Chapter Twenty-Four: The Engineering Chronicles—Hidden Perils

Inside the dining shed, Zhang Qinglin quickly prepared a simple meal. The three of them sat in a corner, eating while keeping a watchful eye on the growing crowd of laborers arriving for food. He shoveled a few mouthfuls of rice into his mouth, sipped some soup, and picked up the jacket resting on his stool.

Just as he was about to slip one arm into the sleeve, a group of four or five men, each brandishing a wooden club, burst in with an air of menace. Leading them was a burly man with a bristling beard, his eyes narrowed in fury as he scanned the shed. Even his grip on the club trembled with rage. Zhang Qinglin glanced at him, recognizing the man as one of Kaizi’s old mining companions—likely his brother or another close relative.

“Who killed my brother? Speak up! Was it you? Was it you?” Kaizi’s brother shouted, nearly beside himself.

“Chen Hao, what’s gotten into you? We didn’t kill Kaizi. Stop making a scene—people are trying to eat here.” A few men at the entrance tried to intervene.

At these words, Chen Hao’s eyes reddened; he swung his club and overturned a large pot of steaming soup.

“My brother died without justice, and you all sit here feasting! Brothers, teach them a lesson!” With a thunderous roar, the bearded man kicked the speaker to the ground and struck one of the guards with his club.

His companions rushed in, upending tables and smashing bowls, plunging the dining shed into chaos. Zhang Qinglin exchanged a glance with Cheng Che.

“Cheng Che, take Da Zhuang and get out first. I’ll catch up right away.” Zhang Qinglin’s eyes darted to the main gate of the compound, where the guards were hurrying over.

He needed to return to Old Seven’s room to retrieve his backpack.

The situation was spiraling out of control, reminiscent of a gang brawl, and Cheng Che feared innocent bystanders would be caught in the fray. He grabbed Da Zhuang and dashed for the gate. As they reached the main entrance, they heard shouts behind them.

He wrenched open the heavy iron gate, shoved Da Zhuang outside, and slipped out himself, snatching an iron chain hanging from the gate to fasten it tightly. The shouts from inside grew louder, but it was too late—Cheng Che and Da Zhuang were already running far down the road.

Zhang Qinglin stood outside Old Seven’s door, glancing around. No one was in sight. He slipped inside; the room was pitch-black, the light left off. Familiar with the layout, he quickly found his hidden backpack and turned to leave.

Suddenly, the glint of a blade flashed at his right. Zhang Qinglin’s eyes narrowed; slowly, he shifted his head aside as the tip of the knife hovered at his nose. He clutched the backpack straps with both hands and stepped back with his left foot.

In the dim glow from outside, Zhang Qinglin saw his assailant—and caught a faint scent of perfume.

Looking closer, he realized the figure was a woman.

“Who are you?” Zhang Qinglin’s voice remained calm, though cold sweat beaded his brow.

The woman was clad in a tight black outfit, her face masked, long hair tumbling down. Her bright eyes locked onto Zhang Qinglin’s, silent and unyielding.

Seeing her unresponsive, Zhang Qinglin retreated another step. In that instant, the woman’s eyes flickered, and she lunged forward with the knife.

He dodged left, swift as a shadow, and the woman darted to the spot he had just left. The sound of knives clashing rang out—there was someone else in the room.

“Go, quickly!” the woman called sharply.

The voice stirred a memory in Zhang Qinglin’s mind, but before he could place it, she seized his arm and dragged him out of Old Seven’s room.

Glancing back, Zhang Qinglin saw their pursuer: a man with tattoos snaking down his arms.

The tattooed man moved with alarming speed, almost upon them. The woman pushed Zhang Qinglin aside, her gaze steely as she launched a kick. The tattooed man blocked with his arm and grabbed her calf, but with a twist and a kick she broke free, forcing him to stagger back, glowering with rage.

Was this woman here to kill him, or to save him?

She moved with astonishing agility, zigzagging through the compound with Zhang Qinglin in tow until they reached the rear wall, where bales of straw were stacked a meter high. With two strides, the woman vaulted up, then bent down to pull Zhang Qinglin after her.

They dropped over the two-meter wall. Zhang Qinglin hit the ground hard, his whole body aching, but he gritted his teeth and got up. Inside the compound, chaos erupted—clearly, Chen Hao was escalating the situation.

“Hey, Zhang! Over here!” Cheng Che and Da Zhuang were hiding behind a large tree.

Cheng Che noticed the masked woman following Zhang Qinglin. “Who’s she?”

“Uh… she… she just saved me. What about Old Seven? Did you find him?”

Cheng Che cast a suspicious glance at the masked woman. Aside from Miss Su, they hadn’t seen another woman in days. Where had she come from? Pointing to the yard where they’d been held before, he said, “I just checked—there are four guards at the gate and several dogs. I didn’t see Old Seven, but that guy in the suit is definitely suspicious. He came out of the black room where we were imprisoned and said something to his men. I think… Old Seven must be locked up somewhere.”

At that moment, the main gate was thrown open from inside. Several large wolfhounds were led out and sent toward the workers’ quarters, with the man in the suit following behind.

“This is our chance—let’s go rescue Old Seven,” Cheng Che said, stepping out toward the compound.

“Alright… Do me a favor: keep an eye on him,” Zhang Qinglin said, indicating Da Zhuang to the woman before turning to follow Cheng Che.

Before the woman could reply, Zhang Qinglin and Cheng Che slipped away. As they reached the iron gate, voices drifted from inside.

“That Old Seven must have a death wish, stealing from Young Master Ma. We’ll make sure he learns his lesson.”

“Big brother, I heard he’s distantly related to Master Wu. Shouldn’t we inform him?”

“To hell with that! We’re already being lenient by not breaking his legs. C’mon, let’s go see…”

Exchanging a glance, Zhang Qinglin and Cheng Che watched the two men enter a room on the right. They slipped quietly through the gate.

Peering through a crack in the door, they saw Old Seven bound and battered before the two men.

Cheng Che eased the door open, Zhang Qinglin close behind. Taking advantage of the element of surprise, they each grabbed a club from the floor and struck the men down. Cheng Che gave them a few extra kicks for good measure, then untied the ropes and helped Old Seven to his feet.