...
Inside an ordinary hotel not far from Jinghui Logistics Company.
In the suite on the third floor, Xu Zhengyang sat on the edge of the bed. He held the city scroll in his left hand, smiling as he read, listening to the ghost messenger's report in his mind. He thought to himself that even Huo Zhendong, this big shot, was a normal person, afraid of being beaten and stabbed. Thinking this, Xu Zhengyang took out his phone and sent Huo Zhendong a text message: "Huo Zhendong, a gentleman's revenge is never too late. I'm back. You'd better protect your life and keep it safe for me."
The phone number was naturally given to him by the ghost messenger, but Huo Zhendong did not know Xu Zhengyang's phone number.
Upon receiving the text message, Huo Zhendong's mind went blank, and his slightly calmed emotions were thrown into chaos again. He put on his pajamas, went downstairs to the living room, but then felt unsafe and hurried back to his bedroom on the second floor, where he sat on the edge of the bed and lit a cigarette. Who was it? Had an enemy from ten years ago returned?
After hesitating for a moment, he replied with a text message: Who are you?
There was no reply. I called back, but no one answered. I called again, but the phone was switched off.
How deep is the hatred? Who is he? Huo Zhendong has made countless enemies; how could anyone guess who it is in a short time?
When his mistress snuggled closer again, Huo Zhendong, who was deep in thought, suddenly shivered. Then, realizing it wasn't an assassin but his mistress, he angrily kicked her away and yelled, "Get out! You're not allowed in the bedroom tonight!"
The mistress was so frightened that she didn't dare to utter a sound and hurriedly and cautiously left the bedroom.
Xu Zhengyang listened to the report from the ghost messenger Su Peng and couldn't stop laughing. It seems that people who do too many bad things can't sleep soundly... As for that so-called "a gentleman takes revenge after ten years" and the great enemy who came back to take Huo Zhendong's life, he was naturally a character made up by Xu Zhengyang. His purpose was to tease Huo Zhendong when he had nothing better to do.
Hmm, this guy won't be able to sleep tonight. I wonder when his bodyguard, Da Peng, will arrive? Is he even stronger than Chao Jiang? Xu Zhengyang rolled over on the bed, staring at the ceiling, and lazily said, "Let's talk about it tomorrow. Let's all get a good night's sleep tonight. Didn't Huo Zhendong say he'd slowly wear us down? Hehe..."
"You said you wanted to resolve this quickly," Chen Chaojiang said coldly, sitting on the sofa.
“If we make a move like this, Huo Zhendong will definitely panic. Why should we be worried?” Xu Zhengyang waved his hand and laughed. “By the way, after Huo Zhendong heard about your brother Jiang’s prestige, he was so scared that he quickly made a phone call to ask some guy named Dapeng to protect him. He might be targeting you.”
Chen Chaojiang grinned and said, "I'm a henchman, and you're the boss, and also the primary target."
"I'm so scared!" Xu Zhengyang said shamelessly, tilting his head back and laughing.
"Don't be afraid, I'm here." Chen Chaojiang said very seriously, his cold tone carrying a hint of concern and playful comfort.
"Pah! Chaojiang, I've noticed you've started being cheeky since last year. You suddenly throw in a joke or two like that, it's quite startling." After grumbling, Xu Zhengyang turned to Chen Chaojiang and asked curiously, "Hey, seriously, did you get that girl's phone number this afternoon at World Park?"
Chen Chaojiang remained silent.
Xu Zhengyang chuckled gloatingly, "Oh, I really shouldn't have brought up such a hurtful and embarrassing thing! It's okay, don't be sad, I'll find you a good wife later."
“I didn’t get the phone number,” Chen Chaojiang suddenly said.
"I knew it. It would be a miracle if you actually got it." Xu Zhengyang curled his lip. "I've told you so many times to change your ways."
"I gave her my phone number." Chen Chaojiang lowered his head, seemingly a little embarrassed, and said softly, "I didn't bring paper or a pen, so I bought a clay figurine, carved my phone number on it with a knife, and gave it to her."
"She accepted it?"
"Um."
Xu Zhengyang was stunned, his face full of disbelief, then he gave a thumbs up and said admiringly, "Chaojiang, you are a true warrior! I admire you, I could never do that."
"I don't deserve it."
"I'll have to learn a lot from you in the future."
"You're too kind."
"Damn..." Xu Zhengyang glared, "You get all out of breath just from talking about how fat you are, why are you being so sarcastic?"
Chen Chaojiang looked up, grinned, and said in a bright smile, "I've really fallen for her."
"Ouch." Xu Zhengyang shuddered, turned his back to Chen Chaojiang, and muttered, "So cheesy, get lost! Go to sleep!"
Chen Chaojiang stopped talking, a slight smile on his cold face, and got up to walk towards his bedroom.
He said he was going to get a good night's sleep, but how could Xu Zhengyang possibly fall asleep? It wasn't that he was under a lot of pressure or had any worries; it was just that he wasn't sleepy. Since becoming the City God, he had found that his energy levels were getting higher and higher, and he could sleep for more than three hours a day without feeling sleepy at all.
He even wondered if he would no longer need to sleep after he got a promotion.
That makes sense. Gods are busy with countless tasks every day; if they needed to sleep and rest, wouldn't that be too much of a waste of time? Speaking of which, the ghost messengers Su Peng and Wang Yonggan don't need to sleep. It seems that this physical body still has its constraints.
Lighting a cigarette, Xu Zhengyang couldn't help but smile again as he thought about Chen Chaojiang's words and actions. He wondered if the power of love really was that great. It was just a pity that Chaojiang had finally experienced such a shocking love at first sight, but it probably wouldn't end well. Sigh.
Thinking about this matter, Xu Zhengyang couldn't help but think of Li Bingjie again. After finishing his business in Beijing, he should treat Li Bingjie's illness.
Now that Li Bingjie's illness is cured, let's have a proper relationship.
No, I don't have time! There's still a lot of things to take care of in the underworld.
I need to take some time off, make sure I don't arouse suspicion, stay safe, and put my family at ease. Then I can go to the underworld and wander around to find out where the Yama Palace is. Even if Yama, the judges, and the ghost messengers are all dead, the Yama Palace should still exist. Aren't there still many offices left at the Reincarnation Pool?
In a flash, Xu Zhengyang's consciousness flew to the night sky above Fuhe City.
Looking down over the city, one sees only a few scattered lights; looking up at the star-studded night sky, the firmament is deep and vast…
A scene of peace and tranquility!
Perhaps, this world should be a better place.
Volume Four, City God Chapter 160: This fire absolutely must be lit.
Generally speaking, for logistics companies like Jinghui, the time before 10 a.m. is the quietest.
The loading and unloading workers, warehouse staff, and business managers who worked until the early hours of the morning need a good rest. Furthermore, the mornings are spent contacting manufacturers and merchants for business, and shipments don't begin until the afternoon. Therefore, apart from the sales staff and managers responsible for external communications, most other logistics company employees don't start their busy day until after 9 PM.
Around 10 a.m., the large truck from Fuhe City arrived. After arriving from Fuhe City, this truck will stop in Hedong Province for a period of time to unload the less-than-truckload (LTL) goods from Fuhe City to Hedong Province, and then load the goods from Hedong Province to Beijing. This is how most logistics companies handle cross-border transportation.
When the loaders and delivery workers got up and washed up, they realized that the water had been cut off for two hours that morning. So they all grumbled and complained, and instead of washing up, they went to the kitchen to get their food and went back to their rooms to eat.
Warehouse clerk Zhang Shihong had already gotten up and eaten. He took the delivery slips from the drivers and then arranged for the two drivers to go eat and rest. Zhang Shihong had only been working at Jinghui Logistics Company for less than a week, but he was indeed quite conscientious in his work. The company employees also had a good impression of this young man; although he occasionally spoke with a roguish air, he wasn't particularly disliked.
During this period, the courtyard was mostly deserted, with only the occasional ringing of telephones from a few offices. The sounds of employees chatting and laughing during meals drifted from the dormitories.
Zhang Shihong walked onto the warehouse platform, opened the back door of the carriage, and looked at the carriage piled high with goods, a sinister smile appearing on his face.
All it takes is setting this truckload of goods on fire!
Less-than-truckload (LTL) cargo is mostly packaged in cardboard boxes or bags, which are extremely flammable. If gasoline is poured on it, the entire load of cargo on the truck will catch fire within minutes. Moreover... he knew that the water would be cut off from 9:30 to 11:30 this morning.
There's no fixed value for a truckload of less-than-truckload (LTL) cargo, but it's at least worth over 100,000 yuan. Add to that a truck... well, that's not the point. Once this truckload of cargo is burned, Jinghui Logistics' shipments from Fuhe City and Hedong Provincial Capital to this area will be severely affected for at least half a month. It's not just a matter of compensation; some customers' trust in them will also decrease.
Zhang Shihong wasn't unaware that arson was a crime; he had made prior arrangements. After setting a fire, he would leave with backup, and then he could go to a branch of Speedy Logistics in another city, where, under the protection of his own people, he could continue working openly without fear of being traced. This was because, although the name on his ID card when he joined Jinghui Logistics was real, his registered address and ID number were fake.
Lighting a cigarette, Zhang Shihong pulled a small bottle of gasoline from his pocket and unscrewed the cap. With a sinister grin, he poured the gasoline onto the cardboard boxes and packages near the door.
Then, he placed the cigarette he was holding in his mouth on the gasoline-filled corner of the door, with the cigarette butt facing outwards. In less than half a minute, the cigarette butt would ignite and cause the gasoline to explode, ruining the entire truckload of goods.
As soon as he put down his cigarette, Zhang Shihong immediately got up, intending to take advantage of the fact that no one was in the courtyard, especially on the warehouse platform, to quickly leave Jinghui Logistics Company.
However, as soon as he straightened up, he was taken aback to find someone standing next to him—a pale-faced young man with a cold and sinister expression. Zhang Shihong recognized this young man, of course; he was Chen Chaojiang, who was always by the chairman's side.
Zhang Shihong's expression froze instantly, his mind went blank. When did he get here? How could he be so silent, like a ghost?
Chen Chaojiang stubbed out his cigarette, then turned and stared coldly at Zhang Shihong.
"I, I..." Zhang Shihong tried to explain something, then suddenly turned around and jumped off the platform. Run!
However, as his feet left the ground, he was still kicked hard in the back. Zhang Shihong screamed and fell face-first from the platform, which was more than a meter high. When he finally looked up, enduring the excruciating pain, he found the company manager, salesperson, loader, and another warehouse manager all staring angrily at him from the doors of the office and dormitory.
Zhang Shihong was dumbfounded. She thought she had planned everything before doing these things, and even if something went wrong, it would only be discovered by one or two people, and she could escape quickly. But judging from the situation, it seemed that... from the very beginning, she had just been a monkey jumping around for others to watch.
"Damn it, kill him! He dared to set fire!"
"Damn it, I was blind! I thought this son of a bitch was a good guy!"
...
The angry crowd rushed forward, kicking and punching Zhang Shihong repeatedly.
Amidst cries of pain and screams, Zhang Shihong begged for mercy, and at the same time, his explosive power surged. He leaped to his feet, bravely breaking through the blockade of two or three people, and rushed towards the gate.
"Don't stop him!" Xu Zhengyang shouted.
The angry employees stopped involuntarily and turned to look at the young chairman in surprise.
Xu Zhengyang waved his hand and said with a smile, "Let's get on with our own business."
The employees were puzzled as to why the chairman wouldn't let them arrest Zhang Shihong and call the police, but since he had given the order, they couldn't say anything. They figured the chairman probably disdained to lower himself to the level of such a person. Or... was he afraid of disrupting work? Or afraid of retaliation?
The employees whispered among themselves as they went about their work.
The busy work atmosphere quickly overshadowed the impact of the previous attempted arson.
Wu Juan frowned and asked, "Chairman, why don't you arrest him and hand him over to the police?"
"Hmm, not worth it, he still has a use." Xu Zhengyang left with these words, and then he and Chen Chaojiang walked out of the company gate.
Wu Juan stood at the office door for a long time, unable to understand what the young chairman was thinking. She shook her head and went back to her office to attend to her own business.
Standing outside the gate, from the entrance of the parking lot opposite, you can see the billboard of Speedy Logistics Company hanging high on the row of warehouses on the north side of the parking lot. Cars come and go on Jingfang Road, and the parking lot entrance is also bustling with activity.
"Let's bet, will Zhang Tianshun send someone to take revenge?"
Chen Chaojiang turned to Xu Zhengyang and asked, "What are we betting on?"
"One hundred yuan," Xu Zhengyang chuckled.
"Oh." Chen Chaojiang nodded slightly, took out a hundred yuan from his pocket and handed it to Xu Zhengyang. "Just say the word if you need money. You don't have to pay me back. Why bother beating me?"
"Damn..." Xu Zhengyang couldn't help but laugh.
Sure enough, a short while later, Zhang Tianshun led a dozen or so men carrying sticks and machetes out of the parking lot across the street. People inside and outside the parking lot hurriedly dodged them. As they ran across Jingfang Highway, they caused a constant screech of brakes on the road.
"Damn it!" Zhang Tianshun saw Xu Zhengyang and Chen Chaojiang, waved his hand and shouted angrily, "Smash Jinghui Logistics! Anyone who dares to stop us, beat them to death!"
Upon seeing this, Xu Zhengyang immediately pulled Chen Chaojiang aside and shouted, "Run!" Then he turned around and ran into the company compound.
Chen Chaojiang was taken aback. Run? What nonsense! When have I ever run away from a fight? Besides, we haven't even started fighting yet. But since Xu Zhengyang told him to run back, he only hesitated for a moment before turning around and running back to catch up with Xu Zhengyang, coldly asking, "Why are you running?"
"Come fight all you want in our yard! As long as no one gets killed," Xu Zhengyang said cheerfully as he stopped in the middle of the yard.
"Oh." Chen Chaojiang nodded as if he understood.
Behind him, Zhang Tianshun led a group of men into the courtyard. Seeing Xu Zhengyang standing there with a smile and Chen Chaojiang with a cold expression, he pointed at the two of them and shouted angrily, brandishing his knives and clubs, "Cripple these two first! Damn it!"
As soon as he finished speaking, several thugs who were about to rush into the office and vehicles to carry out acts of violence immediately turned their attention to Chen Chaojiang and Xu Zhengyang.
However, as they were about to rush over, they were shocked to find that the pale-faced young man suddenly lunged at them.
Curses, cries of pain, and muffled groans filled the air, turning the courtyard into chaos.
Staff members and manager Wu Juan rushed out of several offices. They were stunned by the chaotic fight in the courtyard. Wu Juan was the first to react, glancing at the chairman who was standing beside her at the door. The chairman smiled, nodded slightly, and his eyes showed approval and satisfaction. Wu Juan was puzzled and took out her phone to call the police, but the chairman, who was watching the fight in the courtyard, said without turning his head, "No need to call the police."
"Huh?" Wu Juan was taken aback.
After a moment of stunned silence, the loaders and salesmen of Jinghui Logistics Company grabbed whatever they could find and were ready to join the fight! They weren't usually known for their fighting prowess, but today was different. They were being attacked right on their doorstep, and what's more... the chairman's driver and bodyguard was incredibly brave, single-handedly taking on more than a dozen of them with his bare hands, and had already taken down several of them.
With victory practically assured, why not take this opportunity to demonstrate your loyalty to the chairman?