Chapter 25: Why Did the Old Man Ask You to Bring the Spray?

The black-faced man’s retort made the woman chuckle under her breath, while the young man rolled his eyes, secretly cheering for the comeback. Zhang Qian, rebuffed once again, found himself with nothing to say in return. There was truly no way to refuse—nor did he dare. The old man’s orders were theirs only to execute; they had no right to decline.

Ah, it was his own fault for having such low standing, nothing more than a lowly enforcer. If not for the recent crackdown that saw many of their people arrested, he wouldn’t have even had the chance to appear before the old man.

After settling his own emotions, Zhang Qian finally spoke. “Since none of you have anything to add, we’ll proceed as planned. I’ll prepare the silenced gun, Aunt Han will take care of the sedatives.” His gaze swept over the black-faced man and the young man. After a moment's hesitation, he continued, “Brother Chen, could you go fetch the spray?”

“I don’t mind, but is he really not going to do anything?” The black-faced man pointed at the young man, his words contradicting his claim of indifference.

“Skinny Monkey is playing the role of a patient right now—a seriously ill patient. Do you think he’s fit to be running errands?” Zhang Qian countered.

The young man played along, coughing a few times, his eyes glinting with provocation, as if daring the other to try something.

Annoyed by the young man’s antics, the black-faced man snorted and turned to leave. What a piece of work, a sly little fox—not worth the trouble. Comforting himself, he strolled leisurely out of the yard.

Passing by Old Wang, he rolled his eyes in a most unseemly fashion. That old fellow was living the good life, lounging every day on his recliner—truly a carefree existence.

Xu Lin had no idea who else lived in the crowded compound, but she wasn’t about to be careless. She immediately used her spatial void to check each room. She scanned every corner—above and below ground, under beds, in wall cracks, every nook and cranny. Her efforts were not in vain; she did make some discoveries.

A hole dug beneath Zhang Qian’s bed concealed weapons. Under Old Wang’s cabinet was another hole, this one hiding a radio and a stash of cash. She found no contraband in the other rooms, but that didn’t mean nothing was hidden elsewhere.

Xu Lin took note of everything. While Old Wang was sunning himself in the courtyard, she quietly slipped outside.

Once out, Xu Lin immediately trailed after the black-faced man. He was about to collect the toxic spray—precisely the lead Xu Lin was intent on following.

The black-faced man sauntered along like a street tough, swaggering with every third step. When he passed a pretty girl, he’d whistle and toss a line or two her way, leaving the girls blushing—or, if they were feisty, firing right back at him.

But the more abuse he got, the more excited he seemed. Eventually, the girls would storm off in a huff.

It was his careless attitude that allowed Xu Lin to catch up with him so quickly. The man flirted his way down the main road, wandered through alleys, changed directions several times, and only then picked up his pace, humming a tune.

Trailing him, Xu Lin couldn’t help but be impressed. This was real vigilance—an ordinary person would never notice anything amiss. At most, they’d just curse him for being a scoundrel.

Finally, he arrived at No. 22 Yuhua Lane—a large three-section courtyard house, though its location was remote and the road poor.

The black-faced man raised his hand and knocked—two light taps, followed by a heavy one—then dropped his arm and waited, eyes sweeping watchfully in every direction.

His wariness was remarkable.

But Xu Lin wasn’t watching him directly. Instead, she used her spatial void to see what was happening inside the gate.

A man in his fifties emerged from the gatehouse and called out loudly, “Who’s there?”

“It’s me, Little Third Butt.”

“Oh, Butt, is it?” The old man made no move to open the door, seemingly waiting for more.

“That’s right, Uncle.” The black-faced man replied, his eyes darting to either side.

That “that’s right” sent shivers down Xu Lin’s spine. Good heavens, a street tough acting coy was more than a little unsettling.

At last, the old man opened the gate, his face appearing in the doorway. “Come in, Third.” He stepped aside, and when the black-faced man entered, the old man poked his head out to check the surroundings before hastily shutting the gate.

Seeing their cautious manner, Xu Lin was convinced something was up. She kept her spatial void fixed on the pair.

She watched as the old man led the black-faced man through the front yard and toward the back. Realizing she was too far away, Xu Lin vaulted over the wall and followed quietly.

Inside the second courtyard, the old man took him into the sitting room, told him to wait, and left.

Before long, he returned with a middle-aged man dressed in a cadre’s uniform, his face square and stern.

At the sight of him, the black-faced man immediately stood and saluted. “Brother Tao.”

“Hmm? What brings you here?” The middle-aged man—Brother Tao—nodded slightly and took the seat of honor.

“The old man sent me for the spray—four large bottles,” the black-faced man replied.

“What does he want with the spray?” Brother Tao’s expression darkened as he admonished, “You’re all getting bolder these days. Who told you to cross lines and make contact?”

The black-faced man’s face fell. He spread his hands in helplessness. “We had no choice. You know a lot of people were picked up recently—we don’t have enough manpower. We have to cross lines.”

Mentioning the lack of manpower made Brother Tao’s face cloud over as well. They’d indeed suffered heavy losses recently, with many connections severed. If they wanted to stop crossing lines, they’d have to wait until their ranks were replenished. Brother Tao resolved to accelerate recruitment, then asked, “What does the old man want the spray for?”

“To kill a girl.” The black-faced man scratched his head, uneasy. “The target is Wolf Fang’s adopted daughter—the real daughter of the Qin family from the Finance Bureau. From what I heard, the girl’s discovered her true identity and is making a big scene. She’s apparently highly skilled in combat. As for why she’s so formidable, the old man didn’t say—maybe even Wolf Fang doesn’t know. Since Wolf Fang couldn’t handle her, he turned to the old man for help, and so the job landed with us.”

The black-faced man held nothing back, laying out everything he knew for Brother Tao. His frankness alone showed Brother Tao’s high rank.

Xu Lin saw this as well, and inwardly rejoiced at having caught a big fish. She listened closely to their conversation, pondering whom she could report such a critical lead to.

Her past life seemed impossibly distant, and it was hard to recall anyone useful from her faded memories. Besides, she’d never had contact with any major figures.

After a long while, Xu Lin finally thought of someone. She’d heard of him only after her death, from her father’s muttered dreams. His name was Wang Mingliang—the man her father both feared and hated most in his life. Wang Mingliang was known as the Spy Hunter.

Anyone targeted by Wang Mingliang rarely escaped.

Her own father had come close to falling into his hands.

But where was Wang Mingliang working now?