Chapter 41: I have a plan to launch a night raid on Ta-Zhai!

It felt like a long time had passed since Lin Wendong first arrived, but in reality, only a little over a month had gone by. One month—a mere thirty days. To most people, what can thirty days really accomplish? Perhaps earning a few thousand or tens of thousands in wages, or simply surviving another month. Yet, look at the transformation of Ta Zhai in this short time. It had evolved from a poverty-stricken village at the bottom of the economic ladder into one where the per capita income reached over a hundred thousand! And all this was achieved without breaking any laws, even if they occasionally skirted the edges. Now, they were even on the verge of launching their own arms company. Even Uncle Dong felt that, had he stuck to his original vision, Ta Zhai would never have achieved such success in such a short period.

"Once the arms company is established, the most important task will be finding buyers. What are your thoughts on that?" Uncle Dong asked, arching an eyebrow at Lin Wendong.

"Don't worry about that, Uncle Dong. Commodities like arms are never hard to sell," Lin Wendong replied with a faint, confident smile. "We swindled five million from that online lending company today, and they certainly won't let it slide. They will definitely resort to all sorts of methods to force us to repay the debt." Despite these words, Lin Wendong remained unconcerned; he had already mapped out his next moves.

Just then, Lin Wenwu arrived at the ancestral hall. "Uncle Dong, Brother Wen, I went to Mang Village. They are almost ready and will be able to start producing parts in a few days."

"Oh?" Lin Wendong was slightly surprised. The last time they spoke, the head of Mang Village had said it would take one or two months. He hadn't expected them to be nearly ready after only a month.

***

Inside the Qingfeng Diyue Villa, Manager Wang and Wang Dalong kept their heads bowed, not daring to make a sound or look up at their boss, Zhang Youqian. Zhang Youqian’s gaze was murderous as he glared at the two men.

"I expect a better explanation than this!" he growled, suppressing his rage.

"This..." Manager Wang and Wang Dalong exchanged a quick, fearful glance. Finally, the former braced himself and explained, "Boss, the people in Ta Zhai are just too cunning! From the moment we entered the village, they lured us into a trap. It was a chain of schemes that caught us completely off guard; we couldn't react in time!"

"That's right!" Wang Dalong hurriedly chimed in. "They are truly deceitful!"

Zhang Youqian’s eyes seemed to spew fire. "So... you just handed them five million? I sent you to collect money, and instead of bringing it back, you let me lose five million more?" He was on the verge of a breakdown, roaring at them. The two men kept their heads low, silent as cicadas in winter.

After venting for a moment, Zhang Youqian panted, pointing a trembling finger at them. "The money isn't recovered, and who is going to shoulder the loss of over a hundred million? Who?!" He shouted, "I don't care what you do, you must get that money back!"

***

"Boss, calm down. I have an idea!" Wang Dalong suddenly spoke up. "We were spotted the moment we entered the village because our group was too large and our target too obvious. I want to take a few men and sneak into Ta Zhai tonight. We'll kidnap their key figures to force the villagers to pay up!"

"Oh?" Zhang Youqian’s expression shifted, his gaze becoming intrigued. "I didn't think a brute like you would have such a sharp mind."

Wang Dalong patted his bald head and chuckled. "This time, I'll only take three of my best men!" He was confident. Those three were trained fighters, hardened thugs—each one an "expert" capable of taking on three ordinary men. Sneaking into Ta Zhai at night would be easy, and even if they were discovered, they could easily escape. It wouldn't be like today, where they were cornered and forced to pay five million in humiliation.

Of course, there was a personal vendetta involved. A cold, sinister smile curled his lips as an image formed in his mind: the man who had tricked them all day, the man he had long wanted to teach a lesson with his fists—the master of the third branch of Ta Zhai, Lin Wendong.

"I'll make sure that delicate-looking pretty boy knows exactly what happens when you mess with me, Wang Dalong!"

***

Zhang Youqian considered it; Wang Dalong’s proposal was indeed the best option for now. "Don't delay," he said in a low voice. "Take your men tonight and kidnap those high-ranking figures from Ta Zhai!"

Zhang Youqian was desperate for cash. Putting aside his other expenses, he had no way to dodge Niu Youde and Li Batian. Just thinking of them gave him a headache; he had promised them both, with absolute certainty, that they would see their money today. Even if Manager Wang hadn't collected the debt, he had five million in the company account he could have used to appease them. But now... that money had been handed over to Ta Zhai.

"If they don't see the money today, I'm finished..." A cold shiver ran down his spine. His eyes drifted to the gold ring on his finger and the gold chain around his neck. "I suppose I still have my gold-capped teeth," he thought grimly.

***

Meanwhile, at the Dongshan Municipal Bureau, the officers who had returned from Ta Zhai were complaining.

"My vacation... gone because of such a trivial matter?"

"Damn it! It would have been one thing if there were actually thousands of organized crime members, but we went on a wild goose chase, gained no credit, and lost our time off!"

The resentment in the bureau was so thick it was practically palpable. Just then, Wu Youhai returned. Seeing his team's low morale, he gave a few light coughs and said, "Don't worry, everyone will still get their vacation. Tomorrow should be quiet; I will make sure to get your time off approved."

Hearing this, the officers began praying fervently: "Buddha, Bodhisattva, please, let nothing happen in the next two days. Just let me have my vacation!"