I emptied my family's possessions to join the army, and my abstinent superior doted on me.

Chapter 42 They Have Backing

As soon as the three entered the alley, they heard someone shouting, "Old Zhang, you've really gotten bold. You dare to steal business from Boss Tang's territory."

"Whoosh~" A roll of non-woven fabric was thrown out of the yard. Qian Lai was heartbroken when she saw it. Could this be the batch of goods she had ordered?
"Boss Tang's territory? We've been running this small factory in this southern city for five or six years now."

Back then, Boss Tang hadn't even come to Xinshi yet! Is he just bullying people by relying on his power, thinking he can dominate the entire industry just because he has money?

He sells his, I sell mine; we'll keep to ourselves.

Qian Lai pushed through the crowd and saw Sister Mi and two people in charge being held down by the other side, with a sharp weapon being brandished in front of Sister Mi.

Honest and simple old Zhang now sits blankly on the edge of the well in the yard. His glasses have been broken at some point, and only one temple remains, hanging diagonally on his nose.

A thug was standing with one foot on the edge of the well behind him, gesturing with a sharp blade in his hand.

“You’ve been doing this for five or six years?! Now that I’m not letting you do it anymore, you have to get out of my way, do you understand? That’s the rule.”

"Three days. I'm giving you three days. Pack your bags and get out of Xinshi right now. Do you hear me?!"

Afterwards, Sister Mi and the others cursed and cursed, but each of them got slapped.

"Don't hit him! Boss, let's keep things peaceful!" Qian Lai stepped forward alone and said to the leader, "I just want to ask, I'm Lao Zhang's customer. If you kick them out, where will we pick up our goods?"

The leader was overjoyed to hear that someone had come looking for a seller on their own initiative.

If I could also bring back a few deals for the boss, that would be a great achievement!
"If you want to buy goods, go to the Xinshi Commercial City and find Boss Tang Guili. When you get there, just mention Brother Biaozi, it'll do!"

"So you're Brother Biaozi."

"Did Mr. Tang Guili send you to clean up the market?"

Cleaning up the market?

He likes this word!
They're clearly acting like thugs, trying to seize territory, and now they're calling it "cleaning up the market"?

Sure enough, this girl was not only beautiful, but also cultured.

"Hehe, little sister is really sensible. Yes, it was Boss Tang who sent us to clean up the market. This market can't be left uncleaned. Look, it's been like this for five or six years, if we don't clean it up, those two will make all the money. Hahahaha."

"Oh, so you mean his family makes too much money in this business in this new city. People like them, if your boss Tang comes along, you'll have to get rid of them all? Leave no one alive?"

"Yes, yes, yes, yes. My sister really knows her stuff!"

Biaozi became increasingly smug as he listened.

"Doesn't that constitute using illegal means to bully and monopolize the market?"

"W-what?" Biaozi seemed to realize something. "Who are you calling a bully?"

"I'm talking about you, Brother Biao."

"You're talking nonsense. You little brat, I don't think you're a good person, you need to be taught a lesson. Otherwise, you won't know your brother Biaozi has three eyes. Heizi, go."

The man tossed his head toward a large, dark-skinned man, who strode up to Qian Lai and reached out to grab her neck.

He moved too fast, and Qian Lai didn't have time to dodge. She subconsciously stepped back, but bumped directly into a hard chest.

She thought she was doomed. But then the person behind her swiftly pulled her behind her back. With his other hand, he delivered a heavy punch to the big, dark man's jaw.

Seeing that the big black guy had suffered a loss, the other henchmen swarmed around Qiao Muting.

Qiao Muting winked at Qian Lai behind him, signaling her to retreat to a safe area, while he himself rushed into the "encirclement" and fought with them.

Old Zhang and his employees seized the opportunity, broke free from control, and joined in.

In an instant, the small courtyard erupted into a chaotic battle.

"Don't just watch the show, can you help out?" Qian Lai appealed to the onlookers.

Just as someone was about to step forward, Biaozi stopped them with a sharp weapon, shouting, "Let's see who dares to move!"

Sure enough, no one dared to step forward again.

Biaozi felt a surge of resentment: It's all that brat's fault! She brought people here to sabotage me.

He approached Qian Lai and, taking her by surprise, seized her. This time, it was her turn to have a cold, sharp weapon held against her neck.

"You're engaging in bullying and monopolistic practices; at worst, you'll be criminally detained, since you're accomplices, and the mastermind is that Tang Guili. But if you injure someone, you'll be sentenced."

"Stop talking nonsense to me." Biaozi said viciously, his voice only audible to the two of them. "The one who can take my 'peaked hat' probably hasn't been born yet!"

"Brother, I'm not lying to you. You're taking hostages now, which is an even bigger crime. Why bother? It's just a small business matter."
Besides, I'm just a buyer. Things change, and who knows, I might need to buy goods from Boss Tang again in the future.

We really didn't need to escalate things to this point, did we?

"Shut up. If you say another word, I'll slit your throat right now."

"Let her go!" Qiao Muting shouted, turning around and lunging at Biaozi.

Just as he was about to grab Biaozi, a heavy object suddenly slammed down on him from behind.

He didn't have time to dodge, his foot slipped and he almost fell to the ground. He instinctively braced himself with his hand, and his right arm was dislocated.

"Ah!" Qiao Muting cried out in pain.

"Are you alright?" Qian Lai, unaware of what had happened behind her, looked anxious and her face contorted with worry.

Just then, two groups of people suddenly appeared outside the courtyard. Behind them, Meng Tianyu was snapping photos rapidly with his camera.

"Don't move! Release the hostage!"

When the gun was pointed directly at him, Biaozi was the first to chicken out, and his knife fell to the ground.

Qiao Muting reacted quickly and pulled Qian Lai back to his side.

Before them stood two groups of people, one group dressed in dark blue uniforms with the words "Market Inspector" prominently displayed on their armbands.

The other group of people, whom Biaozi knew all too well, were the police.

Police officers, armed with guns and nuclear weapons, escorted Biaozi and his gang into police cars.

"Officer, they just admitted themselves that Tang Guili from Xinshi Commercial City sent them to bully and monopolize the market, and these few were accomplices. People inside and outside the compound can testify to this."

Moreover, they injured people and took me hostage. That's compounding their crimes!

"Don't worry, young lady, my men will take statements from all the witnesses in a moment."

It's a time of severe crackdown right now. If the situation is true, well, they'll probably be spending a lot of time in jail.

However, may I ask, which one of you is Comrade Qiao Muting?

"It's me." Qiao Muting was enduring the immense pain from the dislocated shoulder, his face pale.

That's when everyone noticed that something was wrong with his right arm.

"Hello, Comrade Qiao Muting. I am Qi Xiangmin, the branch captain of the Chengnan Public Security Bureau. Is this... a dislocated shoulder?"

Qiao Muting nodded slightly.

"Hey, don't worry. Xiao Song." Qi Xiangmin called in a young police officer. "Comrade Qiao, sit down. We'll help you put your arm back down."

Qian Lai: This is the first time I've seen someone brutally restore a crane arm.

"Come on, take off your shirt."

what?
When asked to take off his clothes in front of Qian Lai, Qiao Muting blushed.

"Hey, Comrade Qiao, you're not married yet, are you? Don't you even have a girlfriend? Why are you blushing when we talk about taking off your clothes?"

Qian Lai, being sensible, left the yard and caught up with Sister Mi and Lao Zhang, who were preparing to go to the police station to give their statements, but kept listening to the sounds coming from inside.

At first, Qiao Muting kept his composure.

"Comrade Qiao, just bear with it. Next comes the crucial 'push and pull' movements. Once you get them right, the pain will subside immediately."

As he spoke, Qi Xiangmin suddenly exerted force, and in an instant, a combination of soreness, numbness, and pain came together. Qiao Muting was caught off guard and let out a soft "Ah!" which entered Qian Lai's ears.

My heart skipped a beat!
　Dislocations are really painful. Habitual dislocations only require a tiny bit of force, and the arm is gone. This is also foreshadowing.
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　　(End of this chapter)