120: Chapter 120 A Plan to Turn the Tide

"Nanzhi, keep watching. Focus on finding out what exactly Sister Tang Yan is responsible for in Black Shark and how many people she's leading. Be careful not to expose yourself."

Gu Nanzhi let out a very soft hum of agreement over the line.

"Roger that, Brother Fang Che."

The transmission cut off. Shifting focus back to the rear of Black Shark's temporary camp, this was an abandoned auto repair shop. The air was thick with the smell of old engine oil, which stung the nostrils.

Gu Nanzhi curled up behind a pile of rusted jacks. The Thousand-Face Weaving Bureau allowed her to blend completely into this scrap metal junk, merging her presence with the surroundings. Her gaze pierced through the wire fence ahead, which enclosed over a dozen women.

Wrapped in dirt-stained coats, they huddled in a corner for warmth, their faces showing nothing but numbness and terror. Gu Nanzhi was somewhat surprised. Given Black Shark's usual style, these captive women actually showed no signs of abuse. Their freedom was merely restricted, and no one even dared to approach the wire fence to lay a hand on them.

This sense of order felt somewhat abnormal.

Two Black Shark members sauntered over. The skinny one held a half-empty bottle of cheap liquor, while the fat one's eyes remained fixed on the women inside the wire fence. A strong stench of alcohol wafted over from afar.

The fat man reached out to unlock the chain padlock, letting out a beer burp.

"It's freezing cold. Let's go in and find a couple of chicks to warm things up."

The skinny one chimed in.

"Exactly! Why are we treating them like royalty every day? I've been holding it in for too long."

Just as the fat man was about to pull the chain down, a leg wearing tactical boots swept in from the side, kicking him hard in the ribs.

The force was immense.

"Ouch, holy shit!"

The fat man flew back a distance from the impact, crashing into a nearby scrap iron drum before rolling onto the ground.

The skinny one was about to curse, but his voice cut off instantly when he turned and saw who it was. He immediately bowed his waist.

"Sis... Sister Tang."

Gu Nanzhi's gaze followed. It was a tall woman with ear-length short hair, wearing a faded stab-resistant vest. Her military boots made no sound as they stepped on the ground. She had sharp facial features and cold eyes.

This must be Sister Tang Yan.

Sister Tang Yan ignored the fat man on the ground and used the tip of her boot to kick away the padlock.

"How many times have I said it? Whoever dares to touch anyone in this area, I'll chop their hands off."

Cold sweat broke out on the skinny man's forehead.

"Don't be angry, Sister Tang. The fatass is fucking drunk and out of his mind. We'll get lost right away, right now."

He ran over, dragged up the still-groaning fat man, and hurriedly left.

Sister Tang Yan watched the two scurry away, then looked back at the women inside the wire fence. Their expressions were a mix of fear and gratitude, and none of them uttered a word.

Crouching in the dark, Gu Nanzhi calculated. There was actually an outlier among the Black Shark crowd. This woman was no pushover; that kick just now had some serious power.

She simply had her own rules.

But in the end, she was still a member of Black Shark.

Dense footsteps echoed from the entrance of the repair shop as Chen Xiao walked over, leading four or five fully armed subordinates.

Sister Tang Yan turned around.

Chen Xiao glanced at the two retreating figures, then looked at Sister Tang Yan.

"The underlings are just ignorant. Why get so worked up?"

"Rules are rules. Without rules, what difference is there between Black Shark and those monsters outside?"

Sister Tang Yan stood with her hands in the pockets of her tactical pants.

"Chen Xiao didn't dwell on the topic. He pulled out a map and spread it over a discarded tire."

"The plan has changed tonight. The Gray Pigeon people took the bait and will definitely scout the Energy Station. Our main force will go straight to intercept them."

His finger traced across the map and tapped on another set of coordinates.

"Take ten people to that rundown Bus Station and pin those women from 774 down."

Sister Tang Yan looked at the map.

"You want me to attack the Bus Station?"

She looked up at Chen Xiao.

"The people you sent before are dead as doornails. Those women are tough. Sending ten people is just sending them to their deaths."

Chen Xiao sneered.

"What can a bunch of women possibly achieve? Without Fang Che, they're nothing but a loose bag of sand."

He slapped his palm on the map.

"Just cause a racket outside to force Fang Che out. As long as we kill him or capture him alive, the remaining women will scatter on their own. They're just a bunch of dependents."

Sister Tang Yan keenly sensed something was off. She looked directly at Chen Xiao.

"Where did you get this intel? We've been in here for less than a day, yet you already know who their core member is, and you've even figured out their enhancement mechanism."

Chen Xiao stopped sneering and leaned in close to her.

"That's none of your business. Sister Tang Yan, I'm the one who brought you into Black Shark. I gave you face by letting you set rules and feed these useless wastes. You'd better remember your place."

"Do as I say. Hold off the people from 774 and don't ruin my plans. Do you understand?"

Sister Tang Yan didn't argue back; she simply nodded.

Chen Xiao packed up the map and left with his men.

Gu Nanzhi watched all this from the shadows. There was a lot of information here. Chen Xiao definitely had an intelligence source behind him that could see right through 774's trump cards.

Gu Nanzhi pulled out her communicator and switched to an encrypted channel.

"Brother Fang Che."

She lowered her voice.

"I heard everything."

She repeated the entire conversation between Sister Tang Yan and Chen Xiao word for word.

...

In front of the dilapidated Convenience Store in the eastern district of the city, Fang Che leaned against the checkout counter. Gu Nanzhi's voice came through clearly from the communicator, and Su Qingxue and Teacher Qin Bing could hear it clearly too.

Gu Nanzhi concluded on the other end.

"Brother Fang Che, that Sister Tang Yan has some prestige in Black Shark, but Chen Xiao doesn't seem to like her. She's more like a marginalized troublemaker."

Fang Che turned off the speaker. Several pieces of information reorganized in his mind. Chen Xiao had obtained knowledge of his abilities in advance, and even knew that 774's enhancement mechanism revolved around him as the core.

This wasn't a conclusion one could reach by guessing.

It was more like someone had directly handed 774's trump cards to Chen Xiao.

Fang Che looked at Teacher Qin Bing.

"What do you think of this Sister Tang Yan?"

The scalpel spinning at Teacher Qin Bing's fingertips stopped.

"Someone living in the cracks. She wants to protect those women, but has to obey Chen Xiao. This kind of person is the most frustrated and the easiest to sway."

She pinched the blade.

"She is the perfect breakthrough point. As long as we approach her before Chen Xiao does and give her a promise, she will sell out Black Shark completely."

Su Qingxue shook her head beside him.

"The risk is too high. This might just be what they want us to hear. If Chen Xiao had already noticed we were watching, then that was just an act."

She crossed her arms and stared at the ground.

"If we take the initiative to look for Sister Tang Yan, it's equivalent to stepping into a trap."

Fang Che agreed with Su Qingxue's caution. In a place like this, there was no shortage of traps and betrayal. Obvious weaknesses often carried poisoned bait. Whether Sister Tang Yan could be used still needed to be tested.

And currently, patience was the one thing he did not lack.

Fang Che pressed the communicator button again.

"Nanzhi, are you listening?"

"I'm listening, Brother Fang Che."

Fang Che's voice remained steady.

"Put Sister Tang Yan aside for now. Don't contact her and keep your distance. Since Chen Xiao wants to use Gray Pigeon to scout the Energy Station, we'll help him fan the flames."

A hint of coldness appeared at the corner of Fang Che's mouth.

"Don't those Gray Pigeon folks love to take easy advantages? Go find where Chen Xiao stores his supplies, and use your Gray Pigeon identity to leave some traces of theft. I want Chen Xiao to believe that Gray Pigeon is not only seizing the Energy Station but also looting his home base."

Gu Nanzhi chuckled softly.

"Understood. Leave adding a little spice to them to me."