# 475
Chapter 475 – The Blackmail Letter
Huang Yuande froze when he heard those words. He studied Zhou Ping from head to toe, his expression odd. “I’ve been in logistics for years, but this is the first time someone’s come to a courier station to ‘smash the place’…
Even a package thief wouldn’t be this cocky, right?”
Under Huang Yuande’s stare, the corner of Zhou Ping’s mouth twitched. He turned stiffly toward the doorway where Lin Qiye and the others stood, his face screaming “save me.”
Lin Qiye sighed in resignation.
“Captain Huang—uh, Master Huang—are you alone here today?” Lin Qiye stepped inside, smiling.
“Yeah, the rest of the station went out on errands. Give me the tracking number and I’ll fetch your parcel.”
“Mm.” Lin Qiye glanced around, confirmed there were no cameras, then casually said over his shoulder, “Bag him.”
Behind him, Baili Pangpang, Cao Yuan, An Qingyu, and Jialan flashed identical “nuclear-friendly” smiles…
Huang Yuande: ????
A faint tremor rose from the underground garage, lasting less than half a minute before everything went quiet again.
Baili Pangpang emerged from the station hauling a black sack. Inside, Huang Yuande—face swollen and bruised—was out cold, swaying like a sandbag over Baili’s shoulder.
Inside the station, Lin Qiye stood at the table, pen in hand, writing something. When he finished, he placed the sheet in the most conspicuous spot and turned to Zhou Ping. “Done.”
“…Are you sure this’ll work?” Zhou Ping asked uncertainly.
“Mm.” Lin Qiye nodded. “Right now only Huang Yuande is here; the rest of the squad is scattered. The space is tiny—if we fought, the whole garage would collapse. We’ve no IDs; even if we explained, they might not believe us. Best is to make them come to us, skip the hassle, and fight on ground we choose.”
He pointed at the unconscious Huang Yuande. “Their captain’s gone. They’ll come.”
“What if they overreact and report it to Night Watch high command?”
“I left a mark on the paper. Even if they report it, HQ will know it was us and won’t panic.”
Zhou Ping nodded. “If you’ve thought it through, let’s do it.”
Lin Qiye walked out, shut the door, slapped a “Temporarily Closed” sign on it, and left with the kidnapped captain in tow…
…
Two hours later.
Several figures in courier uniforms were chatting as they reached the station entrance. The moment they saw the closure notice, they froze.
Jiang Liu turned to the woman beside him. “Vice-captain, we were only out on deliveries—why’d the captain shut shop?”
Shan Mei frowned, stepped forward, and shoved the sliding door. It didn’t budge.
“Something’s wrong.” Her face darkened. She crushed the metal doorframe with a squeeze of her hand and strode inside.
She swept the room: everything looked normal, but floor tiles were spider-web cracked—signs of a brief fight. Fortunately, no corpse, no blood. She exhaled.
No casualties, but where’s Huang Yuande?
Having served five–six years as vice-captain, Shan Mei knew the man: he’d never vanish without a trace; even in an emergency he’d leave clues…
“Vice-captain!” a teammate called, pale-faced, pointing at the table. “Look!”
Shan Mei strode over. Centered on the desk lay a single A4 sheet.
“Dear (scratched-out)… foolish 009 squad members,
We have your captain. If you want him alive, every one of you—fully armed—come to the abandoned factory in North Xining before sunset. You’re smart: police won’t help, and HQ won’t either.
If the sun sets and you’re not here, we slit his throat.”
At the bottom: a black circle slashed twice by sharp lines, killing intent spilling off the page.
“A… blackmail letter?” Jiang Liu gaped. “Captain’s kidnapped?”
“Impossible! Captain’s a ‘Sea’ realm powerhouse—who could snatch him so easily?”
Shan Mei’s face was grim but calm. She reread the letter several times, confusion deepening.
“Plenty of holes,” she said slowly. “They know we’re Night Watch, even our squad number and safe-house location. Not some random ‘mystery’—likely a rogue ex-agent with inside knowledge. Normal kidnappers demand ransom; these guys only want us to show up, weapons and all. Target: the entire squad.
And they’re sure HQ won’t help…”
She pondered, found no answer.
“Vice-captain, what now?” another asked. “Sun’s almost down—”
“First, fax this to Night Watch HQ, request backup. Anyone who can quietly abduct Captain Huang is far stronger than us.” She glanced at the darkening sky outside the garage and inhaled.
“Then—full gear. We’re going to meet them.”
…
North Xining outskirts.
Dusk light spilled over muddy ground. Behind the crumbling factory walls, several figures sat on rust-covered stairs.
“Qiye, it’s half-five—why aren’t they here?” Baili Pangpang checked his watch, grimacing. “Did we miscalculate? Too scared?”
Lin Qiye gazed into the distance: at the horizon, an off-roader kicked up a plume of dust, racing the setting sun.
“Here they come.” He smiled.
He flipped his hand; a familiar Sun Wukong mask appeared. He slipped it over his face.
“Everyone, masks on… our trial begins.”