Desperate people, accept the seed of my soul!

Shen Hanzhou didn't respond to him, and his face remained expressionless.

There was no anger, no sadness, no fatigue, no emotion whatsoever.

She just stood there, looking at him through the cracked lens, her eyes exactly the same as when she placed the order three years ago.

Old Yan felt a chill run down his spine. This man seemed even heavier than he had been three years ago.

Three years ago, Shen Hanzhou would at least reply with "Give me the real price next time," though his tone was cold, at least he showed some reaction. Now, he doesn't even react.

He immediately changed direction, continuing to ask with concern, "Where have you been hiding these past few days? Have you eaten anything? You don't look well."

Her tone carried the concern of an elder for a younger person, as if she were genuinely worried about Shen Hanzhou's health.

My thoughts were on something else entirely—he'd come to me of his own accord, so he must have a need. Intelligence? Raw materials? Or perhaps he wanted to use my connections to leave the city? Whatever it was, I'd get him to state his needs first.

If you say it out loud, it will have a price; if it has a price, you can negotiate; if you negotiate, you can drag it out; if you drag it out, you'll have the upper hand.

The old man added, "Just tell me if you need anything, and I'll help as much as I can."

His tone was sincere, as if the two were close friends.

Shen Hanzhou ignored those words of concern.

He stood in front of the counter and said, "I need information on Jiang Yi: his exact address, security arrangements, and recent movements."

His tone was very flat. It didn't sound like he was running for his life; it was exactly the same tone he used when he placed the order three years ago.

Old Yan's heart skipped a beat.

Jiang Yi. Leader of the Crimson Thorns. Shen Hanzhou needs information about Jiang Yi.

Old Yan's mind raced with calculations.

Jiang Yi's intelligence is not difficult to obtain.

Red Thorn is a long-established organization in Lieyang Province. Although Jiang Yi's whereabouts are kept secret, they are not completely airtight. Old Yan has the location of his eastern suburbs stronghold and the surrounding security configuration.

I definitely can't provide a detailed itinerary down to what time to eat and sleep.

Only two or three people closest to Jiang Yi knew his detailed itinerary; Lao Yan had no access to that level.

But the location of the outpost and the security shift change pattern are sufficient. Sufficient means you can negotiate a price, and negotiating a price allows you to stall.

Old Man Yan immediately agreed, "Jiang Yi, no problem. You're a regular customer, I'll give you the most complete selection."

What I was thinking was—perfect, you need the intelligence, I'll organize it for you. Organizing takes time, and the longer it takes, the more proactive I'll become.

He walked behind the counter as he spoke. Using his body as cover, he reached into the drawer and pulled out the spare phone.

With a swipe of his finger on the screen, he sent a quick message to his subordinate: Bring two people to the store, enter through the back door, and don't make a sound.

After sending the message, place the phone screen-down in the drawer.

My heart beat a beat faster than before, but my facial expression remained unchanged.

By having someone bring Shen Hanzhou in and keep him under control in the store, the initiative is in our hands. How to divide the 80 million and with whom can be discussed later.

Old Yan took a file folder from under the counter.

The moment my fingers touched the paper bag, I mentally checked what I actually had in my hand.

Jiang Yi is the leader of Chiji. His whereabouts are always kept secret. Only two or three of his closest confidants know his detailed itinerary. Lao Yan has no access to that level.

It's not that he lacks ability; it's that the organizational structure of Red Thorn dictates that the most crucial information only circulates among three people.

However, it is an open secret that all of Chiji's personnel have withdrawn to the eastern suburbs of Guangyang.

The fact that the logistics line had stopped was common knowledge throughout the underground world; it couldn't be kept secret.

The simultaneous suspension of routine operations by the three major powers is no small matter; anyone with even a little intelligence can sense the implications.

Old Yan has two definite clues.

The exact location of Chiji's stronghold in the eastern suburbs was obtained from a driver who had previously worked with Chiji's logistics line, and the information was cross-verified twice.

The shift schedule for the outer perimeter security was purchased from a former security guard who had been dismissed by Chiji. Although the information was a month old, Chiji's outer perimeter security model has rarely changed significantly.

Old Yan thought to himself: I can't provide a detailed itinerary, but the outpost and security setup are sufficient. If they're sufficient, I can negotiate a price; if I can negotiate a price, I can stall.

He decided to use these to appease Shen Hanzhou first, and then deal with the rest once his men arrived.

As Lao Yan flipped through the documents, he said, "Jiang Yi is a scaredy-cat now, and his whereabouts are hard to track. I have the exact location of his stronghold in the eastern suburbs, and I also know the shift change pattern of the outer security."

He paused, looked up at Shen Hanzhou, and his tone became more candid: "But if you want to ask him what time he eats and goes to bed—that level of intelligence, to be honest, is beyond my reach."

He used this pricing method for twenty years.

First, lay out the parts that you can't reach, acknowledge your limitations, and make the customer feel that you are honest.

Then list out the attainable parts in detail, so that the customer feels that although he may not get the most essential thing, what he gets is enough.

If he adds enough, customers will trust him.

Once Shen Hanzhou believed it, he would sit down and wait.

Sitting down to look through the files, checking the location of the outpost and the security shift change times—this process takes at least a few minutes. A few minutes later, my men arrive.

He pushed the file folder in front of Shen Hanzhou, saying, "It's all here. Location of the stronghold, security shift schedule, and a map of the surrounding area. If you're looking for Jiang Yi, this is more useful than his itinerary."

His tone was confident, as if he were analyzing the value of the intelligence for Shen Hanzhou.

The file did indeed contain the location of the outpost and the shift schedule.

There was an extra tiny positioning patch inside the paper pages, so thin you couldn't feel it.

He bought the patch from an outsider of the Xiongbei Company. The battery lasts for 48 hours and the signal covers the entire Gwangyang City.

Old Yan thought to himself, "The intelligence is true. Consider this my final act of kindness to you."

But you have to stay within my control. Once the tracking patch is on, even if you run out the back door, I can still track your location.

Once your men arrive, they'll hold you down first, then slowly negotiate the price with the Five Mountains Society and Xiong Bei.

Shen Hanzhou took the file folder and opened it.

Old Yan watched his movements, his fingers lightly tapping his thigh under the counter.

He was calculating the time.

Almost two minutes have passed since I sent the message to my subordinate.

It would take three minutes for his men to arrive. They entered through the back door without making a sound, and the three of them blocked both the front and back exits simultaneously.

There's one minute left.

He needs to buy another minute.

Old Smoker added, "If you need a way to leave the city, I can arrange that for you. I have intelligence about a gap in the Red Thorn's blockade in the eastern suburbs; the price is negotiable."

His tone was casual, as if he were chatting.

What he was thinking was—delay it by one more sentence. Every extra sentence delayed meant one more second for his men to get on their way.

Shen Hanzhou's need for a way out of the city is definitely more urgent than his need for information about Jiang Yi, because he will need an escape route immediately after killing Jiang Yi. If you offer him this temptation, he will definitely take it.

Old Yan tapped his thigh lightly with his fingers under the counter, the rhythm even more steady than his heartbeat.

He started counting down in his head. One minute. Half a minute.

My men are walking through that narrow alley in the old town; the back door of the repair shop is just around the corner.

The gun was on the right, the spare phone was in the drawer, everything was under control.