Chapter 57 15

Chapter 57.15

Early the next morning, just as the sun rose, Director Chen had barely arrived at work and hadn’t even brewed his tea when his three capable subordinates cornered him in his office.

The three of them looked exhausted but couldn’t hide their excitement.

Three tall, lanky grown men squeezed together on the long sofa opposite Director Chen’s desk, eagerly reporting their plan to him. Then, with expectant faces, they looked at Director Chen, like eager dogs waiting for their owner’s approval.

After hearing their arrangements, Director Chen looked serious and nodded repeatedly: "Not bad. The plan is meticulous—I can see you’ve put in a lot of effort. But with an organization like this, no one can guarantee they haven’t planted moles in the city bureau. We still have three undercover operatives inside—their safety is absolutely critical."

He Lin said, "We’ve thought about that and made arrangements as well."

Jin Tingrui quickly added, "So we prepared a backup plan. We’ll announce this fake plan publicly and only switch to the real one during execution to blindside them."

It was the first time Director Chen had heard of such an approach, and his eyes lit up: "Pretty clever. Let me take a look."

Jin Tingrui pulled another document from his briefcase and respectfully handed it over—it was a joint vice operation plan.

Director Chen took it, glanced meaningfully at the silent Lin Hui beside him, and said with a smile, "Full of clever ideas."

Although the old man said it like that, his expression was exceptionally serious as he carefully read through it word by word.

Jin Tingrui patiently explained from the side: "We’ve chosen a location near the actual target as the decoy. For the field officers, we’ll only notify them about the vice operation in advance, requiring them to show up for roll call. Half an hour before the operation, we’ll inform each unit commander of the specific target. Even if word leaks out, the other side won’t have time to respond."

Director Chen nodded repeatedly: "Good, thorough consideration. Proceed as planned. You have my full support—I’ll sign off on it, and the bureau will have your backs completely."

.

One day later, at the villa.

Approaching noon, Li Shang dragged himself out of bed, his limbs still somewhat weak.

Since getting off his IV drip the night before last, his temperature had finally dropped from a high of 104 degrees Fahrenheit.

But it had only decreased slightly. Because the high fever had lasted so long, even though he took his medicine on time the next day, his temperature kept hovering around 101.3 degrees Fahrenheit.

After taking medicine, he felt a bit better and could get some energy back, but once the medicine wore off, his temperature would shoot up again, and he’d become out of it.

However, letting him go out that night had already been the most these guys would budge.

Afraid of affecting the operation, Li Shang took an extra dose of fever-reducing medicine within the maximum allowable limit, hoping to bring the high fever down a bit more.

He understood that real medical attention would have to wait until this undercover mission was over.

According to the plan, these people’s run of good luck was about to end that afternoon.

A little past noon, as the operation approached, Li Shang forced himself to go downstairs for lunch.

Xiao Kui saw him and greeted him proactively, asking with concern, "Li, feeling any better?"

Li Shang gave an "Mhm," his voice somewhat hoarse, and reported his temperature himself: "100.9 degrees Fahrenheit."

Da Wang frowned: "Still over 100 degrees Fahrenheit? Is that quack doctor any good?"

Li Shang didn’t pay it much mind, pulled his jacket tighter, and walked toward the dining room with heavy steps, defending the doctor instead: "It’s already much better. It’ll be fine gradually."

He had asked Fang Jue to tell Da Wang for him—he ordered a portion of pork and century egg porridge, just wanting something warm to soothe his stomach.

Unexpectedly, since he rarely came downstairs to eat, he actually saw Qian Daihao at the dining table.

Qian Daihao gave him a creepy smile, one that carried an unnerving vibe. Li Shang acted as if he didn’t see it, directly sitting down opposite him and lazily looking his way.

Qian Daihao looked at the sickly Li Shang before him—pale, with the fatigue of a long illness, yet his demeanor seemed even colder and more detached. He thought of Su Yu’s favoritism toward him and grew even angrier.

Qian Daihao spoke with sarcasm: "I heard your fever still hasn’t broken. That weak constitution of yours, tsk tsk." What he really thought was, *You’re quite resilient, kid. Why haven’t you burned to death yet?*

Li Shang looked calm, with a hint of nonchalance, and replied lightly: "It’s normal. Recovery takes time—no use rushing. It’ll get better eventually, won’t it?"

As he spoke, he picked up the congee and began drinking it unhurriedly.

Li Shang lowered his head, utterly baffled by Qian Daihao’s logic: *I’m keeping my fever high to bring all of you down in one fell swoop. What are you hoping for with my high fever? Afraid you won’t die fast enough?*

Qian Daihao, having failed to get a reaction out of him, turned to Da Wang and the others to gossip: "Let me tell you something—I heard the police have a big operation today."

At these words, Fang Jue’s ears immediately perked up, and his whole body tensed slightly.

Noticing the change in his expression, Li Shang, afraid he’d give himself away, subtly reached out under the table and gently patted Fang Jue’s leg. Only then did Fang Jue snap out of it, quickly lowering his head to eat and masking his emotions.

Li Shang remained extremely composed. Since these people showed no unusual reactions and hadn’t moved against the undercovers, it meant the operation definitely hadn’t been exposed.

He Lin must have been involved in formulating the plan. With him overseeing it, such a low-level mistake wouldn’t happen—he had that much trust in him.

A man in a white shirt, full of curiosity, asked the question Fang Jue cared about: "Brother Qian, what kind of operation is it?"

Qian Daihao deliberately built suspense, pausing before saying: "A vice raid. Not sure what nerve the higher-ups touched this time. I heard half the city’s police force is mobilized. But don’t worry, it has nothing to do with us. Let’s just focus on our work."

Da Wang still frowned, looking puzzled: "Such a big move—where are they targeting?"

Qian Daihao smiled smugly, as if showing off his well-informed sources: "There seems to be a spot near us—that massage parlor southeast of here. Not sure if the boss got wind of it in time. If not, I’m afraid…"

Another man in a white shirt chimed in, sounding regretful: "What a shame. I heard the talent there is pretty good."

Da Wang snickered, and the group started telling crude jokes.

Listening to all this, Fang Jue tried his best to control his expression, but he was on edge. He knew these people definitely had insiders within the police—otherwise, they couldn’t have gotten the news so quickly. What’s more, he was shocked that the other side had such detailed knowledge of the police operation, even knowing exactly where the target was.

Li Shang, however, knew exactly what was going on as soon as he heard it. It was just that this Qian guy was using it to show off how connected he was. He sat to the side, quietly listening to him boast while calmly drinking his congee.

After finishing the bowl, Li Shang stood up and said calmly, "I’m done eating. I’ll head upstairs first."

Soon, the others finished lunch as well. Qian Daihao had come today to discuss security upgrade plans with Da Wang, so he stayed a while longer in the third-floor lounge in the afternoon.

Nearing 2 p.m., just when everyone was feeling drowsy, Qian Daihao’s phone suddenly rang.

Startled by several consecutive message alerts, he picked up his phone, and his eyes immediately turned bloodshot…

Qian Daihao suddenly realized: "Goddamn it! That police operation is targeting us!"

Qian Daihao’s roar broke the villa’s calm afternoon, and the atmosphere instantly grew tense.

Da Wang reacted immediately, getting up and rushing toward the security room nearby to notify Xiao Wang.

He moved quickly, but someone was even faster.

Before he could push the door fully open, a sudden rush of air came from behind him.

With a solid thud, he was kicked in the back.

Da Wang stumbled, awkwardly thrown into the room by that kick, his knees hitting the ground hard—face first into a face-plant. He caught himself just in time with his hands.

The person behind him was Li Shang himself, followed closely by Fang Jue.

Xiao Wang was sitting in front of the monitors, holding a cup of milk tea in his hand, leisurely listening to music through his earphones. Hearing the noise, he turned around in surprise and saw his brother bowing deeply to him.

Li Shang didn’t give Xiao Wang any chance to react. Before he could stand up, Li Shang grabbed the back of the swivel chair. With a startled cry, Xiao Wang was pulled away from the computer desk. The chair lost its balance and crashed to the floor with a loud clatter. Xiao Wang tumbled out, and the milk tea splashed all over his head and face.

Li Shang strode over to the computer, removed his obstructive glasses, and calmly leaned forward. With a few taps of his fingers on the buttons, the surveillance footage instantly froze, and the content was successfully archived to the cloud.

In that short interval, Xiao Wang had already scrambled up from the floor and lunged toward Li Shang from behind. Fang Jue hurriedly moved to intercept him.

Without even turning his head, Li Shang sensed the motion from the air displacement. He raised his elbow and delivered a precise strike, hitting Xiao Wang squarely on the nose.

Then he lowered his head, his thin lips pressed tightly together, and continued typing. The monitor switched to a blue screen, its faint blue glow reflecting on his cold, jade-like profile.

During this time, Da Wang had already gotten up and swung a nearby swivel chair at him. Li Shang spun away from the attack while his finger pressed the enter key.

He had finally completed the final operation.

Li Shang turned his head and shouted, "Power!"

Fang Jue understood. He released Xiao Wang and, agile as a hound, swiftly ducked under the desk. With a series of clicks, he unplugged every power cord he could find. The monitors suddenly went black, and the computer stopped running.

This way, the important information in the computer couldn’t be deleted, preserving the evidence to the greatest extent possible.

By now, the two brothers were enraged and ashamed.

Da Wang pushed the metal chair in his hands, forcing Li Shang forward with all his might.

But Li Shang seized the opportunity, grabbed the back of the chair, and used the momentum to leap into the air. He effortlessly cleared the swivel chair and drove his knee into Da Wang’s chest.

The next second, Li Shang landed lightly on his feet.

Qian Daihao, who had just finished sending warning messages to various points, rushed in and saw the scene before him. His eyes widened in shock, and ten thousand cursed thoughts raced through his mind. He pointed at Li Shang and yelled, "Fuck! I knew you were trouble! I should’ve killed you back then!"

Qian Daihao was filled with hatred!

Why had no one listened to him?

What did it mean to invite a wolf into your house? To dig your own grave?!

If he got the chance, he would beat the crap out of those two idiots, Da Wang and Xiao Wang! And Su Yu, that lovesick fool! And that half-blind old man Sun Fukui!

Qian Daihao gritted his teeth and turned to look for a weapon, wishing he could slice Li Shang into a thousand pieces.

But Li Shang dismissed him like a barking dog. He coldly reminded Fang Jue, "Don’t worry about me. Proceed as planned. Go open the door!"

Fang Jue snapped to attention, turned, and rushed out, closing the door of the control room from the outside.

Earlier, Li Shang had explained to him that for the police to enter, they would need to break through the security downstairs.

With just the two of them, they stood no chance against everyone inside. They needed to first release Guan Yinchuan and then find a way to open the main gate to coordinate with the police operation from within. Meanwhile, Li Shang would stall those in the control room to prevent them from destroying the data in the computer.

Li Shang turned and engaged the recovering Da Wang and Xiao Wang in combat.

The two brothers were tall and burly. Though not very agile, they were full of brute strength. Even with Li Shang’s clever dodging, he was gradually forced into a corner under their combined assault.

Running a high fever, Li Shang began to breathe rapidly, his chest heaving violently.

After a few exchanges, Da Wang’s fist shot toward him. Li Shang sidestepped, the force of the punch brushing past his ear.

Seizing the opportunity, Li Shang grabbed his opponent’s arm and pulled hard, using the forward momentum to trip him. Before Da Wang could figure out what was happening, he was slammed with a thud onto the computer desk.

Da Wang’s body collided heavily with the desktop, pain contorting his face.

At the same time, several LCD monitors were knocked over, crashing to the floor with a loud shatter, scattering glittering shards everywhere.

Xiao Wang, whose nose was still bleeding profusely from the earlier strike, ignored wiping it and charged forward again upon seeing his brother attacked. He kicked fiercely toward Li Shang’s side.

But Li Shang seemed to have anticipated it, slightly turning to evade the blow.

He reached out, grabbed Xiao Wang’s wrist, and twisted it forcefully. With his other hand, he bent Xiao Wang’s elbow. A distinct crack echoed through the room—the sound of bone breaking.

But before Li Shang could catch his breath, Qian Daihao rushed toward him, gripping a fruit knife.

There was no time to dodge.

The sharp blade glinted coldly under the light, a flash of icy white aimed straight for his abdomen.

At the critical moment, Li Shang gritted his teeth and lowered his head.

His body arched sharply as he retreated half a step back. Simultaneously, his right hand shot out like lightning, firmly clamping onto Qian Daihao’s wrist.

The knife tip grazed his abdominal muscles, leaving a thin cut. A warm trickle of blood seeped out like a red plum blossom, instantly blooming on his white shirt.

But that was all the damage his opponent could inflict.

Li Shang’s gaze turned cold. With a forceful twist of his fingers, the knife clattered to the floor.

The next second, Li Shang decisively raised his knee and drove it mercilessly into Qian Daihao’s abdomen. Qian Daihao’s face instantly turned pale, and he collapsed to his knees in pain.

Having barely repelled the three, Li Shang felt a wave of dizziness from his high fever. The world began to spin before his eyes. To make matters worse, the movements had aggravated his old wound. A sharp pain tore through his abdomen, as if the wound had been ripped open again.

After fighting the three for so long, his stamina was nearly exhausted. Cold sweat dripped down his pale, nearly translucent face. The corners of his eyes were tinged with red, as if stained with blood.

Dizzy, Li Shang frowned, clenched his teeth, and reached out to steady himself against the wall.

His fingertips trembled slightly, while his other hand pressed tightly against his abdomen, trying to alleviate the searing pain.

During this brief respite, Qian Daihao, still on the floor, roared, "Kill him! Then destroy the data! If he doesn’t die, we will!"

Li Shang sighed inwardly. His fever was hampering his performance; his strikes were lighter than usual. Under normal circumstances, these three wouldn’t have been able to fight back.

Li Shang knew clearly that he had to end this quickly. In his current condition, he might not last much longer...

.

Downstairs, Fang Jue had grabbed the keys and first unlocked the door where Guan Yinchuan was held.

After resting here for a few days, Guan Yinchuan was already eager for action. He stepped out of the room and blocked several White-Shirts who were trying to rush toward the control room. With robust energy, he declared, "If you want to get past, you’ll have to get through me first!"

While the White-Shirts were still stunned, the old man threw a punch directly at one of them...

Fang Jue went on unlocking doors with the keys, releasing the elderly who still had the energy to join the fight. As he freed them, he shouted, "The police are here! The police have driven to the entrance! Grandpa Zhou! Grandma Wang! Grandpa Zhang! The police are here to save you!"

One by one, the elderly cautiously stepped out of their rooms.

Their emotions shifted from confusion and hesitation, fear and unease, doubt and puzzlement, to excitement and joy.

Guan Yinchuan moved with sharp, efficient strikes. He executed a powerful back throw, slamming one of the White-Shirts to the ground. The others, intimidated by his strength, hesitated to advance.

The elderly gathered behind Guan Yinchuan, quickly blocking the few White-Shirts who were unarmed. Having been confined for so long and cheated out of their money, they were filled with pent-up anger. Though physically weaker, they had strength in numbers.

For a moment, the two sides stood in a standoff.

One of the white shirts came up with a terrible idea: "How about we grab an old lady as a hostage?"

His accomplice slapped him: "The police are already downstairs. Are you trying to get yourself shot by a sniper?"

The white shirts panicked as they realized one thing.

Before, they dared to target elderly people, but now, if even one of them fell, it would mean an additional ten years in prison.

They were quickly being forced back by several elderly residents. Though they could hear the sounds of fighting coming from the control room, they were unable to get in to help.

After unlocking all the doors upstairs, Fang Jue rushed downstairs. As he passed the dining room on the first floor, he glanced outside and saw that the police were fighting the security guards outside.

From a distance, Fang Jue could see that the person leading the team was likely He Lin. It felt like seeing family, and he was nearly moved to tears.

Although most of the white shirts had already stopped resisting, a few were still resisting stubbornly. They seemed to be clinging to a pipe dream, loyally holding their last post, waiting for someone to come and rescue them.

Amid the chaos, someone shouted: "Don’t let Wang Jue open the door—he’s a mole too!"

At the first-floor stairway, two white shirts moved to intercept Fang Jue, while Song Xiaokui ran to lock the main door and stood guard.

Facing the two white shirts, Fang Jue looked determined and stepped forward fearlessly, full of confidence.

If Brother Li could take on three, he could take on two!

But the two were quite skilled. Fang Jue, outnumbered two to one, tried a few moves but failed to land a blow. Instead, he was kicked.

Alright, he simply couldn’t beat them.

His earlier ambition instantly crumbled in the face of reality, and Fang Jue quickly gave up.

Seeing that he was no match, and adhering to the principle that discretion is the better part of valor, Fang Jue turned and ran.

He began running in circles around the villa.

The two started chasing him, but Fang Jue was as slippery as an eel.

As he ran, he shouted: "Xiaokui, don’t be an idiot—open the door quickly!"

Song Xiaokui stomped his feet in frustration: "You traitor! If it weren’t for you, none of this would have happened!"

Fang Jue slid under a table. All those hours practicing kiting skills in games finally paid off. Seizing a moment, he yelled: "These guys are no match for the police. If you’re smart, defect now and you might get a lighter sentence!"

Xiaokui cursed: "And I thought you were my friend! You’ve ruined my money and my stable life. This whole shipment is a total loss!"

While weaving around the two white shirts, Fang Jue took the opportunity to lecture Xiaokui: "You chose the wrong path and entered the wrong line of work. The sea of suffering has no bounds, but repentance is the shore. Drop your weapon, and redemption is possible. You have to stop before it’s too late!"

After saying this, he pulled off a slick maneuver, dodging and weaving with such agility that it seemed like afterimages appeared.

The white shirts lunged to grab him, but they were left panting, unable to even touch his clothes.

Xiaokui watched in amazement: "Wang Jue, you little—did you put all your skill points into evasion?"

He cursed Fang Jue a few more times, then actually turned around and opened the door.

The two white shirts who were still trying to stop Fang Jue were completely betrayed, their faces full of disbelief.

"..."

"Seriously, bro? If you’re not helping, that’s one thing, but how could you?!"

Xiaokui tucked the hammer he’d picked up into his waistband and spoke like he'd seen the light: "I’m here to make money, not to die! Look—the security guards outside have been captured, the police are at our doorstep, and you still want to fight? I’m not stupid!" Then he shouted to Fang Jue, "Wang Jue, testify that I opened the door voluntarily. Help me get a reduced sentence later!"

The remaining white shirts instantly lost their will to resist.

Seeing this, an old lady ran into the kitchen, grabbed a pot, and started hitting one of the white shirts: "You big bad guy, I’ll beat you to death…"

Downstairs descended into complete chaos.

Outside the villa, after a fierce fight, He Lin subdued several security guards and finally broke through the defense line, rushing inside first, with Lin Hui following closely behind.

As soon as He Lin saw Fang Jue, he asked: "Where’s Li Shang?"

Fang Jue pointed upstairs, and He Lin bounded up the stairs...

.

The intense battle upstairs continued.

While those outside had surrendered, the main culprits inside were still fighting Li Shang for their lives.

They all knew clearly what would happen if the police discovered these materials—they might never see outside a prison again.

Da Wang staggered up from the ground, grabbed a keyboard from the table, and swung it at Li Shang. Dizzy and disoriented, Li Shang barely had time to move his hand from his abdomen to block.

With a loud thud, the keyboard struck his forearm. Da Wang had put force into the blow, and keycaps instantly flew everywhere.

Da Wang then swung the keyboard sideways, hitting Li Shang in the chest and abdomen.

A sharp pain surged through him. White spots exploded before Li Shang’s eyes, and a ringing filled his ears.

He choked, coughing up a mouthful of blood. A muffled groan caught in his throat, clenched between his teeth.

At the same time, Xiao Wang struggled to his feet, releasing his broken elbow, and gritted his teeth as he used his other arm to choke Li Shang from behind. The force was immense—he was trying to strangle him unconscious.

Li Shang’s breath was instantly cut off. His neck screamed in pain, and the world before him blurred.

The haze of high fever was momentarily pierced by the sharp pain, bringing a sliver of clarity.

Li Shang made a quick decision. The hand around his neck was nearly suffocating him—he had to deal with the person behind him first.

Enduring the suffocation, Li Shang leaned backward, forcing Xiao Wang’s injured hand against the edge of a table. Taking advantage of the slight loosening of the grip, Li Shang gritted his teeth and struggled, forcefully prying the hand from his neck, finally breaking free from the restraint.

The two attacked again immediately. Through the haze of fever, Li Shang caught a fleeting opening, slipping into the gap between them.

His eyes sharp, Li Shang drove his elbow backward, instantly breaking Xiao Wang’s ribs. The sound of cracking bone was followed by the man behind him losing all ability to resist.

Then, ignoring the searing pain within, Li Shang gritted his teeth and delivered a decisive high kick. His long leg swept through the air with force, striking Da Wang squarely in the jaw.

Blood droplets splattered onto Li Shang’s pale face, his eyes filled with determination.

He had put all his strength into that kick. Da Wang was nearly lifted off his feet by the impact. A crack sounded from his neck—at best, a fractured jaw; at worst, a broken cervical spine.

Having taken down the Wang brothers, Li Shang could no longer hold on.

Burning with fever, cold sweat poured from his forehead. His body swayed, and waves of abdominal pain assaulted him. Spasms wracked his lean waist, making even breathing difficult.

But at this critical moment, Qian Daihao, who had just been knocked down, regained his footing and charged again...

Li Shang’s gaze turned icy. He prepared to use a sacrifice kick—a ruthless move that would hurt the enemy at great cost to himself.

He didn’t want to use this move unless absolutely necessary. If it failed, his waist could be permanently damaged.

Just as Li Shang was about to charge forward to fight Qian Daihao to the death, a tall figure planted himself before him without hesitation.

He Lin... was finally here.

The moment Li Shang recognized who was shielding him, a wave of relief washed over him. He leaned against the wall and dropped to one knee.

With blood-stained hands, he pressed against his cramping abdomen. Cold sweat streamed down his spine to the old wound at his waist, the pain so intense it left him gasping for breath.

The shrapnel embedded deep within his body felt as though it were on fire, searing his flesh and internal organs in the raging fever.

Darkness flickered at the edges of his vision. Li Shang coughed violently a few times, spitting out another mouthful of blood. The bright red blood trickled from the corner of his lips, dripping steadily onto the floor.