RMM -Chapter 191 Catching Turtles in a Jar

After parking the vehicles behind a dense patch of grass, Xi Yuechen and his group moved swiftly forward along the roadside grass.

This time they deliberately avoided the main road, wary that members of the Zhao family might suddenly appear from behind. Their own numbers were considerable, and if that happened, it would be hard to evade in time.

They hadn’t gone far when faint lights appeared ahead.

Gao Yunxiao’s eyes lit up. They had finally found them!

At this hour and in this place, who else could it be other than Yan Sect and the Zhao family?

Clearly, the people behind them also noticed the lights ahead. One by one, looks of excitement spread across their faces, brimming with confidence, itching to charge forward and beat the other side into a rout.

Without Xi Yuechen needing to stop and give orders, everyone behind him instinctively lightened their steps, silently and swiftly approaching the source of the lights.

After moving forward a bit more, they could even hear fragments of conversation drifting over. It became clear that the lights they had seen were the bright glare of car headlights.

Listening to the carefree laughter and chatter, Xie Haomin let out a cold snort inwardly. Truly lawless—engaging in such shady dealings and daring to do it so brazenly.

Surrounded by pitch darkness while all the car headlights were blazing, those people were completely exposed in Xi Yuechen’s line of sight.

With a single glance, Xi Yuechen confirmed that they were Yan Sect’s men. They were gathered together idly chatting, clearly waiting for the Zhao family to arrive.

The Zhao family was really arrogant. They had already set out back when Xi Yuechen was still in the imperial capital, yet now that Xi Yuechen’s group had arrived here, the Zhao family was still nowhere to be seen. Who knew whether they were used to lording it over others or deliberately provoking Yan Sect.

But what did that have to do with Xi Yuechen’s group? On the contrary, this move by the Zhao family had given them an enormous opportunity.

At this point, Xi Yuechen stopped advancing. He waved his hand, calling people over, and quietly issued instructions for the upcoming operation.

There were too many people on the armed police side, so only a few representatives were sent over. After listening to Xi Yuechen’s orders, they would relay them to their subordinates.

It didn’t take long. Xi Yuechen soon sent them back to their positions, and everyone continued forward cautiously.

Given the situation, all Xi Yuechen’s group could do was lie in wait around the area, quietly waiting for the Zhao family to arrive. When the goods were handed over, they would strike in one decisive move, catching them off guard and confiscating all of the Zhao family’s shipment.

Yan Sect had brought quite a few people and vehicles—Xi Yuechen knew that much. The weapons and equipment they carried were likely nothing to scoff at either. If it came to a direct clash, it would be a fierce battle.

That was why their attack had to be unexpected—fast, precise, and decisive. Only then could they minimize their own casualties.

Fortunately, Yan Sect’s people were ultimately not cautious enough. One by one, they were far too careless—car headlights blazing not to survey their surroundings, but purely for their own convenience and revelry. The group had even clustered together, laughing and chatting.

It was precisely this boisterous atmosphere that provided the perfect cover for Xi Yuechen’s men. In just a few breaths, they had already reached the outer edge of the clearing where Yan Sect was stationed.

Only then did Xi Yuechen clearly make out the terrain of the area. Though the place was called Zhao River Bay, there was no river in sight—just trees and brush as far as the eye could see. Who knew how it got its name.

Compared to other stretches, the spot Yan Sect had chosen was more spacious, though slightly lower in elevation and located right in the middle of the road—an ideal site for an ambush.

Here, the roadside vegetation was no longer dense grass but tall, thick trees standing close together. Coupled with the fact that Yan Sect’s vehicle lights were all concentrated in one area, any movement on Xi Yuechen’s side went completely unnoticed.

Bai Xiong had calculated everything—except this. He had only ordered the handover to take place at Zhao River Bay, without personally scouting out a better location. His subordinates, brimming with confidence and certain of victory, had actually chosen such a spot for the exchange.

Now, as long as Xi Yuechen’s group split into two teams and lay in ambush on both sides of the road, it would be a textbook case of catching turtles in a jar. Even if the other side had more manpower and better weapons, they would still lose to Xi Yuechen’s side’s overwhelming geographical advantage.

In the end, Yan Sect had simply been too confident and careless, pushing themselves straight into a dead end.

Xi Yuechen made a hand gesture. Gao Yunxiao immediately understood, nodded, and quietly led half the men backward.

Gao Yunxiao was taking his people to the opposite side of the road. If they attacked from only one side, the impact would be greatly reduced. With such an obvious advantage at hand, not using it would be sheer stupidity.

Though detouring around to the other side was a bit troublesome, Gao Yunxiao showed no impatience. He led his men some distance away, until they could no longer hear Yan Sect’s voices, then quickly crossed to the opposite side of the road.

Before crossing over, Gao Yunxiao had carefully observed the area—there were no lights or sounds in the distance. It seemed the Zhao family had not yet arrived at Zhao River Bay. As for Yan Sect’s people, they were completely absorbed in their own revelry, not giving their surroundings a second thought.

Though there were quite a few of them, it didn’t take long for everyone to circle around to the other side of the road.

Gao Yunxiao casually glanced at the armed police following closely behind, the corner of his mouth lifting slightly. He wondered who was commanding the armed police this time—whoever it was, they were quite sensible, having sent over people with decent skills.

Before long, Gao Yunxiao had led his team to silently take up hidden positions on the opposite side of the road. He then used a special communication device to relay the situation to Xi Yuechen.

After receiving the message, Xi Yuechen’s expression didn’t change much, though he was satisfied with Gao Yunxiao’s efficiency. He didn’t reply, continuing instead to watch Yan Sect’s people in the middle of the road, waiting for the Zhao family to arrive.

When the Zhao family finally did show up, some time had already passed.

From Xi Yuechen’s vantage point, he could clearly see the foul expressions on Yan Sect’s faces as they looked toward the Zhao family’s slowly approaching vehicles. One by one, they looked fierce and menacing, clearly furious over the Zhao family’s deliberate delay.

The Zhao family had brought far fewer vehicles than Yan Sect, which seemed rather perfunctory. After the cars stopped, a man stepped down from the first vehicle.

Xi Yuechen watched as the man walked straight toward Yan Sect’s people, remaining completely unmoved. To succeed in one decisive strike, the timing had to be perfect—and clearly, this wasn’t it yet.

Seeing the man approach with a smile on his face, someone from Yan Sect stepped forward as well. Faced with that fake, skin-deep smile, he spat inwardly, putting on an arrogant expression.

Damn it—at a time like this, who were they trying to impress with that high-and-mighty hypocrisy?!

“I thought the Zhao family couldn’t bear to part with this shipment and decided not to come after all.”

As soon as the man drew close, someone from Yan Sect spoke up with a laugh, his tone dripping with mockery.

That single sentence instantly changed the Zhao family representative’s expression. The forced smile on his face could no longer be maintained.

What a bunch of trash—so eager to kick someone when they’re down.

The man who had approached was likely the Zhao family’s representative in charge of the delivery. With a dark expression, he swept his gaze over Yan Sect’s people, forcibly suppressing the raging anger in his heart.

No matter what, there could be no conflict with Yan Sect tonight. The family head was still in the imperial capital negotiating with Yan Sect’s boss—he couldn’t afford any mishaps here.

Besides, Yan Sect had the advantage in numbers tonight. Even if he wanted to vent his anger, he couldn’t act rashly, or they’d be the ones to suffer.

“There was a bit of trouble on the road that delayed us. I’ve long heard that Yan Sect is known for its generosity and righteousness. Surely you wouldn’t stoop to quibbling over such a small matter, would you?”

Avoiding conflict didn’t mean swallowing everything. The Zhao representative responded with thinly veiled barbs of his own.

“Hmph. Everything depends on who you’re dealing with. Those who aren’t worth much naturally don’t qualify for Yan Sect’s hospitality.”

It was the same man who had stepped out first. Hearing the Zhao representative’s words, he didn’t get angry at all. Instead, he pulled a cold smile, speaking in a sarcastic tone.

Unsurprisingly, the Zhao representative was choked once again. What did that mean? That the Zhao family didn’t have enough standing or capital? This was outright bullying!

The breath caught painfully in his chest, neither up nor down. The Zhao representative’s face twisted with fury.

Yan Sect, however, had no intention of wasting more time with the Zhao family. They had already waited long enough. Now that the goods were here, it was time to take them and leave.

“Alright. The Zhao family’s time is precious, so we won’t trouble you any further. Wouldn’t want something else to delay you on the way back and keep you from getting home tonight. Let’s hand over the goods.”

It was still the same man speaking, and it was obvious that among Yan Sect’s group present, his status was the highest.

The Zhao representative didn’t want to entangle himself any further with Yan Sect’s gang of thugs. He snorted coldly. “Follow me.”

With that, he turned and walked toward the Zhao family’s convoy, still carrying himself with an air of arrogance.

Everyone on the d-province roads knew the Zhao family’s usual attitude—always acting superior to others. Seeing the Zhao representative like this, Yan Sect’s people weren’t particularly angry. After all, a magnanimous man didn’t stoop to arguing with a declining family.

Over ten Yan Sect members followed the Zhao representative toward the Zhao family’s vehicles. The rest stayed by their own cars, watching the Zhao vehicles not far away with guarded expressions. Given the Zhao family’s history, this was too critical a moment to let down their guard.

The Zhao representative led the dozen-plus Yan Sect members straight to a vehicle in the middle of the convoy and said through clenched teeth to the person standing beside it, “Unload the goods.”

At the order, the men guarding the vehicle didn’t dare slack off. They immediately turned and moved toward the trunk.

Hidden in the shadows, Xie Haomin narrowed his eyes. This was truly eye-opening—he had never seen drug traffickers this brazen before, actually storing the drugs in the trunk. Just how big did their backing have to be for them to dare act like this?