Breach

Chen Chuan had no objections to Wei Chang'an's arrangements and said, "Alright, I'll follow your lead, Brother Wei." Seeing that Wei Chang'an seemed to have more to discuss with Cai Si, he added, "Brother Wei, I'll head down first to familiarize myself with the area. I'll be back in a bit." Wei Chang'an said, "Alright. Be careful." After he left, Cai Si said to Wei Chang'an, "Brother Wei, this Junior Chen isn't bad." Generally speaking, newcomers Chen Chuan's age were eager to show off—especially those with real skill and ability, who hated being relegated to the rear. Yet due to a lack of experience, they easily botched things. Cai Si had gone through that phase himself, which was why he usually disliked working with greenhorns. But Chen Chuan had provided the lead and was a core participant; leaving him out was impossible. Fortunately, Chen Chuan possessed keen self-awareness, which made things much easier. At times, what they feared wasn't danger, but being dragged down by their own people. Wei Chang'an said, "Don't underestimate him. He might be two years younger than us, but on that last commission, I was supposed to be the one showing him the ropes. Fatty Guo pulled some tricks, and I nearly capsized. If he hadn't caught the guy, who knows what would've happened. This junior has great moves and acts with absolute decisiveness. Give him six months to a year of experience, and neither of us will likely match him." "Really?" Cai Si asked in surprise. "He's that capable?" Wei Chang'an said, "Enough about him for now. Both of you must stay sharp this time. All the intel we have right now came out of that 'Brother Tian.' With limited time and various constraints, we couldn't verify everything, so we have no choice but to trust it. Still, the situation on the ground is unpredictable, and nothing is foolproof, so keep your guard up." Cai Si nodded. "A lot of pressure, Brother Wei?" Wei Chang'an said, "This is my first time heading up an assignment like this. Saying there's no pressure would be a lie. The constabulary named me personally for this commission, which ruffled plenty of feathers back at the company. I'm sure quite a few people are waiting to watch me make a fool of myself. "But if we pull it off and follow this thread to drag Fang Dawei's gang into the open, having that on our record gives everyone a real shot at being promoted to senior commissioner. Only then will we have the chance to strike out on our own, so no matter what, we have to give it everything we've got." Cai Si nodded in silence. After thinking it over, he said in a low voice, "Brother Wei, I have to remind you—aside from our own brothers and classmates, most of the rest were sent by the company. I'm worried someone might try to trip us up. Making something succeed is hard, but ruining it is all too easy." Wei Chang'an said, "I know. That's why only our own brothers can hold the critical positions. Speaking of which, Junior Chen is trustworthy. In a crunch, you can rely on him." Cai Si grinned. "So putting him at that post wasn't just to look out for him, Brother Wei. Alright, I get it." By this time, Chen Chuan had reached the ground floor. Knowing what today entailed, he had skipped his student uniform and deliberately changed into an ordinary jacket. He first took a stroll through the commercial market. The front section mainly sold daily necessities and clothing, mostly wholesale by the looks of it, with tricycles shuttling back and forth. Not far off were a produce market and a fruit market. Walking along the central lane of the market and looking back through the large characters on the market's overhead signboards, he could see a row of windows on that building directly facing this way. The intersection Wei Chang'an had told him to hold was just a short distance ahead, flanked on both sides by shops selling groceries and sundries. After making a round, he picked up a bag of apples and three bottles of soda pop, then walked back along the street. But as he turned the corner, he glanced toward the building and noticed a woman walking out, which drew a second look from him. Though she was a middle-aged woman, the rhythm of her footsteps suggested she was trained in martial arts. Yet in this day and age, trained people were everywhere, so after just a glance, he pulled his eyes away. He made his way back to Wei Chang'an and Cai Si's lookout, set the apples on the table, and handed a bottle of soda to each of them. Cai Si took his with a chuckle. "Bringing snacks, Junior? So polite! Don't worry, your Fourth Brother will definitely look out for you later." Wei Chang'an took his bottle but didn't drink. Instead, he washed an apple and ate it before changing into different clothes. When he came out, he checked his wristwatch and said, "An hour and a half left. We need to start prepping. I'll get you two situated first, then go check on the others one by one. Follow me." He led them toward the stretch of road in front of the commercial market and entered a grain and oil shop along the street. After greeting the owner, they headed into the back, where Wei Chang'an handed Chen Chuan a slip of paper and instructed: "Junior, according to the plan, the operation starts at ten o'clock. At ten fifteen, our personnel will rendezvous on the rooftop in batches. Around ten twenty, the firecrackers will go off—might be slightly delayed. Half a minute after the firecrackers sound, we breach. So at ten o'clock sharp, call this number and tell them to cut the telephone lines." This was a precaution in case an overlooked lookout tried to phone Scarface when they moved in. Even if Scarface's scouts didn't rely on telephones, the risk was non-zero, and taking the precaution was better than doing nothing. Chen Chuan glanced at the number and agreed. Wei Chang'an turned to Cai Si. "Keep an eye on things." Cai Si nodded solemnly. After Wei Chang'an left, the two waited patiently, chatting occasionally. Cai Si told Chen Chuan that they weren't the only ones here; there were other helpers handling odd jobs. For instance, the shop owner was one of their own, and if anything needed doing, they could have those people handle it. As they waited, over an hour ticked by, and ten o'clock soon arrived. Cai Si, who had been watching the time closely, looked up and said, "Junior, Brother Wei and the others should be heading onto the roof now. You can make the call!" Standing right beside the telephone, Chen Chuan didn't hesitate. He lifted the receiver and dialed the number. Once the line connected, he followed the prompt written on the slip: "This is the capture squad. Requesting immediate cut of the telephone lines." The voice on the other end responded, "Understood. Executing immediately." Chen Chuan put down the receiver and gave Cai Si a nod. Cai Si walked to the edge of the storefront, looking up at the building and glancing at his watch from time to time. About five or six minutes later, a sudden clamor broke out in the commercial market's street behind them, followed by shouting and pounding footsteps. Someone yelled, "A fight! They're fighting!" Cai Si froze, looked back up toward the upper floors, and murmured, "Looks like trouble." At that very moment, Wei Chang'an and five others had already crept onto the rooftop. They had ascended one by one from pre-assigned positions without attracting notice. However, they were still short half the planned manpower. They weren't in a rush; seven or eight minutes remained before the scheduled time, plenty of margin. Yet right then, a sudden clamor drifted up from the market to the north, as if chaos had erupted. Someone peeked over the edge and said, "Brother Wei, we've got a situation." Wei Chang'an frowned. Commotions in this commercial market were common enough, but having one at this exact juncture was awkward—it could easily draw Scarface's attention in that direction. Furthermore, a disturbance erupting right at this moment was far too coincidental. His instincts told him they couldn't wait any longer, and he immediately ordered, "Something's off. The situation might have changed. We strike now!" Someone cautioned, "But Brother Wei, everyone isn't here yet." Wei Chang'an said, "We hit them first to pin them down! Once the rest get up here, they'll know what to do!" "Wait," someone pulled him back, speaking solemnly. "Commissioner Wei, we can't be sure if Scarface has already noticed what's going on over there. Since that's the case, why don't we breach from the south first? When the late arrivals get here, they can enter from the north. A pincer attack gives us a better shot, doesn't it?" The others couldn't help looking at Wei Chang'an, waiting for his decision. Wei Chang'an considered it. This plan merely reversed the original order of breaching north first, then south. He made a swift decision: "Alright, we do it that way. No more waiting—move in now!" Wei Chang'an and his group crept carefully over to the south side, keeping their footsteps as silent as possible. Then three of them anchored one end of the ropes while the other three gripped the ropes and vaulted outward. Harnessing the rebound momentum, they channeled their jin and crashed toward the weathered windows. With a loud crash, glass shattered. Wei Chang'an smashed inside and rolled to his feet, only to find the easternmost room completely empty. Shouts, curses, and the sounds of fighting echoed from the other rooms, and he immediately charged toward the adjacent door. The instant he shoved it open, a gust of wind from a punch rushed at his face. Tilting his head aside, he shoved outward with one hand as a kick lashed toward him from the front. With a burst of jin, both men shuddered from the impact. Wei Chang'an didn't yield half a step, but his opponent tumbled backward. The man shot him a glance, scrambled up, and without a second thought leaped straight out of the open window facing north. Ignoring him, Wei Chang'an charged straight into the inner room. He saw one of his teammates grappling with someone, who shouted to him, "Scarface is next door!" Wei Chang'an rushed toward the final room at once. But only halfway there, a tremendous boom shook the air as the wall opposite caved in. A teammate was flung out amid flying bricks and mortar. Wei Chang'an hastily raised his arms to shield himself and took several steps back. Once the dust settled, he looked past the jagged hole in the wall. Standing there was a burly man wearing a grayish-blue work smock, with thick, sturdy legs and a stitched scar across his face. In one hand he held a heavy cleaver, and in the other, an engineer's hammer. His expression hardened, and he barked, "Scarface!"