The fat man was startled when Wei Hongde grabbed him. He quickly shook off the grab and stammered, "You...you eat it. The captain asked me to prepare it for you."
Wei Hongde was momentarily stunned, but he forced himself to calm down and stared intently at the fat man's face before asking again, "Young brother, I know you're an honest man. Tell me, why is this happening? Even your Green Gang has to uphold the code of honor. We have no grudges against each other!"
Having weathered many storms in Shanghai, Wei Hongde possessed ample experience and knowledge. After being kidnapped, based on some observed details, he quickly deduced the origins of his captors, concluding that they were most likely the work of the local Green Gang.
The fat man was speechless at Wei Hongde's question. Although he was somewhat timid, he wasn't truly stupid and naturally understood the reason. He moved his mouth, but finally mumbled, "You, you can't blame me. The higher-ups said your identity is special, that you're a powerful figure, and they're afraid you'll cause trouble later, so..."
Wei Hongde's mind went blank for a moment, and he felt dizzy and almost fell to the ground. He knew very well what this meant. It seemed that he would not be able to go home tonight, and he would never have the chance again.
At 8 p.m., Lai Huaiwu left the courtyard with four of his men. He needed to scout out the transaction location, Lanjiaqiao, in advance to prepare for receiving the ransom and prevent any unexpected events from occurring during the transaction.
Just as they were leaving the courtyard, a deep voice rang out from the darkness: "Team leader, five people have left, but there should still be seven or eight people inside. That'll make it easier for us to take action."
The speaker was Zhou Hao, the action team leader under Zuo Gang. The person next to him was naturally Zuo Gang, who had been lurking in the city and in charge of intelligence activities.
Today, after Lai Huaiwu appeared at the Wanguo Casino, he was immediately discovered by Cui Yuanfeng's men. The people involved in the investigation were naturally Cui Yuanfeng's trusted confidants. These were former Shanghai station agents who had worked with them before. They had received formal training and were experienced in intelligence, making them more than capable of monitoring people like Lai Huaiwu.
So they followed Lai Huaiwu all the way and easily found the tenement where Wei Hongde was being held. Once the location was confirmed, they immediately reported it to Cui Yuanfeng. After several transfers, the intelligence finally reached Zuo Gang in the evening.
Zuo Gang, who had already received orders and was on standby, quickly mobilized after receiving intelligence, leading his team to the vicinity of the tenement, ready to carry out a rescue operation for Wei Hongde at any time.
Seeing Lai Huaiwu and the others leave, Zuo Gang did not make a move immediately. He was cautious and carefully observed the situation. He found that although the courtyard was remote, it was not too late and there were still a few pedestrians passing by. He knew that it was too early to make a move at this time, so he whispered and instructed, "Wait a little longer. There are still two hours before the ransom is due. We have plenty of time. Do not make a move rashly."
Time passed slowly, the night grew deeper and deeper, and all around was silent. Zuo Gang checked the time; it was already 9:10 p.m.
"Let's do it!"
At his command, a dozen figures moved silently toward the courtyard.
The courtyard looked very ordinary from the outside, and the surrounding walls were not high. For these highly experienced operatives, attacking a target in such terrain would not be difficult.
They chose different directions of attack, divided into three groups, approached the courtyard wall, and worked together seamlessly to set up scaffolding. They easily sent their three most agile team members inside the wall, and then quietly waited at the base of the wall for the guards inside the courtyard to deal with them.
Zhou Hao was among the three team members. He was as light as a monkey, nimbly vaulting over the wall and landing silently. As soon as his foot touched the ground, he immediately crouched down, observing the surroundings. After confirming that no one had noticed, he made his way towards the courtyard gate. Soon, the other two team members also sneaked in from different directions.
There was indeed a Green Gang member on duty in the courtyard. He was sitting in a chair, leaning against the door frame, popping a peanut into his mouth and humming an unknown tune. He was relaxed and carefree, not at all alert, and never thought that someone would come to his door.
When Zhou Hao leaned forward and suddenly grabbed his neck, he was completely unaware. With a forceful twist from Zhou Hao, his fragile neck bones snapped, and his body immediately went limp.
At this moment, two team members also approached. Seeing that Zhou Hao had already dealt with the guards, they turned and moved towards the room.
Zhou Hao turned around and gently opened the courtyard gate. The action team members waiting outside quickly entered and approached the doors and windows of the room. Seeing that everyone was in position, Zhou Hao waved his hand, and with a series of crisp cracking sounds, the action team members broke open the doors and windows and rushed in as fast as they could.
Besides the fat man guarding Wei Hongde, there were six Green Gang members in the room. They were clearly caught off guard by this sudden turn of events and had no time to react. The short guns in the members' hands kept firing, making muffled "puff puff" sounds under the action of the silencers.
The Green Gang members had no chance to resist at all before they were beaten until they trembled all over, blood gushing from their chests and heads. Their painful screams were abruptly cut short.
With a wave of his hand, Zhou Hao instructed his team to begin searching the other rooms. They quickly kicked open the door to the room where Wei Hongde was being held.
Zhou Hao rushed in first and immediately saw Wei Hongde locked in the iron bars, and the fat man huddled in the corner, trembling with fear.
"Pfft! Pfft!"
Zhou Hao didn't hesitate at all. His reaction was extremely quick. As soon as he caught a glimpse of the fat man out of the corner of his eye, he fired two shots from his Colt. The bullets hit the fat man's head precisely, killing him on the spot.
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