243: Chapter 243 This expert looks a bit different.

Chapter 243: This Expert Looks a Bit Different

Sunlight filtered through the gaps in the leaves, scattering onto the dark gray tiles and pinkish-white walls, reflecting a patch of tranquil light and shadow.

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However, the courtyard presented a bustling scene resembling a construction site.

Various construction Materials were scattered everywhere; bags of cement, brand-new tiles, and pieces of wood of varying lengths could be seen everywhere.

From inside the house came the occasional shouts of the masters carrying heavy objects, along with the "bang, bang" sounds of hammers hitting nails.

Grandfather Li Zhenhua wore a hard hat on his head, his eyes narrowed into slits, as he carefully inspected a newly paved section of the floor.

He gently tapped it a few times with the cane in his hand, cocking his ear to listen whether the tapping sound was crisp, to judge whether the tiles had any hollow spots.

Then he picked up the decoration blueprint, compared it with the on-site situation, and exchanged a few words with the construction master:

"Master, the dimensions of these hole positions must be precise. Follow the blueprint and make sure there are no deviations."

Nearby, an electric drill buzzed noisily, and sawdust flew everywhere.

Several workers were busily drilling holes in the ceiling, preparing to install the chandelier.

Grandfather Li Zhenhua couldn't help raising his hand and coughing lightly twice.

Seeing this, Fang Cheng hurriedly handed over a water bottle and said softly:

"Grandpa, you should go back to the hotel to rest. With me, Mom, and Uncle staring after things here, nothing will go wrong."

Grandfather Li Zhenhua took the water bottle, took a sip, smiled, and waved his hand:

"It doesn't matter. This house is your grandpa's retirement nest for the second half of his life. How can I act as a hands-off boss?"

"Back in the day, when I was in my twenties, I also worked as a mason. At critical moments, it has to come in handy. Keeping a close eye on it now will make living here much more comfortable in the future."

Looking at his grandfather's stubborn appearance, Fang Cheng shrugged somewhat helplessly.

Ever since his surgical wound healed, his grandfather simply couldn't stay idle. Every early morning, he would run over by himself to inspect the decoration site and supervise the construction situation.

This energy didn't look at all like a man in his sixties who had just suffered from cancer.

Not long after, the sun climbed onto the roof, and it was already midday.

The boxed lunches ordered by Uncle from a nearby fast-food restaurant arrived, and the decoration masters stopped work one after another to eat and rest.

Fang Cheng also ended his morning "supervisor" duties and accompanied his grandfather back to the hotel for a meal.

On the way and in the restaurant, Grandfather enthusiastically chattered about the subsequent plans for the decoration, how to modify certain places, and what Materials to use.

Fang Cheng listened patiently on the side, nodding and chiming in from time to time.

After finishing his meal, after sending Grandfather back to his room for a nap, he also turned and returned to his own room.

Closing the door gently, the room was silent and quiet, forming a sharp contrast with the hustle and bustle outside.

Fang Cheng walked into the bedroom, took out a black combination lock box from the bottom of the wardrobe, and placed it on the bed.

Then his fingers skillfully dialed the combination lock.

With a soft "clack", the box lid popped open.

Revealing dozens of neatly stacked piles of cash inside.

Pressed on top of this money were a Black Demon pistol, a military dagger with a blood groove, and several magazines filled with bullets.

As well as a white mask embedded with rubies.

Those two gems resembled a demon's eyes, emitting an eerie red light, and the white contour part looked just like a skull exuding bone-chilling coldness.

The entire mask seemed to have a life of its own, staring fixedly at Fang Cheng.

Fang Cheng's expression was calm as he picked up the pistol that had been wiped pitch-black and shiny.

His fingertips gently caressed the cold lines of the gun body, seeming to communicate intimately with an old friend.

Then he loaded the bullets into the magazine, followed by a "click" sound as he quickly and accurately pulled the bolt.

Then he raised the pistol, narrowed his eyes slightly, and locked his gaze through the front sight onto a figure on the street outside the window.

Several breaths passed.

Fang Cheng found his state, released the trigger, and hid the loaded pistol into his crossbody bag.

Next, he picked up the dagger and the remaining magazines, tossing them into the crossbody bag as well.

Finally, his gaze fell upon that White Ghost-like mask.

Hesitating slightly, Fang Cheng still decided to bring it along just in case of unexpected needs.

That set of black combat uniform had been torn and scrapped in the last operation.

This antique mask had super-strong toughness, which could somewhat protect vital parts of the head and increase some defensive power.

Dong, dong.

Two knocks on the door sounded abruptly, breaking the silence inside the room.

Fang Cheng's eyes instantly narrowed slightly. He quickly put away the combination lock box, shoved it back into the wardrobe, and then walked briskly towards the door.

The door opened, and standing outside was unexpectedly Uncle Li Dingjian.

"Uncle, do you have something to find me for?"

Fang Cheng asked with his expression as usual.

Li Dingjian's expression appeared somewhat solemn. After a pause, he spoke:

"A-Cheng, I came this time to tell you something. As you know, I have a project to do recently, work is a bit busy, and I often can't attend to the situation at home."

"Right now, I have to go on a business trip to another place to negotiate cooperation matters."

As he spoke, he raised his eyes to look at Fang Cheng, his gaze containing a sense of entrustment:

"If I don't come back for a long time, I'll have to trouble you to take care of Grandfather more on this side."

"The old man is getting on in years, and he worries about everything regarding this house decoration. Although his body looks robust, he can't withstand exhaustion. You and your mom should put in a bit more effort..."

Fang Cheng was slightly startled, then smiled and responded:

"Rest assured, Uncle, go on your business trip with peace of mind. I'm here at home. I also understand Grandfather's temper. I will pay more attention to his diet and daily life, and come over to accompany him when I have time."

Hearing this, Li Dingjian's brows relaxed. He raised his hand and patted Fang Cheng's shoulder with a smile:

"With those words from you, I can rest much easier."

"A-Cheng, you have been sensible since childhood, and Uncle has always seen it. Thank you really for your hard work this time..."

As he spoke, the ringtone of the cell phone in his pocket suddenly rang urgently.

Li Dingjian gave Fang Cheng an apologetic look, quickly answered the phone, and put it to his ear.

Then he simply responded with "Understood", hung up the phone, and bade farewell to Fang Cheng:

"A-Cheng, Uncle has to leave first. They are urging urgently over there. Remember what I said!"

Fang Cheng stood at the doorway, watching his uncle's fast-departing figure, and silently withdrew his gaze.

In his heart, he always felt somewhat strange. In recent days, Uncle had seemed like a completely different person, with mystery exuding from his words and deeds.

Sometimes he couldn't help suspecting whether he was possessed by a ghost.

Moreover, that voice coming from the phone just now faintly had a somewhat familiar flavor.

It seemed... to be the bespectacled, gentle-looking elderly man he had encountered at Master Lin's shop back then.

Thinking of this, Fang Cheng immediately turned and walked to the window, lowering his head to overlook the scene downstairs.

The afternoon sunlight sprinkled on the ground at the hotel entrance, casting mottled light and shadow.

After a while, Uncle hurried out, carrying only a backpack and not the suitcase essential for ordinary business trips.

He was seen looking around to the left and right, raising his hand to quickly flag down a taxi, pulling open the door, and stepping right in.

The taxi then drove away leaving a trail of dust.

Aside from that, there was no one else accompanying him.

Fang Cheng's tightly furrowed brows relaxed slightly, but some doubts still remained.

While standing by the window, deep in concentrated thought.

A burst of sharp "ring-ring" bell sounds was once again transmitted into his ears.

Fang Cheng's eyes turned stern. He strode into the bedroom and picked up his own cell phone left on the bedside table.

The call connected.

A slightly deep man's voice came through the earpiece:

"White Ghost, we can set off. The car will arrive very soon."

"Okay, I'll go down immediately."

Fang Cheng briefly responded. After hanging up the phone, he neatly packed up and stuffed some essential items into his crossbody bag.

Then he picked up the bag, walked steadily out of the hotel room, and locked the door by the way.

Then he walked straight across the corridor towards the elevator bank.

Until with a "ding" sound, the elevator reached the floor, and the door slowly opened.

Inside, a middle-aged man was embracing a girl wearing a JK uniform, and the two of them were laughing and flirting, completely ignoring the gazes of others.

Fang Cheng pressed the first-floor button expressionless, standing silently in the corner, trying his best to lower his presence.

On the way down the elevator, two more people walked in.

They were wearing black assault jackets and duckbill caps with the brims pressed extremely low, almost covering their eyes, and both carried bulging bags on their shoulders.

Fang Cheng raised his eyes for a sweep, and understood in his heart that it was Black Wolf and Xiao Bei.

The two pretended not to know him at all. As soon as they entered the elevator, they each stood in a corner with their gazes lowered.

Until the first floor, with a "ding" sound, the elevator door opened once more.

Fang Cheng walked out of the elevator first, with Black Wolf and Xiao Bei following closely behind.

The three of them looked completely unrelated, yet they exuded a tacit understanding as they walked outside the hotel.

In an alley a few hundred meters away from Yuehu Hotel, an old, dilapidated van was parked, the paint on its surface peeling off in several places, and the tires stained with a lot of yellow mud.

Four people sat inside the car, varying in appearance and physique, with expressions all looking slightly solemn.

A chubby fellow had his belly bulging high, stretching open several buttons of his shirt.

He leaned against the back of the seat ostentatiously, his hands resting casually on the steering wheel, his eyes half-closed as if he were catnapping or staring at the street scene ahead, occasionally snorting a few rough breaths from his nasal cavity.

In the front passenger seat next to him, a man who looked like he came from Tianzhu was particularly eye-catching, wrapped in a colorful turban, with sunken, blackened eye sockets, muttering words in his mouth as if praying for something.

In addition, there were two relatively lean youths exuding a clever vibe, their eyes frequently looking out the car windows.

"Lord Bao, just how capable is that expert we're waiting for?"

One of the lean fellows couldn't help asking, his voice full of curiosity.

"I'm not clear either. It was recommended by Old Wolf."

Lord Bao sat in the driver's seat, opened his eyelids, glanced at the pedestrians passing by outside the window, and replied casually.

"Is it someone recommended by Lord Wolf?"

Hearing this, everyone looked at each other, their eyes holding more or less some anticipation.

"They're here!"

Lord Bao's eyes suddenly narrowed, and his originally relaxed sitting posture instantly straightened.

Before long, the van made a harsh "creak" sound, and the door was pushed open from the outside.

Three figures quickly squeezed into the car one after another.

The cramped carriage suddenly became somewhat crowded, and the air was permeated with a smell of sweat.

"Lord Bao, why did you get such a beat-up car?"

The first to speak was Black Wolf, who frowned and complained as he squeezed inward.

"Don't look at it as broken on the outside; the engine and chassis have been modified by professional experts. It drives fast and steadily, especially when taking those rural paths, guaranteed to shake off the people chasing behind by several streets."

Lord Bao explained a few words, a trace of complacent expression appearing on his face, seeming quite proud of his "precious" ride.

Subsequently, he turned his head to look at Fang Cheng sitting in the back row, instantly changing into a grinning, cordial expression to greet him:

"Brother White Ghost, let me introduce them to you. These few are all my capable helpers: A-Da, A-Er, A-San."

As he spoke, he pointed to those three people sitting in the back.

"Especially A-San; his bone-shrinking skill can be called absolute top-notch. If we encounter special terrain, for example, wanting to enter the heavily guarded Underground Vault, this skill of his can come in very handy."

Following Lord Bao's introduction, the three helpers all cast their gazes in unison towards the mysterious expert called "White Ghost".

At first glance, he appeared gentle and Yingjun, with a slender build, wearing a most ordinary sportswear, and without a shred of fierce aura all over his body.

This was far removed from the image of a world-shaking expert they had imagined, and the three of them couldn't help feeling a slight sense of disappointment in their hearts.

Fang Cheng didn't mind their gazes and looked at Lord Bao to ask:

"Have the things I instructed yesterday all been bought?"

"Rest assured, they are already in hand."

Lord Bao said, pulling out a plastic bag from beside the seat and handing it toward Fang Cheng:

"According to your request, the Cham mask, Vajra knot, Kapala Buddha beads, and Buddha plaque are all here. It's just that Buddhist artifact stores here in Dongdu couldn't find human bone, so they were all replaced with yak bone. That should be fine, right?"

"Fine."

Fang Cheng nodded slightly, did not take the bag, but waved his hand at Lord Bao, signaling him to distribute the things inside the bag to everyone.

Hearing this, Black Wolf and Xiao Bei couldn't help looking curiously at those colorful Buddhist props.

Next, according to Fang Cheng's request, the group of people in the car bustled around fiddling with them.

After a moment.

Everyone wore a string of Vajra knots or Buddha beads on their wrists, hung a Esoteric Buddha plaque on their chests, and wore ferocious ghost-like masks on their faces.

They looked extremely weird, as if they were preparing to go to a temple fair to perform spirit-dancing, with their whole bodies blessed by various "amulets".

"Brother White Ghost, we are neither lamas nor believers. Is wearing this kind of thing really useful?"

Black Wolf touched the Buddha plaque pendant used to ward off evil and drive away demons, his words full of doubt.

Lord Bao glanced at Black Wolf and pondered slightly:

"If I guess correctly, these things should be used to conceal our identities and origins, so as to disguise ourselves as esoteric practitioners and pull the wool over people's eyes."

"Correct."

Fang Cheng nodded and smiled, without giving a specific explanation.

His gaze slowly swept around everyone in the car, looking at the ferocious appearance of everyone after putting on the masks, seemingly evaluating the effect.

Then he muttered to himself in a low voice: "Still not enough..."

Black Wolf pursued the question: "Not enough what?"

"Your images are too flashy; you still need to re-dress yourselves."

Fang Cheng's line of sight fell on a few conspicuous people, especially A-San wrapped in a turban.

His brows frowned slightly, and then he said:

"Before the official action, let's go shave our heads first."

"Uh, shave our heads bald?"

Hearing this, everyone was stunned for a moment, looking at each other and muttering in their hearts.

What kind of play was this acting out? Could they really be going to become monks?

The three helpers showed strange expressions on their faces.

Lord Bao also couldn't help touching his head.

Although somewhat resistant, constrained by the conditions Fang Cheng had previously proposed, he swallowed the words that had reached his lips back down.

He thought to himself secretly, forget it, let's take it one step at a time.

The van quickly drove away from the alley, heading towards a barbershop.

Meanwhile, in other corners of the city, undercurrents were also surging, gradually converging in one direction.