Chapter 23: Rescuing Old Lu

Lu Qiao sat inside the car, his heart in a state of chaotic panic.

"My two brothers, the Jinhai Station is heavily guarded; outsiders cannot get in."

"Even if you make a move, you won't have a way to survive yourselves."

He squeezed out a hint of a smile, offering earnest and patient persuasion.

"Don't trouble yourself with that; we never thought about leaving alive."

The assassin sitting in the back row sneered.

Death squads!

Lu Qiao said no more, closing his eyes to rack his brains for a countermeasure.

Entering the station required checking credentials; this was ironclad discipline.

Without credentials, even if Commander Chen Zhangjie arrived, he would still have to go through the guards to call the Station Chief's office and receive confirmation from Wu Jingzhong himself before being allowed entry.

The guards on duty were all carefully selected.

They had long since memorized the appearance of everyone, from the station cleaners to those who bought groceries for the canteen.

Even if outsiders manufactured fake credentials, it was absolutely impossible to sneak in.

As the number two in the station.

If he forced a reason, perhaps he could get in.

But wouldn't that be stupid?

He didn't know if Hong Zhiyou would die, but Wu Jingzhong would definitely be the first to execute him tomorrow.

The car stopped in the alley behind the Jinhai Station.

Click!

Both assassins chambered their rounds.

"Section Chief Lu, let's go." One of them pointed his muzzle at him.

"I know you aren't afraid of death, but please, use your brains for a second.

"You're carrying guns; do you think the guards are idiots?

"I beg you, this is a Juntong station, not a vegetable market."

Lu Qiao growled with some annoyance.

The two were stunned for a moment.

"Then what do we do?" the driver asked, turning his head.

"Forget all that, the Young Master said there must be blood tonight; if we can't see Hong Zhiyou, we'll blast this four-eyed guy first!" The pockmarked assassin beside him jammed his gun barrel hard into Lu Qiao's temple.

"Both of you, stay calm.

"H-how about this, I'll call him out, and then you can make your move, alright?" Lu Qiao swallowed hard, a plan forming in his desperation.

"Are you sure he'll come out?"

"Let's try, let's try."

"Don't try any tricks on me; there's no way you're slipping away.

"Call him."

Lu Qiao groaned inwardly.

He had originally wanted to enter the station to escape this disaster, then find a way to transfer out of Jinhai or apply to go somewhere else to avoid the limelight.

He hadn't expected these two to be so cunning; they had actually seen through his intentions.

"Hurry up!"

The pockmarked man pushed him out of the car and, with the gun pressed against him, led him to a nearby telephone booth.

Haa!

Lu Qiao took a deep breath; after a brief moment of calm, color suddenly returned to his eyes.

After quickly dialing the number, under the watchful eyes of the assassins.

Lu Qiao smiled gently:

"Hello, Secretary Hong?

"Has that sandalwood calendar I asked you to order from Wanbaozhai arrived yet?

"Oh, it has.

"Check the version; it's not the Gregorian calendar, is it? I want the lunar version, the one with the daily fortune annotations by Master Ma; don't get it wrong.

"No problem, right? I've parked my car on Tangquan Road behind the station; please bring it over now.

"I'll treat you to a soak in the hot springs while we're at it.

"Don't worry, it won't cost much, don't be so formal.

"However, you can't bring anyone else; I have a few things to discuss with you.

"Walking? That's fine, I'll just wait an extra two minutes.

"That's it, you must come."

"Click!"

Lu Qiao hung up the phone.

The pockmarked man pricked up his ears, vaguely feeling something was wrong, but he couldn't put his finger on it.

"Big brother, is it okay?" The driver asked after getting back in the car.

"What's there to fear? If he dares to sell us out, we'll kill him first.

"The two of us have nothing to lose; trading our lives for a Section Chief isn't a bad deal!" The pockmarked man sneered.

Cold sweat soaked Lu Qiao's shirt.

He knew his life had entered a countdown.

Hong Zhiyou had indeed answered the phone, and he had done his best to leak the information.

Now, he could only leave his fate to heaven.

He was betting that Hong Zhiyou was a smart man who would find a way to survive this disaster and save him.

Of course, the probability of that was almost zero.

If it were him, once he heard the subtext, he would never come out, but would instead hide obediently inside the station.

After all, Hong Zhiyou had never been on good terms with him; there was no reason for him to come to his rescue.

Even if Hong Zhiyou were righteous, he would likely bring people to reinforce the area.

A massive show of force would surely alert the assassins, and he would still be unable to escape death.

Sigh!

There was simply no solution.

If he died, he died.

Being killed in the line of duty meant he wouldn't implicate his wife and children, and at least he could secure a pension.

If Hong Zhiyou felt grateful for this favor, he might continue to look after Guifang's wine business in the future.

This was the best plan the shrewd Lu Qiao could come up with.

Thinking of this, he closed his eyes in despair, quietly waiting for death to arrive.

Hong Zhiyou hung up the phone, his brows knitting together as he immediately realized something was wrong.

Fortune and misfortune.

Fortune-telling.

He glanced at the calendar on his desk.

The day was marked as a year-breaker, highly inauspicious.

Section Chief Lu had suddenly made a nonsensical phone call at this time.

He was warning him that there was danger!

The Zhang family had sent people.

Hong Zhiyou quickly drew his service pistol and checked the magazine.

Afterward, he tapped his brow:

"No, Lu Qiao is a shrewd man; in a life-or-death situation, every word is information.

"Tangquan Road!

"Must come, not cost much..."

This was a hint that there should only be two assassins, lying in ambush on Tangquan Road.

It made perfect sense.

Outsiders couldn't enter the Jinhai Station.

The assassins could only make their move outside.

Must come!

Hong Zhiyou chewed over these two words repeatedly.

Since Lu Qiao had tipped him off, there was no reason for him to let him go to his death.

He had deliberately used this code.

There was only one possibility: there were assassins beside him.

Under threat, this was the only way he could express it.

It must be that... Lu Qiao is in danger, and he needs himself to go save him.

And he cannot call anyone else.

"Cannot delay; if too much time passes, the killer will grow suspicious.

"Lu Qiao said he was going for a walk; this is the fixed mindset he set for the killer.

"It is at most a six or seven-minute walk from here to Tangquan Road, which means as long as I am fast enough, I have the advantage of a time gap."

Hong Zhiyou muttered to himself while changing into a long gown and a black-brimmed hat at top speed.

He had to save Lu Qiao.

It had nothing to do with being a bystander.

Hong Zhiyou could grasp Lu Qiao's personality and future fate.

A greedy and combative petty man is naturally easy to deal with.

If such a high-ranking official died, the superiors might send a high-level elite to fill the vacancy.

Someone unfamiliar, who would also be in charge of the intelligence department.

If it were a die-hard loyalist to the party-state like Li Ya, not to mention whether Yu Zecheng could remain undercover, he himself could forget about having a smooth ride.

Not to mention that Lu Qiao was a sharp sword for countering Zhang Si and his son.

It was very necessary to win him over.

No, he had to fish Lu Qiao out.

Having made up his mind, Hong Zhiyou rushed downstairs at top speed.

"Secretary Hong, where are you going?"

The alert Ma Kui heard the footsteps and chased after him, shouting.

"A date!"

Hong Zhiyou reached the ground floor, picked out a bicycle, and pedaled away.

He did not drive a car.

Tangquan Road was too narrow to pass other vehicles, making it inconvenient for a sneak attack.

Furthermore, the target was too large; driving was no different from delivering himself on a platter.

"Dressing like that for a date and riding a bicycle? Only a ghost would believe that."

"Does this kid have a problem?"

Ma Kui keenly sensed that something was wrong.

He bolted out of the building, grabbed a bicycle, and followed quickly.

(End of chapter)