Chapter 104: It Must Work! It Also Has To Work!

Just after Ning Weidong and Tian Zhengfu finished lunch and returned to the duty room.

At about two o'clock in the afternoon, the phone in the duty room suddenly rang.

Ning Weidong reached out to pick it up: "Hello, this is the Fourth Workshop security duty room..."

The person on the other end of the phone was Li Peihang; hearing Ning Weidong's voice, he immediately said, "Weidong, come over to my place right now."

Ning Weidong felt a jolt in his heart. How could trouble arise when he had only just come over this morning, not even a full day later?

But Li Peihang didn't say anything on the phone, so he could only go over with his doubts.

Fortunately, it was all within the factory; no matter how large the factory area was, it would only take seven or eight minutes to walk there.

Arriving at the office building, Ning Weidong went to the third floor, familiar with the route. Just as he turned the corner after going up the stairs, he happened to come face-to-face with Feng Wen, who was about to go downstairs.

Both of them were taken aback.

Ning Weidong reacted first and greeted him with a smile.

Feng Wen nodded, brushed past him, and with his eyes slightly narrowed, looked back at Ning Weidong entering Li Peihang's office before turning and walking quickly downstairs.

As soon as Ning Weidong entered the office, he saw Li Peihang's brows tightly locked, and he asked, "Brother Li, what happened?"

Li Peihang let out a long sigh and said helplessly, "Take a look at this first." As he spoke, he took out a document and handed it over.

Ning Weidong took it and scanned it quickly, unable to help but gasp.

The content of this document was very simple: the higher-level departments had decided to entrust an important classified mission to the Red Star Factory, and they wanted the Security Division to strengthen their work to ensure safety and absolute reliability.

Ning Weidong's eyes narrowed slightly; this was like lice on a monk's head—it was obvious that it was aimed at him.

Just a moment ago, he had been calculating that with the current situation in the Fourth Workshop, even if something really went wrong, as a Security Officer, even if he were implicated, it wouldn't be enough to cause him fatal damage.

As a result, a document arrived in the afternoon saying they were going to start an important classified mission.

The other side really had gone to great pains!

But after just a flash of thought, Ning Weidong denied that this was arranged specifically against him.

The reason was simple: he wasn't that important, and the other side wouldn't invest such great effort for him.

One had to know that this was a classified mission, involving many departments and even the military.

Instead, the true situation was more likely that the other side had learned of this matter in advance and then, based on this situation, conveniently laid out this move, transferring Ning Weidong to the Fourth Workshop and then using some means to bury him inside.

This was the true causal relationship.

It wasn't that this mission existed to deal with Ning Weidong, but because this mission existed, there was a plan to deal with Ning Weidong.

Thinking of this, Ning Weidong secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

If it were truly the former, then he might as well not fight this battle and just surrender.

To be able to influence such a classified project, the resources the other side could mobilize and the means they were willing to use were completely beyond limits.

Let alone Ning Weidong; facing this kind of situation, even Ning Weiguo and Zhao Lichun would have to back down if they had to.

But if it were the latter, this battle could still be fought. Since it was just taking advantage of the situation, it was a mindset of hitching a ride—it would be best if they could conveniently finish off Ning Weidong, but if they couldn't, it wouldn't affect anything.

And this kind of mindset had one major drawback: once it started, they would be very stingy with subsequent investment.

For Ning Weidong, this counted as good news.

At least he didn't have to worry about the other side acting like a mad dog and hurting others at the cost of themselves.

Ning Weidong steadied himself slightly and asked Li Peihang, "Brother Li, besides this document, do you have any other specific news?"

This document was only on the surface; if that were all there was, there would be no need for Ning Weidong to come over—they could have just sent someone to deliver it.

Sure enough, Li Peihang said, "I just came back from my uncle. He asked me to remind you to be careful of He Yongbiao, the squad leader of the Sixth Squad in the Fourth Workshop. He has been moving very frequently with the people around Wang Kaifeng these past few days."

Ning Weidong nodded and memorized the name.

Li Peihang talked about some more circumstances surrounding He Yongbiao, which counted as intelligence support from Factory Director Li's side.

Ning Weidong came out of Li Peihang's office, thinking as he walked back.

The sudden appearance of the classified mission didn't surprise him too much; he had long anticipated that the Vice Factory Director's side would increase the stakes before making a move. This matter was just the other shoe dropping, so there was no need to be overly concerned.

Additionally, according to the description in that document just now, a technical team from outside the factory would be sent over later, and with other preparations, it would take at least two or three days at the earliest.

If Wang Kaifeng intended to use the classified project to make an issue, these two or three days should be a safe period.

Ning Weidong quickened his pace, returned to the Fourth Workshop, glanced at the factory floor, and walked into the duty room.

Inside the duty room, Ning Wei and Liu Dong were not there; only Wang Weiran and Xia Dongqiang remained.

As soon as Ning Weidong entered, the two of them immediately stood up to greet him.

Ning Weidong waved his hand: "No need for that." He then fished twenty yuan out of his pocket and said to Wang Weiran, "Old Wang, go get a few cartons of Great Front Gate and put them in our duty room. Whoever wants to smoke can just take one. If you want to smoke something better, buy it yourself. This is the level I'm at."

Wang Weiran's eyes lit up; he hadn't expected such a good thing.

He said, "Leader, you're generous," and ran off happily.

With only Xia Dongqiang left, Ning Weidong asked, "By the way, Old Xia, there's someone in the Fourth Workshop named He Yongbiao. Do you know him?"

Xia Dongqiang immediately nodded: "I know him. He's the squad leader of the Sixth Squad. He's a dab hand at the lathe and is a Technical Pace-setter in the Fourth Workshop. But this guy has one bad habit: he loves playing poker. When it comes to lunch, sometimes he'll play a few rounds even if he doesn't eat."

"Gambling~" Ning Weidong understood as soon as he heard it.

With this kind of habit, it would be incredibly simple for Wang Kaifeng of the Security Division to catch him in a trap.

Holding a handle on him and then using a mix of kindness and severity, he could make He Yongbiao completely obedient, making him do whatever he wanted.

Xia Dongqiang told him everything he knew; having testified in front of Liu Wenbao just now, he had already burned his bridges and could only follow Ning Weidong.

After finishing the situation with He Yongbiao, he asked, "Leader, do you need me to call him over for you?"

Ning Weidong waved his hand and said, "No rush for now."

Although Li Peihang had just said that He Yongbiao was pointed out by his uncle, Li Weibing, it was still impossible to judge whether this He Yongbiao was a key figure or just a smokescreen thrown out.

Just then, the phone on the table rang.

Ning Weidong reached out, picked it up, and said "Hello."

Zhao Ruyi's voice came from the other end of the phone: "Hello, I heard you were transferred to the Fourth Workshop?"

Ning Weidong responded with a sound.

Zhao Ruyi said, "What happened? Why are you in such a rush?"

Ning Weidong smiled and said, "It's nothing," then comforted Zhao Ruyi with a few words.

Regarding this matter, he did not want to rely on the power of the Zhao Family, at least not in the current situation.

On the other end of the line, Zhao Ruyi frowned slightly as she heard the dial tone from the phone.

She then dialed another number, and after a moment, the call connected: "Brother, I just called him. He said it was nothing and didn't mention a word about that thing you said."

On the other side of the phone, Zhao Lichun was silent for a few seconds before saying, "I know. Hanging up."

Having the phone hung up on her again, Zhao Ruyi pouted and simply stopped caring.

She didn't really love Ning Weidong; she was just caught in a compromising position, and with the need for a marriage alliance, it wasn't as if she absolutely had to have Ning Weidong. Now that a new situation had arisen, Zhao Ruyi felt a bit more uneasy.

That evening after work.

Ning Weidong rode his bicycle home. Although he knew someone was preparing to dig a pit to bury him, there was no need to keep himself too tense.

Normally speaking, since the classified mission hadn't arrived yet, the other party wouldn't be in such a hurry to make a move, and even if they did, they couldn't finish Ning Weidong off right now.

All the way home, Ning Weiguo and Wang Yuzhen had already arrived. The three of them took the opportunity while eating dinner to go over today's situation.

Upon hearing that Ning Weidong had thunderously taken control of the Security Division duty room in the Fourth Workshop, both Ning Weiguo and Wang Yuzhen were shocked; they hadn't expected Ning Weidong to be so reckless.

But then again, at this point, if one didn't have this kind of "break the cauldrons and sink the boats" determination, one might as well just admit defeat.

Afterward, they talked about the negotiation with the Military Representative Tian Zhengfu; uniting all forces that could be united was the right path.

Wang Yuzhen said, "Weidong, for this Tian Zhengfu, do you need me to find someone to see if we can establish a connection with him?"

Ning Weidong shook his head and said, "No need, sister-in-law. This matter is mutually beneficial to begin with; it's not like we are begging him. Besides, if he really doesn't care, finding someone would be a waste of effort. If he isn't like that, there's no need to look for anyone."

Wang Yuzhen nodded: "Alright, Weidong, you handle the discretion yourself, but if you need anything, you must tell your sister-in-law."

After dinner, Ning Weidong returned to the earthquake shelter.

Wang Yuzhen couldn't help but let out a long sigh, then turned and slapped the table in exasperation: "Sigh~ Weiguo, the current situation for Weidong is not optimistic! Wang Guoqiang is actually using a classified project; does he have any bottom line left at all..."

Ning Weiguo pulled her hand over and comforted her: "Yuzhen, don't be anxious. If you ask me, this matter might not be a bad thing for Weidong. Haven't you noticed? Since encountering this, Weidong has tightened himself up completely. When was he ever like this before, being so lackadaisical? If he can really turn the tables in this situation, it will be good for his whole life. Even if he loses in the end, as long as we are here, there will be opportunities in the future."

Wang Yuzhen nodded, still fuming: "I just can't stand it. It's clearly a marriage alliance between two families; why must they keep such a tight grip on our Weidong?"

Ning Weiguo smiled helplessly but said nothing more.

The next morning, Ning Weidong went to work as usual.

Just as he arrived at the duty room, everyone else had already arrived.

Ning Weidong smiled and said, "You all are early~"

Xia Dongqiang leaned over and said, "Leader, I heard there is news from Liu Wenbao's side."

Ning Weidong asked in surprise, "So fast?"

Xia Dongqiang said, "The evidence is ironclad; it will definitely be handled severely and quickly. He was handed over to the Police Station yesterday afternoon. I heard the charges are theft of collective property, intentional injury, picking quarrels and provoking trouble, and also hooliganism."

Ning Weidong raised an eyebrow. These charges were not light; if they were all proven, he might be eating a peanut (a bullet).

But this couldn't be blamed on Ning Weidong. Who told him to be willing to be used as a gun for others? Moreover, these weren't trumped-up charges; one by one, piece by piece, these were all sins Liu Wenbao committed himself.

Ning Weidong didn't ask further; whether this person lived or died had nothing to do with him. He turned and glanced at Ning Wei.

Ning Wei nodded slightly but didn't speak.

Ning Weidong understood and turned to look at Wang Weiran: "Old Wang, did you buy the cigarettes?"

Wang Weiran quickly said, "Leader, you can rest assured when I handle things."

The few were talking when the door suddenly opened, and Tian Zhengfu walked in from outside.

Ning Weidong had estimated that this Military Representative would come to find him today, but he hadn't expected Tian Zhengfu to arrive earlier than he had anticipated.

"Old Tian~" Ning Weidong laughed and stood up to greet him.

After an afternoon and a night of contemplation, Tian Zhengfu had already thought things through.

Especially yesterday afternoon, he had also received a notice that there would be a batch of classified tasks.

It made his scalp tingle.

If it were the previous situation, he really wouldn't have paid attention to Ning Weidong's alarmist talk.

But the classified task that arrived suddenly yesterday afternoon was no joke. If any situation occurred, the accountability would lead to a military tribunal!

Therefore, early this morning, he came looking for him.

In this matter, he and Ning Weidong had become grasshoppers on the same string.

There were too many people in the duty room to talk, so Ning Weidong and Tian Zhengfu went outside.

Ning Weidong took out a cigarette and handed one to Tian Zhengfu: "Old Tian, it seems you received it too."

Tian Zhengfu looked serious and said in a deep voice, "The General Assembly's task—they are too bold. They dare to make an issue out of this kind of task; aren't they afraid that if it blows up, there will be no way to clean it up?"

Ning Weidong said indifferently, "How could it blow up? Regardless of whether this matter succeeds or fails, there will be people above covering it up."

Tian Zhengfu pursed his lips and made a "tsk" sound, feeling increasingly frustrated. He struck a match, lit his cigarette, and took a puff: "Tell me, what do you want to do?"

Ning Weidong didn't light his, but held the cigarette under his nose to smell it, saying in a deep voice, "Soldiers come, block them; water comes, cover it with earth. Since the other party wants to use this matter to deal with us, we will make the matter perfect so they have no opportunity to exploit."

Tian Zhengfu frowned, not expecting that he had come in a rush only to be met with this empty remark from Ning Weidong.

If this was truly what Ning Weidong thought, they might as well wash up and go to sleep early.

Because doing it this way had no chance of winning at all.

As the old saying goes, there is only the logic of being a thief for a thousand days, never the logic of guarding against a thief for a thousand days.

Besides, how could things possibly be done perfectly? With over three hundred workers in the entire Fourth Workshop, do you know who is a person and who is a ghost? It is simply too easy for Vice Factory Director Wang to sabotage things or play tricks.

Ning Weidong saw through Tian Zhengfu's thoughts and said calmly, "When encountering an unfavorable situation, one must first find a way to ensure one does not reveal any flaws before one can find an opportunity to eliminate the enemy."

Tian Zhengfu raised an eyebrow: "The Art of War?"

Ning Weidong smiled.

Tian Zhengfu said: "Talking on paper, it's easy to say, but how is it easy to do?"

Ning Weidong said indifferently: "Where in this world are things easy?"

Tian Zhengfu choked, then smiled bitterly: "Comrade Weidong, stop beating around the bush and just tell me, what should we do?"

Ning Weidong said unhurriedly: "Old Tian, the current situation is that the enemy is in the dark while we are in the light; the enemy can attack from all sides, while we can only defend passively. To reverse this situation, we must muddy the waters..."

Immediately, Ning Weidong signaled for Tian Zhengfu to lean in, and he whispered a great deal.

It left Tian Zhengfu stunned, and he revealed an expression of surprise: "This... will this work?"

Ning Weidong, however, looked determined: "It will definitely work! It must work!"

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Third update, twelve thousand words, seeking monthly tickets! Seeking subscriptions!

(End of this chapter)