I took the documents back to the pawnshop and found Fatty Ying and Cao Chong sitting in front of the TV, having a great time. I was already annoyed, so I pulled Cao Chong up and put him in the outer room, scolding him, "All you do is play. Go and study properly." Cao Chong reluctantly agreed, sat on a small stool, and picked up the ancient and modern dictionary that Li Shishi had prepared for him to read.
I laid the photos out on the table and examined them from all angles, but I couldn't make a dent in them. Just then, I looked up and saw Cao Chong staring at me with his big, bright eyes. I thought to myself, "This kid's only eight years old and he's already messing around with things. Who knows what he might be up to?" So I immediately put on a fake smile and said, "Little Elephant, come here, Daddy's going to play a game with you."
The little guy came running over excitedly, and I picked him up and put him on a stool, pointing to the photos. He said, "Look, Daddy wants to get his hands on this safe—the thing in this box..." I didn't think it was necessary to explain what those sensors were to a child under 10; he wouldn't understand, and... actually, I didn't understand either. I just told him where the thing was and which roads were blocked, and even then, it took me more than 10 minutes to explain.
Little Cao Chong stood on the stool, listened carefully to what I had to say, and then asked me, "Dad, are you playing a game of moving boxes with me?"
I turned around and saw Qin Shi Huang playing with moving boxes. I quickly said, "That's right, how do we move this box out?"
Cao Chong pointed to the corridor and the gate and said, "These two paths are not for going out, but we can go in." He then pointed to the window and said, "This path is not for going in, but we can go out."
I asked blankly, "What...what do you mean?"
The little guy laughed and said, "Dad is so silly. You said you can't get out of those two paths with a suitcase. But it didn't say you can't bring a suitcase in. Once we go in, we'll have two suitcases. We can use the one you want to make room for the extra one, and then put it in there. That won't break the rules."
I stared in disbelief. "You mean... the substitution of the prince for the raccoon dog?" Suddenly, I understood completely: Cao Chong meant that since they couldn't get out with the sensor-laden box, they might as well abandon its original purpose. Now they could just bring an ordinary safe—a simple disguise would suffice—and inside, the two boxes could be switched in less than a second!
Although getting into the target room was still a problem, Cao Chong's words had clearly solved the most difficult part of the matter.
Anyone who has played the game of moving boxes knows this all too well: to complete the task, every box must be moved, every path is crucial, and if "coming" doesn't work, then you have to go. This is common sense in games, it's just that we adults can't treat something so serious as a game. And Cao Chong, at the age of eight, already knew how to use this simple substitution technique—it was his forte!
I picked up the little guy and gave him a couple of big kisses: "Good son, thank you so much!" Seeing how happy I was, Cao Chong seized the opportunity and said, "Can I play the game console a little longer?"
I said, "Go ahead, go ahead, play as much as you want." I finally understood. A genius is a genius. He even plays video games to develop his intelligence. He helped me so much by playing a simple game like moving boxes. If he were to play Huarong Road... well, I guess I'll play something else.
I immediately called Lao Fei, and half an hour later we met again in the lecture hall. I got straight to the point and told Wu Yong about Cao Chong's idea, and Wu Yong exclaimed, "Such a good idea! How come I didn't think of that?"
Shi Qian suddenly understood: "Good idea, a simple substitution. I should have thought of it sooner, but I got confused by this mess of high technology."
The crowd scoffed, "Tch—"
I said with some concern, "But there's still one problem: how will you get in?"
Shi Qian glanced at the photos of the two guards, tossed them on the table, and waved his hand dismissively: "You don't need to worry about that, but I need a helper who can scale walls and roofs just like me."
I jumped up and said, "Isn't that obvious?! Where are you going to find someone like that for you?"
Wu Yong pondered, "Could it be..." Everyone knew what he wanted to say. The night scout who had twice scouted the camp was no weaker than Shi Qian, but where could they find him? Even if they could find him, it was unlikely that he would be willing to help them!
Shi Qian said with a grin, "There's another one. This guy even fought me at the martial arts tournament."
Now we all remembered at the same time: that short, fat guy under Duan Tianlang!
But it's hard to say whether this person is friend or foe, and given the current situation, is it convenient to let another outsider get involved?
Fei Sankou said, "The matter is urgent, and we can't worry about that now. I'll find someone to requisition him right away."
I asked cautiously, "Then how do I tell him?"
Fei Sankou smiled faintly and said, "To be honest, do you think he will agree?"
For some reason, all the heroes and I felt a chill...
Shi Qian picked up the photo of the safe and said to Lao Fei, "Prepare another safe of this style for me. Also, have your lock-picking experts stay on the rooftop of the Qinhan Hotel. After they're done, I'll have to put the original safe back. Since it's a case of switching the beams and pillars, then there has to be both theft and replacement to make it look legitimate."
Without delay, Lao Fei quickly dispatched two electronic reconnaissance vehicles—the kind used by American spies and nuclear technology hackers in movies. They were spacious and fully equipped. The items Shi Qian needed were also brought over. He lifted the safe and asked Fei Sankou, "Is this the same weight as the one in the hotel?" After Lao Fei nodded, he gestured in front of himself for a long time before finally feeling relieved.
We arrived at the Qinhan Hotel around 9 p.m. with Lu Junyi, Wu Yong, and Lin Chong. Zhang Qing and Dai Zong were in another car as backup; they had also come along to ensure the safety of their own men—the heroes always had a habitual wariness and suspicion of any government, regardless of its dynasty.
The opulent lobby of the Qin-Han Hotel was bustling with people, all impeccably dressed and exuding elegance. Foreign tourists were a common sight; Europeans were hardly noticeable here. It wasn't without reason that the four F country's spies were operating in this environment.
Within minutes, the short, stout man arrived, escorted by two National Security field agents. Fei San put his hand on the man's shoulder and said bluntly, "You and Yu Cai can settle your personal grudges yourselves later. The country needs you now. Of course, you can choose not to, and we will never force you. In that case, I hope you forget everything as soon as you get out of this car."
Although the short, fat man was ruthless in the ring, it was clear he was a coward in real life. He looked distressed and trembled slightly as he asked, "What do you want me to do?"
Fei Sankou looked him straight in the eye and asked, "So you've agreed?" He then asked the two field agents, "Have you explained things to him clearly?" After receiving an affirmative answer, Fei Sankou told them to go outside and wait for orders.
The short, fat man stammered, "I have a general idea of what to do, but I don't know exactly what I'm supposed to do."
Shi Qian leaned closer with a smile and said, "Have you ever stolen anything, brother?"
The short, fat man said with a mournful face, "I stole it when I was 5 years old. I just heard that two 'police officers' came looking for me, which scared me to death. I thought to myself, how come something I did when I was 5 years old is still under the statute of limitations?"
We all laughed. Fei Sankou joked with him, "If this operation succeeds, I'll get rid of your criminal record."
Shi Qian brought up the fake safe, pulled the short, fat man outside the car, and pointed at the Qinhan Hotel for a long time. The short, fat man kept nodding. Finally, the two of them came back to us, and Shi Qian asked Lao Fei, "Have your experts arrived yet?"
Fei Sankou said, "Everything is ready, now it's up to you. Can you tell me your plan?"
Shi Qian waved to us: "Go back and lie down for a while. Come pick us up at 10:30."
At this moment, the short, fat man stood still and said somewhat awkwardly, "Stealing is fine, but my cousin and I have one request."
Fei Sankou said, "If it doesn't violate the law, then you can say so."
I asked, "Who is your cousin?"
The short, fat man said, "My cousin is Duan Tianlang, and my name is Duan Tianbao. We want to close our martial arts school and become teachers at your Yucai School."
I was just worrying about the teacher's situation when I heard about this, and without hesitation, I replied, "A warm welcome!"
Duan Tianbao stammered, "You know... my cousin is very concerned about his reputation. He hopes... all of you from Yucai can go and invite him."
Lu Junyi and I understood perfectly well: Duan Tianlang's talk about becoming a teacher at Yucai School was just a casual remark; he genuinely wanted to save face. He had boasted about winning the title of "Invincible Under Heaven," but ended up losing face so badly. If we went to invite him again now, and he refused, it would at least save face for him.
Faced with Duan Tianlang's ulterior motives, Lu Junyi, Wu Yong, and I exchanged glances and then nodded in unison. Old Duan's skills were no joke; to have his decades of hard work ruined in an instant was justified in giving him some face. Wu Yong said to Duan Tianbao, "Brother Tianlang is a man of undeniable talent. We are honored by his high regard. If he is willing to condescend, we would certainly not hesitate to visit him."
Duan Tianbao asked in a daze, "What do you mean?"