Siheyuan: I just came across and wanted to chase me away

Chapter 921 Xiao Bao Transfer

Gu Nan could only retreat from the abandoned factory. The iron gate had long since rusted beyond recognition, creaking with the slightest touch. He walked over to Heizi, frowning and asking, "Are you sure this is their base? I don't see any signs of life here."

Heizi nodded vigorously, but his tail no longer swayed as cheerfully as it had when approaching the factory. Instead, it drooped. He leaned in close to the factory's rusty iron gate and sniffed hard, his damp nose moving rapidly as if trying to detect a familiar scent. But after a moment, his ears drooped in disappointment. Besides thick dust and the pungent smell of rust, there was truly no sign of life, not even the faintest scent of sweat or cigarette smoke, as if the place had been abandoned for a decade or eight.

Gu Nan looked at its listless appearance and had a rough idea in his mind. He smiled bitterly and shook his head, "It's okay, I underestimated them. I didn't expect these people to be so alert. They actually discovered you so early and retreated so cleanly in advance, leaving no trace." He raised his hand and touched Heizi's head, his fingertips stroking across its smooth fur, and his tone was somewhat soothing. "Forget it, let's go back first. The safety of the house still needs to be left to you to keep an eye on it. I'm going to work first, and we'll discuss what to do next when I come back tonight."

Heizi rubbed his head against the palm of his hand, letting out a low whimper, as if blaming himself for not completing the mission, which was also a way of fulfilling his request. Gu Nan turned and walked towards the alley entrance, his steps very slow, his leather shoes making a light "rustling" sound on the gravel. But his mind was busy - the other party had been able to move so quickly, obviously knowing his movements very well. There must be a more complicated secret behind this. Maybe... they have spies in the courtyard, otherwise how could they be so well-informed?

At this moment, Xiao Bao was leading his brothers to another hidden base. They chose to walk through narrow alleys, walking briskly and making as little noise as possible. Monkey followed behind him, speechless. "Boss, we're fine, why are we suddenly moving? We've only been using this base for a few days, it would be so troublesome to move around. You don't really think that Gu Nan can find us, do you? He doesn't look that special to me."

Xiao Bao glanced sideways at Monkey without saying a word, but continued walking as he turned into a narrower alley. Arriving at the entrance of their new base—a place that looked like an abandoned warehouse, with several bundles of old wood piled at the door—he motioned for everyone to stop and called over a sharp-eyed younger brother: "Tell me, what did you see last night?"

The younger brother shrank his neck, looked at Monkey, then at Xiao Bao, as if he was afraid of offending anyone. He hesitated for a moment before whispering, "Boss, late last night, when Monkey came back from outside, he was followed by a black dog. It looked very smart, with shiny fur and a keen eye. It followed closely until it stopped near our base, squatting under the old locust tree for a long time before leaving. I felt something was wrong, so I quickly reported it to you."

When the monkey heard this, he stood up with a jerk, his voice rising eight octaves: "Boss, are you saying that I was followed by a dog? This is impossible! Absolutely impossible! How could a dog be capable of such a thing?"

Xiao Bao looked at him, his tone calm and unperturbed. "You drank quite a bit yesterday, your mind was a bit hazy, and your feet were wobbling. Your reconnaissance ability was definitely a bit weaker then. Yes, you were indeed being followed by that dog, and that dog was much more alert than you."

Monkey naturally didn't believe it at all. He stiffened his neck and stared at Xiao Bao, his face flushed red. "Boss, this is absolutely impossible! Don't you know my abilities? I've been tracking and anti-tracking for years. I can tell anything is wrong with my eyes closed! If someone really followed me, even if it was a cat or a dog, there's no way I wouldn't notice! If you tell anyone about this, won't everyone laugh their heads off?"

Xiao Bao knew Monkey's abilities and his pride, so he didn't say anything more. He just waved his hand, signaling everyone to go into the stronghold. "Alright, if you have anything to say, go inside and talk. Don't stand around here. It's so public and it'll attract attention and cause trouble."

Monkey, however, was filled with rage, pacing anxiously in his spot, muttering repeatedly, "Impossible, absolutely impossible..." Tracking and counter-tracking were his greatest strengths. His fellow criminals called him "Clairaudience" and "Clairvoyance," and his skills were praised endlessly, a source of immense pride. And now, he'd fallen for a dog. If word got out, he'd be laughed out loud. How could he possibly swallow this? The more he thought about it, the angrier he grew. He clenched his fists, his knuckles cracking. He vowed to himself, "When I see that dog again, I'm going to give it a taste of my own medicine! I won't be able to vent this anger until I break its legs!"

Just as the monkey was secretly regretting his decision and even wondering if the boss had made a mistake in judgment, a younger brother hurried in from outside, looking a little anxious: "Boss, I have something important to report."

Xiao Bao first glanced at the still angry monkey, then turned to the younger brother and said in a deep voice, "Just tell me, what did you find over there?"

The younger brother calmed down and reported, "Boss, your previous judgment was correct. This morning, someone did sneak up on us near our last base. Judging from the looks of it, it should be the Gu Nan you mentioned."

The monkey had just sat down to the side, but upon hearing this, he suddenly stood up, his eyes wide open. "What did you say? Is that place really being targeted?"

The younger brother nodded and recounted every detail of his observations that morning. Finally, he affirmed, "It's absolutely true. The enemy's movements were very covert, but they did circle the base several times, and they paid special attention to the location of the back door."

The monkey lowered his head, his gaze fixed on the ground. His face flushed and paled for a moment. After a long moment, he spoke, his voice tinged with guilt. "Boss, I know I was wrong. I didn't expect to be ambushed by a black dog. I was careless this time. The responsibility is all mine."

Xiao Bao smiled instead, his tone softening. "I'm not blaming you this time. I just want you to understand that whether it's a human or an animal, their abilities shouldn't be underestimated. Sometimes, the more insignificant a creature is, the more likely it is to cause a major disaster."

Monkey knew that he had indeed been negligent this time. He looked up at Xiao Bao with a fierce look in his eyes: "Boss, don't worry, I will keep a close eye on Gu Nan from now on. As soon as I get the chance, I will capture his wife and children and see how arrogant he can be!"