"Those guys are indeed the type of people who would do such things. I just don't know how they'll retaliate against us."
Chen Huijie's brow furrowed. When it came to the Truth Society, she didn't mind assuming the absolute worst of them.
"I actually have an idea!" Hoshiguma, who was standing nearby, spoke up. Hearing her words, Chen Huijie looked over. "Hmm?"
"It's simple—the same old trick: luring the snake out of its hole!" Hoshiguma chuckled and began to explain her idea.
The idea was quite straightforward. The other side would definitely be anxious with so many of their people captured. At this time, the Guard Department would take the initiative to announce the news, letting the enemy know that these people were being held at the Guard Department headquarters.
"That might not work. They know the Guard Department is easy to defend but hard to attack, so they'll definitely find a way to force us to leave. Given their nature, they'll likely cause disturbances throughout Lungmen." Chen Huijie frowned as she spoke.
"So, what if we leave the Guard Department on our own initiative?" Hoshiguma asked with a smile.
"Leave the Guard Department voluntarily? What do you mean!" Chen Huijie looked at Hoshiguma.
"It's simple. After such a major operation, the Guard Department has to celebrate, right? Isn't that perfectly normal? It wouldn't be too much for everyone involved in the operation to go to a scenic spot outside Lungmen for a day of fun, would it? That way, wouldn't the people be away from the Guard Department?"
Hoshiguma's words made Chen Huijie's eyes light up.
"It's a viable method, but how do we make them believe that the people leaving are our Lungmen Guard Officers, and how do we get back? Also, what if their target isn't the Guard Department but our officers instead?" Chen Huijie fired off a series of questions.
"That's also easy to handle. Not everyone who goes out needs to come back. We only need a portion of them; the rest can continue their trip. Then, we can arrange for some trustworthy experts to swap places with our personnel. The swapped personnel will then return here to set up an ambush. This way, no matter which side they target, or even if they target both, there won't be much pressure on us."
After Hoshiguma finished speaking, Chen Huijie fell into deep thought. This plan definitely had room for maneuver. And in reality, the operational pressure wouldn't be that high.
"I'll discuss this with Chief Executive Wei and the others," Chen Huijie said after a moment of reflection. Right now, the enemy was in the dark while they were in the light, which put them in an extremely passive position. Hoshiguma's method could indeed turn that passivity into initiative. However, they needed to plan the operation carefully to ensure the safety of all personnel.
In the afternoon, she contacted Wei Yenwu and explained the situation and Hoshiguma's suggestion. Wei Yenwu agreed that Hoshiguma was right; the Guard Department should never wait passively for the enemy to strike, as that introduced too many uncertainties. It was better to proactively show a weakness and keep control of the time and location.
"Her idea is sound, but the only issue is the choice of the second group of people. How can we involve ordinary citizens in Guard Department business? What if something happens!" Wei Yenwu seemed to have a trace of a smile as he said this, but he quickly suppressed it.
"Chen Huijie, you'll be in charge of arranging this. As for those of you going out to play, just enjoy yourselves; I'll have people keep a close eye on the Guard Department. With less personnel movement, it'll be harder for them to detect our plan."
Seeing that Wei Yenwu had spoken, Chen Huijie agreed.
A day later, Lungmen News broadcasted the Guard Department's major victory. Chief Executive Wei even personally praised the various inspectors who led the teams. Then, the Guard Department arranged for a two-day vacation trip to Flower Village outside the city for the coming weekend. Of course, the vacation itself wasn't broadcasted, but everyone in the Guard Department knew about it. If someone with ulterior motives wanted to dig for news, they could easily obtain this intelligence.
In a dim basement
A group of people were gathered together, engaged in a heated argument. One group believed they should take the opportunity while most of the Guard Department was away to break in and rescue their people. As long as the people were rescued, even if they had to leave Lungmen, they could still start over elsewhere.
Another group believed that those who entered the Guard Department might have already betrayed them, and that the Guard Department was likely a trap. Therefore, it would be better to directly raid the officers celebrating in Flower Village. Killing those officers would similarly demonstrate the power of the Truth Society. As for those who were captured, they should be treated as dead; sacrificing themselves for the society was what they were supposed to do.
To this, the leader asked the advisor next to him, "What's your take on this?"
The advisor had an arrogant look, as if he had seen through the Guard Department's scheme. "I'm certain the Guard Department has laid an inescapable net, just waiting for us to dive in. After all, their move away from the Guard Department is too deliberate."
"Furthermore, I suspect the people going to Flower Village will secretly be replaced by others, while ordinary people pretend to be them, and they themselves sneak back to set an ambush. So, we won't go to the Guard Department. Instead, we'll attack Flower Village directly that night. I've been there; it's just a tourist town with only a dozen or so ordinary officers on duty. As long as we prepare in advance and use bombs to cause chaos that night... when they realize that the people they used as cover have all been killed by us, hehehe!" The man let out a sinister laugh.
Hearing his words, the leader nodded in deep agreement. He also felt that the Guard Department's sudden departure of a large number of officers was "fake" and suspected it was a conspiracy. Most of the others who hadn't been caught yet felt the same way, so the plan was clear. They took a batch of explosives and the remaining mustard gas and secretly headed toward Flower Village.
Meanwhile, the Guard Department was also taking advantage of the late night to act. Flandre, Chen Huijie, Hoshiguma, and a team of fully armed personnel headed toward a chemical plant. According to intelligence, the toxic gas those people used was brought out from here.
Upon arriving outside the factory, everyone put on their gas masks.
"Remember, our mission is to secure everyone in the factory, then the biochemical team will shut down and decontaminate the entire plant. Therefore, we cannot allow any suspicious personnel inside to sabotage the equipment. Although this factory is downstream of Lungmen, there are still settlements further down. If chemical pollutants are discharged into the river, the consequences will be severe." Chen Huijie said in a low voice, looking at the factory not far away.
With her command to act, several teams began to enter from the front and back gates of the factory. The guards at the entrance didn't even have time to ask a question before they were pinned to the ground. Flandre flew in the air, reporting to Chen Huijie and the others about the personnel still active in the factory.
In less than half an hour, everyone was brought under control, including a Truth Society cultist who had sensed something was wrong and tried to hide. That cultist even had a look of disbelief before being caught, shocked that they could find him hidden in a secret room.
Through overnight emergency interrogations, it was learned that this chemical plant was indeed a stronghold for the Truth Society. Most of the personnel, including the factory manager, were members of the cult. Because of this, they were able to provide various chemical toxins in large quantities.
And because some of the members previously arrested by the Guard Department were from the chemical plant, the others had already gone into hiding, leaving only a few bold ones behind to continue producing toxic gas. This group was entirely captured in tonight's raid.
A very serious piece of news was obtained from them: three canisters of toxic gas had already been moved out. There were about dozens of kilograms of toxic gas inside; if it all evaporated, it would cause catastrophic consequences.
When the news reached Wei Yenwu, a large portion of the Shadow Guards was immediately deployed. After all, before this, it wasn't considered a major crisis, so letting Chen Huijie practice her skills was perfectly fine. But now, it was a massive hidden danger concerning the lives and safety of the people of Lungmen. Even Old Wei felt a cold sweat down his back when he heard the news.
"So, are we still going through with our plan?" Upon learning that a large amount of toxic gas had been moved, Hoshiguma asked worriedly.
"We go. Not only must we go, but we must do so with great fanfare, and we must maintain the appearance that the Guard Department is heavily fortified. Force them to shift their target outside Lungmen city." Wei Yenwu spoke decisively.
"But then, what about the people in Flower Village?" Chen Huijie looked at Wei Yenwu.
"I will arrange for medical teams, and the vehicles you take will carry enough gas masks. Once the enemy's whereabouts are confirmed, we can even strike first. Chen Huijie, I'm leaving this to you this time. As long as your movements are fast enough to control the situation before the gas is released or shortly after, the danger can be kept to a minimum." Wei Yenwu looked at Chen Huijie, indicating that this was an ordeal she had to go through.
Chen Huijie nodded at the sight. "I understand... I will do my best!"
At noon on Friday, Chen Huijie, Beatrice, Hoshiguma, and Flandre drove ahead to Flower Village. Their reason was also sufficient: they were going to confirm if the arrangements at Flower Village were in order. And their car was loaded with a full crate of gas masks.
After arriving, Chen Huijie first met with the captain of the local patrol squad. The captain also knew the purpose of the group. After several people arrived at the safe house, he described the situation over the past few days.
"Some unidentified individuals have indeed come to the village in the last two days. As everyone knows, winter is approaching, and it's not the flowering season. The village is currently in its off-season, so these people shouldn't be here. Moreover, they don't look like tourists at all... instead of visiting the sights around the village, they're mostly seen lurking in the streets and alleys."
"Is there surveillance?" Chen Huijie asked.
"Yes, I've already made a backup." The man pulled out a USB drive and handed it to Chen Huijie.
"You and your people must be extremely careful not to show any flaws. These people are all completely insane; wait for us to arrive before dealing with them." Chen Huijie looked at him and gave a low-voiced instruction.