Chapter 1459: What the Hell Was Your Name Again?

"I don't want to go to Steel City."

"Then do you want to go to the New Capital No. 1 Factory?"

Wang Zongcheng from the Personnel Planning Section had heard this sentence so many times his ears had grown calluses; too many people had said it.

Once mid-September passed, under the order of General Manager Li Li Huai De of the Group, the Red Star Steel Rolling Mill launched the post-worker dual-selection work.

It meant exactly what it said: posts selected workers, and workers selected posts, much like an arranged marriage.

Good posts naturally attracted fierce competition, just like a beautiful girl for whom a hundred families seek a match.

Conversely, the same applied: skilled workers also pursued good posts, such as those senior technicians.

Workers chose posts, posts assessed workers; upon finding a match, names were registered and personnel relations transferred.

Although two months remained before the official relocation of the Red Star Steel Rolling Mill, this did not prevent the personnel department from starting work early.

Registering names and transferring personnel relations meant that the worker accepted by a post secured a train or ship ticket to Steel City for two months later.

What should workers not accepted by any post do?

Simple: continue competing for other posts, or try their luck at the recruitment offices of other branch factories.

On the first floor of the west auxiliary building, all offices had already been emptied; some staff had either been reassigned to other branch companies or had moved ahead to the new office building.

As early as a week ago, various industrial enterprises, branch companies, service companies, and other units within the Group had already begun preparations for worker resettlement.

This naturally included the Steel City Steel Rolling Mill, where rolling mill workers naturally preferred rolling mill posts.

Uniquely, the New Capital No. 1 Factory had also been allocated an office for registration and recruitment work.

Starting this Monday, along the roadside at the main gate of the factory office zone, a long row of tables had been set up, serving as registration windows for workers selecting posts.

Also starting Tuesday, every morning a list of successful post selections would be posted on the notice board at the entrance of the office zone.

Those whose names did not appear on the list naturally knew they had failed, and could only brace themselves to continue selecting other posts.

It was not that the Group intentionally made things difficult for these steel mill workers, nor that the Red Star Steel Rolling Mill wanted to shed these burdens; rather, this approach truly reflected the distribution principle of putting people first.

Everyone had the opportunity to choose a post they were good at and liked, as long as they had the ability.

Fairness, fairness, and still fairness.

These past few days, it was common to see several workshop directors gathering together, keeping one eye on their own skilled workers and another on the senior technicians held by others.

This relocation of the Red Star Factory to Steel City marked a critical period for a major reshuffle of frontline staff.

As all were grassroots leaders, whoever secured more senior technicians would see their workshop tasks completed better in the future.

But the actual situation was that there were too many wolves and too little meat.

Some workers were already in position at the Steel City Steel Rolling Mill; these were the outstanding staff mobilized during the earlier phase.

They did not need to participate in the dual-selection work; over a year ago, encouraged and persuaded by the personnel department, these young people had resolutely left their hometowns to head for the land of Steel City in the Northeast to become pioneers, so policy preferences for them were only right.

Construction of the Steel City Steel Rolling Mill had begun the year before last; at that time, there was a shortage of labor, requiring workers from the Red Star Steel Rolling Mill to give up their jobs in Jingcheng and move to the Northeast.

Yet who was willing to leave their hometown and abandon their family and livelihood? Even with mobilization efforts, results were scarce.

It was only after the leaders discussed the matter that they decided to call upon the Youth Commando Teams to take the lead and voluntarily sign up for pioneering work.

Though called pioneering, there was actually no land to reclaim; where around a metallurgical plant would there be land for them to farm?

Moving machinery, supporting construction sites, executing security duties, learning techniques...

That first batch of young people who went to Steel City earliest felt the strongest sense of belonging to the new factory zone and possessed the greatest entrepreneurial spirit.

With few veteran comrades holding them back, their passion remained undimmed as they devoted themselves entirely to the cause, finally completing the construction of the Steel City Steel Rolling Mill three months ahead of schedule.

Currently, the plant was in the stage of mechanical equipment debugging and trial production to prepare for the official commencement of operations scheduled for November.

It could be said that on the very day the Jingcheng Red Star Steel Rolling Mill shut down its furnaces, the Steel City Red Star Steel Rolling Mill would have long since started production, absolutely ensuring no delay in production tasks.

Through technological transformation and equipment upgrades, the Steel City Steel Rolling Mill was purer and more specialized.

The cost, however, was compressing the original workforce of forty thousand down to eight thousand five hundred.

Abolishing the three-shift system and eliminating certain industrial sectors had equipped the new steel mill with the wings of automation and electrification, but it had also blocked the path for some workers.

Since all were comrades, how could their paths be completely blocked? The issue of resettlement still had to be resolved.

On September 17, Li Li Xuewu, representing the Red Star Iron and Steel Group, met with the heads of Jingcheng Industry and the New Capital No. 1 Factory to conduct in-depth discussions on worker arrangements.

In response to requirements from Li Li Huai De and the Management Committee, he proposed to Jingcheng Industry and the New Capital No. 1 Factory that they prepare to accept at least twenty-five thousand people.

The Red Star Iron and Steel Group was not unable to support these people; rather, there were simply no posts available for them to choose from.

Starting from September 15, the application forms submitted successively showed that a significant portion of workers were unwilling to leave Jingcheng to work in Steel City.

This was precisely what was mentioned earlier: those who could accept moving with the factory to Steel City would compete for posts at the Steel City Steel Rolling Mill.

As for those who did not want to go to Steel City, they could only compete for the resettlement posts released by the Group.

Posts were available from various units, with the Construction General Company and the Mining General Company offering the most.

Why did many workers reluctantly choose the Construction General Company and the Mining General Company rather than go to Steel City?

Posts at the Construction General Company were characterized by mobility; construction sites might very well be located outside Jingcheng.

The same applied even more to the Mining General Company, where work locations might be fixed deep in Wang Dashan or inside mine shafts.

But these two companies shared one common feature: their headquarters were located in Jingcheng.

Based on this single point, many workers felt their roots were still in Jingcheng, rather than being forced to leave their hometown.

Actually, this also revealed a helplessness: if one could do familiar work, who would willingly engage in manual labor?

It was easy to transfer from a workshop worker to a construction worker, but transferring back would be extremely difficult.

Of the existing forty thousand workers, the original plan was to transfer fifteen thousand to the New Capital No. 1 Factory.

Now, the figure had increased by a full ten thousand compared to the original plan; these were the workers unwilling to leave the capital.

The Steel City Steel Rolling Mill required only eight thousand five hundred; after a morning of negotiations, or rather a fierce battle, between Li Li Xuewu and the heads of Jingcheng Industry and the New Capital No. 1 Factory, the personnel quota was finally settled.

Twenty-five thousand: the New Capital No. 1 Factory would accept as many as it could, and Jingcheng Industry would coordinate the rest.

Back when the Red Star Factory merged with the sixteen enterprises around the Liangma River, it was stated that the personnel relations of some workers from those sixteen enterprises could not be transferred to the Red Star Factory.

Three years had passed; these personnel files had originally been held within the industrial system, and needless to say, after the establishment of New Capital Plant One, the workers directly transferred there took their files with them—almost every single worker from Red Star Steel Group had been handed over to New Capital Plant One.

Workers who had been seconded to other units at the time, even those without personnel files, were all transferred away in this round.

Li Li Huai De made it clear at the personnel meeting: do not claim that talent is hard to find; once the Vocational and Technical College opens, excellent talent will flow continuously to supply the Group.

These trained backbone personnel are needed by every department and every workshop, yet New Capital Plant One needs them as well.

Therefore, what belongs to them must be returned to them; for example, Bai Changshan, the Deputy Manager of the Comprehensive Management Department, holds his organizational affiliation with New Capital Plant One.

As Red Star Steel Group cleared all secondment relationships, he too went with that batch of workers to take up employment at New Capital Plant One.

This served both to strengthen and support the construction of New Capital Plant One and to clear positions within the Group, making room for some employees.

Jingcheng Industry and New Capital Plant One deciding to accept an additional ten thousand workers was not done out of pure altruism.

First, Red Star Steel Group must guarantee the completion of this year's steel rolling production plan.

Second, Red Star Steel Group must guarantee that over the next three years, it will help New Capital Plant One perfect and increase its production capacity until it reaches eighty-five percent of the existing production plan targets of the Steel City Rolling Mill; any shortfall must be supplemented and supported by the Steel City Rolling Mill.

Third, Red Star Steel Group must guarantee that the twenty-five thousand workers transferred in this round will enjoy the Group's basic welfare benefits until the end of the year.

Finally, Red Star Steel Group must sign a framework cooperation agreement with New Capital Plant One, providing high-quality steel and offering opportunities for the development of tertiary industries.

It could be said that for the sake of those ten thousand workers unwilling to change posts, Li Li Xuewu swallowed a bellyful of rage, and for the first time, someone held his head down and forced him to sign an agreement that left him both helpless and bitter.

There was no other way; so many workers wished to remain employed in Jingcheng, yet Red Star Steel Group, whether in its industrial posts or public institution posts within Jingcheng, could not provide suitable positions.

He could only grit his teeth and let Jingcheng Industry and New Capital Plant One take advantage of the crisis.

The final tranche of funding that he had once held in hand and withheld from Jingcheng Industry now had to be handed over as well.

After doing all this, did those employees feel any gratitude toward him?

Don't be ridiculous; it would be enough if they didn't curse him.

When reporters from the United Industry Newspaper and the Broadcasting Station sought to interview him, Li Li Xuewu entered the office building with a silent face; how could he have the audacity to accept an interview?

Yes, it was true; those workers unwilling to go to Steel City, who wished to remain in Jingcheng to continue their steel rolling posts, had gotten exactly what they sought and no longer faced the pressure of dual-selection for posts.

However, they had also lost their status as formal employees of Red Star Steel Group.

In Dongcheng, in the Liangma River Industrial Zone, only these formal employees truly understood how valuable the status of a formal Red Star Steel Group employee was.

Without a work permit, could you use the non-staple food booklet issued by the Group to purchase daily supplies without ration tickets?

Without a work permit, could your children enjoy United Education and possess access to factory resources?

Without a work permit, could you enjoy the welfare guarantee system of the United Hospital?

The answer was obvious; although Li Li Xuewu had mentioned at the symposium General Manager Li Li Huai De's assurance that comrades would not suffer losses in education and medical care, and that even if they were no longer colleagues in the future, no one could erase or forget their contributions to Red Star Steel Group.

But in such times, how many people would believe assurances made by leadership?

Why was Li Li Xuewu made to come out and speak these words, and why did Li Li Huai De not come to speak them himself?

Because if Li Li Xuewu stood up, people would still listen and believe him; but if Old Li came...

"The dual-selection work for employees must still be carried out meticulously."

Li Li Xuewu placed the notebook in his hand aside and waved his hand to signal Liu Bin, who was bringing him tea, not to bother.

"Relying solely on our own strength is far from enough; can we think of a way to mobilize the United Units?"

"You mean..." Li Li Huai De asked thoughtfully, "organizing Jingcheng industrial enterprises to come to our factory to select personnel?"

He frowned slightly with concern, saying, "Won't that cause people to gossip?"

"It will, it certainly will." Li Li Xuewu lifted his teacup and took a sip; seeing Old Li frown, he still spoke earnestly: "No matter how you act, there will always be people making idle remarks and pointing fingers."

Seeing Li Li Xuewu speak this way, Li Li Huai De gradually relaxed his frown and nodded in understanding.

"Organizing United Units to come to the factory to select people will lead others to say we are 'selling people'."

Li Li Xuewu bluntly voiced Old Li's concerns and inner thoughts: "I can only think of these, but there are surely even more vicious words waiting."

"That is indeed the case." Li Li Huai De nodded, his expression quite helpless as he said, "The report on organizational and personnel reform was published a year and a half ago, yet even today, there are still people who do not believe it."

"This is the complex side of human nature."

Li Li Xuewu spoke frankly: "We cannot achieve perfection and satisfy everyone."

"How would I dare to imagine such a thing—"

Li Li Huai De smiled bitterly, gesturing toward the window: "I can even hear those cursing me and wishing me ill."

"That is normal; there are those cursing me as well."

Li Li Xuewu spoke nonsense with a straight face; who would dare curse him, unless they feared someone knocking on their window in the middle of the night?

He was merely comforting Old Li, lest his diabetes metastasize into rheumatic heart disease, which would be disastrous.

This human shield was needed precisely now; even if his diabetes was in its late stages, Li Li Xuewu had to make him devote himself utterly until death, just to get through this period.

Seeing Li Li Xuewu's gaze of firm support, Old Li felt warmth in his heart; having you here is truly wonderful.

"How should we negotiate with the United Units?"

He pulled a small medicine bottle from his drawer, poured out several pills, and stuffed them into his mouth.

"Coordinate this work with the personnel department."

Saying this, Old Li lifted his teacup, gulped down a large mouthful, and struggled to swallow the pills.

If he keeps eating like this, Old Li is going to be finished sooner or later!

"I must return to Steel City tomorrow." Li Li Xuewu glanced at him and reminded, "There must be a result regarding the No. 4 Blast Furnace."

"Alas, the times are different now."

Li Li Huai De remarked with emotion: "Needless to speak of when I first joined the revolution; even since I came to Jingcheng Industry, which enterprise has not suffered casualties?"

After saying this, he truly shook his head, looked at Li Li Xuewu, and said, "It is indeed true that only since you took charge of the factory's safety production work has the number of production accidents and other incidents in our unit decreased."

"It is the requirement of the times; I have done nothing special; it is still the comrades who provided support."

Li Li Xuewu modestly replied out of habit: "Allocate a few more of this year's excellent cadre quotas to the Inspection Division."

"What, did Zhou Zechuan complain to you?"

Li Li Huai De frowned impatiently, set down the teacup in his hand, and said, "He truly is outstanding."

"I also heard it from others."

Li Li Xuewu waved his hand dismissively and said, "It's a very normal aspiration; if we don't support their pursuit of honor, are we supposed to encourage their pursuit of profit instead?"

"You always have something to say—"

Li Li Huai De smiled anyway, let go of the knot in his heart, and changed the subject.

In truth, the knot in Old Li's heart was not Zhou Zechuan, but the person behind Zhou Zechuan.

If Zhou Zechuan was the one carrying the schoolbag, then Su Weide, walking beside him and constantly stuffing bricks into Zhou Zechuan's bag, was certainly no good cookie.

When Li Li Xuewu was working at the Group, Li Li Huai De always felt as if thorns were on his back, but after Li Li Xuewu took up his post in Liaodong, he began to feel isolated and without aid.

Dong Wenxue certainly still supported him, but could not provide him with absolutely reliable information or decision-making advice.

When Li Li Xuewu was present, all documents from top to bottom in the Group had to pass through his hands, whereas he only needed to review the documents bearing Li Li Xuewu's comments and instructions.

This was a tacit understanding cultivated over many years, and it was sufficient for Li Li Huai De to grant him a certain degree of trust.

Transferring Chen Shouzhi to work at the Group was an arrangement by the leadership above, as well as his own decision.

In certain aspects, Chen Shouzhi possessed Li Li Xuewu's seriousness toward work and also demonstrated a certain level of capability.

It's just that when people compare themselves to others, they die of shame, and when goods are compared to other goods, they get thrown away.

Chen Shouzhi, who appeared exceptionally capable and thoughtful in the Ministry, suddenly became low-profile upon arriving at the Group.

In Li Li Huai De's view, he was merely playing the fool and hiding his talents.

Why?

Was it simply because Chen Shouzhi, after taking office, went to Liaodong to meet Li Li Xuewu once, then participated in a test flight activity together, and thus matured?

Don't be ridiculous; this Chen Shouzhi disappointed him too much—he was either frightened by Li Li Xuewu or stumped by him.

In fact, even without the Gangcheng trip, Li Li Huai De had some minor complaints about Chen Shouzhi's performance.

What he wanted was a Secretary-General who could offer him reference opinions, not merely a Head of the Secretariat.

Chen Shouzhi seemed not to understand this job thoroughly enough, yet he had clearly spoken with the other party several times already.

He had said what needed to be said and offered all due encouragement, but Chen Shouzhi was simply donkey-like.

So what if he is donkey-like?

Donkey-like means he won't move when led and steps backward when beaten.

The opinions he gave were rigid and stagnant, lacking any reference value, which only made Li Li Huai De miss Li Li Xuewu's virtues even more.

"Push forward with the Gangcheng matter as soon as possible."

Li Li Huai De thought for a moment, looked out the window, and said, "The Group's work still requires your participation."

"It hasn't even been a year yet—"

Li Li Xuewu reminded him with amusement, "At the very least, let me serve for five years before we talk about that."

"Five years? In your dreams."

Li Li Huai De sat up straight with an amused smile, looked at him, and said, "I don't have five years to give you; if you don't come back soon, you won't be able to come back at all."

"Actually, Liaodong isn't so bad."

Li Li Xuewu deliberately teased, smiling as he said, "Rich in natural treasures and home to outstanding people; it deserves deep development."

"Have you grown addicted to staying there?"

Li Li Huai De asked with a laugh, "Is there some 'her' in the Northeast that you dream of day and night?"

"Are you referring to that land?"

Li Li Xuewu raised his eyebrows and said, "That black soil indeed makes me dream of it day and night."

"Alright, quite poetic."

Li Li Huai De, too lazy to banter further, nodded seriously and said, "There are several meetings at the end of the year you must attend; regarding the summary of the 'Three-Year Plan,' I've thought it over and decided to entrust you with writing it."

He moved the documents in front of him aside and pushed a thick document folder toward Li Li Xuewu.

"A summary of the past three years, as well as plans and prospects for the next three."

"Am I also to preside over compiling the new 'Three-Year Plan'?" Li Li Xuewu frowned slightly and said, "Time is likely to be very tight."

"Put the Gangcheng work on hold."

Li Li Huai De tilted his head up slightly and said dismissively, "Sending you to Gangcheng was never meant for you to act as factory director; don't try to grasp everything in your own hands."

"Let go now?" Li Li Xuewu raised his eyebrows slightly. "Does this mean you intend to establish an Industrial General Corporation?"

"Are you sure this is the place?"

Bang Geng glanced back at Er Er Gazi, then continued walking forward a few steps; that was the location of the dock.

They had wandered around near Niuzhuang in Yingcheng all afternoon, and now in the evening had come to the seaside to stroll.

In Bang Geng's view, Er Er Gazi's task today was simply to take him wandering, without any sense of purpose.

He was even beginning to suspect that Er Er Gazi had brought him out merely to slack off.

"Who exactly have you investigated?"

Bang Geng was not a brainless reckless youth; the experiences of his growth over these past two years had indeed influenced him.

If only he were given a few more years...

"Do you know Xi Xi Yongzhong?"

Er Er Gazi tilted his head to size him up; under the red light reflected from the sea surface in the glow of the setting sun, this kid actually had a big flatbread face.

He still had the nerve to talk about others when the flatbread on his own face was not small at all.

Bang Geng hadn't expected his question to go unanswered, only to be met with a question from the other party instead.

"Xi Xi Yongzhong? Yes, I know him."

Squatting on a large rock by the seaside, he looked at Er Er Gazi and said, "We lived in the same courtyard for several years."

"Oh, so that's how it is."

Er Er Gazi somewhat understood why Bang Geng had come, or rather, why Bang Geng could be arranged to come.

"I've answered your question, but you haven't answered mine yet—"

Bang Geng spoke up to remind him: "I didn't come here to watch you laugh; I came to help."

"Just strolling around properly right now is helping us."

Er Er Gazi's eyes flickered as he sized Bang Geng up, then couldn't help glancing at the people not far away.

The seaside was indeed very suitable for speaking secrets; from a slight distance, one truly couldn't hear anything.

He spoke lightly, and coincidentally a large wave crashed against the rocks at Bang Geng's feet, so only half the words were heard.

"I think something must have happened to him."

Bang Geng frowned and murmured: "Although I haven't spoken with him many times, I could tell he was very dutiful and honest; among the thirteen people living in the courtyard, he was the only one who never caused me any trouble."

"He shouldn't be alone in Fengcheng."

As if thinking of something, Bang Geng pursed his lips and said: "If something happens, we won't even be able to find him."

Er Er Gazi frowned slightly and reminded him: "Sun Sun Yongli and Che Yonghua are also over here."

"Old Six and Old Ten?" Bang Geng widened his eyes in surprise and asked: "Where did they go?"

"Keeping watch, you can understand that, right?"

Er Er Gazi explained to him: "Our work is extremely dull and tedious, even boring."

"They arrived with cold faces, looking at everyone as if they weren't human; I'm really afraid they'll get hot-headed and pull out their knives."

"Like me?"

Bang Geng chuckled, patted the scraper at his waist, and said: "I learned a few moves from my master; I'm relying on this thing for safety."

"If someone really wants to take you out, having explosives strapped to your waist won't help either; you'd better put that little toy away."

Er Er Gazi advised: "We are all decent people doing decent work; we don't make mistakes."

"You? A decent person?"

Bang Geng said amusingly: "I just saw you zoning out; were you looking at that Miss over there?"

"What Miss? She's old enough to be my mother!"

Er Er Gazi rolled his eyes, turned his head, and said: "I was executing a secret mission."

"Heh—"

Bang Geng chuckled lightly: "Isn't your mission to take me around for a look?"

"I'm responsible for other missions too."

Er Er Gazi looked at Bang Geng and asked curiously: "Are you a child who grew up in the hutongs of Jingcheng?"

"What else?" Bang Geng asked arrogantly: "Don't I look like one?"

"You don't; you look nothing like Zhou Zhou Changli; it's obvious you're still young."

"You're the young one—" Bang Geng said dissatisfiedly: "I'm already fourteen; coming out to venture into the world at this point is a bit late."

He spoke with considerable regret: "If this were four or five years ago, I might have been your leader."

"Don't say four or five years ago; even ten years ago, you wouldn't have been my leader."

Er Er Gazi twitched the corner of his mouth, looked at him with a mischievous smile, and asked: "Do you know what I used to do?"

"What did you do? Kidnapping people?"

Bang Geng was carefree and recklessly youthful; he would never speak soft words.

He was just guessing casually, not expecting Er Er Gazi to merely look at him and smile without speaking.

"So you really do make your living from that!"

Bang Geng said with slight surprise: "This is truly the first time I've seen a living bandit."

"So all you children from Jingcheng are this good at talking—" Er Geng snickered and asked: "Haven't you ever been beaten before?"

"Who would hit me?" Bang Geng paused slightly, then looked at him suspiciously and asked: "Why are you smiling so cunningly?"

"The fish seems to have taken the bait."

Er Er Gazi stared fixedly at him, but the corners of his eyes were scanning left and right.

Bang Geng's expression showed some surprise, seemingly very unexpected that this fat man had discovered the target.

"Don't look around wildly; act like you know nothing."

Er Er Gazi reminded Bang Geng in a soft voice, yet the expression on his face remained pleasant and amiable.

"Where's the fish? I don't see it?"

Bang Geng indeed did exactly as the other had instructed, looking only at him while speaking, not daring to make the slightest move.

Actually, acting like this was also very dangerous; if the other party looked carefully, they would definitely be able to see Bang Geng's stiffness.

Isn't this just a rookie!

Er Er Gazi despised Bang Geng even more in his heart, treating him merely as bait arranged by the organization.

"Now slowly and naturally turn around; look at the sea surface first, don't turn your head back yet."

He reminded softly: "Don't scare the person away."

"How would I know where he is?"

Bang Geng muttered a complaint dissatisfiedly, then propped his hands on the railing and looked out at the sea.

Which line of poetry described this scenery? Something about color? Something about flying?

"Is that person on the left or the right? Hmm?"

Bang Geng stood by the railing for a long time without hearing any sound from behind, so he frowned and asked: "How much longer do I have to keep this up?"

The only answers he received were the sound of waves and bird calls; there were no other sounds.

As if sensing something amiss, Bang Geng whipped his head around, only to discover that the big fat man who had taken him out for the afternoon had vanished!

Yes, not only was that big fat man gone, but the sky was gradually dimming, and the people by the seaside were becoming fewer and more sparse.

Bang Geng's face instantly turned pale; in his heart, he was calculating whether he had been deceived.

"Big Fat Man—Big Fat Lump!"

First, he called out in a tiny voice, but after several shouts received no response, he roared a few times.

Yet, apart from provoking a few mocking cries from the seagulls, there was no other reply.

"Damn it—"

This time, Bang Geng truly panicked; trembling with fear, he unhooked the scraper from his waist and gripped it in his hand.

He was afraid; in this unfamiliar place, he hadn't even had time to distinguish who was good and who was bad.

Clearly, that big fat man who had led him wandering all over was the villain!

Everyone else was busy keeping watch, yet this person insisted on wandering around all afternoon, bringing him to such a remote spot.

Dammit! I have to walk back!

Filled with vicious resolve, Bang Geng thought that if he ever saw that person again, he would definitely stab him a couple of times.

Just moments ago, standing on the large rock by the sea, he had wondered: was Xi Xi Yongzhong also like him, deceived by an acquaintance, voluntarily letting down his guard and caution?

If he had been ambushed by an enemy, that would be understandable, but if he had been plotted against by his own people...

Damn it, something must be wrong!

Bang Geng suddenly halted his steps; borrowing the lingering glow of the sunset, he watched a figure flash ahead before vanishing again.

Could it be that he had encountered a ghost wall?

Impossible; this was the seaside; what ghost would dare to build a wall here, wouldn't it be washed away to death?

If it wasn't a ghost, then it must be a person.

Clenching the scraper in his hand, he forced himself to calm down and took small steps backward.

Only when he truly saw no one ahead did he suddenly whirl around and sprint quickly toward the town where lights were shining.

"Damn it! Don't let him escape!"

A deliberately suppressed voice suddenly rang out from behind, causing Bang Geng's heart to lurch in panic.

Yes, this must be a conspiracy targeting him; it must be Seeing Seeing Gelin or bad people within Seeing Seeing Gelin's gang.

He was representing Wu Shu to check the situation, and along the way, to exercise and learn.

And the result? He began to suspect whether he had heard something he shouldn't have or seen something he shouldn't have.

Thinking these thoughts wasn't out of cowardice, but for revenge; he needed to fight them.

Of course, not right now.

Right now, he was like a homeless dog being chased, and he still had to guard against ambushes ahead.

Therefore, he couldn't run in a straight line, nor could he let the others discern his intentions.

The more than half year spent training in Steel City finally proved useful; the voices coming from behind grew rougher and angrier, showing just how fast he was running.

His muscles and bones had already been conditioned, plus he was running as if chased by dogs, so how could he not be fast?

Who could have imagined that the more than half year Wu Shu had spent running with him was actually the ultimate move to save his life?

You have superior numbers, but I can run, right? If you want to deal with me, you have to catch me first.

Not only did the more than half year of training in Steel City provide the ability for today's escape, but nearly two years of getting up early to fish by the lake also contributed.

He was long accustomed to running through muddy earth; he couldn't explain it, but he could run fast.

What drove those chasing him behind to the brink of collapse was that this big fat boy, who looked like a pig, could actually run so fast, striding effortlessly across sandy and muddy ground; could he be the disciple of Grass-Flyer—Hero Grass-Mud-Horse?

"If you damn well run any further, I'll shoot!"

"Screw you—"

Without turning his head, Bang Geng continued to run, even using the cover of night to desperately recall the anti-surveillance techniques Wu Shu had taught him.

These were all techniques Li Li Xuewu cited when explaining content from books during his idle moments, never expecting he would use them today.

Dodging bullets was impossible; at this moment, he absolutely could not stop, for stopping would equal surrender.

Xi Xi Yongzhong's fate would be his fate; perhaps not even a complete corpse would remain.

Run, run with all your might, run forward with your life on the line.

Just as he was about to reach the main road, the door of a house he had been watching, which had just lit up, suddenly opened.

"You damn—"

Bang Geng, furious, was about to curse when he suddenly saw the other party raise a long gun.

Hell! He had seen this thing before!

It was from Li Li Xuewu's grandfather; it was called a scattergun, the kind that could blast birds into smithereens.

Er Er Gazi, holding this gun, was surprisingly steady, resembling a mobile turret.

He wanted to curse; Bang Geng really wanted to curse him until his face was covered in blood, cursing him for abandoning him.

But at this moment, he couldn't say a word.

Because between him and the main road lay a deep ditch, at least two meters deep.

"Jump in! Quick!"

The moment Er Er Gazi's words finished, Bang Geng had no time to ask questions; with a sliding tackle, he plunged into the roadside ditch.

Boom—

After a deafening roar, the entire world fell silent.

Were the opponents stupid idiots? Seeing him raise the gun, they still chased over here; weren't they looking for death?

No; the few boys chasing Bang Geng, upon seeing Er Er Gazi raise the gun, scattered like birds and beasts, wanting to get far away from this place.

But who could blame Bang Geng for running so fast — he slid-tackled straight into the big pit, and even running they couldn't get out of the sand's range.

It felt like being pricked by needles from behind, no — ten thousand needles stabbing you all at once. How painful must that be.

Needle pricks were nothing — if you ran too slow it was like taking a fist to the face, and you'd go down face-first into the mud.

"Keep running! If you run any more, we won't take you alive!"

Before the report of Er Er Gazi's shotgun had faded, a squad of ambushers who'd been lying in wait burst out from the side.

Bang Geng stood in mud up to his waist, craning his neck to look out — that was Seeing Seeing Gelin's voice.

He saw Seeing Seeing Gelin take one great stride across the drainage ditch where the gang was, and chase straight off in the direction he'd come from.

Er Er Gazi was still shouldering his shotgun, but Seeing Seeing Gelin only carried a single wooden stick.

Nobody else knew what that thing was called, but the street kids all knew it well — the children fighting in the alleys loved to use that thing.

Even a baseball bat wasn't as effective as a wooden stick — one swing down and the target might be knocked out cold, or might be dead.

"Get him! What are you still standing there for!"

Er Er Gazi tossed aside his shotgun, and as he strode over he saw Bang Geng standing there in a daze like a mudskipper, so he bellowed at him.

But Bang Geng only looked more blank. "What the hell are you saying? Louder! I can't hear you!"

Well, either his ears were clogged with mud, or the gunshot had deafened him.

Given Er Er Gazi's build, the shotgun in his hands shouldn't even be called a shotgun — it ought to be called a sand cannon.

In any case, Bang Geng could only see now, couldn't hear a single sound — no wonder people say the whole world had gone quiet.

"I'm telling you to stay right here and wait for us to come back for you—"

Er Er Gazi tossed off a casual instruction, then lifted his leg and went chasing after those people.

"What thing? What'd you say?"

Bang Geng tried to climb out of the ditch, but his whole body was covered in mud — and thick, soupy mud at that.

He couldn't climb out. He simply couldn't get out.

He wanted to chase those people, but the two-meter-deep ditch had him trapped inside — he'd truly become a mudskipper.

"F*** your uncle, you fat bastard!"

Bang Geng squatted in the pool and thought it over carefully, then shouted up: "What the hell's your name again?"

He wanted to curse the man, but he didn't know what the fat bastard's name was.