Three days later,
Wang Jianshe worked tirelessly and finally managed to dig up all the golden croakers. The higher-ups had long grown impatient. They had arranged with Wang Jianshe to hand over the golden croakers that very night. Once this task was completed, his mission would be fulfilled. As the man who had accomplished such a great feat, he could finally live the life of a wealthy man in Sakura Country. The mere thought of it filled Wang Jianshe with delight.
When Shen Nanchu learned that the operation was about to be wrapped up, her smile widened even further. Since all the golden croakers were already in her possession, she didn’t mind earning one more commendation flag. National honors were something she could never have enough of. As for the mess left behind, someone would have to clean it up. In an instant, Pei Zhengnian’s figure flashed through Shen Nanchu’s mind.
When one man ascends to heaven, even his pets follow.
This time, she’d take him along for the ride!
No need to thank her!
…
That afternoon, an ox cart arrived in Wang Family Village. The two men driving it claimed to be distant relatives of Wang Jianshe’s wife.
By evening, Shen Nanchu seized the moment when Wang Jianshe was off guard and dialed Pei Zhengnian’s military unit from the village committee office.
“Hello!”
Pei Zhengnian’s familiar voice quickly answered on the other end.
“Tonight, Xiao Te’s family has visitors.”
Shen Nanchu didn’t spell it out—walls had ears.
Pei Zhengnian caught on immediately.
“How many?”
“Two men came by ox cart. There are two more at the village entrance with a truck.”
The moment Shen Nanchu finished speaking, Pei Zhengnian abruptly stood up.
“Understood. Keep your doors locked tonight.”
“I’ll handle this.”
“Alright.”
Pei Zhengnian hung up and rushed straight to Tian Chengyi’s office.
After hearing the details, Tian Chengyi’s expression turned grave.
“Zhengnian, this matter is of utmost importance. I’m entrusting it entirely to you.”
“Remember—pull one, and the rest will follow. Make sure to wipe them all out in one sweep.”
Pei Zhengnian snapped a crisp military salute.
“Rest assured, Commander. The mission will be completed.”
Once he left the commander’s office, Pei Zhengnian quietly gathered four highly skilled subordinates and sped toward Wang Family Village in a jeep.
Late at night, all was silent.
The system chimed in at just the right moment: “Host, they’ve begun their move.”
“Good.”
Shen Nanchu stretched lazily before lying back down.
She had already replaced the contents of all the boxes with rocks. The weight was exactly the same as before—they wouldn’t notice a thing.
After all, to prevent the spies from realizing the golden croakers had been swapped, Shen Nanchu had spent 99 points of Dislike Value in the system store to exchange for a batch of gold-foil boxes, which she placed on top to create a convincing illusion.
The system provided real-time updates: “Host, they’ve started moving the boxes out of the dried-up well.”
Shen Nanchu thought for a moment. “Where’s Pei Zhengnian?”
“Host, their vehicle broke down on the way. They’re still an hour away from Wang Family Village.”
An hour?
By the time Pei Zhengnian arrived, it’d be too late.
According to Shen Nanchu’s calculations, he should have arrived just in time. But it seemed luck wasn’t on his side either lately.
Oh well.
At this critical moment, she’d have to step in.
Resigned, Shen Nanchu climbed out of bed and stretched her limbs.
It had been a while since she’d last fought.
She wasn’t sure if her current body was up to the task.
Stepping outside, she searched the courtyard for a suitable weapon but found nothing.
Finally, she headed to the kitchen and grabbed Pei’s Mother’s fire poker.
Surprisingly, the poker was smooth, just the right length and weight—it felt perfect in her grip.
Armed with the fire poker, Shen Nanchu slipped into the night and made her way to Wang Jianshe’s house.
…
On the rural road,
a jeep raced at breakneck speed.
Pei Zhengnian gripped the steering wheel, foot pressing the accelerator to the floor.
The four others in the vehicle clung to their seats, faces pale.
…
At Wang Jianshe’s house,
under the cover of darkness,
four burly men busied themselves hauling the boxes up from the well and carrying them to the gate.
Wang Jianshe remained below, securing the ropes.
He couldn’t help but notice—
these boxes felt much heavier than when he’d first brought them back.
But he dismissed the thought, assuming he was just tired.
Hidden in a dark corner, Shen Nanchu leaned against the wall, watching Wang Jianshe and his crew work.
No need to rush the arrest.
Let them exhaust themselves a little more.
With so many boxes, they’d be busy for a while.
Admittedly,
Wang Jianshe and the four spies were impressively strong—it took them nearly half an hour to haul every last box out of the well.
The entire time, not one of these fools thought to open a box and check inside.
Shen Nanchu couldn’t help feeling those 99 Dislike Value points were wasted.
“System, do you buy back gold-foil boxes?”
“You don’t have to refund the full 99—just give me 49.5.”
The system nearly short-circuited. “Host, all store purchases are final. No returns.”
“Fine.” Shen Nanchu sighed.
Once the last box was out, she sprang into action.
Even the system couldn’t track her movements—
the fire poker lashed across Wang Jianshe’s face.
Swish!
A black line split his face clean in two.
Wang Jianshe felt a searing pain.
“Who the hell hit me?!”
Swish-swish!
Two more spies cried out,
“Ah! My face!”
“Who’s there?!”
The only response was the whistling of the fire poker cutting through the air.
The remaining two spies soon got matching stripes.
Already outmatched, the five men—worn out from hauling heavy boxes—could only cover their heads and take the beating.
…
Outside the village,
Pei Zhengnian and his team finally arrived.
Spotting the abandoned truck by the roadside, Pei Zhengnian’s tension eased slightly.
He killed the headlights and parked the jeep a few hundred meters from the village entrance.
To avoid alerting anyone, Pei Zhengnian and his four men silently closed in on Wang Jianshe’s house.
…
At Wang Jianshe’s house,
Shen Nanchu had the five men writhing in pain.
They didn’t dare scream, afraid of waking the villagers.
The system covered its eyes.
The scene was too brutal to watch.
Shen Nanchu’s lips twitched, barely suppressing a grin.
She hadn’t expected the fire poker to be this effective.
She’d have to ask Pei’s Mother to stoke the fire more often.
Finally, Pei Zhengnian arrived.
He and his men scaled the wall, swiftly subduing Wang Jianshe and his crew.
“Freeze!”
When the flashlights flicked on,
the state of the five men’s faces became clear.
Bruised and swollen, each one bore the mark of a large, black turtle drawn on their face.
One for you, one for me, one for everybody—
fair and square.
…
