Zhang Zhihe chuckled at Xu Kuo's words, but quickly frowned and rubbed his hands together.
"But...but brother, this is your hard work, you put your money into it. What if...what if I really mess it up and lose all your money? How could I face you like that? I would really feel uneasy!"
Xu Kuo looked at Zhang Zhihe, and his honesty made him feel that the position was only for Zhang Zhihe.
He leaned close to Zhang Zhihe's ear and whispered something.
"Brother Zhang, don't be afraid of losing money. If you can't manage it, or if there are any technical problems, I'll take care of you! Here's the deal: as long as you agree to help me get this stall up and running it well, I'll teach you some real skills!"
"Real skills?" Zhang Zhihe was taken aback.
“Yes!” Xu Kuo continued.
"This skill will guarantee you command respect on stage, leaving the audience speechless and amazed! For example... magic tricks! Conjuring doves out of thin air! Taking objects from a distance! Even making people appear out of thin air!"
"Just imagine, if you learned all this, how impressive would you be standing on that stage? Would you still worry about not being able to get the team going? Would you still worry about no one coming to watch?"
"A magic trick?!" Zhang Zhihe's eyes lit up instantly upon hearing this!
In this day and age, entertainment was scarce, and itinerant magicians were a rare sight. If one could actually learn such miraculous skills... well... it was simply unimaginable!
Moreover, he is a magician, so these things are very attractive to him.
"Turning into pigeons? Telekinesis? Making people appear out of thin air?! My goodness! This...this is divine magic, isn't it?! Brother Xu Kuo...if I could learn this..."
Zhang Zhihe became more and more excited as he spoke, as if he could already see the cheers from the audience after he finished his magic tricks.
That was the kind of cheer he had never experienced in his life.
"Dry!"
Without further hesitation, Zhang Zhihe slapped his thigh, his voice trembling with excitement.
"Brother! Just for your trust! Just for this amazing skill! I'll do it! Don't worry! I, Zhang Zhihe, will definitely help you make this team a resounding success!"
"Okay!" Xu Kuo grasped Zhang Zhihe's hands.
"That's more like it! Brother Zhang is truly straightforward! Without further ado, let's go find Captain Wang now! We need to get the stage set up and everything else done quickly!"
“Okay!” Zhang Zhihe replied, and followed Xu Kuo outside.
...
Meanwhile, in the temporary detention room of the county public security team.
The cold iron bars slammed shut with a clang.
Wang Ming and Wang Chengxiang were locked in a small cubicle, where the air was thick with the smell of rust and mildew.
Sheng Xu stood outside the iron bars, his face cold and stern as he looked at Wang Ming and his son.
"Wang Ming, Wang Chengxiang! You two, father and son, have been terrorizing the village and oppressing the people. Now the evidence is irrefutable! Reflect on your actions here! Soon the people and the law will put you to trial!"
After saying that, he turned around and prepared to leave.
"Dad! Dad! What should we do?" Wang Chengxiang panicked completely. He clung tightly to the railing, which creaked loudly.
"Is...I really going to jail? Dad! I don't want to go to jail! Please think of something, Dad!"
Wang Ming's face was gloomy. He glared at his good-for-nothing son and snorted coldly, "What are you panicking for! Look at your pathetic self!"
Then, he took a deep breath, tried to remain calm, and called out to Sheng Xu who was leaving, "Captain Sheng, wait a moment."
Sheng Xu paused, turned around, frowned slightly, and stared at Wang Ming.
"What? Now you know you regret it? Do you want to confess more and try to get leniency?"
Wang Ming forced an extremely ugly smile, which carried a sinister undertone.
"Confess? Heh... Captain Sheng, let me give you a piece of advice: release my son and me now, and pretend nothing ever happened. It'll be better for both of us."
"Otherwise... there are some people you probably can't afford to mess with! Don't blame me if you lose your police uniform later!"
"presumptuous!"
Upon hearing this, Sheng Xu was so angry that he laughed instead, his eyes filled with disdain.
"Wang Ming! I think you've really gone mad! You dare threaten public officials when you're about to die?! The evidence is conclusive, you've been caught red-handed! You still want to leave?"
"That's utterly delusional! Let me tell you, no one can save you this time!"
Sheng Xu scoffed inwardly. In his opinion, Wang Ming was just putting on a show. His connections were nothing to worry about. As for Wang Ming saying he couldn't afford to offend him, that was just wishful thinking.
Just then, a series of steady yet hurried footsteps came from outside the detention room.
"Thump! Thump! Thump!"
Several neatly dressed, stern-faced, and imposing middle-aged men walked in. The one in the lead had a cold look in his eyes as he scanned the room.
Sheng Xu frowned even more deeply, immediately stepped forward, and demanded an explanation in a stern voice.
"Halt! Who are you? This is a police detention center, not a place where just anyone can barge in! Get out immediately!"
The leader completely ignored Sheng Xu's questioning, his gaze falling directly on Wang Ming behind the iron bars, before turning to Sheng Xu, his words carrying an unquestionable tone.
"You must be Captain Sheng Xu? We're here to take Wang Ming and Wang Chengxiang away from us."
"Taking someone away?" Sheng Xu was taken aback, then became even more vigilant, his eyes constantly scanning the group of people.
Who are these people? Why are they so arrogant?
Why did they come here and immediately want to take Wang Ming and his son away?
His heart skipped a beat, but duty called, and he wouldn't budge an inch. He was about to reprimand them and demand that they produce the necessary paperwork.
Just then, a junior police officer rushed in from outside, his face filled with panic and surprise. He leaned close to Sheng Xu's ear and quickly explained in a low voice.
"Captain Sheng... Captain Sheng! Don't... don't be impulsive! They... they're sent from above! This is the letter of introduction and the personnel appointment document! We just confirmed it outside!"
"What?! Up there?!" Sheng Xu exclaimed in surprise, staring at the people in front of him in disbelief.
The higher-ups are directly promoting people? What... what exactly is going on?
Wang Ming's network of connections is incredibly deep!
How is that possible?
Seeing Sheng Xu's shocked expression, the leader spoke again, his expression still calm: "Captain Sheng, we have already presented the paperwork. Can we release him now?"
Sheng Xu took a deep breath, suppressing the turmoil in his heart. Although he was unwilling, he, as the county-level public security captain, had no right to obstruct the documents from above.
But when he thought of the evil deeds of Wang Ming and his son, and the plight of Zhang Zhihe's family, he couldn't help but step forward and argue in a deep voice.
"Comrade! Wang Ming and his son have been running rampant in this county, oppressing the local people and arousing great public resentment! They have committed extortion, mob violence, and other heinous crimes, and the evidence is conclusive! How can such people be taken away so easily? Our county bureau is preparing to open a case for investigation, and we absolutely cannot let them go like this!"
The leader glanced at Sheng Xu, his eyes seeming to hold a strange look.
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