Chapter Thirty: A Moment of Peril

Chapter Thirty: A Moment of Peril

“Well, did you find anything?” Wu Zhengke watched as Ye Mao emerged from the room, his voice laden with gloom.

“No, but the brothers inside, before they died, left some instructions,” Ye Mao replied, leaning in close to Wu Zhengke and whispering rapidly in his ear. At this, Wu Zhengke’s eyes brightened, and he quickly strode into the room and dialed a number.

Meanwhile,

Bai Zeshao and Mr. Li had already descended beneath the ground. When Bai Zeshao threw the grenade earlier, he had led Mr. Li through the cover of the sewer, emerging onto the street level. The rushing wastewater in the sewers washed away any trace of their passage.

“Xiao Bai, where are we headed now?” Mr. Li, ignoring the stench of the sewer, asked curiously.

“Sir, you probably don’t know where we are right now. The place they kept you is a safe house belonging to the Bureau of Special Affairs, located at No. 11, New First Street. Our next destination is No. 12.” As he spoke, Bai Zeshao lifted the manhole cover in the backyard of No. 12.

“What? You mean our contact point and the Bureau’s safe house are right next to each other?” Mr. Li said in surprise.

“That’s right,” Bai Zeshao nodded, adding, “But the most important thing now is to recover your strength.”

Soon, the two emerged from the sewer. Bai Zeshao supported the weak Mr. Li into the secret room inside the house. “Sir, your wounds are severe. You need immediate medical attention. Unfortunately, my preparations were lacking; if only we had a doctor.”

“Haha, just being alive is the greatest blessing. I can still hold on. What you must do now is leave immediately—do not let the enemy discover your whereabouts. My rescue will surely provoke a violent reaction from the Bureau, and you must not make a single mistake at this crucial moment,” Mr. Li said, his body leaning painfully against the wall.

“But your injuries…” Bai Zeshao protested, worried.

“Don’t worry. I won’t die yet. Your task is to leave here right away,” Mr. Li insisted, his tone now stern.

“Take care then, sir,” Bai Zeshao said, swiftly tending to Mr. Li’s wounds before disappearing into the sewer once more.

At the intersection of New First Street, a manhole cover was gently pushed aside. Bai Zeshao quickly climbed out and, as he closed the cover, noticed military trucks approaching from the distance. His heart pounding, he slipped into the shadows.

Once the trucks had passed, Bai Zeshao emerged from the darkness.

“Brother, over here!” Suddenly a voice called out from the corner of De Yi Tower.

“Ah Hai? Why are you here? Didn’t you go back?” Bai Zeshao, seeing Ah Hai with a rickshaw, asked in surprise.

“Brother, I figured I’d stay and wait for you. If you needed help, I could lend a hand,” Ah Hai scratched his head and smiled.

“Alright, there’s no time to talk. We must return to the Rose Dance Hall as fast as possible,” Bai Zeshao said, quickly settling into the rickshaw, changing clothes as he explained.

“Just sit tight, brother.” Sensing the urgency in Bai Zeshao’s words, Ah Hai began running with wild abandon, moving nearly twice as fast as before.

The Rose Dance Hall.

The hall was still brightly lit and bustling with people. Suddenly, several military trucks stopped at the entrance, and a squad of armed soldiers stormed in, causing chaos and panic.

“What on earth are you doing?” Qian Yong, who had been resting, angrily confronted the soldiers.

“Mr. Qian, don’t misunderstand. We’re just here to find some people. By the order of our chief, all Bureau of Special Affairs personnel present must come with us,” Ye Mao, emerging from behind the soldiers, explained briskly.

“I don’t care what’s happening within your ranks, but I hope you don’t interfere with my business,” Qian Yong said, his tone dark.

In the end, he could not stop the Bureau’s operation. Despite his own connections, everyone knew that the Bureau’s chief now wielded enormous power; there was no reason to provoke him without cause.

“Thank you, Mr. Qian. Start searching!” Ye Mao nodded to Qian Yong, then issued orders.

In one corner of the hall, Sun Yanjie, already somewhat drunk, was startled awake by the commotion. Ye Mao approached, greeting him with familiar ease. “Well, enjoying a drink alone, I see.”

“No, I’m just here celebrating my brother’s promotion,” Sun Yanjie replied evasively, then asked curiously, “What’s going on? With this kind of display, it doesn’t look like you’re just looking for someone, especially among your own Bureau people.”

“Brother, it’s not that I don’t want to say—it’s just that the higher-ups issued a gag order. I really can’t say more,” Ye Mao said quietly, glancing around. “Just keep a low profile for a while. I doubt tonight will be peaceful in Shanning.”

Sun Yanjie wanted to ask more, but Ye Mao was already gone.

Armed soldiers searched room after room. These troops, normally under the City Defense Command, had been temporarily assigned to the Bureau tonight. Many of the Bureau’s internal staff were present for entertainment, and as each was dragged out, they protested loudly—until they saw the chief’s personal order in Ye Mao’s hand, and fell silent.

Tonight’s operation was not limited to Ye Mao’s team; many similar squads were sweeping across Shanning City, all with one goal: to bring every Bureau member back to headquarters. Meanwhile, extra checkpoints were set up on many streets, scrutinizing all passersby.

Because of these checkpoints, even though Ah Hai’s speed was nearly twice what it had been, the return took much longer. Panting, Ah Hai collapsed by the roadside, while Bai Zeshao climbed swiftly up a rope toward the upper floors.

The peril grew: soldiers in the dance hall had already reached the door of the room where Bai Zeshao and A Chen were hiding. The lead soldier gently knocked, but amid the chaos outside, the door remained tightly shut.

Bang!

Losing patience, the soldiers raised their rifles and slammed the butt violently against the door.