Chapter Seventy-Four: The Brainless Fool

The river's water, driven by the wind, ceaselessly crashed against the rocks on the shore. Years of relentless pounding had polished those stones smooth. Tonight, the moonlight was particularly bright, and together with the dim glow of the pier’s lamps, the night seemed almost as luminous as day.

“It’s midnight, and still no sign of them.”

Li Minghao and Bai Chuan stood silently by the water’s edge, waiting. Li Minghao grew uneasy with each passing minute, wondering if something had gone wrong, but Bai Chuan’s expression remained unchanged, glancing at his wristwatch from time to time.

At last, a fishing boat appeared on the river. The engine’s rumble was unusually loud against the quiet of the night. A man, seemingly in his early thirties, stood on the deck with his hands clasped behind his back. He wore a white leather jacket and black leather trousers, his hair cropped short. Shen Qingchi detested the foul, fishy stench aboard the vessel, but this route had been arranged by his father. He had to keep a low profile this time, ensure their enemies didn’t catch wind of his arrival.

“Damn it, my dear little sister can’t even get to the bottom of Huang Chao’s disappearance, and now I have to endure this wretched boat because of her incompetence.”

The fishing boat drifted closer to the pier, and Shen Qingchi spotted the two men standing there. Once the boat had docked, Shen Qingchi stepped ashore with deliberate slowness. Bai Chuan’s brows furrowed deeply; the stench was nauseating, and as he covered his nose, he exchanged a glance with Li Minghao, ready to step forward.

But before they could move, six more men emerged from the boat’s cabin, each with a palpable aura of otherness about them, following in Shen Qingchi’s wake.

What was this?

Bai Chuan and Li Minghao shared another look—the sudden appearance of these six was an unexpected complication.

“Can we take them all out in one go?” Li Minghao took a deep breath and asked in a low voice.

Bai Chuan swept his gaze over the newcomers. “I can’t gauge their strength. I can’t guarantee we’ll kill them all. The river’s right behind them—if any of them are water-dwelling creatures, they could escape underwater. We’d never catch up.”

“And trying to kill those six and capture him alive would be… difficult.”

Killing Shen Qingchi would be easy. Capturing him alive, however, was another matter entirely. Judging by his demeanor, he was no weakling.

“Then hold off for now. Let’s see what happens,” Li Minghao whispered, then put on a casual, charming smile and stepped forward.

Shen Qingchi, flanked by his six followers, looked displeased. “Where’s Shen Qingdai? Her beloved fourth brother comes all this way, and she doesn’t bother to greet me herself? She sends you two instead?”

Li Minghao and Bai Chuan exchanged glances. Li Minghao replied smoothly, “Hello, Mr. Shen. Miss Shen has been very busy lately, so she asked us to come fetch you on her behalf.”

“Hmph.” Shen Qingchi’s dissatisfaction was plain. He cast his gaze over the pier. “Find me a place to stay. I want a hot bath and some rest.”

“Of course, please come with us.” Li Minghao’s mind was racing. Capture him alive, or lure him away by trickery—was there really any difference? Once he was away from his men, they could grab him and interrogate him at their leisure.

Meanwhile, in front of the surveillance screens, Shen Qingdai stared in disbelief, turning to Li Changqing. “What is Bai up to? Why is he shaking hands with my fourth brother? Aren’t they going to make a move? Idiots!”

She watched as Shen Qingchi shook hands with Li Minghao and, smiling, followed him and Bai Chuan away. Shen Qingdai was stunned.

She had always believed intelligence was a precious thing, but her fourth brother seemed to lack it entirely. Was he really going to just follow agents from the Thirty-Sixth Division without even verifying their identities?

Shen Qingdai was about to rise and intervene. Her aim was to see Shen Qingchi die at the hands of the Thirty-Sixth Division, not be tricked away by them. This fool—he probably didn’t even need to be tortured for information; they could simply coax it out of him.

The secrecy of this pier was crucial. If word got out…

Li Changqing noticed the shift in Shen Qingdai’s expression and quickly stopped her. “Boss Shen, you can’t go over there now. What would you say? That they’re agents of the Thirty-Sixth Division? Then what, a brawl right on the spot?”

Shen Qingdai’s expression darkened. “Even if I want him dead, I don’t want him falling into their hands.”

Li Changqing spoke soothingly, “Boss Shen, don’t worry. You still have me, don’t you?”

Yes. She still had a card to play—a spy of her own.

Narrowing her eyes, Shen Qingdai reasoned that, even as stupid as Shen Qingchi was, he couldn’t possibly give up the secret right away. As long as Li Changqing could poison him in secret, killing Shen Qingchi wouldn’t be difficult.

“Follow them. See where they take my fourth brother…”

Li Minghao, meanwhile, was at a loss as to what to do next. Things were going almost too well. This creature had no sense of caution. As they walked away from the pier, Shen Qingchi even complained about his sister not coming in person. From his grumbling, they learned that he was indeed Shen Qingdai’s brother.

“What kind of place has my dear sister arranged for me?” Shen Qingchi asked, trailing behind them with his men, cigarette in hand.

Bai Chuan, not far off, clenched his fists. The fishy stench was already dizzying, and now with cigarette smoke layered over it, it was almost unbearable.

Just then, Li Changqing hurried out from the pier. “Old Li, Old Bai, Mr. Shen Qingchi.” He stepped forward and shook Shen Qingchi’s hand warmly. “I’m with Miss Fifth. She was delighted to hear you’d arrived.”

Shen Qingchi snorted. Delighted? She’d probably rather curse him dead in secret. He forced a smile. “Fine, let’s just settle in first. We’ll talk later.”

“Yes, we’ll arrange transportation right away…” Li Changqing pulled Li Minghao and Bai Chuan aside.

“So, what’s the plan?” Li Changqing whispered. “Lure them somewhere remote and act, or…?”

Li Minghao frowned. “Those six with him aren’t weak. Maybe we should bring them all into the Thirty-Sixth Division?”

The division’s people were all there; once these monsters were inside, it would be like sheep entering a lion’s den.

“No. This has to stay off the books. If the chief finds out…” Bai Chuan shook his head without hesitation.

“Then, should I just find them a place to stay?”

Li Minghao made a call. Soon, three luxury cars arrived. The four drivers, dressed in suits with white gloves, looked every bit the professionals. After getting out, they saluted Li Minghao and opened the car doors.

“Mr. Shen, if you please,” Li Minghao said with a beaming smile. “Your men can take the other cars.”

But Shen Qingchi ignored him, beckoned two of his followers, and got into one of the cars.