In an old residential area, an elderly man heading out to buy breakfast ran into an acquaintance in a narrow alley. His gaze fell on the other person's basket of vegetables, and he asked with a smile,
"How come you bought so many vegetables? Can you finish them all?"
The elderly woman in a floral dress chuckled. "I happened to run into a sale when I went grocery shopping, so I couldn't help buying more.
"I definitely can't finish them all by myself. I'll take some to my daughter later."
Hearing that there was a sale, the old man's eyes lit up. He hurriedly asked, "Where's the sale? I'll go buy some too."
"It's at the supermarket we usually go to. If you want anything, hurry over now. Once they're sold out, that's it," the woman in the floral dress said.
In a one-story house not far away, a figure stood before the window, watching the two old people chatting through a gap in the curtains.
After the two old people finished talking and left, Li Ying drew the curtains shut, cutting off the sunlight outside.
The room was plunged into darkness. The only source of light was the glow from the desk lamp.
Last night, Li Ying had gone with Ma Weigu and Liu Gui to conduct a transaction with Third Master Xu.
At first, Liu Gui had met Third Master Xu alone while Li Ying and Ma Weigu kept watch outside.
When something went wrong, Ma Weigu hurried to rescue Liu Gui. Li Ying remained where he was, observing how things developed so he could cover their retreat.
The plan had been arranged perfectly, yet what happened was something the prepared plan could never handle.
His two companions had vanished without a trace. Most likely, they had been