Chapter 489: Walking into a Trap

Ma Shouyi had no time to react; his body swayed, and he collapsed limply to the ground.

Xu Xingfu was so scared his legs went weak, his voice trembling: "Brother! W-what are you doing? This old thing has a knife..."

"He's passed out, so a knife is useless!" Xu Xinghai crouched down, nimbly pulled out the Dagger and tucked it into his jacket, then quickly searched Ma Shouyi. Before long, he actually fished out a thick stack of banknotes and two heavy Small Yellow Fish.

He grabbed the items and turned to run.

Xu Xingfu froze for a second, then followed for dear life.

The two ran breathlessly for several miles until their lungs felt like they were about to burst, only then stopping against a wall to pant heavily.

Xu Xinghai caught his breath, pulled a handful of banknotes from his jacket, and stuffed them into his younger brother's hand: "Xingfu, you go home. Brother is going out to make his way—I didn't have travel money before, but now I do, and I don't want to live like I did before."

"Why?" Xu Xingfu clutched the money, tears streaming down.

"I hate our father," Xu Xinghai's voice turned cold, "He drinks the moment he gets home, and after drinking, he beats our mother and beats us. I've had enough... I'm afraid that one day I won't be able to hold back and will kill him."

Upon hearing this, Xu Xingfu felt as if the sky had collapsed. His only pillar of support was leaving too; what would he do in the future? He asked through tears: "Brother, but if that doctor wakes up and comes to take revenge on me, what should I do?"

Xu Xinghai sneered and kicked a nearby tree hard: "I suspect he's no good; he might even be a spy."

"A spy? How did you figure that out?"

"A decent person wouldn't report lost items to the police, but instead post a fake notice about visiting relatives? And dressing up as a beggar—why do you think that is?"

"That's right! Brother, you're really smart!" Xu Xingfu's eyes lit up.

"I'm leaving in a moment. After you get home, tell Mother to go to the Police Station and report it—say I was kidnapped by that villain."

"This... isn't this lying?" Xu Xingfu shrank his neck.

"If you don't lie, the Police won't investigate seriously. If that guy isn't caught, he'll definitely come looking for you, and then you'll lose your life!" Xu Xinghai stared at his brother, his tone intensifying.

"But I don't know how to lie..."

"Tell the truth from beginning to end, just make up the part about me being kidnapped, you can't even do that?" Xu Xinghai was getting a bit impatient.

Xu Xingfu nodded: "I can do that... but should I say that Yan Jiefang stole the watch? We don't have any evidence, do we?"

"Just say you suspect it." Xu Xinghai thought for a moment, "Right, just say that when I was being kidnapped, he also tried to grab you, and you only escaped because someone happened to pass by. Saying that much is enough."

Xu Xingfu stared at him blankly: "Brother, where are you going?"

"Once, while listening to storytelling at Dian'anmen, someone said the south is warm, and you won't freeze to death even if you sleep on the street." Xu Xinghai smiled, "I want to go see it."

"That's too far... will you die out there?"

"Living like this now is about the same as being dead." Xu Xinghai patted his brother's shoulder hard, turned, and walked away without ever looking back; his figure soon disappeared into the depths of the lane.

Xu Xingfu clutched the stack of banknotes, standing in the cold wind, tears dripping down.

Ma Shouyi slowly regained consciousness, so angry he punched the ground: "Damn it, to be swindled by that little brat twice in a row!"

He couldn't care about the pain; the most important thing now was to find Yan Jiefang—as long as he got the pocket watch back, he could continue his undercover work.

But when he felt his body, the money and the Dagger were both gone, and his heart sank instantly.

It was over; even if he found the watch, the money was gone, and he couldn't keep the shop running.

But he couldn't worry about that; now his mind was filled with only one thought: catch the little brat who stole the pocket watch, he must not be let off lightly! Everything he had was ruined by him!

Ma Shouyi crawled up and stumbled toward Nanluoguxiang.

On the other side, Xu Xingfu returned home with red eyes.

The drunken Xu Jianshe saw his youngest son in this state and slapped him: "What are you crying for! You sissy! Where the hell did your brother go?"

"My brother... my brother was kidnapped by a spy!" Xu Xingfu said while wiping his tears.

Xu Jianshe kicked him in the backside: "Nonsense! Why would a spy kidnap him?"

Xu Xingfu sobbed and told the story.

After listening, Xu Jianshe's drunkenness vanished, and he stood there stunned.

He came to his senses and hurriedly roared: "This has to be reported to the Police! Mother of his, take him to the Police Station!"

Li Guixiang was trembling with fear: "I... I don't know how to talk to them..."

"Talk about nothing! Once you get there, they'll naturally ask!" Xu Jianshe scolded.

At the Dewai Police Station, Xu Xingfu recounted the events.

Upon hearing that it involved a spy, the Police attached great importance to it and immediately called Li Xiangxiu—she had once been a deputy station chief there and was now a captain of the Second Team at the Municipal Bureau First Division, responsible for catching spies; they were very familiar with each other, so there were no concerns about rank. The call went through quickly.

Li Xiangxiu was in the middle of interrogating Wang Baosheng; upon hearing that a spy case had popped up again and even involved Yan Jiefang, she dared not delay and immediately reported it to Tian Dan.

Tian Dan made an immediate decision to handle the cases together and rushed over to interrogate Xu Xingfu in person.

Xu Xingfu had intended to stick to what his brother told him, but Tian Dan exposed the flaws with just a few questions.

Under her sharp questioning, Xu Xingfu soon spilled the truth.

Tian Dan glanced at her watch and immediately gave the order:

"Quick, go to the Nanluoguxiang 95 Siheyuan and the Ganlutang Medical Clinic, set up surveillance at both locations!"

An hour ago, Ma Shouyi had already arrived outside the Nanluoguxiang 95 Siheyuan.

He had washed his face and discarded the beggar's clothes, looking much more respectable.

He had come to find Yan Jiefang, but now that every household was asleep, how was he supposed to find him!

Ma Shouyi waited at the entrance of the lane for a long time without seeing a soul, his anxiety growing.

Just then, Yang Ruihua came out to close the courtyard gate, caught a glimpse of someone loitering outside, and walked over to ask: "Hey, what are you wandering around here for?"

Ma Shouyi hurriedly leaned in, squeezing out a smile: "Big sister, I'm here to deliver something. Yan Jiefang lives in this courtyard, right?"

The events of the day made Yang Ruihua extra cautious; she pretended not to care and said: "That kid lives in the Houyuan. If you have something to say, tell me, and I'll pass the message for you!"

"It's like this," Ma Shouyi took out the only remaining asset on his person—a fountain pen, "He accompanied a classmate to our medical clinic for treatment yesterday and left this pen behind. We hit it off quite well, and he left his address, so I'm delivering it while I'm in the neighborhood. Do you think I could see him?"

Yang Ruihua took it and weighed it; the pen was heavy and didn't look cheap, so she nodded: "He's already asleep. You can give it to him tomorrow morning. What's your clinic called?"

Ma Shouyi was taken aback and hurriedly said: "I have another urgent matter; I just want to ask him for the home address of his injured classmate. It's very urgent. Can I see him now? Just for two words."

Upon hearing this, Yang Ruihua became alert, her eyes darting around, and then she smiled: "You seem like an honest person... I'll go call him. He lives in the Houyuan; you'll have to wait a moment, is that okay?"

Ma Shouyi nodded: "Fine, no problem."

Yang Ruihua closed the door, turned around, and sprinted toward the west side courtyard.

She knew Ershuan, Wang Qiang, and Ma Lin were all security guards who knew a thing or two, so she rushed over and pounded on the Wang family's door.

Wang Qiang hadn't slept yet and asked: "Who is it?"

"It's me, Yang Ruihua. Brother Wang, an accomplice of a bandit has come outside; can you help catch him?"

Upon hearing this, Wang Qiang immediately knocked on the doors of Li Lin and Ershuan.

Xiaoqi's father, Zou Jiadong, also came out upon hearing the noise. Hearing that a thieving gang had come to cause trouble, the four men quickly divided the work—two climbed the wall to circle to the back, and two launched a surprise attack from the front.

In the darkness, several black shadows silently surrounded Ma Shouyi, who was still waiting at the entrance.