Please call me Your Majesty!

Chapter 213: Deep into the tiger's den, a missed move almost fell into the hands of the poisonous hand

[Chu Shizhao arranged a large number of personnel to conduct a dragnet search with the trade activities as the center and the surrounding area of ​​several miles.]

[He personally drew a detailed map, marking every house, forest, cave, and other place where people might be hiding.]

[The search team was divided into several groups, and they carefully checked one place after another according to the marks on the map.]

[While searching a forest two miles from the trading post, a soldier discovered some messy footprints and carriage tracks.]

[Chu Shizhao immediately rushed to the scene. By observing the marks left at the scene and measuring the shoe sole patterns and the wheelbase of the carriage, Chu Shizhao initially determined that these marks were most likely left by the robbers.]

[Chu Shizhao led the search team to continue tracking along the direction of the carriage tracks, and finally came to a dilapidated yard that had been abandoned for a long time.]

[Chu Shizhao led his men to quietly surround the yard, and then at a command, everyone rushed into the yard. ]

[There was no one in the yard, but from some remaining traces it could be seen that someone had lived here before, and it was probably the hiding place of the robbers.]

This time, although Chu Shizhao found the robbers' hiding place and obtained some clues, it was obvious that the robbers had moved.

After all, he was a step too late.

If I had been faster, I would have been able to catch the criminal red-handed.

It seems that professional matters should be left to professionals.

[After analyzing the clues, Chu Shizhao immediately transferred a team of professional search and tracking scouts from General Zhang Gan to form a tracking team, and continued to track the robbers along the direction they might escape.]

[Not long after, the tracking team received news that a dozen unfamiliar faces with Beijing accents were spotted in a small town a few miles away from the yard.]

[After learning about the situation, Chu Shizhao led his elite troops to the town quickly, and finally successfully captured all the "robbers" in the inn in the town. ]

[After some interrogation, these people finally confessed that they were indeed robbers, hired by people in the capital, but they didn't know who they were. They only knew that each contact was made through a middleman with a scar on his face.]

[Chu Shizhao continued to inquire about the whereabouts of the middleman, and the robbers said that their last meeting was in a dilapidated temple outside the town, and they had never seen the middleman since then.]

This time, although Chu Shizhao learned some information from the robbers, he was ultimately unable to find out the mastermind behind the incident.

In his opinion, the negligence this time was that the robbers were of too low a level.

Even if we catch these guys, we won't be able to get any truly useful information.

It seems that if we want to find out the mastermind behind this, we have to dig deeper.

[Chu Shizhao selected several robbers who seemed to be weak-willed and detained them separately for interrogation.]

[Chu Shizhao promised one of the robbers a huge reward: "I know you are also being used by someone. As long as you tell me all the information about the middleman, I will not only spare your life, but also give you a large sum of money so that you can live comfortably for the rest of your life."]

[The robber was tempted and began to confess: "The middleman is about thirty years old, of medium build, with a noticeable scar on his face. He always brings a few men with him for every meeting, and he is very fierce. I heard him talking to other people and he mentioned something called 'Qingfeng Tower'."]

[Chu Shizhao immediately arranged for people to search for clues about "Qingfeng Tower" in the town and its surrounding areas based on the information provided by the robbers; on the other hand, he sent people to the ruined temple mentioned earlier to conduct a thorough search.]

[The team that went to the ruined temple found a piece of paper in a crack in the wall of the ruined temple. There were some strange symbols and an address written on it.]

[At the same time, the team searching for "Qingfenglou" received news that they had found a tavern called "Qingfenglou" in a remote corner of the town.]

[Chu Shizhao led his men to the "Qingfeng Building" and after a secret investigation, they discovered that this tavern was an intelligence transfer station, and that the middleman with a scar on his face often appeared here.]

After this deduction, Chu Shizhao finally made a relatively obvious breakthrough.

This time he obtained key information by changing the interrogation strategy and found the important clue location.

However, he also knew very well that in order to truly uncover the mastermind behind the scenes, he needed to further investigate the "Qingfeng Tower" and he could not alert the enemy.

In order to ensure the success of this plan, Chu Shizhao decided to take action himself. He disguised himself and entered Qingfeng Tower as a gangster with a "black job" announcement, trying to get close to the owner of Qingfeng Tower and extract information.

Chu Shizhao stepped into Qingfeng Tower, where the lights were dim, and the smell of alcohol and noisy voices were intertwined. As soon as he came in, he attracted some people's attention, but he looked calm, walked straight to the bar and sat down, ordered a pot of wine and a plate of side dishes, pretended to drink, and observed the surroundings calmly.

The owner of Qingfeng Tower was suspicious by nature, and he became more cautious as soon as Chu Shizhao entered the door.

The boss pretended to greet the guests, but in fact he looked up at Chu Shizhao from time to time.

Chu Shizhao was seen wearing a conical hat with its brim pulled down so low that his face could not be seen clearly. He was dressed in a black suit. Although he seemed to be sitting casually at the bar, he had an extraordinary temperament.

After a while, the owner of Qingfeng Tower walked slowly to Chu Shizhao's side.

"Sir, you look unfamiliar. Is this your first time visiting Qingfeng Tower?"

Chu Shizhao raised his head slightly and glanced at his boss.

"Well, I heard there are some secrets here, so I came to take a look."

The boss rolled his eyes and asked tentatively, "Since you are here to see the door, you must have something important to do."

"I wonder what kind of business you are doing in the underworld? Maybe we have some connection."

Chu Shizhao sneered in his heart, knowing that the boss was testing him.

The next second, he spoke softly in a mysterious tone.

"It's just a bloody business, not worth telling to outsiders."

"I heard that Qingfenglou has a wide network of contacts and is well-informed. I have some 'dirty work' that I want to find someone to help me with. I wonder if the boss can help me with that?"

When the boss heard the word "illegal work", a hint of vigilance flashed in his eyes.

Fortunately, he was knowledgeable and covered it up in just a moment.

"Haha, sir, you have come to the right place."

"But before that, I need to understand the details of your 'shady business'. Otherwise, if I find the wrong person and ruin your business, my shop can't afford it."

"Could you please tell me what the task is and who the target is?"

Chu Shizhao picked up the wine glass, took a sip of the wine, and said slowly: "The target is a difficult person, and he has some power here."

"I want to leave no trace, clean and neat."

"As for who it will be, I can't reveal it until I have a reliable person. If the boss thinks it can be done, we can discuss it in detail."

The boss thought to himself that the man in front of him spoke very carefully, and if he was really a gangster, his style of doing things was consistent with that.

But even so, he still had doubts in his heart.

"Since you are so cautious, you must be an old hand."

"But this 'black job' is risky, so the rewards must be generous."

"I wonder how much money you can offer?"

Chu Shizhao sneered, then patted the bulging purse on his waist with great pride. "Don't worry about the money. As long as the job is done well, money is not a problem."

"I have always been generous, but I am afraid that I can't find someone who can take on this important task. If the boss can help me find the right person, you will certainly get the benefits."

Seeing that Chu Shizhao was so straightforward about the remuneration, the boss believed him a little more, but he was still not completely sure.

His eyes rolled and he suddenly changed the subject: "Sir, your accent sounds a bit peculiar. You don't sound like a local. Where is it from?"

Chu Shizhao's heart tightened, but his face remained calm and composed. He made up a story, "I have been wandering around for many years, and my accent has become mixed. It's not surprising."

"Why, the boss is even asking about this?"

The boss quickly waved his hands and said with a smile: "No, no, I'm just asking casually."

"After all, if you open a shop here, it would be easier to take care of the customers if you know more about them."

As he spoke, the boss came closer and lowered his voice, "Sir, I see that you have an extraordinary demeanor. I believe you must be a well-known figure in the world."

"Do you know anyone from the Blood Knife Sect?"

"I heard that they are ruthless and are best at this kind of 'dirty work'."

Chu Shizhao knew in his heart that this boss was further testing his understanding of the underworld forces.

He pretended to be disdainful and said, "Bullshit Blood Blade Sect!"

"They are just a bunch of rabble. Although their methods are cruel, their actions are reckless. I don't think highly of them."

"I want a real master who is meticulous and skilled."

After hearing Chu Shizhao's answer, the boss nodded secretly in his heart, thinking that this person's evaluation of the underworld forces was quite pertinent, and he did not seem like someone pretending to know something.

But he still hadn't completely dispelled his doubts, and said, "Sir, you are right. Then in your opinion, who else can take on this important task?"

Chu Shizhao put down his wine glass, glanced at the people around him, and then lowered his voice to say to the boss: "I heard there is an organization called 'Shadow Thirteen', they act in secret, and all the members are masters. Boss, do you have any friendship with them?"

The boss was shocked. He didn't expect Chu Shizhao to mention this mysterious organization. The "Shadow Thirteen" was indeed famous in the world, but it was extremely secretive and few people could get in touch with them.

The boss thought that if the person in front of him knew about this organization, his identity must be extraordinary.

He calmed himself down and said, "Sir, you are well-informed."

"But this 'Shadow Thirteen' is a mysterious person. I have only heard of him a little bit, but I don't have any friendship with him."

"If you really want to find them, I'm afraid it will be difficult."

Chu Shizhao frowned slightly, pretending to be disappointed and said, "It seems that we need to think of a way to deal with this matter."

"Boss, if you have any other reliable candidates, please feel free to give me some advice."

The boss looked at Chu Shizhao's expression and thought to himself that if he really came to seek cooperation to do "dirty work", this reaction would be normal. But for the sake of caution, he decided to try again.

The boss patted Chu Shizhao on the shoulder and said with a smile: "Sir, I suddenly remembered something."

"A few days ago, a few people who claimed to be from the 'Tianlang Gang' came to the store to cause trouble, but I sent them away."

"The 'Tian Lang Gang' has some influence in this area. If they knew you were going to do this 'dirty job', they might interfere. Sir, you better be careful."

Chu Shizhao sneered in his heart, knowing that the boss was deliberately trying to scare him and wanted to see his reaction.

He slammed the table and shouted angrily: "What Tianlang Gang, if you dare to mess with me, I will make them dead dogs sooner or later!"

When the boss saw Chu Shizhao was always talking about fighting and killing, he subconsciously felt that the guy in front of him was probably a ruthless person and should not be a spy sent by the government.

As his doubts eased, the owner of Qingfeng Tower immediately changed his expression.

"Don't worry, sir. I'm just reminding you."

"Since you are so confident, I believe this will be successful."

"How about this, sir, you stay here first. I will help you keep an eye out for suitable personnel and notify you as soon as there is any news."

Chu Shizhao was secretly delighted, knowing that he had temporarily passed the boss's test.

He was very satisfied and took out a silver ingot of ten taels from his pocket: "This is a reward for you, take it first. If the matter can be accomplished, there will be a generous reward in the future."

"Don't worry, sir. I know your situation well. Just wait for my good news."

"Waiter, quickly arrange a room for this guest!"

……

In the room, Chu Shizhao sat at the table, thinking about the conversation he had just had with his boss, secretly congratulating himself on how he had handled the situation properly.

The candlelight flickered, and the light and shadow swayed on his face, reflecting his pensive look.

He knew that he had to be even more cautious and not reveal any flaws in order to successfully obtain more information about the mastermind from Qingfeng Tower.

Chu Shizhao stood up gently, walked to the window, and looked at the bustling street outside.

The coming and going of people in Qingfeng Tower seemed normal, but he knew that there were countless secrets hidden behind it.

He took a deep breath, looked determined, and began to plan his next move.

Chu Shizhao discovered that since the tavern owner had settled him down.

Normally, the boss of Qingfeng Tower, who was idle and had nothing to do, suddenly became secretive and seemed to be in frequent contact with some guys Chu Shizhao had never seen before.

These people have different identities, including wealthy businessmen dressed in gorgeous clothes, passers-by dressed simply, and even some street beggars dressed in rags.

Every time they met, they talked in low voices in the corner, looking nervous.

The reason why he knows the boss's whereabouts so well.

In fact, it was because before Chu Shizhao entered Qingfeng Tower, he had already arranged reliable subordinates to hide in the dark and keep an eye on the movements of everyone in Qingfeng Tower.

That night, it was almost time for dinner.

At this time of year normally, even if the other party is the boss, he should help out.

But for some unknown reason, the owner of Qingfeng Tower actually left Qingfeng Tower alone.

This guy was sneaking around the whole way, looking like he was not worth showing off.

(End of this chapter)