Siheyuan came through and sent Jia Zhang to prison

Zhang Jie tucked the gun into his waistband with a click, and his eyes instantly turned fierce, like a wolf eyeing its prey: "Fine, you two come with me to Jiang Hu's house tonight. I want to see what he's up to—is he really alright, or is he plotting something to kill me!"

He was convinced that Jiang Hu had reported him. After all, the shady dealings within the coal mining bureau were deeply entrenched and far-reaching; besides him and Jiang Hu, the two masterminds, no one else knew the core details. If Jiang Hu hadn't betrayed him and provided the time and location of the shipment, how could the police have arrived so quickly, blocking the mine entrance right there? This score had to be settled!

The day slipped by in a tense standoff, and as darkness fell, only the dim light of kerosene lamps remained in the warehouse. Zhang Jie peered out of the broken warehouse window and saw that there were fewer police cars patrolling the streets and the officer with the gun at the intersection had left his post. He then gave his two underlings a look and whispered, "Let's go."

He didn't want to bring any burdens and wanted to act alone, taking advantage of the darkness to climb over the back wall of Jiang Hu's house and ambush him. But his men were either captured or scattered, and there was no one else he could use. He could only let these two men come along as assistants, at least they could keep watch at the entrance of the alley and whistle if there was any movement.

Under the cover of darkness, the three darted through several alleys like cats. The moonlight was completely obscured by dark clouds, and the alleys were pitch black, with only a few streaks of light leaking from the cracks in the walls, casting their shadows long and short, like ghostly figures clinging to the ground. When they were still half a street away from Jiang Hu's house, Zhang Jie gestured for his underlings to stop: "You guys wait here, I'll go scout ahead." The tall, thin man was about to reply, "We'll go with you," but a glare from Zhang Jie cut him off, "Don't follow us. Too many people around, and if we're exposed, none of us can escape!"

The night, like a velvet cloth soaked in dark ink, pressed heavily on the rooftops of the old town's tenement buildings, obscuring even the stars. Zhang Jie, his heart pounding with anxiety, circled the area three times, making sure no one was following him, before finally daring to approach the building where Jiang Hu was hiding—he hadn't been able to resist in the end. The smuggled ore ledgers were still in Jiang Hu's hands; they were leverage that could ruin him forever, and he had to settle things, at least get them back.

At the entrance of the alley across the street, Old Li had an unlit cigarette dangling from his lips, the butt gleaming. The damp night wind seeped into his bones through his collar, making him shiver. Next to him, young Wang, unable to resist the drowsiness of the long night, leaned against the wall, dozing off, his head nodding like a chicken pecking at rice, his hat brim almost drooping over his eyes.

Just then, out of the corner of his eye, Old Li caught two dark figures darting out of the stairwell. Their movements were as light as cats, inching along the wall towards the opposite side, each holding something long and thin, completely concealed by their coats. His heart skipped a beat, and he jerked Xiao Wang on the shoulder: "Wake up! Something's up!"

Xiao Wang jumped up with a start, his hand almost reaching for his waist (where the handcuffs should have been, but were now empty). Rubbing his eyes, he followed Old Li's gaze—and saw Zhang Jie with one of his men, crouching low as they walked towards Jiang Hu's building. Both men had bulging waists, and their arms were stiffly guarded as they walked, clearly concealing weapons. Even more alarming, two men stood at the entrance of the building, their backs to the street, their hands never leaving their waists, like two stone statues, their ears perked up, ready to detect the slightest sound.

"It's Zhang Jie!" Xiao Wang's voice trembled slightly, half from nervousness and half from excitement. "He actually went to Jiang Hu's door! Isn't he just walking into a trap?"

Old Li said in a deep voice, "Don't make a sound! You run back quickly and find Captain Zhao. Tell him that Zhang Jie brought at least four men with weapons and is now going to find Jiang Hu. There are also two lookouts downstairs. Ask them if they want to act immediately! Remember, take a detour and don't alert anyone on the way!"

"Okay!" Xiao Wang nodded firmly, crouched down and darted towards the alley entrance, hugging the wall. After running two steps, he turned back and whispered, "Brother Li, be careful! I'll be right back!"

Old Li waved his hand, his eyes fixed on the entrance of the building, not even blinking a waste of time. Zhang Jie's two henchmen stood like gatekeepers at the entrance, their backs to the street, shoulders slightly hunched, clearly extremely vigilant. If he dared to take even half a step forward now, he was guaranteed to be discovered—once he alerted the thugs, who knew what they might do. Jiang Hu's house was on the third floor; if a fight broke out, the neighbors upstairs and downstairs could all suffer, and it could even result in death.

All he could do was wait. Old Li shrank further into the shadows, hiding himself even more, almost blending into the darkness of the wall. He counted the cracks in the bricks on the wall, one, two, three… He silently calculated the time in his mind; each second seemed to be stretched out, passing exceptionally slowly, so slowly that it made him uneasy.

Over there, Zhang Jie and his men had already made it to the third floor. The light bulb in the stairwell was faulty, flickering on and off, casting their shadows distorted and swaying on the wall. He gave a wink to his men behind him, signaling them to guard the stairwell, while he himself walked to Jiang Hu's door, curled his fingers, and gently knocked three times, a light yet rapid rhythm, "knock, knock, knock," like some kind of pre-arranged code.

Inside, Jiang Hu had just taken off his coat and was about to lie down, his mind still racing, figuring out which connections he should contact tomorrow to smooth things over completely at the mine. Hearing a knock at the door, he paused—who would come at this hour? His wife had gone back to her parents' house, and his relatives and friends, knowing he'd just come out, were avoiding him like the plague; why would they come knocking on his door?

"Who is it?" he asked through the door, his voice wary, as he slowly moved to the doorway and looked out through the peephole.

That one glance sent shivers down his spine—through the peephole, there was Zhang Jie's face, filled with malevolence, a newly added scar running from his brow bone to his cheek, making him look particularly ferocious. A cold smile lingered on his lips, his eyes like poisoned knives, staring straight at the door, as if they could see through the wood and into the person inside.

Jiang Hu's heart leaped into his throat, pounding against his chest. His hand gripped the doorknob tightly, his knuckles turning white. How dare he come here? How did he find this place? Was he being followed when he took a detour? Countless thoughts exploded in his mind. His feet seemed rooted to the spot, and he forgot whether he should open the door or brace it even tighter.

Seeing no response, Zhang Jie knocked twice more. The sound wasn't loud, but it pounded on the door like a hammer, carrying an undeniable sense of pressure: "Mine Manager Jiang, open the door. We're old acquaintances. There's no point in hiding, is there?"