Huang Ergou wore a flattering smile as he patted the truck and said:
“Brother Cheng, rest assured. This shipment will definitely not disappoint you.”
“Better be true. I still trust your ability to get things done,” the man with a center-parted hairstyle said, shaking a box in his hand with a smug grin.
“Brother Cheng, will you inspect it yourself, or…?” Huang Ergou asked cautiously.
“Heh. Do I look like I’d personally handle something like this?” The man lifted his chin. “You. Go check the goods.”
“Yes.” An old man with white hair and glasses nodded repeatedly as he stepped out from the group. “Don’t worry, big brother. Leave it to me.”
Lu Qingqing watched the old man, and a flash of shock crossed her eyes. She recognized him—he used to be the owner of a pawnshop, with a fairly large business.
She didn’t expect that he had now become someone else’s dog, and he even seemed quite willing.
But it didn’t matter what he used to be. It had nothing to do with her anymore. The boxes on the truck were empty—once opened, trouble would follow.
She needed to quickly empty the cash inside the center-parted man’s boxes.
Then, when both sides exchanged “goods,” they would both discover empty boxes—and a fight would be inevitable.
The man with the center-parted hair placed a box on the ground and raised his eyebrows at Huang Ergou with a proud smile.
“Don’t say Brother Cheng didn’t give you a chance to see something good.”
As he spoke, he prepared to open the box. Huang Ergou immediately smiled and leaned forward to look.
But at the moment the box touched the ground, a vine quietly touched it—and in just two breaths, all the money inside disappeared.
As soon as the cash entered her space, Lu Qingqing smiled. A brighter, more satisfied smile than even the man’s.
One hundred thousand yuan—full one hundred thousand!
The visual impact of stacks of cash was overwhelming. She was so excited she almost rubbed her hands together.
Luckily, she restrained herself at the last moment and made no sound, quietly crouching in the corner to watch the show.
Someone climbed into the truck and lifted a box to carry it down, but the moment they exerted force, both men nearly strained their backs.
Huh?
One of them paused, confused. The box was this light?
Was it filled with paintings or calligraphy?
Forget it. Whatever it was, just carry it down first.
Soon, the box was placed in front of the white-haired old man. One of Huang Ergou’s underlings stepped forward and opened it.
He originally intended to present it proudly for inspection, but the moment the box opened, his eyes went wide.
The white-haired old man also gasped and took a step back, putting distance between himself and the thug, shouting loudly:
“Boss! The box is empty!”
“What?” The center-parted man, who was still opening another box, froze in shock and forcefully lifted the lid.
“The box is empty!” Huang Ergou’s face changed drastically. “Damn it… Zhang Cheng, that bastard is trying to black us out!”
The center-parted man also looked down—and was shocked. The box was truly empty.
“Who? Who did this?” he roared.
“Boss, be careful! They’re setting us up!” the white-haired old man shouted again, quickly retreating, unwilling to become cannon fodder.
That sentence ignited everything.
Both sides discovered their boxes were empty and immediately believed the other was trying to scam them.
And as the saying goes—strike first to gain the advantage.
Almost at the same time, both sides chose to attack first.
Soon, gunfire erupted inside the abandoned factory.
Yes—real gunfire.
Both the delivery team and the receiving team were armed, and the fight was brutal.
Lu Qingqing quietly moved farther away. She didn’t want to get caught in the crossfire. Amid the exchange of bullets, both sides suffered casualties.
Huang Ergou was shot in the abdomen. Terrified of dying, he immediately ordered his men to help him flee toward the truck.
Seeing him try to escape, the center-parted man sneered.
“Trying to run? Not a chance!”
He ordered his men to suppress firepower. Huang Ergou, realizing the situation was bad, changed direction.
Not wanting to die, Huang Ergou left his thugs to cover his retreat and fled the factory clutching his wound.
The center-parted man roared in fury and intensified the attack.
Lu Qingqing glanced at the battlefield, then at the fleeing Huang Ergou—and decisively went after him.
At this moment, Huang Ergou was the biggest threat.
Huang Ergou, hearing gunfire behind him, ran while holding his wound. He didn’t dare go home directly, so he headed to a privately purchased courtyard instead.
The courtyard was small, remote, shabby, and looked like a dangerous ruin. It was the kind of place no one would notice.
But it was well hidden—and stored quite a lot of things, including medicine and the treasures he had accumulated over the years.
After rushing inside, Huang Ergou quickly found medicine and bandaged himself. Fearing infection, he even gritted his teeth and dug the bullet out himself.
The bloody scene made Lu Qingqing narrow her eyes.
This man was ruthless. He had definitely taken lives before.
After struggling to treat his wound, Huang Ergou didn’t dare stay long. He quickly packed up and prepared to leave.
He needed to report to Brother Shan immediately. That bastard Zhang Cheng had crossed the line—he had to be killed.
Watching Huang Ergou leave, Lu Qingqing immediately slipped into the courtyard and looted everything inside the secret room and underground storage.
She even took the medical supplies—those were valuable and hard to obtain in this era.
By the time she left, the courtyard had been completely emptied.
When Huang Ergou eventually discovered it, he would probably cry himself to death.
Leaving the courtyard, Lu Qingqing followed the scent and rode her bicycle in pursuit. She soon caught up with Huang Ergou, who was staggering forward.
He was clearly losing too much blood and could only rely on sheer willpower to keep moving.
Brother Shan… he had to find Brother Shan.
At this time, Brother Shan was definitely not at home. He must be waiting at their secret base for the money.
That’s the place—yes, that’s where he must go.
Huang Ergou shook his head, confirmed the direction, and walked into a narrow alley.
Lu Qingqing stored her bicycle and followed quietly. She remembered Zhang Shan’s home wasn’t in this alley.
Had she remembered wrong? Or had he moved later?
Forget it—just follow.
Huang Ergou finally reached the secret base and weakly knocked on the door.
Of course, in his imagination it was a strong knock—but in reality, it was barely more than a brush against the door.
Fortunately, someone inside had been keeping watch. They immediately noticed the movement and opened the door.
Seeing the blood-covered Huang Ergou, they were shocked and quickly pulled him inside before closing the door again.
When Lu Qingqing slipped into the courtyard later, angry voices could be heard inside.
After hearing Huang Ergou’s brief report that Zhang Cheng had betrayed them, he fainted.
Zhang Shan looked at him with gritted teeth, furious.
That Zhang Cheng bastard—he was scamming everyone.
What kind of relationship did they have? And he still dared to black them out?
If he didn’t give an explanation, this would not end.
After venting his anger, Zhang Shan ordered his men to send Huang Ergou to an illegal clinic, then rode away on his bicycle.
The base quickly became quiet again—perfect for Lu Qingqing to act.