Rebirth in a Courtyard: I Am a Little Hunter

A sudden, violent, and chaotic farce broke out downstairs at the steel rolling mill's office building, but it didn't last long.

Just as Sha Zhu was being held tightly by three or four burly workers, yet still struggling and roaring like an enraged bull, swinging iron bars wildly in the air, causing the surrounding crowd to gasp and retreat in terror; meanwhile, Xu Damao, already terrified, had already fled in a panic, disappearing without a trace. The entire office area was in complete chaos, everyone looking around in fear—

A sharp, forceful whistle, accompanied by heavy, orderly footsteps, cut abruptly into the clamor and chaos like a sharp blade!

"Get out of the way! Security department! Everyone scatter!"

Seven or eight security guards, dressed in uniform, wearing red armbands, carrying guns, and holding short wooden sticks, rushed over from the other side of the factory area at top speed, led by a sturdy, serious-looking man around forty years old with sharp, eagle-like eyes. They quickly dispersed the crowd of onlookers, forming a relatively isolated circle.

The man at the head of the group was Liu Changqing, the duty captain of the first security brigade. There was no trace of panic on his face, only a cold and decisive demeanor that came from someone who had seen all sorts of emergencies.

Liu Changqing's eyes flashed like lightning as he quickly scanned the scene: He Yuzhu, who was being barely restrained by several people, still struggling in vain, his eyes bloodshot, spewing foul language, and still tightly gripping that terrifying iron rod in his hand; the debris scattered all over the ground; the terrified faces of the surrounding workers; and the faint commotion that could still be heard in the distance as Xu Damao fled in panic.

"He Yuzhu! Put down that stick!" Liu Changqing strode forward, his voice loud and stern, carrying an unquestionable authority. "Did you hear me?! Put down the weapon immediately!"

Sha Zhu was completely blinded by rage and hatred, and couldn't hear anything. When he saw the security guards arrive, he wasn't afraid at all; instead, he became even more furious because they were "obstructing" his revenge against Xu Damao.

"Get out of my way! Don't block my way! Xu Damao! I'll curse your ancestors for eighteen generations! Come here if you dare!!" He roared, trying to break free of his restraints, and swung the iron rod haphazardly to the side, almost hitting a security guard who was trying to approach and persuade him.

"You've gone too far!" Liu Changqing's face darkened, a cold glint flashing in his eyes. Without another word, he waved his hand: "Stop him! Take the weapon away!"

At his command, two well-trained and physically strong young security guards immediately stepped forward. Unlike the workers who had only managed to hold them off, they used professional grappling techniques.

One person moved with lightning speed, precisely grabbing the wrist of the hand that Sha Zhu was holding the iron rod and twisting it forcefully! At the same time, the other person rushed forward, using one hand to strangle Sha Zhu's neck (controlling his head and upper body), while using the other hand to snatch the iron rod.

"Ah—!" The sharp pain in his wrist made Sha Zhu cry out, and he involuntarily loosened his grip a little. In that instant of relaxation, the iron rod was snatched away by another team member and thrown onto the concrete ground in the distance with a dull metallic clang.

With his weapon taken away, Sha Zhu became even more agitated, like a wild beast whose limbs were bound but which still refused to be tamed, twisting, kicking and cursing with all his might.

But the two security guards worked together seamlessly, holding him down firmly, and then another guard came up and helped to twist his arms behind his back.

No matter how strong Sha Zhu was, he was completely subdued by the three well-trained security guards. He could only hunch over in vain, like a stubborn ox being held down, panting heavily, still cursing, his eyes fixed on the direction Xu Damao had fled, filled with resentment and hatred.

"Where's Xu Damao?" Liu Changqing ignored Sha Zhu's struggles and turned to ask a clerk from the administrative department who was still in shock.

"He...he ran away, Captain Liu, he ran...he ran towards that warehouse area..." The officer pointed in the direction, still shaken.

Liu Changqing gestured with his chin to the two team members beside him: "You two, go find Xu Damao and bring him back! He may be able to run away, but he can't hide!"

"Yes!" The two team members responded and immediately chased after the warehouse area.

Liu Changqing then turned his gaze back to the subdued Sha Zhu, then to the cold iron bar on the ground, and to the growing number of workers gathered around, discussing amongst themselves. His expression grew even more serious.

In broad daylight, on the main road of the factory, he brandished a weapon and openly threatened to kill someone, chasing another employee who fled in disarray. This caused a commotion among onlookers throughout the factory, severely disrupting production and work order... This is extremely egregious!

"He Yuzhu!" Liu Changqing walked up to He Yuzhu, whose arms were tied behind his back and who was still glaring angrily ahead. His voice was cold and stern. "You've got some nerve! Attempting to commit murder with a weapon in the factory? What are you trying to do? Kill someone?! Don't you have any sense of factory rules and regulations?!"

Sha Zhu, having caught his breath a little, was overcome by Liu Changqing's questioning. His stubborn, unyielding spirit resurfaced. He abruptly raised his head, his bloodshot eyes glaring at Liu Changqing, and hissed, "Captain Liu! That bastard Xu Damao framed me first! He spread rumors behind my back! He ruined my reputation! He destroyed my future! It's only right that I settle accounts with him!"

"Settle scores? Settle scores with an iron rod?" Liu Changqing interrupted him sharply. "Is this factory a place for you to act tough and violent? If there's a problem, can't you report it to the organization? Can't you resolve it through proper channels? You're chasing people around the factory with an iron rod. What if you accidentally injure or kill someone? Can you take that responsibility?! Do you have any respect for the law? Do you have any respect for factory rules?!"

A barrage of harsh questions rained down like a hammer blow. Sha Zhu opened his mouth, wanting to retort, but was momentarily speechless. He had been blinded by rage and hadn't considered the consequences. Now, after Liu Changqing's stern questioning, his reckless madness subsided slightly, replaced by a vague sense of lingering fear and confusion, but mostly by resentment and anger.

"I..." He stiffened his neck, wanting to say something more.

"What do you mean, 'what are you talking about!'" Liu Changqing didn't give him a chance to explain. "Arming a weapon, attempting to injure someone, disturbing public order, damaging the production environment—any one of these is enough to get you into serious trouble! Take him back first! Let him calm down before we talk!"

He then turned to the workers who had gathered around and raised his voice: "Disperse! Go back to your posts! Do what you were doing! What kind of behavior is this, standing here like this? The factory will deal with this matter seriously! Disperse!"

Despite their curiosity and chatter, the workers had no choice but to slowly disperse as the security guards dispersed them. The news that "Sha Zhu chased Xu Damao with an iron rod" was destined to be the hottest topic of conversation at the steel rolling mill for the next few days.

Soon, the two security guards who had gone to find Xu Damao returned, one on each side, supporting Xu Damao, who was pale, trembling, and covered in dust and grass clippings—clearly he had gotten dirty while hiding. Xu Damao was even more terrified when he saw the subdued Sha Zhu and the iron bar on the ground; his legs went weak, and he was practically dragged over.

"Captain Liu... Captain Liu... Help... Help me! He Yuzhu is trying to kill me! He's gone mad! You saw it yourself! He was chasing me with that thick iron rod! If I hadn't run fast, he would have beaten me to death!" As soon as Xu Damao saw Liu Changqing, he wailed as if he had seen a lifeline. His voice was pitiful, as if he had suffered a great injustice and fright. Tears and snot were about to come out. There was no trace of the "cultured" demeanor of a projectionist he usually had.

"Shut up!" Liu Changqing snapped impatiently. "You're no better! We'll talk about the details when we get back! Take them all with you!"

So, under the watchful eyes of everyone, Sha Zhu, still defiant and stubbornly holding his head high with his arms tied behind his back, and Xu Damao, with a mournful face and trembling like a lamb to the slaughter, were escorted by the security team members towards the gray building where the security office was located. The iron rod used as the murder weapon was also picked up by a team member and taken away as evidence.

The farce that shocked the entire factory has temporarily come to an abrupt end with one side being subdued by force and the other being dragged back in a disheveled state. But everyone knows that this matter is far from over.

……

The security department's gray two-story building was a unique presence in the steel rolling mill. Unlike the noisy workshops or the busy office buildings, it always exuded a serious, quiet, and even slightly oppressive atmosphere. The first floor had several offices, but most of them were "study rooms" or "reflection rooms" used for temporary detention and interrogation.

Sha Zhu and Xu Damao were each led into an empty room with only an old wooden table and a few chairs, and the walls were painted half green.

Liu Changqing personally oversaw the interrogation, while two other team members took notes. The interrogation process was not complicated; in fact, it was so simple that even Liu Changqing was somewhat speechless.

Like a bamboo tube spilling beans, he recounted in detail, through gritted teeth, how he heard the gossip from Liu Lan, how he traced it back to Liu Ermei, Lao Zheng, Xiao Wang, and Sister Li, finally determining that the source of the rumor was Xu Damao, and how he was so enraged that he picked up an iron rod to fight Xu Damao to the death.

When talking about how Xu Damao spread the old story of his father running away with someone else, ruined his reputation, and broke up his marriage, his eyes blazed with anger, and he tried to stand up several times, but was held down by the team members next to him.

Xu Damao, on the other hand, was a completely different person. At first, he tried to argue that it was just "casual conversation," "something I heard from the old folks in the factory," and "no malicious intent." But under Sha Zhu's almost murderous gaze, and under Liu Changqing's cold questioning, especially when Liu Changqing pointed out that his behavior constituted deliberately spreading false information, undermining comrade unity, and causing a bad influence, Xu Damao's arrogance immediately deflated.