Chapter 32

The people in the courtyard were still wondering that if they were assigned to Workshop One, they’d likely end up in the same workshop as Yi Zhonghai and Qin Huaiju, maybe even becoming Yi Zhonghai’s apprentice.

So when Yi Zhonghai received the pork last night, he showed no great reaction, thinking Li Xuewu had known he’d be assigned to it and had already laid his plans ahead of time.

No one expected it to be the Public Security Division.

The Public Security Division’s authority was neither huge nor trivial; workers regarded it with a mixture of awe and fear.

The few who lived in the same sihe courtyard ate in silence.

Old Man Yi’s thoughts were stunned—he hadn’t heard the Li family had anyone in the factory.

Old Man Er was dissatisfied: he’d devoted decades to the factory and still held no official position, yet a petty thug who’d served two years in the military had become a security officer.

Liu Guangtian felt envy, jealousy, and rage: envy for the police uniform, jealousy for the man wearing it, and hatred toward Li Xuewu for the pork that had gotten him beaten.

Qin Huaiju’s expression was complex; she’d assumed this nineteen-year-old boy was just like her, starting as an apprentice, never imagining he’d landed in the easy post of Security.

loubiqu.

She couldn’t help but lament fate’s injustice as she listened to Sha Zhu boast while serving food: “See that? My brother—we ate pork and drank wine together last night, same courtyard.”

Liu Lan routinely retorted: “Then why doesn’t he ever give you a good look?”

Sha Zhu kept serving as he said: “You don’t understand what ‘depth’ means—he used to be a military cadre, an officer!”

Though Sha Zhu’s words sounded exaggerated, everyone in the courtyard had just learned that Li Xuewu had once been a military cadre.

Li Xuewu and his four subordinates finished eating around the same time, rose together, went to the sink to wash their bowls, then walked out of the canteen together under Li Xuewu’s lead, saying nothing along the way.

This damn oppressive aura!

The moment they left, the canteen erupted in loud chatter.

The young members of the Public Security Division were either ex-soldiers or skilled militiamen.

But the division chief was just waiting out his time until retirement; now with an officer leading them, all four were holding themselves to military standards, eager for the new chief to guide them to earn merit.

As soon as Li Xuewu stepped out of the canteen, he saw his appointment notice posted on the right-hand bulletin board: one-week probation period, public reports accepted, etc.

Li Xuewu glanced at it without comment, led the four back upstairs to rest, then went downstairs to retrieve old files and asked Xiao Wang in the Militia Office for their records, skimming through them all.

At this time, documents and files weren’t as full of empty fluff as in later years; they contained plenty of substance, so none were thick.

Li Xuewu carefully studied the case-handling procedures of the Public Security Division and the security team’s operational protocols.

To Li Xuewu, who had spent half his life navigating state-owned enterprises in the future, these were simple.

Just as Li Xuewu was about to pack up the files and return them, the phone on his desk rang, jolting the four men who had been napping at their desks.

Only Li Xuewu’s desk had a phone, so all eyes turned to him as he picked it up.

The moment Li Xuewu lifted the receiver, a hurried voice came through: “At lunch break today, lathe worker Hu Jinbu from Workshop Two is carrying two sacks of sawdust with parts inside—he’ll reach the gate in ten minutes.” Then the line went dead with a clang.

Every workshop and key location in the factory had a phone; this caller didn’t identify himself, just reported the case and hung up. If no one had seen or heard it firsthand, there was no way to trace who made the call.

Li Xuewu shot to his feet and called out: “Follow me—something’s up!”

He led the charge downstairs toward the gate; Han Yating and the others didn’t know what had happened, but seeing their chief sprinting down, they followed after him.

When Li Xuewu and his four reached the gate, they saw a young man riding a bicycle loaded with two sacks of sawdust, about to leave—security hadn’t stopped him.

Li Xuewu barked: “Hu Jinbu! Stop!”

Though Han Yating and the others didn’t know why their chief had called out Hu Jinbu, they all rushed over to surround him.

Seeing the Public Security Division closing in, Hu Jinbu was terrified—he turned and shoved aside the security guard he’d been arguing with, trying to jump on his bike and flee.

Li Xuewu truly meant business—he pulled his Type 54 pistol from his belt, flipped off the safety, chambered a round, and fired into the air.

“Bang!”

“Stop! Don’t move! I’ll shoot if you move again!”

Hearing the gunshot, even Han Yating and the others, who regularly trained with firearms, were stunned—what kind of crime could warrant this?

But they were elite soldiers of the Public Security Division—they reacted instantly.

He’s here!

He’s here!

He’s coming with merit!

A walking merit is right before us!

Whoever the chief shot to catch—this was our chance!

Ha! We four are lucky today!

With the old chief sipping tea and reading newspapers, they’d all felt life was bland as water, far from their original purpose for joining Public Security—especially Han Yating, who’d even considered a transfer.

You’ve finally come—thank goodness I didn’t give up...

Fired a gun on his first day—this big brother’s the real deal!

All four pulled their pistols and pointed them at Hu Jinbu: “Stop!”

Internally, they screamed: “Run! Run harder—the more you run, the bigger the merit!”

The security guard standing beside Hu Jinbu was stunned—he’d flinched at the first shot, his legs trembling; now five Type 54s were aimed at him...

Tick.

I’m just a lowly security guard—what have I done to deserve this?

Hu Jinbu, who’d been trying to mount his bicycle as he saw Li Xuewu’s group running toward him, had one short leg stuck on the frame, frozen in place; the other leg, planted on the ground, trembled violently—he’d barely reached the ground before, now he looked like a monkey hanging from a tree, swinging helplessly.

Li Xuewu led, Han Yating and Xu Ning stood on either side with pistols drawn, Liu Fusheng and Wei Tong holstered their weapons and lunged toward Hu Jinbu.

They truly treated Hu Jinbu like a spy—Wei Tong, though he looked simple and honest, moved swiftly and ruthlessly, tackling Hu Jinbu first and smashing a punch straight into his liver; Hu Jinbu curled up like a shrimp.

Liu Fusheng arrived and yanked the handcuffs from his waist, cuffed Hu Jinbu’s hands behind his back.

Too excited, they tightened the cuffs too hard; Hu Jinbu beneath them screamed like a slaughtered pig.

Seeing him captured, Li Xuewu and the other two lowered their weapons.

Li Xuewu stepped forward, helped Wei Tong up; Liu Fusheng yanked Hu Jinbu to his feet.

Li Xuewu noticed Wei Tong’s hand had been scraped by the bicycle handlebar—he called out: “Go to the infirmary and get that bleeding stopped.”

Wei Tong shook his hand, saw the blood still flowing, then ran toward the infirmary.

After seeing Wei Tong off, Li Xuewu grabbed Hu Jinbu’s chin with his fingers, holding him up.

“I called your name—why did you run?”

Hu Jinbu trembled, forcing bravado: “Who ran? I didn’t hear you—I was in a hurry to get home.”

Li Xuewu had no patience for his lies—he pointed at the bicycle: “Is this your bike?”