That evening, since everyone had made some gains and enjoyed eating and drinking, Xu Damao had gained a few more drinking buddies after several rounds.

After a satisfying meal, the group prepared to go home.

"Da Mao, wait for me, let's go together." Tong Shuai called out to Xu Da Mao, who was about to leave.

Xu Damao stopped and waited, wondering what Tong Shuai was up to. They were on opposite sides of the road, one to the east and one to the north.

"Da Mao, come with me." The two rode their bikes towards an alley.

They walked into a dilapidated alley, with no houses around, and Tong Shuai stopped the car.

"Da Mao, your brother has gotten you something great, you'll definitely love it," Tong Shuai said with a smile.

"What good stuff? A pistol!" Xu Damao was curious when he saw the other party pull out a pistol from his waist, a dark, menacing sight.

If he hadn't known the other person's character and hadn't lacked the absolute benefits the other person needed, Xu Damao would probably have been terrified. Who brings someone to an alley in the middle of the night and pulls out a pistol?

However, Xu Damao's eyes lit up with joy as he looked at the pistol handed to him. He recognized it; it was called Browning, and he had used it during target practice the day before.

This gun was invented and manufactured in the United States in the 19th century. It has great firepower and was very popular among senior officers in our army during the war. I never thought that I would have one in front of me now.

"Brother Tong, what do you mean?" Xu Damao asked after playing with it for a while.

"I knew you liked this thing when I saw you shooting at the target yesterday. This is mine; an old commander gave it to me. I'm giving it to you today so you can keep it for self-defense."

Especially since you often cycle home from Tongzhou, it can be dangerous after dark. This thing makes you much safer. Also, go back and get a gun license from your family's security office. I think it'll be easy for you. If it's inconvenient, just ask me, and I'll get it for you," Tong Shuai said.

Tong Shuai said it was a gift from his old superior, but Xu Damao didn't quite believe it. If it were truly his old superior, he would never give it away so easily, unless that old superior was currently in trouble. However, that didn't diminish the fact that it was a good gun, a style Xu Damao really liked, and he was indeed planning to get one.

In this day and age, there are actually quite a few privately owned firearms in China. Many public officials carry guns when they go out, and quite a few people use them for bad deeds. Xu Damao had been traveling back and forth to Tongzhou for a long time, and he had been thinking about getting one for himself and storing it in his spatial storage, ready to use it at any critical moment.

As for gun licenses, given Xu Damao's relationship with the security department, that would be a piece of cake.

"Hehe, Brother Tong really understands me and cares about me. I really like this, so I won't stand on ceremony with Brother Tong."

Xu Damao had previously helped Tong Shuai's friend get a job at the factory, but the friend hadn't paid him. Xu Damao didn't think much of it, assuming Tong Shuai might not be familiar with the industry's rules, but he never expected the friend to repay the favor here.

"Brother Tong, will this guy cause any problems if I give him to you? I mean, will it be a problem if you lose one?" Xu Damao asked, still worried.

"It's okay, this is a private matter, it's not registered, and nobody knows about it except me. So, if you find out later, I won't admit it either," Tong Shuai said straightforwardly.

That makes sense. No wonder it's in such an empty alley. There's no evidence for this kind of thing. They just keep denying it.

"Alright, here's some more bullets. The gun is for your self-defense, and I trust you won't do anything bad. But if you do use it for something bad, I'll deal with you immediately."

Tong Shuai patted Xu Damao on the shoulder and walked away with a flourish.

After testing the weight and feel, Xu Damao liked it even more. He stuffed the device into his pocket—actually, he stored it away—and rode off on his bike. Driving into such a secluded alley late at night could easily cause unnecessary misunderstandings.

The remaining pork hung on the front of the cart, and the wheels spun rapidly. Thankfully, it was completely dark, otherwise countless people would have been drooling. Instead of taking the meat home, Xu Damao divided it into two portions, giving one to his father-in-law and one to his wife's family.

As for himself and Wang Minzhi, they were ready to freeload meals at any time, which would save them from having to go through various checkpoints in the compound.

It was very late when Xu Damao got home.

-------------------------------------

"Da Mao, you're back." Wang Minzhi greeted Xu Da Mao while fetching him a towel, showing her increasingly virtuous nature.

Seeing his wife dressed rather lightly at home, Xu Damao, emboldened by alcohol, took matters into his own hands, transforming the water droplets into various shapes—sometimes peaches, sometimes pancakes, sometimes cones.

"A big thing happened in the compound today, Liu Guangqi ran away." Afterwards, Wang Minzhi continued to play with Xiao Xu, and then said with a gossipy look on her face.

"Oh." Xu Damao's reaction was a little slow.

"Hey, what's with this attitude? Did you already know?" Wang Minzhi didn't get the attitude she wanted, so she used a bit too much force in her hand, almost twisting Xiao Xu into a pretzel.

"Easy, easy. I'm still savoring the pose from just now, I haven't reacted yet. You said Liu Guangqi ran away, where did he run off to?" For Xiao Xu's safety, Xu Damao began to cooperate with the performance.

Then, while playing with Xiao Xu, Wang Minzhi told him what had happened.

As the plot unfolded, Liu Guangqi followed his girlfriend to a distant place.

Previously, Liu Guangqi had dated someone who wasn't particularly attractive, but came from a wealthy family. Having spent a long time with Liu Haizhong, Liu Guangqi had developed a strong bureaucratic mindset and was determined to rise above his station and become a high-ranking official.

Seeing that Xu Damao had become a minor leader in the compound, and even Jia Dongxu and Shazhu, whom he had always looked down upon, had become team leaders, while he was still just an ordinary worker, he felt uneasy and began to think of crooked ideas.

So, the father-in-law's workplace is going to another city to support construction, and he'll get a promotion. Originally, the other side hadn't mentioned bringing their daughter and future son-in-law, but Liu Guangqi is quick-witted.

Originally, I could benefit from my future father-in-law's connections here; now that he's going to another place for a promotion, I can't get any help from him, how can that be?

“If you can’t find yourself in the light, you can follow it,” Liu Guangqi said, and discussed going with the other party. The other party didn’t expect such a good thing and immediately agreed, promising to treat his son-in-law like his own son and guaranteeing that he would become a minor leader there.

And so, Liu Guangqi secretly got married to the girl without telling his family. He even took the money he had saved while his family was away and left a farewell letter.

Perhaps due to years of suppressed emotions, Liu Guangqi suddenly erupted in his letter, criticizing Liu Haizhong's actions over the years as utterly worthless and stating that Comrade Liu had hindered his growth. He said he was going to find his own light.

Liu Haizhong never expected that the first person to betray him would be his most beloved eldest son, and he was so angry that he fainted. Fortunately, it was the weekend, and everyone in the compound was there, so several young men took him to the hospital.