Chapter 485: Better to Avoid Trouble Than Invite It

"How do you prove it?" The man with the yellow surname looked at Cao Duoliang and sneered, "Don't you dare tell me you'll take me to the Little Eagle Society—that's absolutely impossible!"

"With your two masters' intelligence, how could you possibly agree to such a foolish suggestion? I couldn't possibly say it out loud and insult your absolute justice! But… I have a walkie-talkie—I can contact the Little Eagle Society's contact brother!"

As he spoke, Cao Duoliang lowered his voice, feigning secrecy—but his words could be heard halfway across the 4S shop.

"Son of a bitch, what a piece of shit…"

One of the combat personnel left behind at the auto park hung his head in shame. He'd once cultivated a good relationship with Cao Duoliang, flattering him shamelessly just to get extra food and drink—only to find out the man was an undercover agent. Now he felt utterly humiliated.

"Such a man won't be favored by the Lord."

"He'll surely descend into hell and suffer endless torment!"

"Who the hell dares mutter another word? I'll cut each of you down and send you to see Brother Su!"

Leizi's mental state was wildly unstable. Hearing someone mutter, he pulled out his knife and began slamming it hard against the heads of those speaking—thud, thud—his eyes filled with madness and cruelty.

The man with the yellow surname's demeanor had noticeably calmed. He grabbed Leizi's arm and turned to Cao Duoliang: "Where's the walkie-talkie?"

"Hidden. Right outside, tucked inside a discarded tire. Which of you masters will come with me to fetch it? It'll be a bother."

At sixty, Cao Duoliang had mastered the art of playing the obedient grandson—no hesitation, no pretense, bowing and scraping with utmost humility.

"Xiao Ya, Da Gen—you two go with him. If he tries anything, just bring back his head."

"No no no—I wouldn't dare, not even with a hundred pig gallbladders!"

Cao Duoliang immediately affirmed his loyalty, wearing a fawning smile.

Two guards stepped forward from the perimeter, gestured to Cao Duoliang, and the three of them walked out of the Da Sanren 4S shop.

As Cao Duoliang had said, he led them to a corner of the auto park and pointed to a pile of discarded tires: "Your masters, it's right there."

"Then what are you waiting for? Go get it. Do you expect us to do it for you?"

Xiao Ya rolled his eyes.

"Ah, ah—I won't move without your masters' permission!"

Cao Duoliang shuffled forward like a toad, reached into the pile, and pulled out a silver lump!

"Don't move!"

"What the hell is this thing?"

Seeing what Cao Duoliang held, Xiao Ya and Da Gen froze. Xiao Ya drew his pistol and aimed it at Cao Duoliang; Da Gen, unarmed, raised his steel spear, eyes sharp with suspicion.

"Your masters, don't panic—it's aluminum foil. You know aluminum foil blocks signals. I was afraid someone might spot it. Look, the antenna—this really isn't anything else, just the walkie-talkie."

Cao Duoliang explained with sincere earnestness, enduring the threat of imminent gunfire, slowly peeling away layer after layer of foil to reveal the true object: a walkie-talkie sealed inside a self-sealing bag, double-protected, perfectly secured.

"Where's the battery?"

Xiao Ya didn't lower his guard. He snatched the walkie-talkie from Cao Duoliang's hand and found the battery missing.

"It's freezing outside—the battery won't survive here. It's… over at the Yu Huang Emperor 4S shop. We can pick it up on the way back."

Cao Duoliang explained.

"Old man, if you're playing tricks, you heard what he said—your head gets twisted off!"

Da Gen swung his steel spear, its surface stained brownish-red—clearly used for more than just killing zombies.

"No no—I wouldn't dare!"

Cao Duoliang bowed and scraped, tiptoeing forward to lead the way.

He had no intention of tricking them. He quickly retrieved the battery from the Yu Huang Emperor 4S shop, installed it, and powered the device on without issue.

"I charge it every few days. Look, your masters—it works."

Cao Duoliang presented the walkie-talkie like a prized treasure.

"If it works, get back now! Don't waste time!"

Xiao Ya shoved Cao Duoliang back into the Da Sanren 4S shop.

Inside, the atmosphere was sharply divided. The Absolute Justice faction had already packed up the Tianqi Group's supplies—richly rewarded, laughing, chatting, smoking. On the other side, the Tianqi Group members eyed each other with suspicion, trying to uncover who among them was Absolute Justice's mole…

"Quick! Contact Liu Yao! Old man, if you lie, I'll kick your head like a ball!"

Leizi spotted Cao Duoliang and the others entering the shop and waved urgently. "Ah, ah—I'll contact them right away!"

Cao Duoliang didn't delay. After a quick adjustment, he pressed the transmit button: "Hello… what bird's flying up there?"

"What the hell kind of nonsense is that?"

Leizi frowned at Cao Duoliang's bizarre phrase.

"It's the password—the secret code…" Cao Duoliang hurried to explain. He was utterly sick of this lunatic.

"The blind sparrows flying up there? Old Cao?"

Soon, a voice crackled from the walkie-talkie—cautious and wary.

Leizi and the man with the yellow surname exchanged glances. That level of caution confirmed it—almost certain.

"Who is this? Is this Liu Yao?"

The man with the yellow surname asked Cao Duoliang.

Cao Duoliang shook his head: "No. This voice… I remember—it's the Second Boss."

"Second Boss… what's his surname?"

"Ma."

"Give it here—I'll speak to him!"

The man with the yellow surname snatched the walkie-talkie from Cao Duoliang's hand and pressed the transmit button: "Hello, Cao Duoliang is in my hands. If you don't want him dead, answer honestly—what's your surname?"

After a pause, the voice replied: "I'm Ma Xiyu of the Little Eagle Society. Who are you, Knight?"

Ma Xiyu, considering the current situation, suspected Cao Duoliang had tried to leak information to them, exposing himself to Tianqi's internal weakness…

"Forget your damn Knights. I'm from Absolute Justice. We've wiped out Tianqi. Almost took out your Little Eagle Society's mole. Out of courtesy, we're asking—do you still want this old bastard named Cao?"

Cao Duoliang's face twitched. He had no idea how much weight he carried among the Little Eagle Society's leadership—if they said "no," he was dead.

"So you're Absolute Justice from the Development Zone? We've been watching Tianqi for days. You swooped in and stole our target, kidnapped one of our men—do you plan to give no explanation?"

"Pfft…" Leizi scoffed.

The man with the yellow surname signaled for silence, then said: "We're not lining up for the toilet here—we follow first come, first served. We've been polite enough. I'm not here to argue with Tianqi—I'm asking: do you want Cao Duoliang or not? If not, I'll shoot him right now."

Cao Duoliang stood to the side, eyes darting frantically. He was already scrambling for a way out—but in the face of absolute death, no escape seemed possible.

Fortunately…

"Of course we want him! The Little Eagle Society never abandons a brother!"

Cao Duoliang exhaled deeply in relief.

The man with the yellow surname sneered, about to speak—when Leizi snatched the walkie-talkie from his hand and pressed the transmit button with arrogant arrogance: "Cao's your brother? Then bring supplies to the Development Zone to get him back. Three pistols, one hundred rounds, three hundred liters of pure water, and a hundred pounds of food. That's it!"

PAM! CLANG!

"Wait, hey—what the hell are you doing…?"

The man with the yellow surname didn't stop Leizi's madness—he planned to negotiate after he finished. But Leizi, after speaking, leapt up and smashed the walkie-talkie to the ground—shattered into pieces. Cao Duoliang's face turned green. What the hell was this?

"You cheap bastard—if they want the old man, they pay the price. Go back. Kneel down!"

Leizi shoved Cao Duoliang without hesitation.

"Better to avoid trouble than invite it. Our goal today was to eliminate Tianqi—we've completed the mission. Don't stir up more problems!"

The man with the yellow surname could no longer tolerate Leizi's insanity. He had no idea what kind of junk the man had eaten on the ride over to get him so worked up.

Leizi glared at the man with the yellow surname, impatiently: "The Little Eagle Society isn't much stronger than Tianqi—we can take them both now; the boss will praise us for being awesome!"

A flicker of contempt passed in the man with the yellow surname's eyes. He beckoned Leizi aside, frowned, and said: "Do you know why the boss specifically ordered us not to clash with the Little Eagle Society?"

"How the hell should I know?"

Leizi shrugged carelessly.

"We could destroy the Little Eagle Society—it wouldn't be easy, but it's doable. The real problem is: once we remove them as a buffer, we'll face the Survivors' Alliance head-on. That's not what the boss wants!"

The man with the yellow surname explained patiently. If Leizi weren't the boss's trusted man, he wouldn't waste his breath.

(End of Chapter)