Things unfolded exactly as Chen Lishu had predicted.
Li Na clenched her fists tightly. All her friends knew she had found a decent job. To be fired after only a few days of work – wouldn't that be embarrassing?
Only she and Chen Lishu knew whether the honey had been applied. She wouldn't give herself away! If that was the case, even if she lied, Qin Lan wouldn't be able to find anything. If the plan failed, it would be due to Qin Lan's subsequent arrangements.
Thinking of this, Li Na lifted her head with a clear conscience, a slight smile playing on her lips. "Of course, I've handled this trivial matter for you."
"Excellent!" Qin Lan sat up straight and turned to his assistant, commanding, "Go arrange for some people to place the treasures we've prepared into Chen Lishu's factory!"
Afterward, Qin Lan resumed his leisurely demeanor, confident that he could cause trouble for Chen Lishu and avenge Qin Yue.
----
As night fell, several shadowy figures loitered near the factory. They moved stealthily, believing they were well-hidden, unaware that their actions were being intently observed by a pair of eyes in the darkness.
"Boss, I feel like someone's watching us. Let's hurry and release the rats, then leave quickly. If we get caught, we'll be eating prison food."
The man addressed as Boss spat on the ground, saying irritably, "Pah! Who else would be in this desolate place at this hour besides us three brothers? Go ahead with confidence, no need to worry about being discovered!"
The two subordinates behind him nodded, then took out a snakeskin bag. They grabbed the rats inside with their bare hands and stuffed them into the cracks leading into the factory.
As the rats entered the factory, they emitted sharp, piercing squeaks. The two men standing outside found the sounds unsettling.
One subordinate scratched his head and asked, "Why do I feel like these rats are screaming? Could there be something inside specifically designed to deal with rats?"
The Boss quickly denied it. "What nonsense are you spouting? We do these things without a trace. I heard the owner of this factory is new, how could they be so clever as to prepare so many rat traps in the factory beforehand? We released over a hundred rats, not just one or two!"
Just as the two were arguing, a teasing voice rang out, "Is there a possibility that your plan has already failed, and we've been prepared all along?"
Upon hearing this, the three guilty individuals froze for a moment. Then, like startled birds, they huddled together, looking around vigilantly and demanding, "Who is it? Who's playing tricks here?"
As the words fell, the dark factory was instantly illuminated. Han Liang emerged from the main entrance, facing the three petty thieves.
A subordinate swallowed hard, his expression fearful. "Oh no, Boss, we've been discovered!" The Great Wind Novel Network.
The Boss roared at him, frustrated by his incompetence, "Idiot, since you know we've been discovered, why are you still standing here? Hurry up and run!"
With that, the two stunned subordinates finally reacted. The three scattered, attempting to escape in different directions. However, before they could get far, a group of people emerged from nowhere, surrounding them.
The three thugs panicked. One subordinate collapsed to his knees, tears and snot streaming down his face, wailing, "We didn't do anything, sirs. Please, be magnanimous and let us go! I have hungry children waiting for me at home!"
Another subordinate also knelt, adding, "We were forced into this. Everyone is doing it for money, who would risk this otherwise? Considering we're all laborers, sirs, pretend you never saw us three brothers tonight. We'll wash our hands of this profession and never commit such a crime again!"
The two spoke with such pitiful sincerity that the onlookers, who were also laborers, felt a pang of sympathy. Unfortunately, Han Liang was no ordinary person, easily swayed.
He unceremoniously exposed them, "You all have elders and young children at home? Everyone here is working for money. If the factory goes under, what are we supposed to eat?"
His words were like a thunderclap to those following him. Right, showing mercy to the enemy was cruelty to oneself! If these three thugs succeeded today, wouldn't they all be unemployed and left idle at home?
These three were the embodiment of depravity. If they were let go today, who knew if they wouldn't harm others again for their own gain? People in this era were relatively simple-minded and would stand up for justice.
Someone said, "Send these three to the police station! These three must have been instructed by someone to target our factory. We need to find the mastermind and ensure they never have another opportunity like this."
Another chimed in, "Exactly, Han Liang must not be softhearted towards these three. If this factory closes down, where else will we find a place to work with good bosses and high benefits?"
With that, the workers brought by Han Liang swarmed forward, surrounding the three thugs.
The other two thugs were so scared they wet their pants, but the boss remained relatively calm. He spoke flippantly, with a dismissive look, "On what grounds? On what grounds do you claim the three of us are detrimental to your factory? You're all lurking here in the middle of the night; I could say you're a shady factory with ill intentions towards passersby.
So what if we go to the police station? Fine, let's all go. I want to see if the police will favor your group or us three. At worst, it'll be a mutually destructive outcome. We're just thugs with no one dependent on us at home. On the other hand, you honest folk, if your families find out you're in jail..."
Hearing this, the workers faltered. They looked at Han Liang in confusion. They hadn't been told the situation would be this serious, and many began to have second thoughts about continuing.
Seeing that he had the upper hand, the three thugs straightened up again. The boss stretched lazily, sneering, "So, do you still want to go to the police station? If not, then the three of us brothers are going back to sleep!"
Saying this, the three brushed past the workers, their faces filled with smugness.
However, their smugness didn't last long. The silent Han Liang spoke, "Why do you think we're in this place late at night? It's because we knew about your plan in advance.
Do you really think we don't know how to preserve evidence to deal with you? To be honest, our factory has surveillance cameras, both inside and out. If we take these videos to the police station..."