Jing Yongli, who had been pacing anxiously in the office, finally received the notification from his cousin. He immediately rushed back to his dormitory, packed his belongings haphazardly, and then went to Liu Yong's dorm to place the account books and some valuables into his own suitcase.
He then dragged his suitcase and slung his backpack over his shoulders, quietly slipping out of the dormitory area gate to wait by the roadside fifty meters away.
In the office, the two young men no longer beat Liu Yong, but they still cursed him occasionally, telling him to call home for money.
Manager Chen and several other management personnel had not left. They were worried about Liu Yong's condition, as his health seemed to be deteriorating. He lay slumped on the desk like a dead man, his eyes vacant, his face pale. If not for the occasional cough, one might have thought he was dead.
At this moment, Liu Yong was engulfed in despair. Stranded in a foreign land, detained by others, with no one to help him out of his current predicament. Xiao Jing, who had cost him over a hundred thousand yuan and claimed to love him, had long since disappeared. Although Manager Chen was willing to help, he was powerless against the threats of the local organized crime.
He felt he might die here, his spirit and body enduring unspeakable torment.
In this moment, he regretted deeply. If only he hadn't gambled, with Yang Jian's on-site management and financial support, his carpentry business would have been so much easier. After completing this project, he and Yang Jian would have become major bosses. This bright future had been ruined by his own actions.
Now, burdened by debt, addicted to drugs, and beaten to within an inch of his life, Liu Yong felt he had no future. Even if he managed to survive and return, he didn't know how he would face his wife, children, and parents.
Perhaps he wouldn't make it back. These thugs had no intention of letting him go. His remaining life might end in this foreign land.
"Clang."
Just as he was lost in despairing thoughts, the office door was kicked open, and an incredibly familiar and kind voice reached his ears.
"Liu Yong, you owe us money and you're hiding here comfortably? Get out here, you bastard."
Yang Jian, wearing a mask, rushed to Liu Yong's side, holding a telescopic baton.
Behind him followed six young men, all wearing hats and masks, their faces obscured, armed with machetes and steel pipes.
Seeing Liu Yong about to be taken away, the two young men beside him stood up.
One of them tried to grab Liu Yong, "Brother, this guy owes us money too, you can't take him."
"Scram."
Yang Jian struck his right arm with the baton. The young man cried out in pain and before he could react, Yang Jian kicked him over.
The other young man also moved to intervene. Liu Chao, who was following Yang Jian, swung a steel pipe towards his head. The young man, unarmed, instinctively blocked with his arm. With a soft thud, his arm immediately drooped, clearly broken.
"Damn it, you beat my brother like this, I'll kill you, you son of a bitch!"
Seeing his brother lying there half-dead, Liu Chao went completely berserk, swinging the steel pipe and fiercely beating the two young men.
Manager Chen and the others were stunned by the sudden attack, frozen in fear, as the other young men pointed their machetes at them.
The two burly young men, over six feet tall, were beaten by Liu Chao without any ability to fight back, lying on the ground and screaming loudly.
Their accomplices outside the office clearly heard their cries but dared not enter, as seven or eight young men blocked them. These men were all armed with machetes, their expressions fierce. As long as they dared to move, these machetes would be swung at them without hesitation.
"Get out of here!"
Yang Jian grabbed Liu Yong's right arm and pulled him outside.
Liu Yong had already recognized Yang Jian and his brother's voices, so he didn't resist, obediently following them out.
Three cars were parked outside: a white SUV and two brown vans, their license plates deliberately covered.
Watching Yang Jian, Liu Yong, and Liu Chao get into the cars, Biao Biao, who had been waiting in one of the cars, stepped on the accelerator and sped out of the project site gate.
The dozen or so young men who had come with them did not leave immediately. They used their machetes and steel pipes to control the five members of the company outside for five minutes before driving away.
The five men did not pursue. Upon entering the office, they discovered their accomplices had been beaten unconscious.
"Manager Chen, do you know who those people were?"
A tall man, nearly seven feet tall, fiercely roared at Manager Chen.
Manager Chen shook his head, "I don't know. I was terrified. They were all carrying knives."
"Weren't they arranged by you guys on purpose?"
"How could that be? As soon as those people came in, they said Liu Yong owed them money. I think they were like you, here to collect debts from Liu Yong."
"Don't let me find out you were involved in this, or you'll regret it."
The tall man slammed the table forcefully and left with two injured men.
Manager Chen let out a long sigh of relief. He had been truly scared.
A construction worker nearby looked out at the door. Those people had already driven away. He then spoke, "Manager Chen, doesn't the person who kicked the door open just now look familiar? The voice sounds a bit like Yang Jian from the carpentry team?"
"Like Yang Jian? He *is* Yang Jian! That kid is too bold, actually traveling over a thousand kilometers to snatch someone, and he succeeded! Liu Yong is free now, otherwise, he might have lost his life here."
"Holy cow, it really is Yang Jian! That's incredible. No wonder he's capable of opening a casino in this mixed-up place. A thousand-mile rescue, and he got away clean. He's truly a legend."
This construction worker was not from Xinhe. Although he interacted with Yang Jian frequently, he didn't know about his past.
"What's so amazing about that? He was always a troublemaker in our county, famous for taking down a powerful organized crime syndicate by himself. No one dared to provoke him."
"Wow, such a formidable figure, and he's doing this hard and tiring carpentry work? Manager Chen, with Yang Jian and Liu Yong gone, how will the mess they left behind be handled?"
Manager Chen rubbed his forehead, "I'm having a headache about that too. Those two are definitely not coming back. The carpentry project will have to be reassigned."
"Reassigning is easy, but who will pay the wages for so many workers? Their project funds have been withheld by the client, so there's no money to be accounted for."
"This is very troublesome. Let's get through the immediate crisis first. Later, we'll go to Baoping. The migrant workers there are causing a lot of trouble, especially the local ones. They've already blocked the entrance to the town government. The power plant people just called and asked me to go with them to handle it."
"The local workers' wages should be fine. The people here are tough, and the power plant people wouldn't dare not pay them. I'm worried about the workers you brought from your hometown. Their wages might have to be covered by our project department."
"Damn it, what kind of mess is this? Liu Yong left a disaster for me to clean up. It's all because of gambling."
The usually refined Manager Chen couldn't help but curse.