Chapter 128: A Sudden Turn for the Worse

"Damn it, what kind of crap just peed on my head?"

The bald man raised his flashlight to scan the eaves above. Suddenly, a brick crashed down at the base of the wall behind them. Both men whirled around, shining their high-intensity beams toward the wall. After hearing two cat calls from the other side, they cursed and turned back, checking the eaves once more. Finding nothing, they muttered about their "bad luck" and walked away.

Once they had gone, Du Jianwu and Gao Qinghua, huddled on the roof of the old factory bungalow, let out long, relieved sighs. Their hearts, which had been in their throats, finally settled.

Kang Ning, who had been lying flat on the sloped roof of the warehouse, gasped for air. After a moment, he gripped the edge of the eaves, cautiously climbed back under the steel beams, moved several meters horizontally, and slowly slid down along a brick pillar.

Back on the ground, Kang Ning gestured to Du Jianwu and slipped along the base of the wall to the back of Warehouse No. 2. He repeated the process, climbing up to the ventilation hole to place the camera.

Hanging upside down, Kang Ning carefully peered inside. The entire thousand-square-meter warehouse was filled with massive stacks of cellulose acetate cigarette filters imported from Singapore.

Eight minutes later, the contents of the third warehouse were also captured on film. This one was neatly stocked with various automotive repair and modification equipment, along with three large Siemens machine tools. With all three warehouses filmed, Kang Ning rejoined Du Jianwu to photograph the dozens of shipping containers located thirty meters away.

Back at their micro-van, the drenched Du Jianwu and Gao Qinghua patted Kang Ning on the shoulder, praising his agility and quick reflexes.

Yet, Kang Ning knew clearly that without Du Jianwu’s timely cat calls, he would never have had the chance to scramble onto the roof. The entire operation would have been exposed, likely ending in failure.

Du Jianwu and Zhuzi were incredibly excited. This vital evidence might deal a heavy blow to certain figures in Leijiang. After changing his clothes, Du Jianwu immediately opened the factory gate with Zhuzi, anxiously waiting for Yusheng to return.

Ten minutes later, Yusheng drove into the factory, excited. He parked and began unloading food and beer. Du Jianwu and Zhuzi said a quick goodbye and drove off in their taxi.

Kang Ning and Gao Qinghua sat under the streetlamp in front of the guardroom with Yusheng, enjoying the food and beer. They drank until 3:30 AM before bidding farewell to the flushed Yusheng and driving away in the micro-van, which hadn't even had a single screw turned.

As Yusheng locked the gate, he hiccuped and muttered to himself in admiration, "My big brother is something else—he went for a drive and came back with the car fixed!"

As Gao Qinghua drove into the city, he asked Kang Ning, "Did you sell that apartment of yours? Where are you staying tonight?"

"Just drop me off at the intersection ahead."

Kang Ning didn't want Gao Qinghua to know where he lived, so he gave a vague answer.

Gao Qinghua sighed. "Alright, I won't pry. But Du really owes you a debt of gratitude tonight. Neither of us was confident we could climb that warehouse barehanded, especially when things got dangerous—getting onto that roof was incredibly difficult!"

Kang Ning smiled. "I was worried I’d fall, too. Those aluminum roof panels don't hold weight, and they overhang the wall by nearly seventy centimeters. If there hadn't been a supporting steel beam underneath to leverage, I definitely would have been exposed. That was close!"

***

The two shared a smile. Gao Qinghua pulled over, exchanged a few more words with Kang Ning, and drove off. Kang Ning walked through a small alleyway back to his rented room, took a thorough shower, and stood before his bed to practice the Hunyuan stance until the sky turned white in the east before finally resting.

He slept until three in the afternoon. After washing up, he suddenly remembered that it was Monday, the day Zheng Yi usually visited the teahouse to review the previous week’s business. He changed into casual clothes, went to the garage, took the remaining money to the bank to deposit, and checked his balance at an ATM, withdrawing two thousand for his wallet. He walked toward the teahouse with a smile, thinking to himself, *Not too bad—I suppose I’m a millionaire now!*

When he reached the third floor of the teahouse, he saw Zheng Yi sitting in a window-side booth, intently reviewing sales reports. He signaled to a familiar waiter and quietly walked over to sit across from her.

"Xiao Tang, last week’s performance was good. The peak season is coming up, everyone needs to put in more effort." Thinking it was her teahouse manager, Zheng Yi gave instructions without looking up.

Kang Ning quietly admired the beauty before him. Her fair face was flawless, her long eyelashes slightly curled, and her straight nose was elegant and noble. When she was serious, her lips were pressed together in a clear, soft, and rosy line. She appeared calm, confident, and exceptionally graceful, leaving Kang Ning—who rarely saw her in this state—mesmerized.

"Are you looking to die? Daring to flirt with your sister?"

Zheng Yi looked up and was startled to see Kang Ning. Seeing his silly expression, her heart warmed, and she laughed, scolding him before reaching out to pinch his arm hard.

Kang Ning clutched his arm and pleaded for mercy, "Sister Yi, you’ve got it wrong. If there’s any fault, it’s not mine—who told you to be so beautiful? Even if there was any flirting, it was just my eyes, it has nothing to do with me!"

Zheng Yi giggled and called him a "rascal." She brushed back her hair and asked with a smile, "It’s this late, why aren't you in Chengdu keeping company with your sister? What are you doing back here?"

Kang Ning stopped smiling and replied in a low voice, "Three days ago, Brother Du’s wife, Sister Meilin, was killed in a car accident. She was four months pregnant. Brother Gao called me saying Brother Du was very depressed, so I came back to check on him."

"Oh my god!" Zheng Yi covered her face in shock. "I was just on the phone with Mengmeng and Sister Jing last night. Why didn't they tell me?"

Kang Ning explained sadly, "When they first got the call from Brother Gao, both of them were crying their eyes out. Sister Jing was so devastated she had to lie down. Since she’s due any day now, I guess they didn't want to bring up such a painful topic."

Zheng Yi was deeply saddened. After a moment, she asked, "Have they caught the driver?"

Kang Ning sighed slightly. "Brother Gao said they couldn't find out who it was."

Zheng Yi fell silent. Perhaps she guessed something. She bit her lower lip, lost in thought, until her phone rang. She sat there, dazed, as if she hadn't heard it.

"Sister Yi, your phone is ringing in your bag," Kang Ning reminded her gently.

"Oh? Oh!" Zheng Yi hurriedly opened her bag and answered, "Hello... Old Fang? Where are you? Why haven't you come back yet... What? My god, you didn't do this, did you... This... alright, I’ll go check. Let me know what’s going on later... Yes... Yes... Okay, I’m leaving now."

Zheng Yi hung up and said to Kang Ning anxiously, "Xiao Ning, come with me to the factory. I don't know what’s going on, but a large group of police suddenly showed up and surrounded the factory. Old Fang says it’s trouble caused by that Taiwanese boss, Lin Jinxiong, who rented our new warehouse to store smuggled goods. I’m a mess right now. My car is downstairs, please drive me there."

***

"Alright."

The two rushed downstairs and got into the car. On the way, neither spoke. Zheng Yi stared ahead, her heart in turmoil, while Kang Ning was surprised by the efficiency of Du Jianwu’s operation and felt a sense of satisfaction.

When the BMW pulled up in front of the new factory, it was stopped by two armed police officers. Zheng Yi hurriedly stepped out to identify herself as the owner, and was immediately taken into the guardroom by a nearby officer.

Kang Ning parked the car to the side, locked it, and walked toward the gate. The guards wouldn't let him in, but with the permission of another officer, he eventually entered the guardroom and sat next to Zheng Yi. He noticed the three officers inside were all customs anti-smuggling police, and a plain-clothed, ordinary-looking middle-aged man sat silently to the side. Yet, Kang Ning could sense an aura of authority and dignity coming from him.

"...So you are saying you don't know the operational status of your own factory? Then, may I ask where your hired general manager, Ma Leheng, is now? Can you produce the warehouse lease agreement you signed with the Lin Group of Taiwan for us to audit?" The anti-smuggling officer, whose name tag read Zhang Jicheng, stared intently at Zheng Yi.

Zheng Yi looked flustered and anxious. Although the new factory was in her name, she had only been there twice, including today. She didn't know what the factory did besides car repairs, nor how many employees were there—a facility managed remotely by her husband, Fang Xiong. She hadn't even met the general manager, Ma Leheng. How could she answer the police?

Just as Zheng Yi was at a loss, an official-looking man, accompanied by a young secretary, walked into the guardroom. After greeting the officers, he said, "Director Zhang, Special Commissioner Wang, the municipal government attaches great importance to this case. However, according to relevant documents from the industry, commerce, and tax departments, as well as foreign trade records, Ms. Zheng Yi has no direct connection to this case. Therefore, the municipal government suggests that the task force avoid causing unnecessary trouble for Ms. Zheng Yi."

The anti-smuggling officer named Zhang exchanged a look with Special Commissioner Wang. Seeing Wang nod indifferently, Zhang turned to the official and Zheng Yi. "Very well, Secretary-General Huang. We can let Ms. Zheng Yi leave for now, but we have a requirement for the Leijiang municipal government: until this case concludes, Ms. Zheng Yi is not permitted to leave Leijiang and must be available to assist us at any time. After all, this is a smuggling case involving over 180 million yuan, involving many complex issues. We need a clear commitment from you, Secretary-General Huang."

"Fine! No problem, the municipal government will fully cooperate."

Secretary-General Huang politely took his leave, leading Zheng Yi and Kang Ning outside to her car. Seeing no one around, the short Secretary-General whispered his complaints to Zheng Yi, "Didn't Mr. Fang tell you to look for me at the municipal government? Why did you come to the factory? It’s a good thing someone called me saying they saw your car heading toward the factory, so I rushed over. Otherwise, if they had detained you, how could I face Mr. Fang and the old master? You are too headstrong!"

Zheng Yi said aggrievedly, "How was I to know it would be like this? I just wanted to take a look at the factory to get an idea of the situation before coming to ask you. Who knew it would be full of armed police and officers, and they were so fierce!"

"Hey! Let it go. Don't tell Mr. Fang about today, or even I’ll get a royal scolding." After saying this, Secretary-General Huang glanced warily at Kang Ning in the driver's seat and turned to Zheng Yi, whispering, "Is this driver new?"

Zheng Yi hesitated for a second, then realized and smiled, "No, he’s a friend of mine and also a friend of Old Fang. We just happened to meet at the teahouse. After I got the call, I didn't know what to do, so I asked him to drive me."

Hearing that Kang Ning was a friend of Fang Xiong, the Secretary-General’s guard went down. He had Zheng Yi get in the car, then climbed into the back seat. He took an envelope from his briefcase and gave it to her, instructing, "When you get home, immediately transmit these materials to Mr. Fang. It’s not safe with so many people at our office, and I have a meeting I must attend that will last until late. Sorry for the trouble."

With that, Secretary-General Huang left, heading to his own Toyota Camry to return to the city. Zheng Yi, feeling dejected, leaned back in her seat without a word, and Kang Ning drove slowly back toward the city.