22: Chapter 22 Target TV Station, A Crazy Plan

Jianghai City, Binjiang No. 1 Courtyard.

Outside the window, the sky was just beginning to pale. The 468-meter-high radio and television tower stood like a sharp sword piercing the firmament, the aviation warning light at its tip flashing a piercing red.

Inside the luxurious living room, the air was as tense as a fully drawn bowstring.

Qin Feng stood before the massive floor-to-ceiling window, holding a red marker he had scavenged from Su Tang's backpack.

"Squeak—"

The tip of the pen scraped across the expensive bulletproof glass, making a tooth-gritting friction sound.

He was drawing a diagram.

The lines were rough, yet terrifyingly precise.

With a few strokes, the internal core structure of the TV Tower emerged on the glass. Ventilation ducts, elevator shafts, server rooms, backup power lines, and even the blind spots for security patrols were clearly marked.

"Here is the entrance."

Qin Feng circled the loading dock area at the bottom of the drawing, then moved the pen tip up, tracing through a complex network of pipes, finally stopping at the top of the tower—the location symbolizing the city's signal hub.

"And here is our destination."

He turned around, casually tossed the marker onto the leather sofa, and let his gaze sweep over the three people in the room.

Pei Ji was huddled in a corner of the sofa, holding half a cup of cold water, his teeth chattering against the rim.

Seeing the route map that looked like a path to hell, Pei Ji spoke with a sob in his voice:

"Bro... Brother Feng, are we really going there?"

He pointed at the high tower outside surrounded by countless police lights and swallowed hard. "I watched the live stream. There are more cops down there than ants right now. Forget about four living people; even if a mosquito flew in, the SWAT Team would swat its wings off."

Pei Ji was truly terrified.

Last night's stunt with the wuling hongguang leaping over Huanghe Road had nearly scared the bile out of him. And now they were going to enter the dragon's den?

"We earned five thousand yuan; that's enough to spend! Why don't we just hide out in this big house until the show ends?"

Qin Feng glanced at him.

His gaze was indifferent, as if looking at a piece of useless trash.

"Five thousand?"

Qin Feng walked to the bar, poured himself a glass of ice water, and lightly tapped the glass with his fingertip.

"Think bigger."

He was thinking about the ten million cash reward from the system mission and that mysterious grand prize. That was enough money to buy a house in Jianghai City outright! For that kind of money, forget the TV Tower—he'd even climb an alien mothership to give it a fresh coat of paint.

But he couldn't say that out loud.

As the 'Godfather of Bandits,' he had to have a high-class narrative to match his status.

Qin Feng tilted his head back and drank the ice water, his Adam's apple bobbing. When he looked at Pei Ji again, there was a hint of compassionate fanaticism in his eyes (all acting):

"Money is just a vulgar number."

"What we are about to create is art."

"An art of... chaos that this city will remember forever."

In the corner.

Alice was wiping an ordinary-looking black umbrella. Hearing this, her movements froze, and two flames of excitement instantly ignited in her deep blue eyes.

As expected!

This was Joker!

Not for wealth, but for chaos! This pure aesthetic of crime was simply too captivating!

"I agree."

Alice stood up and slammed the umbrella heavily onto the floor.

"Click."

With a soft sound, the umbrella handle popped open, revealing a section of a dark blue metal tube.

"I brought this from the safe house," Alice said with a hint of showing off. "A modified tactical umbrella. The ribs are high-strength titanium alloy, capable of stopping a 9mm pistol round. The tip hides a high-voltage taser; once it makes contact, it can drop an adult brown bear in two seconds."

As she spoke, she pulled out several small items that looked like lipstick and compact powder cases from her tactical backpack, which seemed like Doraemon's pocket.

"Miniature jammers, capable of blocking radio signals within a ten-meter radius."

"Strong corrosive capsules, specifically for dealing with electronic locks."

"And this..."

Alice picked up a canister that looked like hairspray, a dangerous curve hooking her lips. "Compressed smoke spray. With just one burst, the entire lobby will turn into a misty forest."

Pei Ji's eyes nearly popped out of his head.

"This... is this Doraemon's sister, Dorae-Nightmare? You call these cosmetics?"

Su Tang's eyes lit up, and she picked up the 'lipstick' to play with it. "Wow, this shade is so pretty... Oh, why does it feel tingly?"

"Don't touch that."

Qin Feng reached out and took the miniature bomb disguised as lipstick, casually stuffing it into his pocket.

He looked at Alice with a hint of appreciation (actually, it was the joy of saving money, since these pieces of equipment would cost a lot of points if bought from the system).

"Good gear," Qin Feng nodded. "But this time, we won't need a direct assault."

"No assault?" Alice was stunned. "Are we going to fly in?"

"No."

Qin Feng walked over to Su Tang and pointed at her box of professional makeup tools.

"We're walking in."

"Walking in openly and boldly."

...

Half an hour later.

Su Tang looked at Qin Feng sitting in the chair, the powder puff in her hand trembling.

"Brother... are you sure you want to look like this?" Su Tang asked with a conflicted face. "Your incredibly handsome face is the guarantee for this season's ratings! If you turn into that, what if you lose fans?"

Qin Feng kept his eyes closed, letting Su Tang apply layers of makeup to his face.

"Less talk, get to work."

"If we're doing this, we're doing it right. I want to look so different that I won't even recognize myself in the mirror."

Time passed minute by minute.

When Su Tang finally used an ultra-fine eyebrow pencil to dot a hairy mole on the left corner of Qin Feng's mouth...

"It's done..."

Su Tang put down her tools and took two steps back, her face a mask of pity.

Pei Ji leaned in to take a look and immediately spat out his water.

"Holy... shit?!"

In the mirror.

The cold, sharp-eyed Godfather of Bandits had vanished.

In his place was a timid-looking middle-aged man with a receding hairline, a sallow complexion, and a touch of greasiness.

His originally sharp eyes were drawn to look droopy, exuding a sense of decadence from being weighed down by life. Sparse stubble was glued to his chin, complemented by a cheap-looking blue baseball cap.

He looked like a TV station janitor that even his own mother wouldn't recognize in a crowd.

"This is too..." Alice circled Qin Feng twice, unable to hide the shock in her eyes. "Perfect. This is true master-level disguise! Not only has the appearance changed, but even the bone structure seems different."

Qin Feng opened his eyes.

His originally sharp gaze instantly dispersed, becoming cloudy, dull, and carrying a hint of obsequiousness.

He hunched his back slightly and unnaturally wiped his hands on his somewhat dirty blue work uniform.

"Heh... um... Boss, where's the restroom?"

His voice was raspy, with a heavy regional accent.

Pei Ji: "..."

He felt his worldview shatter into pieces.

"Brother, if you weren't a bandit, you'd be a hit in comedy skits, seriously."

Qin Feng straightened his back, and his eyes instantly regained their clarity. The massive contrast sent a shiver through the others present.

"The plan is simple."

Qin Feng pointed to the diagram on the glass.

"The police are currently focusing on external defenses and network intrusions. They think I'll hack in like the Matrix or rappel in like Mission Impossible."

"But we're going to do the opposite."

"The core control terminal of the signal tower is on the top floor, but it requires physical contact; we must plug in our USB drive."

"Therefore, the simplest method is often the most effective."

Qin Feng patted the cleaning cart he had already prepared.

The cart was filled with mops, buckets, and toilet cleaner, but in the bottom hidden compartment lay Alice's 'toys'.

"I'll make the delivery."

"You guys provide backup from the outside."

"Remember," Qin Feng looked at the three of them, his tone serious, "the moment every screen in the city turns to static will be our signal to retreat."

...

Meanwhile.

Jianghai City Police Headquarters, Command Center.

On the massive electronic map, the area surrounding the TV Tower was covered in dense red dots.

Xie Qingshang stood before the map, arms crossed, the screen's cold light reflecting off his rimless glasses.

"Director Zhao, if you were Qin Feng, what would you do?"

Zhao Shanhe, clutching his bottle of fast-acting heart pills, said grumpily, "If I were him, I'd find a rat hole and crawl in! With thousands of cops out there, he'd need to be invisible!"

"No."

Xie Qingshang extended a slender finger and shook it gently.

"Based on my study of abnormal psychology and the analysis of his previous behavioral patterns."

"He is a histrionic personality—extremely arrogant and desperate for attention."

Xie Qingshang picked up a pointer and tapped heavily on several points on the map.

"If he wants to hijack the signal, the best way isn't to enter the TV station, but to control these three surrounding communication base stations, cut off the information source, and create panic."

"So..."

Xie Qingshang turned around, his eyes piercing.

"I suggest we immediately redeploy our forces to focus on monitoring these three base stations! This is his true battlefield!"

"The moment he dares to show his head, we'll catch him like a rat in a trap!"

Zhao Shanhe was left dazed by the explanation.

Though he felt something was off, seeing Xie Qingshang's brimming confidence and remembering he was an expert sent by the Provincial Department...

"Fine! We'll do it your way!"

Zhao Shanhe waved his hand. "Order! SWAT Team units one and two, head to the communication base stations immediately to set up an ambush! You must pin him down for me!"

Inside the command center, the officers quickly got to work, sending out orders across the city.

No one noticed.

At this very moment.

The first-floor lobby of the TV Tower.

The first rays of morning sunlight spilled onto the polished marble floor.

A middle-aged man in blue work clothes, pushing a cleaning cart, walked with his head down and somewhat sluggish steps toward the heavily guarded revolving door.

At the entrance.

Two SWAT officers stood like door gods, their eyes scanning everyone entering and leaving like hawks.

"Stop!"

One SWAT officer suddenly reached out, stopping the somewhat dilapidated cleaning cart.

The middle-aged man pushing the cart shuddered, nearly dropping the mop in his hand out of fear.

He looked up, revealing a face full of oil and an obsequious smile, the black mole at the corner of his mouth trembling slightly with his movements.

"P-Police officer, wh-what's wrong?"

Qin Feng shrunk his neck, speaking in a thick Jianghai suburban dialect.

The SWAT officer frowned and looked him up and down.

He looked too ordinary.

So ordinary that one would forget his face after a single glance.

That timid aura, that smell of disinfectant mixed with cheap tobacco—he was the epitome of the lowest level of existence in this building.

"What's in that bucket?" the officer asked, pointing to the red plastic bucket.

"Ah? This..."

Qin Feng hurriedly lifted the lid.

A pungent smell of toilet cleaner instantly wafted out, making the officer step back half a pace.

"It's... it's water for scrubbing the toilets; I just mixed it," Qin Feng explained with a simple and honest face. "The bosses in this building like things clean, so I have to go scrub early..."

The officer fanned his nose, the vigilance in his eyes instantly replaced by a trace of impatience.

"Alright, alright, get in."

The officer waved him through. "Get to work quickly and don't wander around. There's a special situation today."

"Yes! Understood! Thank you, officer!"

Qin Feng bowed and scraped, pushing the cart, his calloused hands (painted by Su Tang) tightly gripping the handle.

Creak—creak—

The wheels of the cleaning cart made a faint friction sound.

Qin Feng pushed the cart through the doors representing the information hub of Jianghai City.

As he passed by the SWAT officer...

He lowered his head slightly.

The originally cloudy and dull eyes, hidden in the shadow of his cap's brim, instantly flashed with a heart-pounding trace of mockery.

It was like a demon's smile.

"Consultant Xie, you've gotten the answer wrong again."

He said softly in his mind.

The cart's wheels rolled over the marble seams, causing a slight vibration.

Qin Feng hummed an unintelligible little tune and walked openly toward the elevators.

There.

Lay the path to the throne.