Chapter 58: Prey Delivered to the Door

The car was closely guarded by a group of solemn and well-trained bodyguards. After pulling up abruptly at the entrance of the hospital building, a middle-aged, fat man with a face as pale as paper hurriedly emerged from the vehicle.

His plump body trembled slightly from pain, and large beads of sweat rolled endlessly down his forehead. He tightly pressed both hands against his abdomen, emitting low, agonizing groans from his throat.

Having received prior notification by phone, the medical staff who had long been waiting downstairs quickly rushed forward pushing a stretcher.

They carefully lifted the fat man onto the stretcher and raced without a moment's pause directly toward the operating room.

The hospital had made preparations in advance, arranging the institution's finest surgeon to personally perform an appendectomy on the wealthy man.

...

Early the next morning, Li Haibo successively met with Xin Zai and Ma Quanyi, instructing them to return respectively to Tailor Zhao and Old Zhang to report that he was safe.

Right after morning office hours began, several scoundrels swaggered in.

Seeing them, Li Haibo was struck speechless for a moment. "If you're going to skip work, go somewhere else!

Listening to storytelling at a teahouse or smoking a cigarette in the park would be better! Why do you keep running to the hospital?"

"Oh my! Brother Bo, a single day apart feels like an eternity!

With you not around, the brothers feel completely out of sorts! Patrolling at work is nowhere near as good as coming to visit you in hospital!" Xiong Kui said with a glib tongue.

"And you came to visit me empty-handed! Not even bringing along some fruit or pastries? Have you no shame?"

Hou Yong instantly perked up, stepped forward, and said, "Brother Bo! We didn't come empty-handed!

Look, we brought you ten silver dollars!" With that, he pulled a small cloth bag from his trouser pocket and handed it toward Li Haibo.

Li Haibo's eyes lit up, and he eagerly took the bag. "Oh my goodness! You're being far too polite!

I only suffered a minor injury, yet I've caused the brothers such an expense. I really feel bad about it!"

Yang Chun curled his lip to the side. "What are you talking about! This was your money to begin with!"

Li Haibo, who was happily counting the silver dollars, froze abruptly upon hearing this. He raised his head to look at the group, asking with a face full of confusion, "What? My money? Could this be the dividends from issuing good citizen certificates to the neighbors?"

Hou Yong hurriedly explained, "No! The money from the good citizen certificates won't be split until a few days from now! This is a reward from the bureau!"

"A reward?"

Hou Yong continued, "That's right! During this morning's early meeting, the Bureau Chief—who has never been on time in his life—showed up in person and praised you heavily right in front of the brothers.

Then he announced on the spot that you were being rewarded with twenty silver dollars, and told us to pass it on to you!"

"Then why is there only ten here?"

Hou Yong sighed helplessly and said, "Brother Bo, we certainly didn't swallow your money!

The Chief said twenty during the meeting, but by the time it reached my hands, only ten were left.

I originally wanted to ask about it, but I didn't dare question the Chief, so I went to ask Pockmarked Six.

As a result, not only did Pockmarked Six refuse to give an explanation, but he also gave me a kick.

My backside still hurts to this day!

Brother Bo, I really didn't swallow your money!"

Li Haibo's expression darkened, and he said through clenched teeth, "Of course I know the brothers wouldn't swallow my money!

Yet twenty were promised, and in the blink of an eye, half of it vanishes. These bastards are entirely capable of pulling off such a stunt!

This was earned with my own blood and sweat, risking my life.

Damn it, corrupt officials deserve a wretched death."

At this point, Xiong Kui chimed in, "Speaking of fruit and pastries, just as we were coming in earlier, we bumped into a few Japanese officers carrying flower baskets and fruit baskets as they entered the building across the way. There must be some big shot hospitalized over there!"

"That building across the way houses high-end wards! Anyone able to stay over there is either an official or wealthy. Since the little Japanese are visiting them, it's definitely a major traitor!"

Li Haibo's mind stirred, and he immediately activated his clairvoyant hearing to scan the area. Sure enough, he reaped a harvest.

The high-end inpatient ward area was sparsely populated, but a luxury suite on the second floor facing east was crammed with quite a few people.

He heard a Japanese person speaking in stiff Mandarin, "Mr. Cai! Hearing that you were feeling unwell, His Excellency the General specially dispatched me to visit you.

The contributions you have consistently made to the Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere are witnessed by His Excellency, who holds them in high praise."

Another voice responded flatteringly, "Thanks to the generous kindness of the Imperial Army, I, Cai, have merely played a meager part.

To be able to work for the great cause of the Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere is the absolute honor of this humble Cai.

I only lament that this frail body of mine failed to cooperate, delaying the great affairs of the Imperial Army."

The Japanese officer continued, "Mr. Cai need not worry; you should focus on recovering your health.

Your distinguished achievements in intelligence gathering and suppressing resistance forces are remarkable. Once you recover, there will be even more important matters that require your personal involvement.

The construction of the Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere cannot do without loyal friends such as yourself."

The other voice said with excitement, "Please rest assured, Your Excellency, my loyalty to the Imperial Army is as clear as the sun and moon.

As long as I have a single breath left, I shall readily brave fire and water for the Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere without the slightest hesitation!"

With that, a round of echoing laughter and obsequious flattery filled the ward.

Li Haibo almost laughed out loud. Truly, finding no place after searching high and low, it was effortless to attain. This was business delivering itself right to his doorstep!

Cai Dafa came from a business-oriented family that operated several factories in Shanghai, having accumulated a considerable scale of industrial wealth.

Relying on his family's economic strength and social connections, he managed to squeeze his way into the ranks of the Kuomintang's Shanghai municipal government officials.

However, when the iron hooves of the Japanese invaders shattered the peace of Shanghai, Cai Dafa was scared out of his wits by the immediate situation, his heart filled with terror over the potential destruction of his family's assets.

Driven by cowardice and an excessive greed for wealth, he cast aside all national righteousness and defected to the Japanese invaders at the very first opportunity without the slightest hesitation.

From then on, relying on his familiarity with the internal affairs of the Kuomintang and local conditions in Shanghai, he actively offered strategies and plans for the Japanese devils. He acted as an accomplice in intelligence gathering, assisting the Japanese army in formulating economic plunder and social control strategies, which resulted in the sabotage of numerous anti-Japanese deployments by the Nationalist government in Shanghai and inflicted extremely heavy losses across military, economic, and various other fronts, turning him into a universally despised major traitor.

On the latest assassination list issued by the Military Statistics Bureau headquarters, Cai Dafa's name was prominently listed.

This truly was a prime target delivering itself right to his hands! To let a prey at one's lips slip away without taking a fierce bite would simply be unjustifiable.

The corners of Li Haibo's mouth curved slightly upward, a cold and stern smile emerging as a plan already formed in his mind!

The scoundrels dawdled in the hospital ward all the way until mealtime before hurrying back to the bureau for a free meal.

The moment they left, Li Haibo swiftly got up, walked over to the window, and precisely pulled the curtain on the left side halfway up.

Ten minutes later, Xin Zai dashed in like a gust of wind, panting heavily, his voice tinged with a trace of urgency: "Brother Bo!"

Li Haibo immediately turned around with a vigilant expression, his gaze carrying a hint of reproach: "Don't rush in so recklessly next time. You need to come up silently and make sure not to attract anyone's attention!"

Xin Zai nodded hurriedly in acknowledgment: "Understood!"

Li Haibo solemnly handed a pre-prepared slip of paper into Xin Zai's hand, lowering his voice to say: "Make sure this note is delivered personally into the hands of Boss Zhao at the tailoring shop."