This sudden voice made Ye Niao jump violently. She quickly retracted the steel needle stained with poison.
Who would have thought that in her panic, her movements would become hurried, and the sharp needle tip accidentally pierced the skin of her palm.
"Ah..." Ye Niao trembled all over and jumped to her feet.
Her pretty face appeared somewhat pale.
"Are you alright?" Li Chonglou looked at her strangely.
Could this girl have some peculiar habit?
Why was she squatting in front of his shoes?
Didn't she find them smelly?
"No... I'm fine. I saw your shoes were dirty and wanted to help you wipe them... but now, forget it... I'm going back, goodbye!" Ye Niao stammered out a lie in her haste, her nose tip beading with fine sweat.
Saying this, she bowed her head and fled Li Chonglou's room, rushing back to her own room before slamming the door shut with a bang.
"You know embarrassment too?" Li Chonglou chuckled.
He thought Ye Niao was embarrassed because he had caught her squatting by his shoes, and didn't think much of it.
After all, trust had been established. Without any major abnormalities, who would suspect someone wanted to harm them?
Of course, keyboard warriors online, with their heavenly eyes, could see through it.
Li Chonglou certainly couldn't.
Meanwhile, back in her own room, Ye Niao leaned against the door and slumped to the floor, her posture extremely peculiar.
Her eyeballs could still move, but other parts of her body had already begun to go numb.
She couldn't even stand steadily.
Tears welled up in her eyes, and she lamented inwardly, "Truly, trying to steal a chicken only to end up losing the rice... I'm so miserable!"
She had originally intended to stuff a steel needle tainted with arrow frog venom into Li Chonglou's shoe.
This venom was a potent anesthetic, its effect equivalent to 200 times that of coffee.
Basically, once an adult was poisoned, they would be unable to care for themselves for at least twenty-four hours.
Her original plan had been meticulously laid out: once Li Chonglou was poisoned and paralyzed, she could do as she pleased.
She could even take him abroad to be dealt with by Chairman Huang himself.
But now...
She was the one who had fallen victim.
Fortunately, she had only pierced the surface of her skin, and the venom's penetration speed wasn't that fast, allowing her to return to her room.
Otherwise, this mission would likely be a complete failure.
As time ticked by, Ye Niao, slumped by the door, her gaze grew increasingly desperate.
She roared inwardly, "No... no!"
But her body, no longer under her control, felt like a tap that had been turned on, a wetness rapidly spreading downwards.
The floor and her clothes were instantly soaked.
She couldn't hold it in; she had urinated!
At this moment, Ye Niao wished she could die.
She had never felt so helpless since she was a child, and hatred surged within her: "Li Chonglou, it's all your fault! I'm going to kill you!"
"Achoo!" Li Chonglou, standing by a public telephone on the street, suddenly sneezed twice.
Thinking it was the autumn wind affecting him, he wiped his nose with a tissue, inserted two coins, and picked up the receiver.
He had searched for a long time to find this ancient coin-operated public phone still remaining on the street.
After observing his surroundings to confirm there were no cameras nearby, he dialed his senior sister's number.
"Hello?" Lin Ying's familiar voice came from the other end.
"Senior Sister, it's me."
"Little Junior Brother? I've been waiting for your message, have you completed the mission?" Lin Ying asked with surprise.
Previously, Li Chonglou had messaged her saying he had a mission and would be out of contact for a while.
Judging by his tone, she thought it would be a year or half.
He was back so soon.
"No."
Li Chonglou lowered his voice and said, "Senior Sister, I'm in Zhonghai now, and I have the base in my possession!"
"Shi Boqiong's base? Are you sure?" Lin Ying's voice was filled with shock.
More excited than Li Chonglou had been when he first saw the base, though she managed to suppress it.
"Absolutely sure. When will Master be released from prison?" Li Chonglou replied with certainty.
"In the next couple of days. If he knows this news, he'll be overjoyed." Lin Ying said solemnly, "Little Junior Brother, you must keep the item safe."
"As soon as my father is out, we'll immediately come to Zhonghai to find you!"
It was a matter of indifference when it didn't concern her, but when it did, she became anxious.
Lin Ying wished she could fly to Zhonghai right then, but she knew nothing about Shi Boqiong, so it would be useless even if she went.
She had to wait for her father to be released; it was still going through procedures, but it would be soon.
After speaking, she cautioned, "And yourself, no mission is more important than your life. As long as you're alive, there's always hope. You must protect yourself."
"Okay, don't worry, Senior Sister. My current number is xxxxxxx. Don't say anything related to us on this number." Li Chonglou thought for a moment before leaving his current number.
After hanging up, he had initially not wanted to involve anyone in this mission, and had heard Bai Jing mention that phones could be tapped.
That was why he hadn't used his mobile phone to call his senior sister.
Leaving the number was only for their convenience in finding him when they arrived in Zhonghai.
Fortunately, Bai Jing was now in the hospital; otherwise, he wouldn't have had the time to attend to his personal matters.
For the next period, he would return to the hotel and cultivate quietly.
A day passed quickly, and Ye Niao did not appear again.
The next morning, he received a call from logistics, asking him to pick up goods at a remote warehouse in the suburbs.
The caller was an officer dispatched by the police to escort the bronze artifacts, all of whom were, of course, disguised as freight drivers.
Li Chonglou contacted Tong Zhaolin and asked him to pick him up so they could go to the transaction.
This time, Tong Zhaolin brought no one with him, arriving alone.
In the car, Tong Zhaolin initiated the conversation, "Brother, aren't you a bit lonely by yourself? After the important business is done, your brother will properly take you to relax!"
He winked mischievously, and any man would understand what he was implying.
Li Chonglou wasn't interested in such matters, but the role he was playing didn't allow him to refuse.
He could only nod in tacit agreement.
Upon arriving at the warehouse, as pre-arranged, the police escort concealed themselves to monitor, leaving only the driver for the handover.
When the cargo bay was opened, Tong Zhaolin couldn't hide his excitement at the sight of the various bronze artifacts piled high.
He gave a thumbs-up and praised, "Brother, you truly have the heavens to help you!"
"These treasures are enough to make us both less of a decade's struggle."
He had only seen such a large-scale collection of bronze artifacts once, over thirty years ago. Afterward, national control became extremely strict, and no one had the audacity anymore.
If Li Chonglou hadn't mentioned digging up the ancient Qin tomb complex, and coupled with the Vice President's instructions, it would have been hard for him to believe that this truckload of bronze artifacts had legitimate origins.
"I've brought the goods. We need to sign a contract, right?" Li Chonglou said expressionlessly.
"Brother, in our line of work, it's a head-rolling business. Contracts only provide evidence against people," Tong Zhaolin chuckled dryly. "You're young and don't understand, but our reputation is our contract."
"Don't worry, once I get these items back, the money will be transferred to your account within half a month."
"If anything goes wrong, you can hold me accountable!"
Li Chonglou knew, of course, that it was impossible to sign a contract for such items. He only said this to feign ignorance of the trade.
He had already looked up the relevant information, and it was easy enough to feign ignorance.
But he couldn't accept how Tong Zhaolin spoke.
If it were done this way, wouldn't it imply that these items had no guarantee, and even Xingzhi Group couldn't handle them?
It would be a waste of a batch of bronze artifacts, and he would get nothing.
How could that be?
A faint smile spread across Li Chonglou's face. "Boss Tong, you also know this is a head-rolling business. This younger brother is grateful for you helping me out at the auction."
"But this is just the first batch; there are plenty more to come."
"Can you and Libao Zhai handle it alone?"
According to the script, he didn't know Tong Zhaolin's true identity at this point, so he was unaware of his backing by the Xingzhi Group, a massive smuggling organization for cultural relics.
Therefore, this suspicion was also reasonable.
This was illegal activity; how could he not consider his own interests?
Sentiment aside, profit came first; this was normal adult thinking.
Therefore, Tong Zhaolin had no objection to Li Chonglou's words.
He pulled Li Chonglou aside and lowered his voice, "Brother, at this point, I won't hide it from you. I am from Xingzhi Group."
"The Vice President instructed me earlier to treat you well. You are one of us, so it's fine for you to know."
"Our Xingzhi Group deals in overseas trade."
"Rest assured, let alone this truckload, we can digest ten times as much without a trace."
Upon hearing this, Li Chonglou feigned shock. "Such grand arrangements, Boss Tong, and you're only telling me now. That makes me seem petty."
"This batch of goods can be considered a test of our partnership."
"No need for a contract, but I have a condition: take me to see Xingzhi Group."
"I need to understand my partners, after all."
These words were undoubtedly a direct assault, a risky move.
If Tong Zhaolin still harbored any suspicion towards him, it could be amplified countless times.
Li Chonglou wasn't entirely confident, but this was his only chance. If he missed it, he didn't know when another opportunity would arise.
He could only muster his courage and try his best.
"Alright, have someone bring the goods and follow me!" To his surprise, Tong Zhaolin readily agreed without a second thought.
He had long since shed any wariness of Li Chonglou.
With the Vice President's direct instructions, he wished he could worship Li Chonglou as an idol.
Without any defenses, suspicion naturally wouldn't arise.
In his eyes, Li Chonglou's request was reasonable, and besides, his companion was lying in the hospital.
What undercover agent would do something so absurd?
Li Chonglou felt a slight relief in his heart. He gave the driver a look, signaling him to follow.
Then he got into Tong Zhaolin's car, and they drove towards a villa estate in the suburbs.
At this very moment, in the study of a villa within the estate.
A middle-aged man with a blank expression was having a voice call with someone.
His tone was very respectful: "Vice President, Tong Zhaolin has brought that Li Chonglou here. Should we proceed as planned?"
"Be patient," a calm voice came from the phone. "The reason I didn't tell Tong Zhaolin who Li Chonglou is, is precisely to avoid arousing his suspicion."
"That kid doesn't have a significant background, but he possesses considerable ability."
"Several times, people sent by the higher-ups have failed, and even Xiong Ying's people are helping him."
"The goods are still in his possession, and the higher-ups are very displeased."
"We still have to clean up Li Hanlong's mess."
Hearing this, the middle-aged man nodded repeatedly. "The Vice President is right..."
"Let him enter the company first. We must wait until we obtain the goods," the voice on the other end turned cold. "Then, we will deal with him."
"Remember, it must be completely eradicated, leaving absolutely no trace!"
"Otherwise, both you and I will be in trouble."
"Yes!" A sinister glint flashed in the middle-aged man's eyes.