Zhang Cheng changed into the young man's clothes, and a strong smell of sweat mixed with cheap tobacco hit his nostrils.
This flavor is the true essence of this era.
Brother Dao, along with two others, had already set off ahead, disappearing into the night like wild dogs to find a suitable "iron coffin."
Inside the rented room, the remaining nine young people stood ramrod straight, like a row of javelins awaiting inspection.
In front of Zhang Cheng, they even shuffled their breaths carefully.
Zhang Cheng looked at their youthful yet weathered faces and suddenly smiled.
"Don't be nervous. Come to think of it, I'm about the same age as you."
The moment he opened his mouth, the invisible pressure seemed to dissipate somewhat.
A young man with frostbite scars on his face grinned, revealing a fawning smile:
"Boss, how dare we compare to you? You are a dragon in the sky, and we are mudfish on the ground, worrying about where our next meal will come from. If it weren't for Brother Dao taking us in, I would still be fighting with stray dogs for food at the train station right now."
"Ah Long is right!"
Another young man, missing two front teeth, had a particularly honest smile, but his eyes were very bright.
"Brother Dao really treats us like human beings. I ran away from home thinking that I would not starve because I have hands and feet, but what happened? I was disliked in the factory, bullied while working, and eventually became a pickpocket. On my first day, I had three ribs broken."
He paused, his voice lowering:
“From that day on, I swore that whoever gives me a full meal and treats me like a human being, my life belongs to them.”
“Boss, we know that Brother Dao’s money comes from you. But Brother Dao also said that you’re spending money not to support us for fun.”
"It's about making us fight to the death."
"We are not afraid to die!"
"That's right! It's just a worthless life. If I die, I die. I'll be a hero again in eighteen years!"
"It's just... the woman from last night, the feeling, I'm a little reluctant to let her go..."
A young man chuckled, drawing a burst of laughter, and the tense atmosphere completely dissipated.
Zhang Cheng's gaze swept over them.
The oldest was only twenty-three or twenty-four, but their hands were as rough as the bark of an old tree.
He suddenly understood how those ancient warriors were forged into assassins.
It's not about brainwashing, but about seeing a ray of light when someone is in endless despair.
That ray of light was his god.
Brother Dao is a god to this group of people.
And I am the one who created God.
Sometimes, a life really isn't worth much.
Zhang Cheng sighed inwardly and said nothing more.
Before long, Brother Dao returned, his steps hurried, his face displaying a fierce determination to get things done, and a fawning demeanor towards Zhang Cheng.
"Mr. Zhang, the car is here."
"Walk."
Zhang Cheng only said one word before walking out of the room first.
A dilapidated Volkswagen Santana, a half-decker truck, and a dozen or so people squeezed in like sardines.
The car started and drove onto the national highway.
Just then, at the entrance of the Guoyun Hotel, Zhao Shijie, surrounded by a group of businessmen, got into his car and headed straight for the steel bar factory.
He hired eight armed veterans from the factory as bodyguards.
A Volkswagen Santana led the way, followed by a truck, and they drove in a grand procession toward the provincial capital.
At the tollbooth on the national highway, Zhang Cheng handed over four yuan, and the barrier lifted.
The car continued driving for more than ten miles before slowly pulling over to the side of the road and stopping.
The night wind blew into the carriage, carrying the chill of the wilderness.
Zhang Cheng rummaged through the car and found a notebook and a pen before getting out.
Dao Ge and the others immediately followed and surrounded him, their clothes fluttering in the night wind.
"Master Zhang?" Dao Ge vaguely guessed what was going on, and his heart began to pound.
Zhang Cheng didn't look at him, but simply opened his notebook and spoke coldly.
"Name, home address, and who else lives in the family."
Dao Ge was taken aback for a moment, then answered without hesitation: "Chen Xiaodao, Chenjia Village, Luli Township, Jiaxing. I have a father, a mother, and a younger brother."
Zhang Cheng's pen flew across the paper, leaving marks on it.
"And you?" he asked, looking at the honest-looking young man who was missing a front tooth.
“My name is Cheng Agou. My parents were uneducated and said they would give me a proper name when I got married... but they never got to see it. My family lives in Ergou Village, Jinshi, and I'm the only one left.”
Zhang Cheng recorded everyone's information one by one.
He closed the notebook, raised his head, and his gaze swept over everyone like an ice blade.
"This time, people will die."
"I, Zhang Cheng, guarantee that if you die, I will support your family for the rest of your lives. If you have no family, I will give you a grand funeral and let you rest in peace."
"Big Boss!" Cheng Agou's eyes lit up instantly, like torches lit in the dark night. "If I die, could you... could you bury me in our village's ancestral graveyard?"
Zhang Cheng looked at him and nodded emphatically.
"If there's even the slightest chance, I'll make sure you go back in glory."
"Good! Good! Good!" Cheng Agou laughed, a laugh of immense joy, as if he could already see the brand-new inscription on his memorial tablet.
Zhang Cheng stuffed the notebook into his pocket, his voice extremely low, yet it struck everyone's heart like a heavy hammer.
"Wait a minute, Zhao Shijie will pass by here."
"Do you know what to do?"
Zhao Shijie!
Dao Ge's pupils suddenly contracted.
"Mr. Zhang, you mean..."
"Shut up!"
Zhang Cheng's eyes suddenly turned cold, and he said grimly, "I didn't say anything. I only told you that Zhao Shijie might pass through here. I know nothing else."
"I understand!" Brother Dao rubbed his nose hard with the back of his hand, grinned, revealing a set of yellow teeth, "Brother Zhang, what if we don't die?"
"Go to Shenzhen, then smuggle yourself to Hong Kong Island."
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