Folklore and Strange Tales: At the Start, You Retrieve the Sea-Suppressing Black Iron

Cheng Xiaojin did not return to the rented room.

He turned a corner at the south gate of the residential area and slipped into a dead-end alley in the adjacent bungalow area along the base of the wall. At the end of the alley was a two-meter-high brick wall with a clump of withered grass growing on top.

He tossed his canvas bag onto the wall, climbed over an exposed drainpipe at the base of the wall, checked his location while lying on the top of the wall, and then rolled down into the rooftop passageway of the bungalow area.

The military binoculars that Tieguai Li had given him a couple of days ago were still tucked in the side pocket of his canvas bag. The rubber casing was worn and frayed, but the lenses were clean. It had 8x magnification, so the night vision was so-so, but it was enough for daytime use.

He squatted behind the low wall on the rooftop, propped the binoculars against the edge of the wall, and adjusted the focus.

The Jinbei van was parked in front of the convenience store downstairs in the rental building, with the front of the van facing the building entrance. The location was cleverly chosen so that it could clearly see people entering and leaving the building entrance without blocking the way or attracting attention.

A man with a buzz cut was sitting in the driver's seat.

The passenger in the front seat was someone Cheng Xiaojin had never seen before; he had a round face, wore a black jacket, and was looking down at his phone.

The curtains on the back window of the car were not drawn, and a dark-colored tool bag could be seen lying inside. The zipper was not fully closed, and half of the metal head of a crowbar was sticking out.

Cheng Xiaojin put down his binoculars, took out his phone, and made a call to Tieguai Li.

"Old Li, go over the Murray matter with me again."

"What's wrong with you? I've checked it three times already. The drawer is triggered by pulling it three inches, I added three times the force to the spring, and I used half a bowl of finely ground pine soot ink. It's so thick that it won't fade from the skin for three days."

"After closing the drawer, check from the outside for any flaws?"

"Do you think this is my first time doing this kind of work? The pencil case is placed in front of the counterfeit, and no one can see it unless the drawer is opened. The wire runs along the bottom of the drawer and is the same color as the wood grain. You might not even be able to tell if you shine a flashlight on it."

"OK."

Where are you?

"They're lying on the roof of my house. Sun Pangzi's Jinbei van is parked below. There are two people there, one with a buzz cut and the other a new face. There's a crowbar in the back seat."

Tieguai Li remained silent for two seconds.

"How long has Master Qi's rumor been circulating?"

"Less than forty-eight hours."

"That son of a bit is much more impatient than I thought."

"He's not in a hurry, he's panicked. Boss Lin's phone call put him in his place, but he lost face in front of Boss Lin. If he doesn't quickly come up with a second thing to make amends, he won't even be able to keep his position as the middleman."

"So what are you planning to do? Wait for them to make their move?"

"No, I need to let them confirm that the items are inside first."

"you mean……"

"I'll go down now, walk back to the rented room through the front door, let them see me go in, and then come out again in a little while."

Tieguai Li cursed on the other end of the phone.

"Are you fucking crazy? There are two guys parked down there with crowbars, and you're just swaggering back?"

"Old Li, use your brain. They're here to steal, not to fight. They won't move if I'm inside; they'll only move if I leave."

"What if they change their minds? What if Crewback was tricked by you last time and wants to get revenge this time?"

"People with buzz cuts are okay when things are going well, but last time at Shichahai, I made their hands shake after just three sentences. Now, when they see me, they'd rather stay away than not."

"Aren't you afraid of that new face?"

"The new guy has been sitting in the passenger seat looking at his phone for forty minutes without moving his legs. This kind of person is there to lie in wait, not to fight."

Tieguai Li's breathing sounded heavy on the phone.

"Okay, go ahead, but remember one thing: once you're inside, open the curtains and leave the lights on. Don't close the curtains and stay in the dark, otherwise they won't be able to see you and will make their move beforehand."

"understood."

"Also, after you come out, don't ride towards Panjiayuan. Go east for 300 meters and turn into the vegetable market. The back door of the vegetable market leads to the main road. There are many people and cars on that road, so even if the guy with the buzz cut wanted to keep up, he wouldn't be able to."

"become."

After hanging up with Tieguai Li, Cheng Xiaojin sent another message to Zhou Banxian.

"Uncle Zhou, keep an eye on Fatty Sun's movements tomorrow. Give me a call if he shows up at Panjiayuan."

Zhou Banxian replied with a voice message, mumbling and belching.

"Why are you staring at him? I can tell what he's up to just by him walking around in front of me. Fine, I'll go over there early tomorrow."

Cheng Xiaojin put away his phone, tucked the binoculars back into his canvas bag, went down from the rooftop to the bungalow area, walked around in a big circle, and swiped his card to enter through the access control at the east gate of the community.

He deliberately walked at a leisurely pace, glancing at the Jinbei van as he passed the convenience store.

The man with the buzz cut immediately looked over, met his gaze for half a second, and then quickly looked away.

The round-faced passenger in the front seat looked up, memorized Cheng Xiaojin's face, and then typed a few words on his phone.

Cheng Xiaojin went up to the fourth floor, opened the door and went inside.

He checked the Murray first; the drawers were closed properly, the wire was taut, and the pencil case latch was intact.

Then he walked to the window, pulled the curtains open to both sides, and turned on the fluorescent light above his head.

The lights shone through the glass windows, and you could see the lights on the fourth floor from downstairs.

Cheng Xiaojin stayed in the room for about twenty minutes.

In those twenty minutes, he washed and ate an apple, then took out the iodine and applied it to the wound on his elbow. Tong Kexin removed the gauze and replaced it with a new one, because the old gauze was indeed filthy.

After changing the dressing, he walked to the bedside table, bent down and looked at the second drawer, confirming the angle at which a corner of the counterfeit black cloth was peeking out from the drawer seam.

Just the right amount, enough for someone to see that it contained something about the size of a fist.

Then, Cheng Xiaojin turned off the lights, locked the door, and went downstairs.

He didn't even glance at the Jinbei van as it passed by, and instead mounted his bicycle and rode eastward.

I rode for 300 meters, turned into the vegetable market, and came out through the back door onto the main road.

The main road was bustling with traffic. He glanced back and saw that no one was following him.

My phone rang; it was a message from Tong Kexin.

"Is that Jinbei van still downstairs? I asked Aunt Zhang to keep an eye on it for you."

Cheng Xiaojin replied.

"They're here, just leave them be, let them stay put."

Tong Kexin replied instantly.

"What on earth are you up to now?"

Don't worry about it, I'll tell you later.

"Every time you said you'd tell me later, you never actually did."

Cheng Xiaojin smiled and put his phone back in his pocket.

When he rode his bicycle to the intersection of the north gate of Panjiayuan, he waited for the red light.

During the countdown to the red light, he looked up and glanced at the other side of the road.

Bus stop.

A person with short hair, wearing a light gray jacket, was standing under the lightbox, with his hands in his pockets, looking down at his phone screen.

The light from the lightbox illuminated his face, making the shallow scar on the bridge of his nose clearly visible.

A short-haired man with a nose scar.

Cheng Xiaojin's gaze lingered on him for less than a second before she looked away.

This person didn't choose their position randomly.

The bus stop lightbox is on the north side of the road, facing south.

Looking south from that angle, past two rows of roadside trees and a green belt, you can just see the north gate of the community where Cheng Xiaojin's rented house is located, as well as the Jinbei bread truck parked on the road outside the north gate.

The short-haired man with the nasal scar wasn't looking at Cheng Xiaojin; he was looking at the Jinbei bread truck.

Boss Lin's men are monitoring Fatty Sun's men.

The green light is on.

Cheng Xiaojin rode his bicycle across the road, a thought swirling in his mind.

He was caught in the middle.

Above are Boss Lin's eyes, below are Fatty Sun's claws, and in the shadows is a figure wearing a linen shirt.

He was under surveillance from three sides, a street vendor with less than 100,000 yuan in his pocket, riding a broken old-fashioned bicycle, right in the middle of this net.

……

The door to Zhou Banxian's house was ajar, and a strong smell of alcohol mixed with ink wafted out from the crack.

When Cheng Xiaojin pushed open the door, the old man was lying on the table, his left hand pressing down on a large, yellowed old map of Beijing, and his right hand holding a brush, drawing circles on the map, leaving red ink dots everywhere.

"Uncle Zhou, I'm here."

Zhou Banxian raised his head, his reading glasses perched crookedly on his nose, his eyes cloudy but with a glint of shrewdness.

"Sit down when you get here, don't stand and block my light."

Cheng Xiaojin put the plastic bag he was carrying on the table, and the bottles clinked together.

"What did you bring?"

"Red Star Erguotou, 56 degrees."

Zhou Banxian's eyes lit up. He reached into the bag, took the bottle out, unscrewed the cap, smelled it, and hummed with satisfaction.

"If you want something from me, just say so. Don't try to shut me up with alcohol."

"I'm not silencing you, I'm asking you to speak."

"What do you want to ask?"

"The City of Eight-Armed Nezha".