Chapter 327 — Running Into a Thief
The Blossom Guardian · Page 1 of 2
Of course, Wei Zhao did not take the little underling's word at face value — who knew what designs the man was hiding? He did not go straight into the building the man had named to scout it out; what if it was a trap? Wei Zhao was not that careless.
Wei Zhao circled the building the underling had spoken of once, then quietly hunkered down by the entrance, just like any ordinary member of the Water Blue Gang.
After a while, a Water Blue Gang member came out of the building. Wei Zhao followed him directly, and once the man had walked a stretch of road, the sharp knife was at his throat again.
This time, though, before Wei Zhao could speak, the man beat him to it: "Brother, don't... don't kill me. I only slipped in to see if I could skim a little something off the top. How was I to know I took a wrong turn and ended up where you keep the hostages? I hadn't even made a move yet, I didn't steal a thing, search me if you don't believe me, I swear I didn't touch anything, please, just let me go..."
Wei Zhao was slightly taken aback, then nearly laughed aloud — this fellow had sneaked in the same way he had? And from what he said, he was a thief who had come to fish in troubled waters?
"Where did you get that cap?" Wei Zhao asked, not sure whether to laugh or cry.
"Stole it..." The thief made no attempt to hide it. "I saw someone leave it in their car. The window was open, so I just took it. I heard this is where the Water Blue Gang makes its money, so I figured I'd try my luck. Brother, I swear this is my first time here..."
"Oh? Then what did you see when you went in just now?" Wei Zhao asked.
"I... I didn't see anything, really, I won't breathe a word..." The thief was on the verge of tears.
"Tell me the truth! What exactly did you see?" Wei Zhao demanded in exasperation. He had not expected the thief to misread him and think he was being told to keep his mouth shut.
"Brother, you're a man who understands these things. You know that's where you keep the hostages. But even though I saw it, I won't tell a soul, really, rest easy, this will rot in my belly forever!" the thief said honestly. "I'm no respectable working man myself — there's no way I'd report you!"
From the thief's words, Wei Zhao knew the man had misunderstood, but he did not bother to explain. It was enough that he had now confirmed the building really was where the hostages were held.
"You went in and nobody spotted you? You mean there's none of our people in there?" Wei Zhao asked.
"No... there's none of your people in there... just the hostages locked up behind the iron bars." The thief assumed Wei Zhao was merely asking routine questions, and answered truthfully. He had no time to wonder what Wei Zhao was really after — he was already drenched in a cold sweat of terror.
"If I just let you go like this and the higher-ups find out, I'm the one taking the risk!" Wei Zhao no longer wanted to kill the thief; killing him would only make disposing of the body more trouble. Better to simply let him walk.
But the act had to be put on, so that letting him go too easily would not rouse the thief's suspicions.
"Brother," the thief said, pulling a wad of bills from his pocket. "This is today's take. Buy yourself some cigarettes with it..."
"Mm, you know how to play it smart. Get lost!" Wei Zhao took the money, stuffed it into his pocket with satisfaction, and put the knife away.
The thief fled in a paroxysm of gratitude, not once looking back, hurrying away from the place. No doubt he dared not linger; he would probably run straight out of the repair yard.
Now that he had confirmed from the thief that there were no Water Blue Gang men in the building where the hostages were held, Wei Zhao swaggered in.
The ground floor was a large hall with nothing in it. The second floor was sealed off, clearly used as a warehouse.