Chapter 59

“Damn, who wants to meet you at all!”

After a moment of extreme panic, Qiu Peng became furious: “What does Xu Tianyou want to do? Is he trying to blackmail me with this matter?”

Qiu Peng trembled all over; if this was the case, his future would be like an endless, dark abyss!

“Hmph, I won’t be controlled so easily! Don’t forget, I am a policeman!” Qiu Peng gritted his teeth in anger, then thought for a moment before rushing into his office and making a phone call.

The call was made to a good friend at the City Public Security Bureau. Qiu Peng wanted to use this connection to investigate where the message came from. If he could track down the exact location, he might be able to find Xu Tianyou’s whereabouts, and then he could strike back.

As long as he could capture Xu Tianyou himself, once that happened, no one would believe anything Xu Tianyou said.

“That’s the plan!” Qiu Peng thought firmly.

“Captain Qiu, what made you call me today?” came the lazy voice of his old friend on the other end of the line.

Qiu Peng, however, was not in the mood for small talk and immediately explained his request.

“This… It’s a bit difficult,” the friend replied hesitantly. “I can help you investigate, but the telecom company requires a formal process. If I want to track the sender of this message, I need a valid reason.”

“Bro, please! This is really important to me. I’ll owe you a huge favor, okay? Please, you must have a way, right?” At this point, Qiu Peng threw all his pride aside and begged.

“Alright, alright! Let me think of something, wait for my news,” the friend reluctantly agreed after sensing Qiu Peng’s anxiety.

After hanging up, Qiu Peng rubbed his face with his hand forcefully.

“April 5th, damn it, that’s my birthday!” Qiu Peng muttered. “Is this a coincidence, or did Xu Tianyou do this on purpose? How did he even know my birthday?”

Countless thoughts flooded Qiu Peng’s mind in that moment.

—

Meanwhile, An Xiaohai ate his meal absentmindedly while keeping an eye on Qiu Peng, who was patrolling not far away.

It was obvious that Qiu Peng hadn’t had a good rest, as dark circles were clearly visible under his eyes.

The message that Qiu Peng received had been sent by Pan Zhuangzhuang on An Xiaohai’s orders, deliberately set for April 5th—Qiu Peng’s birthday.

It wasn’t because it was Qiu Peng’s birthday, but because there were still about ten days to go until then. So it was chosen purely for timing—it was enough to make Qiu Peng anxious for a while.

“Hey, Ah Hai, why do you keep keeping an eye on that Captain Qiu?” asked Guo Xiangshui in a low voice.

“Do I?” An Xiaohai was surprised. He had only been watching with his peripheral vision. How did Guo Xiangshui notice?

“Of course you do!” Guo Xiangshui rolled his eyes at An Xiaohai.

“Is it that obvious?”

“Very obvious! You’re about to burst out laughing!” Guo Xiangshui remarked.

“Really that obvious?” An Xiaohai scratched his chin. It seemed like he’d have to improve his acting skills going forward.

“Uncle Shui, did you forget? This Qiu Peng hit me, and I had to get over ten stitches on my head!” An Xiaohai said.

“Last time you said you got six stitches!” Guo Xiangshui retorted.

“Doesn’t matter. The key thing is, he really hit me! When others want to kill me, he doesn’t hit them, but he hits me!”

“So, what’s the point of watching him? Will you kill him with your gaze?” Guo Xiangshui asked.

“Maybe, if I’m lucky?” An Xiaohai said casually.

“…” Guo Xiangshui stared at him speechlessly.

“Don’t worry, Uncle Shui. I know people well. I feel like Qiu Peng will definitely fall into some misfortune soon!” An Xiaohai said confidently.

“That’s not reading people, that’s reading faces!” Guo Xiangshui replied.

“Doesn’t matter, I just know he’ll be in trouble!” An Xiaohai shrugged.

“Alright, you say so, then it’s true!” Guo Xiangshui muttered, sensing a subtle change in An Xiaohai’s demeanor. He couldn’t pinpoint what had changed, but something was different.

An Xiaohai had indeed changed, but it wasn’t anything external—it was his mindset.

In the past six months, An Xiaohai had been teetering on the edge of life and death, doing everything he could to dodge both overt and covert attacks, without any room to breathe.

But recently, it seemed like things were subtly shifting. At least, very few inmates were actively looking for trouble with him anymore.

An Xiaohai knew full well that today’s situation, the fact that he had some breathing room, was thanks to his own efforts and also to Xu Tianyou’s help behind the scenes.

“This guy… I could really call him my lucky star,” An Xiaohai thought, with a bitter smile.

Thanks to this brief respite, An Xiaohai finally started his counterattack—his retaliation against the mysterious mastermind!

Since he had confirmed that Qiu Peng was a pawn of the mastermind, he would start with this pawn! A swift strike, even if it couldn’t sever the connection, would render him useless!

As the saying goes, the best defense is offense. If he kept avoiding the enemy’s attacks, it was only a matter of time before he cracked.

Looking at Qiu Peng, who appeared somewhat distracted, An Xiaohai felt an odd sensation inside him: fighting these people was not just nerve-wracking—it also had a thrilling, almost exhilarating side to it!

Only by staying alive could one continue to fight, and An Xiaohai truly felt alive with every battle.

At some point, An Xiaohai realized that he no longer resisted the feeling of conflict deep down, though he wasn’t sure whether that was a good thing or a bad thing.

“Qiu Peng, your future is in your hands now…” An Xiaohai thought.

—

“An Xiaohai, are you planning to deal with Qiu Peng?” Zhao De asked in a low voice from not far away.

“What does it have to do with you?” An Xiaohai frowned. Why was this guy asking about it?

“Of course it concerns me! If you’re going after Qiu Peng, count me in! And if we manage to get him, I’ll consider our past debts settled, and I’ll help you out!” Zhao De said seriously.

An Xiaohai furrowed his brow. Zhao De didn’t seem to be joking.

“Ah Hai, don’t be so hostile to Ah De. He really has a grudge with Qiu Peng! That guy Qiu Peng is ruthless. Zhao De and several of his brothers have suffered from his actions.”

“Don’t worry, if you really want to deal with Qiu Peng, Zhao De won’t mess things up,” Guo Xiangshui reassured An Xiaohai.

Hearing this, An Xiaohai gave Zhao De a second glance. He didn’t outright refuse, but he didn’t fully accept either, mainly because he was worried Zhao De might mess things up.

However, since Zhao De might get involved, the plan could be adjusted slightly. In this case, Qiu Peng might suffer even more!

—

**More than ten days passed quickly, and April 5th was right around the corner.**

Qiu Peng felt like these days had been an absolute torment. He even started suspecting that Xu Tianyou was doing this on purpose. An Xiaohai also found this waiting game grueling—it wasn’t exactly the best experience!

The location where the message was sent from had been tracked down. Qiu Peng had visited the place—it was a secluded, almost unreachable little convenience store, run by an old woman.

When Qiu Peng asked, the old woman knew nothing. She couldn’t even understand Mandarin well.

Clearly, tracking Xu Tianyou’s whereabouts through this location was impossible. Qiu Peng’s heart was filled with anxiety.

“Tomorrow is April 5th. The Hongyun Teahouse—should I go or not?”