The sudden appearance of a group of people indeed startled Baldy and his gang, who became instantly wary.
"What do you want? Are you looking for a fight?"
"Are you picking on us because you have more people?"
Baldy was extremely nervous. He had only seven men with him, while the other side had fourteen to fifteen, more than double their number. Only a fool would dare to confront them head-on.
They might fight often, but that didn't mean they were foolish. Those who had experience in the underworld could assess a situation far better than ordinary people.
What surprised Baldy, however, was that no one answered his questions. Instead, the people surrounding them grew increasingly menacing, their eyes filled with ferocity.
The situation thoroughly terrified Baldy and his crew, leaving them tense. The seven men backed into each other, forming a defensive formation.
"You're called Baldy, aren't you?"
Finally, amidst the oppressive atmosphere, someone spoke.
"Yes, I am!"
"And who might you be?"
Baldy stared at the man speaking. He had seen him before, always by Qin Chuan's side, but he didn't know his name.
"My name is Yao Dong!"
The man said, bending down to pick up the slip of paper from Bai Xiaoguang, who was lying on the ground. He glanced at the number on it. "Is this all the money our construction site owes you?"
Baldy couldn't decipher the man's intentions, so he could only nod. "Yes!"
He quickly explained, "This eighty thousand yuan is the price after the sand costs increased."
Yao Dong suddenly curved his lips into a dismissive, cold smile.
"I thought the famously renowned 'King Han' would have a bigger appetite. So it's only eighty thousand yuan!"
"Someone, get eighty thousand yuan for this brother!"
As Yao Dong's voice fell, someone quickly brought out a black plastic bag from the corrugated iron room and handed it to Yao Dong.
When it was opened, stacks of thick banknotes were revealed, all bearing the portrait of Chairman Mao.
In 1998, the fourth series of Renminbi was in circulation, and the fifth series had not yet been issued. The fifth series would only begin to be released in September 1999.
In an era where the average monthly income was only two to three hundred yuan, eighty thousand yuan was a significant sum, enough to accomplish many things.
Therefore, seeing the thick stacks of yuan, many people couldn't help but breathe rapidly, their faces displaying undisguised greed.
Even Baldy himself couldn't tear his eyes away.
"If we give you this eighty thousand yuan, are we completely settled then?"
Just as many were captivated by the money, Yao Dong's voice rang out again, finally jolting Baldy and his greedy crew back to their senses.
Upon hearing this, Baldy nodded almost without hesitation. "Yes! Settled!"
Yao Dong tapped the stacks of cash in his hand, making as if to hand them over.
Baldy eagerly reached out to take them. Unexpectedly, Yao Dong suddenly withdrew them mid-reach. "No, how do we know you can represent your boss? How about this, call your boss now, and we'll confirm it on the spot! That way, there won't be any trouble later!"
Baldy felt impatient and couldn't help but retort, "When I came, it was under my boss's orders... Alright, alright, I'll call!"
He spoke only halfway through before noticing Yao Dong's glare and the surrounding people closing in. Baldy quickly took out his phone and dialed Han Shifei.
"Boss..."
Baldy efficiently explained the situation briefly and then handed the phone to Yao Dong. "My boss wants you to talk to him!"
"Hello, Boss Han?"
Yao Dong took the phone. "Yes! My boss sent me to confirm with you directly. Will we be completely settled from then on, with neither of us owing the other anything?"
"Okay! Understood, I will definitely relay this to our boss!"
"Oh, right. My boss also asked me to remind you to have your people write a confirmation letter, just to be absolutely sure... Okay, okay, thank you, Boss Han!"
After ending the call, Yao Dong waved his hand. Someone behind him immediately produced paper and a pen. The content was already written, essentially stating that after receiving this eighty thousand yuan, both parties would be completely settled and have no further dealings.
"Here, take a look at this. If there's no problem, sign it and give your thumbprint!"
"Then I'll give you the eighty thousand yuan!"
Baldy read it carefully several times. Finding no issues, he promptly signed and pressed his thumbprint.
Yao Dong, true to his word, handed over the eighty thousand yuan.
Seeing the thick, substantial eighty thousand yuan in his hand, Baldy was overjoyed. With this money, his boss would at least give him a commission of a few thousand yuan, allowing him to live it up for a while longer.
However, Baldy soon realized something was amiss because he noticed that the people surrounding them had not moved aside. On the contrary, their circle was tightening.
"Brother, shouldn't you be clearing the way now?"
After receiving the eighty thousand yuan, Baldy's expression became much more pleasant, and his tone was polite.
"Didn't we just say we were settled?"
Yao Dong grinned. "Yes, we are settled, and you've even signed and given your thumbprint!"
"But..."
Suddenly, Yao Dong's tone shifted, and the smile on his face vanished, replaced by a chilling coldness.
"You injured so many of our people just now. Don't you owe us an explanation?"
Yao Dong pointed coldly at Bai Xiaoguang and the others still lying on the ground.
At these words, Baldy's group froze. Had they injured anyone?
While they were still bewildered, cries of pain began to erupt. The scene changed dramatically as Bai Xiaoguang, Er Gou, San Mao, and others on the ground writhed in agony.
Some clutched their heads and rolled on the ground.
Others clutched their stomachs and cried in pain!
Some held their waists and knees!
And some clutched their buttocks... These sights utterly terrified Baldy and his crew.
This acting was too exaggerated! They hadn't even exerted much force just now, so how could these people be so severely injured?
And why hadn't these people cried out when they were talking with Yao Dong?
"Buddy, you've seriously injured our men. Don't you owe us an explanation?"
Yao Dong said sinisterly, with none of his earlier politeness.
Baldy's group wasn't stupid. After a moment of stunned silence, they finally regained their composure and gritted their teeth. "This is extortion!! You did this on purpose!!"
"What dog-sh*t nonsense are you talking about!!"
Yao Dong exploded in anger. From his dark, sturdy physique, a fierce aura erupted.
"We clearly saw you push our men to the ground from inside the corrugated iron room just now. Do you dare to deny it?"
As Yao Dong's roar subsided, the burly men around them bared fierce expressions and slowly advanced, making it clear that if they didn't get an explanation today, no one would be leaving.
Baldy, seasoned by his life on the streets, remained relatively calm. He realized this was a trap deliberately set by Qin Chuan's side, precisely to counter their outrageous demand for eighty thousand yuan.
"Brother, let's stop this charade. Give us a price. How can we settle this?"
Baldy finally spoke.
Yao Dong's expression softened, and the others also calmed down.
"Simple, one hundred thousand yuan!"
"As long as you pay one hundred thousand yuan in medical expenses, this matter will be considered resolved!"
Yao Dong casually raised a finger.
"How much did you say?!"
On Baldy's side, there were sudden shouts of disbelief. Everyone suspected they had misheard, and Baldy himself shook his head, wondering if he was hallucinating.
They were daring to ask for one hundred thousand yuan, which meant they would have to shell out an additional twenty thousand yuan today!