Lu Huangze claimed that Rashomon still possessed a large-scale base that the police could never uncover—one capable of sheltering all these gang leaders while they lay low.

The condition was simple: the gang leaders would hand over command of their underlings to Lu Huangze. With more than a dozen gangs, each numbering close to a hundred members, pooling their manpower together would easily form a force of over a thousand men—enough for Lu Huangze to maneuver against the police.

Of course, the “maneuvering” he referred to wasn’t direct confrontation. Most street thugs wouldn’t dare attack the police even if you gave them ten times the courage. These old hands might be unruly, but they understood the law better than ordinary people—knowing exactly which lines could be crossed, and which absolutely could not.

Lu Huangze understood this as well. His intention was never to make them fight, but to use them as eyes and bait—to weave a dense intelligence net, then feed the police false leads and decoys, keeping them chasing shadows. It was like dangling a carrot in front of a donkey—one it would never quite reach.

Even if one or two thugs were unlucky enough to get caught, it wouldn’t matter much. Fifteen days in detention and they’d be back out again; some of them were practically regulars at the detention center.

That was why dealing with these gangs required striking at the king. Once the leader was caught, the rest would naturally scatter. Leadership, after all, wasn’t something just anyone possessed.

The proposal sounded workable—but not every gang leader in the bar was an idiot. A few who weren’t intimidated by Lu Huangze immediately voiced their objections.

“Isn’t that basically house arrest for us?!”

“And once the crackdown ends, Rashomon will turn on us next, won’t you?!”

Lu Huangze raised a hand, signaling for silence, and said calmly:

“Rest assured. Throughout the entire anti-crackdown operation, I will remain at that base with all of you, directing things remotely. I won’t allow any subordinates to accompany me. You’re free to question or challenge my commands and judgments at any time. And if the operation succeeds, you can even use me as leverage to leave the stronghold safely. That condition should be acceptable, yes?”

“Even so, the risk on our end is still too great.”
Doubt lingered among some of them.

“What if I said that this risk comes with corresponding benefits—no, benefits that far outweigh the risk?”

“…Benefits?”

“That’s right. Benefits worth cooperating for. I am more than willing to establish deeper partnerships with all of you.”

He said it so decisively that the gang leaders exchanged uneasy glances.

“Have any of you considered what will happen to the gangs not present here today? Most of them will be dismantled by this crackdown. Even if a few barely survive, they’ll be crippled—losing control of their turf. And that fat piece of meat? Rashomon alone can’t swallow it all.”

In other words, the absent gangs would become Lu Huangze’s sacrifices.

The prospect of effortlessly absorbing other gangs’ territory was undeniably tempting. For a moment, no one raised further objections.

“No more questions? Then I’ll explain the specifics of the operation—”

As a persuader, Lu Huangze’s silver tongue was truly impressive.

“Hmph. First threats, then sweeteners? Training dogs, is he?”
Sharo sipped her juice and whispered to Shan-jie, “What’s the command center saying?”

Shan-jie seemed to be listening to a report. She propped her cheek up in thought for a moment before replying:
“Tangerine has confirmed the main entrance, but there are too many lookouts nearby. If the arrest team forces their way in, they’ll definitely be delayed—and by then, all the big fish will have slipped away.”

That narrow, rickety L-shaped iron staircase at the entrance really wasn’t suitable for a raid.

“So what do we do?” I asked.

“Xiao Xi and Miss Bei Qiaojue are scouting around to locate the back entrance.”

Since it was a bar, the kitchen area would inevitably have a delivery passage or emergency exit—much easier to access than the front door.
But the bar was underground in the commercial district. Finding that exit was like groping in the dark; it might even be on an upper level, making the search extremely difficult.

“What can you even see just by looking from the outside?” I thought for a moment, then whispered, “I don’t feel like listening to this b̲a̲s̲t̲a̲r̲d̲ talk anyway. I’ll go look for the back door.”

Sharo frowned and objected immediately.

“No. If anyone goes, it should be me. This is Rashomon’s territory—you’d be too exposed.”

“And you wouldn’t be?”

“I can fight better than you! If something happens to you, Meow Meow-jie would skin me alive!”

Huh? Did she really think Lei Meow Meow cared that much about me?

“No, Sharo, you can’t go either. You’re our leader—you have to stay here and listen through the meeting.”

“What, I can’t even go to the bathroom?!”

“I’ll go,” Shan-jie said, stepping in. “I’m used to handling things like this.”

“Shan-jie, you’re even smaller than I am,” I insisted. “Let me do it. Besides, I’ve got a trump card—I’ll be fine.”

She turned to look at me. Being stared down by her was surprisingly intimidating. After confirming I wasn’t joking, she said:

“Someone does need to scout the back entrance… but are you really going?”

Seeing how firmly I nodded, Shan-jie sighed and reminded me:
“Be careful. If you can’t find the back door, that’s fine—but don’t expose yourself.”

“Don’t worry!” I patted my chest confidently. “I’m pretty confident in my acting!”

Shan-jie relayed flatly, “Miss Rinka says you’re talking nonsense.”

…Tch.

……

“Explain it to the command center yourself.”

Shan-jie reached up as if brushing back her hair—but instead slipped a bean-sized earpiece into my palm beneath the table. It was still warm from her touch, carrying a faint, distinctive scent.

I crouched slightly as I stood, using the dim lighting to edge toward the passage on the left side of the bar counter.

I’d just pretend I was lost on the way to the restroom and rush through!

I snuck a glance at Lu Huangze—only to find him smiling directly at me. When our eyes met, he even paused his briefing and politely nodded at me.

That forced smile sent chills racing up my spine.

Is this guy unhinged or what?

I didn’t dare look again and bolted straight into the corridor.

The hallway was actually brighter than the main hall. Private rooms lined both sides, and it looked like the kitchen and restrooms were further inside.

“Kai-chan?”

The moment I slipped the walkie-talkie into my ear, Rinka’s noisy voice came through. I quickly checked my surroundings before whispering back, “Yeah, it’s me.”

“You finally put it on? That trash named Lu Huangze took advantage of you, didn’t he?!”

She sounded genuinely upset—like she was standing up for me.

“It wasn’t that bad… he just touched my face.”

“That’s not ‘not bad’! You’re a girl now—you need to have some awareness!” Rinka scolded me before muttering angrily, “Daring to touch Kai-chan… next time we chop his hand off. Oh? Does Cangyu agree with this proposal too?”

She was joking—but her tone didn’t sound like a joke at all.

Chopping hands off? What kind of underworld are you people from?!

“How’s the intel team doing?” I asked, referring to Xi-jie and Qiaojue’s search for the back entrance.

“Not great. No progress.”

The reply came from Yang Qi instead. Even underground, where signals should’ve been spotty, the audio was surprisingly clear—Qiaojue’s spy equipment was top-notch.

She continued, “Qiaojue suspects the back entrance connects to the underground shopping street’s emergency exit, but that lead turned out to be empty. There’s signal interference near you, and they’re using phones, so contact keeps dropping.”

“That’s bad… then communication with the arrest team must be compromised too, right?”

Rashomon had set up extensive signal jammers in the area—absolute hell for anyone relying on mobile phones.

“The arrest team is using walkie-talkies. We borrowed a few from Uncle Lei, but police-issued walkie-talkies are bulky and obvious. With enemy lookouts everywhere, pulling one out would immediately put Rashomon on alert.”

“It’s fine,” I said quietly. “I’ll figure out the back entrance. Just tell the arrest team to stay ready.”