In the 90s, you could acquire max-level skills every 14 days.

Zhang Yong rode his motorcycle east along Jinsong Road, and after a few steps he came across a newsstand with a telephone booth next to it.

He stopped his motorcycle and pulled out the phone number he had just memorized from his pocket.

It starts with 0312 and is a landline number from Baoding.

He slipped a few coins into the number and dialed.

Beep...beep...beep...

The call rang seven or eight times before it was finally answered.

"Feed?"

Once the other side started feeding him, Zhang Yong had a better idea of ​​what was going on.

His accent was the same as his father Zhang Defa's, with a nasal tone that went upwards.

"Hello, who is it? Open your mouth!" the other person asked again, their voice now more wary. "Why is it a Beijing area code?"

Zhang Yong's mind raced.

He slowed down his speech, mimicking Zhang Defa's accent when he spoke in his hometown dialect at home.

"Hey, my surname is Liu, and my name is Liu Erqiang. I know Zhang Desheng! He's the fifth son of your Zhang family!"

The other person paused for a moment.

"Zhang Desheng?"

"Yes, it's Desheng!" Zhang Yong leaned closer to the receiver. "I'm out driving a truck. I met him in Baoding. I'm in Beijing now, and something just happened this morning—"

Zhang Yong paused deliberately.

Sure enough, the other person hadn't hung up, and their tone was slightly puzzled. "What's up?"

"I spotted his wife."

A voice rose from the other end of the phone.

"You mean—the one that ran away?"

"That's right." Zhang Yong's speech quickened. "It's in the eastern part of Beijing, in a small restaurant near a textile factory. She's wearing a floral-patterned blouse and has a thick braid, and she's serving dishes there."

"I was puzzled at the time, but then I realized, isn't this the one Desheng showed me a picture of before?"

The other person quickly followed up, asking, "What's the name of the restaurant? Which street is it on?"

Zhang Yong made one up. "On the street along the riverbank in the East District, there's a restaurant with red lanterns hanging at the entrance called something like 'Red Light Restaurant.' It's not big, just six or seven tables."

"Okay, okay! I've got it!" the other person exclaimed excitedly. "I'll tell Desheng later!"

Zhang Yong pressed his advantage. "Hey, you can tell him. By the way, this number was originally given to me by Desheng, who said to call here if anything happens. Where is he?"

"Desheng is working in the county; he's not here."

Zhang Yong said "Oh," and casually asked, "Is Brother Zhang Dewang here?"

"Brother Zhang isn't here." The other person's voice softened. "He'll be in Beijing the day after tomorrow. If you haven't left yet, you can meet up with Brother Zhang and we can work together to figure out a way to bring that woman back."

Zhang Yong sneered. "Bring him back? Zhang Desheng is as poor as a dog, what would I get out of him?"

The person on the other end of the phone actually laughed.

"Hey, that's all an act for outsiders! If you can really get his wife back, the Zhang family will definitely reward you. They'll give you a hundred or two hundred yuan as a thank you fee."

Zhang Yong's heart sank.

Is being poor like a dog just an act for outsiders?

What exactly did Zhang Defa raise with the hundreds or thousands of yuan he sent to Baoding every year?

Zhang Yong then changed the subject.

"Oh, right, I have something serious to tell you. I originally came here hoping to pick up some oil. Desheng promised to help me make a connection, saying he had some cheap stuff."

"But when I got to Beijing this time and inquired, I don't know why, but the crackdown has been very strict lately—I went to several auto repair shops, and they all said they didn't have it." Zhang Yong paused, then said, "I'm a little worried, I don't understand what's going on."

The other side remained silent for a few seconds.

"Well... I don't know much either." The other person lowered their voice. "Let's wait until Brother Zhang comes back from Beijing. Boss Ma said to be careful lately. It seems there are people from higher up investigating in Tongzhou, and I guess things are getting tighter in Beijing too."

Zhang Yong's fingers tightened around the telephone receiver.

Boss Ma.

I do know him.

Moreover, the relationship between Zhang Dewang and Ma Degui is not just about debt.

"Okay, I'll wait." Zhang Yong controlled his tone. "When Brother Zhang comes back, tell him that someone surnamed Liu is looking for us."

"Okay, what's your name again? Liu Erqiang? Let me write it down—"

Zhang Yong immediately pressed the hang-up button.

It's time. If we keep talking, we might give ourselves away.

He put the receiver back on the booth and stood in the shadows of the newsstand, going over the information he had just received in his mind.

First, the other party knows Boss Ma, and they spoke as if they were one of his own. It's a business relationship.

Secondly, Zhang Dewang will be arriving in Beijing the day after tomorrow. The other party stated this naturally, without any concealment, indicating that everyone in this line of work knew about this trip.

Third, there are people investigating in Tongxian County. The fake oil business has gone underground, which should be due to Wei Dabiao's efforts.

Fourth, "being poor like a dog is just an act for outsiders."

That's the crucial point.

Zhang Yong closed the notebook and stuffed it into his canvas bag.

He sighed for his honest and kind father, mounted his Jialing 125, and twisted the throttle.

The sound of motorcycles roared through the streets in the morning.

Zhang Yong had only one thought in his mind.

Zhang Dewang will arrive in Beijing the day after tomorrow.

This time, we have to catch him!

……

Zhang Yong took the route that led around Jinsong East Road.

It was two intersections further away than usual, but the road was wider and there were fewer cars.

As Zhang Yong turned the corner at the intersection of Jinsong South Road and Guanghua Road, his ears twitched.

[Driving Lv.6: Ambient Perception Triggered - Two moving sound sources to the right rear, medium displacement engine, following distance approximately 120 meters, no slowdown.]

Zhang Yong didn't move his hand.

He glanced at the rearview mirror on the right.

Two motorcycles.

It was the same two motorcycles as yesterday, and the two riders were acquaintances: one was a burly man in a white vest, and the other was a skinny guy.

There was a gauze pad on the left cheek of the person wearing the white vest.

These two actually dared to come.

Zhang Yong did not slow down and maintained a speed of 40 mph.

The two motorcycles behind them did indeed catch up.

When they reached the traffic light at the intersection of Guanghua Road, Zhang Yong stopped the car.

Two motorcycles came up from the left and right.

The man in the white vest approached from the left, less than a meter from Zhang Yong's handlebars.

His lips were cracked, and he spoke indistinctly.

"Zhang Yong! I just want to ask you something! Where did my brother Liu Gui go?"

The skinny guy on the right also came over, and his voice was even louder than the bald guy's.

"Look at all these people! You can't hit us! I just want to ask my brother!"

The skinny man gestured around the area. This intersection was next to a morning market, and there were many people coming and going—some pushing bicycles, some carrying shopping baskets, and some riding tricycles.

Zhang Yong turned his head and glanced at the skinny man, then laughed in exasperation.

These two have become shrewd.

Last time, they ambushed someone in a deserted narrow alley and got dealt with.

This time they chose a crowded spot, betting that Zhang Yong wouldn't dare to make a move there.

The skinny man's expression was conflicted; he seemed a little scared but stubbornly refused to run.

There was a bulge under the gauze of the white vest, clearly indicating that the blow from last night hadn't fully healed.

But the two of them just wouldn't leave.

"If you don't tell me, I'll camp out at your door every day!" the man in the white tank top shouted, his neck stiff. "Believe it or not!"

"I'm not leaving!"

……