Unparalleled medical and martial arts skills, saving the CEO's fiancée at the start.

Jiang Ruoxi moved quickly.

The next morning, she announced that she would personally lead a team to the provincial capital to attend a business forum the following week.

Internal company emails, itinerary reporting systems, notices posted by the administration department, and even casual mentions in the chatter of several departments that are usually quite gossipy.

Ye Chen also had He Jianping put on a show in the technical department, saying that President Jiang only brought one secretary and two security guards this time, and that Minister Ye would not be accompanying him because he had to stay at the company to handle security upgrades.

Less than half a day after the news was released, Zhang Heng took action.

He didn't go to the cafeteria at noon; instead, he went up to the rooftop alone, took out his phone, and made a call.

The call lasted less than two minutes, and when he came downstairs, he looked noticeably more relaxed.

Song Tiezhu's men took a clear picture with a telephoto lens from the old building opposite the rooftop, even showing the tiny black mole on the back of his neck.

He Jianping retrieved his communication records for that period. The number was an unregistered black SIM card, and the signal base station was located near Huai Shu Lane in the north of the city.

"The fish has taken the bait." Ye Chen was in the yard helping Su Qinghan dry medicinal herbs when he received the message.

He put down the bamboo sieve in his hand and said to the ghost servant, "Zhang Heng's call was most likely to Tie Zui Zhang. Hei Shui should already know that Ruoxi is going to the provincial capital next week. We need to go to the provincial capital in advance to put our bags in."

The ghost servant slowly stood up from the stone bench, brushing the grass clippings off his trousers: "If you want to set off ahead of schedule, then do it first and ask permission later."

"It's not exactly acting first and informing later. Jiang Ruoxi volunteered to be the bait, so as her husband, I have to make sure the hook is sharp." Ye Chen asked He Jianping to prepare the car, and then made a phone call to Zhou Wantong and Qiao San.

The former was responsible for keeping watch at the business level in the provincial capital, while the latter helped to make arrangements through official channels to avoid someone calling the police if a fight broke out, which would only complicate matters further.

The day of departure was a Friday.

Ye Chen and his group split into two groups: Jiang Ruoxi, accompanied by her secretary Xiao Wang and a veteran from Iron Shield Logistics, traveled on the highway in Jiang Ruoxi's black business car.

Ye Chen, along with his ghost servant, Ayiguli, and Song Tiezhu, set off a day early, taking a detour via provincial highway to secretly infiltrate the provincial capital and stay in an old house arranged by Wu Qingyuan.

The house was located deep in the alley behind Qing Shi Lane, in a secluded location with two exits in the front and back, surrounded by high walls, making it the perfect place to stay temporarily.

Ye Chen did not go out that night.

He sat at the stone table in the courtyard, looking through Zhang Heng's call records and work logs from the past six months over and over again, and then marked several points on the provincial capital map: the forum venue, the hotel where Jiang Ruoxi was staying, and several old strongholds where Blackwater had once been active.

The night breeze blew in from under the eaves, carrying the unique scent of moss and old wood from the bluestone alley.

"Where do you think they'll choose to make their move?" Aygul asked.

She changed into dark clothes, and placed the knife across her knee, wiping it repeatedly with a soft cloth.

"It won't be at the forum venue; there are too many people, and the risk is too high." Ye Chen drew a circle on the map with his pen.

Aygul felt that Ye Chen's analysis was correct, but he still didn't explain the specific issues clearly.

"The hotel is the first choice. If I were Fang Jiuzhi, I would make my move when Jiang Ruoxi enters or leaves the hotel. There are the fewest people around her on that road, especially at night. The second choice is the underground parking lot. It is dark, there are many cameras, but they are at tricky angles, making it easy to tamper with things. The most likely time to make my move is either the first night or the second night."

Ghost Servant nodded: "Blackwater people always like to act quickly and efficiently. They will first scout the location to make sure Jiang Ruoxi is not followed by any powerful people, and then choose a place where it is convenient to advance and retreat to make their move. Tomorrow night is the end of the forum, and President Jiang's car will return to the hotel in the evening. From the venue to the hotel, there is a section of road that goes through the auxiliary road under the overpass. There is little traffic and the streetlights are sparse, which is the most dangerous part."

Ye Chen put down his pen, looked at the auxiliary road marked with a red circle on the map, and said calmly, "Then set up the ambush there, but before that, there is one more thing to do."

Ye Chen turned to look at the door. The people Qiao San sent had already found out about Liu Sandao, Tie Zui Zhang's other contact. He ran a car repair shop in the western suburbs of the provincial capital and was one of Fang Jiuzhi's confidants, specifically responsible for receiving and scouting.

"First, take out Liu Sandao to cut off their support, then set up an ambush on the side road and wait for Fang Jiuzhi to walk right into our trap," Ye Chen said.

As usual, Song Tiezhu didn't say much, only asking one question: "When will we make our move?"

"Tonight, capture Liu Sandao alive. I need to know how he communicates with Fang Jiuzhi, what code they use, and where they meet up."

In the early hours of that night, Song Tiezhu, along with five veterans and with the support of Ye Chen and Gui Pu, launched a silent raid on the auto repair shop in the western suburbs.

The shop kept three wolfhounds. Ye Chen inserted three silver needles, and they all fainted.

Song Tiezhu's men found four mobile phones, two fake license plates, and a travel bag full of cash in the repair shop.

Liu Sandao, shirtless, tried to escape through the back window, but Ayiguli struck him on the back of the knee with the back of her knife, sending him tumbling to the ground with a mouthful of ash.

After pinning the man to the ground, Ye Chen squatted down, stuffed a rag into Liu Sandao's mouth, and then took out a silver needle and gently pricked a spot on the back of his neck.

Liu Sandao shuddered in pain, his eyes widened, and he made a whimpering sound.

Ye Chen pulled out the silver needles, patted his lower back again, and whispered, "I'll only ask you once: Fang Jiuzhi, what time will you make your move tomorrow? How many people will you have? And which route will you take to retreat?"

With his mouth gagged, Liu Sandao could only shake his head frantically.

Ye Chen smiled and then tapped a spot three inches below his ribs with his finger.

The finger strike looked extremely light, but Liu Sandao was in so much pain that he arched his back like a shrimp, tears and snot streaming down his face.

After Ye Chen removed the cloth from his mouth, Liu Sandao, panting heavily, said in a trembling voice, "Tomorrow night... at nine o'clock, Fang Jiuzhi will personally lead eight men to take action from the elevated highway auxiliary road. After succeeding, they will retreat to the western suburbs. I'll be in charge of changing cars. That's all I know, really! I really don't know anything else!"

Ye Chen patted his face, stood up, and said to Song Tiezhu, "Tie them all up. No one will be able to sleep tonight. Wait until nine o'clock tomorrow night."

The next day, everything was the same as usual.

Jiang Ruoxi spoke at the forum with poise and composure, winning a round of applause.

After the meeting, Jiang Ruoxi exchanged a few pleasantries with several business colleagues before getting into her car.

The driver didn't take the original route but instead took a longer detour, delaying the arrival time at the hotel by more than ten minutes.

At the same time, Ye Chen and his men had already laid an ambush on both sides of the elevated highway auxiliary road.

Song Tiezhu's men were on the south side of the road, Ayiguli and Guipu were on the north side, and Ye Chen himself was hidden behind an abandoned bus shelter, a lollipop dangling from his mouth, his eyes fixed on the intersection ahead.

At 9:00 AM sharp, Jiang Ruoxi's car appeared at the entrance of the auxiliary road on time.

At 9:03, a black van without license plates cut in from the opposite intersection and blocked Jiang Ruoxi's car.

The car door opened, and eight men wearing baseball caps and masks rushed out and surrounded Jiang Ruoxi's car.

Ye Chen bit the lollipop into pieces.

"Make your move," he shouted, and his entire body shot out like an arrow.