On the wedding day, my wife was abnormal

That night, it was midnight.

On the edge of Hu County's new city, there is a huge slum built of discarded wood, torn tarpaulin, mud and despair - commonly known as the "Scorpion's Nest".

This is a corner where the sun never shines, and it is a hotbed for sin.

Sewage flowed freely in the muddy alleys, emitting a disgusting stench.

The dilapidated shacks were packed together like tumors, low, dark, and damp. The air was filled with low-quality tobacco, rotten food, excrement, and a suffocating smell called "despair."

Occasionally, a skinny stray dog ​​would rummage through the garbage, whimpering softly. This was a lawless place rarely visited by patrols of the Jinwu Guards, a dark kingdom ruled by the Black Scorpion.

In the deepest part of the slum area, in a relatively "spacious" shack, a bean-sized oil lamp was lit, and the light was dim and flickering.

The shack was made of broken wooden boards and rotten tarpaulin, and was leaking everywhere. The floor was covered with moldy straw and tattered mats.

A skinny man, as thin as a bamboo pole, sat cross-legged on a straw mat.

There was a hideous centipede-like scar running diagonally across his face, tearing from the left corner of his eye to the right corner of his mouth, making his entire face look distorted and ferocious.

In the dim light, his triangular eyes gleamed with a sinister, suspicious, and venomous light. He was the leader of the Scorpion Gang, known as the "Black Scorpion."

A few greasy copper coins and an empty wine jug were scattered on the ground in front of him, and the air was filled with the pungent smell of cheap liquor.

The flame of the oil lamp flickered suddenly! Without warning, a cold, sea-smelling smell rushed into the shack.

"Who?!" Black Scorpion suddenly raised his head, a fierce light flashed in his triangular eyes, and his right hand reached for the handle of the dagger hidden under the straw mat like lightning!

"The one who brings you wealth." A hoarse, low voice, like sandpaper scraping against a throat, suddenly rang out from the shadows in the corner of the shack. Hattori Hanzo's figure seemed to condense from the darkness and stood there quietly, as if he belonged to that shadow.

"Japanese?" Black Scorpion's pupils shrank slightly, and his body tensed instantly, like a venomous snake poised to strike, as he stared intently at the uninvited guest. The cold, tangible murderous aura emanating from him sent a wave of fear through his heart.

Hattori Hanzo didn't answer, but casually threw a heavy coarse cloth bag on the straw mat in front of Black Scorpion. The bag opened with a crisp sound!

White silver ingots, shining with attractive light under the oil lamp, rolled out!

There are ten ingots in total!

Fifty taels of silver!

Black Scorpion's breathing suddenly became extremely heavy!

The ferocity in the triangular eyes was instantly devoured by the flames of greed!

His Adam's apple rolled, and he subconsciously reached out to grab, but years of life on the run forced him to suppress the urge. He asked sinisterly, "Japanese, what do you want me to do? Kill someone? Or set fire to something?"

The voice was hoarse, like a night owl.

"It's a small matter." Hattori Hanzo's voice remained calm, as if he were discussing the weather. "Your men are familiar with the terrain of the docks and factory area. Help us keep an eye on a few people: Wang Ergou from the Port Materials Department, Li Laonian, who sells night incense at the cement factory, and... that sleepy sentry leader 'Liu Dayan' at the Jinwu Guard's East Camp. Report their daily whereabouts, habits, frequented places, fears, likes... everything, big or small.

"That's it?" Black Scorpion was a little unconvinced. Fifty taels of silver just to keep an eye on a few minions?

"Also..." Hattori Hanzo's voice suddenly turned cold, like an ice spike piercing the bone. "If necessary, create a little trouble. For example, let a foreman who always withholds your wages 'accidentally' break his leg, or let a small fire 'accidentally' start in a warehouse where miscellaneous items are stored. Don't make too much noise, but make it annoying enough to keep those lackeys of the Jinwu Guards busy."

Black Scorpion licked his cracked lips, a trace of cruel satisfaction flashing in his eyes: "Hehe... I'm good at this! My brothers have long disliked those foremen! But..."

He changed the subject, staring greedily at Hattori Hanzo with his triangular eyes, "This little money is probably only enough for surveillance. If you want to take action, you'll have to pay more!"

"After the matter is completed, I will give you another fifty taels." Hattori Hanzo said without hesitation, as if he was throwing stones instead of silver. "In addition, there are two beautiful 'yujo' (prostitutes) brought from Japan. You can enjoy them at your leisure."

He clapped his hands.

The door curtain of the shack was silently lifted, and two young women wearing bright kimonos, with thick white powder on their faces and empty and numb eyes, were pushed in like puppets.

They had slim figures, but under the dim oil lamp, they exuded an unsettling air of death.

Black Scorpion's gaze was instantly drawn in, a lustful light blazing in his triangular eyes! He slapped his thigh fiercely, letting out a strange laugh like an owl: "Hahaha! Great! That's straightforward! Deal!!"

Hattori Hanzo said no more, and his figure seemed to blend into the darkness, and he and the two women disappeared silently behind the door curtain.

In the shack, only Black Scorpion was left holding the bag of silver, and he was laughing like an uncontrollable beast at the two shivering Japanese women.

Three days later, late at night.

Three quarters of a hour.

Thick clouds obscured the moon and dimmed the starlight.

In the western suburbs of Huxian New City, far away from the hustle and bustle of the port and the bright lights of celebrations, a huge factory area tightly surrounded by high brick walls crawls in the thick night like a silent giant.

This is one of the lifelines of Huxian Special Economic Zone - Huxian No. 1 Cement Plant!

The air was filled with the strong, pungent smell of lime dust, mixed with sulfur, slag, and a certain burnt smell unique to high-temperature calcination.

Several huge kilns that are more than ten meters high are like silent giants. The dark red flames in the furnaces faintly shine through the observation holes and cracks, illuminating the surroundings with an eerie dim red.

The towering chimneys were like pipes to hell, spewing thick smoke into the night sky, completely blocking out the already sparse starlight.

The factory is heavily guarded! Watchtowers are set high on the walls, and Jinwu Guards soldiers can be vaguely seen patrolling with crossbows.

The gate was closed and there was someone on duty. Two dim and infuriating lanterns were hung on the gate tower.

Even ropes wrapped with caltrops were stretched over the walls. However, no matter how strong a fortress is, it cannot stop the prying eyes and silent claws from the darkness.

In the northeast corner of the factory, outside the wall of a relatively remote place close to the waste storage area (where cooled slag and discarded refractory bricks are piled up).

Several dark shadows, like geckos, clung to the wall, moving silently like flowing ink under the perfect cover of the night.

It was none other than the elite "Rat Group" led by Hattori Hanzo himself—five Iga jonin! They were clad in specially made light-absorbing night clothes, their faces covered with black masks that only revealed their eyes. Their breathing was long and almost inaudible, and their movements were so light that they seemed weightless.

Through the detailed intelligence provided by the Black Scorpion, they had already identified the fatal weakness of this section of the wall - a section where the foundation below was a soft silt layer, resulting in tiny but penetrating settlement cracks in the wall.

The crack is hidden, in the weeds at the base of the wall. At the same time, the patrols' intervals are precisely calculated—about an incense stick's worth of time (30 minutes), with a brief break between shift changes.

Hattori Hanzo hid in the shadows, standing still for a moment like a sculpture, his sharp eyes sweeping across the wall and the shadows inside the high wall.

He held up two fingers and pointed them forward.