The First Volume: The Hollow Spirit Chapter 55: Preemptive Action

  "Hello, I'm Wang Yaozu." Wang Yaozu's tone was very impatient. He was almost asleep and had just received the call, so he was naturally unhappy.

  "Yaozu, take action ahead of time, assemble immediately, you have half an hour." The voice of Shi Ankou came from the phone, extremely serious, and Wang Yaozu's drowsiness disappeared instantly.

  "Got it, I'll be right there." Wang Ya Zu immediately hung up the phone, put on his clothes, grabbed his gun, checked that the bullets were okay, and then quickly went downstairs, startling Wu Ma and the two kids awake.

  "Master, it's so late, are you going out?" The two children continued to lie on Wu Ma's bed, while Wu got up and asked Wang Yaowu.

  "I have something to do tonight, I'll leave now. You all continue sleeping, it's almost dawn and I won't be back." Wang Yaoyu said as he walked out the door. Watching Wang Yaoyu leave, Wu Ma sighed and shook her head in frustration. Then she went back to her own room to comfort the two children who had woken up.

  It was already late at night, there were few pedestrians on the road, and most of the citizens had fallen asleep. The rows of residential buildings were quiet, only those song halls and dance halls were still bustling with activity.

  Wang Ya Zu rode his bike very quickly, firstly because he was afraid of not catching up; secondly, he didn't want to provoke any trouble on the road. At this late hour, apart from a large number of people having fun, there were also many hooligans on the streets. This was the time when both the Green Gang and the police were most relaxed, and many hooligans wanted to take advantage of the opportunity to make some quick money. Even if they killed someone, no one would know who the murderer was in the dark of night.

  Everyone has gathered, the required guns have been taken out, and only Leyu Xin hasn't arrived yet. Because they are going to risk their lives, before taking action, Maozi and others want to defeat the ancestors of the Qingbang gang, asking the ancestors to bless them. Tie Tou and others worship Guan Gong, asking Lord Guan to bless them. Wang Yaowu didn't worship either side, directly finding Shi Anguo.

  "How come you're taking action so suddenly? I thought you'd act tomorrow morning at the latest, around noon! Although the Garrison Command is already paying attention, their hands shouldn't be able to move that fast. Did someone in our ranks leak the information?!"

  Wang Yaoyu entered Shi An's office, Shi An was preparing, he was wiping his gun, seven bullets were neatly placed on the table.

  "Maozi just received the news that Qianjiang secretly purchased some military equipment through the Green Gang's connections. Two rifles, fifty bullets, and a wooden box containing ten hand grenades. The situation is now clear: hiding, taking money, buying arms, silencing witnesses, and finally, revenge. There's no need to investigate further; waiting any longer will only allow the Public Security Bureau to intervene."

  Shi An Guo's gun was ready, and he carefully loaded the bullets into the magazine. At this moment, Shi An Guo's heart was not calm either. He himself knew that this might be the last chance to capture the escaped Communist Party leader. If they missed again this time, it would be impossible to catch the escaped Communist Party leader in one or two months, half a year, or even a lifetime.

  It's like cutting grass without removing the roots. No matter whether they continue to hide in Shanghai or move elsewhere, as long as they are given time, the underground roots will absorb enough nutrients and when the opportunity arises, new green shoots will slowly emerge, and the newly formed small groups will be stronger and more hidden than before.

  "It seems we have to fight desperately, with guns and hand grenades. Old Stone, I'm also very nervous now, fearing that your intelligence will be wrong again like last time. Last time there were gold bars to share, but this time if it's wrong again, what good things can a small grocery store have? If we fail and there are casualties, the complaints from my brothers in the gang will make me lose the status and reputation I've worked hard to get overnight. Old Stone, am I being too aggressive this time?"

  Wang Ya-zu finally started to worry, but he didn't wipe his gun, there was no need for that. He just sat opposite Shi An-guo, his right foot constantly tapping the ground. However, what Wang Ya-zu worried about wasn't whether or not he could catch the Communist Party members, but rather himself. Selfishness isn't wrong in any way.

  "Yaozu, if you want to be like Lao Le, I'm sorry. It's impossible. Lao Le and I came out of the pile of dead bodies together during the Northern Expedition War. At the most intense moment of the war, we who were responsible for intelligence work also had to charge forward. Lao Le was heartless, but he paid a lot for the party and country. That's why I've been so tolerant, watching Lao Le being so decadent. But you're different, Yaozu. There are some things you can do recklessly, but at critical moments, you must show your strength to everyone. If you can't even do that, I'm sorry, I'll let you leave Shanghai and go to the poorest, most difficult, and most dangerous place."

  Regarding Shi An Guo's statement, Wang Yao Zu could only nod and say: "Then I'll go prepare, these days doing anything has risks, even if you're a good person staying at home farming, you still have to pay a lot of taxes. If you're unlucky, you can be taken away as a soldier at any time. Since I want to enjoy many things, I must put in more effort. So for some matters, please, Old Shi, turn a blind eye."

  Wang Ya Zu finished speaking and walked out of the office, but Le Yu Xin hadn't arrived yet. Wang Ya Zu personally made a phone call to Le Yu Xin's home. Di Wu Ya answered the phone and said that Le Yu Xin had received a call earlier and had already left, so he should be on his way. Le Yu Xin's house was quite far from the investigation department, and since there were no electric cars at night, it would take some time for him to ride his bike over.

  Shi Ankou also walked out of the office, and after Shi Ankou walked out of the office, everyone quickly gathered together, forming two rows. Wang Yaoyu stood beside Shi Ankou, and everyone was waiting for Shi Ankou's command.

  "Can't wait any longer, let's set off!" After checking the time on his watch, Shi An'guo didn't want to wait anymore. If they continued to wait, the Garrison Command would definitely become suspicious. Shi An'guo was also afraid of "night is long and dreams are many", so he decided to temporarily escape from Shanghai with the target who had brought the purchased military supplies.

  Everyone rushed out quickly, at this time it was a matter of speed. The people sent by the Garrison Command were still monitoring, but going back and forth would take time. Shi Ankou had already obtained Commander Xiong's itinerary. The Garrison Command was so big, with so many people, it wasn't difficult for Shi Ankou to buy or plant his own men. Commander Xiong was now sleeping in his secret villa, embracing a nameless little wife.

  "Lao Shi, I'm here." Without much ado, upon seeing the crowd exit the small building, Le Yu Xin hastily parked his bicycle to one side.

  "Did you bring your gun?" Seeing Le You finally arrived, Shi An Guo only wanted to confirm one thing.

  "Where are we going?!" Le Yu Xin immediately pulled out his gun, because there were things to be dealt with at home, and Le Yu Xin, who had been taking leave continuously, didn't even know where everyone was going.

  "Follow me on the bike, everyone ride a bicycle, and we'll talk when we arrive! Hurry up, you lead the way in front!" At this time, there was no military vehicle to sit on. To mobilize a military vehicle, it had to go through the Garrison Command. Shi Ankang would not do that. Shi Ankanguo had applied to Nanjing for an investigation team car and jeep, but all vehicles were obtained by merit.

  Everyone who was investigating the stock moved out, such a big move, the people sent by the Garrison Command to monitor would of course immediately go back and report. However, at this time most of the people in the Garrison Command had already gone home to sleep, only the duty officer and a few others were left on duty. Only a few people knew about Commander Xiong's secret villa, and calling his residence couldn't find Commander Xiong either. Temporarily there was no one who could make decisions, nor enough manpower, so they could only temporarily send someone to monitor from behind.

  A group of people rode bicycles forward, each carrying a gun. There were also people wandering around on the side of the road. Seeing such an array, they all hid far away. Le Yunxin and Wang Yaoyu were respectively on both sides of Shi An'guo, surrounded by guards in the middle. The guide at the front, Maozi, was a local snakehead from Shanghai, who knew which small path could reach the destination faster. Everyone tied their flashlights to their bicycles.

  "Lao Shi, who are you going to catch? You're fully armed, is there a big operation?" Le Yu Xin asked while riding his bike. When Le Yu Xin called him earlier, he only told him that there would be an operation tonight, but didn't know who the target was or where it would take place. Le Yu Xin regretted taking the whole day off today.

  "Yaozu found a clue, Jiuzu Variety Store! The leader of the Communist Party who escaped last time may be hiding inside." Shi Anguo finally answered Le Yuxin's inquiry on the road. Since he was going to participate in the action, he had to let Le Yuxin know the content of the action.

  "Oh, it seems that Ya Zu has been working hard recently. It's better to settle this matter early on, which will be beneficial for everyone." Le Yu replied calmly, without changing the speed of his bicycle ride.

  Smoke and Silence Volume 1: Empty Spirit Chapter 55: Advance Action