Well, as I said before, most people need a leader. Once the first person shouts and charges forward, the others will stop worrying and rush forward as well.
In an instant, the beating began. The people from Speedy Logistics Company were already intimidated by the extremely ruthless Chen Chaojiang, but before they could even react and try to escape, they were suddenly thrown into chaos by the fierce attack from the people from Jinghui Logistics Company. They fled in all directions like stray dogs, rushing out of the courtyard.
Zhang Tianshun, the leader, was grabbed by the back of the neck by Chen Chaojiang and slammed against the west wall several times. Blood spurted from his mouth and nose, and his face was covered in bruises. For the first time, Zhang Tianshun, who was usually brave and fierce and extremely capable of fighting and killing, was so disheveled that he scrambled and crawled away to escape.
Just then, a chaotic shouting suddenly erupted from the parking lot across the road: "Fire! Fire!"
Xu Zhengyang stepped forward and told the people from Jinghui Logistics Company not to chase after them.
Then, together with the company's employees, they looked towards the north parking lot. From the parking lot gate, they could see thick smoke billowing from the doors of the three warehouses of the Speedy Logistics Company. People inside the parking lot had been injured, and some security guards carrying fire extinguishers ran over.
Volume 4, City God Chapter 161: The Mad Uncle and Nephew
Ugh, that fire at Speedy Logistics... it was a really fierce and intense fire...
A few minutes earlier, Zhang Shihong, his face covered in blood and dirt, returned to Speedy Logistics Company in a disheveled state, startling everyone and enraging Zhang Tianshun. This was outrageous! His nephew had been beaten like this by Jinghui Logistics people. Speedy Logistics people were always the bullies; they never allowed themselves to be bullied.
It is clear that Zhang Shihong's plan to set fire to Jinghui Logistics Company has failed.
Enraged, Zhang Tianshun immediately mustered his troops, grabbed their weapons, and charged towards Jinghui Logistics Company.
Most of the people at Speedy Logistics, including the loaders, were used to being arrogant. The mere mention of a fight sent them into a frenzy, jumping around like mice on a tin roof. We won't go into how excited they were. Aside from those still sleeping in their dormitories, over a dozen people from Speedy Logistics—salespeople, managers, warehouse staff, loaders, and drivers—rushed out of the parking lot and headed towards Jinghui Logistics Company.
Inside the warehouse, there were only the people sleeping in the dormitory, two female salespersons, and Zhang Shihong, whose head had been beaten into a pig's head and whose body was still trembling with pain.
The two female sales clerks kindly handed him water and tissues.
After a brief pause, Zhang Shihong suddenly stood up and walked out of the office inside the warehouse. He stood in the warehouse, looking around blankly. The two female sales clerks were puzzled. What was this young man, beaten so badly, who had come in calling Manager Zhang "Uncle"? Was he looking for a weapon to take revenge? But then again, since Manager Zhang had led his men out, he should go too… The two girls naturally assumed that with Manager Zhang personally leading the operation, Speedy Logistics Company would surely win. The next step would simply be paying some fines at the police station, maybe a couple of people being detained for a couple of days—they were used to it.
To their surprise, Zhang Shihong walked around the warehouse in a daze for a few minutes, as if he had been beaten senseless, before stepping out and walking into the warehouse next door.
The two girls exchanged a puzzled look, and then one of them followed.
The result surprised her greatly!
After Zhang Shihong walked into the warehouse on the other side, he picked up an empty cardboard box, flattened it, rolled it into a tube, stuffed a few disposable plastic bags into it, and then wrapped it around the outside several times. He did this very carefully and slowly.
Then, he took out a lighter and lit the paper tube, as if he were lighting a blazing Olympic torch.
Zhang Shihong, like a fervent Olympic enthusiast, held aloft a torch, treating it as the Olympic cauldron, and began the relay—or rather, the ignition—of the Olympic flame inside the warehouse.
He jogged along, checking this pile of goods for a while, then checking that pile for a while...
When the female saleswoman standing outside the warehouse finally snapped out of her shock and started shouting, Zhang Shihong had already rushed out of that warehouse with the torch in hand and ran to another warehouse to continue his great ignition work.
It's hard to imagine that this guy, whose head was beaten into a pig's head, possessed astonishing strength. Six or seven people who were awakened by the thick smoke and shouts in the dormitory ran out, but they couldn't stop him. He shook them off and continued his arson work.
No one could care about him anymore; they had to put out the fire quickly!
The problem is, the water is cut off today!
Fire extinguisher, get the fire extinguisher!
Just as the fire was extinguished on one side, it started burning again on the other. They quickly ran over there, and then saw Zhang Shihong, who looked like a madman, running back with a torch in hand, rekindling the fire that had just been put out.
As we've mentioned before, over 70-80% of the less-than-truckload (LTL) shipments from logistics companies are packaged in cardboard boxes or plastic bags, which are extremely flammable. Adding to this, the torchbearer, who suddenly became incredibly brave and frenzied, was running around everywhere, busier than the firefighters themselves. And today, with the water outage, Speedy Logistics only had two fire extinguishers in its three warehouses. Therefore, the fire naturally couldn't be extinguished and only grew stronger.
When the other logistics companies saw that Speedy Logistics' warehouse was on fire, they all rushed out and stood in the parking lot to observe, praying that the fire would grow bigger and burn everything down before putting it out... This is the will of the people!
When Zhang Tianshun led his men back from Jinghui Logistics in a disheveled retreat, his face turned green as he looked at the warehouse engulfed in flames.
"Damn it, what's going on?" Zhang Tianshun angrily yelled at the two female saleswomen and the other helpless employees.
"He, he set it on fire, we couldn't stop him."
This is exactly what happened: Manager Zhang angrily asked who it was, and everyone pointed at your nephew...
Zhang Shihong squatted between the front of two large trucks not far away. His face, swollen like a pig's head, was streaked with white and red, and cold sweat streamed down his cheeks. His eyes were filled with innocence and terror. When he saw his uncle turn his increasingly similar, swollen and disfigured face towards him, glaring at him with confusion and anger, Zhang Shihong cried out, "Uncle, I didn't mean to!"
Several employees of the Speedy Logistics Company who had been putting out the fire earlier but were now powerless to do so, and could only watch helplessly as the market security guards sprayed fire extinguishers into the warehouse, stepped forward and angrily recounted the events to Zhang Tianshun. Essentially, they refuted Zhang Shihong's aggrieved and wronged accusations, telling Zhang Tianshun, "He did it on purpose, really, he did it on purpose."
Amidst the wailing sirens of fire trucks, two fire trucks sped into the parking lot; closely following behind were two police cars, as market security had already called the police.
...
Inside the Jinghui Logistics Company compound, the employees, under repeated urging from their superiors, finally dispersed and began working again. However, they were still excitedly and gleefully talking about the good show they had just witnessed in the parking lot across the street.
No wonder, Zhang Shihong used to work for Speedy Logistics Company and is Zhang Tianshun's nephew.
Good heavens, has Zhang Shihong really been driven mad by our beating? How come he set his uncle's warehouse on fire as soon as he got back? He was beaten and humiliated, and he can't just vent like that!
Inside the office, Xu Zhengyang sat on the sofa, calmly sipping his tea as if nothing had happened.
Chen Chaojiang stood coldly beside him, while Huang Zhao, the company's manager in charge of goods delivery, stood in front of him.
Wu Juan, sitting on the sofa next to Xu Zhengyang, said with a slightly worried expression, "Chairman, Zhang Shihong was beaten on our side. What if... his mental health is really damaged? We won't be able to get away with it."
"Oh, that kid isn't stupid. He was just angry and frustrated after being beaten, so he found a way to vent his anger," Xu Zhengyang said matter-of-factly. He didn't think his words were absurd at all, and continued, "We beat him up? No, whoever wants to admit it can admit it. Oh right, he set fire to our place. Hmm, this kid probably really does have some psychological problems, a strange arsonist fetish, I guess."
Wu Juan was both amused and exasperated. Did they really think they could use such words to brush off the police? It was too childish, too...absurd!
Huang Zhao handed over his phone and said with a smile, "Manager Wu, I filmed the scene where Zhang Shihong tried to set the fire."
Wu Juan was taken aback. She took the phone and looked at the recorded footage, then asked in surprise, "You knew about this beforehand?"
"The chairman knows," Huang Zhao said with a slight smile.
“Chairman, you…” Wu Juan looked at Xu Zhengyang, and for a moment she didn’t know what to say.
Xu Zhengyang waved his hand and laughed, "There's nothing to be surprised about. You guys are busy with company matters all day, so I, being a free man, have been paying more attention to other things. Hehe, I've discovered something. Alright, alright, let's get back to work. Don't worry about anything else."
Wu Juan had no choice but to get up and walk out with Huang Zhao.
After the two left, Xu Zhengyang smiled and said to Chen Chaojiang, "Do you think I should call Huo Zhendong now to share the good news?"
"There's no need for that," Chen Chaojiang replied simply.
"Well, then forget it." Xu Zhengyang nodded.
That's the truth; whether or not the call is made is irrelevant. Xu Zhengyang's reason for making the call was simply to warn Huo Zhendong to stop causing trouble, and also to gloat and annoy him. What? The goal, of course, was to push the other party into a corner and make him lose his temper, doing something irreversible.
However, if he doesn't make that call, Huo Zhendong is probably furious by now.
That is indeed the case.
Huo Zhendong, who hadn't slept well all night, was so angry when he heard about the warehouse being burned down that he smashed his phone! Damn it, last night you, Zhang Tianshun, said you knew your nephew well and that he was one of your own, but instead of burning down their goods, you turned around and burned down our warehouse. Are you playing the game of Zhou Yu beating Huang Gai with me?
And you bunch of idiots actually lost a battle at Jinghui Logistics Company...
The amount of loss is a small matter; what's really frustrating is this anger and resentment!
Who are on our side? Who is the traitor?
Huo Zhendong, the beast that had been lying prone with its eyes half-closed, opened its eyes, revealed its claws and fangs, and bared its teeth, ready to bite.
At this point, Zhang Tianshun dared not plead for his nephew, fearing that Huo Zhendong would also suspect him of being an inside man. He had originally planned to tell the police that his company's employees had accidentally caused the fire, but now he could only acquiesce to the fact that his nephew had committed arson.
"Tonight, smash up every single branch of Jinghui Logistics! Beat them up too, beat them badly, so they'll never dare to come back again!" Huo Zhendong roared through gritted teeth.
"Brother Dong, don't worry!" Zhang Tianshun stood up angrily, walked to the door with a proud and imposing air, then suddenly turned around. His swollen face squeezed his eyes into slits, but he still showed a worried look in his eyes. "Brother Dong, that pale-faced kid from Jinghui Logistics Company... he's a good fighter."
Huo Zhendong retorted angrily, "You think you can fight? Are you afraid of being beaten? Even if he can fight, can he be in two places at once?"
Zhang Tianshun immediately understood and nodded vigorously, saying, "Brother Dong, I understand!"
After saying that, Zhang Tianshun turned and walked out.
"Brother Dong, is that kid really good at fighting?" the man sitting on the single sofa in the living room asked with a hint of disdain. He looked to be in his thirties, with broad shoulders, a dark complexion, long, flowing hair, a mustache, thick eyebrows, and large eyes. He was wearing a very ordinary dark blue wool sweater, and his large, reddish hands were rough and calloused. His sleeves were rolled up halfway, revealing clear tattoos on his forearms—two scorpions, each more than half a foot long, with their tails raised and hooked.
“I’ve never seen him before, but he must be a formidable fighter. He single-handedly took down more than ten of Zhang Tianshun’s men, and last night he crippled Xiao Si and a few others. He wields a knife with his left hand; he’s a trained fighter.” Huo Zhendong’s anger subsided slightly, and he seemed to realize that it was inappropriate for him to send Zhang Tianshun to smash Jinghui Logistics that night. “Dapeng, don’t get involved in this. There might be enemies targeting us now.”
Even now, Huo Zhendong still can't believe that the text message he received last night was actually sent by Mr. Xu Zhengyang, the chairman of Jinghui Logistics Company.
Dapeng nodded, then sneered, "I really want to go and meet that kid."
"There will be opportunities." Huo Zhendong nodded in satisfaction. Having such a subordinate, although not very obedient, was indeed a good weapon, capable of both blocking and killing. Most importantly, he was stupid enough! This made Huo Zhendong feel quite at ease.
As for Zhang Tianshun, Huo Zhendong gritted his teeth, thinking, "Damn it, this good-for-nothing is more of a hindrance than a help. How come I never noticed how incompetent he is before? Tonight, when he's smashing up the various branches of Jinghui Logistics Company, I hope he runs into that pale-faced kid and has him crippled. Firstly, it'll be a way to vent my anger, and secondly, it'll get the police involved to arrest that pale-faced kid and keep him out of the way."
In Huo Zhendong's mind, brotherhood is something that's just something to be displayed on one's face, not something to be kept inside and suffered for.
only……
At this moment, Xu Zhengyang, sitting calmly on the sofa at Jinghui Logistics Company, sipped his tea and pondered: "It's true. Although I have two ghost messengers, the monstrous expert Chen Chaojiang, and I myself am a hidden master, I'm still stretched thin. This isn't Fuhe City, so I can't summon a large group of ghosts to use temporarily. If the other side really deploys a large number of thugs to attack simultaneously in all the wholesale markets tonight, then I'll be in deep trouble."
So Xu Zhengyang hesitated for a moment, then muttered softly, "Let's cripple Zhang Tianshun first."
"Who?" A cold glint flashed in Chen Chaojiang's narrow eyes, and the dagger that had been twirling between the five fingers of his left hand came to a stop.
"Oh, it's nothing." Xu Zhengyang smiled and shook his head.
Outside Huo Zhendong's villa, Zhang Tianshun, driving his black Hyundai, had just reached the entrance of the residential area when he suddenly paused and braked. His already bruised and swollen face, resembling a pig's head, became even more ferocious and terrifying. His eyes, squeezed into slits by his swollen cheeks, widened, radiating murderous intent! He shifted gears, turned the steering wheel, and slammed on the gas.
The black Hyundai made a sharp turn on the spot, its tires screeching as they rubbed against the ground, kicking up a cloud of smoke, and sped back.
In the living room on the first floor of the villa, Huo Zhendong and Dapeng were talking in hushed tones. Suddenly, they heard the distorted roar of a car engine outside and looked out the glass door in surprise.
But then, the black Hyundai sedan, like a raging beast, crashed through the iron fence of the craft institute gate with a loud bang, heading straight for the high steps of the main entrance. Inside the car, Zhang Tianshun, as if possessed, grinned viciously and drove the car heavily onto the steps with a thud...
At this moment, Huo Zhendong, stunned, had a strange expression on his face, as if to say: "Brother Tianshun, even if you feel guilty and ashamed towards me, you don't have to resort to such an extreme method to commit suicide as an atonement, do you? Don't scare your brother, I'm very timid right now..."
Volume 4, City God Chapter 162: Hell Has No Gates, Who Dares to Enter?
In a hazy white space, Xu Zhengyang, dressed in a blue robe embroidered with golden flying birds and cloud patterns, held a soul-beating whip, looking imposing and furious as he fiercely pounded on the pitiful ghost messenger Wang Yonggan.
Amidst piercing screams, Wang Yonggan prostrated himself on the ground, wailing and pleading, "My lord, my lord, I know I was wrong, please stop hitting me, please stop hitting me..."
Xu Zhengyang naturally wouldn't pity him for his cries and pleas. After another round of brutal beatings, he finally stopped, kicked the pitiful Wang Yonggan, and coldly rebuked him: "I ordered you to cripple him, but you almost killed him. You, you really don't value human life!"
"My lord, I know I was wrong, I know I was wrong." Wang Yonggan nodded repeatedly in apology.
"Remember, human life is at stake." Xu Zhengyang snorted coldly. He then withdrew his divine sense from the city scroll and ignored Wang Yonggan.
Indeed, it was true. Zhang Tianshun was possessed by the ghost messenger Wang Yonggan. He drove recklessly like a madman, resulting in a serious accident that nearly killed him.
This action naturally brought some trouble to his boss, Huo Zhendong, who was taken in for questioning by the police. Therefore, the plan to retaliate by vandalizing Jinghui Logistics' branches in various wholesale markets that evening had to be temporarily shelved.
Even if the police hadn't taken Huo Zhendong away, Zhang Tianshun's sudden and bizarre behavior would have shocked him greatly, causing him to temporarily abandon his retaliation against Jinghui Logistics. Because just as firefighters were rescuing Zhang Tianshun from the wrecked vehicle, Huo Zhendong suddenly realized a possibility: this Jinghui Logistics company knew Huang Zhicheng, the chairman of Yongcheng Group, and had clearly been targeting their Subida Logistics company since arriving in Beijing. So… could the enemy who sent that text message be someone from Jinghui Logistics?
Those who are guilty are suspicious, and those who are selfish are suspicious. In Huo Zhendong's eyes, it was not that they took tough measures against Jinghui Logistics because they wanted to monopolize the market, but that Jinghui Logistics came here specifically to target their Speedy Logistics Company.
Therefore, Huo Zhendong temporarily abandoned his violent retaliation against Jinghui Logistics Company and chose to remain calm. He felt that since Jinghui Logistics Company dared to do this, it must have made ample preparations. If he attacked, it might end up like before, with his side suffering losses.
The temporary calm did not mean the end. Huo Zhendong, increasingly enraged, decided to cause a death.
Before the storm comes the calm.
Unfortunately, Huo Zhendong, a big shot who was considered a prominent figure in the middle class of Beijing, never imagined that the storm he was about to unleash would only engulf him. Meanwhile, Xu Zhengyang, the owner of Jinghui Logistics Company, was enjoying the peaceful weather every day, watching from afar as lightning flashed, thunder roared, and a torrential downpour was about to hit other places.