afraid someone is trying to lure us away from here."

Zhang Dafa's expression suddenly changed, and a layer of cold sweat instantly broke out on his back.

His mind was so focused on Wang Guowei, Sun Changgui, and Lao Ba that he almost forgot the most crucial thing.

Workshop No. 1.

Those German machines.

That's what they've been eyeing from the very beginning.

Zhang Dafa gritted his teeth and immediately nodded.

"you're right."

"Old Liang, you've thought things through more thoroughly than I have."

"We'll go check it out right away."

Just then, a series of extremely hurried footsteps suddenly came from outside the corridor.

The footsteps were incredibly chaotic.

It sounded like someone had tumbled and crawled up the stairs, still breathless, their shoes scraping against the concrete floor with a screeching sound.

"Bang!"

The door was suddenly kicked open from the outside.

A young security guard stumbled in, his face deathly pale.

"Director Liang!"

"Deputy Factory Director Zhang!"

Liang Tiejun's heart sank suddenly, and an extremely ominous premonition instantly gripped his heart.

He stared at the young man's pale face, and his voice suddenly lowered.

"explain."

The young man swallowed hard, his Adam's apple bobbing violently, and even his voice trembled.

"Sun Changgui..."

Zhang Dafa's eyelids twitched violently, and his obese body took a sudden step forward, his voice hoarse with anxiety.

"What happened to Sun Changgui?"

The young man's lips trembled for a long time before he managed to squeeze out a sentence through gritted teeth.

He is dead.