Chapter 697: The Chance to Strike!
Near the canning factory, close to the water, a black van sat with its lights off.
Zhao Weixiang stared at his walkie-talkie, listening to the incoming reports, his face dark and terrifying.
“Liu Yutong… quite the move.”
He’d carefully orchestrated this trap to lure Liu Yutong into leading a direct assault on the canning factory, allowing his hidden men to strike from the shadows. Even if they couldn’t kill her, they’d cause massive problems.
But he never expected Liu Yutong to completely disregard the script.
The woman had gone straight to the police and media with the intel!
Now the Snakehead Gang was truly trapped like rats in a barrel.
With police conducting a high-profile rescue and media broadcasting live, would his men still dare to make a move?
One wrong move and they’d be attacking police—an act of terrorism. They’d be hunted across America.
“Boss, what do we do now? Boss Wang’s side is about to break!”
“Our team’s still lying in wait at that abandoned office building east of the canning factory. Should we move?” Razor reported via walkie-talkie.
“How can we move? The factory’s crawling with cops and reporters. One bullet and we’re cop-killers—public enemy number one!”
“Absolutely no action at this time!”
Zhao Weixiang gazed through the window at the distant flames lighting up the sky, his mind racing.
While the police and media had disrupted his plans, all wasn’t lost.
If Boss Wang could just hold out, using the hostages to tie up the police, then seize the opportunity to break out with hostages in tow—most of the force would be drawn away.
According to Razor’s report, their ambush position hadn’t been discovered—police focus was entirely on the canning factory. Who’d think enemies were still hiding in the side building behind them?
Once the police were drawn away, Liu Yutong might show herself—and they’d have a nasty surprise waiting.
“Didn’t see that coming, did you? You may have used the police and reporters to mess up my plans, but I can still be the hunter that bags you.”
With that thought, Zhao Weixiang barked into the walkie-talkie: “Hold position! Keep eyes on the streets around the canning factory. The moment Liu Yutong’s people show up—kill her at any cost!”
“Yes, Boss!”
Meanwhile, in the abandoned office building east of the canning factory…
Yun Cheng and five Wanlong Society members crouched at windows on the fourth floor, high-powered binoculars and thermal imaging devices in hand, monitoring every movement.
“Yun, isn’t Young Mistress’s move absolutely brilliant?”
“Cops as vanguards, reporters as spectators—the Snakehead Gang’s as good as dead!” a black-clad member chuckled.
Yun Cheng adjusted his thermal imager. “Young Mistress never leaves loose ends. This way we avoid risk while flushing out that old fox Zhao Weixiang. Why wouldn’t we take it?”
“Just a shame, though—I really wanted a shootout with those gangsters! I feel invincible right now!”
“Hey, what tactics should we use if it actually comes to a firefight?”
“Simple. You never played shooters? Grenades, flashbangs, smoke—throw everything you’ve got, then charge in guns blazing.”
“That’s way too reckless!”
“…….”
“Enough chatter. Zhao Weixiang’s definitely nearby. You’ll get your fun soon enough. Stay sharp—any unusual movement on thermal?” Yun Cheng cut through the banter.
The team scanned the surrounding streets carefully, finding nothing unusual.
Yun Cheng was about to order them to resume surveillance when faint sounds drifted down from above.
He signaled for silence immediately, then whispered, “Did any of you hear something?”
Everyone shook their heads.
“Rats, maybe?” one member suggested.
“This dump’s been abandoned for years. Rats aren’t exactly surprising.”
Yun Cheng had to admit it was possible. No one should be coming here; it was probably just rodents.
Upstairs, sixth floor.
Razor led seven or eight men, positioned in different spots and rooms, using binoculars to watch the warehouse roof across from the building and the surrounding streets.
“Boss, what if someone’s in this building?” a subordinate finally asked after observing for a while. His right eyelid had been twitching all night, filling him with unease.
“Don’t be an idiot! This shithole’s been abandoned for years—even rats avoid it. Hurry up! Set up the gear and check what the cops are doing. And if you spot Liu Yutong—take her out!”
“Yes, Boss!”
Two groups—one above, one below—both secretly observing the streets, completely unaware of each other.
Then the dramatic turn happened.
As Yun Cheng observed, static suddenly crackled through his headset.
Then a strange voice cut in: “Pizza Two, where are you? Has the movie closed?”
Yun Cheng froze.
“What the hell? Pizza? Movies?”
He instinctively checked his walkie-talkie. Was it malfunctioning? How were strangers on his channel?
Before he could figure it out, another voice chimed in: “Pizza One, this is Pizza Three. The movie hasn’t closed.”
Yun Cheng: “???”
“What the hell is going on?”
The next second, it hit him—frequency bleed!
Their walkie-talkies used frequency hopping with no fixed channel. They’d clearly just accidentally cut into someone else’s communications.
And judging by the content, these definitely weren’t his people—they never used code words.
Understanding dawned, and excitement coursed through him. He shot a glance at the Wanlong Society member beside him, cleared his throat, and spoke into the walkie-talkie in a slightly hoarse voice.
“Pizza Three, this is Pizza… uh, Pizza Special Envoy. The boss has new orders—the movie’s been rescheduled. Pack it up for now.”
He was completely winging it—he had no idea what their code words meant.
But shockingly, they bought it!
“Pizza Special Envoy? What the hell? When did the boss send an envoy?”
“Wait, what’s the code word?”
Yun Cheng’s heart tightened.
Code word? He had no clue!
As he scrambled for a way to bluff through, an angry male voice suddenly erupted from the channel.
“Shut the hell up! I can hear you idiots chattering on the radio! Pizza Three, Pizza Four—knock it off!”
Razor had heard the same conversation, assuming his men were just goofing around on the radio.
After all, they were just ordinary gangsters—counter-surveillance wasn’t exactly their strong suit. The thought of outsiders bleeding into their frequency never crossed their minds.
After Razor’s outburst, the channel went dead silent.
All Yun Cheng wanted now was their location. He was almost certain these were Zhao Weixiang’s men.
Now that they’d shown their tail, he couldn’t let this chance slip.
After brief consideration, he had an idea. He mimicked Razor’s impatient tone and barked into the radio.
“What the hell? You idiots were chatting up a storm a minute ago, and now you’ve all gone mute?”
Without waiting for a response, he followed up in a commanding tone: “Cut the crap! Report your position and situation—now!”
The combination of insult and command worked like a charm.
A flustered voice immediately replied from the other end.
“W-we’re in the abandoned office building to the east, sixth floor. We can see the whole factory complex. Police have breached. Boss Wang’s side is about to break… Haven’t spotted the target yet.”
Yun Cheng’s heart raced at the reply!
“Sixth floor?”
They were on the fourth floor—real people above them, not rats.
His guess was right. These had to be Zhao Weixiang’s men.
With that thought, Yun Cheng pressed his walkie-talkie and issued a new order.
“All units, the plan has changed. New orders: gather on the third floor. Repeat, third floor! Important briefing!”
He was going to spring a trap—catch the turtle in the jar.
In a south-facing room on the sixth floor, Razor froze.
“Gather on the third floor? Important briefing?”
He was right here with his team—so why was there another “him” giving orders over the radio?
“Something’s wrong!”
Razor’s face paled. He grabbed his walkie-talkie: “You’re not one of us—who the hell are you!”
Yun Cheng heard this and knew the gig was up. No point pretending anymore.
“I’m your daddy!”
He switched off the walkie-talkie and turned to the Wanlong Society members. “Our chance has arrived. Get ready to move!”