Translated by newbienoona

Edited by anks

The guard is alarmed when he sees Xiao Mingluo rap against the window.

He's old. Would they actually put him out to pasture? He still believes there's justice in the world.

“What do you want?” The guard doesn't open the window, weary of Mingluo.

“I just want to ask you about this place. What's in here?” Xiao Mingluo doesn't want to be perceived as mean, but he knows that talking to the elderly can sometimes prove to be difficult. He holds the phone out to the guard and starts pointing.

The guard has always been proud of his keen eyesight. Even at sixty, he sees well. He is able to identify the place because he grew up in this neighborhood. With his eyes closed, he can still find this place.

“It's currently an abandoned warehouse. It used to be a firewood factory when there used to be more trees up the mountain. But now that's gone… .” The guard attempts to gauge a reaction.

Xiao Mingluo doesn't linger long enough to reminisce with the old man. He immediately turns to Han Qilu.

“Did you ask?” Qilu asks Mingluo in haste.

He nods. “It was once a warehouse. It's been abandoned for quite a while.”

Upon hearing those words, Han Qilu's face turns grim. An Chuxia was here to locate someone, not go traipsing around abandoned warehouses. The only way she can end up in one is by being forcibly taken.

“Should we call Ling Hanyu?” Mingluo asks. “If we call him for backup, his men will find her and everything will turn out fine.”

“Are you looking down on us? We, too, have our own bodyguards!” Qilu says after him.

“Ours aren't bad, but they're not trained the way his men are. Where's the flaw in that?” Mingluo pushes. Hanyu's team can move quickly, and shoot more accurately and ruthlessly.

Everyone knows what the priorities are, they're just waiting for Han Qilu to give the orders.

“Fine. I'll take a few men with me and scout the area. Once we can see inside, we'll inform Ling Hanyu from a distance. I think it would be best if we catch them off-guard in the dark,” Qilu says in seriousness.

Xiao Mingluo agrees about the tactic. He doesn't want An Chuxia to get hurt unnecessarily. But he has an inkling that if they find her, they'll find Xiaonan in that abandoned warehouse, too.

If Ling Hanyu's men were here, he thinks their chances of success would be much higher. Qilu appears to be calm, but inside, he's raging. He can only surmise she's been kidnapped, and if they descend on them with many people, the abductors may be spooked.

A mile away from the warehouse, they stop. From there on, they will wait until they receive a sign. Xiao Mingluo takes two people to scout the area. One of the men says he knows the area, but has never been in the warehouse. He volunteers to lead the way.

“Han Qilu, be careful, and take small steps. This place is known for landslides, and I don't want you falling down,” the leader says as he moves through the area.

To remain unnoticed, they only make use of the moonlight while moving. As the leader said, the terrain is slippery, but it's the part of the warehouse they expect no one to be guarding. The moment they slide down to the path toward the main road, they'll attract attention.

As they march, one of the men steps and something jumps out from the weeds and scurries away, frightening all four members of the party. It sends them to a panic, having all four huddle around.

Alarmed, the leader subconsciously follows the path where they were spooked. He's surprised that nothing was crushed underfoot, but he sees a little rodent-like animal puffing.

They all let out a surprised laugh. Their state of panic was the relief they needed. Given how big they are, they were scared of a vole.

Then, Han Qilu realizes they have a good view of the warehouse. They can look in without being detected. He crouches, and the others follow.

It was then that gravel rolls and Qilu slips and sc.r.a.pes himself. It would take time for him to pop up from the ground.

Then, several hands pull him up until they reach a mound. They can see nothing but Qilu's dignified face. But before he can thank them, they hear footsteps. The others pull him deeper in the shadows.

“Come down if someone's up there!”

Standing in the middle of the road, Xiao Mingluo sees two people posted on the road, just outside of the door. Mingluo proceeds to pull up next to Qilu to adjust his breathing and calm himself.

They catch a whiff of the men approaching; they smell like poultry droppings. They crouch behind the mound silently. Qilu thinks that even if they are found, the men with them can easily handle these two people.

“How unlucky for us to be out here while everyone in the warehouse is eating?” The men are close enough for them to clearly hear their conversation.

The other person responds. “The change will happen in an hour, and we'll have our turn to eat, okay? We have to do this well. It's our ticket to success.”

Han Qilu's eyes narrow as he lets out a breath of anger. The men squatting around him are suddenly afraid. If looks could kill, wouldn't this be it?

“Shut up! You've got such a big mouth!” The other voice speaks. “Those two girls look pleasant. I was looking at one of them, and I just want to b.l.o.o.d.y the sheets!”

“Ha ha. Why don't you just please Marco and enjoy a good night's rest?”

As the voices disappear, the men had to restrain Qilu. He had a tightened fist, and one of the men motions to him not to act rashly.

The two guards obviously don't know Qilu, but they were able to give away that there are more people in the warehouse. If they are alerted, they might leave, and that would put them at a disadvantage.

As soon as the footsteps disappear, Han Qilu stands up. Mingluo looks at the men disappearing in the distance before looking at the road.

"It seems like we have to hurry.” Mingluo says, “We definitely found the right place.”

“Agree,” Han Qilu says monotonously. He, like Mingluo, would like to shoot both of those men in the head.

The four men leave the warehouse and hasten toward the group.

–In the warehouse–

Under the faint light of the bulb, ten individuals lay in the abandoned warehouse. Marco looks at one of the men lying on the ground and kicks him.

“Fine. I know it's late and you want to finalize the plan. Certainly, the Han and Xiao families are already searching for them. This is the most crucial time to be vigilant!”

The half asleep member gets up after being kicked. They didn't drink enough to be drunk.

“We'd be best served with some of our people sleeping, and rotate them out for guard duty!” Marco commands to ensure they knew their duties.

Upon further inspection, Marco's flushed. He didn't allow his team to drink a lot, but he's tipsy himself because he drank a lot as he celebrated his fortune.