Chapter 40: Poison Bait Wafts, Wolves Lurk

Li Ping'an blended into the panicked crowd on the street, but his heart felt like it was packed with ice, chilling through and through. The flash‑fast fight in the alley just now was like a bucket of cold water, washing away his small pride over the successful "Disaster Water Eastward Draw".

The trouble didn't end; it only intensified. The opponent wasn't one to hold back, reaching his side so quickly and still sending a tough guy. What does that mean? It means he may have been marked for death already, or that iron plaque really has some hidden trick he doesn't know, turning it into a death‑seeking talisman.

"Damn, this is really a dead end…" he muttered under his breath, while his face still had to wear the bewildered, fearful look of an ordinary civilian, shuffling aimlessly with the crowd. He needed to get back to the Siheyuan quickly; the outside was too dangerous now, a single misstep could be a trap.

He dared not take shortcuts through the narrow alleys, instead sticking to the crowded main road, looping around the boss once before slipping back toward Nanluoguxiang from another direction. From afar he saw the two plainclothes officers at Hu Tong Kou still standing there like two door gods, their gazes even more venomous than before.

Li Ping'an felt a jolt in his chest, slowed his pace, tucked his neck in, and tried hard to become less conspicuous. He pretended to be drawn to a roadside roasted sweet‑potato stall, shuffling over to haggle over the price, while the corner of his eye stayed fixed on Hu Tong Kou.

A donkey cart loaded with cabbage happened to be heading into the alley, and the driver, laughing awkwardly with the two plainclothes officers, said something as if explaining. The two officers waved impatiently and inspected the cart.

Opportunity!

Li Ping'an instantly fished out two copper coins and handed them to the stall owner, grabbed a piping‑hot roasted sweet potato, and in the split second the donkey cart and the officers' gazes were blocked, he lowered his head, quickened his steps, and almost jogged his way into the alley!

His heart hammered, a layer of white, damp sweat broke out on his back. He dared not look back; he could feel the two officers' gazes sweep over his shoulders, but perhaps his panicked demeanor and the hot sweet potato in his hand worked, perhaps they were focusing more on the incoming and outgoing carts and remained silent.

He fled as if his life depended on it, barreling back into the Siheyuan, crashing into the door, his back pressed hard against the door panel, panting heavily, the roasted sweet potato in his hand nearly mashed into mush.

The courtyard was eerily quiet; Yan Bu Gui's door was still closed, but Li Ping'an could sense that behind several windows, eyes were secretly watching his side.

He lingered for a while, then dragged his legs over to the edge of the kang and collapsed into a sitting position. The sweet aroma of the roasted sweet potato drifted away, yet he couldn't summon any appetite.

No, I can't just sit here and wait to die.

The other side has already come knocking, showing that his Camouflage isn't flawless, or that there are loopholes he doesn't know. The Siheyuan is no longer a safe haven; it may instead become a cage that traps him to death.

He must get a clear picture, must know exactly how many cards the opponent is holding, must gauge how severe the upcoming hunt will be. He also needs… to find a way to break the deadlock.

Brute force is the worst of the worst strategies; those two were already skilled, and more could come—how many nails could his iron‑clad body even drive?

He must use his brain, must leverage others' strength against them.

He recalled the two corpses in the space, and that turtle box. The fact that these people lack any identification is itself proof—they're the type to do dirty work.

Could… those two corpses be sent out as a "gift"? To whom? How to deliver them?

A bolder, even slightly insane idea flashed in his mind.

Since the water is already muddied, why not stir it further! Since the Japanese have doubts and hidden motives, why not "create" one for them! It must be fabricated so convincingly that they can't help but believe!

His gaze drifted again to the turtle box and the dagger. These items are ordinary, easily sourced on the black market. But what if… they appeared in a place they should never be?

For example… beside a Japanese officer's private residence? Or outside a staunch traitor's annex?

Then tidy up those two dead faces a bit, making them look as if they'd died after torture…

When the time comes, the Japanese will discover two corpses of unknown origin, bearing ordinary weapons, dead in a sensitive area, plus the previously "leaked" toxic gas data and the iron plaque…

What will they think? An internal purge? Factional infighting? Or… a more sophisticated opponent pulling the strings behind the scenes?

This thought made Li Ping'an's heart jump rebelliously, a mix of fear and a near‑pathological excitement. It's dancing on the tip of a blade, setting fire on the edge of a cliff!

But aside from this, he seemed to have no other tricks. Hiding passively left only a dead end.

Do it!

He took a deep breath, his gaze turning resolute. He must calculate carefully; no part of the plan can go wrong.

First, the location must be chosen well. It must be sensitive enough to make the Japanese snap instantly, yet clever enough to steer suspicion toward a specific direction. Near the Special High Section office? No, too direct, easy to backfire. The home of a commerce‑chamber president who has ties with the military? Or… the private residence of a high‑ranking Police Station official currently swamped by gambling‑hall troubles?

Second, the timing must be deep night when everyone is quiet, but not too late—ideally during a gap in the Japanese patrols or during a shift change.

Finally, how to transport the corpses, how to position them, while ensuring he can walk away unscathed; this is a technical task.

He ran through countless scenarios in his mind, like a seasoned chess player setting up a breathtaking endgame.

Unnoticed, the outside light dimmed and night fell again. Sparse lamps flickered inside the Siheyuan, Yan Bu Gui's house also let light through, yet no one visited, no one spoke loudly—a indescribable panic hung over the courtyard.

Li Ping'an blew out the oil lamp, sinking himself completely into darkness. He had to wait, wait for the deep night.

Time dripped by, and the footsteps of the Patrol Squad on the street outside seemed to grow denser. Li Ping'an sat on the kang edge like a stone statue, only his occasionally blinking eyes betraying his inner unrest.

Finally, the night watchman struck the third watch bell.

It's time!

He rose silently, changed into a pitch‑black Night Cloak, smearing his face and the backs of his hands with black ash. With a thought, the two icy corpses appeared on the kang.

He forced himself to endure the revulsion, quickly "processed" the corpses, adding realistic torture marks and struggle scars. Then he returned them to the space.

He inhaled deeply, pried open the back window like a phantom, and slipped into the darkness of a dead‑end alley.

Tonight there was no moon, the wind howled, perfect timing for framing and false accusations.

His silhouette darted across the continuous rooftops like a night bat, swooping straight toward his chosen target—the Police Station Deputy Director's secluded outer residence in South of City. That place, now likely in disarray because its owner had been captured, with lax guard, was an ideal spot to strike!

The closer he got to the target, the more Japanese Soldiers and Black Dogs patrolled, clearly this area had been marked as a hotspot. Li Ping'an had to be even more cautious, pushing his movement to the limit, using every shadow and every blind spot.

Just as he was about to reach the alley where the outer residence stood, a faint, almost wind‑blended murmur drifted from the roof ahead!

Li Ping'an abruptly halted, clinging to the cold tiles like a gecko, holding his breath.

He slowly stuck out half his head, his pupils suddenly contracting!

On the nearby roof ahead, three or four black silhouettes lay silently, all dressed in Night Cloaks, moving deftly, silently gesturing to each other, their gazes also fixed on the Deputy Director's outer residence below!

Who are these people?

Is it a mantis catching a cicada with a yellow bird behind? Or… another group looking to loot the fire?

Li Ping'an's heart shot up to his throat!

He pressed his body down hard, his heartbeat seeming to stop, his cold stare locking onto the unexpected black silhouettes.

The plan, it looks like it's about to go awry.