Chapter 785: Chapter 770: Faulty Inference
Facing Wang Qiang’s unwarranted and confrontational accusations, Tang Xiaoquan had to speak up and explain.
Having known Wang Qiang for many years, he was too familiar with his personality. If he couldn’t give the latter a convincing explanation now, he feared that the rest of the day would be spent in the latter’s mockery and questioning. Moreover, Old Zhao’s eyes also brimmed with doubt at this moment.
Due to the complexity of the entire incident and the involvement of too many people, Tang Xiaoquan took nearly five minutes to clearly convey his views to the two people in front of him.
He believed that after such a detailed analysis, the two should understand why he was so confident that Liu Fugui and Chun Xiu were in cahoots.
However, reality often disappoints.
After Tang Xiaoquan’s lengthy and articulate explanation, before he could even catch his breath, Wang Qiang rolled his eyes dismissively and responded as his assessment of Tang’s analysis.
"Nonsense, that’s bloody nonsense you’re talking about!"
Angered, Tang Xiaoquan was thoroughly provoked. He had been restraining his emotions all day, trying not to respond to Wang Qiang’s provocations, because he knew the latter’s agitation mainly stemmed from Liu Yunpeng’s shameless visit to the villa.
So to allow Wang Qiang to vent his frustration, he patiently tolerated him.
But understanding was one thing, the other’s behavior clearly indicated taking advantage. Especially the utterly disrespectful comment earlier; it was not only an insult to his hard work but also a blatant disregard.
This made the already exhausted and stressed Tang Xiaoquan unable to bear it, and he retaliated, shouting, "Damn it, don’t stand there acting like it doesn’t hurt to talk without thinking! Anyone can say cool remarks! Nonsense? I’d like to hear your superior insight!"
Wang Qiang smirked, letting out two dismissive chuckles, "Heh heh!"
"What are you laughing at? Just when it comes to speaking, you can’t come up with a fart, and still, you have the face to say my analysis is nonsense? How shameless of you!"
Wang Qiang swatted away the hand pointed at his nose, retorting defiantly, "Damn it, what are you so arrogant about? With that bullshit analysis, you think you’re in the right talking to me so righteously? I’m telling you, Quan, for goodness’ sake, stop being so stubborn, use your head, and don’t just think about Liu Fugui and Chun Xiu being connected. Based on your logic, it’s all damn preconceived notions. Have you ever thought that maybe Liu and Chun have absolutely nothing to do with each other?"
Preconceived notions, the four words Wang Qiang uttered struck heavily upon Tang Xiaoquan. Despite not wanting to admit it, what Wang Qiang said was true.
From the moment Old Xu began narrating, his subconscious immediately categorized Liu Fugui as the bad guy with ulterior motives.
And all his subsequent considerations and analyses revolved around this central thesis without contemplating other possibilities.
Could Liu Fugui really be, as he claimed, forced to seek refuge at the villa due to betrayal and being homeless?
"What’s the matter? Playing dumb? Don’t act like that, where’s all that self-righteousness you had just now? Keep arguing! Bloody hell, you’ve tormented everyone for so long, wasted so much time, and now you’re quiet and cowardly."
Wang Qiang’s taunts rang clearer in his ears, bringing Tang Xiaoquan back from his doubts and reflections on his conclusions.
Old Zhao hadn’t anticipated such a huge disagreement would arise between the two over Liu Fugui’s issue at this critical juncture. Seeing that the situation was getting out of control, he quickly intervened, saying, "Alright, Qiang, say no more. Nobody’s perfect, everyone’s perspectives differ, so we need to gather collective insights. Your point was valuable, I think little Tang will reassess it. It’s getting late, heading back to the villa isn’t realistic now. Come, give me a hand downstairs, it’s time to prepare dinner."
With that said, Old Zhao forcefully grabbed Wang Qiang’s arm to pull him down the stairs, though the latter was understandably reluctant, "Hey, Old Zhao, let go. That guy hasn’t answered my question yet. He’s the one who organized such useless surveillance that not only tired everyone out but also prevented us from getting back to the villa. He ought to provide an explanation."
"Enough, no more talking. Little Tang is exhausted enough today; come downstairs to cook with me."
"He deserves that exhaustion, it’s all his own doing, nobody else’s fault, but we..."
Watching the fading figures of Wang and Zhao, Tang Xiaoquan stood blankly in place, with Wang Qiang’s complaints intermittently echoing from downstairs. Sighing deeply, he wondered if he was truly wrong this time?
The preconceived notion had instinctively categorized Liu Fugui as a bad guy. He rubbed his temples, which were starting to throb; fatigue was the only thing he felt now.
Picking up the binoculars again to observe the factory, Qiao Shan was directing his men to transport the materials scavenged by the outbound team. Tang Xiaoquan could even discern the specific brands from the packaging on the cardboard boxes.
His morning hypothesis was incorrect, and the so-called probing plan had also failed. The black off-road vehicle dispatched by the factory wasn’t heading to the villa at all, but just going out to search for supplies.
As for the two captives in the vehicle, they were probably just there to carry cargo or serve as zombie bait.
Only after the people on the factory grounds dispersed did Tang Xiaoquan reluctantly put down the binoculars. After taking a short rest, he picked up the hand-held radio and weakly reported the situation observed to Old Xu.
"Oh, I see," Old Xu heard the fatigue in his tone and kindly expressed concern: "Little Tang, don’t just focus on monitoring the factory, take care of your health too! Over and out!"
Old Xu’s concern made Tang Xiaoquan feel even more embarrassed, he replied awkwardly, "I’m fine, Old Xu, to have led everyone through such trouble today only to end up like this is really... but I still hope everyone remains vigilant to prevent any mishaps at night; I’ll continue to keep an eye out here. Over and out!"
Old Xu seemed to pick up on some underlying reasons for Tang Xiaoquan’s despondence and reassured him, saying, "Little Tang, that’s not quite right. Leaving aside whether Chun Xiu will make a move on the villa today, staying alert is never wrong. Moreover, I want to say that we shouldn’t dismiss your hypothesis just because of this incident. On the contrary, I think your view is quite reasonable. So until everything’s settled, I believe we should continue deploying based on your ideas. Over and out!"
Old Xu’s support and affirmation were undoubtedly a timely boost, and Tang Xiaoquan’s weary spirits lifted: "Alright, Old Xu, I’ll continue to monitor the factory’s movements on my end. Over and out!" (To be continued. If you enjoy this work, feel free to visit Qidian (qidian.com) to cast your votes and support, it’s my biggest motivation. Mobile users, please visit m.qidian.com to read.)
