1982 Started from Hong Kong

Chapter 488 Cyber ​​Pengcheng
Several Toyota Crowns drove smoothly along Sungang Road, passing by rows of unfinished buildings.

Zhai Yuan's car was sandwiched between the two cars in front and behind. He leaned back in his seat, squinted, and observed his surroundings.

Suddenly, the phone rang.

When traveling from Hong Kong to Shenzhen, there are no base station signal towers connecting the two cities, so my brother's phone is useless.

At this point, the satellite phone came in handy. A black metal box placed in the passenger seat lit up with a flashing indicator light. Guan Weiming pulled out a folding antenna with a diameter of about three centimeters from the box, tuned it to the frequency, and then handed the handset to Zhai Yuan in the back seat.

"Boss, it's Ms. Hong calling."

"Hmm." Zhai Yuan took the bulky receiver and greeted the person on the other end with a smile: "How is it, Sister Huang?"

The static on the other end of the phone was barely audible. Hong Huang breathed a sigh of relief: "Finally got through! Xiao Zhai, where are you now?"

Zhai Yuan glanced at the road sign outside: "Just past Sungang Road, there's a Friendship Store nearby."

Hong Huang paused for a few seconds, then asked again, "Isn't there a Friendship Store on the left and a Kingway Brewery on the right front?"

Zhai Yuan glanced around and hummed in agreement.

Hong Huang said in a serious tone, "Have the driver pull over and lock the car doors. We'll come pick you up."

The voice just fell,

The tire of the Crown leading the way suddenly burst with a bang, and the car veered off course for a distance before coming to a stop in front of a row of red brick sheds. The front of the car crashed into a pile of cement bags, kicking up a cloud of dust.

With a series of braking sounds, the Crown car that Zhai Yuan was riding in, along with several other cars following behind, were forced to stop.

Immediately afterwards, a dozen or so muscular men, shirtless, came out of the shed and surrounded the first Crown truck that had crashed into the cement bag.

A man with a buzz cut and a Buddhist bead necklace stood next to the Crown with a flat tire, squatted down to pick up a thumbtack, glanced at the front of the car, and then looked at the convoy of cars that had been forced to stop behind.

The man with the buzz cut squinted and clicked his tongue. He leaned over and knocked on the driver's side window, speaking in a thick local accent: "Boss, flat tire? Need any help from the brothers? By the way, we need to 'pay a fare' to get here. Not much, three thousand dollars a car."

As soon as he finished speaking, the henchmen standing next to him each pulled out their weapons.

They were homemade double-barreled shotguns, which were tapped lightly on the roof of the car with a threatening gesture using the barrels.

"Hey, Sister Huang, come quick, something's happened."

Zhai Yuan looked at the scene in front of him with a mix of laughter and tears, thinking that he had really stayed in Hong Kong for too long and traveled to the mainland and Beijing more often. How could he have forgotten the level of chaos in other cities during this period?
Upon hearing Zhai Yuan say that something had happened, Hong Huang's tone became noticeably anxious: "Did you run into some local bullies? I told you to contact me beforehand! Wait for me, I'll be there soon, whatever you do, don't let anything happen!"

The call ended with a beep. At this point, only landline phones could connect to the satellite phone, so there was no possibility of communication during the call.

Zhai Yuan let out a breath and tossed the receiver back to Guan Weiming.

Weixing, who was gripping the steering wheel in the driver's seat, glanced at Zhai Yuan in the rearview mirror, stared at the local bullies ahead, and asked, "Should I get out and take a look?"

The driver of the lead Crown was probably terrified and didn't dare to open the door, while several local thugs impatiently started kicking and banging on the car door.

Others also turned their gaze in their direction.

“Hmm, let’s talk it over.” Zhai Yuan rubbed his face, took out two stacks of Hong Kong dollars from Li Zhi’s handbag and handed them to Wei Xing. After thinking for a moment, he took out two more stacks and said, “It’s just about making money. Be civilized and don’t cause any conflict.”

Satellite opened the car door in response, then slammed it shut. Through the car window, it made a gesture to Guan Weiming in the passenger seat, who immediately pressed the lock button.

“Mr. Zhai, in broad daylight…” Guan Weiming turned his face and forced an awkward smile: “If I had known, I would have been two hours later and waited for Ms. Hong and the others to pick us up.”

Zhai Yuan leaned back in his chair, and after a brief moment of surprise, he calmed down and said helplessly, "That's because I didn't want to be too high-profile. It seems that sometimes, you have to be a little more flamboyant when you do things."

As he spoke, Zhai Yuan reached out and helped Li Zhi, whose face was full of tension, remove her earrings and necklace. He chuckled and pinched her cheek, teasingly saying, "Don't be afraid, but during our stay in Pengcheng, you'll have to stay by my side every step of the way. We'll even sleep together, otherwise you might get kidnapped and become someone's wife in no time."

Lizhi was clearly terrified by these words, clinging tightly to Zhai Yuan's arm and daring not to let go.

Outside the car window, the satellite had already struck up a conversation with more than a dozen local bullies.

Zhai Yuan narrowed his eyes. Xing Ge said something to the person opposite him and then handed over the Hong Kong dollars in his hand. The crowd burst into laughter. The man with the buzz cut gave a wink, and several shirtless youths put away their double-barreled shotguns one after another.

It's alright, the situation has been stabilized.

…………

"Li sir, drive faster!"

Several Beijing Jeep 212s bearing the words "Police Station" sped through Buji Road.

Behind the police car, two black Hongqi sedans followed.

Hong Huang sat anxiously in the Hongqi sedan, urging them on.

Li Sir, who was standing to the side in uniform, said helplessly, "Sister Huang, I've been as fast as I can. Don't worry, the security here is pretty good. Those thugs are very law-abiding. They usually don't cause trouble once they've taken the money. There won't be any problems."

Hong Huang gritted his teeth in anger, looked at the other leader in charge of investment promotion sitting next to him, and said with a grim face: "Deputy Director Zhou, shouldn't we also take care of the public security problem in Pengcheng? If it's like this, who would dare to invest here?"

"So I asked Ms. Hong to communicate in advance so that we could go to the port to pick up the person together. Who knew that Mr. Zhai from Hong Kong would arrive ahead of time."

Deputy Director Zhou frowned and said with dissatisfaction, then added, "But what Inspector Li said is not wrong. The public security in Pengcheng is considered very good. If you don't believe me, you can go to Shancheng and take a look. There are far more thugs there!"

Hong Huang took a deep breath, no longer intending to continue the conversation, and just kept looking at the road, his fingers tapping on the handrail.

Sungang Road is adjacent to Luohu Railway Station, so the police response time is fast enough.

A few minutes later, the lead jeep police car drove into an old factory street, and the walkie-talkie in front of Officer Li rang.

"Sir, I see them. They're those thugs from Dongmen Electronics Factory."

"Damn it! It's those same few sausages again! Get them out of here!"

Li Sir cursed and peered out the car window.

A dozen or so local thugs were still surrounding the Crown car, looking in surprise at the police car approaching from the opposite direction.

Inspector Li breathed a sigh of relief. Fortunately, it seemed no one had used a gun or bled.

He turned to look at Hong Huang with a big smile: "See, I told you this a long time ago, we Pengcheng people are the most law-abiding!"

…………

Satellite handed four stacks of Hong Kong dollars to the crew-cut man wearing a Buddhist bead necklace, and then politely offered him two packs of Red Marlboro cigarettes. The smiles on the faces of the group of local thugs gradually widened. "Bosses from Hong Kong are indeed generous. Last time, there was some out-of-towner from the Pearl River Delta who claimed to be doing big business. He wouldn't even give me two thousand dollars, and in the end, I chopped him down with one stroke. He fell flat on his face, his entire wrist was severed, and the medical bills alone cost more than two thousand dollars!"

The man with the buzz cut smiled amiably, as if he were talking about a trivial matter. At the end, he patted Weixing on the shoulder in a complimentary tone: "What kind of business does the boss do? How long are you staying in Pengcheng? Do you need bodyguards? Our group of brothers charges very little."

Satellite shook his head with a simple smile and said, "I'm just helping the boss with some small things."

The man with the buzz cut shifted his gaze, looked at the Crown convoy behind him, and grinned, "Oh, so there's a big boss here. I'll go say hello."

As soon as he moved, his underlings behind him also made a gesture to move forward.

Satellite frowned, stepped forward, and blocked the man with the buzz cut. He smiled and said, "There's no need for that. My boss came to inspect the market this time and was in a bit of a rush. He forgot to ask his friends here to greet him, so there was a little misunderstanding. I'll take care of the communication."

The man with the buzz cut raised an eyebrow and chuckled, "So you're not giving me face?"

As soon as he finished speaking, several shirtless young men next to him raised their hunting rifles again, pressing the barrels directly against Wei Xing's chest.

Satellite seemed oblivious to the gun barrel poking him, remaining motionless and his smile unwavering: "How could that be? But my boss has always disliked crowds. Let the other guys rest, and I'll go with you, okay?"

The man with the buzz cut stared at the satellite for a few seconds with a half-smile, then raised his hand and knocked away the gun barrel that his underling was pressing against him.

"How rude! Hey, fix this car for the owner. Don't scatter so many nails on the road next time; patching a tire is such a hassle!"

The man with the buzz cut said, affectionately putting his arm around Weixing's shoulder: "The boss from Hong Kong is indeed extraordinary, he's got guts. I, Ahua, admire you. There will be another opportunity next time..."

Before he could finish speaking, the sound of an engine came from the street behind him.

Several police jeeps sped up, the red police lights of the lead vehicle spinning on its roof, but the sirens had long since stopped working.

A man in military uniform leaned out of the passenger window, holding a megaphone and shouting, "Lo Wu police, everyone in front, disperse immediately... Tu Dinghua, I'll fuck your mother again? You stand there and don't move!"

"Damn! These bastards arrived so quickly today?"

The man with the buzz cut and nickname "Pithead Hua" frowned and cursed as the police car approached. He then quickly said to Satellite, "Sorry, I'll make friends with you again next time. I'm off!"

Then, at a command, the dozen or so thugs scattered in all directions.

In the blink of an eye, the entire street was spotless, with only residents on both sides watching the spectacle with delight.

The police jeep stopped.

Two Hongqi sedans behind also slowly came to a stop.

Hong Huang and several other leaders got out of the car one after another and headed in the direction where Zhai Yuan was.

Li Zhi still clung tightly to Zhai Yuan's arm, let out a long sigh, and asked in confusion, "Why isn't anyone chasing after those scoundrels?"

"Don't ask!" Zhai Yuan chuckled and pinched her nose, then opened the door to greet Hong Huang and the others, remarking with emotion, "Actually, what does the Zhao family know about Blade Runner? This is the real cyberpunk!"

…………

In the afternoon,

Zhai Yuan and his entourage were arranged to stay at the Diwang Guesthouse, which was known as the "China Merchants Hotel".

The corridor was covered with a faded red carpet, the edges of which were worn and frayed.

The doors were painted a uniform dark red and fitted with brass locks and iron chains.

Although the overall environment looked a bit old, the rooms were at least tidy.

The sheets on the Simmons king-size bed were snow-white, and a Venus brand TV stood on the TV cabinet against the wall, next to a landline phone that could make direct long-distance calls.

In the distance outside the window, several construction sites can be seen under construction, with tower cranes slowly rotating in the setting sun.

In Shenzhen, nearing the 90s, one foot was in mud and the other in gold.

Hong Huang arrived at Zhai Yuan's room, nervously patting his chest, and said reproachfully, "What kind of mess is this? Why did you have to come early? What if you had been two hours late?"

Zhai Yuan also gave a helpless smile: "Next time, for sure."

Hong Huang rolled his eyes: "Forget it, consider it a loss to avoid further trouble. As for Pengcheng, I only found out after I arrived that the local factories keep payroll a top secret. The factory leaders only notify the police on payday and have the police escort you all the way. I said if all else fails, I'll go to Shancheng to check it out for you, and guess what? They said it's even more chaotic there..."

Hong Huang inevitably launched into another rant, and also took the opportunity to explain the current situation to Zhai Yuan.

Zhai Yuan listened with a smile, without saying anything more.

In reality, this period was far from the most chaotic, because most people still had decent jobs. It wasn't until state-owned enterprises went bankrupt and the wave of people migrating to the cities began...

Tsk! No wonder Mr. Zhai was careless! He was so focused on the road ahead that he forgot about the pit under his feet.

As for Shantou, it was not within Zhai Yuan's consideration. It was not because of the chaos, but because the shipping routes were too poor. Although it was developing faster than Pengcheng now, once the shipping advantage was established, it would gradually become less worthwhile to build a factory there.

"Well, I'll head out now. The investment promotion manager has arranged a dinner for you tonight, I'll come pick you up then."

As Hong Huang was about to leave, he added, "Those Toyotas you drove were too conspicuous. Tomorrow I'll replace them with a Mazda like mine. And one other person absolutely mustn't go out, especially with your secretary. Always carry a few thousand yuan in cash in your bag, and absolutely, positively, don't wear any jewelry..."

"Alright, Sister Huang." Zhai Yuan slammed a stack of documents about anime and The Voice onto the table. "I'll be staying at the guesthouse for the next while I work. I'm not going anywhere else, okay?"

Hong Huang nodded and smiled, "That would be best."

Zhai Yuan then asked, "Before we go to dinner tonight, could you give me some advice on what else we need to be aware of when we come to build the factory?"

"Don't worry, I've taken care of everything." Hong Huang held up four fingers and said, "I spent some money, the rest will follow the normal procedures. I'll take you to see that wasteland tomorrow."

"Okay~"

Zhai Yuan smiled and thanked Sister Huang. After Hong Huang left, he beckoned Li Zhi to come over.

"Find any excuse when you have some free time, ask Hong Huang for his bank account details, and contact someone in Hong Kong to transfer HK$500,000 to her."

Zhai Yuan groped Li Zhi and made some physical advances, and it was clear that Secretary Li was indeed frightened today and was not in a good mood.

He continued, "Peng Jiayan was planning to come to Shenzhen to check out a place for family reunions, but given the situation, it's best if she, a young woman, doesn't come. Tell her I'll take care of this while I'm at it. As for Cyber ​​Shenzhen, I wonder if the New Journalists' team can handle it..."

(End of this chapter)