I heated the medicinal soup and cooled it to a suitable temperature before taking it to Wu Guodong to drink.
Wu Guodong was sitting in a chair. He took the cup I handed him and drank it in one gulp.
Perhaps he never expected someone by his side would harm him, hence he was not on guard against anything he took.
I watched him finish the soup, then took back the cup and instructed the guards to help me place it on the counter in the operating room. I would wash and put it away later.
I couldn't let on that I had discovered the problem in the cabinet. I continued with my usual routine.
Seeing Wu Guodong drink the soup, the divine doctor stood up and said to me, "Accompany the General for a while. I'll be right back."
The General waved his hand, and I watched the divine doctor leave.
I said, "General, I have a few words I'd like to speak with you privately."
Wu Guodong said "Oh" and motioned for the guards to leave. I then said, "You two go into the inner room, don't go out."
The divine doctor leaving would not arouse their suspicion. However, if the two guards also left immediately after, leaving me alone, it would be obvious.
The two guards looked at Wu Guodong. Wu Guodong signaled them to go inside, and they obediently walked in and closed the door.
Wu Guodong said, "My house is well soundproofed. Feel free to speak your mind."
I said, "They've made their move."
Wu Guodong gave an astonished "Oh" and looked at me questioningly.
I said, "Yesterday, I made a mark in the cabinet where the cups are kept. I discovered this morning that it had been tampered with."
Wu Guodong asked, "Are you sure?"
I replied, "Yes. Yesterday, I conducted repeated experiments. If the cabinet wasn't opened and closed with extreme caution, the mark would fall off. When I checked just now, the paper with the mark was gone."
Wu Guodong said, "It seems they are unhappy with my recovery. Very well, it's better for them to show themselves than to hide in the shadows. I only suspected this before, but I never thought they truly intended to kill me."
I asked, "General, do you still have any usable men? I want to stage a play later to make them reveal themselves."
Wu Guodong replied, "Yes, how many do you need?"
I said, "Two or three will suffice. The main purpose is to verify if there are any spies among the people around you."
Wu Guodong exclaimed, "No way! These few people around me are all ones I personally brought up. They've all received considerable favors from me. How could they betray me for personal gain?"
I said, "You view others from your own perspective. They don't have your stature or magnanimity. They don't know gratitude; they only see profit. In the face of profit, favors become as nothing. As for whether such a person exists, we'll know once we try. Wang Dong asked me to transfer 200,000 RMB to him yesterday, saying it was to help me check the factory. I've already transferred the money, and he said this morning he received it. After I leave here, he will arrange for someone to accompany me to the factory."
Wu Guodong's eyes widened, as if he were about to devour me, "What? He accepted 200,000? You've already transferred it?"
I said, "200,000 is worth it to ascertain a person's loyalty! I initially thought he was your man, but he played a trick on me in the poppy field. Now I know you have no knowledge of this matter, nor of him bringing Qian Fugui to collect my body. Since you were unaware of these things, I concluded he is an operative of your opponent. Yesterday, he approached me voluntarily, stating that to save his cousin, he was willing to help me investigate the factory and gather information on Chen Liben, but with a condition: a fee of 200,000, and he would be responsible for my safety."
Wu Guodong asked, "You believed his words?"
I replied, "Of course, I wouldn't believe him. We will join forces with him to put on a show and expose him."
Wu Guodong said, "Alright, tell me, how should we proceed?"
I said, "Have your reliable men ambush us midway. I'll handle the rest."
Wu Guodong said, "Good. The route to the factory passes over a suspension bridge. I'll have someone wait for you at the bridge."
I agreed and, without further delay, turned and left the room.
As I emerged, Wang Dong was anxiously waiting for me. Seeing me, he quickly approached and said, "Why are you so slow? If we don't leave soon, we'll run out of time."
I replied, "No rush. Even slow sheep can reach the mountain eventually."
He didn't catch the hidden meaning in my words and quickly urged, "Let's go. I've already taken care of this guard post. If we don't leave now, we'll miss our chance."
I followed him outside. As we reached the corner of the wall, two men dressed in plain clothes emerged from behind the wall. They looked unfamiliar, not like anyone from Wang Dong's group. Their faces were stern, and their eyes were fixed on the distance.
The First Squad?
My first thought was of the death squad the divine doctor had mentioned.
It seemed Wang Dong was truly loyal to Chen Liben. Capturing or killing me would bring him significant profit.
After all, there was a 500,000 RMB bounty on my head.
Wang Dong told me that these two men were his close brothers, and they would be accompanying me throughout the visit to the factory as businessmen.
I didn't believe a word he said. How could I trust him to send two assassins to accompany me on a visit?
I nodded and said, "Thank you, Officer Wang. I'm just curious; I'll be back soon."
Wang Dong said, "There's enough time. Take your time to look around, but be back before noon."
I replied, "Alright, I'll take a good look then."
With that, the two men flanked me, one in front and one behind, and we walked towards the gate.
At the main gate, the sentry asked a few questions. The man presented his credentials, registered, and then we left the premises, heading towards the rear of the mountain.
They remained silent throughout, their gazes fixed intently, not on me, but on a certain direction. I found it all rather strange, as if they were aliens.
I knew what they were thinking: where to make their move.
These two must be from the First Squad, because of the chilling aura they exuded, making them seem like emotionless machines, devoid of any sign of life.
This wasn't a factory tour; it felt more like being escorted to my demise.
We were now on a man-made mountain path, about a meter and a half wide. Many people must have used it regularly, as it was worn smooth.
The path was lined with dense bushes, so thick that from a distance, only a mass of branches and leaves were visible, with no way to see into them.
Here, if a person were killed and their body discarded, unless it was by wolves or beasts, a human search would find no trace.
Moreover, who would dare to search this mountain for me? Only when the beasts had finished their feast would I truly disappear from this world.
The two men seemed to have a place to deal with me, as they walked at a steady pace, showing no intention of attacking me yet.
I was anxious to die, but they weren't rushing, so why should I?
After we had walked about three to four li, the two men noticeably slowed their pace and started looking around a bit. I thought, the moment is coming.
I could already hear the loud sound of water ahead; there was a rapid river. Wu Guodong had mentioned that once we crossed the river, it would be flat terrain, making it harder for them to act.
He would likely have people ambushing us here. Perhaps Wu Guodong's men were following us closely, undetected.