Chapter 6 Deal. Keep this kid for now, tie him up tightly!
Explosives, anesthetics?
Old Dao's sinister eyes narrowed in the darkness. He turned slightly, letting the dim light from outside shine on Chu Yanxi's face. His gaze held scrutiny and a hint of dangerous curiosity that had been piqued: "What did you say? Explosives?"
Chu Yanxi met his gaze and said calmly, "Yes, explosives. Ammonium nitrate, sawdust, diesel fuel, or even simpler, a mixture of red phosphorus and potassium chlorate. As long as the proportions are right, the raw materials are not hard to find, and the power is enough to blow open an ordinary safe door."
"There are even more effective anesthetics, pure and unadulterated, or herbal extracts, that can make a bull fall to the ground silently within seconds. I can do all of these."
Lu Zhe, who was pretending to be dead on the ground, couldn't help but open his eyelids a crack and look at Chu Yanxi. At this moment, her face was as white as snow, but she had an innate calm and resolute temperament that made people unconsciously convinced. No wonder she was a famous negotiation expert in Jiangcheng Public Security Bureau. She knew everything! She could even make explosives and anesthetics.
If Chu Yanxi could hear Lu Zhe's inner thoughts, she would definitely let out a soft hum.
When the Jiangcheng Public Security Bureau formed its negotiation expert group, it had strict age requirements: 35-46 years old. This single requirement alone eliminated Chu Yanxi, who was only 26 years old and had just joined the police force five years prior.
Director Li's attitude was firm: "Too young, lacking social experience, speaks in a flippant manner, unable to move people, no good."
In the end, it was Master Qin Feng who pointed at the table and argued: "What's wrong with being young? Some people live half their lives and still don't understand life, while others are born with a sharper mind than others!" Only then did Chu Yanxi get the opportunity to participate in the subsequent assessment.
The on-site test results showed that Chu Yanxi had an IQ of 130, achieved a perfect score on the knowledge assessment paper, had a well-developed language control area, and ranked first in the on-the-spot reaction score.
Looking at Chu Yanxi's exam paper, which covered 14 subjects including politics, religion, ethnicity, morality, law, finance, transportation, language, physiology, strategy, performance, meteorology, and dangerous goods, Director Li was finally moved: "It is indeed excellent, so let's admit him exceptionally."
Therefore, Chu Yanxi was quite adept at manufacturing dangerous materials such as explosives and anesthetics.
Old Dao's Adam's apple bobbed. He had been in the underworld for many years and had heard many rumors about these things. He knew their value, but he was still skeptical: "How could a college student like you know these things?"
Chu Yanxi remained calm: "I'm a top student in the chemistry department, and I've had plenty of exposure to it in the lab. It's easy to learn what's written in books and taught by teachers. I'm quite interested in these things, so naturally I've studied them a lot."
In the 1980s, information was scarce, and Lao Dao, lacking education, had no idea that a second-year university student in an ordinary school couldn't possibly possess such knowledge. Lao Dao was successfully fooled by Chu Yanxi and found her much more agreeable: "Little sister, you're pretty amazing."
After gaining the other party's trust, Chu Yanxi got down to business: "Brother Dao, we're in this human trafficking business for money. But this industry has a long chain, too many people sharing the spoils, and it's very risky. Along the way, you have to bribe the station and the police station, and by the time it reaches the buyer, it's been stripped down layer by layer. How much money do you actually get? For someone like me, five thousand yuan sounds like a lot, but by the time it gets to you, Brother Dao, it's probably less than two thousand, right? And you have to live in constant fear, afraid of being investigated by the police, afraid of being double-crossed, afraid that the goods will cause trouble. All that hard work, risking your life, and in the end you only earn a pittance. Is it worth it?"
As she spoke, she observed Lao Dao's micro-expressions and adjusted her language accordingly.
Her words successfully stirred up Lao Dao's deepest dissatisfaction and resentment. He was indeed extremely disgusted with the current way of making money, which required "slow and steady wins the race," to be subservient to others, and to be exploited at every turn.
When he was young, Lao Dao was a ruthless figure who made a name for himself in the underworld. He believed in "getting revenge quickly and decisively," and that pulling off one big heist was enough to make him live a carefree life for several years.
In the 1960s and 70s, nobody had much money. Even if you robbed a bank, you wouldn't get much. By the 1980s, there were more and more rich people. To be honest, Lao Dao was very envious when he saw those people wearing big gold chains, small watches, leather jackets, and drinking foreign liquor. But he had no connections, no tools, and most importantly, he lacked a smart person who could plan big things. In the end, he could only succumb to reality and follow others to do this kind of "mundane" and slow-paying business.
Chu Yanxi's words struck a chord with him.
Old Dao didn't speak immediately, but Chu Yanxi knew from his slightly forward-leaning body and slowed breathing that his words had hit the nail on the head.
She pressed on, lowering her voice even further, her words carrying a seductive power born of a keen understanding of human nature: "Brother Dao, look at me. A college student like me, after all this trouble you've gone through, I'm only worth five thousand. But if we cooperate, with my explosives-making skills and a college student's brain, and your courage and manpower, we can pull off a few swift and satisfying heists, potentially earning more in one go than you've combined from trafficking dozens of women. Lower risk, higher returns, and less time. It's not hard to do the math."
"Cooperation?" Old Dao scoffed, thinking this woman was audacious and delusional. "You, a piece of meat on my chopping block, want to talk to me about cooperation? Why should I believe you? Just based on a few empty words?"
"Because I can get you things you never even dared to dream of before with minimal cost." Chu Yanxi said without backing down, her gaze sharp. "Brother Dao, haven't you ever thought about doing something even more straightforward? Like... robbing the credit union on payday at the forest farm? Or robbing a wealthy boss who's returning home for the New Year? With the explosives I make, you can easily open safes or create chaos; with the highly effective anesthetics I make, you can control the situation without bloodshed. Clean and efficient, take the money and leave. Compared to what you're doing now, traveling long distances, living in fear, and ending up with most of the money in someone else's pocket, which is more worthwhile?"
The prospect she described was simple, direct, and highly profitable, full of a sense of power and control, perfectly matching Lao Dao's deep-seated desire for "quick money" and "status in the underworld."
This sounds like the kind of thing Old Dao should be doing! This is the kind of "great undertaking" that will allow him to regain his dignity and command respect!
Old Dao's heart started racing.
He had indeed fantasized about it countless times, but the lack of concrete plans and technical means kept him confined to the realm of fantasy. At this moment, Chu Yanxi's words successfully unleashed the beast within him that yearned for adventure and violence.
But being an old hand at the game, he suppressed his excitement and asked in a gloomy tone, "Even if what you're saying is true, how can I guarantee you're not playing tricks? What if you turn around and accuse me, or what you make turns out to be subpar? Wouldn't I end up losing everything?"
Chu Yanxi had anticipated his question and calmly replied, "Brother Dao, you're very knowledgeable. How could a scholar like me survive if sold to the deep mountains? I'm just trying to survive, which is why I considered cooperating with you. I'll help you with your big business, and you give me a way to live. What are you afraid of, a weak woman like me who can't even kill a chicken?"
Chu Yanxi positioned herself very humbly in order to reduce the other party's wariness.
Hearing her say that all she wanted was to survive, Old Dao couldn't help but nod. He had sold many young women, who were in their prime when he brought them in, but within a few years they were reduced to barely having a life left. The more educated they were, the more ruthless they were—Chu Yanxi's words were indeed true.
Seeing that he was moved, Chu Yanxi continued to add pressure: "Until the plan succeeds, we're all in this together. If the product fails or doesn't work well, I'll be the first to die. As for the guarantee... you can shackle me, send people to watch me make it, you control the raw materials, and I'll only be responsible for the technology and proportions. If we succeed, we'll split the profits according to our contributions; if we fail, you can deal with me at any time."
Chu Yanxi paused for a moment, then gave a self-deprecating laugh: "After all, as long as my innocence remains, I'm worth five thousand yuan. It's just a matter of selling me a few days later, isn't it?"
Old Dao fell silent, his fingers unconsciously tapping on the doorframe as he weighed his options fiercely. Chu Yanxi was right; a truly skilled technician, whose life and death were in his hands, was far more valuable than a commodity sold for five thousand yuan at once. If Chu Yanxi was lying to him, he could simply sell her again. Old Dao refused to believe she could escape Yushutai!
Chu Yanxi seized the opportunity to steer the conversation back to Lu Zhe: "As for him... once the Zhao Jiatun Cultural Station can't get in touch with him, they'll definitely contact the city's cultural bureau to inquire about his whereabouts and itinerary. The disappearance of a cadre from the city is no small matter. If the police trace his train number, your long-established railway line will be rendered useless. You know better than I do how much loss that will be."
Old Dao frowned; this was indeed a problem he had been worried about.
Chu Yanxi glanced at Lu Zhe, who was "unconscious" on the ground: "Here's what I'll do. I'll give you an idea as a token of my sincerity before we start our cooperation."
Old Dao's eyes lit up: "Go ahead."
Chu Yanxi: "Don't kill him yet. Have him make a phone call to the Zhaojiatun Cultural Station and Qingyuan County Cultural Bureau first thing tomorrow morning, saying that he is sick due to the change in environment and needs to rest for a while, or that the inspection mission has been extended and will be delayed for a month or two."
Old Dao pondered for a long time without speaking. Every word the woman in front of him said resonated with him; she truly deserved to be called an educated college student.
She's right. This kid in the orange jacket is a hot potato! If we kill him, the police might investigate; if we don't, we're just raising a useless piece of trash, which isn't worth it.
"Making explosives is a complicated process, and I need an assistant. Luckily, he's an educated man, so he can help me out for now. Once we've accomplished our big mission and got enough money, we can deal with him then, or maybe we can dump him deep in the mountains and stage an accidental fall, leaving no trace. Wouldn't that be safer? It would eliminate the immediate risks and buy us time for our big mission."
Chu Yanxi's proposal was very comprehensive, taking into full account Lao Dao's interests and risk control, transforming Lu Zhe from a "useless nuisance" into a "temporarily usable asset." Its shrewdness and calculation even secretly alarmed Lao Dao, leaving Lu Zhe, who was feigning death on the ground, with mixed feelings.
He's a lawyer, and his professional qualities include keen observation, empathy and teamwork, and the ability to engage in psychological warfare in court. But as a divorce lawyer, he excels even more in the legal maneuvering and handling of family conflicts and disputes.
Falling into the hands of human traffickers, he felt a sense of helplessness, like a scholar encountering a soldier or a tiger fallen into the plains.
Unexpectedly, Chu Yanxi, whom he once described as a "ruthless machine," used her wisdom and abilities to save him from this predicament.
Old Dao stared at Chu Yanxi for a full minute, as if trying to see through her beautiful face to figure out how many strange, yet exciting, ideas were still lurking in her mind.
Finally, he grinned, revealing a grotesque smile that was a mixture of cruelty, excitement, and a hint of appreciation: "Good! Good! Interesting! This is fucking interesting! Little sister, you're definitely different from those crybabies. I'll trust you this once and play this big game with you! If you win, you'll live the high life with me; if you dare to play tricks..."
He didn't finish his sentence, but the chilling killing intent made the air almost freeze.
“I’m already in your hands, what tricks can I play?” Chu Yanxi looked at him calmly and emphasized again, “Cooperation is a win-win situation. You get money and status in the underworld, and I get the chance to survive. It’s fair.”
"Deal!" Old Dao kicked Lu Zhe again. "Keep this kid for now, tie him up tight!"
He glanced at the unconscious girls in the corner, his eyes cold and icy, as if looking at three dead bodies. In his mind, these three girls would be sold to the deep mountains sooner or later. There, they would be helpless, unable to send any messages out. Old Dao didn't care whether they heard him or not, or whether they would betray him.
Old Dao turned and walked out of the mud-brick house. He whispered a few instructions to the guards, emphasizing that they should keep a close eye on Chu Yanxi and Lu Zhe, and temporarily meet Chu Yanxi's basic needs, but strengthen their guard.
The door was locked again, and the heavy clanging of the iron lock was particularly jarring in the night.
Once the door closed, the mud-brick house fell silent once more.
Lu Zhe then dared to quietly open his eyes and look in Chu Yanxi's direction in the absolute darkness. He couldn't see her expression, only a blurry, upright silhouette, as if the thrilling negotiation just now was as trivial as going to the market to buy a head of cabbage.
Chu Yanxi couldn't see Lu Zhe's face, but she could sense the complex emotions churning within him from his increasingly rapid heartbeat. She offered no explanation, simply leaning back against the cold wall, closing her eyes, and whispering in a voice only the two of them could hear: "Only by surviving can we have a chance to talk about justice. Now, sleep, conserve your strength."
Her tone remained calm.
For the first time, Lu Zhe truly felt that behind Chu Yanxi's awe-inspiring profession lay an almost inhuman rationality, an iron will, and a steadfast and persistent determination to achieve his goals at all costs.
A note from the author:
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