Rebirth in 1972: Redemption in Changbai Mountain

There were hardly any people left in the woodworking factory compound; most of the workers had gone home for lunch, and only a few were still eating in the canteen.

The area around the truck was quiet, with only one vehicle parked there, its rear cargo box covered with a thick tarpaulin.

Zhou Rui and Tong Lei sat by the window. The food on the table had lost much of its heat, but there wasn't much less left.

Both of them were focused on the view outside the window, and only occasionally moved their chopsticks.

Zhou Rui picked up a peanut and savored it carefully, as if the peanut had a special aroma.

After a while, it was completely dark. A figure carrying a flashlight slowly walked towards the truck, with a dark red mark around his mouth, its appearance shifting between light and shadow.

A figure walked to the car and dragged out a basin of charcoal fire from under the car, which had been placed there all afternoon to keep the engine warm.

A moment later, the car started with a rumble, and a figure pulled the lever and entered the driver's seat.

The car slowly drove away, and through the driver's side window, Zhou Rui seemed to see a kind-faced man heading into the distance with a joyful expression.

Unfortunately, this man's happiness is destined to be shattered tonight; it's hard to say whether this will be a good thing or a bad thing for him.

As for the other three, none of them were good people, so Zhou Rui didn't care and would even applaud them.

The truck swayed as it drove out of the factory gate. A figure walked out of the factory canteen and stared at the truck's taillights until they disappeared from sight.

He took off his apron, walked back quickly, and came out a moment later with nothing in his hands.

The man was acting suspiciously, walking along the base of the house wall as if afraid of being seen, but he walked very fast, as if a dog was chasing him.

A short while later, he walked to a bungalow and gently knocked on the door.

The sound wasn't loud, but the frequency was high, and it sounded somewhat impatient.

A moment later, a little boy opened the door and came out. The man took out a handful of candy, put it in the little boy's hand, patted the little boy's head, and the little boy ran away happily.

The man went inside, slammed the door shut behind him, and then scooped up the person in front of him and carried her into the inner room.

A moment later, the lights went out, and a series of suppressed breathing sounds came from inside the room.

Zhou Rui looked at the lights off the small house in the distance, then silently turned his gaze back to the factory gate, now just waiting for Zhao Zhigang to return.

About ten minutes later, a figure ran in through the main gate and headed straight for the factory's maintenance department.

Zhou Rui stood up: "Let's go downstairs."

Tong Lei stood up as well: "What, not eating? You'll find out what happens later. Didn't you say you had a grudge against Chef Zhang? Aren't you afraid of being recognized?"

"Some things are more satisfying to see in person."

Zhou Rui walked out unhurriedly: "Besides, if things get out of hand later, with so many people around, he won't be paying attention to me."

Zhou Rui and Tong Lei strolled leisurely through the factory. There was no one on the road, only the echoing sound of their crisp footsteps.

A moment later, a burly man ran past Zhou Rui like a gust of wind, carrying something in his hand. His anger could be felt from a distance.

"This is Zhao Zhigang. Let's hurry!"

Tong Lei's voice was filled with excitement, as if he were about to go to the movies.

"No need to rush, we'll definitely get a good spot."

Zhou Rui pulled Tong Lei back, feeling that he was still too young and a little impatient.

Boom! Clang! The sound of a door breaking came from afar.

Immediately afterwards, a series of loud male and female voices rang out, interspersed with a man's hoarse roar.

Hearing this, Zhou Rui couldn't help but quicken his pace. Although he didn't increase the frequency, he took bigger steps.

As Zhou Rui and Tong Lei approached, two figures rushed out the door. A burly man, his face contorted with rage, was chasing after a disheveled figure, brandishing his weapon incessantly.

"Awoo."

The person in front suddenly jumped up, his white, flabby body trembling in the dim light.

Zhang Hongbo and Zhou Rui clearly saw that face, which overlapped with the arrogant face they had seen on the day they first returned.

However, this person looked extremely disheveled, being chased with nowhere to hide.

Zhang Hongbo still wanted to escape, but perhaps because he had just exercised, his legs were weak. After running only two steps, Zhao Zhigang swung him back with one blow, like hitting a baseball.

"Honey, stop hitting him! You'll kill him if you keep hitting him!"

A woman with disheveled hair rushed out. She was already dressed, but it looked a little awkward, as if the buttons were fastened in the wrong place.

She didn't care about anything else; she just grabbed Zhao Zhigang's right hand tightly with both hands to prevent him from dropping the weapon.

Zhao Zhigang forcefully swung his right hand, throwing the woman away, and then swung his left hand out with a large, forceful motion.

"roll!"

Snapped……

The woman stumbled and fell to the ground.

Zhao Zhigang raised his right hand high, the weapon in his hand reflecting a cold light.

Zhou Rui didn't know what it was, only that it was something like a metal rod.

Thump, click.

Perhaps Zhao Zhigang was too lazy to pursue any further, so he swept the stick directly towards Zhang Hongbo's shin. Tong Lei heard the sound and the hairs on his body stood on end.

It's broken; the bones in my foot are definitely broken.

At this moment, all the neighbors opened their doors and came out.

The commotion outside was so loud that, although no one spoke, the pig-like screams alerted everyone that something had happened.

A group of people surrounded him, and Zhang Hongbo was seen howling and rolling on the ground, but he couldn't avoid the downward shadows of sticks.

The stick avoided hitting Zhang Hongbo's head, leaving marks on his body, from which blood soon seeped out.

"Oh my god, that's ruthless."

Upon seeing this, Tong Lei couldn't help but mutter to himself.

Zhou Rui glanced at him, his voice flat and devoid of any emotion: "Ruthless? This is just physical pain. You should know that Zhao Zhigang's heart is breaking right now."

"Tong Lei, you must remember, there are some things you can do, but some things you can't do. If you do them, you'll end up like this guy on the ground, receiving the punishment he deserves."

"And this punishment has only just begun."

Tong Lei suddenly shivered, as if Zhou Rui's words were directed at him.

Right now, he wasn't thinking about avoiding doing bad things like Zhang Hongbo, but rather about never, ever offending Zhou Rui, otherwise Zhou Rui's methods would make him wish he were dead.

"What's wrong? What's wrong?"

"Who is this? Why are they chasing and hitting people?"

"Stop hitting him! You're going to kill him!"

The surrounding crowd was making muffled noises that were incomprehensible to most.

Several men mustered their courage and rushed forward, embracing the enraged giant.

An older man snatched the metal rod from the big man's hand, turned around, and saw an angry face appear before him.

"Gangzi, it's you? Why are you back?"