Siheyuan came through and sent Jia Zhang to prison

He Feng glanced at Li Fan and the two team members behind him. Seeing their composed expressions, he cut to the chase, took out a neatly folded draft plan from his drawer, and laid it out on the table. Pointing to the items on the document, he explained clearly, “...The northwest corner of the mining area is the old warehouse area, with many blind spots in the surveillance, making it suitable as a rendezvous point; Jiang Hu patrols the mine entrance every afternoon at three o'clock, this is his fixed route; our people will disguise themselves as vegetable vendors, staking out the grocery stores outside the mining area, responsible for relaying messages. That's the general procedure. Zhao Lei will fully cooperate with you then, whether it's needing identity concealment, encrypted information transmission, or temporary manpower mobilization for support, he can handle it seamlessly. Is there anything else you need to add?”

The two team members Li Fan brought were Zhang Chuan, a burly man with sharp eyes, and Zhao Ci, a lean man with a calm expression. After listening, the two exchanged a glance, then looked at Li Fan. Li Fan nodded slightly, and Zhang Chuan spoke first, his voice loud and clear: "Director He's plan is very thorough, taking into account all aspects. We have nothing to add; just execute the plan."

At this moment, Li Fan leaned forward, his gaze falling on He Feng's face, his tone exceptionally solemn: "The plan is fine. But I have one condition—Zhang Chuan and Zhao Ci's safety must be guaranteed. During their infiltration, if any danger signals are detected, even just the slightest hint, they must be evacuated immediately. They must not be allowed to fight head-on."

He Feng nodded emphatically, his tone sincere and firm: "Captain Li, rest assured, I guarantee this with my integrity. They are here to help us solve the case; they are our comrades-in-arms. I will never let them be in danger. The bureau has already arranged three groups of plainclothes officers to be deployed in the villages and intersections surrounding the mining area. If anything unusual happens, they can arrive within three minutes to provide support. There will be absolutely no mishaps."

Having settled the security issue, He Feng turned his gaze to Zhang Chuan and Zhao Ci, his brows furrowing slightly: "There's something I need to discuss with you two—I wonder how you plan to infiltrate? The coal mine is extremely secure right now, especially against unfamiliar faces. They check identities for everyone entering and leaving, and even the coal delivery trucks have to have their tarpaulins lifted for inspection. I'm afraid it won't be easy to sneak in."

Zhang Chuan, a martial arts practitioner, possessed a physique as solid as iron, but he was straightforward and his mind wasn't as quick as his agility. Hearing He Feng's words, he scratched his head, then looked at Li Fan, before turning back to He Feng with a grin: "Captain, Director, isn't this easy to handle? I saw a job posting at the mine entrance, saying they need coal miners and equipment repairmen. I'll just go apply and say my family is poor and I want to find manual labor to earn money, and I'll get in, right?"

He patted his chest, his muscles bulging: "With this build, I'm perfect for manual labor, no one's going to suspect anything. Once I'm inside, if I want to find out anything, I can just ask the other workers and get the information out of them, right?"

He Feng didn't reply, his fingers lightly tapping the table, making a soft "tap-tap" sound. His brow furrowed slightly as he pondered—Zhang Chuan's method might get him into the coal mine, but those inside were mostly manual laborers, spending their days around the mine shafts and conveyor belts, their contact with the outside world very limited. How could he possibly uncover those core secrets hidden in ledgers and locked in office drawers with just his physical strength?

Li Fan could tell that Zhang Chuan was a straightforward martial artist whose mind was full of fighting skills, so he turned to Zhao Ci, who had remained silent, and asked with a smile, "Zhao Ci, you are usually very thoughtful. Do you have a more reliable plan?"

Zhang Chuan also looked at He Feng, his eyes filled with anticipation and a little nervousness: "Director, what do you think of my idea just now? Was it... lacking something?"

He Feng raised his eyes, his gaze sweeping over the two men. His tone was calm yet carried an undeniable certainty: "The framework of the plan is good, and you can get to the door, but there's a clear flaw—if you go in as an ordinary worker, you might not even be able to get close to the dispatch room, let alone the core warehouse or the management offices. You won't be able to touch those real secrets, such as evidence of falsified mining volumes or safety measures."

Zhang Chuan nodded silently, saying nothing more. He scratched the back of his head, knowing that the bureau chief was right. He was good at real fighting, so protecting people and charging ahead was no problem, but thinking of roundabout strategies to approach the target indirectly was really difficult.

Zhao Ci also felt that Zhang Chuan's method was inappropriate; it was too easy to alert the enemy and might not even uncover the key information. He pondered for a moment, tapping his fingertips lightly on his knee, and suddenly spoke up: "Director, Captain Li, I studied mining engineering in university and have some research on coal mining and management. Perhaps I could use the guise of technical guidance to go to the coal mining bureau—say that the industry inspections have been strict recently, and the city has sent me to assist in investigating safety hazards. With this professional knowledge, the position I can get shouldn't be too low, and I can access more crucial information, such as their mining logs and safety reports—these are all key."

Before he could finish speaking and before anyone else could respond, Zhang Chuan jumped to his feet and objected urgently: "Impossible! Absolutely not! How can you go in alone? If those people at the coal mine bureau really have a problem, they'll definitely be wary of outsiders. You're just a technical expert without real power. If they really want to do something to you, you won't have any chance to fight back, understand?" As he spoke, he clenched his fists, afraid that Zhao Ci would really risk going in alone.

He Feng watched the two arguing without saying a word, and took a sip of his tea. He couldn't help but feel a little curious—one of them was red-faced and furious, while the other was calm but had a warmth in his eyes. There seemed to be an unusual understanding between them, unlike that of ordinary colleagues.

Zhang Chuan didn't think there was anything wrong with his words, simply taking it as protecting his brother. Zhao Ci, however, noticed the confusion in the others' eyes and quickly explained with a smile, "Don't misunderstand, everyone. Zhang Chuan and I grew up together, we're the best of friends. When I was little, I was weak and sick all the time, and the neighborhood kids always bullied me. He was always the one who rushed to protect me, taking a lot of punches for me. That's why he's so worried about me now, like he's protecting his own child."

The little flame of gossip in He Feng's heart was instantly extinguished, and he couldn't help but smile—so that's how it was; he had been overthinking things. The friendships of youth are the purest and most protective, but He Feng's friends are all in another world; he wondered how they were doing.