Born with Luck

Early in the morning, Gang Ge and Xiao Mao appeared on a roadside near the bus station, dragging a suitcase containing Liu Bei's corpse.

The Three Rivers Estuary bus station and train station were built diagonally opposite each other, sharing a large central square. To the west of the square was a street lined with various disorderly shops and small hotels, along with privately operated long-distance buses that perpetually solicited passengers from several vacant lots behind the street. To the south of the square was a bus terminal, and the entire area formed Three Rivers Estuary's transportation hub connecting to other cities. Like most station vicinities, this place was perpetually bustling with people and had a complex environment.

To the south of this area was a high, protruding section with a road on top. At this moment, Gang Ge and Xiao Mao were crouching at the edge of this road, hiding behind a planter box as they carefully observed the station below.

Watching the endless stream of people near the distant bus terminal, Gang Ge and Xiao Mao felt slightly relieved. With so many pedestrians and vehicles around, their ordinary figures shouldn't attract attention.

"Later, we'll carry the suitcase down those stairs," Gang Ge pointed to a nearby staircase about seven or eight meters high that led to the road below. "We'll go straight to the bus stop, take a bus to Dongqian Lake Station, then head to the mountains by the lake to find a secluded spot to dig a big hole and bury the entire suitcase. Remember, once we're at the bus stop, don't act nervous. We need to stay low-key and avoid drawing anyone's attention."

"Got it!" Xiao Mao immediately agreed, then suddenly thought of something. "Gang Ge, very few people go to Dongqian Lake this early. If we board now, the bus might be empty except for us after just a few stops."

Gang Ge frowned. He realized that while many people came from the suburbs to the city center in the morning, few went from the city to the suburbs—something he hadn't considered before.

"Maybe we should wait until nine o'clock. By then, many elderly folks living near Dongqian Lake will have finished shopping and be heading back."

Gang Ge checked his watch. It was already 8:15; waiting another half hour wouldn't be difficult. For safety's sake, it was better to wait.

The two continued crouching in place when suddenly, they heard a conversation from the road below.

"Brother Chao, that car's really valuable. Are we just abandoning it?"

"That car was stolen, and we killed the owner. If we keep driving it, we'll get caught sooner or later—not worth the risk."

"Do you think they'll find the body?"

"They'll find it eventually, but by then we'll be long gone from Three Rivers Estuary. With the local cops' skills, they'll never track us down. Wait here—I'll go find an unlicensed car nearby to take us out of here. Once we're out of Three Rivers Estuary, we're completely safe."

After Fang Chao left, Liu Zhi placed the suitcase containing a million dollars at his feet, took out a rice ball, and leaned against the wall as he ate, completely unaware of the two heads peeking out from the planter box above.

"Gang Ge, these two have blood on their hands," Xiao Mao whispered.

Gang Ge nodded, narrowed his eyes slightly in thought, then leaned closer to Xiao Mao's ear. "Then let's add another life to their tally."Xiao Mao gave a sly grin, and the two of them silently retreated a few steps before standing up. They picked up their suitcases and descended the stairs to the road below. Gang Ge led the way, with Xiao Mao following behind. Pretending to be travelers in a hurry, they stopped when they passed Liu Zhi. Gang Ge put on a simple, honest smile and asked, "Hey, buddy, do you know if there are any cheap motels around here?"

Liu Zhi immediately grew wary when strangers approached him, but seeing their shifty appearance and the suitcase they were dragging, he dismissed them as undercover cops—no cop would carry a suitcase while making an arrest. He was initially reluctant to engage but remembered Fang Chao’s warning: keep a low profile, avoid trouble, and don’t offend people while on the road. So he forced himself to answer, "I don’t know, I’m not from around here either."

Gang Ge sighed. "Hotels in Zhejiang are too expensive. We can’t afford them. We’ve been looking everywhere for a cheap one."

"You should try somewhere else. Be careful of shady places near the station."

"You’re right, buddy." Gang Ge took out a cigarette and offered it to Liu Zhi. "Thanks, man."

Liu Zhi declined. "No, no."

Gang Ge insisted warmly, "Come on, take it."

Liu Zhi took a slight step back. "I don’t smoke, thanks."

Gang Ge glanced at Xiao Mao out of the corner of his eye and put the cigarette away. "Alright then, thanks anyway. See you around!"

Liu Zhi watched them leave, an uneasy feeling creeping over him. He looked around but couldn’t pinpoint anything wrong, so he went back to eating his rice ball.

A few minutes later, Fang Chao jogged back and whispered, "We can’t leave today. The cops are doing random checks—everything near the station is under control."

"Did Zhou Rong call the police?"

Fang Chao frowned, thinking for a moment. "Not sure. Logically, since I took his USB drive, he wouldn’t dare report it. But he’s the richest man here, and that drive must have evidence of bribes involving officials from Three Rivers Estuary. Maybe they’re in cahoots with the police. Even if the cops got the drive, they’d probably return it to him."

"What do we do then?"

"Buses and trains are out of the question. Let’s go back for now. I’ll figure something out."

They retraced their steps. Liu Zhi picked up the suitcase but stopped after two steps, exclaiming, "Something’s wrong!" He stared at the suitcase in shock. It was the same black brand, the same design, even the same orientation—except it was one size larger and weighed a ton, easily a hundred pounds! His eyes widened, his face twisting in realization. A few seconds later, he cursed, "Those damn sons of bitches!"

Fang Chao stared at him grimly, then at the suitcase.

"Those bastards switched the cases!"

Fang Chao immediately rushed to inspect it. The suitcases had been bought in the same batch and modified by Zhu Yifei—the one for cash and the one for artifacts were identical except for the size difference. No wonder they hadn’t noticed at first. Fang Chao’s face turned deathly pale, while Liu Zhi, red-faced, recounted how the two men had asked him for directions earlier.

Fang Chao clenched his fists, glaring at Liu Zhi with bulging eyes, barely restraining himself from punching him. His voice was icy. "That’s the oldest trick in the book. Are you a complete idiot? How could you fall for that?""I... Brother Chao, it's all my fault. I'd deserve it if you killed me!" Liu Zhi was so furious he wanted to kill himself after realizing the hard-earned US dollars had been swapped by two petty thieves. He raised his hand and started slapping his own face repeatedly, his cheeks turning red and blood trickling from the corner of his mouth.

"Enough! What good would killing you do?" Fang Chao knocked his hand away, taking deep breaths to clear his mind. At this point, more blame wouldn't help—they needed to find those thieves who'd pulled the switch.

Fang Chao lifted the briefcase, feeling its weight, and said quietly, "Let's go. First, we'll take the case back to the hotel and see if there are any clues about those two inside. Then we'll get our money and belongings back!"