I pushed through the crowd, searching for our people in all directions. Strangely, I couldn't see a single one. Not only were our men nowhere to be found, but even Qing Ge's men had vanished.
How could this be? The place had been swarming with people just moments ago, and now they had disappeared without a trace. It wasn't just them; the hooded assassins were also gone.
I scanned nearly the entire venue without spotting any of them, let alone Da Kui and Wen Siqiang.
It was then I remembered I could use the walkie-talkie. In my haste and worry, I had completely forgotten.
I fumbled to get it out and called for Wen Siqiang.
After several unanswered calls, my heart sank further. How could so many people, dozens, even a hundred, vanish into thin air in such a short time?
I continued deeper, passing through the bustling crowd of gamblers. Further inside was a side door to the warehouse, which led to the finished goods workshop.
This area was quite a distance from where the raw materials were kept. The gamblers were all concentrated around the uncut stones; no one ventured this far.
I noticed the side door was ajar. Normally, this door should have been sealed.
Hurrying over, I gently pushed the metal door. This area was connected to the finished goods workshop, separated only by a wall.
Pushing the door open, I finally understood. Everyone was here.
However, they weren't idle. In the finished goods workshop, larger than a basketball court, hundreds of people were locked in a fierce brawl.
I took a quick look. Wu Guodong's men numbered at least a hundred, just as Wen Siqiang had predicted, all mingled among the gamblers.
I didn't know how they managed to lure them here. Although our men had the numbers advantage, excluding Qing Ge's people, our security guards were no match for them. More than a dozen had already been knocked down and dragged out of the fray.
Even in one-on-one combat, Qing Ge's men struggled against them. Our own men were essentially fodder, unable to even get close.
Moreover, these attackers had a mission: to inflict casualties and deliver a heavy blow.
I instructed a few lightly injured security guards to go back and maintain order outside. With everyone here, any incident outside would put us in a more passive position.
Da Kui was at the very front, fighting his way left and right, having already taken down several assailants. However, with only his hands and his physique, no matter how fierce, he could only fight them one by one.
Wen Siqiang was even more outmatched. Seeing me, he ran over breathlessly, gasping, "This fighting won't do! Qing Ge's men can only hold them off, and our guys are useless. If this continues, Qing Ge's men will run out of strength, and they'll still break out and cause trouble."
Without bothering to ask for details, I quickly told him, "Take all the security guards and withdraw from here. Have them return to their posts. I'll handle this."
I realized that while our security guards were brave and fearless inside, they were actually hindering operations and serving no purpose.
Now, only Da Kui and about a hundred of Qing Ge's men remained, fighting them.
These attackers must have entered illegally. They carried knives; they couldn't have passed through customs checkpoints.
Qing Ge's men had used the official customs route, hence they were unarmed. This alone put us at a severe disadvantage.
No matter how strong a person is, they are at a disadvantage against sharp weapons.
Therefore, in the fight, they had to dodge the blades, which required sacrificing a significant portion of their strength, hence they were consistently losing.
This way of fighting was unsustainable. We needed to quickly find a way to negate their advantage, or we would surely lose.
I moved behind them and saw a row of liquor vats. This was the bottling workshop of the distillery; the finished liquor was filled into cans here, then bottled, packed, and transported to the warehouse. There were so many liquor vats here, I wondered if they still contained any liquor.
I ran over and opened a valve. As soon as I turned it slightly, a strong smell of alcohol hit me. My heart leaped. I twisted it harder, and a turbid liquid gushed out, instantly flowing on the concrete floor with a potent alcoholic aroma. I ran to the valve of another vat and did the same. This one, however, was empty, not a drop inside.
I moved to the next one. This one was better; it had liquid flowing out, though the smell wasn't as strong. But having something was better than nothing. As long as the quantity was sufficient, I would achieve my goal.
I opened these ten-plus vats. More than half of them contained a significant amount of liquid. It was estimated that the alcohol content had mostly dissipated due to prolonged storage, leaving behind this turbid liquid.
By now, the ground was already a large wet patch. I climbed onto a raised platform, holding an old work uniform and a lighter. I shouted, "Everyone stop!"
By then, the liquid had reached many people's feet. They were startled, wondering what it was. Hearing my voice, they all stopped.
I said, "All of Wu Guodong's men, put down your knives and throw them over here. I'll count to three. If you don't throw them, I'll light it up, and none of you will get out!"
Da Kui understood my intention. He kicked one of Wu Guodong's men beside him and shouted loudly, "All of us, fall back! Block the exit! If we die, we all die together!"
Qing Ge's men quickly regrouped and retreated, completely sealing the exit.
They must not have expected this move from me. With the strong, pungent smell, the slightest spark would ignite, likely causing even the air to combust.
Even the toughest men would hesitate in the face of a raging fire. Being engulfed in flames was not something anyone could endure.
At this moment, someone shouted a slogan, and they began throwing their daggers towards me. They clattered into the liquid, splashing quite a bit.
I still held the lighter, watching them throw their daggers until they were all gone.
After they had finished, I said, "Do you want to fight or stand down? If you want to fight, we'll accompany you. If you want to leave, we'll show you out!"
The same person spoke again, "We'll withdraw. However, two of our brothers went out earlier. We hope to take them back with us."
I replied, "Those two cannot leave. They injured two of our sisters, and their condition is unknown. I'm keeping them to seek an explanation from your leader. If you want to leave, I can let you go, but not them."
That person said, "Let them go. I'll stay here. If there's anything, deal with me."
I said, "You can stay here, but they still cannot go. Every wrong has its origin, and every debt has its owner. One matter at a time."
He sighed in resignation and waved his hand to gather his team. I then said, "Brother Kui, escort Qing Ge's brothers out through the side door. Don't use the exhibition hall."
Qing Ge's men quickly formed two lines, semi-encircling them in a fan shape. Da Kui led the way, guiding them through the workshop and around to the back exit.
The liquid was still spreading, and they left quickly, fearing I might change my mind and set them ablaze.
As I watched them leave the workshop, I descended from my perch and hurried to close the valves. The distillery had indeed stored a lot of liquor when it shut down, and it hadn't all been cleared out even now.
It was just that the material of the old storage tanks was poor, causing them to change color over time.