The night fell, and the usually quiet Xiao Sha River became lively with the opening of a new sand quarry.
Two sand dredging machines, roaring with diesel engines, continuously drew yellow sand and water from beneath the surface. The yellow sand piled up into a small hill, while the muddy water flowed back into the sand pit.
In front of the activity shed nearby, Xu Zheng, along with eight brothers and two sand digging masters, gathered for a barbecue and beer.
"Brother Zheng, when the digging machines roar, gold flows like water. The sand pumped from last night until now is worth at least twenty thousand yuan. Once the road is repaired, we can bring in two more digging machines, and our output will be even greater."
The young man in floral shorts, Shen Hua, a cousin of Hong Xing, raised his glass to Xu Zheng. He represented Hong Xing and Bao Guo, holding a twenty percent stake. All the machinery and sand digging masters were provided by them, and they also funded the road construction. Xu Zheng only paid for the land, totaling less than thirty thousand yuan.
"Little Shen, has that old fellow Yang Dalin still not compromised? If his land isn't sold, it will affect our yellow sand sales."
Shen Hua was in charge of the sand quarry operations, and he was quite capable in this area, while Xu Zheng didn't understand much about it.
"Don't worry, I have a way to make him compromise. Last night was just a warning. If he continues to be stubborn, I'll make him remember it forever."
"Be careful not to leave any evidence. He is Yang Jian's uncle. He's not selling the land this time to curry favor with Yang Jian. If anything happens to him, Yang Jian will definitely stand up for him."
"Yang Jian can barely protect himself, so how can he dare to come back and stand up for him?"
"Don't be careless. Although Yang Jian is on the run, he still has a few loyal brothers. Moreover, Wu Wangchun is also helping him. If something truly happens, Wu Wangchun might even stand up for Yang Jian."
Xu Zheng was still wary of Afeng and the others.
"Brother Zheng, are you still scared from your last loss? Wu Wangchun is nothing. Since Brother Xing and his casino opened, his casino has been struggling. I heard he's gone to Hancheng to run an emperor company again. Does he still have the time to protect Yang Jian's family?"
"In any case, don't leave any evidence. Jing Yongli is a celebrity in Xinqiao now, has a good relationship with the town, and is wealthy. If it comes to a lawsuit, we won't have the advantage."
"Brother Zheng, you don't need to worry. Brother Hong Xing has wanted to get revenge on Yang Jian for a long time. Since Yang Jian is not home, we'll just make his family uncomfortable."
This group was bragging shamelessly on the riverbank, unaware that nine masked figures were silently encircling them from the opposite bank.
A young man got up to relieve himself. After walking about ten steps, he saw people approaching from the opposite side and immediately shouted, "Who's there?"
Seeing that they had been discovered, the people opposite immediately lunged forward. A flash of a blade, and the young man was cut down. A scream echoed across the riverbank.
Xu Zheng and the others were shocked. They never imagined that someone would launch a surprise attack at this moment. In their panic, they could only grab the stools beneath them to prepare for a counterattack.
Two young men prepared to rush into the activity shed to get weapons. They had firearms, but it was too hot to wear them all the time, so they couldn't carry them. Then, two gunshots rang out, and the two young men fell to the ground on the spot.
"Brother Zheng, run! They have firearms!"
Shen Hua, seeing that the situation was dire, grabbed Xu Zheng and they sprinted towards the river dike. The others also fled in various directions.
"Bang."
Another gunshot.
Xu Zheng and Shen Hua, running, felt a piercing pain in their backs and buttocks. Knowing that the attackers were using shotguns, they were both hit. However, they dared not stop and continued to charge forward desperately.
The enemy's firepower was too strong; they didn't even have the courage to resist. Escaping this ordeal would be a stroke of luck.
The two finally reached the river dike and felt no one was chasing them. Turning back, they were so angry they felt like spitting blood.
It turned out that the attackers did not pursue them further but instead set fire to the sand quarry. The activity shed was engulfed in flames, and the two sand dredging machines were also burning. It was clear that gasoline had been used. Another large loader also caught fire. The total losses were estimated to exceed a million.
Under the cover of the flames, nine men in black masks waded through the river to the opposite bank and disappeared into the endless darkness in an instant.
"Little Shen, hurry and call an ambulance. I can't make it. I can't straighten my back."
Xu Zheng collapsed on the ground, holding his lower back with his right hand, looking extremely pained.
Shen Hua checked his own injuries. Fortunately, he was only hit by two pellets in the buttocks, and the problem was not serious. Seeing Xu Zheng like this, he was startled and quickly took out his phone to call for an ambulance.
The sound of homemade firearms was not very loud, and the commotion on the riverbank did not alarm the villagers of Yangli Village or Taojia Village on the opposite side.
However, the subsequent piercing wail of the ambulance siren drew many villagers to the village entrance. They only saw the ambulance heading towards the riverbank from a distance, but no one went to investigate. After all, it was a group of hooligans digging sand, and they didn't want to get into trouble in the dark.
The next morning, many curious villagers flocked to the riverbank. To their astonishment, the sand quarry, which had only been open for two days, was already cordoned off by police tape.
The activity shed inside was burned down to its metal frame. The rubber conveyor belts of the sand dredging boats were burned down to steel rings, and the diesel engines were unrecognizable, clearly scrapped.
The loader, which looked quite new yesterday, was now black and charred, likely only fit to be sold as scrap metal.
Jing Yongli was also among the crowd. After surveying the scene, he returned to the factory.
"Brother Wu, get up and open the door."
Jing Yongli knocked on Feng Wu's door. He wanted to understand the specific details of last night.
Feng Wu, groggy from sleep, opened the door for him. "Yongli, what time is it? You're waking me up. I only got back to sleep in the middle of the night."
Jing Yongli closed the door. "Brother Wu, I just went to the riverbank to take a look. All the facilities at the sand quarry have been burned down. You were ruthless. At least a million yuan in assets were destroyed."
"Of course, I had to be ruthless, otherwise they would bully us. Let's see if this sand quarry dares to continue operating."
"No one died, right? I see the police have also intervened."
"There shouldn't be. Our firearms aren't very powerful; they're shotguns, and we didn't aim for the head. However, several people must have been injured. Getting pellets in the body is painful enough; they'll need surgery to remove them."
"I'll go out and inquire later. As long as no one died, I'll be relieved."
"Don't go asking specifically. Just act like you know nothing. Xu Zheng will definitely suspect you. Be careful when you go out. Stay in the factory as much as possible during this period. If he tries to coerce or question you through underhanded means, you must not admit that you had anything to do with this, or both of us will go to jail."
"I definitely won't say anything. What about your brothers? Are they hidden well?"
"They drove back to Xiangnan overnight. They'll come back after things calm down here. Don't worry, we do this often and know how to evade police investigation. Last night's incident is like the case of someone harassing Uncle Dalin's family the day before yesterday. The police couldn't find any leads, and it was eventually dropped."
Feng Wu appeared quite confident. The attack last night was planned perfectly, and none of the men he brought were injured, achieving the intended purpose.