Courtyard House: In times of famine, my hamster became a spirit.

Before Yi Zhonghai could finish saying "It's over," Zhou Jianguo had already stepped into the security department's door.

Wang Zhenggang, the head of the security section, was a veteran with a square face and an imposing presence.

When he saw Zhou Jianguo come in, he frowned and was about to speak, but Zhou Jianguo did not give him the chance to put on airs.

"Section Chief Wang, I want to report this."

Zhou Jianguo spoke calmly and casually, saying, "Some people have been treating the public canteen like their own private garden for a long time, with huge sums of money involved and their behavior is unsightly."

Wang Zhenggang paused, "Words are no proof. Zhou Jianguo, do you know what crime false accusation is?"

Without wasting any words, Zhou Jianguo took out the miniature button-shaped sound recorder from his pocket and gently placed it on the desk.

With a tap of his finger, Sha Zhu's voice rang out in the office.

"...That's all with the factory manager's tacit approval! I earn my living with my skills! What's wrong with me bringing three lunchboxes every day? That's what I deserve! I can give the food in this canteen to whomever I want... If the factory manager doesn't care, who do you think you are..."

As the recording played, Wang Zhenggang's face visibly darkened, eventually turning as black as the bottom of a pot.

"Snapped!"

Wang Zheng slammed his hand on the table, making the enamel teacup rattle: "Outrageous! Absolutely outrageous! Do they think the Hongxing Steel Rolling Mill is their private restaurant? They even dared to throw dirty water on Director Yang!"

As the head of security, he hated this kind of person the most. Moreover, this fool Zhu's words implied that he was dragging the factory leaders into the mess; if this recording got out, he, as the head of security, would be seriously derelict in his duty!

"Section Chief Wang, this isn't over yet." Zhou Jianguo turned off the recording, leaned forward slightly, and stared intently. "He's not just foul-mouthed; he's a repeat offender. Today, he deliberately served the workers swill in the canteen so he could save the good meat and vegetables to take home. If you don't believe me now, we can make a bet."

"What are we betting on?"

"I bet we'll find something surprising in his net bag at the factory gate tonight," Zhou Jianguo said with a smirk. "If we don't catch him red-handed, I, Zhou Jianguo, am willing to accept the punishment. But if we do... Section Chief Wang, this is a golden opportunity for our factory's security department to establish its authority and clean up the atmosphere. Don't you want this boost in performance?"

Wang Zhenggang stared at Zhou Jianguo for three seconds, then grabbed the peaked cap from the table and put it on his head.

"Pass on my orders! Teams One and Two, assemble! After get off work tonight, seal off the factory gates and conduct a thorough search!"

……

Five o'clock in the afternoon.

Zhou Jianguo didn't rush to the factory gate. Instead, he found a secluded corner, leaned against the wall, and closed his eyes to rest.

"System, activate Ether Hamster Detection Mode," he silently commanded.

[Ding! View activated simultaneously.]

Without any fancy lighting effects, a high-definition image flashed into Zhou Jianguo's mind—it was the canteen's kitchen.

In the kitchen, Sha Zhu was humming an unknown tune, looking quite content.

He looked around furtively, making sure his apprentice Ma Hua had gone to the front hall, before pulling out an aluminum lunchbox that he had hidden under the stove.

Through the hamster's perspective, Zhou Jianguo could clearly see half a greasy chicken stewed with mushrooms and a large spoonful of bright red, fatty and lean braised pork in the lunchbox.

This amount of meat is more than a pound!

"Tsk, he eats better than the factory manager," Zhou Jianguo thought to himself with a sneer.

Sha Zhu's movements were extremely practiced, clearly indicating that he was a seasoned veteran among habitual offenders.

He quickly picked up a few rotten cabbage leaves from the nearby swill bucket, carefully covered the pile of meat with them, and then poured a spoonful of leftover soup over them, sealing the tempting aroma of the meat underneath.

Put the lid on and put it in that iconic mesh bag.

From the outside, it looks like a box of unwanted swill.

"All done!" Sha Zhu lifted the net bag, his face full of smugness. "That Zhou Jianguo is nothing, he can't possibly rummage through my bag, can he? I'll take him home and give Bang Geng some to nourish him, Sister Qin will probably be very grateful to me, hehe."

Looking at Sha Zhu's expression of "I predicted your prediction," Zhou Jianguo found it amusing.

……

The workday bell finally rang.

The workers poured out of the workshop like a tide, their tired faces filled with longing to go home.

Sha Zhu took off his apron, picked up the heavy net bag, and swayed as he walked out, his steps showing no sign of recognition.

Not far from the cafeteria, Yi Zhonghai emerged from a side alley with a gloomy face.

"Zhu Zi!" Yi Zhonghai lowered his voice, his expression tense. "Why are you still carrying this thing? Didn't I tell you to leave empty-handed today? That Zhou Jianguo is at the security office; who knows what kind of trouble he's up to!"

Sha Zhu curled his lip nonchalantly and hid the net behind his back slightly: "Uncle, you're being too cautious. Those security guys are just trying to scare the weak. Who am I, He Yuzhu? An eighth-grade cook! I've got the stomachs of thousands of people in the factory under my control! They wouldn't dare to check me even if they had the guts."

Yi Zhonghai was furious at Sha Zhu's reckless attitude, but he couldn't say anything more at this point. He could only instruct him, "Be discreet when you leave the factory. If anyone asks, just insist it's leftover soup, understand?"

"Alright, you can hold it then!"

The two walked one after the other, blending into the flow of people leaving get off work, towards the factory gate.

However, when they turned the last corner and saw the scene at the factory gate, Sha Zhu involuntarily paused.

The once loosely secured factory gate was now guarded by two rows of fully armed security officers, their black uniforms forming a continuous line.

Section Chief Wang Zhenggang personally led the team, standing in the middle with a dark face, his gaze sweeping over each person leaving the factory.

Zhou Jianguo stood calmly beside Wang Zhenggang, arms crossed.

"Oh no." Yi Zhonghai's heart skipped a beat, and an ominous premonition arose spontaneously.

But it was too late to retreat now; there were people all around. If they turned around and ran now, it would be like trying to hide something obvious.

"Calm down!" Yi Zhonghai hissed. "You're the head chef; bringing leftovers is standard practice. As long as you don't panic, they won't dare do anything to you. Remember, insist it's just leftovers!"

Sha Zhu swallowed hard, straightened his chest, and forced himself to walk forward.

As they got closer, Shazhu felt like his heart was about to burst out of his chest.

Finally, they arrived at the front gate.

Wang Zhenggang's gaze instantly locked onto the net bag in Sha Zhu's hand.

Before Wang Zhenggang could speak, Zhou Jianguo suddenly raised his hand, pointed directly at Shazhu, and coldly uttered two words:

"Stop them."