As dusk deepened in the northern climes, the sky gradually surrendered to the encroaching night around five in the afternoon.
Two sedans, their windows shattered, sped along the road towards the Butterfly Clothing Factory.
It was November, and the weather was growing increasingly frigid. Gusts of cold wind whipped through the cars, bringing with them an icy chill.
The occupants of the vehicles couldn't help but pull their clothes tighter, their faces grim.
"Brother Hu, why don't we find a repair shop to replace the windows first?" one of the subordinates driving called out, his hands numb and stiff from the cold.
"Idiot! Replace them for what? What if they get smashed again right after we replace them?" Liu Sanhu roared, his temper like a powder keg ready to ignite.
The driver immediately fell silent, obediently focusing on the road.
Just then, the cars suddenly felt sluggish. The driver hit the brakes, bringing the vehicle to a halt.
"Why the hell are you stopping for no reason?" Liu Sanhu bellowed again from inside.
"Brother Hu, it seems our tires are flat..." the driver said from outside.
"What did you say?"
Liu Sanhu's face changed. He quickly opened the door and got out. He saw that one of the front tires had completely collapsed onto the road.
"Damn it, this is what happens when you're down on your luck, even drinking water makes you choke!"
"Stupid idiot, hurry up and change the spare tire!"
"Brother Hu, this won't help. Both our front tires are flat... they have nails in them..."
The driver was squatting beside the flat tire, pulling out a triangular steel nail.
Liu Sanhu was speechless.
"Look, is that tire also punctured with nails?"
The driver quickly moved to the other side, and Liu Sanhu followed. To his own eyes, the driver pulled three sharp triangular steel nails from the tire.
The conclusion was obvious: this wasn't a tire quality issue, nor was it an accident. Someone had deliberately scattered nails on the road they were traveling, causing their vehicles to be disabled.
"Big brother, our tires are also punctured!" a subordinate from the car behind them shouted as he ran over.
"What did you say?!"
At that moment, Liu Sanhu felt he was losing his mind. He rushed to the back car and crouched down to inspect.
Indeed, he found nails in the tires. The reason they hadn't been discovered sooner was that the tires still had some air, but they were definitely punctured.
"Arghhhh!!!"
Liu Sanhu, enraged, grabbed his hair, his face contorted in a mask of fury.
"Who, who in the hell is so despicable and shameless? If you have the guts, don't play these dirty tricks! Let's have a fair fight!"
His voice echoed in the silent night, startling a few crows into cawing, but no other sound answered him.
They were on a deserted road, miles from the Butterfly Clothing Factory and miles from the nearest town. The area was desolate.
As darkness fell and with no one around, despair began to set in.
"Bro... Brother Hu, what should we do now?" Huang Lianqin asked, her face pale with panic, seeing that both cars were immobilized.
"You're asking me? Who am I supposed to ask?!"
"You worthless bitch, I'm in a terrible mood right now. Get lost!"
Liu Sanhu exploded, unleashing a torrent of abuse on Huang Lianqin.
Huang Lianqin's face flushed red, but she dared not retort. She stood by silently, letting Liu Sanhu vent his frustration.
After several minutes, Liu Sanhu calmed down somewhat. Looking at the two disabled cars, he said coldly, "Leave the cars here. Take our luggage and walk to the Butterfly Clothing Factory to rendezvous with our brothers!"
"I want to see what other tricks these damn villagers in this small town have up their sleeves!"
The subordinates around him were startled. "Brother Hu, the Butterfly Clothing Factory is their territory!"
"Isn't it... isn't it a bit inappropriate for us to go there like this?"
Liu Sanhu's icy gaze swept over the subordinate, who flinched.
"Heh, do they dare to kill us?"
"I, Liu Sanhu, am a big shot in Pingyang City. I get what I want, when I want it. I refuse to believe this small, insignificant town can do anything to me!"
This was the inherent pride and overwhelming sense of superiority of someone from a large city.
Hearing Liu Sanhu's words, no one dared to speak further. They could only follow Liu Sanhu's lead and walk towards the Butterfly Clothing Factory.
The only saving grace was that, despite its remoteness, the road was smooth, making walking relatively easy.
After about half an hour of walking four to five miles, they finally arrived!
Bright lights appeared ahead, a beacon in the darkness, drawing their attention.
Seeing the brightly lit factory ahead, Liu Sanhu and his men felt a sense of relief, as if they had found salvation. Their exhaustion seemed to dissipate.
However, before they could even catch their breath, several dark figures suddenly darted out from the darkness, startling everyone, who quickly assumed a defensive stance.
"Brother Hu... you're finally here! *Sob sob*..."
The newcomers rushed towards Liu Sanhu and his men, crying as if lost children had found their parents.
"Heitou, what... what happened to you guys?"
Liu Sanhu finally recognized the figures emerging from the darkness as his own men.
They were supposed to be monitoring the Butterfly Clothing Factory, but now their clothes were soaked, and they reeked of a foul odor, making people instinctively recoil and hold their noses.
"Brother Hu, we... we were bullied!"
"The people here are simply demons. They..."
Earlier that afternoon, another group of people had arrived at the Butterfly Clothing Factory, led by a defiant and rough-looking young man.
This individual was like a thug. Upon seeing Liu Sanhu's men, without a word, he ordered his men to surround them and launch a group assault, overwhelming them with numbers.
Although Heitou and his men were good fighters, they were no match for the attackers. After a few exchanges, they were completely outmatched.
All four were beaten black and blue. Their phones were smashed, and their car tires were punctured, preventing them from contacting the outside world or escaping.
Worse still, the thug ordered his men to douse them with foul-smelling dirty water and commanded them to stay outside the factory and endure the wind.
The ordeal was agonizing. The men had been left to endure the elements from around four in the afternoon until now, shivering uncontrollably.
After listening to Heitou's account, Liu Sanhu finally understood what had happened. His body trembled with rage as he roared, "This is too much! This is utterly outrageous!!"
"I can't take it anymore, Brother Hu! Let's go in and find that bitch!" Huang Lianqin exclaimed, her face ashen with fury. She was now the largest shareholder of the clothing factory.
"Yes, let's go find them!"
"We have over a dozen people here. What are we afraid of!"
"Let's storm this damn factory together and demand an explanation from that bitch!"
The group, having suffered an entire afternoon of torment, was at the breaking point.
The experiences of the afternoon had been an unprecedented ordeal for everyone.
None of them had expected that someone in this insignificant small town would dare to treat them this way!
"Alright, then let's go settle the score together!"
Liu Sanhu could no longer contain himself. His fury burned!