Chapter 1 Before the Operation

In front of the Gui family's courtyard, Lao Hei looked at the Shar-Pei with a mix of helplessness and grievance, replying, "My… our people aren't all here yet."

"Fuck," the Shar-Pei cursed cautiously, glancing around before yanking open the side door of the minivan and bending down to get in.

In the driver's seat, the bald man was sweating profusely, whispering a reminder to Lao Hei, "Why… why is he getting in?"

"Smack!"

After getting into the car, the Shar-Pei was truly enraged. Sitting in the back seat, he raised his hand and slapped Lao Hei on the back of the head. "I told you, tonight is the family meeting. A lot of people from the old man's side will be here. There are eyes everywhere, inside and out. I told you to call me before you came, couldn't understand that? You even drove up to the front gate, acting like you're so important!"

Lao Hei's head felt like it was swelling up. His right hand subtly moved towards his waist, and he turned to look at the Shar-Pei in the middle row of seats. "Just talk, okay? Don't hit me."

"Do you even know who I am? Recognize me??" The Shar-Pei, assuming the man didn't know him, raised an eyebrow and questioned him.

Lao Hei really didn't recognize him, because the one staking out the crematorium building was another brother of Lao Hei's, and that guy was still watching Xue Ping An and hadn't come over yet. Plus, the photo Su Tianyu gave him wouldn't have included someone like this Shar-Pei, so Lao Hei had no idea who he was, let alone why this idiot had gotten into the car.

"What are you looking at?! Drive!" The Shar-Pei turned his head and shouted.

"Drive… or not?" The bald man, sitting in the driver's seat, asked Lao Hei with a confused look.

"Where are we going?" Lao Hei asked the Shar-Pei after a long pause.

"Drive forward, take a detour," the Shar-Pei urged, observing the surroundings.

"Listen to him," Lao Hei instructed the bald man.

The car started, and the Shar-Pei sat in the middle row, asking, "How many of you are there?"

"Why do you care how many? As long as we can get the job done," Lao Hei didn't know what the other man did, so he didn't dare give a definite number. But he was a professional killer after all, with a reaction speed that was out of the ordinary, so he gave a clever reply.

"Smack!"

The Shar-Pei had a very short temper, and he smacked Lao Hei on the head again, furious. "Damn it, you're acting tough, talking in code with me?! I'm telling you, if you guys screw things up tonight, I'll kill you!"

Lao Hei clenched his fists, enduring the confusion and anger in his heart. In the end, he didn't make a move, because he could tell from the other man's words that this blue-haired idiot seemed to be high up. Besides, they were too close to the Gui family's place. If they made a move in the car and caused a commotion, they'd be done for.

"Drive faster!" the Shar-Pei urged, loosening his collar.

In the front, the bald middle-aged man drove the car, his heart pounding. He was a hardened bandit who had been running wild in the southern part of Old Mexico and the surrounding areas of District One for many years, but it was the first time he had encountered something like this while on a job, and he was a little nervous.

In the passenger seat, Lao Hei was in a bad mood, because anyone would be confused if a blue-haired guy suddenly jumped on them. But years of walking a tightrope in his profession had given him a strong mentality and the ability to react quickly.

In this line of work, there's no such thing as a perfect plan, just like life doesn't always go smoothly. Unexpected events and accidents happen all the time, so you can't panic at times like this, because if you do, you're finished.

Lao Hei was considering whether to make a move and take care of the Shar-Pei right there in the car, so that the plan could continue. But unfortunately, after the Shar-Pei got into the car, he sat in the middle row of seats, with a seat between them. If Lao Hei used a knife, it would be difficult to stab him to death with one blow. And if the other man had a gun, or reacted and started shouting, that would be troublesome. Using a gun was even more absurd, because if a gun went off, they'd all be finished.

Lao Hei's forehead was sweating as he thought carefully. The Shar-Pei shouted again, "Turn left."

The bald man swallowed and put his right hand on the handbrake, turning his head to give Lao Hei a look.

Lao Hei had worked with the bald man many times, and he immediately understood what he meant.

Suddenly brake, use the inertia to make the Shar-Pei lose his balance, and then they would both suddenly turn around and stab the other man to death.

Lao Hei thought about it carefully. The car had already turned the corner and arrived at the back of the Gui family's villa.

The bald man looked at Lao Hei again, who nodded decisively and reached for the military knife from the sheath at his waist with his right hand.

Just then, the Shar-Pei suddenly lowered the window on the right side of the middle row of seats, stuck his head out, and shouted, "Open the back gate for me!"

Two men standing next to the iron gate in the backyard, smoking, turned to look over.

Seeing this, Lao Hei immediately shook his head slightly at the bald middle-aged man.

The bald man wiped the sweat from his forehead with his arm and drove the car to the back gate.

"Brother Shar-Pei, what's wrong?"

"Picking up two friends, open the gate," the Shar-Pei replied casually.

"Alright," the young man at the gate said, taking out the remote control and opening the electric iron gate. "The gate will be open, there will be a lot of people coming later, and they'll have to park in the backyard."

"Okay, we'll eat later," the Shar-Pei replied, pulling his head back in and instructing the bald man, "Drive!"

And so, the car drove into the courtyard, traveling about seven or eight hundred meters forward, turning several corners, before arriving next to a very dilapidated two-story building.

The Shar-Pei got out of the car, looked around and ordered, "Park the car next to the building, get out quickly, hurry!"

Hearing this, Lao Hei picked up his canvas bag and gave the bald man a look.

The two men parked the car next to the building and got out.

"Come in," the Shar-Pei waved at Lao Hei, "Hurry up!"

Lao Hei and the bald man exchanged glances and followed the Shar-Pei into the two-story building.

The room wasn't locked. The inside smelled of decay and dampness, and it was strangely gloomy, making people feel uncomfortable.

The Shar-Pei led the two men into the room and closed the door directly. "Someone died in this building, so no one usually comes here, and no one lives here. It's a warehouse now."

"…Mm!" Lao Hei nodded, looking around.

"What the fuck are you looking at?!" The Shar-Pei frowned and cursed at Lao Hei. "Don't be so stupid. When your people come later, they'll have to stay here too. Wait until the banquet is over tonight, and I'll give you the location, then you can do the job. Remember, when people come, I'll go out to pick them up. Don't show your faces, understand?"

Lao Hei nodded, "Understood."

The bald man looked at the other man and asked in a low voice, "No one will come here, right?"

"Can't you understand what I'm saying? Didn't I tell you, someone died in this house, no one usually comes here," the Shar-Pei replied impatiently. "Just stay here, don't go anywhere, got it!"

"Got it." Lao Hei took two steps to the side, looking up at the second floor along the stairs.

"Call Xue Ping An again, and tell him to arrange the outer perimeter people as well. If there's an alarm in the yard, and it's not arranged properly, the people outside have to finish the job," the Shar-Pei instructed.

"I'm not calling," Lao Hei replied.

The Shar-Pei was stunned for a moment, "Huh? What did you say? I told you to call!"

"I said, I'm not calling."

"What do you mean?" The Shar-Pei looked at him in confusion. "Are you Xue family people all brain-damaged? What are you saying?!"

"I'm not calling!" Lao Hei insisted.

"I fuck your mother, you're acting tough! What are you trying to do?"

"I don't even know Xue Ping An, how am I supposed to call him?!" Lao Hei said, squinting.

The Shar-Pei looked at the two men in front of him and suddenly felt that something was not right.

"Smack!"

As Lao Hei moved, the bald man, who was already prepared, grabbed the Shar-Pei from the side, covered his mouth, and held a knife with his right hand, pressing the blade against his neck.

"Bang! Bang bang!!"

Lao Hei punched the Shar-Pei's cheeks four or five times in a row. "You big idiot! You think my head is a bouncy ball? All that slapping…!"