Mastering the Sword Manual, sweeping across the globe

The boss, Gao Dachang, was in the workshop at the time. Upon seeing this, he flew into a rage, pointed at Wang Hai's nose, and cursed him, saying that he was clumsy and only caused trouble. This batch of goods was in urgent need, and now it was all ruined.

Finally, he said: "Either compensate me at cost price, including material and processing fees, which will amount to more than three thousand; or get out of here immediately and don't expect to receive your salary this month, consider it compensation for the loss."

Where would Wang Hai get three thousand yuan?

He pleaded, saying that it could be deducted from his future salary, even if it was a larger amount.

Gao Dachang refused, saying he didn't trust him and what if he ran away?

In the end, Wang Hai was kicked out of the factory, his dormitory was no longer available, and he didn't receive a single penny of his wages from last month or for the twenty days he worked this month.

"Tsk, you're really unlucky, kid." Zhang Qiliang chuckled after hearing this, reaching out to pat the boy's slightly prickly short hair. "This lousy factory is really going too far. Didn't you try contacting the Labor Dispatch Office?"

“I did look for it!” Wang Hai said, his voice filled with even more grievance, his eyes reddening again. “I had nowhere to go at the time, so I found a hotel to stay in. I asked an old foreman from the factory with whom I had a decent relationship, and he secretly told me to go to these departments. I also looked it up online, and it said I could go to the Labor Service Department, or something like the ‘Workers' Relief Office,’ and… oh, the Criminal Justice Department seems to have a ‘Legal Aid’ office where I could also consult…”

He went to each address and phone number he found, asking them one by one.

“But…it’s all useless.” Wang Hai’s voice was full of disappointment. “The person at the Labor Service Department saw my situation and said, ‘We understand, we will handle it according to procedure, you can go back and wait for notification.’ It was similar at the Labor Service Center. They made me fill out a bunch of forms and gave me my phone number. I waited and waited, for more than a week, and there was still no news.”

“I went to ask again, and they said ‘we’re verifying it, it will take time,’ or ‘we’ve already contacted the factory, but they’re not cooperating, so there’s nothing we can do.’… The legal aid at the Criminal Investigation Department said that the amount involved in my case was too small, there was no formal contract, and the evidence was insufficient, so they suggested that I try mediation first…”

Because he believed in these promises of "it will be handled" and "wait for notification," Wang Hai managed to endure for another two weeks in that city where he had no relatives or friends.

Staying in the worst hotels and eating the cheapest food, I slowly squandered the thousand-odd yuan I had painstakingly saved over the past few months.

Finally, in utter despair, knowing that if he waited any longer, he wouldn't even have the fare to go home, he bought the cheapest long-distance bus ticket and decided to go back to his hometown first.

"Tsk tsk, doubly unlucky." Zhang Qiliang chuckled again, this time with a hint of something else in his smile. "Alright, stop making that face. Tell me, which district and street in Ya City is that lousy factory located in? The boss, Gao Dachang, besides his name, do you know where he lives? Or does the factory have a car? Do you remember the license plate number?"

"Also, when you went to those departments to report, which specific office did you go to? What did the person who received you look like? What was their name? Hmm, you probably only remember the department, but you might not know the specific names. Tell me everything, as much as you can remember."

Wang Hai looked at Zhang Qiliang in surprise and blinked.

He didn't suspect Zhang Qiliang was a bad person. He knew that this guy in the delivery uniform was a rare kind-hearted person because he had arranged accommodations and paid for the rooms along the way.

But... this outfit just doesn't seem to match the detailed, almost professional questions we're being asked right now.

"Brother, you..." Wang Hai hesitated.

"What, looking down on me?" Zhang Qiliang looked down at his dusty work jacket and smiled. "I have a nephew who works in the Civil Service Department of the provincial government... well, that's what he does. Just because the local government doesn't care doesn't mean our hometown can't. I'll have my nephew look into this; it might be of some use."

"Really?" Wang Hai's eyes lit up, his doubts overwhelmed by his immense hope.

He tried hard to recall and answered Zhang Qiliang's question in as much detail as possible:

"The factory is located in the western suburbs of Ya City, and it seems to belong to... 'LQ Industrial Park'? Yes, that's the name. The specific address is a small road in the park called 'Xingye Third Road'. The factory is at the end of the road, with a blue wall and a sign hanging at the entrance that reads 'Yongfa Precision Parts Factory'."

“Boss Gao Dachang… I don’t know where he lives. There’s a black SUV in the factory, it’s pretty big, the brand is… it’s one of those four-ringed ones, yes, Audi! The license plate number… I don’t remember it all, it seems to be ‘Yong A·5Bxxx’, I can’t remember the last three digits, but it definitely starts with ‘Yong A·5B’.”

“I went to the Labor Service Department, to their ‘Complaints and Reports Reception Window.’ It was a woman, probably in her thirties, with short hair, wearing glasses, and speaking very quickly… Her name? I think she had a name tag pinned to her chest, but I didn’t see it clearly. The Labor Service Center was in an office on the second floor. There was a man there handling things; he was a bit overweight, and his attitude was okay, but he kept saying ‘we have to follow the procedures’…”

Zhang Qiliang pulled out a small notebook and a pen from somewhere and, under the dim light of the room, wrote down each sentence clearly and neatly.

After finishing his notes, Zhang Qiliang closed the notebook and turned to a new blank page.

"Alright, I've noted all of that down. Get some rest, and don't rush off tomorrow." Zhang Qiliang said, quickly writing on a new page. "Since there's no urgent matter at home that requires you to go back immediately, stay a day or two longer. I'll ask my nephew to see if he can help you find a job here in the provincial capital. At least you'll have a place to eat and sleep, which is better than just waiting around back home."

"Go to this address tomorrow morning." Zhang Qiliang tore off the page and handed it to Wang Hai.

The paper had an address written on it: No. XX, XX Road, Chengdong District, Labor Dispatch Office, as well as a specific office door number and the words "Looking for Deputy Head Zhao".

“When you get there, have him arrange it for you. As for accommodation…” Zhang Qiliang thought for a moment, “I’ll extend the room fee for two days first, and you can pay me back after you find a job and get paid.”

"Thank you so much, brother! Thank you so much!" Wang Hai quickly took the note and thanked him repeatedly, but a new doubt arose in his heart. "Brother, look at your age... your nephew is already working in the provincial government? And he's a leader?"

Zhang Qiliang is only about twenty-five or twenty-six years old, how old can his nephew be?

“Nephew, from a different branch of the family.” Zhang Qiliang explained casually as he put away his pen and notebook. “It’s just a matter of seniority. My nephew isn’t very capable… but if he can’t even handle something this small, you can tell him I’ll slap him.”

Wang Hai burst out laughing at these words, and the tension and gloom in his heart dissipated considerably.

He took the note with both hands, folded it carefully, and put it in his inner pocket: "Thank you, brother!"

"Okay, take a rest. Remember to lock the door." Zhang Qiliang stood up and walked towards the door.

"Brother, please wait a moment!" Wang Hai suddenly called out to him.

Zhang Qiliang turned around.

Wang Hai pulled a crumpled cigarette case from his jeans pocket. It was the cheapest local brand, with a red case, and it was already half-deformed.

He handed it over somewhat embarrassedly, saying, "I...this is all I have...thank you."

Looking at the boy's still-childish face, yet already etched with the marks of time, and then at the half-pack of cheap cigarettes and the fresh cigarette stains on the boy's fingers, Zhang Qiliang swallowed back the words he was about to say in refusal.

Zhang Qiliang smiled, took the cigarette, and put it in his pocket: "I'm out of cigarettes, thanks."

He opened the door, went out, and gently closed it behind him.

I went downstairs and returned to my electric scooter.

The station square was even more deserted at night, with only a few scattered passengers and drivers soliciting passengers.

Zhang Qiliang rode his bike through the increasingly sparse streetlights back to the food delivery station.

There were a few night shift riders at the station handing over duties, charging their devices, and chatting.

Zhang Qiliang parked his electric bike in the designated area, carefully tidied up his work clothes, put them in the office, came out to hang up his helmet, and then replaced the electric bike's battery with a fully charged one.

After doing all that, he walked to the station entrance, found a sheltered corner, took out the half-pack of red cigarettes from his pocket, and pulled one out.

He remembered that one of his coworkers was smoking, so he went over and gave each of them a cigarette, and also borrowed a lighter.

With a "snap," a pale blue flame flickered and ignited the cigarette butt.

Zhang Qiliang took a deep drag, the pungent smell of cheap tobacco filling his lungs. With his other hand, he pulled out his phone, opened a map app, and typed in two words:

"Ya".

Location pop-up.

Straight-line distance: 835 kilometers.

I checked the time; it was 8:40 PM.

At this time, there are no more flights to Ya, and the high-speed rail service should be about the same.

Moreover, given the current situation, it would be inconvenient for any of Zhang Qiliang's ID cards to be checked at security.

Well then... I guess I'll just have to work overtime.

Gazing at the city's dazzling yet indifferent lights in the distance, Zhang Qiliang silently smoked.

The smoke dissipated quickly in the night wind.

In a short while, the cigarette burned out.

Zhang Qiliang stubbed out his cigarette on the makeshift extinguisher next to him, walked back to the station, returned the lighter to his coworker, and casually greeted the few riders who were still there: "I'm off now, brothers, you've worked hard."

"Take care, Xiaoming!"

"See you tomorrow!"

Amidst a few scattered farewells, Zhang Qiliang walked out of the station, his figure disappearing into the deeper night outside.

He walked slowly along the sidewalk, like an ordinary worker walking home after a tiring day at work.

My pace gradually quickened, turning from a brisk walk into a jog.

Then, I took a step, adjusted my breathing, and the jog turned into a steady and powerful run.

His figure swept past under the streetlights, faster and faster, gradually exceeding the limits of normal running.

The shops, pedestrians, and vehicles on both sides of the road began to blur into flowing ribbons of light.

He began to leave the relatively bustling neighborhood and turned onto the less crowded outer roads.

Skyscrapers were left behind, and the view gradually opened up, revealing vast tracts of undeveloped land, low-rise factories, and scattered warehousing and logistics parks.

The running speed is still increasing.

The night wind howled in his ears, almost tearing his coat off.

He lowered his body slightly, his legs moving so fast they were almost blurry, each step unleashing astonishing power, propelling him like a cannonball tearing through the air.

The streetlights in the suburbs became sparse, and darkness surged in in large swaths.

In the distance, one can see rolling fields and, even further away, the dark silhouettes of mountains.

He left the paved asphalt road and continued along the county road.

Occasionally, a large truck traveling late at night will come towards you with its high beams on. The driver will only feel a blurry shadow flash past the truck at an incredible speed. Before he can see what it is, the shadow will disappear into the deep darkness behind him, leaving only a brief but strong gust of wind.

The village lights were scattered like beans, and the barking of dogs was left far behind.

It traversed the ridges of fields and skimmed across streams, maintaining terrifying stability and speed even on undulating terrain.

Finally, after crossing countless fields and hills, two parallel, perfectly straight lines appeared ahead, gleaming with a cold, metallic sheen under the moonlight—high-speed rail tracks.

Zhang Qiliang adjusted his direction, kept parallel to the track, and continued running.

40 Classic Exercises

When he woke up, Gao Dachang glanced at the wall clock.

The time is 1 a.m.

The next second, Gao Dachang was startled: the lights were on?

This is the LQ Industrial Park in the western suburbs of Ya City. Gao Dachang hosted two clients tonight, and they drank a bit late. After taking the clients to their hotel, Gao Dachang went straight back to the factory to spend the night.

It was supposed to be a temporary arrangement, but it was actually a small suite he had in the factory.

At the far end of the second floor of the assembly workshop, there is a space of about twenty square meters partitioned off using light steel keel and gypsum board.

Outside, there was a peeling desk and two filing cabinets, which served as the factory manager's office.

The inner room is more private. A 1.5-meter Simmons mattress is placed directly on the floor, and a low cabinet and a simple cloth wardrobe stand in the corner, with a few shirts and jackets hanging haphazardly inside.

To save time during the renovation, the circuit was directly pulled from the main switch in the workshop, and the light fixtures were not even changed; the same high-wattage incandescent bulbs used in the factory warehouse were used instead.

The light bulb hung naked in the center of the ceiling without a cover. Once turned on, the glaring light could illuminate every corner of the room clearly. Therefore, Gao Dachang never turned on the light to sleep. He preferred to fall asleep in the dark, listening to the faint aftershocks of the machines downstairs and the chorus of wild cats in heat outside the window.

Now, not only are the lights on.

On the sofa opposite, a young man was sitting.

He sat quietly, his hands resting naturally on his knees, his body leaning back slightly, as if he had just happened to be passing by and stopped to rest.

The young man's face was expressionless, neither fierce nor impatient, at most showing a hint of leisure.

The room was quiet, except for the monotonous humming of an exhaust fan downstairs, which was probably left running.

Gao Dachang's heart skipped a beat, then began to pound wildly.

The headache and confusion from the hangover vanished instantly.

He sat up abruptly in bed, his movement so sudden that the mattress creaked.

"Who are you?!" Gao Dachang's voice was distorted by shock, anger, and lingering alcohol. He subconsciously reached under his pillow—where a replica baton, usually used to "ward off evil spirits," was usually kept.

It's still hard.

Gao Dachang felt a little relieved.

“An elder,” the young man said with a smile.

Gao Dachang was not relaxed at all because of this politeness. Having built a factory, Gao Dachang was not lacking in experience.

He forced himself to calm down, his mind racing. A thief? Unlikely. This calm demeanor—who would sit and wait after breaking into someone's house? An enemy? Who had he offended recently? Could it be that supplier who had been dragging their feet for so long? Or…

His gaze fell on the young man's face again.

It's completely unfamiliar; I've never seen it before.

"Brother, who is your junior?" Gao Dachang tried to force a friendly,江湖-like smile, but his facial muscles were stiff, and the effect was quite limited. "Did you come to the wrong place? I, Gao Dachang, have a few friends around here. If you're short on cash..."

"Wang Hai."

They actually came for that kid! Gao Dachang was stunned for a moment.

Even knowing that the root cause was such a trivial matter, Gao Dachang still dared not relax.

The person who could sneak up to his bedside at this time, in this way, and so quietly, and still sit so calmly, is the complete opposite of Wang Hai, that country bumpkin.

"Oh dear! So you're Wang Hai's elder! Look at the mess this has made!" Gao Dachang forced a smile and said, "It's a misunderstanding, a complete misunderstanding!"

“That day… sigh, it was definitely my fault. I got angry and spoke harshly. The main problem was that the customer was pushing us like crazy for that batch of goods, and the delivery date was fast approaching. He just used the soldering iron and ruined more than a dozen circuit boards… You don’t know, it’s not easy for my small factory to get a rush order. Every penny counts. I was in such a rush at the time, and I just couldn’t keep my mouth shut. I said things in a fit of anger, and that’s how it ended up like that.”