My sister broke off her engagement to marry someone richer? My older sister married me and became in

At 10 a.m. the next day, at the back corner of the Chengxi Sugar and Wine Company Guesthouse, a black Volga silently slid to a stop against the wall.

The license plate belongs to the provincial department.

Wang Jianguo got out of the back seat, not wearing a uniform, but a pair of cloth shoes with thick soles, and landed silently.

Following behind him was a tall, thin man in his forties with a buzz cut and a bluish chin.

A fountain pen was clipped to the breast pocket of his Zhongshan suit—Meng was the deputy director of the Criminal Investigation Department of the Provincial Public Security Bureau.

The two entered a room at the end of the second-floor corridor. The curtains were drawn tightly shut, and only a dim bedside lamp was on in the room.

Lu Qingshan is already inside.

A hand-drawn map was spread out on the bed, and he smoothed out the four curled corners with his palm.

"Brother Jianguo, look here." Lu Qingshan pointed his index finger at the first red circle, his voice flat, "Old grain depot on Dongfeng Road, now number 117. Three people are stationed here, two on duty per night."

"There's a gap in the northeast corner of the courtyard wall. The guards would take a shortcut to urinate at night and never lock the gate."

"There's a railway culvert to the north of the warehouse; it only takes three minutes to run onto the tracks. This opening must be sealed off."

His finger moved to the second red circle.

"No. 16 Victory Lane, Bald Qiang's residence. He's been recuperating there since his wrist was broken, along with two thugs. One is surnamed Zhao, and the other, nicknamed 'Baseball Cap,' has a broken leg. These three can't move now, so they're the easiest to catch."

Lu Qingshan provided more than just addresses for each location. He also clearly stated the number of people, shift change times, which alley the back door led to, and the preferred escape route.

When Director Meng heard the fourth location, the pen he was twirling between his fingers stopped. He looked up, his gaze landing on Lu Qingshan's face: "How did you get these things?"

Lu Qingshan picked up the enamel mug on the table, drank the last sip of cold water, and did not answer.

Director Meng turned his gaze to Wang Jianguo, his eyes questioning. Wang Jianguo simply looked at the map, seemingly unaware that the room was so quiet that only the sound of breathing could be heard.

Director Meng didn't ask any more questions.

Wang Jianguo squatted by the bed, his hands supporting his knees, his gaze fixed on the sixth red circle on the map—Wei Biao's residence. He scratched at that spot with his fingernail.

"Where is Wei Biao himself?"

"He's gone." Lu Qingshan's voice was flat. "The last time Scarface Liu saw him was the afternoon before yesterday, at a small, unmarked hotel in the southern suburbs. After that, he disappeared."

Wang Jianguo's jaw tightened. "Has the news leaked?"

"No way. I've been keeping an eye on Bald Qiang and his gang; they haven't had a chance to pass on any messages." Lu Qingshan pointed to the location of "Nanshan Mingyuan" on the map. "On the day of the briefing, Wei Biao's men were publicly kicked out. He should have realized that his 'uncle' had already thrown him away like trash. What's the first reaction of a dog abandoned by its owner?"

Wang Jianguo exhaled a breath of stale air. "Run."

"Yes. But he hasn't run away yet."

How did you know?

"There are no ticket records for him at the train station or bus station. The fact that he hasn't left means he still has something left behind." Lu Qingshan's finger landed on the red circle on Dongfeng Road and tapped it twice, neither too hard nor too softly. "He buried an iron box under the floor of that warehouse. My men staked out there for a month and saw him go there twice at midnight, without turning on the lights, and fiddle with something on the floor in the northwest corner for more than half an hour."

Director Meng's pen began to spin rapidly again. "Life-saving money."

"pretty close."

Wang Jianguo stood up, his knee cracking. He picked up the walkie-talkie from the cabinet and switched to the encrypted channel. "Warehouse assault team, mission adjusted. After the search, half of you remain hidden and on guard. If someone comes in through the back door, subdue them first, do not fire."

A short "Received" came through the walkie-talkie.

Wang Jianguo put down the walkie-talkie and looked at Lu Qingshan. "The operation is scheduled for 3 a.m. tonight. You stay here and contact me by phone. You are not allowed to go to any of the locations."

Lu Qingshan looked at the six red circles on the map, said nothing, folded the map neatly, and handed it to Wang Jianguo.

"OK."

Just one word.

Wang Jianguo took the map, rolled it up, and stuffed it into his jacket pocket. Reaching the door, he turned back: "Only when everything is clean can we do business properly."

Lu Qingshan saw him to the door. "Brother Jianguo, Wei Biao is greedy and cowardly, but not stupid. If he's not home tonight, he'll definitely go somewhere before dawn."

"storehouse?"

"Yes. In the latter half of the night, from two to four o'clock. That's when people are most sleepy, and he knows it."

Wang Jianguo stared at him for three seconds, then opened the door and left.

……

In the southern suburbs, behind a residential building, in a semi-basement storage room, a rusty padlock hangs on the iron door.

Wei Biao sat on a cot in the corner, with an open canvas bag in front of him. Inside the bag were a stack of banknotes wrapped in newspaper, two plastic ID cards, and a folded cardboard train ticket.

I'm going to Guangzhou the day after tomorrow.

He picked up the ticket; the edges were damp and soggy from the sweat in his palms. The basement was humid, water seeped from the corners, and the air smelled musty. The light bulb overhead flickered, its voltage unstable.

Wei Biao stood up and paced back and forth in the tiny room, which was only three steps wide. He squatted down, pulled out a half-empty bottle of baijiu from under the bed, unscrewed the cap, and took a big gulp. The bulk liquor was pungent and burned his throat.

He wiped his mouth, his eyes fixed on the wad of cash in his bag. Thirty thousand yuan. He wouldn't last six months in Guangzhou.

In the metal box under the warehouse floor were 80,000 yuan in cash and 20 small yellow croakers. That was all the savings he had accumulated over twelve years. Without that money, he wouldn't have been able to afford even a place to stay in Guangzhou.

Wei Biao took another swig of wine and stuffed the bottle back under the bed.

Tonight, 3 a.m.

……

When Lu Qingshan returned to the shop's backyard, it was already dusk.

"Let's start tonight, and it'll all be over by tomorrow morning."

After listening, Lin Xiulan didn't ask any further questions. She got up, went behind the counter, opened the metal cabinet, neatly organized the contracts, ledgers, and receipts, and locked it. She hung the keychain in her inner pocket and fastened it with a safety pin.

She first checked the bolt on the front door, then went around to the back door. Monkey Three leaned against the door frame, clutching a crowbar in his hand.

"Don't worry, sister-in-law."

"Shut up and keep your eyes peeled."

Lin Xiulan returned to the front hall, where Chen Meili sat by the phone with a notebook spread out on her lap.

Lin Xiulan pulled over the abacus and began to move the beads.

The goods were delayed for two days, so the provincial department store's order will be postponed, and the pharmaceutical company's medicine packages are the second batch tomorrow... The losses from the delay need to be calculated, and how many free gifts should be included when reshipping to cover the outstanding debts.

The abacus beads clicked and clattered.

Lu Qingshan glanced at her from the study doorway; the lamplight cast her shadow on the wall as she bent over calculating. He turned and sat down at the writing desk, where the old-fashioned rotary dial telephone sat quietly.

The clock on the wall struck eleven.

Four hours left.

……

At one o'clock in the morning, the phone rang.

Lu Qingshan picked up the receiver.

"All groups in position." Wang Jianguo's voice was very low. "One hundred and thirty-seven people, six groups, all in place. The frequency has been encrypted."

"How many people are in the group at the Dongfeng Road warehouse?"

"Twenty-four, with Director Meng personally leading the team."

"Tell him to seal the back door after he goes inside. If anyone comes in through the back door, he should remain silent until they are inside before taking any action."

There was a two-second pause on the other end of the phone. "You still think he'll go?"

He will definitely go.

Wang Jianguo didn't argue further. "Is there anything else to add?"

"That's all."

"Okay. Let's talk again at 2:30."

The call ended. Lu Qingshan put the receiver back and lingered on the phone for a moment.

Outside the study, the sound of the abacus stopped. Lin Xiulan was standing in the doorway, holding a half-cup of tea that had gone cold.

The two looked at each other, but neither of them spoke.

……

At 2:30 a.m., the second phone call came.

"All checkpoints leading out of the city are under control. There are four plainclothes officers at each of the train and bus stations. There are two officers at each of the main highway exits."

"it is good."

"Green Mountain".

"Um."

A very soft sigh came from the other end of the phone. "Wait for news."

All that could be heard through the receiver was a busy tone.

Lu Qingshan stood up, walked to the window, and opened it a crack. The streetlights outside cast an orange glow on the damp ground.

The provincial capital was quiet at night.

The second hand of the wall clock ticked away, one tick at a time.

2:55.

The phone rang suddenly.

Lu Qingshan strode to the table and grabbed the receiver.

Wang Jianguo's voice was reduced to just two words: "Make your move."

He put down the receiver, sat back in his chair, and placed his hands on the table with his fingers interlaced.

Outside the window, the night in the provincial capital remained as deep as ever.

In six corners of the city, almost simultaneously, the loud cracking of wood shattered the deepest silence before dawn.