Mastering the Sword Manual, sweeping across the globe

He tried desperately to remember.

Wang Hai seemed to have said a lot that day, and he seemed quite aggrieved...

And what about yourself?

Reported? No.

Records? No.

It seems... they didn't even fill out the most basic "Summary of Visit" form! Let alone any mention of "guiding to the relevant professional authority."

But can you blame yourself for this?! At that time, Granny Wang and Aunt Liu had been arguing for almost half an hour next door over a trivial matter of a basin of dirty water being thrown at the door!

You're such a good guy, you don't make a fuss or cry, you just honestly answer all my questions. How am I supposed to deal with your problem first?

Cold sweat trickled down his forehead.

“I…I listened to his entire story,” He Yinbiao licked his lips. “This…this should be considered emotional support, right?”

"Yes, we need to help him process his emotions! We need to give him a place to talk and let him vent his frustrations, so that he doesn't... so that he doesn't have a moment of despair and take any extreme action."

"Comrade, you may not know this, but in our grassroots work, sometimes 'listening' itself is a very important intervention method..."

“Okay,” Zhang Qiliang approved once again, “Well done.”

After saying that, Zhang Qiliang started setting up his phone.

"Tell me, what have you accomplished during your tenure...?"

……

Two minutes later.

"what--!!!"

The first phalanx became flattened.

He Yinbiao howled and incoherently defended himself: "It really wasn't my fault! Brother! What real power do we, the lowest of the low, have? Those factories, which one of them isn't related to the employment and tax revenue of the neighborhood? They ignore us, what can we do? Our words are no different from farting!"

"Ah! Ahh ...

The second knuckle was also deformed.

He Yinbiao almost collapsed, only supported by the guardrail behind him and the invisible pressure.

He cried out, his words broken by pain and fear: "Brother... embezzlement... dereliction of duty... sometimes it really wasn't my intention to do this... there are a thousand threads above, but only one needle below, everything is being pushed down, targets must be met, reports must look good, but resources are limited... I... I also have my reasons, please understand!"

The third knuckle.

The extreme pain seemed to have instilled in He Yinbiao a kind of absurd resentment. He hoarsely questioned, with a sob in his voice, "So many people do this! There are many who are worse than me! That's how the system works! Why... why did you have to come looking for me?! What am I to you?!"

“Isn’t this what you told Wang Hai?” Zhang Qiliang finally answered, or rather, finally gave He Yinbiao a moment to catch his breath:

"If it happens, it happens; if there's nothing you can do, there's nothing you can do."

--------

The third stop was the Gongyongfengxiantai (工佣风宪台).

Hong Mingyuan, in his early thirties, was thin and wore gold-rimmed glasses. He gripped the railing tightly with both hands, his whole body trembling.

Similarly, he had long forgotten Wang Hai.

However, compared to Tang Jiaping in the first stop and He Yinbiao in the second stop, Hong Mingyuan has a clear advantage!

“Brother,” Hong Mingyuan said confidently after understanding the situation, “According to regulations, there are clear pre-procedure requirements for accepting labor and wage disputes.

"The complainant should first report and register the complaint with the 'Neighborhood Labor Relief Office' to which the factory in question belongs or directly with the 'Labor Dispatch Office'. Only if the grassroots mediation fails, or the party involved refuses to cooperate with the grassroots investigation, and the relevant materials meet the conditions for transfer after preliminary review, will they be reported to our 'Censorate' for assessment on whether to file a case for supervision."

"That's what I said to him too... I even asked Xiao Qi to pour him a glass of water!"

“I see,” Zhang Qiliang nodded. “I’m sorry, I was being presumptuous.”

After saying that, Zhang Qiliang started setting up his phone.

……

"Ah! Ahhh!"

"Big brother, this really hasn't reached my stage yet! Aaaaaaah!!! Aaaaaaahhhhhh!!!"

“I know,” Zhang Qi nodded, “but on my side, we’ve already reached that stage.”

--------

The fourth stop was the relief treasury for conscripted laborers; the fifth stop was the laborers' relief office; the sixth stop...

--------

The seventh station is the Public Office for Judges and Judges.

Li Guofu, 41 years old, is a middle-aged fat man.

"Wang Hai? Brother Wang?" Standing on the rooftop, bewildered, Li Guofu nodded: "I know him."

"...You know?" The shadowy figure seemed slightly taken aback.

"Hmm, wearing an old jacket, speaking with a slight accent, probably from X province... a very honest young man."

"So, do you remember what he wanted to talk to you about?"

“I remember!” Li Guofu nodded again. “He said he messed up his work at the factory, and the boss docked all his wages and kicked him out… Let me think… it should be called Yongfa or something like that parts factory, in the LQ Industrial Park.”

Under the same roof, as at the other stations, Li Guofu's cooperation was almost 200%.

"Then how did you deal with it?"

“I…” Li Guofu dared not delay, suppressing his fear, and tried his best to recall and organize his thoughts, “I handled it strictly according to the reception procedures! First, I recorded his basic information, demands and information about the factory involved in detail, and filled out the ‘Visitor Registration Form’ and ‘Complaint Registration Form’.”

He spoke while observing the other person's reaction, but unfortunately, he couldn't see their expression in the darkness.

"Then, I asked a sister department for a reference case and called the person in charge of Yongfa Factory three times within three working days to try to mediate, informing them of the relevant laws and regulations and the possible consequences, and asking them to cooperate in handling the matter... Unfortunately, the other party's attitude was not very positive."

"At the same time, I also submitted a written report on this situation to the person in charge twice through the internal OA system, requesting their attention. After the person in charge gave their instructions, this case was included in our company's business discussion meeting last Friday. Everyone made a preliminary assessment of the situation and formulated the next step plan. According to the plan, we originally planned to send someone, that is, me, to the factory that Wang Hai reported next week, oh, this week, to conduct an on-site investigation and verification..."

Li Guofu spoke very quickly, afraid of offending the other party if he spoke too slowly.

"Is that so..." The shadowy figure remained noncommittal, simply uttering a soft sentence.

Immediately afterwards, Li Guofu felt a blur before his eyes.

The dark figure simply vanished into thin air!

"A ghost...a ghost!!" Li Guofu was so frightened that his legs went weak and he almost knelt down.

Less than ten seconds later—which felt like an eternity to Li Guofu—the dark figure reappeared in almost the same spot in front of him, as if it had never left.

The young man now has something new in his hands.

Li Guofu stared intently, and his heart nearly stopped—it was his cell phone!

He habitually keeps his smartphone on his bedside table before going to sleep!

The young man lit up his phone screen and handed it to Li Guofu. The cold light from the screen illuminated Li Guofu's pale and terrified face.

Li Guofu instantly understood, and took the phone with trembling hands. The icy touch made him shiver again.

He dared not hesitate for a moment, and his stiff fingers moved with incredible speed.

"You...you see!" He practically held out the phone, his voice trembling with tears. "This is our work group. Last Wednesday at 4:20 PM, I sent a brief summary of Wang Hai's complaint and a photo of the registration form..."

"These are the call logs. I called that factory's landline on Thursday morning and afternoon, and Friday morning last week. Each call lasted about two minutes..."

"This is the OA system. These are the two situation reports I submitted to the director. Below are the section chief's review and approval records..."

"This is the electronic version of the meeting minutes from last Friday's business discussion. Wang Hai's complaint was listed as the third item on the agenda..."

"And this is a draft of our department's preliminary fieldwork plan for next week, which clearly states that we will be conducting an on-site investigation at 'Yongfa Precision Parts Factory in LQ Industrial Park'..."

As if reciting a familiar story, Li Guofu opened each app and record on his phone and showed them off.

The shadowy figure remained silent for a long while.

"Why are you doing this?"

“Because…” Li Guofu paused for a moment, “is this a requirement of the work regulations?”

The shadowy figure seemed amused.

After a long pause, the shadowy figure asked again, "According to the rules, isn't Wang Hai's situation not yet at your stage?"

"The guidelines... um, they were mentioned in the work guidelines. For situations where problems or potential risks might arise, as long as... conditions permit, once you know about it, you should take the initiative and prepare what you can. Brother, I... I... I really forgot how to write it specifically..."

"I think you remember it very clearly."

The shadowy figure's voice softened, and then he emerged from the shadows at the top of the stairs, standing in a relatively open area.

By the dim light in the distance, Li Guofu could see clearly that he was a very scholarly young man.

The young man pulled a pack of cigarettes from his pocket; it was a very ordinary brand.

He took out a cigarette and offered it to Li Guofu: "Want a smoke?"

Li Guofu had actually quit smoking two years ago, but he dared not refuse at this moment. He quickly and respectfully accepted the gift with both hands, holding it between his fingers: "Thank you, thank you."

The young man took one for himself, put it in his mouth, then took out a lighter, lit it with a "click," and brought it to Li Guofu's side.

Li Guofu was flattered and quickly leaned over to light it. In the instant he looked down, he realized what he had done and gently patted the young man's hand holding the lighter to express his gratitude.

The young man withdrew his hand, lit one for himself, took a silent drag, and gazed at the sparse city lights in the distance.

Li Guofu was puzzled and could only stand aside in surprise and doubt, holding the cigarette in his hand and taking a careful puff.

Having quit smoking for so long, the acrid smoke made him cough softly twice.

The two stood quietly in the cool breeze on the rooftop, without saying a word, with only the red glow of their cigarettes flickering in the darkness.

In a short while, the cigarette burned out.

The young man stubbed out his cigarette on the concrete railing.

"I'm sorry to have disturbed your rest. I'll take you back."

"No need, no need!" Li Guofu waved his hand hastily, almost throwing away the cigarette butt in his hand. "I can go downstairs by myself. I know the way, I know the way!"

"Of course." The young man shook his head, said nothing more, and reached out to grab Li Guofu's arm.

His movements were not fast, even somewhat light, but Li Guofu felt a gentle yet irresistible force coming from him.

The next moment, Li Guofu felt his feet lighten, and the edge of the rooftop, the outline of the water tank, and the lights in the distance suddenly dropped. His whole body, as if carried by a steady current, floated down the spacious stairwell.

The night breeze caressed my face, but instead of the expected feeling of weightlessness and terror, I experienced a strange sense of smoothness, like riding a gentle sightseeing elevator.

In the blink of an eye, he was standing steadily in his bedroom.

The whole process was brief and swift, without making a sound or even disturbing the motion-activated lights in the hallway just a few meters away.

The young people also went inside.

The bedroom was filled with a murky smell—a mixture of faint body odor, the smell of leftover food, and the smell of dust.

Blankets, quilts, and pillows were piled haphazardly on the bed, a few worn clothes were draped over the back of the chair, and documents, medicine bottles, and empty snack bags were scattered on the desk.

The floor showed signs of having been mopped, but there was a thin layer of dust in the corners.

The young man looked around and frowned slightly: "It's not hot at night anymore, why don't you open the window to sleep?"

"I closed the windows and locked the door, but I still couldn't stop you from coming in..." Li Guofu thought resentfully.

“There’s a small water feature downstairs. There are a lot of mosquitoes there in the summer. Even with the windows closed, they’re still there from time to time. It’s even worse when the windows are open.”

That's the truth. On the electric mosquito coil holder in the corner, the metal tray was covered with a thick layer of grayish-white ash, clearly indicating that it hadn't been cleaned for a long time.

"Small things."

As he spoke, the young man suddenly raised his right hand, his thumb hooking his middle finger, and his index and ring fingers straight and joined together.

Two or three steps away, a rhythmic sword gesture was lightly "slashed" across Li Guofu's forehead.

In an instant, Li Guofu felt an extremely sharp, fierce, and resolute sword intent rushing towards him, as if it could cleave through everything in the world!

The sword intent was formless, yet it solidified into a tangible form, causing his soul to tremble!

"Ah!" Li Guofu cried out reflexively, desperately trying to retreat. With a "bang," his back slammed heavily against the wall, leaving him with nowhere to go.

He stared in horror as the "sword technique" swiftly descended into his brow.