Chapter 572 — Kill One to Warn a Hundred (Part 1)
The Blossom Guardian · Page 1 of 2
Later the city carried out a unified overhaul of its garbage collection system, setting up several temporary refuse collection points in the shantytown, and only then was this dump finally done away with. Otherwise, the stench in summer would have been unbearable.
Once cleared, the place had become a spot where the shantytown's old folks gathered each day to play chess and exercise, and an open ground where the children played. Today, though, it had become the venue for negotiations with the developer.
Between the two big trees behind the open ground, a banner had already been strung up: Welcome to Qibing Real Estate's Redevelopment of the Shantytown!
Zhao Qibing sat in the back of the Audi Q7, with Zhong Fabai serving as temporary driver. In the passenger seat sat Jin Gubang, and beside Zhao Qibing was a middle-aged man—a middle-aged man whose identity was impossible to read. Early that morning, he had abruptly appeared at Zhao Qibing's side.
Zhao Qibing offered no introduction, and the middle-aged man said little. But Zhong Fabai and Jin Gubang surmised that this must be one of the close guards Zhao Qibing had brought along, simply not in place until a few days ago.
Behind the Audi Q7 followed a black van, carrying Zhong Fabai's underlings—the muscle for the negotiations, whose purpose was to straighten out any residents who refused to comply.
The cars stopped near the open ground. Zhao Qibing spotted the banner at once, and his heart swelled with satisfaction. It seemed these residents had been longing for redevelopment for a long time; that being so, the initiative was in his hands, and when the time came he could squeeze the price down further.
"Young Master Bing, these people look like they're all welcoming you!" Zhong Fabai said fawningly, while inwardly calculating his own plan to divert the trouble elsewhere.
"Hmph. Wait till you quote the price in a bit—then we'll see whether they're still welcoming." Young Master Bing was no fool; he knew full well these people had no idea what compensation he was offering. Once the price came out, they likely wouldn't be so welcoming.
"So what if they're not welcoming? They still have to be demolished, don't they? This is the first project of your grand entry into Songshan City, Young Master Bing—you can't let a bunch of obstinate peasants wreck it!" said Zhong Fabai.
"Of course it won't be stopped on their account. But if these obstinate peasants refuse to let us demolish, that's a nuisance." Zhao Qibing looked over the crowd in the square and frowned. "These people have plainly coordinated in advance. When it comes to haggling over the price, it probably won't go smoothly."
"Well, that depends on your resolve, Young Master Bing!" Zhong Fabai said with a smile. "Since Brother Cihua brought me in, I understand a thing or two. I do have my methods—but you have to tell me how far I can go. How big a mess can you cover for?"
"As long as nobody's killed, these people are no problem," Young Master Bing said flatly. In his eyes, the residents of this shantytown were a weak underclass, no more than ants. He did not believe they could stir up any real storm.
"With your word, Young Master Bing, this will be easy!" Zhong Fabai patted his chest. "Just you watch, Young Master Bing! Dealing with obstinate peasants is my specialty. If it comes to it, we roll in the bulldozers and to hell with the consequences—that'll scare the life out of them!"
"En. As long as no lives are lost, anything goes!" Young Master Bing nodded. "But in a bit, I'd best have you make an example of someone—kill one to warn a hundred. If it causes too big a stir, I'm afraid I won't be able to keep the lid on it. Still, injuring or crippling one or two—that's just collateral damage, isn't it?"
"Understood!" Zhong Fabai nodded. "Young Master Bing, in a bit we'll see if there's a troublemaker, and once we put that troublemaker down, the rest will be easy."