Luo Yu had two phones: one was the latest model, while the other was an old-style device with limited functionality, capable only of calls and text messages. You Mingxu’s tracking and listening device was installed in this older phone.
The content of Luo Yu’s conversation with Sister Yun that evening went as follows:
Luo Yu: Sister Yun.
Sister Yun: Boss Luo, we’ve finally made contact with you all.
Luo Yu: Sorry, we had some issues on our end that caused delays. How are things on your side? Any troubles?
Sister Yun: We ran into some problems, but fortunately, we reacted quickly and are now hiding near a university. If you hadn’t contacted us soon, I would have gone back.
Luo Yu: Please don’t—we haven’t even done business yet. That previous guy wasn’t up to the task, but from now on, I’ll be your contact. We’re very interested in that batch of mushrooms, and we’ll offer a suitable price. Moreover, it’s not just for this season—we want to establish a long-term business relationship. The bosses have already reached a consensus on this. When would you like to meet and discuss?
Sister Yun: Heh, the cops in your Xiangcheng are quite formidable, not much different from those desperados at the border. The sooner the better—you’re not the only ones waiting at the boss’s door. I also want to complete this deal smoothly.
Luo Yu: Fine, then tomorrow. I’ll text you the time and location later.
…
In truth, You Mingxu didn’t need to plant the listening device in Luo Yu’s phone—Jing Ping could have obtained this conversation anyway. The Yunnan contact, Sister Yun, had already been controlled and turned by him. Sister Yun was now communicating with both sides, and neither Yunnan nor Hunan suspected anything, believing she had successfully evaded police capture.
You Mingxu wasn’t sure if Luo Yu truly believed it, but when she mentioned they hadn’t captured the Yunnan contact, his expression hadn’t changed. And now they had made contact. He had fought hard to get this connection from Xing Jifu. You Mingxu thought he was probably eager to prove himself. Or perhaps he was taking it step by step, testing Sister Yun’s side—it was hard to say.
But someone like Sister Yun, having surrendered to the police, had no way back—she had burned her bridges. You Mingxu didn’t know what methods or schemes Jing Ping had used, but Sister Yun was now completely his informant, following his every command.
The next day, Sister Yun went to meet Luo Yu.
Jing Ping was bold enough to let her go alone without surveillance, though hidden tracking and listening devices were certainly in place.
When she returned that evening, Sister Yun reported: that the deal was done. Though Luo Yu was extremely shrewd and negotiated cautiously, Sister Yun was also an experienced player. The two parties spent the entire afternoon in intense negotiations, fighting for every inch, before finally agreeing on the time, location, and method for the first shipment—
In ten days, at specific coordinates near Bijie City in the northwestern border region of Yunnan-Guizhou, they would exchange money for goods simultaneously. Both sides had to send their most capable people.
Following Jing Ping’s instructions, Sister Yun had set her sights high, showing no interest in small amounts. Luo Yu displayed ambition and courage, but he wasn’t blindly agreeing to Sister Yun’s exorbitant demands. Finally, they agreed on quantities for several main types of drugs, totaling an enormous amount—enough to warrant death sentences for all involved. But if successful, not only would Yunnan profit enormously, but Luo Yu’s backing forces would firmly grasp the supply market throughout central China and potentially expand into the north.
Wasn’t this exactly what people in this business pursued—the thrill of high risk and high returns, gambling with their lives for power and money?
After returning, Sister Yun called her Yunnan boss in front of Jing Ping. Given the massive amount involved, the boss showed some hesitation, though it wasn’t unprecedented. After a while, he called Sister Yun back, agreeing to do business with Hunan—drug enforcement in Yunnan was becoming increasingly strict, and while the inland areas were relatively looser, the situation wasn’t optimistic. They wanted to open new markets too.
So the matter seemed settled.
With such a large transaction, this was no longer just Jing Ping’s small team’s concern. He immediately reported the situation in detail to Ding Xiongwei. The bureau promptly called a special meeting, with all team members present. If the intelligence proved accurate, this would be one of Hunan’s largest drug cases in history, requiring assistance from Guizhou and Yunnan drug enforcement police to capture both criminal organizations in one sweep.
The bureau chief attended this meeting, visibly excited. The leaders agreed on police force deployment and arrangements, including the assistance needed from Guizhou and Yunnan forces. Preparatory work would begin shortly after the meeting—the operation might require hundreds of officers, mobilizing all elite police and possibly even armed police and special forces.
After the meeting, Ding Xiongwei specifically held back Jing Ping and You Mingxu. Despite the scale of the operation, both remained remarkably calm and composed, which pleased Ding Xiongwei. With such a major case, he didn’t dare be overconfident, advising: “There are still several days before the operation. Although your intelligence is very accurate, I hope you’ll verify everything more cautiously. Drug dealers are extremely cunning—we must ensure there are no loose ends, no chance for them to escape.”
You Mingxu and Jing Ping both nodded in agreement.
Back in the four-person team office, Yin Feng and Xu Mengshan had already returned. Xu Mengshan asked, “What did Old Ding say?”
You Mingxu answered, “To ensure the intelligence is reliable.”
Xu Mengshan fell silent in contemplation while Jing Ping sat down and lit a cigarette. You Mingxu saw that Yin Feng had taken her seat—he didn’t have his desk here—but she didn’t argue with him. She sat down nearby and, remembering she hadn’t smoked in a while (last time she’d barely lit a Yunnan cigarette she’d extorted from Jing Ping before Yin Feng snatched and extinguished it), she rummaged through her drawer and found that half-pack of cigarettes, taking one out.
Xu Mengshan reached out for one too, and You Mingxu tossed him one. Soon all three police officers were smoking.
Yin Feng watched her mannish behavior with cold eyes, unsure whether he liked it or not. But with others present and wanting to save face for her, he simply observed her smoking impassively.
You Mingxu noticed he was more restrained today, not trying to control everything, and she glanced at him sideways, smiling ambiguously.
Her phoenix eyes narrowed slightly, gleaming with intelligence and playfulness.
Yin Feng suddenly smiled too.
He thought her expression was asking for trouble, yet still endearing.
“What do you all think?” Jing Ping asked.
Xu Mengshan answered honestly: “Getting this major lead went quite smoothly. Thinking about it that way makes me a bit uneasy. But considering it carefully, we’ve proceeded step by step, going with the flow and planning accordingly, without any obvious flaws. Luo Yu isn’t a god—he can’t predict the future. Both criminal organizations are eager to complete this cooperation, so reaching this point of transaction seems inevitable. Nothing seems unreasonable about it.”