Chapter 207: Who Is Behind This?

The next day.

In the morning, Li Dong, accompanied by Sun Tao, visited the injured employees.

There were four employees injured, all with minor injuries. However, Far Horizon wanted to show its concern for the employees, so they were all resting in the hospital.

The employees were surprised and flattered to have the big boss and the general manager visit them. As ordinary front-line workers, they rarely saw top management, let alone the big boss and general manager, so they were deeply touched.

Li Dong inquired about their conditions and expressed Far Horizon's gratitude for their hard work. Despite being formalities, his words brought tears to their eyes.

Finally, Li Dong announced that each injured employee would receive a reward of 3,000 yuan, a month of paid leave, and priority for promotion under similar conditions.

The employees were overjoyed by the announcement. For such minor injuries, receiving over 5,000 yuan and a chance for promotion was incredibly generous!

After exchanging a few more pleasantries, Li Dong and his team left the hospital.

As soon as they exited the hospital, Li Dong instructed Liu Qi, "Make sure to publicize this. Let everyone know that Far Horizon treats its employees well!"

Liu Qi nodded and suggested, "Why not start an internal newsletter? It could cover all kinds of company news, boosting employees' sense of belonging."

Li Dong looked at her with a smile, "Good idea. Let's do that."

Internal newsletters are not very costly and can enhance employee loyalty and promote company culture. It's worth the investment.

Liu Qi was pleased by the praise, her smile broadening.

Li Dong then turned to Sun Tao, "Brother Sun, go check on the two convenience stores that are still operating. I'll visit the city bureau."

Sun Tao agreed and headed to the convenience stores with his team.

Li Dong went to the city bureau with Liu Qi to follow up on the case.

---

City Public Security Bureau.

Given Far Horizon's recent donation of vehicles, the city bureau took the vandalism case seriously.

When it was reported that the company's top executives were visiting, Vice Director Chen Song, who oversees criminal investigations, personally met with Li Dong.

After some formalities, Li Dong inquired about the progress of the case.

Chen Song, having anticipated Li Dong's questions, organized his thoughts and said, "The bureau took the vandalism incident very seriously and launched an investigation overnight..."

Li Dong listened attentively, maintaining a smile without interrupting.

When Chen Song mentioned that a suspect had been caught, Li Dong asked quickly, "Have they revealed who was behind it?"

Chen Song shook his head, "The suspect is just a local thug. He doesn't know the details; he was merely following orders and doing it for money."

Chen Song continued, "He did say that their aim was only to vandalize, not to harm anyone. So we suspect it might be more related to business competition than personal vendetta..."

Li Dong listened, feeling increasingly uneasy. The more he heard, the more something felt off, but he couldn't pinpoint exactly what.

When Chen Song finished, Li Dong thanked him and left the bureau.

In the car, Li Dong remained silent.

Liu Qi cautiously glanced at him and hesitantly said, "President Li, I feel like Director Chen's words were deliberately guiding us."

"Deliberately guiding us?"

"Yes, he's an experienced criminal investigator. It's unusual for him to speculate about business competition without evidence. His comments seem out of character."

"And it seems like he shared too much. You didn't ask, but he volunteered a lot of information. An experienced investigator wouldn't usually talk so much," Liu Qi added.

Li Dong looked at Liu Qi in surprise, "You're thinking critically today."

Liu Qi's mouth twitched. Was that a compliment or a jab?

"Am I not usually thoughtful?" Liu Qi pouted and turned her head away, mumbling under her breath.

Li Dong smiled slightly, not concerned about her reaction.

Actually, Liu Qi's observations were aligned with Li Dong's thoughts. Chen Song's words did seem overly suggestive.

But why would a vice director of the city bureau lie to him?

The vandalism of a few convenience stores was not a major case. Even if Chen Song's investigation yielded nothing, it wouldn't affect him much.

So, what was Chen Song's motive for saying what he did?

Li Dong thought for a while before deciding to call Wu Jianguo.

When the call connected, Li Dong asked, "Director Wu, you've heard about the vandalism at Far Horizon's stores. Any leads?"

This was intended as a preliminary question, but Li Dong was actually probing to find out who Chen Song might be protecting.

Wu Jianguo's response surprised him.

"President Li, I advised you against clashing with Hu Wanlin. You didn't need to get involved..."

Wu Jianguo, perhaps feeling more talkative due to their previous joint dealings, mentioned that even though this case was outside his jurisdiction, it resembled Hu Wanlin's methods.

In Wu Jianguo's view, there was a high chance that Hu Wanlin was behind the vandalism.

After hanging up, Li Dong frowned deeply.

Li Dong had considered Hu Wanlin as a potential culprit but dismissed it quickly. It didn't make sense for Hu Wanlin to retaliate against him specifically.

The debt wasn't his; he was merely an intermediary. Even if negotiations failed, Hu Wanlin had no strong motive for such retaliation.

If Hu Wanlin wanted to target him, it would be more logical to demand repayment directly rather than vandalizing stores. Plus, Hu Wanlin had been inactive while Wang Jia was in Pingchuan.

Now that Wang Jia had left, targeting Li Dong's stores seemed pointless.

Alternatively, Hu Wanlin might be irrationally seeking revenge, in which case Li Dong couldn't do much.

But who else could be behind this?

Compared to other supermarkets, Li Dong leaned towards the idea that another supermarket might be involved, as it would be more beneficial for them.

What then was the purpose of Chen Song's previous statements?

If Chen Song's superior was involved, it made sense for Chen Song to deflect suspicion. But was it really Hu Wanlin?

Li Dong felt frustrated. Vandalizing a few convenience stores seemed to have turned into a complex intrigue.

The financial loss from the vandalism was minor to Li Dong. The main impact was the annoyance and inconvenience it caused him.

Initially, Li Dong had considered letting the matter go if the perpetrators stayed away. However, their interference made him more determined to uncover the truth.

If they wanted to play games, Li Dong resolved to find out who was behind it and hold them accountable.