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

On the edge of the High-tech Zone, there is Lao Ma's Lamb Restaurant.

Under the plastic shed set up outside the door, several greasy folding tables were crammed together.

The mutton soup in the big pot was boiling, and white steam rose up, carrying the aroma of cumin and chili.

The neon signs outside the tent and the light bulbs hanging from the ceiling created a lively atmosphere.

Gong Yuelong's table was made up of three tables pushed together.

Cao Dayong ate the lamb spine hotpot with gusto, while Shunzi clattered his beer bottle against someone's.

Several men sat around a steaming copper pot, eating mutton hotpot, laughing and talking loudly, sweat streaming down their necks.

The table was piled high with skewers and empty bottles, a complete mess.

"Come on, let's have another one! To Brother Long!" Cao Dayong raised a plastic cup filled with baijiu, his tongue a little thick.

"This meat is delicious! And the wine is wonderful!"

Everyone laughed and raised their glasses, clinking them together.

Shunzi downed half a glass, his face flushed. "About Biaozi... I checked again this afternoon, it's true! Wu Jinshui is really suffering in silence this time!"

"I think his business is about to collapse!"

A young worker next to him tapped the rim of his bowl with his chopsticks:

"It's good they're gone! Damn it, when I used to pull my cart past their sand quarry, I always had to offer them cigarettes. Now... humph!"

The atmosphere was lively, and the mutton fat sizzled in the pot.

The tension of the past few days seemed to dissipate somewhat in this lively atmosphere.

The proprietress brought out another large plate of freshly grilled lamb skewers, sizzling and emitting a fragrant aroma.

Just then, a black sedan silently glided over and stopped in the relatively dimly lit open space at the entrance of the shed.

The car door opened.

Two men with buzz cuts and wearing dark jackets got off first, stood still, and glanced at the noisy shed.

Then, Wu Jinshui got out of the back seat.

He was still wearing that dark jacket, slowly twirling walnuts in his hands, his face expressionless, as he walked unhurriedly toward the shed.

The laughter and chatter under the shed suddenly stopped.

Cao Dayong's cup, which he had raised halfway, froze in mid-air. Shunzi, still chewing meat, stopped moving.

Everyone turned to look at the approaching figure.

Wu Jinshui walked to their table and stopped.

The light from the ceiling light bulb fell on half of his face, creating a clear contrast between light and shadow.

He first glanced at the mess on the table, then raised his gaze and placed it on Gong Yuelong, who was sitting in the main seat.

Gong Yuelong didn't get up; he just kept looking at him.

The other diners at the other tables in the shed seemed to sense something was wrong; their laughter subsided, and they looked over with curiosity or unease.

Only the sound of the stove fire and the faint sound of traffic from the distant streets remained.

Wu Jinshui stared for a few seconds, his lips twitching almost imperceptibly, before he spoke.

"You seem to be enjoying your meal, Boss Gong."

He paused, his gaze falling on the pot of bubbling mutton soup, which was floating with red oil and cilantro.

"The lamb here... is quite good," he commented casually.

The air under the shed felt frozen.

Cao Dayong almost instinctively stood up abruptly.

He strode forward, blocking the gap between Wu Jinshui and Gong Yuelong at the edge of the table.

He stared intently at Wu Jinshui, his voice a little rough from excitement and alcohol:

"Mr. Wu... Mr. Wu?"

"You...you have time to come here? Your subordinate...Wang Biao, such a big thing just happened, don't you...don't you need to take care of it?"

When someone dies, someone has to collect the body, right?

Shunzi, standing next to him, gasped.

The diners at the other tables in the shed forgot to chew and watched with bated breath.

Wu Jinshui paused for a moment as he played with the walnuts.

He raised his eyelids, his gaze falling on Cao Dayong's oily face. His expression was blank, but his voice was a little colder than before:

Who are you?

Cao Dayong stiffened his neck:

"Me? Cao Dayong! I work for Brother Long!"

"Wang Biao... Hmph, he's dead! As the leader, don't you have to give the brothers... an explanation?"

This is a provocation.

Everyone else at the table tensed up, their hands stealthily reaching for empty bottles or chair legs.

Wu Jinshui stared at Cao Dayong quietly for two or three seconds.

Then, he suddenly chuckled very softly.

"How my people die and how they are buried is my prerogative."

"Do I need someone like you... who does the work, to teach me?"

He leaned forward slightly.

"You're blocking the way. Move aside."

Gong Yuelong was still sitting, leaning against the plastic chair, which was even a little loose.

He picked up his beer and downed it in one gulp. The bottom of the glass tapped on the table with a soft thud.

My condolences regarding Biaozi's passing.

"Natural disasters and man-made calamities are unpredictable."

He looked up. "But Da Yong wasn't wrong. Your brother who's been with you for so many years is gone. You should ask him about it."

The shed was deathly silent.

The fake smile on Wu Jinshui's face disappeared.

"ask?"

"Ask the mud? Ask the broken pipe?"

He took a step forward, his shoes landing on the wet ground.

Or perhaps...

"We should ask... who was it that was so quick that night, taking away my local specialties without even saying a word?"

Cao Dayong sobered up considerably, and a chill crept up from the soles of his feet.

Reinforcing bars! The window paper has been pierced!

Gong Yuelong's face remained expressionless as he took the half-full bottle of beer and slowly filled it.

The bubbles rise, then disappear.

"Local specialties?"

He picked up the cup and swirled it around.

"Boss Wu spent a lot. The materials are good. They meet the standards of the provincial steel mill; they're thick and sturdy."

He paused, as if savoring the moment, "It was just... too formal. In the dead of night, sneaking around, were you afraid someone would see us?"

He looked up. "What's this? Is this how Boss Wu gives gifts now?"

This isn't an explanation, it's a public humiliation!

Wu Jinshui's cheek twitched, and the veins on his forehead bulged as he pressed down again.

The knuckles of your fingers make a soft cracking sound when you play with walnuts.

"Well... well done, Gong Yuelong!"

"Sharp teeth! They'll swallow bones and meat together!"

He pointed his right hand at Gong Yuelong's nose, and Cao Dayong and Shunzi instinctively took a half step back:

"I'm afraid you... can't swallow it! Even more afraid you... won't live to digest it!"

Gong Yuelong stared quietly at that finger.

He slowly set down the cup, leaned forward, and lowered his voice as well.

"Whether someone is resilient or not, you'll only know by trying. I accepted the gift, used it, and thanked you. I'll remember Mr. Wu's kindness."

His gaze swept over Wu Jinshui's tense subordinates, then settled back on that ashen face.

"Make way. The soup's getting cold, but we still want to eat the meat."

Wu Jinshui stared intently into Gong Yuelong's calm eyes, his chest heaving.

His hand was already reaching for his lower back.

Dead silence.

You could hear the sweat dripping onto the ground.

Finally, Wu Jinshui withdrew his finger very slowly.

He gave Gong Yuelong one last deep look, his eyes filled with murderous intent.

Turn around.

"Walk."

He uttered the words and led the group toward the black sedan.

The taillights disappeared, and the stagnant air under the canopy suddenly exploded!

"Brother Long...you..." Shunzi was so excited that he couldn't speak coherently.

Cao Dayong exhaled heavily, his back soaked with sweat, his eyes blazing with fanaticism: "Hard! Damn hard! Wu Jinshui...retreated!"

"Did you hear that? Wu Jinshui made those threats, and Boss Gong didn't even blink!"

"That steel bar...was Wu Jinshui framed and then got caught?!"

"Good heavens! This is outrageous... Wu Jinshui has really messed up!"

The discussion was heated, and the gazes directed at Gong Yuelong were filled with shock and awe.

Gong Yuelong picked up a sizzling, oily mutton skewer and took a bite.

The aroma of meat mixed with the spiciness of cumin spreads in your mouth.

He swallowed and picked up the cold beer.

"The meat is still hot, eat it quickly."