Under one person: I, Zhang Zhiwei, the arrogant Zhang.

With the help of the mystical methods of the Unloading Warriors, Zhang Dafoye, and Zhang Zhiwei, the large-scale air-raid shelter project progressed rapidly and took shape in just a few days.

If it's just used as a small shelter, then it's ready for use.

However, Zhang Zhiwei wanted large-scale shelters and factory buildings, so the current construction scale is far from sufficient.

According to the original plan, he would have to hollow out most of the mountain and extend it underground to develop a large space.

Projects of this scale would be commonplace in Chongqing eighty or ninety years from now; any subway station there would be as deep as the underworld. But in this day and age, it's something unthinkable. It's fortunate that Zhang Zhiwei is knowledgeable; otherwise, he wouldn't have even brought it up.

Wang Ai, on the other hand, was stationed in the city, contacting the various branches of the Tiantong Chamber of Commerce. Funds and materials flowed into Yucheng like a river, and were then distributed to various places.

The reason he gave away money while undertaking large-scale projects was because a great famine occurred that year, and he wanted to fund the construction of soup kitchens for disaster relief.

The project is in full swing and progressing rapidly. But beneath this bustling scene, undercurrents are already beginning to stir.

First, the Chairman sent a secret telegram inquiring about the purpose of the large-scale mobilization of manpower in Chongqing to go into the mountains to quarry rocks.
After all, during this period, Zhang Zhiwei, together with Liu Mang, carried out large-scale construction projects in Chongqing, making quite a stir. The Chairman of Nanjing was a superfluous person, so how could he not care?

When questioned openly by the Chairman, Liu Mang deflected the questions by citing the need to develop industries and quarry stone.

The Chairman naturally did not believe this answer. He publicly praised Liu Mang's actions, but secretly sent Blue Shirts to investigate.

The Blue Shirts Society was founded in 1932 and was the predecessor of the Military Intelligence Bureau.

The Military Intelligence Bureau (MIB) has not yet been established, but with the addition of Dai Chunyu, the second-in-command of the Axe Gang, the Blue Shirts Society is growing rapidly and is already making inroads in various places. The important cities of Sichuan and Chongqing are naturally of paramount importance.

The Blue Shirts were quite capable. Disguised as members of the Gelaohui (a secret society) who were there to handle logistics, they infiltrated the construction site and even learned about the scale and purpose of the project from a young Taoist priest who often chatted with the Gelaohui members.

When Chiang Kai-shek learned of this, he was shocked. What was Liu Sangzi planning to do with such a massive project? Was he preparing for war?!
Who is he going to hit?

Japanese pirates?!
The Japanese pirates were in the Northeast, while he was in the Southwest. The two sides were more than 8,000 li apart, so he was definitely not targeting the Japanese pirates.

Damn it, they're probably after me.

So, the Chairman decided to strike first. You're wasting people's money and resources on large-scale construction projects for defense, huh? I'll just blow you up, you son of a bitch.

The idea is very good, but the reality is very skinny.

The Tang Clan was responsible for the security of the entire project, including Gao Yingcai, You Ke, and You Shou.

Although Gao Yingcai's combat ability was only average, he was the most skilled in the Illusionary Body Barrier technique in the entire Tang Sect, appearing and disappearing without a trace.

You Ke and You Shou, nicknamed the Blue and White Spiders, are masters of spider silk and are the most skilled web-weaving assassins in the Tang Clan, waiting for their prey to fall into their traps.

They laid a trap around the entire project, and before the Blue Shirts members could be placed, they fell into the trap they had set.

The Tang Clan interrogated these people, but none of them were tough nuts to crack, and they all confessed without Zhang Zhiwei having to lift a finger.

As for these members of the Blue Shirts Society...

To avoid embarrassing the Chairman by returning them, Liu Mang disposed of them all.

After that, the Tang Clan arrested a few more people.

Perhaps having suffered a setback and realizing it wouldn't be easy, the Blue Shirts Society didn't send any more men. This time, they captured Liu Mang's uncle's spies, and even a few Japanese pirates from the Special Higher Police...

They were just small fry, and Zhang Zhiwei originally intended to kill them to settle the matter.

Liu Mang felt it would be a waste to kill them like that, and suggested using them to fill foundations and drive live piles. Zhang Zhiwei didn't interfere and let Liu Mang do as he pleased.

…………

…………

As the project was in full swing, Zhang Mazi's operation was also nearing its conclusion.

Chengdu, Anren Liu Family Manor.

The entire Liu Family Manor covers an area of ​​over 70 acres and is an architectural blend of Western Sichuan and Western styles. It has 27 courtyards, over 180 rooms, and three large gardens.

The entire manor is meticulously laid out, featuring traditional Chinese ancestral halls and ancestral temples, as well as Western-style reception rooms and tennis courts, and even a secret vault and underground tunnels.

As the owner of this place, Liu Cai mainly lives in the old mansion.

The level of luxury here is comparable to that of a palace. The house is full of goldware, and even the carved bed and toilet in the bedroom are covered with gold leaf, glittering and shining, perfectly illustrating what it means to be a nouveau riche or a tycoon.

This manor was not only his living quarters but also a symbol of his power. It was surrounded by a six-meter-high beacon wall, and inside there were workshops for hired laborers, granaries, opium warehouses, and a private army of three thousand men stationed there to protect the manor.

These people were equipped with the latest weapons, even better than those of ordinary troops. After all, they were guarding the house, and the landlord was willing to spend money on them.

This was the daily life of the most elite landlords of that era.

Many people in later generations lack a concept of landlords and think that the tenants at that time were foolish.

Why don't so many people gather together, organize a zero-dollar shopping spree, kill the landlord, rob the money, and divide the land among themselves?
There was a very famous movie in later generations, but it was critically acclaimed but not commercially successful, called 1942. The protagonist was a landlord who was robbed by refugees due to famine and ended up selling his children.

But in reality, this situation is highly unlikely to occur.

Because the landlords in the movie have beacon walls like Liu Cai's manor, and the gate is built like a city gate tower, and there is a warehouse full of grain.

With such a family fortune, normally, his brothers, sisters, nephews, and nieces would need to number in the dozens, with guns and cannons, plus a hundred or so farmhands, otherwise they simply couldn't support such a family business.

It's impossible for it to be as simple as it's portrayed in the movies, with only a son and a daughter, plus a few farmhands.

If there are only a few cats and kittens in the house, what can they possibly accomplish? Let alone repairing a city gate, they wouldn't even be able to get an egg a day.

With such a small number of people, let alone landlords, even ordinary farmers would be bullied by families with several sons.

Under normal circumstances, a landlord of this size would not be able to be robbed by starving refugees unless they encountered an army.

Even if they really had to leave their ancestral lands to escape famine, they would rob the refugees and squeeze the last bit of survival supplies from them.

For example, at this very moment, there is a great famine in Sichuan and Gansu, affecting 37 million people, which is even more severe than the famine in 1942.

But the wealthy landowners here still lived a life of luxury, with one landlord, Liu Cai, even having a highway built specifically to connect his home to Chengdu for easier travel. At this moment, a Ford sedan, one of the most fashionable cars of the time, was parked at the entrance of the Liu Family Manor—Liu Cai's personal vehicle.

It stopped at the door, which means Liu Cai is at home.

At this moment, in the hall, a pair of servants stood in a row, and the table was full of delicious dishes.

Liu Cai sat in the main seat. Although he was in a position of privilege, he was not overweight. Instead, he was strong and burly, with broad shoulders and a thick waist. In addition, he had a square face and high cheekbones, which gave him a hawk-like and wolf-like appearance. Therefore, his nickname was "Tiger Liu".

Next to Liu Cai sat his sons, the eldest of whom was over twenty years old. He was tall and strong, but recently he had become addicted to opium and looked like a consumptive.

"Fifth Master, your nephew in Chongqing has been very restless lately, making frequent moves. It seems he's gotten involved with that little celestial master from Longhu Mountain, digging some kind of air-raid shelter. It looks like there's going to be something big going on, otherwise why would he be doing this kind of project!"

Liu Cai is the fifth child in her family.

The speaker was Yu Hai, the head of Liu Cai's security team. He was in his thirties, with a dark face, square mouth, and wide nose. He wore a long robe and looked imposing without being angry.

"Whatever that fetal spirit does, it's none of my business anymore. Besides, there's a little celestial master. I've heard of him; he's very fierce. Let them dig if they want; we shouldn't mess with them!" Liu Cai waved his hand and said.

Yu Hai nodded: "That's what I think too. Don't mess with them. I even think that if Fifth Master is willing, he could invest some money in that Tiantong Steel Plant."

"There's been a famine lately, and this factory has set up a lot of relief tents, which must be very expensive. Investing money at this time is like sending charcoal in snowy weather!"

"You want me to use my money to help those crippled people?" Liu Cai grinned. "I'd rather burn it than give it to them."

"Besides, this Tiantong Steel Plant has gotten involved with my nephew who's a 'fetal god'. If I go and help him, wouldn't that be like currying favor with that 'fetal god' nephew? Where would I put my face then?"

Liu Cai patted his face, looking very angry. He was still resentful about his nephew, the fetal god, having defied his superior and defeated his own younger brother.

Yu Hai said, "Fifth Master, I'm not asking you to curry favor with Liu Mang, but to get closer to the Little Celestial Master. This person is not simple. Even if you don't befriend him, you can't afford to offend him."

Liu Cai laughed: "You're right. Why don't you go and make his acquaintance for me? Aren't you from Qingcheng Mountain? Qingcheng Mountain and Longhu Mountain are practically family. Once you're familiar with him, you can introduce me!"

Yu Hai immediately fell silent. A person's reputation precedes them; he knew what the Little Celestial Master had done, and he was also aware of his own actions. He was afraid to see Zhang Zhiwei.

It was precisely because of this fear that he suggested Liu Cai spend some money to gain favor with the young Taoist master. He knew that during the floods, this young Taoist master had used some unethical and evil methods, causing several wealthy people to go bankrupt.

He was trying to be the first to speak out because he was afraid that the young Taoist priest would target Liu Cai and thus affect him.

However, Liu Cai didn't seem to care about this matter. To him, the high and mighty Little Celestial Master in the world of supernatural beings was still too far away from him.

Moreover, he had never provoked the other party, and as a monk, the other party should not have sought him out for no reason.

"Instead of worrying about this little Taoist master, you should worry about my goods. These past two days, a gang of bandits named Zhang Mazi suddenly appeared. Those bastards have robbed me more than twenty times in three days. They're really taking advantage of me. I asked you to deal with it. How's it going?" Liu Cai said.

Yu Hai said, "They're just a bunch of petty thieves who only know how to steal chickens and dogs. I've already arranged for several teams of skilled men to personally transport the goods, all armed with weapons. We're just waiting for them to take the bait."

……

……

"They've taken the bait, sir! Those bastards have indeed sent out a small portion of their men." In the dark, dense forest, Xu Xin reported to Tang Jiaren.

Tang Jiaren nodded: "Then let's get ready to make our move."

In fact, they had arrived near Liu Cai's manor long ago, but the manor was too heavily guarded, making it difficult to make a move.

After all, they weren't here to kill anyone; they were here to rob someone.

Murder can be done and you can leave; no amount of soldiers on the manor will help. But robbing money requires careful planning. You need to find out where the money is, how to transport it, and what obstacles lie ahead…

Considering the large number of guards in the manor, Tang Jiaren arranged for Lü Ci to lead a few men, wearing masks with mahjong tile patterns as identification, to frequently rob Liu Cai's goods and shops.

Meanwhile, he led Yu Huizhong and others, using the illusion barrier, to explore the manor, figuring out Liu Cai's defensive deployment and the location of the vault.

Lu Ci was very decisive and efficient. He traveled non-stop and robbed Liu Cai more than twenty times in three days.

These days, the police aren't very effective, so Liu Cai has to send out a large number of private soldiers to protect his business.

This gave Tang Jiaren the opportunity to make his move.

Among the people who came this time, in addition to the ten members of the Tang Clan, Lü Ci also brought a team of skilled fighters from the Tian Tong Church.

In recent years, as archbishop, Wang Ai has been diligently expanding the faith, and in the process, he has naturally built a formidable friars.

To support his childhood friend, Wang Ai assigned him a team of people.

In addition to the Tang Clan squad and the Guardian Squad, Liu Mang also sent his own personal guards. In total, this was a particularly elite squad of several dozen people.

"Master, when shall we make our move?" Lu Ci asked.

Tang Jiaren looked at the bunkers and watchtowers of the Liu family manor, where guards stood watch.

"Let's do it now!" the master said. "Aunt Yu, you sneak in, open the door, and we'll break in."

"Does the master intend to launch a direct attack?" Yu Huizhong was somewhat surprised, as the Tang Clan rarely did this.

Tang Jiaren said, "As long as the assassin completes the mission, it doesn't really matter whether it's an assassination or a robbery!"

"Now, arranging tactics is like opening the door for you, Young Master Lü. You will lead your men and General Liu's men to attack from the front."

"When you attack, I will have Tang An use his paper doll technique to create hundreds of paper figures to disguise as a military force and feign an attack on the manor, drawing fire for you and reducing casualties."

"My men will operate in the shadows, prioritizing eliminating the enemies in the surrounding watchtowers and bunkers."

"Once we've taken out the people in the bunker, Tang An, you can use the paper figures to occupy the bunker, control the machine guns inside, and suppress the guards in the manor."

"At this time, the situation will definitely be chaotic. Tang Qian, release the Hundred Shadows of Green Snakes and use the snakes to drive away those ordinary people and let them escape. If they don't escape, bite them to death."

"Our Tang Clan's methods are still too conspicuous. Occasionally taking on a side job as a bandit to rob money is fine for my personal reputation, but the reputation of the Tang Clan cannot be ruined."

"In short, in this operation, we not only need to steal the money, but also kill everyone who knows our identities, especially the supernatural beings." (End of Chapter)