After my divorce at thirty, I developed an intelligence network.

"Whether we can withstand it or not depends on our actions," Gong Yuelong said.

"Wu San's leg is broken, and he's in the hospital. Your old man who looks after the construction site got hit with a club, and I had someone apologize and give him money. I'm in the right."

Zhou Jianguo's lips moved, but he didn't make a sound.

This is indeed true; one is firm, the other gentle.

"That scarred man under Wu Jinshui is called Wang Biao," Gong Yuelong continued.

"His mother lives in the old cotton mill residential compound in the west of the city. She has rheumatism and has been coughing badly lately. He goes back every three days, around eight o'clock in the evening, to deliver her herbal medicine."

Zhou Jianguo broke out in a cold sweat.

This isn't just harsh talk; it's like thoroughly examining the opponent's sharpest weapon from the root.

"I haven't touched his mother, and I won't," Gong Yuelong said. "But I hold this line in my hand. Wang Biao is ruthless, but he has his reservations. And those who have reservations are bound to have weaknesses."

He paused, giving Zhou Jianguo time to process it.

"For the new project, General Manager Li has very strict requirements: quality and schedule cannot be compromised in the slightest."

I sought you out because you can manage the project itself effectively. As for Wu Jinshui's outstretched hand—"

Gong Yuelong took out a cigarette from his work pants pocket, lit one up, and...

"I know pretty much everything about Wu Jinshui: his sand quarry, his stockpiling sites, the restaurants he frequents, which roads are easy to navigate, which are remote, and what time he changes shifts at night."

He looked at Zhou Jianguo and said, "I want them to know that if they try to undermine me, they will pay a higher price than I will."

Breaking Wu San's leg was a show of force; the real preparation was to probe Wang Biao's background, find backup sources, and understand their territory.

As Zhou Jianguo listened, he realized that not a single word of these words was false; they were all solid strategies and trump cards.

Ruthless, and meticulous.

"Boss Gong, even if you can handle Wu Jinshui, this project... I still have unfinished business and some manpower has been scattered. Taking on such a big project right away might delay your plans."

"You have full authority over the project." Gong Yuelong nodded. "I only care about the results: on time, quality, and no safety accidents. Everything else is up to you."

Zhou Jianguo stared at Gong Yuelong for a long while, then uttered a single word:

"……Dry!"

Zhou Xiaobin, who was standing next to him, had already been listening with great excitement, and at this moment he couldn't help but blurt out:

"Dad! Brother Long! I...I can do it too! I learn quickly, I can handle accounts and documents!"

Gong Yuelong glanced at him and nodded:

"Okay. Learn from your dad."

Zhou Jianguo suddenly remembered something, his expression changed, and he looked at Gong Yuelong.

"Boss Gong, you...you went to such lengths, breaking your leg and doing all this research, just to hire an old foreman like me?"

"Could it be... that once the project is up and running and things are settled, they'll just dump us, father and son..."

He didn't finish his sentence, but his meaning was clear.

I'm afraid of being used as a stepping stone and then discarded.

Gong Yuelong listened and smiled.

"Manager Zhou, I, Gong Yuelong, am not building this team to make a quick buck and leave."

I want to stay in the High-tech Zone for a long time.

"If you're going to stay long-term, you need people you can trust. You're resilient, your skills are solid, and your son is willing to learn—you're exactly the kind of person I'm looking for."

He stubbed out his cigarette: "If you doubt someone, don't use them; if you use someone, don't doubt them. It's a common saying, but for me, it's the rule."

After saying that, he didn't say anything more and turned to walk towards the door.

The door closed, and the footsteps faded into the distance.

The prefab house fell silent, leaving only the father and son. Zhou Jianguo sat back down in his chair, remaining still.

Zhou Xiaobin shifted his feet, breaking the silence: "Dad, is he... really as bad as the rumors say?"

Zhou Jianguo didn't look up: "It's true that Wu San's leg was broken. On a rainy night, alone."

"Then why does he still dare to come looking for us? Isn't he afraid Wu Jinshui will target him?"

"His strength lies in coming to us."

Zhou Jianguo flicked away his cigarette ash. "Look at what he just said. Every word he uttered was a ripple. Wu San's leg injury was for Wu Jinshui's benefit; paying the old man who looked after the place was for Boss Li's benefit; probing Wang Biao's background was to secure his own escape route."

He looked up and said, "This kid, fighting is a means, not an end. What he really wants is to make the Xinke project a success and establish a foothold in the High-tech Zone."

They came to us because we were the ones Wu Jinshui suppressed the most, the ones who most wanted to turn things around, and the ones with the least room for maneuver. They feel safe using our services.

Zhou Xiaobin processed these words, then asked, "But he's only been here a short time. All these intricacies..."

"That's why he's so intimidating." Zhou Jianguo stubbed out his cigarette. "Not long after he arrived, he figured out who Wu Jinshui's capable henchmen were, what their personalities were, and what their family situations were like."

He had prepared the routes for transporting sand and gravel. He sent his men out to probe Wu Jinshui's territory. This wasn't recklessness; this was meticulous planning.

He paused, then lowered his voice: "What's even more remarkable is that he dared to show you his hand. If he hadn't told you about Wang Biao's mother, we would never have known. By telling you, he's showing you that he has the cards to play, and he's willing to play them."

Zhou Xiaobin felt a tightness in his back, and a faint heat rising within him: "Then... shall we go with them?"

Zhou Jianguo did not answer immediately.

He looked out the window at the pile of inferior sand and gravel for a long time.

"Yes," he said.

"Following this alpha wolf, you'll either get bitten to death, or... get to eat meat."

……

On the edge of the High-tech Zone, next to a vacant lot where construction waste had just been cleared, Cao Dayong and Shunzi were squatting under a makeshift shed eating.

The aluminum lunchbox contained steamed buns and pickled vegetables, which were eaten with cold boiled water, and the person slurped them down.

Several shadows suddenly loomed over.

Cao Dayong looked up, still chewing on a steamed bun.

Five or six people stood outside the shed. The leader was a burly man with a shaved head and a scar near his eye. He had his arms crossed and a cigarette dangling from his mouth.

It was Wang Biao.

"Eating?" Wang Biao spat out his cigarette butt and ground it with his toe.

Shunzi's heart tightened. She put down her lunchbox, stood up, and forced a smile:

"Brother Biao? What brings you here...?"

"Here?" Wang Biao interrupted him, a forced smile on his face. "This is where my older brother's materials will be piled up soon. Your shabby shed is just in the way."

Cao Dayong also stood up and stood in front of Shunzi. He was also strong, but he was half a head shorter than Wang Biao.

"Brother Biao, this plot of land belongs to Brother Long... it's a temporary storage area that Boss Gong and Xinke agreed upon. We're just watching over the tools and materials here, is that alright with you?"

"Boss Gong?" Wang Biao sneered, taking a step forward until he was almost touching Cao Dayong's chest.

"Which Boss Gong? Oh, the guy from Nanshan County who broke Wu San's legs?"

The people behind him burst into laughter.

Cao Dayong's face flushed red, his fists clenched, then he forced himself to relax them.

"Brother Biao, let's talk this out. We're just working for a living, we don't cause trouble."

"Not causing trouble?" Wang Biao reached out and patted Cao Dayong's face, the force quite loud.

"Your boss Gong has gotten himself into a really big mess."

"Wu San's leg was broken for no reason? You guys have followed the wrong person."

Shunzi wanted to speak, but was glared at by one of Wang Biao's men next to him, so he swallowed his words back.

"Okay," Wang Biao withdrew his hand and pointed to several handcarts piled up in the corner of the shed, "I don't like the look of these things. Brothers, help me move them around."

As he spoke, he winked at someone behind him.

Two henchmen immediately stepped forward and, without saying a word, kicked over the nearest handcart.

"Don't move!" Cao Dayong panicked; those were all newly bought, and the money hadn't been paid for yet.

He stepped forward to try and stop him.

Another man stepped out from behind Wang Biao and bumped into Cao Dayong in the chest.

Cao Dayong was knocked backward and stumbled, his back hitting the supporting wood of the shed with a muffled groan.

"Brother Yong!" Shunzi and two other fellow villagers wanted to step forward.

"Bang!" A burly man next to Wang Biao grabbed half a brick from the side of the shed and smashed it directly onto the steel pipes of the scaffolding.

The brand-new steel pipe immediately dented.

"Asking you to move is just being polite," Wang Biao said slowly, lighting a new cigarette. "If you're not going to give me face, then I'll just have to help you move it."

Cao Dayong was panting heavily, his chest aching terribly, but seeing that the other side had many people and were all ruthless, he knew he would suffer if he fought them head-on.

Shunzi held onto his arm tightly.

Wang Biao's men continued their actions, not simply moving things away, but kicking and stomping them, deliberately throwing them into the mud pit and smashing them against sharp rocks.

Several handcarts were quickly deformed, and the scaffolding was scattered all over the ground, covered in mud.

"Alright, there's plenty of space now."

Wang Biao looked at the mess and exhaled a smoke ring with satisfaction.

He walked up to Cao Dayong, the cigarette almost poking his face.

"Go back and tell your Brother Long."

Wang Biao's voice was low and icy.

"The High-tech Zone has its own rules. If he breaks someone else's leg, he has to be prepared that his own people's legs might not be so stable either."

……

"Brother Long... something happened. Biaozi brought his men to the shed, smashed the car, and kicked the steel pipes... Brother Yong got hit..."