Wu Laizi knew Brother Cat well, aware that the man was ruthless and would not go easy on him. Now that he was in Brother Cat's hands, any further defiance would likely lead to his death.
"Wait a moment, Brother Cat, don't do anything, I'll talk."
Seeing Ah Bin and the others preparing to take him for torture, Wu Laizi quickly pleaded for mercy.
Brother Cat waved his hand, and Ah Bin and the others stepped aside.
"Speak, are you a police informant?"
"Yes, I was indeed bribed by Yang Jian and became a police informant, but I was forced. The day I was released from prison, I followed Shen Bing's advice and went to Yang Jian to apologize, hoping for his forgiveness.
But he not only beat me up, he gave me two choices: first, to leave the Xinhe District forever. As long as Yang Jian was in Xinhe, there would be no place for me.
The second was to become a police informant, infiltrate your and Bao Guo's team, and assist the police in dismantling your and Bao Guo's drug trafficking network.
He gave me only three days to consider. If I didn't reply within three days, he would send assassins after me. Under duress, I had no choice but to become an informant."
To save his life, Wu Laizi had to confess everything Yang Jian had forced him to do.
Brother Cat kicked him in the stomach. "So it was you, you bastard, who ruined my good deeds. I was wholeheartedly thinking of avenging you and helping you turn things around, but you stabbed me in the back. I'll kill you."
Seeing Brother Cat pull out a pistol from his chest, Wu Laizi was instantly terrified and knelt before him, kowtowing. "Brother Cat, I was wrong, I shouldn't have betrayed you, but I haven't done anything against you! Bao Guo and the others getting into trouble this time has nothing to do with me."
Brother Cat pressed the pistol to his forehead. "You're still quibbling even when you're facing death. Tell me, how is it unrelated to you?"
"Brother Cat, although I am a police informant, I haven't truly sold you out. When Bao Guo and the others got into trouble, I only informed the police about the quantity and delivery time of this batch of goods when I received them. After that, I did nothing else. Their arrest has absolutely nothing to do with me."
"Are you saying you didn't mention the handover of the goods to the truck driver, nor did you install a tracker on the canvas bag?"
"No, absolutely not. If I lie to you about anything, may I die a terrible death."
Brother Cat frowned. "You didn't tamper with the canvas bag, so did the problem originate with Xiao Peng? That shouldn't be the case."
"Brother Cat, do you remember my first transaction with him? I reported Xiao Peng's appearance to Yang Jian at the time. Later, Xiao Peng was kidnapped, and then he was released. Don't you find it strange?"
Wu Laizi now understood where the problem lay. Xiao Peng was likely also a police informant.
Brother Cat immediately took out his phone and dialed Peng Yu's number. Due to Bao Guo's arrest, he hadn't contacted Peng Yu for a long time.
The phone was turned off. Brother Cat knew Wu Laizi wasn't lying; the real problem lay with Peng Yu.
"Ah Bin, get him some clothes to wear."
Brother Cat sat back in his chair, replaying the entire incident in his mind. He guessed that Yang Jian was involved in everything that had happened, including the disappearance of Brother Nan and the military taking away San Pang and others.
Seeing Wu Laizi dressed in the attire of a local ethnic minority, Brother Cat interrogated him again.
"Old Wu, tell me honestly, was San Pang rescued by Yang Jian?"
"Yes, I worked as a security guard at Yang Jian's company during the New Year. On the twenty-fourth of the twelfth lunar month, I personally saw San Pang and seven other young men return to Yangli Village."
Wu Laizi dared not lie. He was focused on gaining a sliver of trust from them and waiting for Zhang Hui and the others to rescue him. He had no hope of Brother Cat letting him go.
"Do you know which force Yang Jian relies on here?"
"I really don't know. I'm completely unaware of their activities in Xiaomengla."
"How many people did they bring this time?"
"I didn't know last time, but this time four people came. Besides Yang Jian and Biao Biao, there were two anti-drug police officers. We all set off from Hancheng together. I took the train, and the four of them drove. They should be in Xiaomengla now."
"What kind of car were they driving, do you remember the license plate?"
"The Cayenne that Yang Jian drives. You should know it."
Brother Cat recalled and nodded. "Yes, I remember. How do you contact each other?"
"We communicate by phone. Generally, they don't contact me. Only when I meet with you or you assign me a task do I report to them."
Wu Laizi would not reveal that he had a tracker hidden in his mouth; this was his only hope for survival, and he would never tell.
Brother Cat waved his hand, signaling for Wu Laizi to be taken away. He sat alone in the main hall for a long time, then called Ah Bin in.
"Ah Bin, arrange for the brothers to do two things: First, search the city for a reddish-brown Cayenne. I'll write down the license plate for you later. Second, go and buy a few more guns and some explosives."
"No problem, Brother Cat. Who are you planning to deal with?"
"Yang Jian, the one Wu Laizi mentioned. He's my sworn enemy. I've fled overseas, and he still won't leave me alone. So, I'll take care of him here."
Ah Bin reminded him, "Brother Cat, although the public security in Xiaomengla isn't great, gun incidents will attract the attention of the military. If things escalate, it will be difficult to resolve. Yang Jian and his group are only four people. We can handle him without guns, can't we?"
"Don't joke. Without guns, all of us combined can't defeat him. That person is a martial arts master. Otherwise, I wouldn't have been forced into such a desperate situation by him."
"He's that powerful? Then I'll go prepare."
Ah Bin was still a little unconvinced. He had never seen how powerful someone with martial arts skills was. Did they not fear machetes? However, Brother Cat was the boss, and he made the decisions on how to proceed.
Wu Laizi was locked in a small dark room. The mosquitoes inside were like a swarm, biting him relentlessly. He constantly prayed for Zhang Hui to come and rescue him soon.
He knew very well that Brother Cat would never let him go. San Pang was the best proof. He was Brother Cat's disciple and relative, yet Brother Cat had sold him out without hesitation. His own fate would be no better.
After being locked in the dark room for two days, not only did Zhang Hui not arrive, but Brother Cat didn't even give him a drop of water.
On the third day, Ah Bin helped the dizzy and starving Wu Laizi to the main hall and gave him a cup of water.
Brother Cat returned his phone to him. "Old Wu, call Yang Jian and tell him that you are with me now and have discovered that I am processing drugs here."
Wu Laizi spoke weakly, "Brother Cat, give me something to eat. Yang Jian will definitely be suspicious if I speak like this."
Brother Cat waved his hand, and Ah Bin gave him a piece of bread.
After eating, Wu Laizi regained some strength. "Brother Cat, you want to lure Yang Jian here? He has the backing of the military. Didn't you say that San Pang and the others were rescued by the military? If he brings the army here again, you won't be able to deal with him either."
"I want him to bring the military here. I'll blow up a few of his soldiers and make a big scene. Yang Jian will be in a lot of trouble. Even if the military doesn't kill him, he won't have a place in Xiaomengla."
Brother Cat's plan was to use a borrowed knife to kill, to make the military suspicious of Yang Jian.