Chapter 33: The Rescue

As soon as the young woman left, Boss Wang hurried to meet her.

“Mistress Li, what about what that man said?”

“A mix of truth and lies,” Li Siya snorted. “Some of it can’t be verified, so we have to let him say what he wants for now.”

“Let’s give him a taste of pain. He’ll spill everything.”

“Not on the flower boat,” Li Siya vetoed. “Too many eyes and ears, and the space is too small. His screams would give us away immediately. We need to move him to another location for interrogation.”

“Right, I’ll arrange it at once.”

“After you get the confession, you and your brothers can do as you please with him. If you want to leave yourself an out, don’t rough him up too badly. But it would be best to dispose of him cleanly. Leave no witnesses.”

“I understand,” Boss Wang said, knowing she had decided to kill him to silence him.

“Send any news to the usual place. I’ll be staying in Guangzhou for a while longer.” She called out, “Let’s go.” Another graceful figure, wrapped in a black cloak, emerged from the shadows. The two of them leaped ashore and quickly disappeared into the darkness.

After a long moment, two of Boss Wang’s accomplices emerged from the cabin. “Boss Wang, what do we do?”

“Hmph, how can we not eat the fat meat that’s landed in our mouths?” Boss Wang spat into the water contemptuously. “Who does she think she is? Just an errand girl for the Big Boss.”

“About moving him…”

“Move my ass! What does that girl know? Screams? We’ll just pole the flower boat out to a deserted waterway, find a quiet spot, and take our time interrogating him. We could use all Ten Great Tortures of the Ming Dynasty and no one would hear a thing.”

“The Ten Great Tortures of the Ming Dynasty… is that a real thing?” a junior thug asked, looking puzzled.

His accomplice knew that Boss Wang was actually just reluctant to spend money on a new safe house and was fond of his companion on the boat, planning to keep the prize for himself.

But it was true that this place had too many eyes and ears. And Gao Ju was no pushover. They needed to be more careful. After a moment’s thought, he ordered his men:

“Keep the man hidden on Qingyan’s small boat. Ma San and Little Zhao, you two watch him.”

He then set up two more hidden sentries to control the access points. One was a Dan boatman, a master of throwing knives, accurate within twenty paces. He was placed closest to the flower boat. If anyone tried a rescue, his flying knives could take down at least one or two attackers, buying enough time for Ma San to row the small boat away.

An attack could also come from the water, so he placed his most expensive asset—an infantry archer—on the high rear deck of the flower boat. From that vantage point, he could command the water and banks within a hundred-pace radius.

No matter how much face or money Master Gao has, his constables and escort guards are nothing but trash in front of a master archer who can shoot a willow leaf at a hundred paces! Boss Wang thought with satisfaction. The archer was a deserter from the army, but he was a superb shot—accurate and fast. He had spent a good sum of money to hire him through the city’s underworld connections.

Boss Wang didn’t spare any expense—the ransom would cover it all in the end, so why should he save money for others? The three sentries and two guards watching the hostage were each given ten taels of silver upfront, with a promise of fifty more each after the ransom was paid. Even the useless bouncers on the flower boat got five taels. The gang of rogues was instantly filled with vigor, rubbing their hands in anticipation.

As he was giving out orders, the liaison sent to communicate with the lookouts on Haopan Street returned. This was a system Boss Wang had established: two reports a day, one in the morning and one in the evening, on the movements at the Gao residence and the sea merchants’ house.

“Any movement?”

“Nothing unusual. The Gao residence is busy, lots of people coming and going, but no one has gone to the authorities or any escort agencies. We asked around; they’re preparing to receive a distinguished guest from the capital.”

“What about the Australian sea merchants?”

“No movement from the outside. But…”

“What?”

“They were setting off firecrackers for most of the day!”

---

“It’s confirmed,” Ran Yao announced, once again standing before the large, upright square table. This time, however, the chalk stick was a real one. “Our beloved Chairman Wen is being held on the fourth flower boat from the Hezi Embankment at White Goose Pool. The boat’s name is ‘Xuanzhu’.”

Several men, led by Bei Wei, watched Ran Yao and the table in silence. On a large drawing table behind them lay several walkie-talkie chargers, their lights blinking. A 19-inch LCD monitor displayed nearly ten different camera feeds. Under the table was a heap of computer cases, battery packs, and a tangled mess of wires. The air was hot and stuffy. Xiao Zishan, on duty monitoring the cameras, was wearing only an old-fashioned undershirt and was still sweating profusely.

An enlarged, printed digital photo was taped to the rosewood tabletop. It showed a flower boat with a wide, flat bow and a high, raised stern, with a large oar at the back and two smaller ones at the front for maneuvering in narrow waters. The boat was beautifully decorated with carved beams and painted rafters.

All flower boats, regardless of size, had a bow cabin, a central cabin, and a stern section. The central cabin was the largest, taking up about half the boat’s length, and was draped with curtains on all sides for privacy. They presumed Director Wen was most likely being held there.

The boat had five permanent residents: the madam, two prostitutes, a serving woman, and a bouncer.

“According to the intelligence gathered by the Qiwei Escort Agency, this flower boat has had a ‘Not Receiving Guests’ sign up since the twentieth of last month, claiming to be chartered. Over the last ten days or so, several men have been seen coming and going frequently. Although these men can speak Cantonese, they are not locals. Someone overheard them speaking to each other in a Southern Fujianese dialect.

“Except for one man surnamed Wang, none of them spend the night on the boat. This suspect, Wang, leaves early every morning and returns around dusk.

“Three days ago, the day Director Wen disappeared, these men vanished, but the ‘chartered’ sign was not taken down, and the daily delivery of food and vegetables did not decrease. Yesterday, one of the prostitutes on the boat was seen showing off a small, shiny object. From the escort agency’s description, we believe it was a nail clipper.”

“A nail clipper?”

“Yes, a small one with a ‘Five Rams’ plastic cover. On the list of missing items, it should be… Xiao Zishan’s.”

“There is one more piece of evidence.” He taped up another digital photo. “Based on our photographic identification of individuals appearing near the boat over the last two days, this man is the same suspicious individual we photographed in the teahouse on Haopan Street on the day of the incident.”

Two days prior, after the Qiwei Escort Agency had efficiently reported that Director Wen was likely hidden on a flower boat in White Goose Pool, Ran Yao and Bei Wei, accompanied by Sun Chang and using the cover of Gao Ju’s female family members’ sedan chair procession, had conducted a long period of on-site surveillance and photography. They had gathered a great deal of information and, after their own reconnaissance, confirmed that the agency’s intelligence was reliable.

There was no time to lose. They decided to act immediately. The ransom note hadn’t arrived yet, the situation was stable, and if the bandits moved to a new location, it would be difficult to find them again. The operation would be led by Ran Yao, with the three members of the sports team plus Lin Shenhe. The Qiwei Escort Agency would also provide several men to assist.

The plan was for Lin Shenhe to provide covering fire with a small-caliber rifle. The sports team would split into two assault groups: Ran Yao’s group would attack the flower boat from the front on the embankment, while Bei Wei’s group would take a small boat to cut off their escape route from the water. Once successful, the entire team would be extracted by the escort agency’s carts from the embankment. They decided against a water retreat, considering the Dan people’s expertise in swimming and boat handling; if pursued, the transmigrators might not have the upper hand.

The time was set for 5:30 PM. The transmigrators had learned the daily routine of White Goose Pool: during this season, the flower boats’ business didn’t start until after 6:00 PM. Before that, there were few pedestrians, and the light was still good, ensuring clear visibility. After the operation, the entire team would withdraw into the city before the gates closed. If the bandit leader was outside the city, he wouldn’t be able to get back in time to react. If he was inside, the news wouldn’t reach him quickly enough—in this era, communication relied on people running. The transmigrators had a natural advantage in this regard.

“Wouldn’t it be better to act after dark? We have night vision goggles; they’d be blind.”

“The city gates close after dark. We’d be fighting them in unfamiliar territory outside the city, and we might not have the advantage. Night blindness in the Ming Dynasty might not be as common as we imagine.”

With the plan settled, everyone began their preparations. They all wore anti-stab vests and were equipped with emergency inflatable life belts in case they fell into the water. The four members of the assault team were protected from head to toe with steel helmets, goggles, combat boots, and anti-stab gloves. To avoid attracting attention, they wore hooded cloth cloaks over their gear.

Engineer Wang would remain at the residence, armed with a five-shotgun. Xiao Zishan would be with the escort agency’s support team, acting as the communicator with a walkie-talkie. Everyone was equipped with a walkie-talkie for constant contact.

After lunch, Lin Shenhe had a few words with Xiao Zishan, who nodded and went out. Lin himself took his Emei brand small-caliber rifle and disassembled it on a table. It was an excellent domestic sports rifle, model EM751, with a 5.6mm caliber. With a 4x scope, he was confident he could hit a human target at 200 meters.

However, while he had played with many guns abroad, he wasn’t familiar with this particular rifle. To ensure accuracy, he needed to do some test shots.

The gun was old but well-maintained. Lin Shenhe cleaned it as he disassembled it. Bei Wei came over from the front yard and saw him cleaning the gun. He swallowed the words he was about to say and just watched silently.

Only after Lin had reassembled the rifle did Bei Wei speak.

“Little Lin,” he began hesitantly, as if unsure how to start, “about you being the sniper…”

“What, afraid I can’t handle it?” Lin Shenhe replied nonchalantly, raising the rifle and practicing shouldering it a few times.

“Yes. I know you’ve fired more guns in America than I’ve ever seen, and you know your stuff when it comes to small arms,” Bei Wei hesitated, “but you’ve never been a soldier. A real battlefield is different from shooting at targets on a range.” He took a deep breath. “Logically, I should be the sniper, but we’re short-handed in the assault team.”

“Don’t worry,” Lin Shenhe said, lowering the rifle without further explanation. “Want to come with me to test the gun?” he asked, handing him a pair of binoculars.

Bei Wei took the binoculars, his face full of doubt. The test range was set up in a narrow service alley next to the courtyard. The high walls and enclosed space made it an ideal shooting gallery. Xiao Zishan had already measured out a 50-meter distance with a tape measure and stuck a paper target on the wall.

Lin Shenhe took a kneeling position at the 50-meter line, adjusted the sights, loaded a round, and engaged the safety. He tucked his right heel under his buttock for stability, right knee on the ground, and adjusted his posture.

The 4x scope on the rifle brought the center of the target clearly into view. There was no wind. The chaotic crackle of firecrackers and larger explosives echoed from the courtyard—cover for his test shots. He could barely hear it, feeling only the slight beat of his pulse. The tiniest muscle tremor was clearly visible in the scope—the black bullseye swayed rhythmically with his body’s vibrations.

He held his breath and, in that still second, pulled the trigger.

The recoil was less than expected. The small-caliber rifle had a special stock buffer pad, and to someone like Lin Shenhe, accustomed to all sorts of firearms, it was almost unnoticeable.

Bei Wei raised the binoculars and shook his head. The bullet had hit between the 7 and 8 o’clock positions. It was on the target, but it was less than 4 rings.

A 4-ring shot at 50 meters meant that at 200 meters, the bullet could end up anywhere.

Lin Shenhe didn’t move or immediately eject the casing, wanting to maintain the barrel’s temperature for better accuracy. After reloading, he fired again. This time, he improved by two rings. His third shot hit the 8-ring.

Starting with the fourth bullet, his shots stabilized. Three consecutive bullets landed almost perfectly in the 8-ring. He readjusted his sights, and the next five shots were all in the 10-ring.

“This should be good enough, right?” Lin Shenhe said, looking at the remaining ammunition in the box. There weren’t many of these 5.6mm rounds left. He had originally wanted to fire another ten shots.

“Not bad marksmanship,” Bei Wei commented simply. “But on the battlefield, you’re shooting at people. Can you do it?”

“Why couldn’t I?” A strange smile appeared on his face. “I hunt often.”