chsdbacks Chapter 26 They Came to the Door Again
Chapter 26 They Came to the Door Again
The security company's headquarters was in the warehouse that Lin Zhou had rented. Lin Zhou was shirtless at the moment, his bronze skin covered with fine beads of sweat. With each punch and block, his muscles rippled smoothly, and sweat slid down his back, leaving a small wet patch on the ground.
This was the thirteenth day he had been training with over thirty people in the warehouse. Ever since Zhao Jianjun arrived with this group of veterans recruited from the docks and construction sites, there had been no peace here. For the first few days, the warehouse was filled with the dull thud of barbells hitting the ground, the muffled groans of arms trembling during push-ups, and Zhao Jianjun's shouts.
But Lin Zhou was different from the others from the very beginning. The space-modified body not only brought heightened senses, but also a significant improvement in physical fitness; his strength already far surpassed that of ordinary people. Precisely because of this, Zhao Jianjun quickly exempted him from all strength training, allowing him to focus solely on honing his fighting skills and grappling techniques.
"Boss Lin, your skills are truly natural." The person in charge of instructing the sparring was an old subordinate of Zhao Jianjun named Sun Qiang, who used to be a skilled reconnaissance soldier. At this moment, watching Lin Zhou dodge his straight punch with fluid grace and then deliver a precise chokehold with perfectly controlled force, making it impossible for him to break free without causing serious injury, he couldn't help but exclaim in admiration, "In all the years I've been with Captain Zhao, I've never seen anyone learn sparring so quickly. Your reaction and explosiveness are even better than the elite soldiers in our army back in the day."
Lin Zhou released his grip, wiped the sweat from his forehead, and smiled faintly. "It's all thanks to Brother Sun's excellent teaching. Practical experience is more useful than anything else." He was telling the truth. The spatial modification had given him a physical foundation beyond that of ordinary people, but fighting skills, offensive and defensive rhythms, and the techniques for generating power during grappling all required real-world experience. The moves Sun Qiang taught were all combat-tested techniques from the military, without any fancy moves. Every move went straight for the vital points, either to subdue the enemy or to defend oneself—exactly what Lin Zhou needed most at the moment.
Inside the warehouse, the others were still engaged in tedious but necessary basic training. The thirty-odd people were divided into several rows. Some were repeatedly practicing straight punches and hook punches, their fists making a "whooshing" sound as they hit the air; others were practicing grappling in pairs, and occasionally a cry of pain could be heard from someone whose arm had been twisted, but no one called for a stop, they just rubbed their arms and continued; and a few of the weaker ones were gritting their teeth and lifting barbells, their arms trembling violently with bulging veins, but they stubbornly held on without putting them down.
Lin Zhou leaned against the warehouse doorframe, watching the group of men sweating profusely before him, and felt reassured. The past ten days of training hadn't been in vain; their eyes had transformed from initial confusion and caution to unwavering determination and sharpness, and a newfound camaraderie had developed between them. While they still weren't quite up to par with true elite soldiers, they were more than capable of dealing with the gang's petty thugs.
He thought of Zhao Jianjun. That cheerful reconnaissance squad leader had led everyone in five days of training, instructing them on basic physical fitness and combat skills before eagerly returning to his hometown in the interior. Before leaving, Zhao Jianjun assured Lin Zhou with a bright smile, "Mr. Lin, don't worry, I'll go back and call my old comrades! They're all former reconnaissance soldiers, their skills are absolutely reliable, they'll follow you from now on!"
Lin Zhou then offered him an offer he couldn't refuse: "Brother Zhao, as long as you bring any of the scouts, no matter what they were like before, they'll get at least HK$500 a month, with the pay only going up, not down. I, Lin Zhou, keep my word."
Five hundred Hong Kong dollars was a high salary in Hong Kong at the time, let alone in mainland China, where it was enough to allow an ordinary family to live a good life. Zhao Jianjun already thought Lin Zhou was reliable, courageous, and decisive, and with such generous compensation, he naturally didn't hesitate. He knew that most of his old comrades-in-arms were not doing well after retiring from the army; some were farming at home, and some were working in small factories, their skills going to waste. If they could come to Hong Kong, they could earn a lot of money and continue fighting side by side; no one would refuse.
"Once Brother Zhao returns with his comrades, we'll be even more confident." Lin Zhou thought to himself. With over thirty people now, plus the few scouts Zhao Jianjun brought, they could form a capable security team. In the future, they could use these people as the backbone to build a security company, which would not only protect the newspaper but also ensure the security of their business expansion.
Time flies, and the two-week deadline given by the fraternity was already approaching its final day. That afternoon, training in the warehouse was just coming to an end, and everyone was preparing to pack up for lunch when a young man from the newspaper suddenly ran in, panting heavily, his face full of anxiety, and his hair soaked with sweat.
"Lin Sheng! Something terrible has happened!" the young man shouted as he ran, his voice trembling with tears. "The fraternity... the fraternity has gone to the newspaper office! They've got weapons, and they're smashing things!"
Lin Zhou's eyes instantly turned cold, his previously relaxed body tensed, and a murderous aura emanated from him. The thing he feared most had happened, and it just so happened to happen on the last day of the deadline—clearly a deliberate provocation.
"Everyone, assemble immediately!" Lin Zhou's voice wasn't loud, but it carried an undeniable authority. The men who were packing their things immediately stopped what they were doing, quickly lined up, their eyes filled with vigilance and anger. The training these past few days had instilled in them a habit of obeying orders without question. More importantly, the newspaper was Lin Zhou's foundation and their guarantee. For the gang members to vandalize the newspaper was a slap in the face to them, cutting off their livelihood.
"Sun Qiang, bring everyone with me!" Lin Zhou grabbed a shirt lying to the side and haphazardly put it on. "Grab your weapons. Remember, only fight the ones with their hands, don't kill them. Leave some for the police!"
"Understood!" Sun Qiang replied in a deep voice, then turned and shouted to the crowd, "Did you all hear that? Grab your weapons and come with Boss Lin!"
A batch of rubber batons, which had been prepared in advance, was piled up in the corner of the warehouse. Everyone ran to grab the weapons, gripped them tightly in their hands, and followed Lin Zhou out of the warehouse. The group of more than thirty people marched in an orderly fashion, their momentum overwhelming, causing passersby on the roadside to give way, their faces full of surprise.
The distance from the warehouse to the newspaper office was less than a hundred meters. The group sprinted, sweat pouring down their faces from the earlier training, but no one slowed down. Lin Zhou ran in front, his mind flashing back to the newspaper office staff: the diligent editors laying out the pages, the hardworking reporters out on assignments, and the two patrol officers constantly on duty. He had instructed the newspaper staff to report any suspicious activity immediately, while he and his men remained on standby at the warehouse, just in case of a sudden attack by the triad.
From afar, one could hear the commotion coming from the direction of the newspaper office: the crisp sound of breaking glass, the muffled thuds of collapsing tables and chairs, and the arrogant shouts of thugs, mixed with women's screams and men's angry curses.
"Faster! Faster!" Lin Zhou's heart tightened, and he accelerated his pace.