Inside the third-floor office of the Su family scrapyard, Su Tianyu leaned forward in his chair, his tone calm but focused.
"Big brother, what's the situation with the injured men?"
Su Tiannan frowned deeply.
"One from the Bai family's company, one from the Kong's. Both are mid-level foremen in their zones—legs smashed, stabbed, both in critical condition. They're still not out of danger."
"Has the word spread?" Tianyu asked immediately.
"Yeah, word's out. The attack happened right beside the Sanitation Administration building, and plenty of people saw it.
I've already called Bai Hongbo and Kong Zhenghui—they're trying to calm their people down.
Tianyu nodded slowly, eyes unreadable.
Tiannan took a breath and continued,
Little brother, good thing you warned us earlier.
If we hadn't left together in that Tianbei van, we might've been the ones bleeding on the street right now.
Still, it's bad. With Li Gang and He Daming crippled, Bai Hongbo and Kong Zhenghui won't be able to contain the panic.
Tomorrow, if we try to send people to the Administration again, I doubt anyone will go.
"Then don't send them," Tianyu said softly.
"What do you mean?" Tiannan blinked, not quite following.
"Not going tomorrow solves two problems at once," Tianyu explained, voice quiet but cutting.
First, it makes Changqing think their plan worked—that we're scared now, backing down. That'll make them move again, expose themselves further.
Second, after what happened, morale was shot.
If we push the crew to protest tomorrow, they'll go half-heartedly, or worse—they'll panic, and it'll get messy.
A slow realization spread across Tiannan's face.
"You mean…"
"Call Bai Hongbo, Kong Zhenghui, and Liu Lao'er. Tell them not to organize anyone tomorrow.
Tell them to stay home, keep their families close, Tianyu said, leaning closer to his brother's ear.
If you think like Changqing does, you'll see it.
This whole issue isn't about who is going to complain to the Administration. The real threat is us—the four companies paying the bills and holding the contracts.
As long as we keep resisting, the problem never ends.
Tiannan frowned.
"Then why'd they still go after those two?"
Tianyu's lips curved faintly.
He didn't even need to answer. Tiannan caught on.
"The Administration's under pressure," he muttered. "They can't have sanitation contractors clogging up their gates every day. So the only way to ease the heat is to scare the crowd back down."
"Exactly."
Tiannan nodded grimly.
"Alright, I get it. I'll call Zhenghui now."
Tianyu sat back, sipping his tea, the faintest smile playing on his lips.
Five minutes later, Tiannan hung up, looking faintly surprised.
"Guess what Kong said?"
"What?"
Same as you—he's already decided not to send people tomorrow.
Said he's working on something else instead.
"Something else?" Tianyu arched a brow.
"He's pulling some strings in the media, told us to stay quiet till he's done."
"Well, well," Tianyu smirked faintly. Seems he's sharper than he looks.
At least one of the three companies isn't full of idiots.
Tiannan gave a slow nod, beginning to piece together what had seemed chaotic before.
He realized now—his younger brother's earlier plan, the whole 'file formal complaints through official channels' move, wasn't just about protest. It was bad. A setup for the next act.
"Big brother," Tianyu said quietly, keeping working on Wang Daolin. Invite him for tea now and then—no business talk, just keep the connection alive.
And since Kong's aligned with us for now, we hold steady.
No one works tomorrow, no one complains either. Let the officials think we've quieted down.
"Got it."
Tianyu's eyes darkened slightly.
"Be careful these next few days."
"You too—"
"Don't worry," Tianyu cut him off. "I'm staying here in the yard. I won't go home."
That night passed in uneasy silence.
The next morning, at the Dragon City Sanitation Administration Headquarters,
Deputy Director Zheng Fuan arrived punctually, sipping his goji-berry tea.
Moments after sitting down, his secretary hurried in.
"Sir, call from Zhannan Branch—they say no one's outside today. Not a single protester."
"Oh?" Zheng's brows lifted pleasantly. "Finally quiet, huh?"
"Yes, sir. Completely quiet."
"Good. Let's get back to normal operations."
"Understood."
The secretary left. Zheng, smiling faintly, picked up his private phone and dialed Li Hongze, the boss of Changqing Company.
"Old Zheng," Li's voice came through, confident and easy.
"Quick work, as always. You just saved my ass, you know that?" Zheng chuckled.
"You just got promoted—I couldn't let you start off in a firestorm, could I?" Li replied, smug and steady.
"Give it three days, tops. Everything will be settled."
"Good. Just keep it clean. No big messes," Zheng warned mildly.
"Relax. Lu Feng said everything he does from here on out is to make you look good."
"He's a good man," Zheng replied. "If this goes smoothly, let him take over those four company contracts."
"I'll think about it."
"Alright, I've got a meeting. Talk later."
"Sure thing."
Zheng hung up, and Li immediately dialed another number—Lu Feng's.
"Busy?"
"Spent the night entertaining clients and tossing donations—back's killing me," Lu Feng said lazily.
"The other side's quiet now," Li reported. "But Zheng wants this wrapped up quick."
"These government guys," Lu snorted, they say a word, and we have to move mountains.
It's only been four days since those idiots started whining at the gates, and we have already fixed it. What more does he want?
"He's just eager—it's his first week on the job."
"Whatever. The next part is in motion.
We finish it tonight.
"Keep it clean, Lu."
"Relax. Been down this road before."
"Alright then."
Li hung up, reclining back in his chair.
By day, Kong Zhenghui was running from one newsroom to another, smoothing deals and securing coverage.
Bai Hongbo and Liu Lao'er stayed busy keeping their crews from panicking.
The four companies looked increasingly fragile, like a building already full of cracks.
But in the scrapyard, Su Tianyu was still unhurried—wandering around, pretending not to care.
He even spent half an hour reading civil service exam requirements online.
By nightfall, the sky was clear and cold.
The moon hung bright above the yard.
After showering, Tianyu picked up his phone and called Tianbei.
"Where are you, second brother?"
Downstairs, Wu Shixiong stood nervously in front of Third Sister, eyes wide with excitement.
"Y-you're… not going home tonight, are you? Th-th-third…?"
"Slow down," she laughed lightly. "I left something at the factory—just came back to grab it."
Outside the scrapyard fence, three beat-up American vans rolled slowly down the dark road.
In the passenger seat of the lead van sat the man in the floral shirt—the same one who'd smashed four legs with a hammer.
The killers were back.