Chapter 304: The Jin Ning Tragedy

"Boss Zhou, I beg you, please help me. I know you are the most capable person. I only ask for your help! I beg you... please..."

Zhou Ming stood there, stunned, watching the man kneeling before him, crying and begging for his help, furiously kowtowing until he passed out. Zhou Ming had no idea what had just happened. Around him, Su Han and Du Peng were equally stunned, staring at Zhou Ming with bewildered expressions.

It wasn't their fault for being so confused, as the situation had erupted so suddenly, leaving them with no time to prepare.

At that moment, Zhou Ming was standing beside a construction site. Along with him were Su Han, Du Peng, and several factory cadres from Factory 760, as well as a group of people from the Provincial Construction Department and the City Construction Bureau. Their presence was undoubtedly to create trouble for Zhou Ming.

This construction site was for Factory 760's first residential project. Due to the development after Zhou Ming took over the factory, combined with the construction of the township industrial park, more and more people had come to work here. The factory's original housing units were becoming insufficient, so Zhou Ming had no choice but to submit a report requesting the construction of residential buildings. This report had already been approved by the Linyang City authorities, and construction was announced only after all procedures were in place.

Yet, despite this, a task force from the Provincial Construction Department had arrived today, claiming that Factory 760's residential project was an illegal construction that needed to be halted immediately and forcibly demolished.

This was the fourth problem Dai Jinshan had caused for Zhou Ming since returning to the province. The cadres of Factory 760 had already endured a lot and were unwilling to abandon this residential project. They wanted to argue with the people from the Provincial Construction Department, but at that moment, a man, seemingly out of nowhere, cried out as he pushed through the crowd, knelt before Zhou Ming, and started desperately kowtowing, begging for Zhou Ming's help.

The man was in ragged and dirty clothes, appearing to be injured, and looked like a beggar. However, the only difference from a typical beggar was that he was quite overweight.

When did beggars in the country start being so well-nourished?

But now wasn't the time to discuss this. Whether he was a real beggar or in such a state due to some other circumstances, saving a life was the top priority. Zhou Ming quickly took out his phone and instructed Su Han to contact the factory hospital. Meanwhile, he organized the factory cadres to disperse the crowd and personally began administering first aid to the unconscious man.

"Zhou Ming, Director Huang from the factory hospital says he's on his way and advised us not to move the patient unless we're certain there are no other issues. We need to keep the patient lying flat and ensure good air circulation," Su Han relayed after contacting the hospital.

Zhou Ming nodded, but at that moment, the director from the Provincial Construction Department said, "Boss Zhou, the construction project of Factory 760 must be stopped immediately today. Work can only resume after all procedures are complete and the Provincial Construction Department confirms the qualifications. Also, your gathering today to violently resist the enforcement by the Provincial Construction Department, and injuring our colleagues, will be reported to the relevant enforcement agencies..."

Before he could finish speaking, Zhou Ming furiously interrupted, "To hell with that! Are you even human? Someone here is in critical condition, and all you care about is our factory's residential project? You're just spewing nonsense! If you want to suck up to your boss, at least don't act like a dog!"

"What did you say? Zhou Ming, do you even know what you're saying?" the director pointed at Zhou Ming.

"Of course, I know what I'm saying!"

Before Zhou Ming could finish, he felt the man move. Zhou Ming looked down and saw the man slowly regaining consciousness.

"You'll regret this, Zhou Ming!" The director from the Provincial Construction Department left with his people after saying this, but Zhou Ming ignored him and asked the man, "Are you okay? What happened to you?"

However, the man seemed not to hear Zhou Ming's questions. He just tightly grasped Zhou Ming's hand and, with great emotion, said, "Boss Zhou, it's so good to see you. I beg you, please help me. Only you can help me!"

"Don't worry, comrade. You can talk to me slowly. I'm not going anywhere."

At this moment, Zhou Ming heard the sound of an ambulance. He looked up and saw Director Huang from the factory hospital approaching with a doctor and three nurses.

"Comrade, you seem very weak. How about going to the hospital for an examination? Once you're better, I'll come to visit you, okay?"

Zhou Ming suggested, but the man clung to him and shook his head vigorously, saying, "No, I'm fine. I just beg Boss Zhou to help me. Please let me finish what I have to say. As long as you listen, as long as you agree to help me, I'll die content!"

Although Zhou Ming didn't know what the man wanted to say, his determined and sincere tone left Zhou Ming with no choice but to agree. "I understand. Go ahead. I'm here. If it's not illegal and within my capabilities, I'll definitely help."

"Thank you, Boss Zhou," the man said. "First, let me tell you my name. I'm Luo Wei."

Hearing this name, Zhou Ming was surprised. "Luo Wei? I remember you. You're the chief engineer of Road Construction Team 161, responsible for building the highway in Liangjiang. How did you end up like this?"

Luo Wei was equally surprised that Zhou Ming remembered him. He froze for a moment and then, with tears in his eyes, said, "I didn't expect Boss Zhou to remember someone as insignificant as me. Thank you so much, Boss Zhou. Yes, I am Luo Wei. The reason I ended up like this is because of those beasts. They're not human—they're animals, the scum of society!"

Seeing Luo Wei getting more and more agitated, Zhou Ming quickly tried to calm him down. "Engineer Luo, don't get too worked up. Just tell me what happened."

As they spoke, Director Huang and the medical staff had reached them. Zhou Ming allowed Luo Wei to continue speaking while the doctors and nurses began checking his condition.

"Speak? Of course, I have to speak! If I don't see those bastards dead, I won't rest in peace!" Luo Wei said.

He then began to recount his harrowing experience in detail, a story of deep humiliation and anger.

Liangjiang County in Jin Ning City is the southern gateway of Jingchu Province. Luo Wei's 161 Road Construction Team was responsible for building a section of the highway from Liangjiang County to Lingnan.

Luo Wei had heard that the funds for this project were already in place, so he enthusiastically led his team there. At this time, Luo Wei's wife had just been found to be over two months pregnant. Unable to leave her alone at home, Luo Wei brought her along, thinking that as the leader, his work wouldn't be too demanding, allowing him to take better care of his wife. But he never imagined that this decision would lead to a lifelong regret.

Luo Wei's wife, Liya Weina, was a dancer with the Beijing Dance Troupe. She was of mixed ethnic heritage, with stunning looks that had made many people envious when she chose to marry Luo Wei. Luo Wei himself felt incredibly lucky.

Initially, their work in Liangjiang went smoothly. Luo Wei would spend his days out with the construction team doing surveys and return home at night to enjoy time with his wife. Everything was perfect. However, about half a month ago, just as they were about to start construction after completing the planning, trouble arrived. A man claiming to be the manager of Jin Ning Company approached them.

"He said we needed to pay a road construction fee to build here. I've built roads for years, and this was the first time I'd heard of such a fee. But he insisted it was Jin Ning's rule, that he was collecting on behalf of the city government, and threatened that if we didn't pay, we wouldn't be allowed to build the road." Luo Wei explained.

Zhou Ming frowned. "Isn't that just highway robbery?"

"Exactly, they are the biggest gangsters in Jin Ning!" Luo Wei said.

Luo Wei was working on a central government project and was from Beijing, a high-ranking engineer with a sense of pride. He refused to bow to these local thugs and reported the incident to the county police. The county authorities assured him they would handle it and told him to wait for their response. But to Luo Wei's shock, instead of hearing from the police, he was met with retaliation from the Jin Ning Company that same night.

The company's manager brought dozens of men to their camp, smashed their belongings, and warned them not to break the rules. They threatened that if Luo Wei continued to cause trouble, he and his team would be buried in Jin Ning, injuring several of his men.

Outraged, Luo Wei went to the city police the next day and demanded they send someone to deal with the situation. The city police dispatched a section chief and a few officers to accompany him back to the site.

But as soon as they arrived, Luo Wei found the company manager already waiting at the entrance, this time with even more people. To Luo Wei's shock, the manager greeted the police officers with cigarettes, and they stood aside, smoking.

"Engineer Luo, you really don't give up, do you

? It seems I'll have to teach you a lesson."

The manager ordered his men to beat Luo Wei, hoping to intimidate him into submission. But Luo Wei, stubborn as a northerner, wouldn't give in. He kicked the manager hard in the groin, causing him to howl in pain.

Luo Wei thought he could neutralize the threat by taking down the leader, but he forgot how outnumbered he was. After landing a few blows, he was overpowered, and the enraged manager grabbed a rubber baton and began beating Luo Wei's face until it was covered in blood. At this point, Luo Wei's wife, Liya Weina, who had been resting in their room, heard the commotion and rushed out to see what was happening. Seeing her husband being beaten, she instinctively tried to intervene.

But the manager, upon seeing Liya Weina, stopped what he was doing, though his gaze lingered on her.

By this point, Luo Wei was trembling with rage, his fists clenched tightly, his whole body shaking as he said with a deep hatred, "That beast... he raped my wife right in front of me!"