Chapter 33: Who Is It? Who's Outside the Courtyard?

The old leader’s face was as dark as water. He stared at Wang Mingliang and said in a grave voice, “This operation will be under your command, including myself. Whatever tasks you assign, just give the orders—everyone will comply unconditionally. We must bring all the enemies to justice.”

“Yes, sir.” Wang Mingliang saluted and replied loudly, “I guarantee completion of the mission.”

Just then, the office door was pushed open. An officer hurried in, saluted, and spoke anxiously, “Captain, the situation has changed. Zhang Qian and the other three have all left their residences one after another, heading toward the Mechanical Factory’s residential compound.”

“What?” Wang Mingliang was instantly alert. If the intel was correct, there was also a spy at the Mechanical Factory’s compound.

Were they going to connect with each other, or was there an operation underway?

No, he couldn’t wait any longer—they had to act immediately.

Wang Mingliang quickly issued orders, deciding to raid several nests at once and capture the enemies alive.

Soon, teams of officers were deployed, launching the operation. Especially at Brother Tao’s place, every officer carried a gas mask. The preparations were meticulous.

Meanwhile, Wang Mingliang personally led his men toward the Mechanical Factory’s residential compound.

The darkness concealed the criminals’ movements, but it also hid the officers’ approach. A contest was officially underway.

At the same time, chaos broke out at the toy factory.

They had finally discovered the theft of the treasure, but before they could react, several groups closed in on the factory.

As soon as they met, a fierce battle erupted—firepower unleashed on both sides.

Xu Lin was oblivious to the situation outside; she sat in her space, laughing to herself.

Hundreds of crates—Xu Lin was completely indulging in the thrill of opening mystery boxes.

And each box brought surprises: a crate of porcelain, a crate of jewelry, or even a crate of gold.

My goodness, anyone would be delighted to find such boxes—Xu Lin was grinning so widely her eyes disappeared.

What’s more, she found many ancient books, including family heirloom acupuncture techniques, ancestral medical recipes, and traditional massage methods.

Every medical book could shake the medical world if released.

But this was a special time—no one dared pay attention. Even losing a family’s medical heirloom, there was nowhere to seek justice.

Nor did anyone have the ability to reclaim them, leaving nothing but shame toward their ancestors.

Xu Lin caressed the medical books, almost able to imagine the despair of those families who lost them.

Fortunately, these books had fallen into her hands, and there was hope they’d see the light again.

Besides medical books, there were ancient texts on astronomy and geography—one geomantic atlas stood out.

It was thin, just over thirty pages, but each page contained precious records.

Xu Lin flipped through it quickly, discovering it detailed not only mountains and rivers, but also mineral deposits.

If this book fell into the hands of someone with ulterior motives, those minerals could be illegally excavated.

The losses then would be immense.

Xu Lin carefully stowed the book away—this was a treasure and must not be damaged.

Of course, these were not the only ancient texts. Xu Lin didn’t examine each one carefully but instead organized them, making sure they were well protected.

Before she finished, she heard commotion in the yard. Xu Lin quickly drank a glass of spiritual spring water, ended her laughter, and prepared for battle.

Leaving her space, Xu Lin used her spatial ability to open a black hole in the yard, quietly observing the situation.

Good—her enemies were in position. Except for Father Xu, everyone clutched a bottle of poisonous spray, ready to use at any moment.

Father Xu held a bamboo tube, a sinister, twisted smile on his face as he slowly approached the window.

He carefully opened a gap in the window and inserted the bamboo tube, from which a wisp of white smoke began to drift out.

Xu Lin sat by the bed, watching Father Xu’s antics with cold eyes and a mocking smile.

If the drug didn’t work, they’d resort to smoke—what madness. How could he be sure the smoke would be effective?

No, he wasn’t certain, which was why Zhang Qian and the others had come as reinforcements.

They not only brought drugged smoke, but also poisonous spray and silenced black guns—their preparations were thorough.

Exactly!

Xu Lin was about to act when her ears twitched. She immediately shifted her spatial black hole to outside the yard.

What she saw made her exclaim inwardly: a team was approaching rapidly, spreading out as soon as they reached the Xu family compound.

Soon, someone appeared atop a ladder.

Zhang Qian, holding a gun, turned sharply toward the yard wall, his ears twitching as he whispered, “Something’s wrong—someone’s outside the wall.”

“Who?” Father Xu asked. He was so anxious he almost inhaled the drugged smoke, but luckily he reacted in time. He called out loudly, “Who’s outside the yard?”

If it was a neighbor or someone familiar, they’d reply. If it was a criminal, the shout would make them flee quickly.

Father Xu listened carefully for any response; Zhang Qian and his three companions each sought cover, entering combat mode.

Zhang Qian cursed inwardly—what a mess. They had just started their operation and were already being watched.

If they were caught now, it would be disastrous.

“It’s me,” came the voice of neighbor Hu Erge from outside the gate. “You’re still up?”

“Yeah, why are you up so late?” Father Xu asked.

“My boy had diarrhea tonight, so I went to the clinic for some medicine,” Hu Erge replied, sighing and cursing his unruly child for not washing his hands before eating, no matter how many times he was told.

Now look, the child suffered, but it was he, the father, who had to worry and toil.

Hu Erge grew angrier as he spoke, muttering that once the child recovered, he’d give him a good beating.

Hearing that, Father Xu’s eye twitched—he couldn’t stand words like beating anymore. Every time he heard them, his whole body seemed to ache more.

Father Xu offered a few words of comfort and listened as Hu Erge’s footsteps faded away, breathing a sigh of relief.

He figured the drugged smoke had been blowing inside for a while, so those in the room should be unconscious. Father Xu boldly started to pry open the door.

Xu Lin had thought to act now, but remembering the people outside, she quietly lay down again.

Let’s see who makes the first move—let’s see who falls first.

She didn’t have to wait long—the yard soon descended into chaos. Beams of light shone on the faces of those inside, making them squint.

Amidst the confusion, gunshots rang out.

Zhang Qian and his group had barely raised their guns before they were hit—their black guns dropped to the ground, cutting their combat power in half.

They still had poisonous spray, but it was quickly discovered; Wang Mingliang’s group immediately went into full defense.

Father Xu stared in shock at the officers descending from above, stunned beyond belief that he was being watched.

How could he have missed any sign?

Thinking of the stolen treasure at home, Father Xu felt a pang of regret.

It must have been then that he exposed himself. He hadn’t expected the other side to be so bold—not only stealing, but even daring to report him.

Were they not afraid that he’d take furious revenge once the truth came out?