Chapter 11: Shards of the People

“Miss!”

“You’re at the company with my father?”

“Yes, President Tang is leading the acquisition of Liao’s Winery, and I’m assisting.”

“Have Da Hu bring some men to the villa to pick me up. I plan to check out that abandoned warehouse in the eastern part of the city.”

“Alright, I’ll get in touch with Da Hu.”

Da Hu was well known to both Tang Jianing and Zhou Lü. Back when their father established the Tang family’s local stronghold, Da Hu was already at the level of a hall master. However, after causing a major stir abroad once again, he couldn’t stay overseas any longer and had returned home. Not only was he muscular, but when wielding a steel pipe or a blade, it was nearly impossible for a dozen ordinary men to get close to him. Even unarmed, he could easily take on four or five opponents at once. With such a formidable protector, Tang Jianing’s safety was almost guaranteed whenever she went out.

Having just finished dinner, an SUV pulled up outside the villa, and Da Hu’s broad figure appeared at the door.

“Miss!”

“Hmm, let’s go.”

Tang Jianing grabbed a bag and slung it over her shoulder before settling into the passenger seat. As the vehicle started moving, Da Hu hesitated for a moment before cautiously speaking.

“Miss, it seems the boss has some suspicions about what happened last night.”

“He suspects I might know something?”

“Not entirely sure. Last night, the boss asked for details, but we stuck to the old story—everything is Zhou Lü’s responsibility.”

Tang Jianing frowned upon hearing this and thought deeply for a moment before sighing. Their father was always cunning; he had probably sensed some loopholes.

“It’s not a big issue. Without concrete evidence, he won’t bring it up.”

“Miss, how long do you intend to keep this from the boss? Every time we do something, it has to be in secret.”

“Wait a little longer. If my father doesn’t bring it up, I have no way of addressing it.”

As they spoke, the car arrived in front of a large warehouse. Tang Wanwan glanced at the documents in her hand, then stepped out and stood before the outermost warehouse.

“Miss, what are you planning to develop this place into?”

“A night market.”

Tang Jianing didn’t explain much, instead surveying the cluster of warehouses before her. This area had once belonged to the Mountain City Cement Factory, which, after transitioning from state-owned to private ownership, had unfortunately gone bankrupt due to poor management. To prevent large-scale layoffs and social unrest, the authorities had intervened, taking over the factory for bankruptcy restructuring. Workers and facilities had been relocated, but this vast, dilapidated warehouse remained untouched.

With the city rapidly expanding, the best direction for Mountain City’s growth was eastward. Establishing a night market here, along with supporting facilities and residential buildings, would yield unimaginable profits.

“Let’s go inside and take a look.”

At Tang Jianing’s command, Da Hu kicked open the rusted wooden door, releasing a cloud of dust and a foul stench. Tang Wanwan adjusted her flashlight to its brightest setting, revealing the scene inside. The vast warehouse was already leaking rain and wind, and its expansive space felt eerily empty.

Yet, in one corner, a red bucket about waist-high caught Tang Jianing’s attention. After all these years of changes, anything valuable should have long been taken. That a bucket was still here surprised her.

She quickened her pace to the bucket and gestured to Da Hu, “Move this aside; I need to measure the approximate area.”

“Got it!”

Da Hu readily agreed and tried to lift the bucket with all his strength. But despite his efforts, it wouldn’t budge. His face clouded with confusion as he lifted the lid, revealing hardened cement inside.

“Who the hell is crazy enough to store a bucket full of cement here?”

Hearing Da Hu’s complaint, Tang Jianing raised an eyebrow and shone her flashlight over it. Upon closer inspection, a feeling of discord arose. Normally, such buckets were used by workers for mixing cement, usually covered in scratches. But this one, aside from a layer of dust, looked surprisingly clean. The corrosion marks suggested it was at most a year old—definitely not original to this warehouse.

“Interesting.”

Tang Jianing leaned in for a closer look and came to a conclusion: the cement inside had been poured directly by a mixer, controlled by an experienced foreman, making it exceptionally neat.

“Do we have tools? Break it open and see!”

Curiosity piqued, Tang Jianing was eager to investigate. Cement sealing the bucket suggested something hidden within. Based on years of experience with her father and his associates, this was likely a method to conceal illicit gold bars. Gold’s hardness meant even if the cement were destroyed, the bars inside would remain unharmed.

Da Hu quickly rummaged through the trunk and pulled out a hammer. He stretched a little beside the bucket.

“Miss, step back a bit. I don’t want cement chunks flying at you.”

Tang Jianing nodded and stepped aside. Da Hu swung the hammer repeatedly against the bucket: eighty, eighty, eighty strikes... As the cement shattered, Da Hu suddenly stopped.

“What’s wrong?”

Seeing Da Hu halt, Tang Jianing asked.

“If I’m not mistaken, this isn’t gold bars—it’s human remains.”

Tang Jianing blinked in shock. She hurried over to Da Hu’s side, flashlight illuminating a pair of skeletal hands embedded in the cement.

No gold bars in sight, but human remains were uncovered first.

Squinting, Tang Jianing observed the size of the bones and estimated the corpse inside to be either a woman or a child.

“Call the security department. Bring more people to thoroughly search all these warehouses.”

There were at least fifty or sixty warehouses in this area; no one could be sure this was the only set of remains.

“Understood!”

Recognizing the gravity of the situation, Da Hu quickly dialed the number.

Within half an hour, over thirty security personnel had gathered outside the abandoned warehouses.

“Everyone, be careful when searching for red buckets like this. Don’t disturb the scene—just find out how many there are.”

“Da Hu, contact the head of the criminal investigation unit and inform him of the situation here.”