Just as Shi Ting was preparing to head out, he found his attendant Jin Shan waiting outside the door.

Once Shi Ting had finished speaking, Jin Shan stepped forward. “Young Master, Zuo Liang just left Second Young Master’s residence.”

“Were you able to find out what he’s planning to do?” Shi Ting’s expression sharpened.

Jin Shan shook his head. “There are informants loyal to Second Young Master among the Commander’s guards. Second Young Master may already know what was said between you and the Commander.”

“He’s trying to stop me from recovering those funds.” Shi Ting bowed his head in thought. “It seems we’ll need to deploy additional manpower.”

“Young Master, take care. I’ll head back now.”

After Jin Shan left, Shi Ting had Zheng Yun mobilize a further contingent of officers for support and set up airtight control at every key junction.

At ten thirty in the morning on September 19th, the area outside Fushan Bank had been placed under comprehensive surveillance by the Military Police Division.

Shi Ting sat inside a vehicle and checked his watch. As he lowered his wrist, Bai Jin’s hushed voice reached his ear: “Han Qiren’s appeared.”

Han Qiren was dressed in a black trench coat, wearing a black fedora, his face further concealed behind a matching mask. He was stepping down from an automobile.

“It’s Han Qiren.” Bai Jin was certain. “I’d recognize him even covered up like that.”

Shi Ting watched Han Qiren head straight into the bank and could not help but furrow his brow slightly. He had recognized the figure as Han Qiren — yet something still felt off.

“Everyone stand by.” The order was passed along in turn, and every person fixed their full attention on the bank’s exit.

Fifteen minutes later, Han Qiren came walking out carrying a combination safe, got briskly into the waiting vehicle outside.

“Seventh Brother, do we make the arrest?” Bai Jin grew anxious.

Shi Ting watched the direction in which Han Qiren had gone, and still did not give the order.

As Han Qiren’s vehicle started its engine, Bai Jin slapped his thigh. “Seventh Brother, give the order! Han Qiren is about to get away!”

“Move in.” Shi Ting made a single hand gesture, and the people lying in ambush all around surged forward at once.

Han Qiren, seeing this, floored the accelerator and the vehicle shot forward onto the road.

“After him!” Bai Jin directed everyone in pursuit of Han Qiren’s fleeing vehicle.

Ten minutes later, the front of Fushan Bank had returned to its usual calm. A figure in a black trench coat jumped out of a car, with four large men in black following close behind.

After stepping out of the car, the figure looked around in every direction for a moment before leading the men into the bank.

The bank’s safety deposit vault was located in the basement — a space with no windows, dug more than ten meters into the ground. Reaching the vault required passing through three sets of heavy iron doors. Security was formidable, airtight as a fortress; not even a fly could have gotten through.

The figure in the trench coat entered the basement and handed an agreement to the branch manager, who reviewed it and said, “Please wait a moment, Mr. Han.”

The manager exchanged a word with the two armed security personnel standing outside, then unlocked the first door.

Passing through all three sets of doors, the manager led the security officers and disappeared into the dark corridor of the basement.

The figure waited approximately ten minutes before the manager reappeared. The security officers pushed a four-wheeled cart, on top of which sat a safe roughly one meter square.

At the sight of this box, the figure in the trench coat smiled with satisfaction.

The four large men lifted the safe, and the group moved quickly out of the bank and into the vehicle, which sped away in a cloud of dust.

The car raced along the road and finally drew to a stop beside a remote, isolated courtyard.

Inside the courtyard stood a two-story building of considerable age — steps crumbling, the walls thick with moss.

After the vehicle halted at the entrance, the four large men carried the safe inside. The trench-coated figure followed closely behind, glancing warily in all directions. Only once he was certain it was safe did he follow the four men into the building.

The door of the building was locked shut behind them.

The safe was moved through a concealed entrance down into a basement. The trench-coated figure stood beside the box and removed the hat from his head.

“Minister, we’re safe now.” One of the large men let out a breath of relief.

Another asked, “Minister, is it all right to keep it here? After all, this belongs to the Commander.”

“It’s safe. No one knows about this place.” Han Qiren wiped the sweat from his brow. “You all head back for now. I’ll report to the Commander later and see that you’re each given credit for your service. And remember — not a word of this to anyone. If it gets out, it will cost you your heads.”

“Minister Han, don’t worry. Our lips are sealed.”

“Good. You’re all dismissed.”

The four men turned and headed toward the basement door. Just as they were approaching the threshold, Han Qiren reached into his pocket and drew out a pistol. The corner of his mouth curved into a cold, ruthless arc.

Bang. Bang. Bang.

When the gunfire had ceased, all four men in black lay on the ground, one after another. To the very last moment, they could not understand — they had been carrying out the Commander’s business. Why were they dying?

Han Qiren slipped the gun back into his pocket. “My apologies.”

He turned to the safe. He pressed the middle finger of his right hand against the fingerprint sensor on the first panel. With a click, the first door swung open.

Faced with the second iron door, he calmly reached into his pocket and produced an envelope. From it, he withdrew a thin glove and pulled it on. The fingertip of each finger bore a layer of printed fingerprint impressions.

He pressed the gloved hand to the sensor and tried three fingers in succession. With a click, the second door opened as well.

Both doors now open, the safe revealed a gleaming heap of gold bars within.

The bars filled the box to the brim, radiant and dazzling.

Han Qiren let out a laugh. “Song Zixian,” he said to himself, “what a pity — you had the nerve to take it but not the luck to spend it. Every last bit of this money is mine now.”

The words had barely left his mouth before a sudden commotion erupted outside. A group of men dressed in black burst through the entrance, their faces masked so that not a single feature was visible, each one armed with a weapon.

Han Qiren dove behind the safe. Several bullets struck the metal casing, sending a sharp, grating sound through the air.

He pulled the pistol from his belt and began to return fire.

Some of the attackers fell, but they vastly outnumbered him, and Han Qiren was clearly outmatched.

Just as Han Qiren was on the verge of being overwhelmed, more gunshots rang out, and the masked men surrounding him fell one by one.

“Who’s there?” The masked men spun around to see a long shadow cast across the floor, and the muzzle of a black pistol leveled at the space between their eyes.

Bang. Bang. Bang.

At each shot, a masked man went down.

The shooter’s aim was precise — every bullet found its mark.

Only when the last man had fallen did Han Qiren make out a figure stepping forward from the shadows.

The dim, flickering light fell unevenly upon the figure’s form, shifting between clarity and shadow, casting him like some demon of the underworld — cold, dark, and unhurried — walking through death itself as he approached.

The bullets in Han Qiren’s gun were spent. He could only watch in growing dread as the figure drew closer. When the light finally illuminated the man’s face, the name escaped him before he could stop it. “Director Shi?”

Shi Ting holstered the gun at his side, the faintest curve lifting the corner of his mouth. “Minister Han — we meet again.”

“You — how are you here?” Han Qiren’s terror sent cold sweat pouring without stop.

Shi Ting walked forward with measured steps. “Does Minister Han happen to have a twin brother?”

“An older brother.” Han Qiren rose from behind the safe. Blood ran from his left temple — in the earlier exchange, a stray bullet had grazed his brow.

“That explains it.” Shi Ting raised an eyebrow. “Minister Han used his brother as a decoy to draw away the Military Police Division — then came himself to retrieve the safe.”

Han Qiren’s expression shifted.

“Unfortunately, Minister Han made two mistakes.” Shi Ting held his gaze directly. “Your brother showed absolutely no signs of tension. After stepping out of the car, he was entirely at ease — whereas a person with something to hide would have guilt written all over their face and body, and would never have appeared so casual. And second, Minister Han appears to have underestimated the weight of this safe. A hundred thousand’s worth of gold bars is not something one man can simply carry off.”

When “Han Qiren” walked out of Fushan Bank, Shi Ting had immediately noticed something was wrong — the combination safe in “Han Qiren’s” hand was far too light.

He had made a swift decision: play along with the deception. He sent Bai Jin and the others to give chase, while he himself remained out of sight to keep watch on the bank.

“He and I cut ties years ago. We’ve had no dealings whatsoever.” Han Qiren spoke as though he didn’t follow. “He wasn’t sent by me.”

“Is that so?”

“I was caught up in a road accident on the way here. Dealing with it cost me some time.”

Shi Ting swept his gaze across the heap of bodies on the floor, and in an instant, a clear picture formed in his mind.

If Han Qiren’s brother had not been a decoy arranged by Han Qiren himself, there was only one explanation that fit.

The man had been arranged by Shi Guang. So too were the men now lying on the ground. His ultimate aim had been to seize the gold bars.

Had he failed to notice the deception, Han Qiren would be dead by now, and the gold bars would have disappeared without a trace.

Shi Guang — a clever scheme indeed.

“Director Shi.” Han Qiren looked at him directly. “Shall we discuss a transaction?”

“Go ahead.” Shi Ting regarded him with a composed, unhurried calm.

“You know full well that your three brothers — the Shi sons — maintain a pleasant surface while scheming against one another in the shadows. After all, no one is without ambition when it comes to the seat of Commander of Bei Di. I hold the financial power of Bei Di in my hands, and several powerful clans I am on close terms with also wield considerable authority. If you let me walk free today, I will give you Han Xiling in marriage — we become family. You are my son-in-law, and also like a son to me. I will lend you every bit of my strength to help you claim the seat of Commander of Bei Di.”

“On the surface, this transaction seems extremely advantageous for me.”

Han Qiren smiled with confidence. “With my support, Director Shi would be like a tiger with wings — why would you refuse?”

“Yet as far as I know, you are one of my eldest brother’s men.”

Han Qiren’s expression shifted.

“My eldest brother appears honest and straightforward, yet in private he cultivates his own faction. A great many people in the Commander’s government outwardly pledge loyalty to my second brother while secretly bowing to my eldest.”

“How — how do you know this?”

Shi Ting shook his head. “In Bei Di, the one who sees and knows everything — it is not only him.”

Han Qiren narrowed his eyes. “It seems both your eldest and second brother have underestimated you. Building the Military Police Division — that was nothing more than a cover, a ruse. Your ambitions far exceed those of either of them.”

“You flatter me, Minister Han. I am merely a minor Director of the Military Police Division, with neither troops nor authority to speak of. How could I dare to covet something as grand as dominion?”

He gave a light wave of his hand, and from the darkness several figures immediately emerged.

He did not deign to look at Han Qiren again, and turned away with finality. “Take him.”

Han Qiren offered no resistance and was pushed to the ground. As he was escorted past the doorway, his eyes bulged and bloodshot, and he called out in a voice gone hoarse: “Shi Ting — you are the most terrifying one of all.”