Chapter 9 At the dinner table, you college student have brains, not bad! ...
Old Dao was in a good mood and had his men prepare some food and wine before enthusiastically inviting Chu Yanxi to the table.
"Miss Qiao, I never thought you could actually make explosives." Old Dao took a swig of cheap liquor, grinned, and revealed his teeth, which were stained yellow from smoking. "That's great, things will be much easier from now on."
He paused, a fierce glint in his eyes: "Let's pull off something big!"
Chu Yanxi didn't reply, but first glanced at the table.
Fried peanuts, cold preserved eggs, braised pig's head, plus a big stew of cabbage, vermicelli, and mushrooms, and a large plate of potstickers and corn cakes. There was no chicken or fish; the only meat dish was braised meat bought from outside. It was clear that this group of people were not living a very good life.
Having been in this world for two days, this was the first time she had eaten hot food. She picked up a mouthful of cabbage and put it in her mouth, finally feeling a little more comfortable in her stomach.
Lu Zhe wasn't allowed to sit at the table, so he could only stand behind Chu Yanxi, munching on a cornbread biscuit.
After eating about half a meal, Chu Yanxi calmly replied, "Brother Dao, the explosives I'm making right now are just a small experiment. Their power, stability, and safety are still not up to par. I need more materials, specifically industrial potassium nitrate with higher purity."
Old Dao now completely believed Chu Yanxi's words and nodded repeatedly: "No problem! Tell me what you need, and I'll find a way to get it!"
After saying that, he said to the gloomy-faced man sitting opposite him, "Daqiang, you're resourceful. Think of a way to get some good stuff."
The man known as Daqiang nodded silently, his cold gaze sweeping across Chu Yanxi's face without any extra expression.
Chu Yanxi continued, "Brother Dao, you just said you wanted to pull off a big heist. Where is your target? The credit union? The mine's wages? Or the transport trucks?"
Chu Yanxi adapted well to her role as a robber's strategist for the first time. Having worked in the criminal investigation unit for five years, she had encountered many robbers and was familiar with their criminal psychology and modus operandi. This was simply a change of role; easy.
Seeing Chu Yanxi's eager look, Lao Dao found it quite amusing. He took a big gulp of wine and slammed the glass down on the table: "You college student, you've got the makings of a shady business. You know quite a bit."
Chu Yanxi twitched the corner of his mouth: "Reading too many books will make you understand everything."
Old Dao laughed heartily: "You're a smart college student, not bad!"
Seeing their boss smile, the underlings got a little cocky. They drank and slapped the table, and one of them couldn't resist reaching out to touch Chu Yanxi's face, his face full of lust: "I've never slept with a college student before. Now that you're in the gang, why don't you give me a kiss?"
A sharp glint flashed in Chu Yanxi's eyes as she dodged his hand and glanced sideways at Lao Dao.
Old Dao raised his hand and slapped the henchman's hand away, cursing viciously, "You think you can fly after drinking a few cups of horse piss? Miss Qiao can make explosives, what can you do? Behave yourself!"
The younger brother was still afraid of Old Knife after all. He slapped himself and said three times with a bitter face, "I was wrong, I was wrong, I was wrong!"
While slapping himself, the underling muttered to himself: I didn't expect Brother Dao to be so protective of Miss Qiao. It seems I won't be able to take advantage of her anymore.
Old Dao needed Chu Yanxi's help now and didn't want to anger her. After disciplining his underling, he brought the conversation back on track: "The credit union and bank in town have a lot of money, but the security guards have guns, so it's difficult. The mine has a good amount of end-of-month wages, but there are too many people around, so it's hard to get there. I was thinking, could we get some transport trucks? I heard there's a road where trucks frequently haul goods to the county, and there aren't many people guarding them..."
Chu Yanxi listened attentively, putting himself in the criminal's shoes: "The credit union and bank's warehouses are sturdy, requiring targeted blasting, which demands high-quality explosives and carries significant risks, but also high profits. The mining area has strict financial management, and the money is usually deposited in the bank. We need to target them around payday, but the security department is very vigilant during those days, making the robbery more difficult. Transport vehicles are highly mobile, but the targets are uncertain, requiring long-term surveillance and making them easy to expose."
Hearing such a clear and meticulous analysis for the first time, Lao Dao was completely captivated: "So, according to you, we still have to rob a bank? Who cares about the risks? Once the explosives go off, it's all gold and silver! By the time the police arrive, we'll be long gone. Besides, I have connections at the Yushutai Police Station, I'm not afraid!"
Chu Yanxi raised his eyebrows, nodded, and then shook his head.
Old Dao had a short temper, and seeing her expression, he became a little impatient: "What do you mean? Is robbing a bank a good idea or a bad idea?"
When the other party became anxious, Chu Yanxi stopped being anxious.
She deliberately slowed her speech: "The idea is good, but we have to take things one step at a time. I think we should start with relatively easy targets and accumulate experience. For example... are there any relatively remote warehouses or supply and marketing cooperative distribution points nearby with lax security? Let's practice there first."
Eleven people robbed a bank?
Chu Yanxi felt that with too many people, things would easily get chaotic, and it would be difficult to manage them all at once.
Old Dao stroked his chin and pondered: "There are a few remote warehouses. There's one over in Jiapigou, I heard it's stocked with some in-demand goods, and there aren't many people guarding it."
He glanced at Daqiang: "Right?"
Daqiang gave a low "hmm," clearly indicating that this group had long coveted the warehouse.
Chu Yanxi suggested, "We can start with these kinds of targets. But the premise is that we must personally scout the locations, confirm the accuracy of the intelligence, and plan the entry and exit routes and contingency plans."
"Scouting the location?" Old Dao frowned, his gaze towards Chu Yanxi becoming more wary. "Who's going?"
Chu Yanxi could naturally see what Lao Dao was wary of: "Whoever goes to scout the location will definitely follow Brother Dao's arrangements. I'm not familiar with the environment; I'm only responsible for giving advice."
Old Dao stared at her, his eyes flickering, and suddenly asked a seemingly unrelated question: "Miss Qiao, I, Old Dao, have been around for so many years, and I'm pretty good at judging people. Your brains, your audacity, and your actions are truly... ruthless and decisive! I really can't understand how Sister Hong's underhanded tricks could have fooled you?"
Sister Hong is the woman with the child who abducted Qiao Zhaoran on the train. She looks kind and honest, but she is actually extremely cunning. She specifically targets single girls, first using the child to lower their guard, and then finding an opportunity to drug them.
Old Dao's obviously probing tone instantly made the atmosphere at the dinner table subtle, with Black Bull and Da Qiang's eyes both focused on Chu Yanxi's face.
Lu Zhe's heart jumped into his throat as he nervously looked at Chu Yanxi.
Chu Yanxi paused, her hand holding the pancake still. She slowly raised her head, meeting Lao Dao's probing gaze, a self-deprecating smile curving her lips, her voice lowered: "I'm... soft-hearted."
This reason, coming from a woman who had just calmly analyzed how to carry out a robbery by explosion, seems absurd. But it is precisely because of its absurdity that it seems so real.
After all, it's normal for women to be a little soft-hearted when it comes to children.
Old Dao paused for a moment, then burst into a rough and exaggerated laugh: "Hahaha... Soft-hearted? I didn't see that coming, I really didn't see that coming! Miss Qiao, you're more ruthless and decisive than many men! You're so decisive, I, Old Dao, admire you!"
His laughter stopped abruptly, and his gaze turned to Lu Zhe, who was silently munching on a cornbread. He pointed at him with his finger, his tone full of undisguised contempt and comparison, "But this kid, he's so indecisive and dawdling. He gets red-eyed after being beaten up, and he's clumsy at work, like a woman!"
Lu Zhe was chewing his food when he heard this. His cheeks flushed red instantly, and he clenched his fists tightly, feeling humiliated and angry.
Having worked as a divorce lawyer for five or six years, he has certainly heard a lot of criticism.
There was once a man who had been granted a divorce who rushed up to him as soon as he left the courthouse and started yelling at him: "Are you even a man? You're always taking the woman's side!"
At that moment, Lu Zhe remained calm and composed, and responded with a smile to the man's impotent rage: "I speak from my conscience, regardless of gender."
But he is now just a kidnapped prisoner who has a chance to survive because he can help Chu Yanxi as an assistant.
Here, where the law is useless and morality and justice are absent, he has no choice but to keep quiet.
Looking up, Lu Zhe saw Chu Yanxi sitting alone on the table, surrounded by ghosts. He took a deep breath, lowered his head, and took a big bite of the cornbread, swallowing it with his saliva. But his stomach felt like it was on fire, burning his internal organs with pain.
Chu Yanxi did not respond to Lao Dao's teasing, but simply said, "Being soft-hearted once is enough. Now, I just want to live."
This seemed to convince Lao Dao, who stopped asking questions and took another sip of wine: "Okay, we'll do it your way! Tomorrow, let Lao Qiang take two people to Heishigou for a stroll."
With the matter settled, the atmosphere at the dinner table became harmonious again. Old Dao was in high spirits and began to boast about his past "glorious deeds."
Back in his room, Lu Zhe was in low spirits and sat silently on a pile of hay.
Chu Yanxi glanced at him: "Feeling unwell?"
Lu Zhe suddenly looked up: "How much longer are we going to do this? I can't stand seeing this group of human traffickers getting away with it!"
"You have to endure it whether you like it or not." Chu Yanxi's tone was completely calm. "Remember what you see, remember what you hear. These will be the evidence to send them to prison in the future."
Although her words were somewhat harsh, they successfully extinguished the anger in Lu Zhe's heart and made him feel a sense of responsibility on his shoulders.
“Unfortunately, the crime of human trafficking only results in a prison sentence. Compared to their crimes, the punishment is too lenient.” Lu Zhe began his professional reflection. “According to the 1979 Criminal Law, those who traffic in people shall be sentenced to imprisonment for not more than five years; if the circumstances are serious, they shall be sentenced to imprisonment for more than five years.”
Lu Zhe's mind flashed back to Wei Yanli's desperate appearance as she rushed to her aid only to be slapped in the face. He gritted his teeth and cursed, "The childless bastards, a few years in prison is too lenient for them!"
Chu Yanxi reminded him, "It's 1985 now, and we're still in the midst of a crackdown."
Lu Zhe's eyes lit up as he searched his mind for information about the "Severe Crackdown on Serious Criminal Activities" launched in 1983.
His voice rose involuntarily: "Severe and swift punishment, round them all up! In September 1983, the 'Decision on Severely Punishing Criminals Who Seriously Endanger Social Order' was passed, supplementing and revising the 1979 Criminal Law, increasing the punishment for human trafficking, which can be imposed at the maximum penalty stipulated in the Criminal Law, up to and including the death penalty."
Chu Yan put a finger to his lips to warn him to be careful of eavesdroppers, and whispered, "Don't worry, I'll drive them to their deaths."
Seeing the ambiguous smile on her lips, Lu Zhe's heart raced. Not because of romantic feelings, but because of her unwavering confidence. He lowered his voice, almost whispering, "What's your plan?"
Chu Yanxi said nothing: "You continue to play the honest and timid role, and leave the rest to me."
Lu Zhe wanted to continue discussing the next steps with her, but after glancing out the window, he wisely abandoned the idea and changed the subject: "In the past, I always felt that you were too rational and lacked empathy."
Chu Yanxi did not explain.
Only rationality can ensure accurate judgment. When faced with hostage situations and violence, excessive sympathy is not a good thing.
Lu Zhe continued, "Now, I admire you a little. Dealing with these thugs who disregard the law all day long, aren't you tired?"
To be honest, watching Chu Yanxi negotiate with Lao Dao with ease, turning a dead end into a way out, and even leading the criminal operation, Lu Zhe felt a sense of respect, even though he didn't know her full plan.
Chu Yanxi acted as if she hadn't heard him, and simply lay down on the bed and closed her eyes.
Are you tired? Of course I am.
But why say it out loud?
A note from the author:
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