That very noon, news spread throughout the Beijing-Tianjin area that the Tooth Brokerage would be holding a "gathering of heroes" on the ninth day of the twelfth lunar month.
The major opium-growing factions in Jizhou all received invitations from the Tooth Brokerage.
Of course, this post is just a formality; everyone knows perfectly well why it's for.
Large-scale opium growers would naturally resist methamphetamine, a new substance that infringes on their own interests.
This is the contradiction arising from the transition between old and new industries.
Xiao Cha immediately brought the information home and discussed it with Lu Li.
"The distributors of Ice Soul Powder, Tooth Brokerage, are going to negotiate with those who grow opium!"
The opportunity had arrived, Xiao Cha's pretty face lit up as she suppressed her excitement and said:
"They call it negotiations, but these people will definitely start a fight! All the police stations have been notified to approach the South Canal on the ninth day of the twelfth lunar month."
Lu Li nodded and said, "Did they traffic in methamphetamine, or were they involved in opium cultivation...?"
"That's right~ it's dog-eat-dog!" Xiao Cha, biting her lip and breathing rapidly.
"Those bastards who have caused so much harm deserve to be shot!"
Lu Li smiled and said, "It seems you already have a plan?"
"Come and see," Xiao Cha said, taking out a map and pointing to it.
"The location is sixty li outside the city, at Baiyangtan, west of the South Canal. The terrain is flat, making it difficult to ambush, but those bastards have nowhere to hide!"
At this point, the girl slammed her hand on the table and said:
"You and I, plus the two puppets, that's four heavy machine guns! When those bastards start fighting like dogs, we'll suddenly appear and mow them all down! It's a classic case of 'when the clam and the heron fight, the fisherman reaps the benefits!'"
Lu Li clapped his hands and said, "Great plan, I completely agree, let's do it."
"Mmm!" Xiao Cha nodded vigorously, then said softly, "Actually, it was quite dangerous. Thank you for joining in my fooling around..."
Lu Li put his arm around the girl's waist and said:
"I also despise these human traffickers and drug dealers, and besides, we've had a long-standing feud, so I'm determined to wipe them out. Danger is danger, though; otherwise, it wouldn't be fun at all."
As Lu Li spoke, his hand reached down.
Xiao Cha was wearing a fitted police uniform, and the fabric felt much better than last time, with amazing elasticity.
She blushed but didn't resist, only whispering:
"Lu Li, I'm willing to be with you, but I'm scared if things move too fast... Hey, damn it! Take your hand off me!"
As soon as Lu Li reached inside her clothes and touched something slippery, the shy girl turned into a tigress, howling as she pulled the thieving hand out and biting it hard!
"Oh no! They've let go! I can't hold the gun anymore!"
The two of them made a huge fuss, and Wan Qing could hear it all clearly from the kitchen.
She placed a braised fish on a plate, feeling quite envious.
"Kill Ye Zhichao... I really want to do that too..."
~~~~~~~~~~~
In the days that followed, Xiao Cha went to scout out the area every day, thoroughly familiarizing herself with the surrounding terrain.
On the eighth day of the twelfth lunar month, Chief Constable Chen even took the initiative to give out a "hero's invitation".
With this, participants can directly enter the venue on the day of the "Gathering of Heroes".
Xiao Cha held the post up to Lu Li's face, scratching her head, and said, "I've been going to gather information all this time, it seems Uncle Chen has guessed something."
Lu Li said nonchalantly, "It's alright, they're not outsiders anyway."
"Hmm." Xiao Cha put the note away and said, "Everything is ready now, except for the final touch. Even the weapons have been maintained by your puppets."
Four heavy machine guns, a heavy rocket launcher, and ammunition were all packed into two large sacks.
Lu Li glanced at it and said, "Carrying it for 60 li is a bit conspicuous. Let's go buy a car."
Xiao Cha nodded and said, "That's fine. The silver in the Wang Family's ancestral tomb last time was a good 8,000 Ocean Dollar, that's enough."
Without further ado, the two took the silver ingots to the most prosperous Gallic concession and bought a Cadillac for 4,000 Ocean Dollar.
This black classic car looks very impressive; it belongs to the luxury car category.
Lu Li, on a sudden inspiration, said, "Chief Constable Chen doesn't want the Spirit Tea, so let's buy him a car and send it to him, along with a box of Calming Incense."
Xiao Cha immediately agreed, "That's right! Let's do it that way! We can give it to them during the New Year holidays!"
So the two bought one car, then ordered another, before leaving.
~~~~~~~~~
After a peaceful night, the ninth day of the twelfth lunar month arrived.
After loading the weapons and ammunition into the trunk, Number 0 drove the car, with A'da sitting in the passenger seat.
"Wan Qing, we're going."
After saying goodbye, the two were about to get into the back seat of the car and leave.
At this moment, Lu Li noticed that Wan Qing looked somewhat forlorn, so he walked over and said:
"What's wrong? Don't worry, we'll be back soon."
Wan Qing smiled wryly, "It's nothing much. Actually, I really wanted to go, but these eyes of mine are getting in the way... Don't worry about me, you guys go ahead."
"I see..." Lu Li around and said, "Number 0, come here."
"Number 0," dressed in a suit and tie, calmly got out of the car and strolled over.
Lu Li said, "Wan Qing, fill your mind with it and let it fight for you using your mental power, okay?"
"Yes, thank you, Young Master!"
Wan Qing was overjoyed, never expecting this to happen.
She felt a pair of warm, large hands gently holding her small hands and placing them on the cold, metallic body, and she immediately focused her attention on them.
Not much of his mind Meditative Entry meditative state, but a strange red light flashed in Number 0's deep blue pupils.
It flashed by so quickly that one might mistake it for an illusion caused by the morning light.
Lu Li said gently, "Number 0 will definitely make good use of your mind to kill all those bad guys."
"Yes, I wish you great success, Young Master!"
"Then we're leaving."
As the car drove away, Wan Qing was exhausted, but her spirits were high.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Baiyangtan is a river beach between the South Canal and the Ziya River.
The surrounding area was perfectly flat and brightly lit, with a clear view of the entire area, so there was no need to worry about anyone lying in ambush.
There were about 300 attendees, all carrying weapons, clearly divided into two groups, staring coldly at each other.
One group was smaller in number but stood the closest together, led by a burly man with a round face, Ye Zhichao.
Xiao Cha whispered, "This person is the head of the Tooth Brokerage. He has undergone a blood transfusion in Martial Arts, but fortunately, he doesn't have the Spirit Refinement."
Lu Li nodded and memorized his appearance.
At this moment, the two of them slipped in using the invitation and stood in a corner at a distance, taking the opportunity to observe the enemy.
The scene before them was exactly like a negotiation between gangsters, with several people standing out opposite Ye Zhichao.
The most conspicuous one was a bald monk with ordination scars on his head.
Lu Li whispered, "Ye Zhichao sells methamphetamine, and his rivals sell opium. Why are there monks involved?"
Xiao Cha explained, "This belongs to Xuanzang Temple. The temple owns tens of thousands of acres of fertile land, all of which are planted with opium. They're definitely going to have a showdown with Ye Zhichao."
Sure enough, the head monk was the first to roar:
"Ye Zhichao! You spineless coward! Tell me, what do you want? I'll play along!"
The roar was like rolling thunder! Lu Li and Xiao Cha could hear it clearly even from a mile away.
"It's another reshuffling of personnel. Let them fight it out first, then we can reap the benefits!"