Seeing Zuo Xiaolong arrive with thirty or forty security guards, packing the hallway so tightly that no one could get through, Gou Zhongcheng scrambled up from the floor.
He let out a series of pained groans, yet his arrogance remained.
"Zuo Xiaolong, what are you gawking at? Do you still want your job as head of the Security Department? Can't you see I've been beaten black and blue? Get a move on and beat the shit out of Qin Shou for me!"
Gou Zhongcheng had been a street punk since dropping out of middle school. Although he now held an official post and had joined the "regular army," so to speak, he was still a thug to the bone.
In truth, it wasn't just Gou Zhongcheng; the whole of Changle County was like this.
The more impoverished a place, the more backward it becomes.
And the more backward it is, the more ignorant the people, the less they rely on reason.
No, that's not right. They had their own way of reasoning here.
It just wasn't done with words, but with fists.
Having been in Changle County for so many years, Qin Shou knew full well that here, might was right.
But before, he had been the secretary to the County Party Secretary, a public servant who was careful to protect his reputation. As such, he had never once raised a hand to anyone.
Now, he had been demoted and, damn it, was being forced to take the fall for someone else.
On top of that, he had accidentally slept with the new County Party Secretary.
Any hope for his future was well and truly gone.
He had nothing left to lose, so what the hell was there to be afraid of?
Even if he had to go to jail, he was going to deal with these bastards first.
In reality, Qin Shou wasn't worried about going to jail at all, because he had never been corrupt or accepted a single bribe.
While Qin Shou had no connections in the political arena, he had connections from his time in the military—connections that went all the way to the top.
He was just unwilling to use them.
If they actually tried to throw him in jail, Qin Shou would, of course, make that call.
And since these bastards in Changle County were forcing his hand, Qin Shou certainly didn't mind giving them a good thrashing first.
After leaving the army, Qin Shou had never gotten into a physical fight.
As a martial artist, he believed in self-cultivation and not resorting to violence casually.
Not teaching them a lesson was simply not an option.
Qin Shou glanced at the thirty or forty guards who had surrounded him but had yet to make a move. He decided to give them one last chance.
So, Qin Shou warned them, "Anyone who wants a piece of me, form a line. Anyone who doesn't, get the hell out of my way!
And by the way, even though you're all contract workers without official posts, attacking a Station Chief is grounds for immediate dismissal.
So, do you want to attack me, or do you want to keep wearing that uniform? Think it over carefully. Don't make a mistake you'll regret for a lifetime."
Most of these guards weren't fools. They knew Qin Shou was the Station Chief.
They all knew he'd been demoted from his post as chief secretary to the County Party Secretary and sent here to the Jigong River Hydroelectric Station. But no matter how far he had fallen, he was still the Station Chief.
And a Station Chief, big or small, was still an official. If they offended him, getting rid of a bunch of lowly contract guards would be easier than crushing an ant.
Seeing that the guards were only surrounding Qin Shou and not a single one was making a move, Gou Zhongcheng grew anxious.
He roared at Zuo Xiaolong, "What's wrong with these guards? What kind of Head of Security are you? Tell them to make a move!"
Qin Shou turned his head to Zuo Xiaolong. "Take a look at Gou Zhongcheng's face," he reminded him. "I did that. So, you need to think very carefully about whether you really want to make a move on me.
If you do, I wouldn't mind beating you to a pulp as well. Right now, your best option is to take these men and get back to your posts."
Zuo Xiaolong took a moment to collect himself. He was just the head of the Security Department; there was no need for him to get involved in a fight between titans.
So, after weighing the pros and cons, he waved his arm and ordered the guards, "Everyone, back to your posts! No one is to leave their station without permission!"
Zuo Xiaolong's order was a resounding slap in Gou Zhongcheng's face.
He might only be the deputy chief of the Jigong River Hydroelectric Station, but here, he was the local tyrant.
He called all the shots here!
But Qin Shou had only just arrived, and already Zuo Xiaolong was listening to him instead.
Seething with rage, Gou Zhongcheng grabbed Zuo Xiaolong by the collar. "What is the meaning of this?"
Before Zuo Xiaolong could answer, Qin Shou commanded in a cold voice, "Let him go."
"Who the hell do you think you are? You tell me to let him go, and I'm supposed to just do it?"
To defend his authority, not only did Gou Zhongcheng refuse to let go, he even swung his hand to slap Zuo Xiaolong across the face.
Just as Gou Zhongcheng's palm was about to connect with Zuo Xiaolong's face, Qin Shou shot out a hand and caught his wrist.
Then, with a sharp twist—
"Aaargh!"
His right arm was, naturally, dislocated.
The pain from his right arm caused his left hand, which was still gripping Zuo Xiaolong's collar, to lose all its strength, and he let go.
Zuo Xiaolong was free.
Qin Shou said to him, "Get out of here! This is a personal grudge between me and Gou Zhongcheng. It has nothing to do with you. If he dares to give you any trouble over this, I'll beat him every single time."
"Thank you, Station Chief Qin!"
With a grateful look, Zuo Xiaolong quickly left.
Now that he was the Station Chief at the Jigong River Hydroelectric Station, Qin Shou couldn't afford to be a commander without an army.
He had to do his best to win over anyone he could.
Qin Shou knew Zuo Xiaolong's story.
Zuo Xiaolong was a veteran who had served fifteen years in the army.
According to policy, a veteran with his record should have been given a better position, at least at the deputy section chief level.
But Zuo Xiaolong had no connections. He was the son of a farmer.
So, he was fobbed off with a post at the Jigong River Hydroelectric Station. The title was Head of the Security Department, but the rank was merely that of a section member.
With Zuo Xiaolong and the guards gone, only three people remained.
Qin Shou turned to Sun Chao and asked again, "The nameplate for the office. Are you going to change it or not? If you don't, I'll have you removed from your post as head of the logistics department."
"What right do you have to fire me?"
Sun Chao was no Zuo Xiaolong. He was Gou Zhongcheng's dog—his most loyal dog. He would never betray his master over a simple threat from Qin Shou.
"Firing you requires some paperwork, so I can't do it today. But I can give you a beating first. If you don't change that nameplate, I'm going to start."
Qin Shou clenched his fists, cracking his knuckles.
Sun Chao had just witnessed Qin Shou in action. He knew that if Qin Shou laid a hand on him, he'd be beaten black and blue.
Besides, even before Qin Shou had arrived, Sun Chao had heard the rumors. Qin Shou had beaten Yang Song black and blue right in the County Committee office.
Yang Song had gone crying to Secretary Yang, but not only did he get no sympathy, he was demoted and was also being sent to the Jigong River Hydroelectric Station.
A wise man knows not to fight a losing battle.
Sun Chao may have been Gou Zhongcheng's dog, but he wasn't a stupid one.
And so, he made a decision.