At this moment, both sides were in a state of extreme tension.
However, once He Liang arrived and handed the items he had brought to Wang Shuai, Wu Dong, Zhang Shuya, and Sun Nian, the confidence of Wang Shuai, Wu Dong, and the other three became fully restored.
Of course, the reason it was said to be five people was that Ma Guoqiang had not come over; he was currently cranking a telephone frantically according to Wang Shuai's requirements.
The reason it was described as "cranking the telephone frantically" was that in this era, most telephones were crank-handle phones; if you wanted to make a call, you had to give it a good cranking first.
Getting a call through was truly no easy feat, as making an outgoing call required passing through several transfers.
At the same time, one had to pray that the operators at every link were idle; otherwise, it was simply impossible to get a call connected without spending ten or twenty minutes.
Normally, to make a call, one would have to crank the machine over and over again, but Ma Guoqiang had too many calls to make. If he didn't crank frantically, it certainly wouldn't work.
In reality, the things Wang Shuai had asked He Liang to bring were their small booklets—their respective work permits.
It had to be said that no matter the era, a work permit from a government unit was the most effective proof of power.
Thus, when Wang Shuai, Wu Dong, and the other three produced their work permits, the expression of the small leader opposite them changed.
They all belonged to the same system; one only needed to look at the booklets to know whether a rank was high or low.
Wang Shuai was very direct, yet polite, as he spoke to this small leader
"You guys don't need to get involved in this. Just make a record and head back. I'll treat you all to drinks when there's a chance."
After Wang Shuai finished speaking, the small leader said with a serious face
"Your work addresses are not here, so this case should be handled by us."
Hearing this, Wang Shuai's expression shifted. He glared with wide eyes and said with a menacing look
"Who do you think we are? What the hell are you? You dare interfere in our business? Do you have a death wish?"
It must be said that Wang Shuai's words were truly unpleasant, almost perfectly embodying the arrogance and unreasonable tyranny of a second-generation elite.
But it had to be admitted that Wang Shuai's attitude and words were remarkably effective; everyone opposite him, except for the small leader, dared not meet Wang Shuai's gaze.
As soon as Wang Shuai finished speaking, the small leader's face became quite unsightly. Before the small leader could speak, Wang Shuai continued
"By the way, given your rank, I suggest you'd better not meddle in this kind of matter. You should be clear on the specifics. Someone like you would struggle to even be cannon fodder. Keep a low profile if you want to live longer. Do you understand?"
This sentence from Wang Shuai was no longer just "unpleasant"; it was a blatant threat.
Most importantly, Wang Shuai had made the point clear. Those who could understand were naturally the ones involved in this matter—those who had become part of the "big umbrella."
As for those who didn't understand, they could still tell that Wang Shuai's words were suggestive; if they wanted to stay out of it, they wouldn't meddle further.
Upon hearing this, the small leader clearly realized something. His expression changed instantly, and he said with a smile
"We actually just came over to see if any help was needed here. Uh, Comrade Wang Shuai, right? Well then, you guys carry on, we'll head out first."
It was evident that this small leader fell into the third category: he understood what Wang Shuai meant, meaning he knew about the mine owner's situation, but he was not part of the big umbrella.
Therefore, years of work experience told him that "keeping one's head down when it's not one's business" was the right thing to do at this moment.
Although Wang Shuai's words were full of threats and contempt, he knew very well that Wang Shuai was right; if he pushed further, there would absolutely be no good outcome.
As he spoke, the small leader prepared to lead his people away.
Hearing the small leader's words, Wang Shuai naturally retracted his arrogance and smiled warmly
"I'm currently stationed in DJ County. Big brother, whenever you go to DJ County, just look for any of us; it'll definitely be useful, hahaha..."
Wu Dong suddenly added from the side
"Please pass a word to them: we were accidentally dragged into this matter. If they can't suppress it, then we'll have to have a proper clash with them."
After listening, the small leader nodded and said
"Fine, I'll pass that word along for you in a moment. By the way, would it be convenient to disclose your identities?"
Wu Dong thought for a moment, then said
"The old Wu family of Ice City, the old Wang family of Ice City, the old Zhang family of Ice City, the old Ma family of Ice City, the old He family of Ice City, the old Sun family of Ice City."
Wu Dong's answer was essentially just listing the surnames of the six of them, but the more the small leader listened, the more his eyebrows twitched. Clearly, the small leader's brain was struggling to keep up.
As a leader in Heilongjiang Province, many surnames were essentially a required or elective course. Of course, the place name had to be added before the surname; otherwise, it was just a surname—who the hell would know who was who?
Actually, it wasn't just in Heilongjiang; it was the same elsewhere. After all, no one took their status lightly.
After Wu Dong finished, the small leader froze for a moment, then nodded, cupped his fists in a salute, and led his group away.
The reason Wu Dong told the small leader these things was the result of a discussion among the four of them after Wang An and Ma Guoqiang had carried Mu Xueli and Wang Li away, but before He Liang had arrived with the permits.
It wasn't just Wang An who realized that the big umbrella above the mine owner was not simple; Wang Shuai, Wu Dong, and the others had realized it as well.
Comparatively, although Wang An possessed the soul of a sixty-year-old, his sensitivity toward power was not as sharp, nor did he think as far ahead as Wu Dong and Wang Shuai.
Because Wu Dong and Wang Shuai held key positions, they were the true professionals in this regard!
Therefore, if this matter could be "turned from a big deal into a small one, and a small one into nothing," the four of them would absolutely choose to do so.
The key was that fighting, regardless of the method, would result in losses for both camps.
Furthermore, everyone knew that a powerful dragon finds it hard to suppress a local snake. In other words, although the strength of Wu Dong and Wang Shuai was formidable, the outcome of a collision was truly unknown.
It was no exaggeration to say: who would dare claim victory easily?
About two or three minutes after the small leader left, the next wave of people arrived quickly. To be precise, there were only two people, as they had come by car, one of whom was the driver.
Looking at the characteristic rank insignia on his shoulder, this person was much higher in rank than the small leader.
(End of Chapter)