Su Tang’s secret trip to Sichuan was not entirely unknown; at least, Hei Dou was aware of it.
This operation involved Gao Da, Ping An, and Hei Dou acting separately. To mislead the enemy, Ping An had turned off his phone as soon as he left, right in front of Qiao Yiyan. Hei Dou followed Su Tang into Sichuan, and it was Gao Da, who had arrived a few days earlier, who found him.
While Ping An was enjoying crabs, Gao Da and Hei Dou were lying in wait in an inconspicuous budget hotel next to the Batong Hotel.
“Not good, that mischievous girl Su Tang, she’s come to Sichuan on her own,” Hei Dou said, putting down his phone and speaking to Gao Da, who was applying a mask. “Before I left, I couldn’t stop worrying about her, so I asked Mai Zi to keep an eye on her. But Mai Zi went on a long trip, and when she came back, Su Tang was gone. After a lot of inquiries, guess where I got news of Su Tang from?”
“That woman is very determined. Don’t let her age fool you; she has big ideas and is bold. I said before that the three of us disappearing together would surely be noticed by Gao Xiaofei, who has a case on his hands and can’t be bothered with us. But Su Tang, he definitely can’t hide her,” Gao Da said, tearing off his facial mask. “It’s all Ping An’s fault, that spoiled brat. Before he left, he had to go the extra mile, slapping the child for no reason. It breaks my heart.”
“Old Gao, now is not the time for that. Tonight might be the night we ‘meet in person.’ At this critical juncture, Su Tang has come to Sichuan, and we don’t even know where she’s gone. Should we tell Brother Ping An?” Hei Dou said. “According to Mai Zi’s calculations, Su Tang has likely already arrived in Sichuan.”
“She came alone?” Gao Da still sounded disbelieving.
“No, a few punks who wanted to latch onto the An family corporation volunteered to come along, thinking they could climb the social ladder,” Hei Dou said. “Brother Ping An said not to contact him unless it was absolutely necessary. Do you think this counts? Don’t look at me, it’s too late to contact Gao Xiaofei now, and we’ll probably mess up our own plans.”
“How about I turn my phone on and call the child to ask?” Gao Da was torn.
“No, we can’t show ourselves. The other side’s background is too deep. This operation, apart from Director Xiang, not even Gao Xiaofei knows about it. It’s precisely because we feared too many people would be involved. If the other side has listening devices, they would have already bugged Su Tang’s phone, and our days of isolation would be wasted,” Hei Dou thought with increasing fear. What if the other side was already monitoring Su Tang’s phone? They’d likely know she was in Sichuan. If they controlled her, Ping An would be in a passive position.
“I told you, being too intelligent isn’t good for a woman,” Hei Dou said, sitting up on the bed and reaching for his pants.
“Where are you going?” Gao Da asked. “The crooked fairy is going to perform her ritual tonight!”
“I’ll be back soon!” Hei Dou said. “Director Xiang arranged for perimeter support, likely nearby. I’ll go out and find them. If I find them, I’ll figure out a way to have them contact Su Tang, using a different excuse to find her first.”
News of Su Tang’s arrival in Sichuan had indeed leaked, but at this moment, Su Tang had just finished a thoroughly wasteful hot shower and then dived into her blankets, snoring softly as she drifted into dreams.
Meanwhile, on the other side, three burly men left the Batong Hotel and found a small roadside stall nearby for some grilled fish and skewers. After drinking and badgering the stall owner until he was tipsy, they carefully inquired about the information they were seeking.
“We’ve had quite a few cars from other provinces lately—*hic*—all here to see the city’s scenery, nothing worth noting,” the owner, a local, became less guarded after drinking. In the small Shuicheng County, there were a few nightclubs, a few hotels, places that offered overnight stays, and internet cafes that served late-night snacks. He recounted all sorts of miscellaneous information.
Da Shu, with the best memory, took note of everything the owner said. He then exchanged a look with the round and square brothers, casually tossed down two hundred-yuan bills, and the three of them disappeared into the quiet night of Shuicheng.
Among the four cowardly fellows surnamed Huang, one had pocketed a phone in a park last week. Rumor had it that Lei Zi was after him, so this time, he probably wouldn’t dare show his identity and would have to lie low in places that didn’t check IDs.
When it came to finding people, Lao Yuan, a former debt collector, was quite adept. They first found a nightclub and sought out a group of young men who looked like they were involved in the underworld. After handing out a pack of cigarettes, they learned about the bathhouses and internet cafes in the county that didn’t require ID.
At eleven o’clock at night, the trio of burly men drove their car down a winding alleyway to a bathhouse called “Meiyan Yan.” This was the third bathhouse they had found that night.
“Welcome back, esteemed guests. Please take your hand tags and slippers. Be careful of slippery floors…”
The bathhouse wasn’t large, but the attendant’s voice and service were quite enthusiastic. The three burly men hadn’t bathed for two or three days. They didn’t usually care, but now that they were following a delicate young lady, they didn’t dare let their own odor drift towards her.
“I say, let’s just wash up here, regardless of whether there’s anyone or not?” Lao Yuan glanced at the pool, finding the water had just been changed and looked clean all around. He felt like washing up.
Seeing Da Shu and Lao Fang nod, Lao Yuan threw down a hundred-yuan bill, not waiting for change, and beckoned his companions, cigarettes dangling from their mouths, into the pool.
“Guests, top up a hundred yuan for a scrub, cupping, and foot massage! We’re ready for overnight stays, with tea and snacks served from a large teapot!”
The attendant’s voice grew louder and louder, and in the misty, steamy air, there was even a hint of an echo.
Qiao Yiyan’s worries were unfounded. As it turned out, any seasoned old journalist had a stomach of steel.
After dinner, back in the room, Ping An successfully fell asleep in the sedative haze. Qiao Yiyan was prepared and turned on the tablet at the appointed time.
“Tonight, no matter what, I must get to the bottom of this ‘Tong Hua’!” on the other side of the tablet, Yang Jiao was in a speeding car, clearly on a night journey.
“You’re coming to Shuicheng?” Qiao Yiyan sounded displeased by Yang Jiao’s sudden visit.
“I’ve already exited the highway. Don’t try to dissuade me. Just do your job,” Yang Jiao said.
At this point, Qiao Yiyan, clearly regretting her actions, just wanted to finish this quickly. She stopped talking and started working on Ping An again.
Hei Dou returned to the hotel before Qiao Yiyan began her “magic.” Gao Da, wearing headphones, only heard a ripping sound before he carefully removed them and nodded at Hei Dou.
“If nothing goes wrong, Ping An should be online by now,” Gao Da closed his laptop and took off his glasses, asking, “How’s your side? That girl?”
“Can’t find her, but I heard that Su Tang got off the highway with three burly men. We found the license plate number, but we don’t know where the car is now,” Hei Dou said. “Perimeter personnel have been deployed. We shouldn’t be distracted either; we should be preparing now.”
Gao Da nodded, glanced at the time, took out his phone, opened it, and then activated a newly registered SIM card, finally dialing Xiang Wanfeng’s number…
Half an hour later, Gao Xiaofei, who was searching the entire city for Yang Jie, received a call from Xiang Wanfeng in the heavy rain.
Qiao Yiyan’s technique was becoming increasingly proficient, and the time Ping An needed to be hypnotized was getting shorter.
“Where in Shuicheng is Tong Hua?” Qiao Yiyan asked softly, holding Ping An’s head.
“Gao Jia Zhai, the old warehouse…” As before, Ping An revealed everything.
“Do you remember? Yang Jie is the murderer of Fang Xin. Didn’t you know that long ago? Yang Jie wore a watch. What kind of watch was it? Why did it emit a green light when filmed?” After the questioning, Qiao Yiyan glanced at the tablet and began to feed new information to Ping An.
“It’s Yang Jie, it’s Yang Jie! Why him? Why?” Ping An began to twitch irregularly, his emotions agitated.
“Fang Xin was going to operate on Liao Yuan, so he panicked,” Qiao Yiyan continued to guide Ping An.
“Right, right, I knew it, didn’t I? Didn’t I?” Ping An whispered, without the usual strong reaction, just falling into a deep sleep.
“Yang Jiao, I’ve finished framing your father,” Qiao Yiyan said domineeringly, as if finally freed from the contract, before Ping An was fully asleep.
“It’s not framing; like my mother, Fang Xin was indeed killed by my cheap father,” Yang Jiao said with a triumphant, malicious smile. “Before I left, Yang Jie suddenly disappeared. Gao Xiaofei is probably searching the city for my father right now.”
“Oh? Then where is Yang Jie?” Qiao Yiyan asked.
“Where else could he be? Naturally, on his way to kill Tong Hua?” Yang Jiao laughed heartily, arrogantly pointing a thumb at the trunk of her car.
“For money, you’re quite sinister,” Qiao Yiyan said disdainfully.
“Thank you for the compliment. Now, please cooperate with me for one last thing,” Yang Jiao said with a sinister smile, provocatively. “I plan to escalate the drama and direct another scene where Ping An is mistakenly killed by Yang Jie while protecting Tong Hua!”
“Ping An is useless to you now. You don’t need to do this, do you? Did you forget? The organization instructed that Ping An cannot die!” Qiao Yiyan became anxious upon hearing Yang Jiao’s words.
“That’s your organization, not mine. I wanted to join back then. Mr. Ke, such a nice title. Unfortunately, you didn’t value me, preferring a wet-behind-the-ears Su Tang over me. Regret it now? Know how powerful I am? Hahahaha!” Yang Jiao burst into laughter.
Just then, amidst Yang Jiao’s laughter, several masked men suddenly burst into the room. Before Qiao Yiyan could react, they grabbed Ping An and dragged him out. As Qiao Yiyan tried to struggle, a stun gun was suddenly fired into her back.
Yang Jiao sat in her car, witnessing everything that had just happened through the tablet. Seeing her subordinates finally subdue both Ping An and Qiao Yiyan, she closed the computer with satisfaction, let out a big yawn, and rolled down the car window.
Outside the window, those four hooligans surnamed Gao were eagerly awaiting an audience with their master.
“Gao Jia Zhai? Old warehouse? Did you tell the people who gave you this address?” Yang Jiao, though seated in the car, exuded an imposing aura, her words now carrying a hint of authority.
“It’s already marked, and the route that avoids surveillance cameras has also been explained,” the leader of the small Gao group said in a low, subservient tone.
“Oh, this job is good. Here’s two hundred thousand yuan. You four shouldn’t go back to Hechuan for now. Wait until the end of the year, then come back. I’ll have more use for you in the future,” Yang Jiao threw a stack of money out the car window and closed the window without waiting for a reply.
“Congratulations, Miss. The counter-kill was successful!” In the passenger seat, the old butler from the Liao family suddenly turned around.
“Old butler, how do you think I handled this?” Yang Jiao boasted.
“Excellent, no questions asked. The younger generation is indeed pushing forward; you have the means, the grand strategy, and the responsibility,” the old butler said. “Now Old Mr. Liao can smoothly reclaim the company, and you don’t need to rush. As the sole heir of the Liao family, you will inherit all of the Liao family’s wealth. Of course, you’ll have to wait until you’re of legal age.”
Hearing the old butler droning on about turning eighteen, the new boss, who had been in good spirits, nodded with a hint of disdain and sank back into the luxurious reclining seat of the car.
“We’re rich, we’re rich! Let’s go for a bath and rest for a bit, then head home tomorrow!”
“Brother, we’ve already earned 200,000 yuan, why are we still coming to a bathhouse?”
“It’s all because of you, damn it! Do you dare expose it? Be careful of getting caught and spending the New Year out of town!”
…
At three in the morning, four uninvited guests arrived at the Meiyan Yan bathhouse. Since it was open twenty-four hours, the attendant on duty cordially invited them in and hurried to heat water for the pool.
“Are there any scrubbers?” the most arrogant-looking of the four asked the attendant fiercely.
“It’s too late, the scrubbers have gone home. Can you guests just soak for now?” the attendant said cautiously.
“Bah, I’ve been tired for days. I don’t care about that!” This one glanced at the guests sleeping on the lounge chairs by the bathhouse and said, “Call one for me!”
“Brother, how about I scrub for you? It’s so late, it’s really…” The attendant clearly had a lot of experience.
“How much do you weigh? I’m too heavy! Find me someone with some strength!” This one was still insistent.
“Well, how about I scrub for you? Will you pay me?” A burly man lifted the white towel covering his face and said with a smile.
The one in front looked at him and saw that the man had a muscular physique. Perhaps it was too dark in the bathhouse, but he didn’t see any knife scars on his face.
“Alright, as long as you serve us comfortably, the price is negotiable. If you don’t serve us comfortably, you’ll drink all the water in this pool!” With twenty thousand yuan in cash, money had emboldened him, and he had long forgotten his hometown accent. The bathhouse was hazy with steam, and he couldn’t see clearly. He boldly beckoned the burly man opposite him.
“Hey, work’s here, let’s get to it.” The one who accepted the job was none other than Da Shu. He nudged the soundly sleeping You Yuan and You Fang, one after the other, and walked towards the four unsuspecting fellows with a smile.
As the saying goes, “What you seek will find you!” The trio of burly men, relying on their street smarts, had found their way here and had caught these four blind rats. At this moment, the burly men, one for each, surrounded the “newbies” who had just entered the pool.
“Get away from me, we haven’t finished soaking yet, you… Ah! Ahhhhhhh!” The arrogant leader, surnamed Gao, hadn’t even finished his curse before the burly man approached him, grabbed him by the neck, and with a force that defied reason, shoved his head into the pool, making him gulp down water.
“Damn… you…” Finally, when the force on his neck lessened, Gao felt he could lift his head out of the water. Taking a breath, he still tried to curse. Unfortunately, the force on his neck attacked again, and he was no match for it. His head was submerged in the water once more.
“Fuck!” After a while, Gao lifted his head again. Before he could utter a single “fuck,” his head was forced down into the water again.
This went on for seven or eight times. When Gao finally lifted his head out of the water for the last time, he let out a meaningful burp and finally shut his mouth. Opposite him, the other three surnamed Gao were squatting in the pool, holding thick straws used for drinking milk tea in their mouths, desperately sucking the water from the pool into their stomachs.
“Wimpy… wimpy kids, here, here, here, here… you, you, you, you add some… *ah*… ingredients!”
Lao Fang, with his broad shoulders and waist, suddenly walked in front of Gao, facing him, with his back to the other three surnamed Gao.
“Heh.” Looking at Gao, Lao Fang actually smiled shyly.
“Splash.” With a sound, Lao Fang yanked down the large towel tied around his waist and stood naked before Gao.
Fortunately, there was still plenty of water in the pool, reaching Lao Fang’s stomach, so Gao, facing him, did not see Lao Fang’s embarrassing body parts.
“Ah?” However, Lao Fang’s bold action made Gao somewhat bewildered, a mix of awkwardness and shyness, with a hint of resistance. His hands instinctively protected his chest.
“Pffft—!”
Gao had thought too much.
Lao Fang had just farted.
The other three surnamed Gao, at a speed visible to the naked eye, saw a wave of gas emanating from behind Lao Fang’s plump waist. The vibrating gas actually splashed a large plume of water, and then…
“Suck! Suck harder!” Lao Yuan, standing at the very back, held a wooden ladle and beat the heads of the other three surnamed Gao without rhyme or reason. Amidst his actions, he still put on a show of concern for his “children,” saying emotionally, “That’s Lao Fang’s essence; ordinary people can’t taste it. Suck, suck with big gulps! Don’t waste it!”
“Damn it! If you waste even a little, I’ll give you kids something thicker next time…” Seeing that his subordinates were still reluctant to suck vigorously, Lao Yuan unleashed his ultimate move.
Indeed, something thick was more potent than a ladle.
The three surnamed Gao finally summoned all their strength and sucked greedily.
Da Shu turned over, picked up a pipe used for draining water from the edge of the pool, and said to the stunned Gao, “How about you have some too, wimp?”
The attendant, crouching by the entrance of the bathhouse, had seen a lot, but had never witnessed such a scene.
“You, I’m talking to you. You’re almost done. Don’t call the police, or next time we come, we’ll bring a water pump for you, alright?” Da Shu glanced at the attendant and said earnestly.
“I’ll go and get some noodles for you gentlemen…” the attendant said respectfully.
The trio of burly men sat by the pool, each slurping a bowl of noodle soup with gusto.
In the pool, the Gao group, having vomited their guts out, shivered in the now cold water.
“Think it through and speak. Say what you have to say, why you came, what you were doing, who you were doing it for, and how you did it. Don’t make me ask,” Da Shu said, biting a clove of garlic and frowning.
“Grandpa, we were just doing errands for someone, doing some scouting and surveillance work for the boss, Gu,” the Gao surnamed group said, shivering.
Inside the Batong Hotel, Su Tang, who had slept for a night, woke up with a sneeze and reluctantly got out of bed. She casually checked her phone. Damn! Her godfather had called 22 times, her godmother 41 times, and unknown numbers 16 times…
Could she have been discovered? It was only four in the morning, and the weather was cold. Su Tang, wrapped in her blanket, suddenly shivered.
“Open the doors, open the doors! I want you to investigate every guest’s situation, check now!” A familiar voice suddenly came from outside.
Su Tang jumped out of bed, got dressed, and without bothering to wash her face, quickly opened the door to see the hallway in chaos. Police officers were everywhere, and there were several police dogs.
“Su Tang!” a shout echoed from the hallway. Su Tang turned around and saw Hei Dou.
“Why are you here?” Hei Dou stepped forward, grabbed Su Tang, and examined her closely, saying with concern, “We’ve been going crazy looking for you!”
“I came to deliver a message. My master is in danger, and so is that person called Tong Hua!” Meeting a familiar face in a foreign land, Su Tang almost burst into tears.
“It’s good that you’re safe! It’s good that you’re safe!” Gao Da, whom she hadn’t seen in days, also appeared from behind Hei Dou.
“I knew it. You two disappeared, and my master must have been planning something big, right?” Su Tang said excitedly.
Speaking of Ping An, Hei Dou and Gao Da looked at each other and lowered their heads.
“Girl, you’re too late with your message. Your master has been captured by bad guys,” Gao Da said in a low voice.
“What?” Su Tang’s eyes widened, and she asked disbelievingly, “When?”
“Almost two hours ago. We’ve been monitoring from the perimeter,” Hei Dou said.
“You were monitoring him, so why didn’t you protect him? What happened?” Su Tang became even more anxious, with large teardrops already clinging to her eyelashes.
“According to the plan, we were going to confront Qiao Yiyan this morning, control Qiao Yiyan, and then stage a scene to lure out the mastermind and capture them all,” Hei Dou finally revealed the plan Ping An had meticulously devised. However, unexpectedly, the usually cautious mastermind took the initiative this time, not only hiding it from Qiao Yiyan but also quickly taking control of Ping An. This move disrupted their original plan. Hei Dou and Gao Da couldn’t react in time, and by the time they rushed from the perimeter to the hotel, the person was already gone.
“What else are you hiding from me?” Su Tang cried for a few moments, then suddenly wiped away her tears, her expression firm, and asked, “I need to know everything!”
Hei Dou looked at Gao Da, unsure whether to speak.
“Speak!” With a roar like a young tiger, Su Tang’s low growl made Hei Dou and Gao Da break out in a cold sweat.
“According to the plan, your master was supposed to tell Qiao Yiyan Tong Hua’s location while feigning sleep. Oh, that’s at the old warehouse in Gao Jia Zhai, Shuicheng County. It’s ‘huo’ for goods, not ‘huo’ for a kitchen!” Hei Dou dared not hide anything further and confessed everything. “After Qiao Yiyan reports this information, we will immediately control Qiao Yiyan and then cooperate with the police to set a trap at the old warehouse, waiting for the enemy to fall into it.”
“Are you idiots? Why no backup plan? How could my master not…” Su Tang suddenly stopped speaking, her eyebrows furrowed, and she grabbed Hei Dou, saying, “You just said Gao Jia Zhai? Isn’t that my godfather’s hometown? I remember my godfather saying that besides an old warehouse, isn’t there also an old kitchen there?”
“Yes, at least when we finalized it, your master designated the location as the old warehouse!” Gao Da thought for a moment and confirmed.
“That’s it, this must be my master’s backup plan!” Su Tang said. “When he mentioned this plan, did he say something like making a mountain out of a molehill or something similar?”
“He really did. I reminded your master at the time that he needed to think about plan B, but your master refused,” Hei Dou said.