PFC Chapter 643 all involve solo actions.
Chapter 643 all involve solo actions.
At 2 a.m., there was nothing unusual on the surveillance footage. Apart from the security guards on duty patrolling on time, no one else was active in the factory area.
"Looks like tonight's wait was in vain," Wang Ergou said with some disappointment.
"Don't rush, this is only the first day. Logically, the other side should be on guard by now and behave much better, but we can't rule out the possibility they're planning a surprise attack. Let's wait and see; the bait has already been laid."
The next morning, Li Xiangyang deliberately acted nervous in front of his employees, constantly checking his watch, and even asked Xiao Chen to prepare a detailed financial statement.
"The client will arrive at 9:30, everyone be alert!" Li Xiangyang announced loudly at the morning meeting. "This collaboration is very important; we absolutely cannot afford any mistakes."
The employees all nodded in understanding, but Li Xiangyang noticed that a few people seemed a little uneasy. Besides Zhang Xiaowei, there was also warehouse manager Lao Ma and office typist Xiao Li.
It was 9:30, but no clients came. Li Xiangyang deliberately paced back and forth in his office and even had Xiao Chen make a few phone calls, pretending to be contacting clients.
"Why haven't they arrived yet?" Li Xiangyang complained loudly on purpose. "Could something have happened to them on the way?"
At 10:30, Li Xiangyang finally "received" a call from the client, saying that something came up and it would be postponed until the afternoon. The tense atmosphere in the factory eased a little.
During lunch, Wang Ergou quietly told Li Xiangyang about a discovery.
“I just saw Lao Ma making a suspicious phone call,” Wang Ergou said in a low voice. “And he chose a very secluded spot, in a corner behind the factory.”
"Old Ma?" Li Xiangyang was somewhat surprised. Old Ma was an honest man who had worked at the factory for several years and had always performed well. "Are you sure it's him?"
“I'm sure. I also heard him say a few words, like he was reporting something.” Wang Ergou nodded, “But we were too far away to hear the specifics.”
Li Xiangyang pondered for a moment. Old Ma was in charge of warehouse management and knew the factory's goods coming in and out like the back of his hand. If he had indeed been bribed, he could certainly provide a lot of valuable information.
At 3 p.m., Li Xiangyang "received" another call from the client, saying that the inspection time would be changed to the next morning. After this news spread, the atmosphere in the factory became tense again.
This time, Li Xiangyang specifically arranged for Wang Ergou to stay near the warehouse to observe Lao Ma's actions.
Sure enough, not long after get off work, Lao Ma made an excuse to check the goods and stayed in the warehouse alone. Wang Ergou watched from a distance and noticed that Lao Ma was indeed on the phone, and he looked very nervous.
“He can’t escape this time.” That evening, Wang Ergou recounted his observations to Li Xiangyang in detail. “Old Ma is definitely up to something.”
"Besides him, is there anyone else?"
"Xiao Li is also a bit suspicious. This afternoon she specifically went to the finance department to see Xiao Chen, saying she needed to verify some data. But as far as I know, she rarely goes to the finance department."
Li Xiangyang's expression grew even more serious. It seemed there really was a small group lurking in the factory, specializing in intelligence gathering.
"It's now confirmed that someone is trying to bribe our employees," Li Xiangyang analyzed, "but we still don't know their true motives."
"Could it be someone sent by a competitor?" Wang Ergou guessed.
"Possibly. But I think things might not be that simple." Li Xiangyang recalled the malicious competitors he had encountered before. "If they just wanted to cause trouble, they wouldn't need to make it this complicated. They must have other motives."
Just then, Li Xiangyang's phone rang. It was Tian Guoqiang calling.
"Xiangyang, there's something I need to tell you." Tian Guoqiang's voice sounded a little nervous. "This afternoon, someone called our company to inquire about your factory's production situation."
"who?"
"They said they were from a trading company and wanted to cooperate with us. But the questions they asked were strange; they specifically inquired about your factory's equipment configuration and production capacity," Tian Guoqiang explained. "I felt something was off, so I didn't reveal much information."
Li Xiangyang's heart skipped a beat: "Do you remember the name of that company?"
"I think it was called... Huaxin Trading, or Huaxing Trading, I can't quite remember." Tian Guoqiang thought for a moment, "Oh right, they specifically asked about your factory's financial situation, saying they needed to assess the risks of the cooperation."
After hanging up the phone, Li Xiangyang's face darkened. It seemed the other side had not only planted an informant within the factory but was also gathering intelligence from various sources outside. This was clearly an organized operation.
"Ergou, go to the county tomorrow and check if there are any trading companies named Huaxin or Huaxing," Li Xiangyang instructed.
"Okay." Wang Ergou nodded. "Then what about the factory?"
“Continue as planned. I need to have a serious talk with Zhang Xiaowei tomorrow.” Li Xiangyang’s tone became resolute. “It’s time to lay our cards on the table.”
On the morning of the third day, Li Xiangyang called Zhang Xiaowei into his office. After closing the door, he said bluntly, "Xiaowei, let's have an open and honest talk."
Zhang Xiaowei was visibly taken aback: "Boss, what do you want to talk to me about?"
"What did you do in the workshop the night before last?" Li Xiangyang asked, staring into his eyes.
Zhang Xiaowei's face instantly turned pale: "I...I didn't..."
"Stop denying it. If you hadn't run fast, we would have caught you on the spot. And if I report it to the police, do you think you can withstand an investigation?" Li Xiangyang's tone was calm but authoritative. "Now that I've found you, I naturally don't want to report it to the police, so you'll need to think carefully about how you're going to explain yourself to me."
Zhang Xiaowei remained silent for a long time before finally speaking, "Boss, I... I was forced into it too."
"Who forced you to do that?"
“Someone threatened me, saying they would harm my family if I didn’t cooperate,” Zhang Xiaowei’s voice trembled. “I really had no choice.”
Li Xiangyang's heart skipped a beat: "Who are they? Have you seen them before?"
“I’ve met them, but they wouldn’t reveal their true identities.” Zhang Xiaowei looked up at Li Xiangyang. “Boss, I really don’t want to betray you, but they threatened to harm my daughter…”
Li Xiangyang's expression softened somewhat. It seemed that Zhang Xiaowei was indeed forced, and did not intentionally want to cause trouble.
"What did they ask you to do?"
"The main purpose was to collect production information and financial data from the factory," Zhang Xiaowei honestly stated. "They gave me a phone number and asked me to report back regularly."
"Besides you, was anyone else involved?"
Zhang Xiaowei hesitated for a moment, then finally nodded: "Old Ma and Xiao Li have also been bribed by them. But we rarely contact each other; we always act alone."