CHAPTER 1797: CHAPTER 1858: PAY BACK THE MONEY!

Without saying more, Li Yifei charged at the few underlings. The men in black didn’t expect Li Yifei to be so fierce even at this point, as if he wasn’t afraid of their knives at all. One man was slow to react and got struck by Li Yifei.

The baton hit his wrist, breaking it instantly, and the knife in his hand naturally flew out, nearly chopping his fellow behind him, who cried out in shock and leaped to the side.

This was just the beginning. Li Yifei went after them again. This time, the underling reacted, gripping his knife with both hands and slashing at Li Yifei, who used his baton to block the machete, lunged forward, and kicked fiercely, striking the man right in the chest, sending him flying.

The workers watching from behind were not just amazed but outright terrified. They had never seen someone so fierce in their entire lives, and they couldn’t help but pay close attention while whispering among themselves about what to do next.

In the blink of an eye, Li Yifei had knocked all the men in black to the ground. He then tossed his baton aside and started walking towards Heigou, who was getting up with a grimace of pain.

Heigou finally realized that the man who had suddenly appeared was a real tough guy, not someone a small-time thug like him could handle. So, he quietly backed towards the wall. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to run, but one side was heavily blocked by workers, and Li Yifei blocked the other. In his state, where could he go?

"You...you stay back, I’m warning you. If you dare come closer, the Handing Group won’t spare you," Heigou threatened with false bravado, searching for a weapon to defend himself. But he didn’t consider that even a gun wouldn’t work. Even if he picked up a couple of batons, he couldn’t stop Li Yifei.

Li Yifei didn’t stop, not even for a pause. Heigou shouted again, "Do you know who I’m with? I’m telling you, I’m with the Li family. If you touch me, you’re going against the Li family. In Mile City, no one who offends the Li family comes to a good end. If you take another step, I swear...the Li family will make sure you can’t live, nor die!"

Hearing Heigou wave the Li family flag as a threat again, Li Yifei couldn’t help but dust off his hands as if they had grime on them. He smirked disdainfully, realizing one thing—the Li family truly wielded authority in Mile City. Looking at those workers, just hearing the Li family name, a lot of them showed admiration.

Ordinary people, even working hard their whole lives at today’s average wage levels, could only save a million or so, and that’s if they didn’t eat or drink or spend money at all. And the Li family...those were unimaginable numbers. Just the Handing Group alone was worth a fortune.

But even with all that money, they don’t pay their salaries on time or even withhold them. This Li family isn’t as great as the rumors say. Many thought of this and were outraged, their expressions turning hostile.

Seeing that his threats weren’t working, Heigou was genuinely on the verge of tears, thinking, "Now, who will come save me? I would thank them from the bottom of my heart."

Maybe his prayers worked because just as Li Yifei was about to reach him, the tightly closed door swung open, and four people walked out.

"Stop!" A light command called out, and the leading man shouted at Li Yifei.

Li Yifei stopped and turned to see a man about the same age as himself, with a few others of similar age. Seeing them, the workers became excited, many moving forward, scaring Heigou to the point where he crawled desperately towards those four, rolling and stumbling until he landed face-first in front of them, looking pitiful. Even if he escaped today, Heigou’s future seemed dismal.

Heigou, lying on the ground, dared not ponder too much and should be grateful that while he ran over, that terrifying man didn’t make a move to stop him. Otherwise, he certainly wouldn’t have escaped smoothly.

"Pay us!" Before Li Yifei could speak, the workers rushed forward, shouting in unison.

Li Yifei also knew the man’s name, sharing the same surname, Li Xianjin. It was a name popular decades ago, now sounding outdated. Li Yifei understood that this person was responsible for these migrant workers.

Seeing him made Li Yifei angry. The man was clearly in the company but didn’t come out. His attitude itself was problematic, and what he did next made Li Yifei’s eye twitch with anger.

Li Xianjin also pulled out a gun from his coat, pointing the dark muzzle at the forehead of the leading foreman, safety off, ready to shoot at any moment. His expression turned even fiercer, and he said, "Back off, you sons of bitches. You’re turning against me!"

Seeing the gun, the workers had no choice, retreating. Compared to wages, they didn’t want to die there. Li Xianjin was notoriously bad-tempered, doing all sorts of evil deeds on the construction site. If they had a choice, none would come to demand wages from him.

Fearful they were, but after stepping back a few paces, the workers stopped, and someone shouted, "Li Xianjin, pay our wages. If you don’t, we won’t leave today!"

Li Xianjin laughed instead, tilting his head as he weighed the gun in his hand, "Not leaving, eh? Fine, just sleep here tonight. There, the ground is spacious enough for you to sleep on. I’ll order a food truck to come over, feed you dinner. How about that, isn’t that generous!"

After his sardonic remarks, the workers fell silent until Li Xianjin spoke again, "Fuck you, you brats. Get out of here. Don’t work properly, and you come to me with problems. Tomorrow, I’ll fire you all. Let’s see which construction site, after Handing Group drops you, dares to hire you!"

Their faces turned pale, to be honest. Handing Group’s pay was decent, offering ten to twenty more than other sites each day. Over a month, that’s three to six hundred, enough for some workers to have a drink at night, maybe cover their smoking expenses.

Yet, for all Li Xianjin’s words, many workers believed him. Handing Group and the Li family’s power was immense. If they were blacklisted, they truly would have nowhere to go.

But what’s the use of high wages if they don’t pay? Many workers were fearfully reluctant to leave.