Born with Luck

At the traffic light, cars lined up in a long queue. Fang Chao and Liu Zhi were driving a beat-up old car that looked like an unearthed relic, trailing behind a large truck with a gap of about four meters between them.

Just then, a luxurious SUV sped down the bus lane on the right. Liu Zhi glanced at the rearview mirror and urged, "Chao, step on it! That asshole’s gonna cut in."

Fang Chao chuckled and shook his head. As the SUV attempted to squeeze in, he floored the accelerator, forcing the SUV to brake abruptly. A bald, tattooed tough guy leaned out of the window, cursing at them.

The two burst into laughter.

Soon, the light turned green, and the cars started moving again. As their clunker pulled away from the SUV, Liu Zhi coughed loudly, turned around, and spat a thick glob of phlegm onto the SUV’s windshield. The tattooed man was left utterly dumbfounded.

Fang Chao continued driving the old car, but before long, the tattooed man in the SUV caught up with them. Using his vehicle’s superior performance, he aggressively swerved and cut them off, trying to force them to stop. Fang Chao, wanting to avoid trouble, kept yielding. The chase led them all the way to the outskirts of the city until, finally, the old car couldn’t brake in time and rear-ended the SUV.

The tattooed man got out, saw the dent in his bumper, and stormed over in a rage, slamming his hands on their hood and demanding they step out. Liu Zhi immediately pulled a dagger from under the seat, ready to fight, but Fang Chao grabbed him and warned, "Stay in the car. Don’t start trouble!"

Fang Chao got out and apologized profusely, then timidly suggested, "Our car isn’t insured. Could you, uh, take full responsibility and file a claim with your insurance?"

The tattooed man sneered, "You spit on my car, crash into me, and now you want me to take the blame? How about I just give you the car too?"

Fang Chao exchanged a glance with Liu Zhi, thought for a moment, and replied, "Sure."

An hour later, Fang Chao and Liu Zhi, now wearing sunglasses and blasting music, sped down the road in the luxurious SUV. The tattooed man was bound, gagged, and stuffed into the trunk, unable to move.

The SUV stopped at a deserted intersection in the suburbs, facing a jewelry store. Fang Chao and Liu Zhi put on hats, masks, and other disguises before grabbing their tools and backpacks. They quickly approached the store, where Liu Zhi slapped "Under Renovation" signs on the glass doors. Then they rushed inside.

Fang Chao pulled out a pistol and announced the robbery while Liu Zhi vaulted over the counter. Working in perfect sync, they herded the three female clerks into a corner within seconds, securing the entire store. The terrified women froze in shock as Fang Chao rolled down the security shutter. He spoke calmly, trying to reassure them: "Stay calm. Panicking won’t help. Just cooperate. Remember—your life is yours. The money belongs to the boss."

One woman weakly raised her head. "I am the boss."

Fang Chao fired a shot into the wall, making her flinch back and raise the keys with trembling hands. Liu Zhi muttered impatiently, "Should’ve just shot earlier and been done with it."

At a Mercedes-Benz dealership, salesman Du Cong encountered an elderly couple dressed in shabby clothes. The moment they walked in, they asked which Mercedes was the cheapest. With a lazy wave, Du Cong pointed at the most affordable model and said, "The cheapest one still costs over 200 grand."

The couple looked dismayed. The old woman complained, "Mercedes is that expensive? The cheapest one’s over 200,000? That’s almost a month’s rent!"Du Cong instantly switched to a beaming smile, warmly inviting them for a test drive.

Inside the jewelry store, Fang Chao stood by the counter with a gun, keeping watch over three female clerks lying bound on the floor. Liu Zhi frantically gathered gold and jewelry nearby, carefully wrapping a large White Jade God of Wealth Statue from the middle cabinet in newspaper before stuffing it forcefully into his backpack.

The shop owner’s wife, seizing a moment when the robbers weren’t looking, stealthily stretched her foot to press a hidden alarm button on the wall.

At the police command center, surveillance screens displayed the scene inside the jewelry store. The commander grabbed the microphone and shouted, "Dafu Jewelry Store is under armed robbery! All units in the west district, respond immediately!"

On a road in the west district, detective "Liu Da Zui" drove a police car while the rookie female detective Luo Jia complained beside him about how the investigative team never included her in cases, citing severe gender discrimination in the unit.

Liu Da Zui reassured her, "It’s not gender discrimination—all rookies go through this. If you want to be included, you need to take the initiative to build relationships. For example, I haven’t had breakfast yet, and I’m starving. A smart rookie would offer to buy me a burger."

Liu Da Zui abruptly stopped the car in front of a convenience store. Luo Jia shot him a look but reluctantly got out to buy him a burger. Just as she was about to pay, her earpiece crackled with the alert: "Dafu Jewelry Store under armed robbery! West district units, respond immediately!" She dropped the burger and ran outside, only to see Liu Da Zui already turning the police car around and speeding off. Cursing him for leaving her behind again, she had no choice but to chase after him on foot.

Back in the jewelry store, Fang Chao checked his watch and barked, "Fall back!" Liu Zhi grabbed the heavy backpack, vaulted over the counter, and the two yanked up the rolling shutter before jumping into their SUV and speeding away.

Outside the Mercedes 4S dealership, Du Cong helped the elderly couple into the backseat, explaining that he would first demonstrate a test drive before letting the old man take the wheel. Just as Du Cong was about to get in, someone yanked him back—Luo Jia shoved past him into the driver’s seat, flashing her police badge in his face. "Police! This vehicle is temporarily requisitioned!"

Du Cong hurriedly blocked the car, then jumped into the passenger seat and grabbed the steering wheel to stop her. "I’m with clients! Do you have the paperwork? Do cops just take cars without paying?"

Luo Jia replied coldly, "This is an emergency. I don’t have time to argue!"

The scene froze. Five full seconds ticked by on the Mercedes’ dashboard clock before...

"I only have 300 on me. Not a cent more."

"Mobile payment works. I was going to say 1,000, but now it’s 500. What more do you want? I’m with clients—who’s covering my lost commission?"

The elderly couple in the backseat gaped at the two of them. Just then, a luxury SUV roared past, followed by several police cars with blaring sirens.

Luo Jia immediately wrenched Du Cong’s hand off the wheel, slammed the accelerator, and gave chase.

The SUV, leveraging its superior performance, weaved left and right, quickly shaking off the underpowered police cars—all except the Mercedes, which clung stubbornly to its tail.

Soon, the two vehicles reached a newly built, unopened two-lane road in the suburbs. Ahead, metal barriers began closing from both sides of the road to block the SUV. In a desperate move, Fang Chao gritted his teeth and floored the gas, charging straight ahead. The side mirrors snapped off as the barriers clipped them, but the vehicle barely squeezed through.The Mercedes behind saw the barrier closing and realized it couldn't break through. Du Cong shouted in panic, "Brake! Hit the brakes!"

Luo Jia flustered, "Where are the brakes? I don't know how!"

Du Cong changed his command, "The accelerator, step on it!"

Instead, Luo Jia slammed the brakes, locking all the tires. The car skidded sideways, all four tires bursting one after another, steel rims scraping sparks until it finally stopped just before the barrier.

Fang Chao, relieved to have shaken off all pursuers, exhaled deeply and continued driving.

Under a tree by the rural roadside, Gang Ge and Xiao Mao lounged lazily on a tricycle with a large sign: "Mobile Tire Repair, 200."

Xiao Mao complained, "Gang Ge, who's gonna come way out here? Let's move somewhere else."

Gang Ge confidently replied, "That's exactly why we'll make money—no other repair shops around. Look, here comes business!"

Xiao Mao turned to see a luxury SUV speeding toward them. Gang Ge, recognizing the brand, flipped the "200" on their sign to "2000."

As the SUV neared, all four tires suddenly burst. Fang Chao wrestled the wheel to avoid flipping, then flung open the door to see Tire Puncture Spikes scattered everywhere. Cursing the cops for playing dirty, he and his partner grabbed their stolen loot and bolted into the fields without a second thought.

Gang Ge pedaled the tricycle toward what he thought was a big payday, only to watch the two men abandon the SUV and flee. Before they could process this, police sirens blared from the opposite lane as three cruisers raced toward them. A series of loud pops followed—more tires bursting—and one cruiser spun out, crashing into the fields.

Realizing they'd spiked police cars, the pair abandoned their tricycle and sprinted away in terror.

Over a dozen officers climbed out of the wrecked cruisers, swearing at the sea of Tire Puncture Spikes. "Who the hell did this?!"

They surrounded the abandoned SUV, finding no one inside. Opening the trunk revealed a tattooed man bound and gagged. When officers tore off the tape, he squeezed his eyes shut and yelled, "I'll never cut in line again, boss!"

Gang Ge and Xiao Mao stumbled back to their junkyard home on the city's outskirts. At the gate, three thug-like men blocked them, tossing a bank envelope and demanding credit card repayment—or else.

Gang Ge roared, "Since when do I owe the bank?" He kicked one down, prompting their retreat amid threats.

After the debt collectors left, Xiao Mao confessed: He'd maxed out a card on lottery tickets.

Gang Ge scoffed, "A pro scammer like you falling for lotteries? Show me the bill—how much?"

Xiao Mao handed it over, muttering, "Not that much..."

Gang Ge read aloud, "With your credit, they gave you 30k? No wonder banks fail. Wait—Xia Tinggang? You're 180 days overdue, and the bank put my name on your debt?"

Xiao Mao hung his head. "My ID's blacklisted. Couldn't get a card, so... I used yours."Gang Ge flew into a rage, grabbing a wrench to chase after him. Xiao Mao fled behind a scrapped taxi in the yard, begging for mercy and pleading with Gang Ge to help him repay the money first.

Gang Ge cursed at him: "How the hell am I supposed to come up with 30,000 yuan for you?"

Xiao Mao pointed at the scrapped taxi and said he had a money-making idea.

Inside the hotel room, Fang Chao and Liu Zhi silently stared at the White Jade God of Wealth Statue standing before them.

Fang Chao sighed heavily: "When robbing a jewelry store, why didn't you grab more gold instead of hauling this statue back?"

Liu Zhi defended himself: "It was placed right in the center—I thought it must be valuable. It felt like Hetian jade to the touch."

"Hetian my ass! A piece of Hetian jade weighing over twenty jin, in some tiny shop the size of a fingernail? You thought it was the Forbidden Palace or something?"

As they sighed in frustration, Fang Chao noticed an old newspaper wrapped around the statue with the headline "Corrupt Official Loses Millions in Burglary but Dares Not Report." He pondered: "We need a different approach. Robbing shops is high risk for little gain. Targeting a big corrupt official would cover all our costs at once."

The police chief stepped out of the 4S dealership, scolding Luo Jia, who stood stiffly in plain clothes with her head bowed: "Only because of the department's reputation did the dealership agree to a discount—30,000 yuan for car repairs and depreciation. The department won't pay a cent. You'll handle this yourself. If you can't resolve it and someone complains to Internal Affairs, you can forget about being a cop."

After the chief left, Luo Jia turned to Du Cong beside her. Du Cong said he'd also been chewed out by the general manager and urged her to pay up quickly to settle the matter. Luo Jia explained she'd just started working and had no savings, and this was too embarrassing to ask her family for help. She begged Du Cong to cover the payment for her. Under her repeated pleas of "Brother Cong," he agreed to front the money on the condition that she accompany him for unlimited meals and movies.

Just then, a Mercedes S600 pulled up to the dealership. Big Boss Zhou Rong and his secretary Hu Jianren stepped out and headed straight for the lounge. Luo Jia asked Du Cong who he was. Du Cong replied, "That's Zhou Rong, Boss Zhou—the richest man in Three Rivers Estuary."

Luo Jia frowned slightly, recalling what her superior had mentioned during a police briefing: According to intelligence, Zhou Rong's criminal syndicate had been entrenched in the city for years, but he was extremely cunning, making it hard to gather evidence. An informant revealed there was a safe in his study, likely containing crucial proof. Zhou Rong had a weakness for women, so getting close to him might require a honey trap. But with limited female officers, only one person could undertake this task. Just as Luo Jia lowered her head, all eyes in the squad turned to the plump officer Xiao Mei. Days later, the team visited Xiao Mei in the hospital. According to witnesses, she'd approached Zhou Rong in a tank top, only to be beaten up by his men—apparently, the honey trap wasn't going to work.

An idea struck Luo Jia. She begged Du Cong to lend her his car again for a quick spin. Unable to resist her sweet talk, Du Cong reluctantly handed over the test-drive vehicle, warning her not to cause trouble this time. She promised, "Don't worry, I'll take full responsibility." The next second, she scraped a long white line across the rear of Zhou Rong's S600.

Du Cong stood frozen in shock.

Inside the 4S dealership, Secretary Hu Jianren reported to Zhou Rong about the highly profitable special-approval land in Eastern New City. The only hitch was that Fang Yong, the management committee director, was incorruptible—known as the Hai Rui of Three Rivers Estuary—making it impossible to bribe him.Zhou Rong joked that there was no money that couldn't be delivered, only people who didn't know how to deliver it. He instructed Hu Jianren to arrange a meeting so he could speak with Fang Yong personally.

Just then, his driver rushed over to inform him that their car had been hit, and the other driver was blaming them for having an overly long vehicle—what terrible manners!

When Zhou Rong saw Luo Jia, he gave her a once-over and immediately dismissed his driver's judgment: "Her manners seem just fine!"

Luo Jia approached him, profusely apologizing and offering to treat Zhou Rong to a meal as compensation. Zhou Rong smiled, took her contact information, and waved off the offer, saying the car could just stay in the shop for a paint job.

Du Cong watched as Luo Jia deployed her feminine wiles on Boss Zhou again and cursed under his breath, "How shameless."

Fang Yong, director of the Eastern New City Administrative Committee, lived on the ground floor of an apartment building with a small backyard garden. He stepped out of his home, pushed a creaky, worn-out Phoenix-brand bicycle, and rode out of the neighborhood.

Parked along the roadside outside the complex was a beat-up car, where Fang Chao pointed discreetly at Fang Yong and declared, "That's the big corrupt official."

Liu Zhi stared at the shabby bicycle Fang Yong was riding, baffled. "How can someone this poor be a big corrupt official?"

Fang Chao pulled out a few old newspapers—he had done his research. Fang Yong was the committee director with a decent official salary, yet he rode a broken-down bicycle to work every day. It was practically a cover-up. Moreover, in news photos of Fang Yong, he had changed bicycles at least five times over the years. The real question was: where did he dig up so many vintage Phoenix bikes from the '80s? Petty corrupt officials didn’t need to hide this much. Only a big one would go to such lengths.

The two immediately decided to make their move.

As Fang Yong pedaled along, Zhou Rong stepped out of a luxury car parked by the roadside and stood before him with a beaming smile. "Director Fang, would you mind if we had a quick chat at your place?"

Fang Chao and Liu Zhi slipped into the neighborhood through the greenery behind the complex, climbed over the wall into Fang Yong’s backyard garden, and easily picked the lock to enter the house.

Fang Yong’s home was simply furnished, with noticeably outdated decor. After searching the place thoroughly, they couldn’t find a single cent. Liu Zhi grumbled that Fang Yong looked every bit as poor as he seemed—how could he possibly be a big corrupt official? Even Fang Chao began to doubt his own judgment. Just as they were wallowing in disappointment, footsteps sounded outside. They quickly hid beneath the garden wall.

Fang Yong opened the door and ushered Zhou Rong and Hu Jianren inside. After a brief exchange of pleasantries over tea, Zhou Rong cut straight to the point about the Eastern New City land deal. Fang Yong stated firmly that official matters should be handled officially. Hu Jianren then slid a briefcase forward and opened it, revealing stacks of cash.

Fang Yong’s expression darkened. He glared at them, snapped the briefcase shut, and strode solemnly to a calligraphy piece hanging on the wall. "Take a good look at this!"

Zhou Rong read the inscription aloud: "'Ask the canal how it stays so clear—because fresh water flows in from its source!'" He immediately panicked. "I’ve been presumptuous, Teacher Fang. I’m not usually like this, I—"

Fang Yong cut him off. "This is an authentic work by Yu Youren." He then walked over to other calligraphy pieces and antiques in the room, explaining their origins. It turned out that all these seemingly shabby items were actually rare collectibles. Fang Yong declared he had no interest in money—he had never taken a bribe in his life and wouldn’t make an exception for them. His only passion was collecting.

Zhou Rong repeatedly praised Teacher Fang’s refined taste, lamenting that as a businessman, his own home was just filled with money—how vulgar. The contrast left him utterly ashamed!Fang Chao and Liu Zhi, hiding by the corner of the small garden, overheard this and quietly slipped away. Once outside, they couldn’t help but burst into laughter: "I’ve never seen a fool brag about his wealth right in front of two robbers in my life."

Zhou Rong and Hu Jianren left the neighborhood and drove off in a luxury car. Not far behind, Fang Chao and Liu Zhi sat in their beat-up car. Seeing the other car depart, they excitedly turned the ignition key to follow, but their old car took several tries to start before finally sputtering to life, barely managing to keep up.

Inside the luxury car, Zhou Rong instructed Hu Jian to find reliable contacts in the antique circle—he wanted to buy some big items.

Just then, the driver glanced in the rearview mirror and said, "Rong-ge, there’s a car behind us that seems to be following."

Zhou Rong glanced at the beat-up car in the mirror and sneered, "Those cops think they can catch me like this? What a joke."

The driver asked, "Should we lose them?"

Zhou Rong scoffed, "No need. Drive slowly. Otherwise, it’ll look like I’ve got something to hide."

In the beat-up car, Fang Chao had the gas pedal floored just to keep up. Seeing the other car wasn’t speeding up, he sighed in relief. "When I saw him come out in a Rolls, I nearly had a heart attack—thought we’d lose him for sure. Turns out this idiot can’t even drive properly, going this slow."

At the 4S dealership, Luo Jia found Du Cong and repaid him 10,000 yuan, promising to return the remaining 20,000 once she got her salary.

Du Cong said sourly, "Now that you’re cozy with Boss Zhou, 20,000 must be nothing to you, huh?"

Luo Jia flared up, "What are you implying?"

Du Cong retorted, "Don’t think I don’t know—you crashed into him on purpose that day."

Luo Jia argued that she had been on duty, but immediately realized her slip-up. Du Cong studied her expression and asked if she was investigating Zhou Rong. She had no choice but to admit it and asked him to keep it a secret. Du Cong’s condition for silence was dinner and a movie that night.

As they chatted, a friend from Du Cong’s wedding company approached. The two stepped aside, and the friend explained that a wedding car had broken down last minute for tomorrow’s job—they needed an S-class Mercedes to save face. Du Cong said there were no demo S-class cars available, as all the ones in the shop belonged to clients, and borrowing one would be unprofessional. The friend then slipped him a 1,000-yuan red envelope. "This is professionalism," he said.

Du Cong’s eyes gleamed as he thought of Zhou Rong’s Mercedes, currently in the shop for a paint job.

After work, a delighted Du Cong dragged a reluctant Luo Jia to dinner and a movie. After parting ways, Luo Jia received a WeChat message from Zhou Rong, inviting her to his place for dinner the next evening—he’d send a car to pick her up.

After some thought, Luo Jia hatched a plan and readily agreed.

The next day, at a train station in a neighboring city, seven members of an antique smuggling ring each carried a large suitcase through security. The scanner operator noticed something unusual and demanded they open the cases, only to find each filled with cheap counterfeit antiques from street stalls. They were let through—the real goods were hidden among the fakes.

Meanwhile, Zhu Yifei, the smuggling ring’s boss, arrived at Zhou Rong’s luxurious villa for a meeting.

Zhu Yifei laid out a series of photos showcasing the smuggled artifacts. Zhou Rong took a liking to a Xuande Censer among them. Zhu Yifei said the price—$500,000—had already been discussed with Hu Jianren over the phone. Zhou Rong nodded and had Hu Jianren bring out $500,000 in cash from the study, placing it on the table.

Zhu Yifei's subordinate Huo Zheng brought out a large suitcase. When he opened it, it was filled with clothes and other travel items. Under Zhou Rong's puzzled gaze, Huo Zheng pressed a hidden mechanism button inside the suitcase, causing a secret compartment to pop out from the bottom. He neatly placed five hundred thousand U.S. dollars inside.

Seeing the criminal gang's sophisticated equipment, Zhou Rong repeatedly praised their professionalism. He then took out a foot massage card with a face value of thirty thousand and placed it in the suitcase, telling Boss Zhu to treat his men to some fun.

Zhu Yifei thanked him, glanced at his watch, and said with a smile, "The goods will arrive soon."

The seven-member artifact smuggling group took a train to Three Rivers Estuary. However, after leaving the station, only six remained—Xiao Liu, who was responsible for carrying the Xuande Censer, had disappeared. When they called him, he hung up, and upon calling again, his phone was turned off. The leader hurriedly called Zhu Yifei to report the unexpected turn of events.

When Zhu Yifei received the call about Xiao Liu vanishing with the Xuande Censer, his expression darkened. He returned the suitcase full of cash to Zhou Rong, explaining that the goods had been delayed and the deal would have to wait a few more days.

He rushed back to the hotel where they were staying. His subordinates mentioned that Xiao Liu owed loan sharks and suspected he had stolen the Xuande Censer to repay his debts. Zhu Yifei ordered Huo Zheng to find Xiao Liu: "Get the goods back, and kill him!"

Tonight was destined to be an eventful night.

Gang Ge and Xiao Mao meticulously repaired and decorated a scrapped taxi in the yard before taking the fake cab out on the road.

Fang Chao and Liu Zhi disguised themselves in their hotel room, armed themselves with pistols and other weapons, and prepared to make their move against Zhou Rong.

Huo Zheng held a tracking device—before setting off, they had secretly installed trackers in each suitcase to prevent any dishonest moves from their subordinates. Following the signal, he entered a demolition zone and fixed his gaze on a dilapidated residential building in the distance.

At home, Zhou Rong had his housekeeper prepare a lavish Western-style dinner, eagerly awaiting Luo Jia's arrival.

Luo Jia dressed herself meticulously, then took out a small vial containing pale yellow powder and a folding knife for self-defense, tucking both into her pocket.

Du Cong drove the S-Class Mercedes that Zhou Rong had left at the shop for repairs, happily transporting a newlywed couple down the road.

All parties were making preparations for the night's plans.

Fang Chao and Liu Zhi arrived behind Zhou Rong's estate villa and slipped into the greenery barrier. They peeked out but quickly ducked back—there was a security post at the back of the villa with two guards on duty. After a brief discussion, they decided to wait until late at night when the guards would leave before making their move.

Du Cong dropped the newlyweds off at the wedding venue, feasted on free banquet food, received two packs of cigarettes and a big red envelope, then cheerfully drove Zhou Rong's Mercedes back to the 4S shop.

Inside a dark, second-floor room of a rundown residential building, Xiao Liu crouched in a corner.

In front of him was a large suitcase with a Xuande Censer placed on top. Carefully, he pulled out a promotional flyer for Rongcheng Group, found the contact number, and dialed.

"Hello, could you connect me to Boss Zhou Rong, please?"

"The company is closed for the day," the on-duty staff replied coldly.

"Please, it's urgent. I need to speak with Boss Zhou."

"Do you have an appointment?"

"No, but Boss Zhou will definitely want to hear what I have to say."

"That's what everyone without an appointment says," the staff said before hanging up.Xiao Liu cursed under his breath and was about to redial when faint footsteps suddenly sounded outside the door. He quickly grabbed a stick and hid behind the door. A few seconds later, the footsteps reached the entrance. Huo Zheng burst in, pushing the door open forcefully. Xiao Liu, hidden behind it, swung the stick down at him. Huo Zheng instinctively raised his arm to block, taking several hard blows to his left hand. Gritting through the pain, he grabbed the stick with his left hand while pulling out a dagger with his right, slashing it across Xiao Liu’s neck in one swift motion. Xiao Liu collapsed immediately, blood pooling on the floor.

Huo Zheng shook his left hand—no bones were broken, but it was temporarily useless. After inspecting the scene, he noticed Xiao Liu’s phone had just made a call to Rongcheng Group. Frowning slightly, he called Zhu Yifei to report: "Fei Ge, the item’s here, and the guy’s taken care of. But… Xiao Liu just called Zhou Rong."

Zhu Yifei sounded suspicious: "Was he trying to sell the goods to Zhou Rong privately? Never mind for now. Clean it up and come back."

Huo Zheng dragged Xiao Liu’s body into the bathroom to drain the blood and reduce its weight. He emptied the suitcase of its counterfeit artifacts, placed the Xuande Censer inside, then struggled to stuff Xiao Liu’s corpse in as well—accidentally breaking the tracking device in the process. After meticulously cleaning up the blood and signs of struggle, he hauled the suitcase downstairs and left.

Dragging the suitcase onto the street, Huo Zheng spotted a taxi approaching in the distance. He flagged it down, opened the rear door, and tried to lift the hundred-pound suitcase inside, but his injured left hand failed him on the first attempt.

The driver kindly suggested, "Hey, buddy, big suitcases go in the trunk."

Huo Zheng replied coldly, "My things don’t leave my sight."

The driver asked curiously, "What’s so valuable in there?"

Huo Zheng snorted and ignored him. Summoning his strength, he finally managed to heave the suitcase onto the backseat, only for it to get stuck on the seatbelt buckle when he tried to push it further in.

After several failed attempts, the driver suggested, "Buddy, why don’t you sit on the other side?"

Huo Zheng had no choice but to shut the door and walk around the rear of the car. But the moment he took two steps, the driver smirked, slammed the accelerator to the floor, and the taxi roared away.

"Motherf—!" Huo Zheng sprinted after the taxi, but no man could outrun a car. As the taxi grew smaller in the distance, he spotted someone riding an electric scooter nearby. With a swift kick, he knocked the rider over, stole the scooter, and gave chase.

Du Cong was in high spirits today, driving back to the 4S dealership with the stereo blasting, humming along to the music.

The taxi stopped at an intersection. The driver, Xiao Mao, rolled down the window and waved excitedly at Gang Ge, who was standing nearby.

Gang Ge climbed into the backseat, and Xiao Mao drove off, proudly showing off their "loot." "That idiot wouldn’t let anyone touch it—must be worth a fortune," he said, mimicking Huo Zheng’s words: "My things don’t leave my sight."

Gang Ge rubbed his hands together, turned the suitcase around, and eagerly pressed the latch to inspect their prize. The next second, he leaped up in terror, smacking his head against the roof, his face deathly pale.

Xiao Mao glanced in the rearview mirror and asked what was wrong. Gang Ge couldn’t speak. When Xiao Mao turned to look, he froze in horror. Just then, headlights flashed ahead. Gang Ge screamed, "Brake!" Xiao Mao stomped on the brakes, screeching to a halt. But at the same moment, a Mercedes S-Class swerved to avoid them—and crashed head-on into a tree by the roadside.

34.Du Cong climbed out of the car, his mind blank. The Mercedes had rammed into a roadside tree, snapping it in half. The front of the car was severely dented, and thick smoke billowed from the wreckage.

He rushed to the taxi that had swerved into the wrong lane and banged on the door, urging the driver to get out.

Xiao Mao rolled down the window, looking at him with an innocent expression. "Bro, what's the deal? We were driving just fine—how did we crash?"

"How did we crash?!" Du Cong roared, grabbing Xiao Mao by the collar when he realized the other was trying to play dumb. "Open your damn eyes and see which lane you're parked in!"

From the back seat, Gang Ge, afraid Du Cong might spot the corpse, whispered urgently behind his hand, "Run, just run!"

Xiao Mao quickly tried to placate him. "Bro, don’t freak out. We can sort this out. Look—someone’s stealing your car!"

The moment Du Cong turned his head, Xiao Mao floored the gas again, sending the taxi lurching forward. Du Cong clung desperately to his collar, dragged along for dozens of meters before the fabric tore with a loud rip. He tumbled onto the road, watching helplessly as the taxi sped away.

Not long after the taxi vanished, Huo Zheng came chasing after them on an electric scooter.

Du Cong sat on the ground, clutching the torn collar and a half-shredded bank statement envelope.

After dinner at Zhou Rong’s lavish villa, Luo Jia poured two glasses of red wine. She discreetly emptied a small vial of powder into one glass before handing the spiked drink to Zhou Rong, sweetly thanking him for his hospitality.

Zhou Rong downed the wine in one gulp, then grabbed Luo Jia’s hand and pulled her close, trying to kiss her. She playfully pushed him away. "You reek of smoke. Go take a shower first."

Chuckling, Zhou Rong pinched her nose affectionately before heading to the bathroom in high spirits. The moment he was gone, Luo Jia darted into the study. Just as the police informant had said, a massive safe was embedded in the wall. She pressed her ear against it, gently turning the dial.

Before long, Zhou Rong emerged in his pajamas, calling for Luo Jia. She hurriedly positioned herself by the bookshelf, pretending to browse. Spotting her in the study, Zhou Rong shot a wary glance at the safe and asked why she was there. She excused herself, saying his house was so big she just wanted to explore. Then she leaned back slightly on the sofa, striking a seductive pose. Grinning, Zhou Rong lunged for her, and she teasingly dodged around the couch.

Just as Zhou Rong was reveling in the moment, his phone rang. Pausing, he saw Hu Jianren’s name and stepped outside to take the call, leaving Luo Jia briefly.

Hu Jianren informed him that the Mercedes parked at the 4S dealership had been stolen by a salesman who used it as a wedding car—only to crash it that night, causing severe damage. Furious, Zhou Rong stormed to the villa’s entrance and summoned security captain Zhang Debing, ordering him to take a few men and cause a scene at the dealership, demanding full compensation.

Fang Chao and Liu Zhi had been patiently waiting behind the villa for the right moment to strike. When they saw the two guards at the security post called away by their captain, followed by a group of guards leaving in two cars, they seized the chance to sneak inside.

Returning to the study, Zhou Rong found Luo Jia still lounging seductively on the sofa. Eagerly, he pounced, burying his face in her chest. Luo Jia struggled to fend him off when suddenly—a loud, gurgling roar erupted from Zhou Rong’s stomach. He stood up abruptly, his gut churning noisily. "I—I’m so sorry," he stammered, mortified.Luo Jia smiled reassuringly, "It's only human nature." Though her face showed disappointment, inwardly she was overjoyed. She had spent two days preparing for this moment. First, she obtained a colorless, odorless, and potent laxative from the medical examiner at her workplace. Then, she tested it on a vicious dog in the yard of her rented house. When she checked a few hours later, the dog had collapsed from diarrhea, barely alive. With this trick up her sleeve, even if Zhou Rong harbored ill intentions, he wouldn’t have the strength to act on them. That’s why she dared to go to Zhou Rong’s home for the meeting. Of course, she also tucked a small folding knife into her pants pocket, just in case.

Zhou Rong could only say disappointedly, "I’ll step out for a moment."

Just as he was about to head to the bathroom, he suddenly noticed the lock on the safe and his expression changed instantly. He turned and glared at Luo Jia, "Who the hell are you?"

Luo Jia looked innocent, "Brother Rong... what’s wrong?"

Zhou Rong walked over to the safe, "Both times I came back, I noticed the dial on the safe lock had moved. The first time, I thought you were just curious. The second time, there’s no explanation." He glanced at his watch and sneered, "What, couldn’t crack it after turning it for fifteen minutes?"

Luo Jia stood up, her eyes filled with wariness.

Zhou Rong laughed, "Even if it were you, the greatest locksmith in the world couldn’t crack it in a lifetime!" He grabbed the safe lock and effortlessly pulled it off with a slight tug, "This is just a decoration. It’s actually a voice-activated safe!"

"So high-tech?" A voice came from behind Zhou Rong.

Zhou Rong smiled, "Of course it’s high-tech—who?" He spun around and saw a gun. Fang Chao and Liu Zhi, wearing masks, stood before him, one holding a gun and the other a knife. The two hardened criminals quickly subdued Zhou Rong and Luo Jia, tying them up on the floor.

Liu Zhi studied the safe, "A voice-activated safe? First time I’ve seen one of these. Hey, what’s the passphrase?"

Zhou Rong clenched his teeth and stayed silent.

Liu Zhi tried on his own, "Open sesame!"

Fang Chao scoffed, "Ignorant. You think such high-tech equipment would use that passphrase? Hey, count to three and give us the passphrase, or I’ll shoot. One, two..."

Zhou Rong blurted out, "Sesame open."

With a click, the safe opened.

"Truly high-tech!"

Liu Zhi rummaged through the safe but only found a stack of documents and a USB drive. The two turned to Zhou Rong and demanded to know where the money was. Zhou Rong lied, saying there was no cash at home. Without another word, they started kicking him violently. After just a few hits, he couldn’t take it anymore and revealed that there was money in the large suitcase nearby.

Liu Zhi opened the suitcase but only found a foot massage card worth thirty thousand on top, with clothes underneath. Zhou Rong said there was a hidden mechanism in the suitcase. Liu Zhi followed his instructions, and a secret compartment popped open at the bottom, revealing neatly stacked fifty thousand dollars in cash. The two men’s eyes widened in astonishment.

Suppressing his excitement, Fang Chao asked Zhou Rong where else the money was hidden. Zhou Rong insisted that was all he had at home. Liu Zhi gave him another round of brutal kicks. Zhou Rong’s stomach gurgled loudly, and under the relentless beating, he lost control, soiling his pajamas with a foul mess.

Fang Chao frowned and stopped Liu Zhi, "Enough. He’s shitting himself. Seems like there’s really no more money."

He picked up the USB drive from the safe and asked, "What’s this?"

Seeing the USB drive, Zhou Rong’s face paled. He hurriedly said, "It’s just some documents. Take the money and go."Fang Chao noticed the odd expression on his face and inserted the USB drive into the computer. It contained various complex accounting spreadsheets. After studying them for a while, he understood: "This is your bribery ledger, isn’t it?"

Luo Jia pricked up his ears upon hearing this.

Zhou Rong didn’t answer directly, only pleading for them to leave the USB drive and take the money. Fang Chao laughed and said, "This USB could cost you your life. When you wake up, don’t call the police—otherwise, the USB will end up with them."

Zhou Rong asked why he mentioned "when you wake up."

Liu Zhi chopped at Zhou Rong’s neck with the side of his hand, but it didn’t knock him out. Zhou Rong howled in pain, begging, "Spare me, heroes! I swear I won’t call the police. My business card is on the table—call me, and I’ll pay to get the USB back."

Liu Zhi struck him several more times until Zhou Rong finally passed out. He then turned to Luo Jia and did the same, but Luo Jia pretended to faint after just one hit.

They gagged both Zhou Rong and Luo Jia with tape. Fang Chao picked up Zhou Rong’s business card, glanced at it, and pocketed it. Liu Zhi wanted to take the cash, but Fang Chao thought carrying so much U.S. dollars was unsafe. The briefcase had intricate mechanisms, so they took the entire thing.

That night at the 4S dealership, Du Cong was surrounded by Zhang Debing and his men. The dealership staff and local police mediated, eventually agreeing that the shop would handle repairs while Du Cong would pay 300,000 yuan in depreciation fees. Driving a customer’s car without permission could also be considered theft—if he couldn’t pay within a month, he’d face jail time.

Dejected, Du Cong returned home and called friends one by one to borrow money, but no one agreed. When he called his parents, his already struggling mother assured him his father’s medical expenses were covered for the next few months and told him not to send money. He swallowed the news about the compensation and silently hung up.

Sitting blankly in the living room, Du Cong thought about the night’s events and broke down in tears. He pulled a tissue from his pocket to wipe his face and noticed the bank statement envelope, clenching his fists tightly.

Huo Zheng, riding his electric scooter, lost sight of the taxi after it headed toward the urban-rural fringe. He called Zhu Yifei to report that the briefcase had been stolen. He’d memorized the car’s details and would track them down soon.

Gang Ge and Xiao Mao drove the fake taxi home, closed the courtyard gate, and carried the briefcase inside. When they opened it and saw the Xuande Censer, they mistook it for an ashtray. Too distracted to examine it, they tossed it aside.

Standing over the corpse, the two exchanged glances. Gang Ge wanted to call the police, but Xiao Mao reminded him they’d been using the fake taxi to steal, including several laptops. Reporting this would land them in jail too. He suggested disposing of the body quietly.

Back at the villa, after the robbers left, Luo Jia pulled out a small folding knife he kept for self-defense from his pants pocket. He quickly cut the ropes and escaped. Upon returning to his unit, he found the director waiting for him. The director angrily revealed he’d just received a tip—Luo Jia had visited Zhou Rong’s house that night. If Luo Jia hadn’t returned, he would’ve sent a team to break in.

Luo Jia reported that Zhou Rong had been robbed and the USB drive containing the bribery ledger was taken.

Hearing this unexpected lead, the director immediately ordered the criminal investigation team to locate the two robbers and retrieve the USB.

At dawn, Du Cong took the torn bank statement envelope and used the partial address to track down the hit-and-run driver from the night before.

43.The area around Three Rivers Estuary Bus Station was slightly lower than its surroundings. At dawn, Gang Ge and Xiao Mao appeared on a road about seven or eight meters above ground level, crouching at the edge of the greenbelt to observe the station not far below.

Watching the bustling crowd near the station, they discussed the idea of taking a minibus to a rural reservoir to dispose of the body. Blending in with the crowd would likely keep them unnoticed.

Just then, voices from the road seven or eight meters below reached them.

"Brother Chao, why don’t we just drive out of Three Rivers Estuary? Why take a bus?"

"What do you know? If Zhou Rong reports us, the police might set up checkpoints on the highways, leaving us no escape."

"He wouldn’t dare report us, would he?"

"What if he does? If we get caught, we’ll rot in prison for life. Better safe than sorry. Wait here—I’ll go check the bus schedules first."

Liu Zhi grunted in agreement, set the suitcase aside, and leaned against the wall to eat a rice ball, completely unaware of the two sneaky heads peeking over the greenbelt above.

The two heads ducked back. Xiao Mao whispered to Gang Ge, "These guys are involved in something big... and their suitcase looks just like ours."

Gang Ge nodded. A plan formed in their minds. They dragged their suitcase down the roadside stairs to the lower road. Gang Ge approached Liu Zhi under the pretense of asking for directions while Xiao Mao swiftly swapped the suitcases when Liu Zhi wasn’t paying attention.

44

Moments later, Fang Chao returned and said they couldn’t buy tickets today—police were conducting random checks outside the station. He wasn’t sure if they were the targets, so they should return to the hotel and rethink their strategy.

As they retraced their steps, Liu Zhi picked up the suitcase but stopped after two steps, scratching his head. "Something’s off!" He turned to examine the suitcase. Though it was the same black brand, identical in shape and even orientation, it was noticeably heavier. A few seconds later, his eyes widened in shock, his face twisting in horror as he blurted, "Those damn bastards!"

After hearing how their suitcase had been swapped, Fang Chao’s heart sank. He scanned the surroundings but found no trace of the two thieves.

Just then, Du Cong walked past them holding an envelope with half an address, asking, "Excuse me, do you know how to get to Haiyan South Road?"

Liu Zhi stared at him for three seconds before snarling, "Another one!" He lunged, pinned Du Cong to the ground, and began beating him mercilessly. Du Cong howled in pain, drawing the attention of passersby. Fang Chao quickly intervened, "Calm down! Losing your temper won’t solve anything. Let’s go back and figure this out."

They hurried off, dragging the suitcase. Du Cong struggled to grab Liu Zhi but was kicked away again, left to watch helplessly as they fled. No one dared to stop them.

Cursing, Du Cong staggered to his feet, checking himself for injuries. Though aching all over, he had no serious wounds. He picked up something Liu Zhi had dropped during the beating—a hotel keycard. On its paper sleeve was written: "Purple Butterfly Hotel, Room 306."

45

After successfully swapping the suitcases and escaping, Gang Ge and Xiao Mao finally relaxed. On the street, they spotted a vendor selling turtles. Xiao Mao bought one, saying releasing it would bring good karma—they’d been too unlucky lately.

At the riverbank, Xiao Mao placed the turtle in the water, but it kept swimming back to him. After several attempts, he declared, "This turtle and I have a bond. I’m keeping it."By the river stood a woman with a child. The child whispered, "Mom, why is this uncle trying to drown the tortoise?"

The mother quickly shushed him.

After being inexplicably beaten up, Du Cong didn't have time to report to the police. Holding the torn half of the envelope, he continued searching for the hit-and-run vehicle from last night. After a long search, he finally found the offending taxi in a rundown courtyard at the urban-rural fringe of the southern suburbs.

In the house next door, Gang Ge and Xiao Mao returned home and rummaged through the swapped suitcase. Aside from clothes and luggage, the most valuable item inside was a foot massage card worth thirty thousand yuan from a spa center. A foot massage costing tens of thousands clearly wasn’t just for feet. The two were thrilled and planned to indulge themselves in a few days.

Just then, someone knocked on the door. Peering through the crack, they saw it was the Mercedes driver from last night, though they had no idea how he’d found them. They weren’t worried about the previous night’s incident—after all, the other car had crashed into the tree on its own, and their vehicle had no scratches or dents. So they boldly opened the door and flatly denied any involvement in the accident. When Du Cong demanded compensation, Gang Ge beat him up, shoved him out of the yard, and warned him not to cause trouble again if he knew what was good for him.

Fang Chao and Liu Zhi returned to the Purple Butterfly Hotel seething with anger. They opened the swapped suitcase, hoping to find clues about the two petty thieves, only to collapse in terror at the sight of a corpse suddenly tumbling out.

It took them a long while to regain their composure.

Liu Zhi, both shocked and furious, swore to kill the two thieves and reclaim the suitcase. After much deliberation, Fang Chao decided to first dispose of the unidentified corpse that night and then figure out how to track down the culprits.

That morning, the security guard at Zhou Rong’s villa noticed that his boss and the two maids hadn’t left the house all morning. Sensing something amiss, he knocked and called out, but there was no response. Moments later, faint noises could be heard from the direction of the study on the other side of the house. The guard summoned the team leader, Zhang Debing, who used a spare key to open the door. Inside, they found the two maids bound and gagged, and in the study, they discovered the boss in the same state—covered in footprints and beaten so badly he had soiled himself everywhere.

After being freed, Zhou Rong flew into a rage and slapped every security guard present.

Hu Jianren asked if they should report the incident to the police, but Zhou Rong refused. He told his men that a USB drive had been stolen by the robbers—money was secondary, but the USB must not fall into police hands.

Zhang Debing retrieved the villa’s surveillance footage, which showed the two robbers wearing masks the entire time, making identification impossible.

After some thought, Zhou Rong analyzed that the robbers’ skills suggested they were experienced. He instructed his men to ask around the underworld if anyone had seen the suitcase or if anyone had suddenly come into a large sum of U.S. dollars. Whoever found the two men and retrieved the USB would not only keep the $500,000 in the suitcase but also receive an additional reward of 3 million yuan from Zhou Rong.

With such a high reward—enough to make a fortune in one go—all his men were instantly fired up.

Hu Jianren asked about the whereabouts of the woman from last night, Miss Li. Zhou Rong, reminded of her, erupted in anger. That bitch had been eyeing his safe from the start, and though she had also been tied up during the robbery, she had somehow slipped away unnoticed afterward. She must have been in on it! Finding her would surely lead them to clues.

After being beaten and thrown out by Gang Ge, Du Cong had no choice but to go to the police station and seek justice from the officers who had responded the previous night. The police listened to his account and said that since the taxi hadn’t collided with his car—he had crashed out of fear due to the other car’s erratic driving—there was no case. If scaring someone while driving warranted compensation, then the streets would be full of fraudsters.Du Cong had no choice but to return home. After calculating all his savings, he realized it was far from 300,000 yuan. Recalling everything that had happened since last night—Gang Ge and Xiao Mao shamelessly refusing to admit their wrongdoing, and being beaten twice in one day—his rage erupted uncontrollably.

He grabbed a hammer, stuffed it into a bag, and set off to settle the score with Gang Ge and Xiao Mao.

By evening, Huo Zheng had spent the entire day searching the southern outskirts when he finally spotted the taxi from last night’s robbery in a rundown courtyard. Just as he was about to confront them, a SUV pulled into the yard. He quickly hid and recognized the men stepping out of the vehicle as Zhou Rong’s subordinates.

Li Penggai, one of Zhou Rong’s men, drove the SUV into Gang Ge and Xiao Mao’s courtyard. The two warmly welcomed him inside, eagerly asking if there was any job that could make them rich.

Li Penggai explained that his boss had lost something and was offering a reward of several million to anyone in the underworld who could help retrieve it. He showed them a photo, instructing them to keep an eye out for a particular suitcase. Mid-sentence, Li Penggai suddenly noticed a suitcase on the table. He held up the photo for comparison, then walked over, opened the case, and pressed a hidden mechanism. A secret compartment popped open, revealing neatly stacked $500,000 in cash. Without a word, he closed the suitcase and carried it out to the car.

Outside the courtyard, Huo Zheng watched as Li Penggai loaded his suitcase into the vehicle. Clenching his teeth in fury, he slipped away unnoticed.

Back inside, Li Penggai asked Gang Ge and Xiao Mao, "Where’s the USB drive?"

The two looked at him blankly.

Li Penggai immediately called Zhang Debing: "I’ve found those two, but they’re not talking about the USB yet. Got it… I’ll bring them back first. … No problem, I know what they’re capable of. I’ll bring them in now."

Hanging up, he pulled out a sharp dagger, pressed it against Gang Ge’s neck, and used his imposing stature to force both men into the car.

Gang Ge cried out in terror, "Wh-what’s going on?"

Li Penggai replied coldly, "You’ve really crossed the line this time. Even I can’t help you now. Let’s go!"

Holding the dagger, he forced them into the car—Xiao Mao in the driver’s seat, Gang Ge in the passenger seat, while he sat behind them, threatening them with the blade.

Xiao Mao nodded meekly, but suddenly, he turned and grabbed Li Penggai’s arm, lunging backward to pull out a turtle and smashing it repeatedly against Li Penggai’s head. After over a dozen blows, Li Penggai went limp, his eyes wide with disbelief as he stared at the "weapon" in Xiao Mao’s hand—how on earth had a turtle ended up in the car?

Gang Ge checked Li Penggai’s pulse and realized he was dead. Stunned, he looked fearfully at Xiao Mao, who now seemed like a demon, and stammered, "Wh-what have you done?"

Xiao Mao sneered coldly, "The two guys we switched suitcases with this morning stole something from Boss Zhou. There was $500,000 hidden in a secret compartment—I saw it when Li Penggai opened the case."

Gang Ge pieced it together. "B-but that doesn’t mean you had to kill him!"

"He thought we were those two. If we went with him, we’d be dead anyway. Better to kill him and take the money. When else are we gonna get half a million dollars in our lives?"

Gang Ge was cowed by Xiao Mao’s sudden ferocity and asked nervously, "So… what do we do now?"Xiao Mao said coldly, "First, let's carry the body inside. We'll figure out how to deal with both the car and the body tonight."

Xiao Mao got out of the car first, locked the courtyard gate, then went back to help Gang Ge carry the body inside. Gang Ge was in a state of turmoil. Looking at Li Penggai's corpse, it felt like one wave hadn't settled before another came crashing down. He was completely at a loss.

Xiao Mao suggested putting the body in a bag, then driving out at night to bury it somewhere. As for the car, they could sink it in a lake where no one would ever find it.

While they were discussing this, violent knocking and cursing erupted from outside the courtyard. Faced with the corpse inside the house, they didn't dare open the door and could only endure the shouting.

After yelling for a while with no response, Du Cong kicked the courtyard gate lock until it broke and stormed in. He reached the house and started pounding on the door, shouting, "You two pieces of shit, get out here! I know you're hiding inside!" Gang Ge and Xiao Mao stayed inside, not even daring to breathe loudly.

Seeing that the two troublemakers wouldn't come out, Du Cong grew even angrier. He looked around for something to smash the door with, then noticed the SUV nearby—its door was open. He peered inside and saw the keys were still in the ignition. After a few seconds of thought, he got in without hesitation and started the engine.

Gang Ge and Xiao Mao, still hiding inside, suddenly heard the sound of the engine in the courtyard. Gang Ge pressed his eye to the door crack and saw Du Cong had already driven the SUV to the courtyard gate. Rolling down the window, Du Cong shouted inside, "I've impounded your car! Bring money if you want it back!"

Du Cong drove off in a rage. He knew confiscating their car wasn't legal, but the thought of facing jail time if he couldn't come up with 300,000 yuan within a month made him desperate. Against these two scoundrels, he had to be even more ruthless.

Just then, a phone rang from the back seat. He turned and saw a suitcase with a phone beside it lighting up. Assuming it was the two troublemakers calling to negotiate, he stopped the car, reached back for the phone, and saw the caller ID read "Boss." He answered.

In the villa, Zhou Rong paced irritably, berating Zhang Debing, who was on the phone: "Is your Li Penggai an idiot? He found them but refused backup—did he want to keep the reward for himself? Didn’t he know those two were armed? Now his phone’s dead, and I bet Li Penggai’s dead too. Serves him right!"

Zhang Debing kept his head down, not daring to speak, and focused on redialing Li Penggai’s number. After seven or eight rings, just as he expected no answer again, the call suddenly connected—but the voice wasn’t Li Penggai’s. "Hello?"

Zhang Debing switched the phone to speaker mode. "Who is this?"

Du Cong replied, "You don’t know who I am?"

Zhou Rong gestured for silence—asking the caller’s identity was pointless; they wouldn’t reveal it. He took the phone and asked, "Brother, you’ve taken something of mine. What will it take to get it back?"

Du Cong said, "Money."

Zhou Rong asked, "How much?"

Du Cong thought it over. Demanding the full 300,000 yuan was impossible, but squeezing out tens of thousands would help him cover the rest. He said, "Bring 100,000."

Zhou Rong sounded incredulous. "100,000? Did I hear that right?"

Du Cong snapped, "Yes, 100,000!"

Zhou Rong frowned. "Are you joking with me?"

Du Cong cursed, "Joke my ass!" and hung up.Zhou Rong held the disconnected phone in his hand, looking up at Hu Jianren and Zhang Debing. "What do we do now?"

Hu Jianren frowned. "Li Penggai went to see him today—probably pissed him off. But I bet the guy still just wants money. It’s just a matter of how much."

Zhou Rong nodded helplessly, then glared at Zhang Debing and launched into another tirade. If it weren’t for that idiot Li Penggai, they wouldn’t be in such a passive position now.

Just then, Hu Jianren’s phone rang. He glanced at the screen and said to Zhou Rong, "It’s Boss Zhu."

Meanwhile, Huo Zheng returned to the hotel and told Zhu Yifei that he had found the men who stole the case last night—but he hadn’t acted because he saw Boss Zhou’s car parked in their courtyard. Boss Zhou’s men had gone to them and loaded the case into the car.

Zhu Yifei asked in disbelief, "Are you sure you saw it right?"

Huo Zheng was absolutely certain. He suspected that this whole thing, from Xiao Liu stealing the Xuande Censer, had been a trap orchestrated by Boss Zhou from the start.

Zhu Yifei shook his head. He couldn’t believe Zhou Rong would do something like this.

Huo Zheng said, "Fei-ge, if you don’t believe me, call Hu Jianren and ask if they still want to buy the Xuande Censer."

After a moment’s thought, Zhu Yifei took out his phone and called Hu Jianren, pretending to ask, "Manager Hu, we ran into some trouble yesterday. When would be a good time to continue our deal?"

Hu Jianren covered the receiver and turned to Zhou Rong, asking when they should proceed with the transaction with Zhu Yifei.

Zhou Rong immediately smacked him on the head and snapped, "What kind of timing is this? I don’t have the mind to buy his damn censer now!"

Hu Jianren had no choice but to pick up the phone again and say, "Boss Zhu, we’re not buying anymore."

Zhu Yifei slammed the phone down and hurled it to the ground with a furious roar. "What kind of business is this?!"

After angrily hanging up, Du Cong continued driving home. On the way, he passed the Purple Butterfly Hotel. He stopped the car, his gaze sweeping up to the third floor. Clenching his teeth in resentment, he pulled out Li Penggai’s phone and dialed 110. "Hello, police? I want to report a crime..."

In Room 306 of the Purple Butterfly Hotel, Liu Zhi put on stockings and a wig while Fang Chao adjusted his fake beard in front of the mirror. The two were preparing to disguise themselves and dispose of the body under the cover of night.

Just as they were still getting ready, urgent knocking came from the door, followed by a gruff male voice. "Open up, now! Police inspection."

The two jumped up immediately. Fang Chao crept to the door and peeked through the peephole, then whispered to reassure Liu Zhi, "Doesn’t look like detectives. Don’t panic. If they were really here for us, they’d have barged in already."

At the same time, they prepared to resist. Liu Zhi quickly stripped off the stockings and wig, hiding the dagger under the blanket, while Fang Chao tucked the gun into the back of his waistband.

As they scrambled, the police outside grew more impatient. "Open the door now, or we won’t be polite!—Xiao Gang, go get the hotel staff."

Fang Chao hurriedly called out, "Coming, coming!"

He opened the door, his hand subtly resting near his waist, but the two officers who entered didn’t immediately confront them. It seemed more like a routine check. He ingratiatingly asked, "Officers, what’s with the sudden inspection?"

The two policemen strode in, scanning the room. "We got a tip that you’re doing drugs and soliciting prostitution in here."Fang Chao laughed heartily: "There must be a mistake with the report. Drugs? How could that be? We don't look like drug users at all. And prostitution? That's even more ridiculous—how could two grown men be involved in prostitution?"

The policeman coughed: "The tip was specifically about homosexual prostitution." He scanned the room, taking in Liu Zhi's face still smeared with eyeshadow and foundation, the wig, stockings, and women's clothing strewn across the bed. With a cold smirk, he remarked, "You sure know how to have fun, huh?"

Following his gaze, Fang Chao awkwardly replied, "Officer, you... you've got the wrong idea."

The policeman urged, "Save the explanations. Come with us."

Fang Chao asked, "Where to?"

The policeman barked, "To the station, of course. Change your clothes now!"

Liu Zhi glanced at Fang Chao for guidance. Fang Chao subtly shook his head, signaling to comply for now. After changing, they stood before the officers.

The policeman pointed at a suitcase: "You're being detained tonight. Bring all your belongings, including that suitcase."

Fang Chao stared at the suitcase and repeated, "The suitcase goes to the station too?"

Realizing they had no choice but to act, he exchanged a look with Liu Zhi. In the next instant, they struck simultaneously—Fang Chao grabbed the lead officer's head and slammed it against the wall, dazing him instantly, while Liu Zhi seized the other officer, locking his upper body and kneeing him in the head. Within moments, both officers were subdued, bound with rope, and tossed into the bathroom. The two then grabbed the suitcase and fled.

The suitcase was too heavy, slowing them down as they dragged its hundred-pound weight. Spotting what appeared to be a tour group loading similar-looking suitcases into a van, they left theirs nearby, hoping it would be taken along.

After sprinting through several streets, Fang Chao and Liu Zhi finally stopped to catch their breath. They agreed that finding the two petty thieves was hopeless, and with the police altercation, staying in Three Rivers Estuary was no longer safe. They decided to take the risk of blackmailing Zhou Rong with the USB drive, get the money, and leave immediately.

Du Cong drove home and parked in a free lot near his place. He carried the suitcase from the backseat inside, opened it, and rummaged through, finding a foot massage card worth a full thirty thousand yuan.

Early the next morning, Du Cong went to the Hydrotherapy Club and presented the card, asking if he could get a refund. The front desk clerk took the card, checked it, and realizing it belonged to their boss, called the manager over for a quiet discussion.

The manager eyed Du Cong suspiciously: "Is this card yours?"

Feeling guilty, Du Cong took the card back, said he no longer wanted a refund, and turned to leave.

Unable to stop him, the manager quickly called Hu Jianren.

Upon receiving the news, Hu Jianren rushed to Zhou Rong with his phone: "Boss Rong, someone tried to refund a foot massage card at the club—the thirty-thousand-yuan one."

Zhou Rong urgently took the call, asking where the person was now. The manager said he had just left and gotten into a car—the license plate matched Li Penggai's vehicle.

Zhou Rong immediately ordered the manager to tail him and not lose sight of him, or else consider his job over.

After issuing the command, Zhou Rong summoned Zhang Debing—he was going after the man himself.

Outside Zhou Rong's villa, Fang Chao and Liu Zhi saw his car leave. They quietly followed in their beat-up vehicle.

Along the way, Du Cong drove while the club's people tailed him, constantly updating Zhou Rong on their location via phone.

60.Du Cong returned to the parking lot downstairs and parked his car. Not long after, Zhou Rong also arrived, parking his vehicle at a distance to quietly observe Du Cong's movements.

Zhang Debing was shocked when he saw Du Cong get out of the car. "Rong-ge, isn't that the 4S shop salesman who crashed the Mercedes the night before last? How did Li Penggai's car end up in his hands?"

Zhou Rong snapped, "What salesman! He's a mastermind—sending a woman to scout the place first, then crashing a car to lure all the security away when he saw we had too many men, and finally sending two more people to rob the house. A goddamn chain of schemes!"

Zhang Debing asked what they should do now.

Zhou Rong ordered him to take reliable subordinates and follow Du Cong upstairs. After retrieving the USB drive, they were to capture all the robbers.

Just then, Zhou Rong's phone rang.

Fang Chao and Liu Zhi's beat-up car was parked far away on the other end of the street. The two huddled inside as Fang Chao took out Zhou Rong's business card and dialed the number. "Boss Zhou, what are you doing sitting in a car with a bunch of people?"

Zhou Rong jolted, turning to look outside. Du Cong was walking toward the residential building without glancing their way.

Fang Chao chuckled. "Want your USB drive back? If so, prepare five million in cash for tomorrow's trade."

Zhou Rong gasped. "Five million!"

Fang Chao sneered. "Compared to the accounts on that USB, five million is just pocket change. What do you say?"

Zhou Rong frowned. "How do we do the exchange?"

Fang Chao laughed. "I'll contact you tomorrow. Remember—no tricks. We’ve got eyes on your every move."

After hanging up, Zhang Debing studied his boss's grim expression and cautiously asked, "Rong-ge, are we still going up?"

Zhou Rong snapped, "Hell no! They’re watching our every move. They’re in the shadows, we’re exposed. They want to make a deal!"

At the police station, the commanding officer issued orders. According to intel, Zhou Rong's men had already narrowed down the robbers' general activity zone to the Siming Street area. Plainclothes officers were to be discreetly deployed around the vicinity for covert investigation. The operation had to remain low-profile—no tipping off the targets. The ultimate goal was to secure the USB drive before Zhou Rong could.

The next morning, Du Cong went out, and Zhang Debing sent two underlings to tail him from a distance.

As Du Cong turned a corner in the hallway, he ran into Luo Jia, who was lying in wait to monitor Zhang Debing's men. "What are you doing here?" he asked.

Before Luo Jia could answer, she spotted the two tailing lackeys approaching. Quickly, she pulled Du Cong aside and wrapped her arms around him, pretending they were kissing. Once the two men passed, she shoved him away and explained she was on a mission. Noticing Du Cong's distracted expression, she asked what was wrong.

Du Cong confessed about crashing Zhou Rong's Mercedes and the 300,000 yuan compensation. Luo Jia was shocked—he was the one who had wrecked the car.

Embarrassed, Du Cong asked if she could return the 20,000 yuan she owed him first. Luo Jia agreed and asked if there was anything else she could do to help. After a moment’s thought, Du Cong declined her offer, saying he’d figure something out himself.

After Zhang Debing's two lackeys pretended to pass by as ordinary pedestrians, they immediately called him. "Du Cong was just making out with some woman."

Zhang Debing glanced at Zhou Rong and Hu Jianren beside him. "Who was the woman?"

The lackey answered, "Looked like that Miss Li from the other night."

Hu Jianren was impressed. "Rong-ge, you called it! They really are in this together!"

The lackey asked, "What now? Du Cong’s walking south alone again."

Zhang Debing looked to Zhou Rong, who gritted his teeth. "Forget it. Let’s finish the deal first. We’ll deal with them afterward!"

65.After bidding farewell to Luo Jia, Du Cong went straight to find Gang Ge and Xiao Mao.

As soon as he entered the courtyard, the two of them, unlike their arrogance from the day before, warmly welcomed him in, addressing him as "Brother Cong" and pleading for the return of their car.

Du Cong demanded 100,000 yuan in compensation. Surprisingly, Gang Ge agreed immediately, saying he would pay as soon as the car was returned. Du Cong didn’t believe them and insisted on payment first.

After some more begging, Du Cong grew tired of their nonsense. He threw out a final warning—"No money, and I’ll sell the car"—then turned and left.

Seeing Du Cong leave, the two exchanged glances and followed him at a distance.

When Du Cong arrived downstairs at his home, one of Zhang Debing's underlings approached him as instructed and stopped him: "Boss, the money is ready."

Du Cong sized him up for a few seconds: "They sent you to tail me?"

The underling denied it: "Not tailing. The boss told me to wait for you here."

Du Cong sneered: "Boss? Cut the crap. If I were in a bad mood, I’d slap him dead right now!"

Zhou Rong, listening in real-time through the phone in his villa, gritted his teeth, barely containing his rage.

The underling coughed awkwardly: "When do you want the money?"

Du Cong barked: "Now! Immediately! The sooner the better!"

Zhou Rong spoke into the underling’s earpiece: "Set the exchange for one hour later at Jiade Plaza."

The underling promptly repeated his boss’s words.

Du Cong snapped: "Just give it to me directly! What’s with Jiade Plaza?"

Zhou Rong added: "This is his turf. We can’t risk him pulling something. Jiade Plaza is better—it’s open, fair for everyone."

The underling repeated again.

Du Cong scolded: "I don’t get what you’re saying. Just don’t try anything funny!"

The underling hurriedly assured: "Absolutely, no tricks."

As Du Cong turned the corner in the stairwell, Luo Jia stopped him: "Who was that guy just now?"

Du Cong stammered: "I don’t know him."

Luo Jia pressed: "What did he want with you?"

Du Cong lied: "Nothing much. They were just asking for directions."

Luo Jia looked skeptical.

Gang Ge and Xiao Mao followed Du Cong home from a distance. After watching him enter the residential building, they speculated that the car was probably parked nearby. Scanning the area, they quickly spotted a free open parking lot not far from the building. Soon, they found Li Penggai’s SUV. Peering inside, they saw no sign of the case—it must have been taken by Du Cong. They decided to go home for tools, planning to break in later and steal the case.

Meanwhile, in a beat-up car parked not far from the SUV, Liu Zhi glared furiously at Gang Ge and Xiao Mao, while Fang Chao held him back, warning him not to act outside. They decided to tail the two petty thieves instead, temporarily putting aside the deal with Zhou Rong.

At the police station, officers received intel that Zhou Rong would be making a deal with the robbers at Jiade Plaza in an hour. The plan was to catch them red-handed. To ensure the operation’s success, rookies like Luo Jia were excluded from the action.

In a hotel, Zhu Yifei told Huo Zheng that since Zhou Rong was, after all, a Local Tyrant, they should try diplomacy first—give him one last chance.

Gang Ge and Xiao Mao walked home, with Fang Chao and Liu Zhi stealthily trailing them.

Xiao Mao suggested to Gang Ge that since they didn’t have lock-picking tools at home, they could borrow some from a locksmith friend of his. So, the two turned back.

Spotting the sudden reversal, Fang Chao and Liu Zhi quickly turned away and ducked aside. Fang Chao warned Liu Zhi to stay calm until the last moment. Pretending nonchalance, they continued walking. Just as they rounded the corner, a basin suddenly and unexpectedly landed on Fang Chao’s head, drenching him in filth. It turned out to be three debt collectors’ thugs.

After a stunned second, Fang Chao lunged forward and beat the three thugs to the ground. They begged for mercy, explaining they had meant to ambush the two guys ahead, but those two had turned back, so they hit the wrong targets instead.Fang Chao forced the three thugs to reveal Gang Ge and Xiao Mao's address. He rushed to their place, but they weren't home. After being doused with feces, Fang Chao abandoned his usual calm demeanor and furiously smashed everything in the house. Liu Zhi tried to reason with him: "Brother Chao, stay composed. Anger and cursing won't solve anything. We need to think long-term."

"Screw your long-term! I'm going to kill those two bastards and tear them to pieces!"

Just then, Fang Chao kicked a burlap sack. Opening it, he discovered yet another corpse and exclaimed: "These two are deranged serial killers! Killing them today would be serving justice!"

Gang Ge and Xiao Mao, armed with lock-picking tools, hid on the upper floor of the residential building where Du Cong lived. When they saw Du Cong open his second-floor door, they quickly ducked out of sight.

After Du Cong left, he headed straight to Jade Plaza.

Plainclothes officers were stationed around Jade Plaza.

Zhou Rong arrived in a car that parked at one corner of the plaza. Shortly after, a van pulled up behind them.

Hu Jianren remarked: "Brother Rong, that van has been tailing us for a while."

Zhou Rong ordered: "Honk the horn."

In the van behind them, Zhu Yifei heard the horn and decided since Zhou Rong had noticed them, it was time for a direct confrontation.

When the van doors opened, Zhou Rong initially thought robbers had arrived but was sorely disappointed to see Zhu Yifei instead.

Zhu Yifei approached the car, but Zhou Rong refused to step out. Zhu Yifei glared coldly: "Boss Zhou, this is no way to do business. You're being utterly dishonorable."

Zhou Rong impatiently dismissed him: "I'm busy right now. Don't bother me."

At that moment, Huo Zheng noticed several men approaching the plaza's perimeter and spotted others hiding behind distant trees. He immediately pulled Zhu Yifei back: "Brother Fei, it's a setup!"

Zhu Yifei scrambled back into the van, which sped away from the plaza. Simultaneously, unmarked police vehicles activated their sirens and gave chase.

The van was cornered by police on an overpass during traffic congestion. Zhu Yifei, Huo Zheng, and others abandoned the vehicle, leaping into the river from the overpass and escaping in disarray. They hid in a drainage pipe, where Zhu Yifei raged about Zhou Rong not only stealing their goods but deliberately involving the police to destroy them—this vendetta couldn't go unanswered! He ordered Huo Zheng to procure firearms, vowing to show Zhou Rong who the real gangsters were.

Meanwhile, police surrounded Zhou Rong's car but only found five million in cash. Zhou Rong argued that as a businessman, carrying large sums wasn't illegal. The police had no choice but to let him go.

After leaving, Hu Jianren quietly speculated that the police presence during the deal suggested an inside informant. Zhou Rong nodded, eyeing the driver Xiao Mi suspiciously. Worried the robbers might mistakenly believe he'd tipped off the police, he instructed Zhang Debing to send men to apologize to Du Cong immediately.

Du Cong waited endlessly at Jade Plaza with no one showing up, cursing them as liars.

Gang Ge and Xiao Mao picked the lock to Du Cong's apartment, found the case, opened its hidden compartment, and stuffed the U.S. dollars into a bag before leaving contentedly.

When Du Cong returned to his building, Zhang Debing's underling hurried to apologize, calling it all a misunderstanding.

Du Cong snapped: "Cut the crap! Just give me the 100,000 now!"

The underling was confused: "100,000?"

Du Cong barked: "Obviously! Hand it over!"Zhou Rong gave instructions over the phone to his underling: "If he wants 100,000, just give him 100,000 for now."

The underling acknowledged and returned to the car, immediately retrieving 100,000 yuan wrapped in a plastic bag, which he handed to Du Cong.

Du Cong was astonished that they had actually given him the money so readily. After verifying that the cash was genuine, he nodded in satisfaction and pulled out a car key, handing it over.

The underling was puzzled: "What's this?"

Du Cong pointed toward the parking lot: "Car key."

Understanding, the underling hurried off to the parking lot.

Meanwhile, Luo Jia, who hadn't participated in the arrest operation and was still secretly tailing Zhou Rong's men, saw Du Cong exchange something with them. After they left, she quickly followed Du Cong upstairs.

The underling drove the car back to Zhou Rong's villa. Zhang Debing searched the entire vehicle but found no USB drive—only a dead turtle under the seat. Hu Jianren analyzed that the robbers had insulted Rong-ge by calling him a "turtle hiding in its shell." Enraged, Zhou Rong ordered his driver to take two carloads of men to the outskirts.

At the police station, officers received a tip that Zhou Rong was heading to the outskirts with two carloads of men. The commanding officer urgently mobilized all available units to follow.

In reality, Zhou Rong had Zhang Debing take the most reliable men, armed with weapons, in another car to confront Du Cong and settle the score.

At Du Cong's place, he was counting the money, repeatedly confirming that the 100,000 yuan in his hands was real. As he pondered how to gather the remaining sum, Luo Jia confronted him.

She demanded to know what his relationship with Zhou Rong was. Du Cong admitted he owed Zhou Rong 300,000 yuan. Luo Jia then asked what he had exchanged with Zhou Rong's men earlier.

Hearing that the underling was Zhou Rong's man, Du Cong was baffled. He recounted the events of the past few days, and Luo Jia pieced together what had likely happened.

She checked the hidden compartment in the box in the room—it was empty, with no USB drive inside. Convinced that Gang Ge and Xiao Mao still had it, she insisted Du Cong take her to them immediately.

As Du Cong and Luo Jia opened the door, they were met by Zhang Debing waiting outside. Zhang said, "The boss invites you both for a chat in the car." Luo Jia refused, saying they were busy.

With a wave of Zhang's hand, his men rushed forward with knives. After a brief scuffle, Zhang Debing himself lunged at Luo Jia with a blade. Du Cong jumped in to shield her, getting slashed on the hand. Soon, both were subdued, stuffed into sacks, and hauled into the car downstairs.

Once inside the car, they found Zhou Rong waiting. He pressed them about the USB drive's whereabouts. Du Cong claimed ignorance, but when Zhou Rong threatened to slash Luo Jia's face with a knife, Du Cong immediately said the other two had it.

Zhou Rong ordered him to lead them to Gang Ge and Xiao Mao.

Meanwhile, Gang Ge and Xiao Mao returned to the courtyard with the $500,000, relieved. They said everything would be settled once they disposed of Li Penggai's body.

Inside the house, Fang Chao and Liu Zhi, seeing them return, hid behind the door.

The moment Gang Ge and Xiao Mao stepped in, Liu Zhi grabbed one by the throat—"Move and I'll snap your neck"—while Fang Chao pressed a gun to the other's head. Fang Chao took the bag from Gang Ge and opened it, confirming the $500,000 was intact. At last, the stolen money had been recovered.

83.Zhou Rong's men arrived outside Gang Ge's courtyard. Du Cong pointed inside, saying the person lived there. Zhang Debing noted the courtyard gate was unlatched and there were people inside. Zhou Rong nodded, ordering them all to move in carefully since the targets were armed.

Inside the house, Fang Chao and Liu Zhi had Gang Ge and Xiao Mao tightly bound. Liu Zhi asked how to deal with these bastards—last time they'd nearly gotten killed because of a corpse, and now there was another body in the room. These two looked so sleazy, definitely serial killers. Fang Chao, furious, decided to make them suffer before finishing them off.

Liu Zhi wrapped several layers of plastic tape around their mouths. Fang Chao flicked open a lighter and burned Gang Ge, who screamed in agony but couldn't make a sound.

Just as the two were reveling in their revenge, the door was suddenly kicked open. Zhang Debing and his men rushed in, two shotguns aimed directly at Fang Chao and Liu Zhi while other underlings surrounded them with blades.

Zhang Debing barked, "On your knees, hands up!"

Fang Chao frowned, urgently trying to think of a way out.

Zhang Debing counted, "I'll only say it once—one, two—"

Fang Chao had no choice but to comply. A lackey stepped forward, frisking them and confiscating their guns and knives. Zhang Debing kept the shotgun trained on their heads, forcing them back behind a narrow workbench.

Once they were subdued, the underlings brought in Du Cong and Luo Jia, also bound, and shoved them behind the table. Zhou Rong entered, eyeing Fang Chao, Liu Zhi, and the four tied-up individuals with a smirk. "What a lively gathering. Is everyone here now?"

Luo Jia and Du Cong were bound hand and foot, propped against the wall like wooden stakes. Luo Jia whispered to Du Cong that Zhou Rong surely intended to silence them all—they had to find a way out. She nudged her chin, and Du Cong spotted a razor blade on the floor nearby. He strained to move but couldn't muster the strength. "I'll try to get them to kick me so I can roll over there," he muttered. Then he shouted at a nearby lackey, "Let me go! I’ll kill you the second I’m up!" The lackey glared. Du Cong kept taunting, "What? Too scared to kick me?"

Zhou Rong, interrogating Fang Chao and Liu Zhi about the USB drive, was interrupted. Enraged, he snapped, "Cut out his tongue."

The lackey immediately advanced with a knife. Du Cong panicked. "I said kick me, not cut my tongue!" As the lackey charged, Luo Jia leveraged her body to take the kick, toppling her near the blade. Du Cong shook his head frantically, begging, "I won’t speak, I swear! Spare me!" The lackey slapped him twice, warning him to behave.

Meanwhile, Luo Jia stealthily picked up the blade with her teeth and awkwardly collapsed into Du Cong’s lap. She bent her head, using the blade to saw at the ropes around his waist. Du Cong’s groin instinctively pressed against her face, and Luo Jia shot him a glare before continuing to cut.

Nearby, Xiao Mao watched Luo Jia’s motions with a gulp.

Once Du Cong was free, he took advantage of the lackeys’ focus on Fang Chao and Liu Zhi, hiding behind the table to cut Luo Jia’s bonds. She whispered, "We need to find a way to rush out."

Du Chong glanced up and spotted a screwdriver on the table.Zhou Rong pressed Fang Chao for the location of the USB drive, but Fang Chao remained silent. Zhou Rong ordered his men to search both of them. At that moment, Liu Zhi caught sight of a screwdriver on a nearby table. A faint, almost imperceptible smirk curled at the corner of his lips as he envisioned the scene: when the men came to search him, he would leap up, kick one away, grab the screwdriver, and lunge at Zhou Rong, threatening him to release them.

As Zhou Rong’s men approached to search him, Liu Zhi subtly shifted his body to the right. But just then, Du Cong, hiding under the table behind him, reached up and took the screwdriver from the table.

The moment the men moved to search him, Liu Zhi grinned and suddenly sprang up, kicking one of them away while reaching for the screwdriver, shouting, “I’ll fucking—” His hand grasped empty air. Before he could react, Zhang Debing’s shotgun roared, and the blast sent Liu Zhi flying backward, crashing to the ground.

Seeing Liu Zhi writhing on the floor, clutching his bleeding stomach, Fang Chao finally relented. “The USB drive is here,” he blurted out.

He retrieved the USB drive from behind a button in a hidden pocket of his clothes and handed it to Zhou Rong. Zhou Rong took it and exhaled deeply in relief—it was finally back in his hands. With a wave, he ordered his men to tie up both Fang Chao and Liu Zhi. “Get gasoline,” he commanded. “Burn this place down.”

The faces of everyone present instantly drained of color.

Out in the suburbs, an unmarked police car passed Zhou Rong’s vehicle. The plainclothes officer radioed in, “Something’s off. Zhou Rong doesn’t seem to be in the car.”

Inside the police station, an officer reported to the higher-ups, “Bad news—Luo Jia and the informant have both lost contact.”

The superior immediately ordered, “Intercept Zhou Rong’s vehicle.”

In the suburbs, the unmarked police car stopped in front of Zhou Rong’s vehicle. Several officers stepped out, badges in hand, demanding Zhou Rong exit the car. His men replied that the boss wasn’t in the vehicle and they had no idea where he was.

Two of Zhou Rong’s men stepped out to fetch gasoline. Luo Jia whispered, “This is our chance. Find a way to break out.”

Du Cong asked, “What about you?”

Luo Jia replied, “Don’t worry about me. I’m a cop. Don’t look back—just run as fast as you can once you’re outside.”

Du Cong protested, “No way!”

Luo Jia urged, “There’s no time.”

With that, she flipped the table over, lunging at one of the henchmen holding a shotgun and knocking it out of his hands. At that moment, Zhang Debing’s gun swung toward her.

In the nick of time, Du Cong shouted, “Watch out!” and leaped in front of her. The gunshot struck Du Cong, and without hesitation, he used the momentum of the bullet’s impact to tackle Zhou Rong, pressing the screwdriver against his throat. “Let them go!” he roared. “I said let them the fuck go now!”

The next instant, two shotguns were trained on Du Cong. Still gripping Zhou Rong’s neck, he snarled, “Go ahead and shoot! I’ll drag your boss to hell with me!”

Zhou Rong’s face turned crimson from the chokehold. Gulping, he gasped, “What do you want?”

Du Cong glanced at Luo Jia. “Let her go.”

Zhang Debing sneered, “You’re shot. You won’t last long.”

Du Cong barked, “So what? Let her go! I’ll count to three—one, two—”

Zhou Rong, terrified, immediately relented. “Let her go!”

Luo Jia looked at Du Chong with gratitude but didn’t move.

Du Cong yelled, “Get the hell out of here!”

Just then, Hu Jianren let out a cold laugh. “Boss Rong, we can’t let her go. If we do, we’re all finished.”

Du Cong pressed the screwdriver harder, drawing blood from Zhou Rong’s neck. Zhou Rong panicked. “Let her go! Let her go!”Hu Jianren shook his head: "Rong Ge, we've come this far. Letting them go is something I can't do, and none of us can either. — Debing, tie her up."

Zhang Debing hesitated for a second but still followed Hu Jianren's order. As he stepped forward to bind Luo Jia, she urgently shouted, "I'm a police officer! Backup is on the way, and you're surrounded. Let us go now, and you might still get leniency."

Hu Jianren sneered, "I think the police are probably still in the suburbs right now."

But just then, the door was slammed open as multiple armed men rushed in, shouting, "Nobody move! Hands on your heads and get down!"

At the sight of this, everyone in the room was stunned. Liu Zhi exclaimed in shock, "There really are police!" Fang Chao sighed, "Right now, I actually crave going to jail." Gang Ge and Xiao Mao also breathed sighs of relief, nearly moved to tears.

Zhou Rong desperately cried out, "Help! Help! He's trying to kill me! I'm innocent!"

Hu Jianren, Zhang Debing, and the rest immediately dropped their weapons, placing their hands on their heads and crouching to the ground.

Watching this scene, Du Cong muttered, "Finally." He could no longer hold on and collapsed to the floor.

"Hahahaha, Boss Zhou, don’t be scared. I’m here to save you now."

A few seconds later, a voice called from outside the door. Zhou Rong looked up to see Zhu Yifei and Huo Zheng entering. He asked in surprise, "Why is it you?"

"Why is it me? I don’t even want to talk about it!" Zhu Yifei kicked Zhou Rong in the face, knocking out his front teeth on the spot. Then, he ordered his men to tie everyone up.

Looking around, Zhu Yifei smirked at Zhou Rong, "Boss Zhou, what’s all this? Pretty intense, huh? Kidnapping a bunch of people and planning to burn them alive—that’s ruthless."

Huo Zheng retrieved the Xuande Censer and the bag of cash from the room and brought them over. Zhu Yifei nodded in satisfaction and signaled his men to leave. Huo Zheng asked, "Fei Ge, are we just letting Zhou off like this?"

Zhu Yifei scoffed, "Letting him off? Don’t joke around!"

He grabbed Zhou Rong’s phone and dialed 110, saying, "You played dirty first, so I’ll return the favor. I’m calling the cops too.—Hello, police? There’s a kidnapping here, and the culprits were planning to kill the hostages. The location is—you can track it yourself."

After hanging up, he tossed the phone aside and swaggered out with his men.

Not long after, a large police force arrived and arrested everyone.

Luo Jia rushed to Du Cong’s side, tears streaming down her face. "Hold on a little longer. The ambulance is almost here."

Du Cong weakly opened his eyes and pleaded with her, "I... I need CPR."

Luo Jia stood up coldly and called out, "Sun Dazui, give him CPR."

At Three Rivers Estuary train station, a van pulled up in front. Zhu Yifei had his men carry boxes one by one from the van into the station.

At the security checkpoint, the inspector frowned at the X-ray screen and rushed over to stop them, demanding an inspection.

Zhu Yifei’s men opened the boxes calmly, claiming they were street vendors carrying nothing but handicrafts.

But when one box was opened, Xiao Liu’s corpse was revealed inside. Everyone froze on the spot, and the entire gang was rounded up in one sweep.

Luo Jia visited Du Cong in the hospital. Lying in bed, Du Cong asked what they should do about the 300,000 yuan debt to Zhou Rong. Luo Jia replied that the car involved in the case had already been impounded, and the whole incident was thanks to him stealing Zhou’s car that day.After chatting for a while, Luo Jia asked him, "Why did you shield me from danger twice?"

Du Cong blushed and said, "You still owe me money. Of course I can't let anything happen to you."

Luo Jia stood up in disappointment and turned to leave.

Du Cong called out to stop her.

She asked coldly, "What else is there?"

Du Cong pulled out a foot massage card worth thirty thousand yuan from his pocket. "If I happen to have an extra foot massage ticket, would you be willing to go wash feet with me?"

[The End]