He had just married a policewoman when he was diagnosed with criminal genius.

Old Gui himself drove a black, old-model Santana, bumping along the potholed country roads.

Lu Chen and Jiang Xue sat in the back seat. They exchanged a glance. The car had no license plates and the windows were covered with dark tint, making it impossible to see who was inside from the outside.

The car made several turns, leaving the main road and entering an abandoned industrial park.

Most of the factory buildings here have been abandoned for many years, with withered vines climbing the walls and wild grass growing up to waist height on the ground.

Old Gui stopped in front of a gray-white factory building that looked the least conspicuous on the outside, and honked the horn twice, once long and once short, like some kind of code.

A moment later, the factory's large iron gate slowly opened a crack, just enough for a car to pass through. Old Gui stepped on the gas, and the car slid in.

"arrive."

Old Gui opened the car door; this place was even more remote than the electronics factory they had just visited.

Lu Chen and Jiang Xue got out of the car and came to a two-story building that looked unremarkable.

Old Ghost led Lu Chen and Jiang Xue into the building.

Lu Chen's gaze quickly swept across his surroundings.

Two offset printing presses were placed in the lobby on the first floor, emitting a low rumble, and bundles of paper were piled up in the corner.

Several people are busy operating equipment on the green space.

Stacks of brand-new 100-yuan bills were continuously produced from the assembly line. Bundles of banknote paper were piled up in the corner, next to a simple drying device and a cutting table.

Everything looked like a legitimate small printing factory.

Lu Chen's gaze quickly swept across the entire factory.

He noticed that the workers' workstations were arranged in a very particular way, with each person only responsible for their own specific process, and the complete production process could not be seen.

This zoned and isolated management method demonstrates Lao Gui's extremely high level of counter-surveillance awareness.

"How's it going, Master Lu?" Old Gui stood beside him, a hint of smugness in his voice. "My business isn't small, is it?"

Lu Chen remained outwardly calm, but his mind was racing.

With both printing presses running simultaneously, at least six to eight skilled workers are needed to maintain continuous production under normal conditions.

"Not small," Lu Chen replied, his tone carrying the composure of an expert. "Two Heidelberg four-color offset printing presses, running continuously at full power, can easily make five million a day. With a few improvements, adjusting the drying process and ink supply system parameters, seven or eight million a day is achievable."

He was talking about offset printing machines, but that was actually a coded message.

Ding Jianguo, who was listening to the conversation in the command vehicle, immediately understood the subtext hidden in Lu Chen's words.

Two machines require six to eight people to operate at full capacity.

In other words, besides Lao Gui and Xiao Ma, there should be at least six to eight other workers maintaining production on site.

The total number of people is approximately ten.

Ding Jianguo quickly jotted down the number in his notebook and then pressed the communication button: "Attention all groups, the target site is estimated to have around several dozen people, and there may be weapons. Make appropriate preparations."

Inside the factory, Lao Gui's eyes lit up immediately after hearing Lu Chen's words.

"Master Lu is truly remarkable; he can even improve operational efficiency!"

He strode forward, his face beaming with undisguised excitement. He clapped his hands, signaling everyone in the factory to stop what they were doing. "Come on, everyone, let me introduce you."

The workers put down their tools and gathered around. Old Gui stood beside Lu Chen and said loudly, "You've all seen that batch of counterfeit money that's recently appeared on the market, haven't you?"

Several people nodded.

"This is the master craftsman who made it." Old Ghost pointed at Lu Chen, his tone carrying a hint of pride.

"And this lady next to you is Master Lu's wife. Starting today, they will be joining us and will be in charge of printing counterfeit money. You will all have to listen to Master Lu in everything related to printing."

Lu Chen gave a perfectly timed smile and nodded to everyone: "We're all here to make money, so I hope the cooperation goes smoothly."

"Master Lu, let me introduce you to the brothers." Old Gui smiled and pulled over the first person. "This is Xiao Ma, you've met him before, he's in charge of sales here."

"Hello, Master Lu." Xiao Ma smiled and extended his hand.

Lu Chen grasped his hand. "Brother Ma, please take care of me in the future."

"This is Ah Kun, he's our security guard here," Old Ghost pointed to the second person.

The man stood behind the crowd. He was burly, about thirty-five or thirty-six years old, and wore a black tank top that revealed his two arms covered in tattoos.

He simply nodded slightly without saying anything, but his eyes swept over Lu Chen like an eagle's.

Lu Chen nodded in return, showing no outward signs of anything amiss.

But Jiang Xue, standing behind him, suddenly contracted her pupils the moment she saw A-Kun.

Her heart skipped a beat at that moment.

She knew that person.

To be precise, I saw it on a police arrest warrant.

This man's surname is Wu, and his name is Wu Kun.

The suspect in the major murder case that shocked the city a few years ago.

Although Wu Kun's hair was much longer than before and his face showed signs of age, the scar on his right cheek matched the photo on the wanted poster perfectly.

Wu Kun, a former Sanda fighter, once won a championship trophy in a provincial Sanda competition.

But because of a neighborhood dispute, he brutally murdered a family of five, including two elderly people and a child under the age of ten.

On his escape, he stabbed two police officers who were chasing him, and then disappeared without a trace.

He managed to escape their pursuit several times.

This is enough to show that the other party's counter-surveillance and escape capabilities are top-notch.

Danger level: Extremely high.

Jiang Xue's heart was practically in her throat.

She never expected that Wu Kun would actually end up here, and even become one of Lao Gui's henchmen. His presence dramatically increased the unpredictability of the entire operation.

She instinctively wanted to pass on this information, to tell Director Ding, and to tell the action team outside.

But right now, she was standing right under Lao Gui's and Wu Kun's noses, and didn't even have a chance to take out her phone.

She couldn't even immediately tell Lu Chen, who was standing next to her, just how dangerous this seemingly taciturn "A-Kun" really was.

She could only forcefully suppress the turmoil in her heart, using all her willpower to keep her expression calm, and nonchalantly withdrew her gaze.

Fortunately, Wu Kun's attention was mainly on Lu Chen, and he did not notice her strange behavior for a moment.

Jiang Xue's mind raced, calculating: if Wu Kun became desperate and acted recklessly when the operation was over, given his skills and violent tendencies, the consequences would be unimaginable. Could she protect Lu Chen's safety in that chaotic situation?

Her hands unconsciously clenched the hem of her clothes, but then she loosened them.

While Lao Gui was introducing people to him, Lu Chen was also busy.

His gaze seemed to casually sweep over the surroundings of the factory.

After counting the number of workers present, including Xiao Ma and Wu Kun, there were eleven people in total.

He felt it was time to close the net.

Lu Chen silently touched the button on his collar.