Chapter 103
159 No one understands Shi Lei better than me (3K)
Exusiai is a godsend for those with decision-making difficulties; I've already planned out tonight's schedule right after getting off work:
"Croissant, don't leave! Let's go to Xu's for dinner. After we've eaten and drunk our fill, we'll go to Zhongli to play mahjong!"
Shi Lei was always getting free meals and drinks, so naturally he had no objections. He glanced at the Cat Gang members across the street and then looked away, pretending not to have seen them.
After dinner, the four went to the warehouse to play mahjong.
They played until 11 PM before going home.
With Exusiai, that big mouth, present, Shi Lei didn't plan to mention the operation the day after tomorrow. Anyway, that commission was a collaboration between him and Lee and others, and had nothing to do with his colleagues.
According to Lee's intelligence, even if we know there might be listening devices in the office, we shouldn't go looking for them. We shouldn't alert them and disrupt subsequent operations.
A small act of impatience can ruin a great plan. If we can really wipe out the Cat Gang, they'll only be able to roam around for the next couple of days.
March 31, morning.
Shi Lei walked to the company and found the Cat Gang spies in a black sedan parked by the roadside. These guys really went to great lengths to stake out the location.
Shi Lei took the elevator to the top floor and swiped his card to check in. He didn't linger in his office but turned around and pressed the button to take the elevator downstairs.
Lee texted me saying he'd already set off. He told me to go to the intersection first; it would only take two or three minutes.
"Bite!"
The elevator doors opened, Exusiai and Texas stepped out. It wasn't unusual that they lived in the same building and came to work together.
Seeing Shi Lei enter the elevator to get off, Exusiai was standing outside, asked:
Did you forget to take something?
"No, I have to go out for a bit."
As the elevator doors closed and it slowly descended, Texas's eyes sharpened, as if she had realized something.
She didn't even sign in, and quickly ran down the fire escape next to her. Exusiai paused for a second or two upon seeing this, then quickly followed behind:
"Don't run so fast, wait for me!"
Going downstairs is easier than going upstairs, plus the elevator stops at different floors along the En route. This means that Texas departs a few seconds later, but arrives at the first floor faster than the elevator.
Seeing that the elevator was about to come down, she quickly retreated to the fire escape and blocked Exusiai behind her.
"Bite!"
The elevator doors opened, Shi Lei stepped out.
Texas offered no explanation, keeping her distance and quietly following him. She soon discovered that he was standing by the intersection but not crossing the street, as if waiting for someone.
She quickly took out the key and handed it to Exusiai:
"Get my car out here, quick!"
Exusiai sensed that Shi Lei had been acting a bit strange these past two days, so she took the keys and hurried to the back of the building. She couldn't miss out on something this amusing:
"Received, coming right away."
Shi Lei noticed that the Cat Gang scouts were looking in his direction, so he simply turned his body away and pretended not to see them.
Not long after, a convertible painted like a koi fish arrived at the intersection.
Hong was driving, Lee, wearing sunglasses, sat in the passenger seat, waving to Shi Lei.
"This is a brand new car that I just bought recently. How about it? Isn't it cool? Come on in, I'll take you for a spin."
After Shi Lei sat in the back seat, he added:
"Hong and Waai Fu are both people who will be participating in the operation tomorrow, so there's no need to avoid them."
Shi Lei nodded and lowered his voice:
"The Cat Gang is following us. How are you planning to shake them off? If you're too obvious, they'll notice, won't they?"
Hum: Hold the steering wheel with one hand, left thumb up.
"Rest assured
"Leave it to me."
After saying that, he adjusted his hat, as if he were driving an AE86. He weaved through traffic, squeezing into every available gap.
Seeing that Hong was driving aggressively, Shi Lei immediately put transparent Jade Shield on the three of them.
As it turned out, he had worried unnecessarily.
Although Hum drives fast, it is very steady. Like an experienced driver, it flirts with danger.
"Hmm, what did you do for a living before?"
"I'm just an ordinary security guard."
Good grief, are you the university gatekeeper surnamed Dong? You drive that fast!
The Cat Gang's car was suspended 20 or 30 meters behind. There was a lot of traffic in Lungmen city, so they couldn't speed up much even if they wanted to.
About thirty meters behind their car were Texas and Exusiai, who were following them in their car.
After passing through three streets, the convertible drove through the bustling Commercial Street area. Traffic was heavy there, forcing the car to slow down.
Hum stared straight ahead, heading west. After passing five intersections, he finally found an opportunity. In one...
Just before the green light turns red, I dash across.
Even if the Cat Gang scouts wanted to give chase, they would be blocked by the cars in front. Using this method to shake off the little tail behind them wouldn't seem too deliberate.
By the time the red light ended, Hum had already driven far away.
Shi Lei looked back and, finding no vehicles chasing after them, couldn't help but praise them:
"Good, you've shaken them off. But what if you don't encounter this kind of intersection?"
"What else can I do but keep driving? Haven't you noticed that I'm driving along the inner ring road of Lungmen? There will always be an intersection where I can leave the others behind."
At this point, Hong turned the steering wheel and made a left turn at the intersection, completely shaking off the Cat Gang spies. After driving for another half hour, they arrived at a workshop.
The steps to make the headgear are not complicated.
The craftsman had Shi Lei close his eyes and applied several kinds of...
A paste-like liquid. Several more layers were applied, the plaster block was removed, and the molding process began.
He didn't understand the specific procedures. After a few minutes, the residue on his face was washed off and the process was over.
Lee stood by, watching the whole thing unfold. "If you want to go back, you can have Hong take you now."
"Since we're already here, there's no rush. By the way, you haven't told me about the specific arrangements for tomorrow yet."
Lee grinned and gave a knowing look.
Shi Lei understood and followed him out of the workshop.
This area is located in the suburbs of Lungmen, and it's quieter than the city; there are hardly any pedestrians on the road.
Lee confirmed that everything was safe, he began to explain:
"Tomorrow is Miss Zhu's birthday. At 3:00 PM sharp, leave the company and go to the Shopping Plaza a few hundred meters away. Go directly to the fourth floor and enter the restroom to the right of the Ursus Ryeba store. I will be wearing a hood and clothes, and squatting in the innermost stall."
Once you arrive, let me go out first. Take the Cat Gang away and go to the fourth-floor cinema to pick up the tickets. The cinema is dimly lit; they won't be recognized unless you get too close. This will help you stall for over two hours.
Wait in the restroom first; there are pre-prepared uniforms and masks for the staff in the stalls. Once I message you, you can leave the restroom. Hong and Waai Fu will cover your exit through the fire escape and take you to the birthday party at the Hatton Hotel.
Once you get there, remember not to take off your mask. Everything is ready now, just waiting for the Cat Gang. If you have anything to add or any objections, we can discuss it further.
Shi Lei went over the plan in his mind and didn't see any flaws. The dimly lit environment of a movie theater would indeed make it difficult to give away the plan. Moreover, the Cat Gang's spies were focused on surveillance and would never come up to him to confirm anything.
Lee can stall for more than two hours, that is, from 3 pm to 5 pm.
Miss Zhu's birthday party starts at four o'clock, and all you have to do during that hour is wait quietly.
"No, no, it's very thoughtful."
"Is there anything else you'd like to know? If not, let's go back and take a look."
Shi Lei stayed at the workshop until around 11:00 AM. He asked Hong to drive him to the vicinity of the company. He then walked back, just in time to have lunch with everyone.
The Cat Gang's scouts lost track of them, and Texas, trailing behind, naturally suffered the same fate. But she didn't ask Shi Lei what he had been doing, acting as if nothing had happened.
In terms of familiarity with him, probably no one in the entire Penguin Logistics is more knowledgeable than Texas. They've also spent the most time together in the company. She has a thorough understanding of Shi Lei's personality.
If the reason for concealing the truth was fear of implicating her colleagues, it's somewhat unreasonable. A mere Cat Gang isn't enough to pose a threat to Shi Lei.
In other words, he chose to conceal it for another reason.
Given that Shi Lei got into Lee's car today, the two must have some private collaboration. Either the other party requested that it be kept secret, or he felt there was no need to talk about it.
Whichever the reason, what's the point of questioning Shi Lei at this point? Everyone has such a good relationship; there's no need to put him in such a difficult position.
April 1st.
At noon, Shi Lei received a request from an anonymous employer to go to District 18. The specific details of the request would be provided after they met.
Last time, someone from Suiya's family tried to transfer themselves to the Lower City using this method, and ended up being wiped out.
How could you fall into the same trap twice?
Shi Lei knew this commission was most likely posted by the Cat Gang, so he told Isu's employer there was something wrong. He wouldn't accept it himself, and he wouldn't either.
Have a colleague pick you up. If your employer asks, say you're going to see a movie in the afternoon and want to take a day off.
At 3 p. m., Shi Lei left the company and headed to a nearby commercial plaza.
Ignoring the Cat Gang spies following him, he entered the fourth-floor restroom and knocked on the door of the innermost stall.
"Knock knock".
Lee had already put on a headgear and donned a replica of Penguin Logistics uniform. After opening the door, he spoke:
"Mister Zhongli, I need to trouble you with something. A went missing last night, and the location tracking on his earring shows he's at the Hatton Hotel. If you find him, please make sure he's safe."
After saying that, he handed a locator that looked like Dragon Ball Radar to Shi Lei.
"Don't worry, leave it to me."
Lee nodded, turned on the tap to wet his hands, shook the water off his hands, and went outside.
Seeing this, the Cat Gang spies, after a brief discussion, followed. Their mission was to monitor Zhongli and not let the target out of their sight. Whether Zhongli went to the movies or visited a brothel was none of their business.
Texas secretly followed them here. Because Sarkaz's aura and wings were too conspicuous, she had the two of them wait outside the Shopping Plaza when she arrived.
Seeing the man walk towards the movie theater, Texas only glanced at him twice before realizing it was a fake.
No one understands Shi Lei better than her.
Is this height something Lee is faking?
The real Shi Lei should still be in the bathroom.
160 One look at it and it'll explode (3K)
Texas is usually quiet, which gives her a lot of time to observe and develop a keen insight.
She looked around and noticed that the fire escape was less than 20 meters from the restroom. She quickly realized that Shi Lei would be leaving from here, heading to the first floor of the Shopping Plaza or the Underground Parking Lot.
Lee went to great lengths to act today, hoping to stall those Cat Gang guys. Shi Lei's next destination definitely won't be nearby. If he's leaving by public transport, he'll only go to the Underground Parking Lot.
Texas often comes to this Shopping Plaza to eat with her colleagues. She knows the Underground Parking Lot layout very well, as well as the location of the two Entrance/Exit.
Following the fire escape to the basement level, she realized that Exit A was too far. Therefore, she deduced that Shi Lei and his accomplice would drive out from Exit B.
With that thought in mind, Texas stopped staring intently in the direction of the men's restroom and didn't bother going in to check. She quickly went down the escalator to meet up with Croissant and Exusiai.
They immediately turned the car around and drove to the vicinity of Entrance B in the Underground Parking Lot, where they waited and hid among other vehicles.
Three or four minutes later, Hong and Waai Fu drove out in the same convertible from yesterday. Texas looked straight ahead but didn't see Shi Lei, guessing he was probably lying in the back seat.
He and Lee pulled off this switcheroo today; they're definitely going to leave. Why wouldn't they take a convertible instead of a taxi?