As for the people Old Zhang had associated with, everyone only said they were involved in the underworld, speaking in hushed and mysterious tones.
If one listened carefully, fear could even be seen on the faces of the older women, and they were unwilling to talk more about Old Zhang.
After noticing this, Lu Qingqing did not press further, as if the topic had only casually drifted to Old Zhang.
While she was gathering intelligence, she suddenly remembered that after waking up, she hadn’t checked the system’s refreshed daily intel.
So Lu Qingqing multitasked—chatting casually with the aunties while simultaneously opening her system panel.
She entered the intelligence section and opened today’s report. Her eyes lit up.
**Today’s Intelligence 1:** At 11 p.m. tonight, Zhang Cheng will secretly meet his lover at Courtyard No. 5 in Guihua Alley.
Zhang Cheng? Who was that? Wasn’t he the center-parted man from the night incident?
Why was the system giving her information about him?
Logically, his secret meeting with a lover had nothing to do with her—but since the system marked it as intelligence, it must not be simple.
No matter what, she had to go take a look. If there was something wrong with Zhang Cheng, she could send him in.
He was involved in illegal dealings; getting him caught might even implicate Zhang Shan.
That was a possible lead.
Just as Lu Qingqing was thinking about tonight’s plan, she saw Zhang Shan riding a bicycle out of the alley with Huang Ergou on the back.
Before leaving, Zhang Shan glanced in the direction where the aunties were gathered. Clearly, he also knew these women never spoke kindly.
When Zhang Shan looked over, Lu Qingqing lowered her head to avoid his gaze. After they rode off, she immediately found an excuse to leave.
“Brother Shan, thank you for coming to pick me up. But… could you not send me home?”
Huang Ergou looked slightly uncomfortable.
“I’m afraid my injuries might scare my family.”
“Fine. I’ll take you somewhere safe,” Zhang Shan said coldly.
“Thank you, Brother Shan,” Huang Ergou replied, feeling relieved—but he didn’t realize he was relaxing too early.
Zhang Shan brought Huang Ergou to his secret base—a place that looked ordinary on the outside but hid something entirely different within.
From the outside, it was just a thatched hut at the foot of a mountain, far from the village. If wild beasts came down from the mountains, it would be completely defenseless.
But its location offered an excellent vantage point—anyone approaching from the mountain or village entrance could be seen immediately.
Zhang Shan led him inside. Huang Ergou didn’t suspect anything and was even surprised when Zhang Shan opened a hidden chamber.
He thought it was just a place to recover from injuries—there was no need to be so secretive.
It seemed Brother Shan really valued him, even showing him such a hidden base.
Happily, he followed Zhang Shan down into the underground chamber.
The chamber was huge—several hundred square meters. Near the entrance was a smaller room.
Huang Ergou thought it was where guards rested, but once inside, he realized he was wrong.
The room was not for living at all. It was filled with various instruments, and beside them were several skeletons.
Next to the skeletons stood a large iron cauldron.
For some reason, the sight of the cauldron made Huang Ergou’s eyelid twitch violently.
“Brother Shan… what are we doing here?” he asked weakly, his heart racing.
“To show you something interesting,” Zhang Shan grinned, revealing a row of cold white teeth.
Huang Ergou stepped back in fear. His instincts screamed danger, and he turned to run—but Zhang Shan grabbed him by the collar and threw him over his shoulder, slamming him to the ground.
The impact left Huang Ergou dizzy and in pain.
“Brother Shan… you… you…”
“Heh. Huang Ergou, you’ve got some guts. How dare you betray me.”
Zhang Shan’s face darkened as he punched him repeatedly.
Normally, Huang Ergou was no match for the tall and strong Zhang Shan. Now injured, he stood no chance.
Within ten moves, he was completely subdued.
Zhang Shan dragged him up and tied him to a frame. Under Huang Ergou’s terrified gaze, he began introducing the torture instruments.
As he touched each device, his eyes carried a twisted excitement, as if he were fondly introducing a lover.
His gentle tone made Huang Ergou’s hair stand on end.
He felt it clearly—Zhang Shan was a madman.
How could anyone be so perverted, twisted, and cruel!
Huang Ergou had blood on his hands and had taken lives before—but compared to Zhang Shan, it meant nothing.
Soon, screams echoed through the chamber.
Listening to those inhuman cries, Zhang Shan became even more excited.
Meanwhile, Lu Qingqing had already abandoned her bicycle when Zhang Shan entered the village and moved into the mountains.
She knew rural villages were strange places—locals could fight each other fiercely, but when outsiders appeared, they would unite instantly.
They were also very exclusive. Any unfamiliar face would be noticed immediately.
She didn’t know if Zhang Shan had people in the village, so she would not expose herself.
Climbing halfway up the mountain, she climbed a large tree and watched Zhang Shan enter the thatched hut.
Once she confirmed the location, she was not in a hurry. Instead, she scanned the surroundings to see if anyone was keeping watch for him.
And indeed, she found something unusual.
At the second-to-last house behind the village, a man was pacing back and forth while smoking a pipe in the cold air. He didn’t go far, constantly circling the hut.
His eyes scanned the surroundings continuously—clearly acting as a lookout.
Lu Qingqing was glad she had been cautious. Otherwise, rushing in would have been a disaster.
Zhang Shan stayed in the chamber until dusk before leaving, carrying a heavy murderous aura.
Not seeing Huang Ergou, Lu Qingqing briefly considered following Zhang Shan first.
The thatched hut would not run away.
After returning to the city by bicycle, Zhang Shan did not go home. Instead, he went to his lover’s place.
He had been exhausted that day and needed to relax.
He had completely forgotten that his wife and children were still in the hospital.
His lover’s home was somewhat secluded but not far from the wealthy district—about a twenty-minute walk.
Once inside, fatigue overwhelmed him. After drinking and eating his fill under the lover’s care, he became intimate with her while intoxicated.
Lu Qingqing checked the time—8 p.m.
At 11 p.m., she still had to catch Zhang Cheng in the act.
So she needed to finish things here quickly.
Taking advantage of their heated state, she acted.
A dose of sleeping powder knocked them both out, and she began looting the house.
The courtyard was about a hundred square meters—not large, but fully equipped.
She first cleared the bedroom, leaving only the bed behind.
The living room was clean with nothing hidden.
Another room contained cigarettes, alcohol, grain, oil, and tea.
But in the storage room, she found a hidden chamber—one equipped with a radio.
Lu Qingqing fell silent at the sight of the radio.
Were there really this many enemy agents?