The surrounding villagers watched the scene unfold with mixed emotions.
Some sympathized with Chu Yue, while others seethed with anger toward the demolition crew, yet not a single person dared to step forward and speak up.
Seeing Chu Yue’s stubborn refusal to back down, Chu Fugui pulled out an agreement from his pocket, raised it high, and addressed the crowd loudly.
"Take a good look, everyone! The agreement is right here, signed and stamped by the village committee! How could I possibly embezzle my own niece’s compensation? People these days will go to any lengths just to squeeze out more money!"
He then turned back to Chu Yue. "Xiao Yue, even though you’re my niece, rules are rules. I won’t tolerate your nonsense!"
"I never signed this!" Chu Yue screamed hysterically. "You tore down our house—where are my brother and I supposed to live now?!"
"There’s the compensation money, isn’t there?"
"I haven’t seen a single cent! Where is this compensation you’re talking about? You stole it, didn’t you?!"
"The compensation will only be processed after the demolition is complete. How could you accuse your own uncle like this?"
"I don’t care! I’d rather die than let you tear it down! Our parents left us nothing but this house, and now you want to take that too? Have you no conscience?!" Tears streamed down Chu Yue’s face as she spoke.
Realizing he couldn’t reason with her, Chu Fugui finally lost his patience. He turned to the leader of the demolition thugs and said coldly, "I’ve done all I can. And honestly, with so many grown men here, can’t you handle one girl? Just drag her away and be done with it!"
The thug leader nodded, no longer hesitating. With a wave of his hand, he barked, "Move in!"
Immediately, four or five thugs closed in on Chu Yue, while the bulldozer behind them roared to life, ready to flatten the house by force.
Chu Yue tightened her grip on the knife in her hand. Though her heart pounded with fear, her eyes burned with unwavering resolve.
She knew she might not be able to stop them, but she would never take a single step back.
The villagers watching couldn’t help but murmur among themselves.
"Ah, those poor Chu siblings…"
"Yeah, the brother’s already locked up, probably facing years in prison. Now this girl’s about to suffer the same fate."
"Is there really no justice in this world?"
"Justice? Niu Ben and Chu Fugui say they are the law. Until people like them fall, we’ll always be at their mercy."
"......"
The more they talked, the heavier their hearts grew.
Just as the thugs were about to lunge at Chu Yue, an arrogant voice suddenly cut through the crowd from the back.
"Did I just hear something about an agreement? Show it to me!"
The crowd parted, making way for a chubby young man who swaggered in, followed by a group of rough-looking men. He strode straight up to Village Chief Chu Fugui.
Chu Fugui narrowed his eyes. "I knew you weren’t with Boss Niu. Who the hell are you? What do you want?!"
Niu Ben was the demolition contractor, and Chu Fugui was his local collaborator—they had a business arrangement.
But he’d never seen Ma Da before, which was why he’d been so furious earlier when he spotted this group hanging around his son.
Ma Da grinned, flashing a roguish smirk. "Who am I? Just a passerby who can’t stand bullies. You said you’ve got an agreement and some authorization papers? Show ’em to me."
Before Chu Fugui could respond, the demolition crew’s leader stepped forward, glaring at Ma Da. "Kid, you looking to play hero? Who do you think you are? Name your crew!"
Slap!
Ma Da backhanded him across the face. "I’m your damn daddy!"
The leader staggered, clutching his cheek in fury. "You little—! Beat him to death!"
At his command, a dozen demolition thugs raised their clubs and charged at Ma Da.
But Ma Da didn’t flinch. He wagged a finger lazily. "Tsk tsk, wanna fight? I’d think twice if I were you. Consequences might get ugly~"
The moment he finished speaking, over twenty men emerged from the surroundings, each brandishing a collapsible baton, advancing menacingly.
The demolition thugs froze mid-step, their faces paling.
The villagers recognized them and began whispering excitedly.
"Wait, aren’t these the gangsters from this morning? I thought they were with Niu Ben?"
"Could they be Chu Yang’s friends?"
"But Chu Yang’s a retired soldier—how would he know so many underworld types?"
"Still, this might be a good thing. Only people like them can deal with these demolition crooks."
"Right! It takes a villain to fight a villain! If they can drive these thugs out, I’ll sign that petition!"
"Me too! I’ve had enough of their tyranny!"
"Hell yeah!"
"......"
Ma Da’s sudden intervention took the villagers by surprise, but it also sparked a glimmer of hope.
After all, they’d suffered under Niu Ben’s demolition crew and Village Chief Chu Fugui for too long, too afraid to resist their oppression.
It wasn’t as if no one had reported them to the police, but officers had limited jurisdiction over demolition disputes unless blood was shed.
Now, with this mysterious gang stepping in, the villagers sensed a shift.
If these men could truly bring them justice, they were ready to cooperate.
With Ma Da’s twenty-plus baton-wielding backup, the two sides were now evenly matched.
Neither the demolition leader nor Chu Fugui dared to act recklessly anymore.
A tense standoff ensued.
Seeing the tides turn, Chu Fugui softened his tone. "Brother, we’re all reasonable people here. Might doesn’t make right, right?"
"Oh, now you get it?" Ma Da sneered. "But when your whole gang was ganging up on a defenseless girl, you didn’t seem to mind, huh?!"
Chu Fugui faltered, then quickly countered, "We had no choice! The demolition’s been settled for ages. If you want to see the agreement and authorization, fine—but let’s be fair. If everything’s legit, maybe you can talk some sense into this girl. She’s holding up progress—when will everyone get their new homes at this rate?"
Ma Da thrust out his hand. "Cut the crap. Hand ’em over."
Chu Fugui promptly passed him two documents: the demolition agreement and the authorization letter.
The agreement was forged, but the authorization was genuine.
He was certain a small-time thug like Ma Da wouldn’t spot the trick—in his eyes, these gangsters were practically illiterate, clueless about legal technicalities.
But reality would prove him utterly wrong.
Ma Da took the documents, skimmed through them carefully, then let out a cold laugh as he looked up at Chu Fugui. "Old man, you think you can fool a ghost with this?"
Chu Fugui froze, still processing the words, when Ma Da jabbed a finger at the agreement. "Forget whether the signatures are fake—just look at the compensation amount! The government notice clearly states that demolition payouts are calculated per person, no less than 60,000 each. That means those two siblings should get at least 120,000. So how the hell did it shrink to 20,000 in your hands? You pocketed the rest?"
"And this authorization letter—where are the stamps from the Planning Bureau and the Administrative Enforcement Bureau? Huh? Did you swallow those too? You dare pull off a forced demolition without proper paperwork? You’ve got some nerve, breaking the law like this!"
With that, Ma Da hurled both documents straight into Chu Fugui’s face, each word sharp as a blade. "A piece of trash like you has no right to call yourself a village chief. Did you really think no one could take you down?"
