In the kitchen of a three-story building on Phoenix Old Street, the fragrant smell of stewed pork trotters, cooked until tender, wafted out.
Xitu Ang stood before the clay pot and coldly set down his phone.
Just moments ago, he had received a call from his granddaughter's best friend, informing him that Erika had gone missing at the shopping mall.
"Us Real Estate Group."
That had been the first thought to surface in Xitu Ang's mind. He had not offended anyone else on Tianshu Star. The only party with whom he had a conflict of interests was Us Real Estate Group.
In recent days, because of the demolition of Phoenix Old Street, he had become the leader of the residents' opposition. He had presumably become a thorn in Us Real Estate Group's side, a thorn in its flesh.
Xitu Ang turned off the gas stove and walked out of the kitchen. Outside, noisy shouting and crying rang out, mixed with the sounds of construction vehicles rolling over the ground. Every sound struck his ears clearly.
Xitu Ang opened the window and glanced outside.
He saw the construction vehicles of Us Real Estate Group driving into Phoenix Old Street once again. This time, a large number of security officers had also come to clear the way, confronting the residents of Phoenix Old Street.
An official held a loudspeaker and shouted, "Residents of Phoenix Old Street, please don't get agitated. I am the director of Dong'an City's Planning Bureau. Phoenix Old Street is a key project being comprehensively promoted by the Dong'an City authorities. We are currently taking urgent measures with Us Real Estate Group to negotiate a reasonable compensation plan. Please return home, everyone. Don't continue harboring a confrontational attitude."
Yet such words could not possibly make the residents of Phoenix