Too many female prisoners, a special forces soldier transmigrates and marries wildly.

This sudden attack was swift, ruthless, and at close range; it looked like Lin Feng was about to be stabbed!

At the critical moment, Lin Feng seemed to have eyes in the back of his head. Without even looking, he swung his knife backward from under his armpit! His attack came faster than anyone else's!

"puff!"

The short knife stopped three inches from Lin Feng's back. The black-clad man who had launched the sneak attack stared wide-eyed at the tip of the knife protruding from his chest in disbelief, let out two "hoarse" sounds, and collapsed to the ground.

Lin Feng drew his sword, not even glancing at the battlefield, his gaze sweeping across it.

With their leader captured, the remaining dozen or so men in black had lost all will to fight. They were surrounded and attacked by Qin Hongyu and her group, and almost all of them were killed or wounded, leaving only a few kneeling on the ground begging for mercy.

Qin Hongyu walked quickly to the entrance of the flower hall, used her sword to lift the curtain and look inside.

Su Wanyue and the others were tied up and leaned against the wall, looking at the door in fear. When they saw Qin Hongyu, their eyes lit up with joy.

"Sister Su!" Qin Hongyu rushed in, cut the ropes, and took out the gag.

"Hongyu, are you alright?" Su Wanyue was still in shock. She looked outside and breathed a sigh of relief when she saw Lin Feng standing there safely.

"It's alright now, thanks to Captain Lin," Qin Hongyu said.

She walked up to the leader of the men in black, who had been knocked unconscious by Lin Feng, and poured a bucket of cold water on him. The leader of the men in black slowly woke up, and when he saw the scene before him, his face turned ashen.

"Tell me, who sent you? If you don't, I'll let you taste the seventy-two tortures of the Qin family dungeon right now!" Qin Hongyu said sternly.

The leader of the men in black gave a bitter laugh: "Now that I'm in your hands, you can do whatever you want with me. But if I tell you, my entire family will be wiped out instantly!"

"If you don't talk, you'll die right now." Lin Feng's knife tip was pressed against his throat again, the cold touch sending a shiver down his spine.

"I..." The leader of the men in black struggled in his eyes, but finally gritted his teeth and said, "I am... I am Qian Sihai, the owner of the 'Four Seas Goods Store' in Blackwater City!"

"Qian Sihai?" A cold glint flashed in Qin Hongyu's eyes. "That nouveau riche who made his fortune through loan sharking and forced buying and selling? Does he have the guts to mess with my Qin family?"

"It's...it's him! It seems...it seems he also has people in the military backing him up..."

To save his own life, the leader of the men in black revealed everything he knew.

"It's said that he's a general surnamed Feng in the Zhenbei Army..."

A general surnamed Feng?

Qin Hongyu and Qin Fu exchanged a glance, their expressions growing even more grim. Deputy General of the Zhenbei Army, Feng Kun?

"Feng Kun..." Qin Hongyu gritted her teeth, her eyes blazing with anger, "Fine, very well done! For a little silver and military merit, he dares to collude with outsiders and turn on his own people like this!"

"Miss, if it really is Deputy General Feng..." Qin Fu said worriedly, "then when Instructor Qin Yong and the others come to meet us tomorrow, will they also..." He dared not continue.

Qin Hongyu felt a chill run down her spine.

"We must immediately inform Father and increase security! Also, what about Instructor Qin Yong..." Qin Hongyu was extremely anxious.

"The city gates are closed now," said Manager Hu. "The earliest we can expect to see them is dawn."

"I can't wait."

Lin Feng suddenly spoke, walking up to the leader of the men in black, squatting down, and staring into his eyes, "Does Qian Sihai's 'Sihai Goods Store' have a branch in Songhe Fort? Or does he have a base here?"

The leader of the men in black felt uneasy under Lin Feng's gaze and quickly nodded, "Yes! It's... in the back street of the West Market. There's a pair of faded brass rings hanging on the door. The person in charge is a one-eyed old man surnamed Gou."

"Lead the way." Lin Feng stood up.

"Captain Lin, you mean..." Qin Hongyu's eyes lit up.

"Their operation failed tonight, and they will definitely inform the person behind it immediately. If we can intercept the messenger first, we might be able to turn the tables on them and defeat them." Lin Feng's thinking was clear.

"Brother Lin, I'll go with you," Bai Xiaohe said immediately. "I'm more familiar with those hidden agents, mechanisms, and methods of transmitting messages."

Lin Feng glanced at her and nodded, "Alright."

Qin Hongyu also said, "I'll go too! This matter concerns the survival of my Qin family; how can I stand idly by?"

Lin Feng, Qin Hongyu, Bai Xiaohe, and four elite Qin family guards, dressed in black and with their faces covered by black cloth, escorted the leader of the black-clad men, who was called "Gou San," to lead the way.

"It's...it's that little courtyard up ahead." Gou San stopped at a fork in the road, pointing diagonally ahead with trembling hands.

Lin Feng carefully observed the small courtyard. The gate was ajar, seemingly unguarded, but he keenly noticed a very shallow, fresh drag mark along the lower edge of the crooked wooden door—someone had entered or exited not long ago.

"How many people are inside?" Lin Feng asked.

"I usually just goof off by myself. But if there's an urgent message to deliver, or if I need to handle 'goods,' I might get one or two more helpers," Gou San replied.

Lin Feng nodded and whispered to Qin Hongyu and the four guards, "You stay here. If there is any unusual activity, use the hooting of an owl as a signal. Xiao He, come inside with me."

"Brother Lin, I'll go with you!" Qin Hongyu said immediately.

"It's more important for you to stay here and provide support," Lin Feng said firmly.

"The situation inside is unclear, and having too many people would be inconvenient. Don't worry, I'll be out soon."

Qin Hongyu bit her lip, knowing that Lin Feng was right, and stopped insisting, only whispering, "Be careful."

Lin Feng gave Bai Xiaohe a wink.

Bai Xiaohe understood, and the two of them, like two wisps of smoke, silently slipped into the courtyard.

Lin Feng crouched down under the window of the main room, licked his fingers wet, poked a small hole in the window paper, and peered through.

The room was pitch black. With the faint light of day, one could vaguely see that the furnishings were simple: a table, a chair, and a kang (a heated brick bed). On the kang, there seemed to be a person lying motionless, covered with a tattered quilt.

Lin Feng gently unlatched the door, slipped inside, and closed the door behind him.

Lying on the earthen bed was a thin old man, facing inwards, seemingly fast asleep. But Lin Feng noticed that his hand, placed outside the tattered quilt, had slightly curled fingers, indicating that he was not relaxed.

Pretending to be asleep.

Lin Feng sneered inwardly, not disturbing him, but focusing his attention on the ground.

A small patch of floor next to the stove in the corner of the wall seemed to be slightly different in color, with very fine cracks along the edges.

The cellar entrance was right here, concealed by a wooden plank that matched the surrounding ground color; the workmanship was so exquisite that it was almost indistinguishable from the real thing. If Gou San hadn't confessed beforehand, it would have been extremely difficult to spot.

Lin Feng crouched down, his fingers groping along the gap, and found a hidden handcuff.

He applied a gentle force, but the wooden board didn't budge—it was bolted from the inside.

This is a bit troublesome. A direct assault would alert the enemy. Besides, the situation below is unclear; there might be traps.

He hesitated for a moment, then his gaze fell on the "sound asleep" old man on the earthen bed. His ears twitched slightly, clearly listening intently to the sounds coming from inside the room.

Lin Feng quietly got up, walked to the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed), and suddenly struck out with lightning speed, slashing the old man's neck with a palm strike!

The old man didn't even have time to react before he let out a muffled groan and completely passed out.

Lin Feng returned to the entrance of the cellar. He pressed his ear to the wooden plank and listened.

There were faint whispers coming from below, suggesting there was more than one person! There was also the rustling of papers turning over, and... a cooing sound, like a pigeon's call?