The phone rang three times before it was answered.
There was no sound from the other end, as if waiting for Li Chonglou to speak first.
Shen Yishou pushed the phone towards Li Chonglou, his one eye flashing fiercely, signaling him to speak.
"Hello, Senior Sister, it's Chonglou."
"I've arrived at the shop as you instructed. Everything is normal. Didn't you say you'd tell me the password when I got to the shop?"
"You can tell me now. I'll bring the things back for you."
Li Chonglou's tone was calm and unhurried, just as usual, with nothing out of the ordinary.
But Lin Ying's eyebrows on the other end of the phone suddenly knitted together.
She had already told Li Chonglou the password, and his current words clearly indicated that something had happened.
As expected, her recent expedition had been observed by many people.
Just as she was getting a clue and wanted to decrypt the files, someone had gotten there first and directly barged into the shop.
Her junior brother had only been practicing the mental technique for a few days and was undoubtedly in grave danger.
Thinking this, Lin Ying felt a pang of regret.
She hadn't expected things to become so serious. If she had known, she would never have let Li Chonglou take such a risk. If something happened to him, she would never be able to live with herself.
Fortunately, he could still call her, which was a small comfort in her misfortune.
Calming her emotions, she said calmly, "Thank you for your trouble, Junior Brother. I'm sorry to bother you so late. The password is my birthday, 198683."
"Take the folder back and remember to mail it to me via Shunfeng Express tomorrow."
"I need it urgently."
Upon hearing this, Shen Yishou couldn't help but show a hint of joy on his face.
"Okay, understood." Li Chonglou breathed a sigh of relief.
Watching Shen Yishou eagerly hang up the phone and walk directly towards the safe with the mobile, Li Chonglou prepared to get up and sit in the main seat to press the alarm.
The password his senior sister had just given was clearly wrong.
It was completely different from the one she had given him before.
It was obvious she knew he was in danger and was tricking Shen Yishou.
But this was not a long-term solution, as the correctness of the password could be tested at any time.
Shen Yishou wasn't a fool.
"Sit there and don't move!" Just as he moved his buttocks, he heard Shen Yishou shout sternly, "Don't think I don't know about the alarm. If that bell rings, I will kill you."
Clearly, even though he had obtained the password, in his triumph, he hadn't forgotten to monitor Li Chonglou.
Li Chonglou was slightly startled. Thanks to his rock-solid state of mind, there was no expression on his face.
This situation was truly desperate.
He hadn't expected Shen Yishou to be so experienced and leave him no room for maneuver.
He could do nothing but wait.
Wait for a change to happen.
He quietly watched Shen Yishou walk to the safe and enter the password he had heard.
After a few beeps, there was the sound of a lock spring loosening, and then the camera above the keyhole lit up.
A mechanical voice announced, "Password accepted. Please proceed with retinal verification."
"What's going on? Retinal scan too?" Shen Yishou turned and glared at Li Chonglou.
Then he walked to his side, dragged Li Chonglou back to the safe, and pressed his eye against the camera.
"Beep, verification failed. The safe will be locked for thirty minutes. Please try again later." A crisp and pleasant prompt sounded in Li Chonglou's ear.
Shen Yishou's face turned as black as the bottom of a pot. The hand gripping Li Chonglou tightened unconsciously. "What's going on?"
"Cough," Li Chonglou felt his neck caught in steel pliers, unable to breathe in or out.
He struggled to say, "Choke, choke me to death and you still won't be able to open it in half an hour!"
"You've got the wrong eye."
At this point, how could he not understand that his senior sister was buying time?
This safe probably had two password mechanisms: one that only required a password to open, and another that required a combination with the iris.
Unaware of the situation, Lin Ying gave him the second one to stall Shen Yishou.
One lock-out would buy thirty minutes.
As for whether it was really the other eye, Shen Yishou had no way of knowing.
But what he was sure of was that he wouldn't dare touch him for the next half hour.
As expected, Shen Yishou's large hand loosened upon hearing this, and he resentfully leaned his pole against the wall.
He muttered, "Kid, I don't care if you're telling the truth or not. If it's not right when the time comes, you're dead!"
"Don't worry, I won't joke with my own life," Li Chonglou said calmly as he caught his breath.
Perhaps his demeanor made Shen Yishou feel that he was still within his control, so he gestured for him to come over and make tea for him.
Cup after cup went down.
The two of them didn't speak a word, like two wooden carvings, both staring at the time as it ticked away.
Shen Yishou felt like every moment was an eternity.
For Li Chonglou, time flew by.
In a blink of an eye, half an hour was almost up.
Shen Yishou threw down the teacup, grabbed Li Chonglou's arm again, and walked towards the safe.
His voice carried a hint of impatience and killing intent, "This is your last chance."
*Thump!*
Just as he finished entering the password and was pushing Li Chonglou's head to bring his right eye closer to the camera,
The rolling shutter outside the glass door suddenly let out a thunderous explosion.
The entire door was deformed by the impact of a vehicle, and the tempered glass door shattered, filling the entire shop with a misty haze.
Shen Yishou's expression stiffened. Before he could react, a Mercedes with a damaged front end had already rammed into the shop.
Startled, he let go of Li Chonglou and scrambled to dodge.
*Click, click*
The next second, the car door opened, and four burly, resolute-looking strong men, each holding a riot baton, rushed out of the car. Three of them immediately charged at Shen Yishou with their batons.
Another one sprinted to Li Chonglou's side and dragged him towards the exit of the shop.
"You're courting death!" Shen Yishou's expression contorted, and fierce light burst from his single eye. He snatched up Ping Jin and swung it fiercely.
Smoke, dust, and the three strong men attacking him were all sent flying backward, landing on the ground.
In a short moment, he realized that these people were here to rescue Li Chonglou.
He had been tricked!
Seeing Li Chonglou disappear, he was so anxious that he ignored the three who were getting up again and rushed out of Donglin.
As soon as he stepped outside the shop, he was stunned.
At the entrance.
More than a dozen Mercedes-Maybachs were arranged in a circle, with nearly thirty bright, blinding headlights shining on him, making him the focal point in the darkness.
In front of each car stood four burly men, clearly bodyguards.
Only in front of the middle car were a man and a woman.
The man's eyes were like a rat's, and his face exuded a lecherous aura, as if it were innate.
The woman was exceptionally graceful. Although a bit older, her aura was unparalleled, exuding immense wealth.
It was Cao Chunhua and Xiao Yun.
Seeing Li Chonglou being brought to them, Cao Chunhua quickly stepped forward and asked anxiously, "Young friend, am I late? Did he hurt you?"
In his slightly lecherous, rat-like eyes, a genuine concern flickered.
"Who are you people?" Shen Yishou stood frozen, not daring to move.
No matter how high one's martial arts were, they were still afraid of guns.
Even though he had practiced martial arts since childhood and roamed the jianghu, he was no match for dozens of people attacking him all at once.
"Yong'an Xiao family. If you don't want to die, get lost!" Xiao Yun's red lips parted slightly, and her presence commanded respect without anger.