Rebirth 70: I am a Koi

The footsteps were getting closer and closer, and my heartbeat was getting faster and faster. A figure slowly emerged from the darkness. He was wearing dark clothes and a peaked cap with the brim pulled down so low that it almost covered his entire face.

"You are... Mu Jinli and Bai Hanchuan?" he asked in a low voice, with a hint of vigilance in his tone.

"Yes, it's us." Bai Hanchuan replied in a deep voice.

The man who came was Sun, an informant, a small employee in Boss Zhou's company. He was timid and afraid of trouble, but he owed a lot of debts because of gambling, so he took the risk and wanted to exchange some money by selling intelligence.

"Did you bring the money?" Informant Sun rubbed his hands, his eyes flickering.

Bai Hanchuan pulled out a thick envelope from his pocket and waved it in front of Sun, the informant: "It's all here, according to the agreed amount."

Informer Sun snatched the envelope, opened it impatiently, and quickly counted the money inside. His greedy eyes lingered on the banknotes for a moment, then he raised his head and said in a tentative tone, "These... I'm afraid they're not enough."

I suddenly felt angry. This guy was actually raising the price!

Bai Hanchuan's face also darkened: "We have already agreed on the price before, what do you mean now?"

Informant Sun's eyes rolled around and he stammered, "I... I'm taking such a big risk, this little money... is not enough."

"How much do you want?" Bai Hanchuan asked, suppressing his anger.

"Add more...double it!" Informant Sun said bravely.

Bai Hanchuan sneered: "You have a big appetite. Aren't you afraid that we will expose you?"

Informer Sun's face turned pale. He knew that Bai Hanchuan was not trying to scare him. He gritted his teeth and said, "Okay, okay, let's keep the original price. But I have one condition."

"What conditions?"

"I want you to ensure my safety." Informant Sun looked around nervously, as if countless dangers were lurking around.

"As long as the information you provide is true, we will naturally ensure your safety." Bai Hanchuan said.

Informant Sun was relieved. He took out a crumpled piece of paper from his pocket and handed it to Bai Hanchuan: "This is the address of a secret warehouse of Boss Zhou. There may be key evidence of his dumping strategy hidden there."

Bai Hanchuan took the note, looked at it carefully, and then handed it to me. I unfolded the note and saw an address and a string of numbers written on it in the dim light.

"This address..." I looked at the address on the note with a frown. I felt that it looked familiar, but I couldn't remember where I had seen it.

Suddenly, there was a roar of a car engine in the distance, getting louder and louder. Informant Sun's face changed drastically, and he shouted in fear: "Oh no, someone is coming!" He grabbed my arm and said in a trembling voice, "Go! Go!"

Sun's panic spread to me like a plague, and my heart was pounding. The beam of car lights in the distance was getting closer and closer, like a beast that was choosing its prey. Bai Hanchuan acted decisively, grabbed my hand, and dragged me deep into the alley. Sun followed closely behind, staggering, and kept muttering "It's over, it's over".

"Don't panic!" Bai Hanchuan said in a low voice, and his voice gave me a little strength.

The three of us hid in a corner full of debris, holding our breath, listening to the cars whizzing past the alley. We came out of our hiding place only after we were sure it was safe. Informant Sun collapsed on the ground, gasping for breath, his face pale.

Bai Hanchuan squatted down and said in a serious tone: "Tell me, what are your other conditions?"

Informant Sun hesitated for a moment, gritted his teeth and said, "I want twice the money, and you must guarantee my safety and send me away from here."

I looked at Bai Hanchuan in disbelief. This was already a very high price! But Bai Hanchuan was silent for a moment, and finally agreed to his request. "Okay, I promise you."

Informant Sun finally breathed a sigh of relief. He took out a crumpled piece of paper from his pocket and handed it to Bai Hanchuan: "This is the address of a secret warehouse of Boss Zhou. Key evidence of his dumping strategy may be hidden there. The password of the warehouse is..." He leaned close to Bai Hanchuan's ear and whispered a string of numbers.

After getting the address and password, we immediately contacted Lawyer Qian. After Bai Hanchuan briefly explained the situation, Lawyer Qian expressed his willingness to work with us.

At midnight, the three of us quietly approached Boss Zhou's secret warehouse. The warehouse was located in an abandoned factory on the outskirts of the city, with no one around and only a few dim street lights flashing a weak light.

According to the information provided by our informant Sun, Boss Zhou only arranged a few guards. We split into three groups. Bai Hanchuan was responsible for distracting the guards, while Lawyer Qian and I took the opportunity to sneak into the warehouse.

Bai Hanchuan's figure was like a ghost in the darkness, and he disappeared from the guards' sight in a few flashes. I took a deep breath, followed Lawyer Qian, and quietly approached the warehouse door under the cover of night.

I entered the password, and the heavy iron door opened slowly with a low "click". My heart was shocked, and a sense of tension arose. We quickly slipped into the warehouse and closed the door.

The warehouse was dark, and the air was filled with dampness and mold. I turned on the flashlight, and a beam of light cut through the darkness, illuminating the interior of the warehouse. The warehouse was filled with all kinds of goods, cartons, sacks, barrels... piled together in a mess.

"Let's look for it separately." Bai Hanchuan whispered.

I nodded, took the flashlight, and began to search carefully. As time passed, my heart beat faster and faster. Suddenly, the door of the warehouse was pushed open...

"Who are you?!" A rough voice echoed in the warehouse. When the flashlight beam shone over, we saw several burly men standing at the door, holding sticks in their hands and staring at us fiercely.

Bai Hanchuan's eyes were stern, "It seems we have been discovered..."

The loud noise of the warehouse door being smashed open was like thunder exploding in my ears. Under the strong flashlight, several fierce-looking men blocked the door, holding sticks in their hands, like a group of hungry wolves finding their prey. My heart suddenly shrank, and I subconsciously took a step back, my palms were full of cold sweat.

"Who are you?!" one of the men shouted gruffly, his voice echoing in the empty warehouse.

Bai Hanchuan's eyes were stern, and he took the lead without hesitation. He was as swift as a cheetah, and with a quick and neat move, he instantly subdued a man who was rushing in front and snatched the stick from his hand. I saw the cold light in his eyes, which was a look that only appeared when facing danger. Even so, he did not forget to look back at me, his eyes were full of worry and love, as if saying: "Don't be afraid, I'm here." At that moment, my heart inexplicably calmed down.

"Go find it quickly!" he growled, signaling me to continue looking for evidence.

I took a deep breath, forced myself to calm down, and continued to search. Cardboard boxes, sacks, wooden barrels... I searched almost every corner, but still couldn't find any useful clues. As time passed, I became more and more anxious, as if a fire was burning.

The fighting in the warehouse was getting more and more intense. Bai Hanchuan was fighting one against many. Although he was very skilled, he was gradually finding it difficult because the other side was outnumbered. I heard the dull sound of sticks hitting flesh, and my heart tightened. I had to find evidence as soon as possible to help him escape!

At this time, lawyer Qian stood up. Although he did not participate in the fight, he read out the legal provisions in a very intimidating voice: "According to the laws of our country, if someone illegally invades another person's residence, warehouse or other places, and the circumstances are serious, he shall be sentenced to fixed-term imprisonment of not more than three years, detention or control..."

His voice was sonorous and powerful, with an unquestionable authority. After hearing these words, the men who were originally aggressive slowed down their movements and showed a hint of hesitation on their faces. They might be desperate criminals, but they still had an instinctive fear of the law.

I seized this opportunity and searched even more frantically. Finally, at the bottom of an inconspicuous wooden barrel, I found a locked iron box. My heart was shocked, and a strong premonition told me that this was what I was looking for!

I took out the knife I always carried with me and tried to pry the lock open. With a click, the lock opened! I couldn't wait to open the box. Inside was a thick stack of account books. I quickly flipped through a few pages, and they recorded the details of Boss Zhou's dumping strategy!

I was so happy, I finally found it! Just as I was about to hand the account book to Lawyer Qian, the warehouse door was knocked open again. This time, more people came in, led by Boss Zhou. He had a gloomy face and murderous eyes.

"You... actually dare..." He said gritting his teeth, his voice as cold as if it came from the depths of hell.

Boss Zhou's sinister eyes were like a poisonous snake wrapped around me. I held the iron box tightly, my heart beating wildly. Behind him, a crowd of people, all of them fierce and ferocious, surrounded us with sticks, shovels and other tools in their hands. The originally spacious warehouse suddenly became cramped and suffocating. Bai Hanchuan also stopped fighting and stood guard in front of me vigilantly, his eyes as sharp as an eagle, scanning everyone around him.

"What evidence do you think you can find? That's wishful thinking!" Boss Zhou grinned and approached step by step, "Today, none of you can leave here!"

I forced myself to calm down and tried not to let the iron box in my hand tremble. "Boss Zhou, you are illegally detaining me! Do you think you can cover up everything with this?"

"Illegal detention?" Boss Zhou seemed to have heard a joke and laughed loudly, "In this place, I am the law! What I say is what it is!" He waved his hand violently, and the thugs behind him immediately became active, waving their weapons and making bursts of terrifying noises.

Lawyer Qian stepped forward, stood in front of us, and said righteously: "Boss Zhou, I advise you to stop before it's too late! Your current behavior has constituted a crime. We have called the police and they will be here soon!"

"Call the police?" Boss Zhou sneered disdainfully. "Do you think I'm afraid? Even if the police come, they won't be able to find any evidence!" He glanced at the iron box in my hand, a trace of greed flashing in his eyes. "Hand over the things, and I can consider letting you go."

I held the iron box tightly and would never give it to him. "If you want evidence, go find it yourself! I won't let you succeed!"

Bai Hanchuan held my hand tightly and gave me a reassuring look. "Don't be afraid, Li'er, I won't let them hurt you." He turned his head and said coldly to Boss Zhou: "Boss Zhou, you'd better think about the consequences! Do you think you can really hide what you did?"

Boss Zhou's face changed, and a trace of panic flashed in his eyes, but he quickly concealed it. "Stop talking nonsense! Come on!"

The thugs rushed forward, and the sticks and shovels came at us with a whistling sound. Bai Hanchuan protected me behind him, fighting against many people alone, punching and kicking with great force, and his movements were fierce. For a while, no one could get close to him. However, the other side was outnumbered, and he gradually became powerless. He was hit several times, and a trace of blood oozed from the corner of his mouth.

I was extremely anxious, but I was powerless. I could only hold the iron box tightly in my hand and pray silently in my heart. Suddenly, there was a roar of a car outside the warehouse, which came from far away and became clearer and clearer.

Boss Zhou's face suddenly changed, and he cursed in a low voice. He seemed to realize that the situation was not good, and turned to his men and shouted: "Quick! Give them to me..." Before he finished speaking, the warehouse door was knocked open again, and the dazzling light shone in...