Could It Be Him?

On the way, thug was still shaken by the close call. He could not help thinking about how the switched envelopes had been exposed. The culprit had to be that coward Cuntoucao. The reason was that last time, when he had taken the envelope Long Wen gave him, Cuntoucao had refused to accept it. Only after thug glared at him and forced him did he take it. That unusual behavior had made thug suspicious. And since Long Wen had exposed his little trick, Cuntoucao must have told Long Wen the truth.

The more thug thought about it, the more wrong it felt. Every mistake had been caused by Cuntoucao. He gritted his teeth in fury, wondering whether Cuntoucao had also leaked word about the casino this time. Thug was certain that Cuntoucao was the informant. His dissatisfaction with Cuntoucao had grown into hatred. He had to make Cuntoucao suffer and pay the price.

Cuntoucao returned home and thought for a long time, sitting on the sofa and smoking one cigarette after another. Tong Haojing's face appeared before his eyes. Tong Haojing had sincerely helped him without asking for anything in return. Cuntoucao felt he had no reason not to report the important clues he knew to Tong Haojing. If he did not repay kindness, could he still call himself human? Cuntoucao's conscience drove him onward, and he was deeply moved. He could not help recalling Tong Haojing's sincere smile when he offered help, as well as his instructions. He could not break his word and let down Tong Haojing, his great benefactor. This matter was far too important to Tong Haojing. He needed to secretly inform Officer Tong.

But Long Wen's vicious, sinister face made Cuntoucao hesitate again. That vicious bastard was capable of anything. The worry on Cuntoucao's face kept him from making up his mind. Just then, Xiao Yanni, who now had a household registration, came home from school. Like a butterfly, she ran lively and happily around the house. Seeing his daughter so innocent, spirited, and adorable, he realized that without Tong Haojing, there would be no Xiao Yanni today. At that thought, Cuntoucao steeled himself and resolutely decided to take the risk. This was an important turning point in Cuntoucao's life. It was a choice between good and evil, and he chose good.

At Yuelai Teahouse, Cuntoucao followed the secret contact method, and the two met in a secluded room. Cuntoucao told Tong Haojing that Long Wen was planning to receive goods at the border of Hedong Province. Tong Haojing immediately realized the seriousness of the matter. His brows knitted tightly, and he stared straight at Cuntoucao for a long while before finally asking, "Is that true?"

Cuntoucao hesitated. "I can't be sure either, but this time Long Wen let all of us minor bosses see him. That was a little unexpected."

"What was unexpected about it?" Tong Haojing pressed urgently.

"Long Wen usually won't even see us, but this time, for something so important, he deliberately showed his face and let several of us little bosses know about it. I just feel something isn't right!" Cuntoucao looked at Tong Haojing in confusion. Maybe Officer Tong could spot some flaw. Could it be a trap?! Cuntoucao was afraid something might happen to Tong Haojing. His desire to turn over a new leaf, repay kindness, and become a better man was driving him to offer this goodwill gesture.

Cuntoucao also told Officer Tong everything he had learned by eavesdropping.

Tong Haojing was silent for a moment. Linking it to the gambling raid a few days earlier, an idea suddenly flashed through his mind. Could it be a trap... Was that certain? Tong Haojing asked Cuntoucao about some details of thug's daily life. He learned that thug had a relative named He Dan, and that thug's birthday fell on the fifteenth day of the sixth lunar month. Every year, he sent Wang Wu to pick him up.

Tong Haojing had a sudden inspiration. He whispered a few words to Cuntoucao, then smiled.

"Do it that way!" Tong Haojing left Yuelai Teahouse full of confidence.

After obtaining this secret lead, Tong Haojing immediately reported it to Old Jiang and told him his own idea as well. Old Jiang was both pleased and solemn as he pondered for a moment.

"We need to consider this carefully! Let's go report it to the director. We need to think this through more thoroughly!"

"Teacher Jiang, could we not tell Director Tang yet? After all, the matter hasn't been verified!" Tong Haojing's extreme reluctance made Jiang Hongde hesitate as well. Tong Haojing also did not say where the lead had come from.

Old Jiang fell into thought...

"All right. I'll call Officer Lan and bring two auxiliary officers. When the time comes, we'll see what you can do!" Old Jiang also wanted Tong Haojing to give it a try and gain experience handling dangerous situations. Besides, with his many years of work experience, he could keep the situation under control. Old Jiang reluctantly agreed.

"Thank you, Teacher Jiang!"

"Sigh! Who told me to be your teacher?"

Cuntoucao turned off his phone and went to a newsstand on West City Street. Wearing a yarn hat that covered his face, he imitated Wang Wu's voice and called thug from the newsstand.

Ever since Long Wen had baselessly suspected him, thug had been in a foul mood and stayed home, going nowhere and rarely contacting the outside world. Then the phone rang. He answered it, and a muffled voice came through. "It's Wang Wu. When are we going to pick up the goods—He Dan?"

Thug froze. The voice sounded strange, but he could tell it was Wang Wu's. Every year on his birthday, he sent Wang Wu to pick up He Dan. He immediately let down his guard and said, "I'll notify you when the time comes!" Hu Pan hung up.

Still angry, thug did not think much of it. He knew that he usually contacted Wang Wu through public phones, so he firmly believed it had been Wang Wu.

Wu De, who was monitoring calls in the telecommunications equipment room, happened to hear thug mention "picking up the goods" over the phone. He immediately told Long Wen, who was asleep.

When Long Wen heard it, his face turned pale and he flew into a rage. There really was someone on the inside passing information out. To further confirm his judgment, he continued sorting people out according to his plan.

One kilometer past the provincial border highway exit. At the agreed time of four in the afternoon, Ma Shaokang brought Cuntoucao and thug to hide in a clump of grass beside the provincial highway, waiting for the deliveryman. A luxury Mercedes drove over and stopped in the emergency lane. A man got out, lit a cigarette, took off his shirt and held it in his hand, then waved it toward the distance.

Ma Shaokang understood that this was the signal for the deal. He immediately motioned for thug and Cuntoucao to go make contact. At that moment, Tong Haojing, Old Jiang, Officer Lan, and two auxiliary officers, who had been lying in ambush not far from the transaction site, immediately emerged and surrounded them in formation with guns drawn.

Seeing that things were not right, Cuntoucao and thug turned and ran. But the man who had gotten out of the Mercedes showed no fear at all. He stood still and shouted, "Who are you?"

"Get down! Don't move! We're the police!" Tong Haojing loudly ordered and warned him.

"So what if you're police? We're law-abiding citizens. We haven't done anything illegal. What can you do to us?!" The man from the Mercedes was arrogant and contemptuous of Tong Haojing and the officers closing in on him.

Tong Haojing stepped forward, identified himself, and restrained the man from the Mercedes. He carefully searched the vehicle for anything suspicious but found nothing. With no other choice, he released him on the spot.

Tong Haojing, Lu Tong, and the others returned empty-handed.

"Could the intelligence have been wrong?" one auxiliary officer deliberately said loudly.

Ma Shaokang, hiding in the grass, happened to hear it. Good thing this was a fake deal. Otherwise, we would have been wiped out. This operation proved beyond doubt that someone had leaked information to the police. When Ma Shaokang returned to the company and reported the situation, Long Wen was so furious that his face turned green.

"If I don't show him some color, he won't know who he's dealing with!"

Long Wen immediately notified Hu Pan, Cuntoucao, and the other little thugs who had fled back to the company to gather there.

Upon receiving the notice, Hu Pan smiled gladly and was the first to arrive.

Long Wen sat upright and proper. The difference was that two black-clad lackeys now stood beside him. One held a short iron bar, while the other gripped a gleaming knife. The atmosphere was clearly different from usual.

"Is something going on?" Hu Pan asked anxiously, looking every bit the devoted accomplice. He guessed that perhaps Long Wen had discovered traces of the informant. The fox's tail had finally been exposed.

Long Wen gave him a cold glance and smiled stiffly without expression.

Cuntoucao arrived, followed by several other thugs. The company office was soon packed with people, yet it was utterly silent, the atmosphere cold and tense.

Cuntoucao quietly sat beside Hu Pan and waited for events to unfold, though he still felt a trace of concern about the course Tong Haojing had predicted.

Long Wen finally spoke.

"Close the door!" With a bang, the two doors were shut tight. Two black-clad young men stood on either side, their eyes blazing as they stared viciously at everyone in front of the desk.

Everyone glanced involuntarily toward the door, then lowered their heads timidly, not knowing what had happened.

"If someone breaks the rules and becomes a traitor, what should be done?" Long Wen looked over everyone present as he asked. The answer was hidden in his words, and the warning was unmistakable.

"Chop off his hands and feet!" thug was the first to state his position. He thought that this time, he could finally clear himself of suspicion and change Long Wen's impression of him.

Cuntoucao remained silent.

The other thugs looked at one another. Their puzzled eyes all involuntarily lingered a few times on the silent Cuntoucao. In their minds, they all considered Cuntoucao a suspected traitor.

But the target changed.

"Hu Pan, look what you've done. You look like a man on the outside, but there's a ghost in your heart. You really can't judge a person by his face!"

Thug froze. His expression changed, and fear filled his face.

The two black-clad young men rushed forward, pinned Hu Pan down without another word, and pressed a knife tightly against his neck, leaving him unable to move.

"Long Wen, you've got it wrong! You've got it wrong!" With his face pressed against the desk, thug let out a pig-slaughtering howl.

"By the time I figure it out, I'll already have been sold out. Who told others about picking up the goods?"

"I swear, I didn't tell anyone!" thug argued.

"Even a dead duck keeps its beak hard!"

At a glance from Long Wen, one of the black-clad men standing to either side held down Hu Pan's left hand while the other raised his knife and brought it down. Thug's thumb was chopped off in an instant. The whole room immediately filled with the thick smell of blood. Thug's hysterical howls and pleas left the thugs dumbfounded.

"Brother Long, you've got it wrong..."

The bewildered thugs stood speechless, their eyes wide. He was actually...