"There used to be a cabinet here, and it was just moved. The contrasting marks are obvious," the dark figure squatted in the corner, the contrast of white and gray like the boundary of a river. "There's no need to linger here." The decisiveness of the dark figure made Fatty Wang even more irritable.

"Nothing here, then there's only one place left." In the darkness, the hatred in Fatty Wang's eyes couldn't be seen. Wang Zhanting had already taken protective measures, no wonder he was so confident. "Let's go."

"Wait a minute, the price you offered was only for one place. Since it's not here, my task ends here." The dark figure stood still, unmoved by Fatty Wang's order.

"What are you saying?" As if he didn't understand, Fatty Wang took a step forward towards the dark figure, trying to grab his collar, only to find that he was very tall. Before his hand could reach the chest, a cold object was pressed against his neck.

"Stay away from me, or I'll slit your throat." The cold voice echoed slowly, with an indisputable momentum. Fatty Wang was secretly startled, who is this person? Who exactly did that woman bring? Does Elder Guo have such a character under him? If so, why had that old man never introduced him?

"The deal was you must help me get what I want."

"Is that so?" The dark figure didn't think so, but the voice carried a cold mockery. "That woman never said so, so the deal was just to find what we were looking for tonight. Since it's not here, it's your problem."

"If that's the case, don't even think about getting the rest of your payment." Fatty Wang's gritting teeth could be heard clearly in the silent space.

"You seem to have misunderstood again, didn't that woman tell you that I get paid in full before the job?" The dark figure brushed past Fatty Wang, leaving the ancestral hall, indifferent to the shouts from behind. Even when the offer doubled, it couldn't stop the dark figure.

Losing a strong helper, Fatty Wang suddenly lost his direction. He stood at the entrance of the ancestral hall, gazing at the window on the second floor. It was Wang Zhanting's room. If they had to move something, the safest place would be his bedroom. He was out of time; rather than wait to be captured, he might as well take a chance.

He climbed through the window of a first-floor guest room, closed the window, and placed a pillow under a blanket on the bed to simulate a human figure, then quietly opened the door and left.

The corridor light was on twenty-four hours a day. Fatty Wang tiptoed to the staircase, and once he confirmed no one was below, he climbed up silently.

After several renovations to Wang Family's old mansion, the layout was condensed due to occupancy issues, and Wang Zhanting's room was a suite connected to a study and a bathroom. This meant the entire second floor was an integrated living space, and the greenhouse in the daytime was an embrace of nature.

A small yellow lamp was on, and Fatty Wang headed towards the light. Wang Zhanting had a habit of sleeping with the light on, and with such a guide, he could easily find him even without figuring out his residential layout. Fatty Wang followed the wall to Wang Zhanting's bedroom. What an extravagant place, Fatty Wang thought, surveying the room filled with luxurious Italian furniture and glasswares. Such expensive items were beyond the salary of a Ministry of Propaganda director.

The LCD television on the wall appeared eerie under the light, and the person on the bed shifted slightly. Fatty Wang hid behind a decorative wall, waiting until the person on the bed started snoring before he emerged from behind. The bedroom didn't contain what he wanted, and the bathroom and living room were even more blatant; there was no cabinet from his memory. There must be some hidden chamber or device here.

His hand felt along the walls, checking behind every decorative painting for safes or similar items, but to his disappointment, Wang Zhanting seemed not to have taken such precautions, and the bedroom lacked what he was after. Fatty Wang walked to the window, having lost his patience. He pulled out a gun from his back and aimed it at Wang Zhanting's temple.

The sleeping person felt something hard against his head and slowly woke up.

"What do you want to do?" The hoarse voice was as rough as a saw.

"Where is the staff?" Fatty Wang moved the gun as Wang Zhanting moved.

"Do you think I'll tell you just because of this?" When Wang Zhanting opened his eyes, Fatty Wang's face enlarged before him. He couldn't say there was no bitterness in his heart. "The staff is the Wang family's heirloom, I can't let you take it to exchange for that recording tape."

"So you already knew." Fatty Wang squinted, pressing the gun muzzle into the skin of Wang Zhanting. "Hand over the staff, and I can walk away with nothing else. Otherwise..."

"Otherwise what? Kill me?" Wang Zhanting wanted to get out of bed, but Fatty Wang's gun remained pointed at his head, preventing him from making bigger moves.

"Didn't you say that every piece of evidence could send me to hell? Then one more wouldn't hurt."

"I've already arranged a way out for you." Wang Zhanting still tried to persuade him, but the gun at his chest made him realize that Fatty Wang was ready to die.

"A way out? Are you so kind as to send me abroad so you can rest easy?" Fatty Wang released the safety. "Don't treat me like a three-year-old, hand over the staff, or I can't guarantee this bullet won't fire accidentally."

"The staff isn't here."

"Nonsense!" Seeing that Wang Zhanting still wouldn't reveal the storage location, Fatty Wang punched him in the head, causing him to tilt back onto the bed. Unprepared for Fatty Wang's sudden action, Wang Zhanting blinked in hesitation as he fell. "The staff has always been stored here. Do you think I don't dare to kill you? Know that after killing you, I can take my time to find it."

"The staff went missing years ago; you won't get it." Wang Zhanting sat up on the bed, slipping into his robe. "Believe it or not."

"I saw it in the ancestral hall last year; you can't fool me." Fatty Wang swung again but hit the mattress in vain, only to feel his gun hand pinned by Wang Zhanting's knee, leaving him immobilized on the bed.

"A gun isn't a toy for children." Wang Zhanting pried his fingers off the gun and let go of Fatty Wang. Now it was his turn to point the gun at Fatty Wang. "No matter what, we're family. How could you do such a thing? I can't ignore your existence anymore. Butler! Butler! Call the police." Wang Zhanting suddenly shouted, his gun hand steady and strong.

The butler entered from outside, quickly picking up the phone on the table at the sight of the situation. Fatty Wang grabbed a pillow from the bed and slammed it on Wang Zhanting's head. The gun, now re-cocked, went off with a muffled sound. Perhaps shocked by the pillow, Wang Zhanting's finger pulled the trigger, bursting the pillow, scattering feathers on the ground. The three people in the room were startled by this commotion. Fatty Wang rolled to hide by the edge of the bed while the butler clutched the phone, cowering to the side, as Wang Zhanting stood frozen.

"Uncle, do you want to kill me?" Seizing the opportunity, Fatty Wang crouched by the bed, questioning Wang Zhanting. "What did I do wrong for you to want me dead?"

The butler glanced at the gun in Wang Zhanting's hand, momentarily unsure whether to believe Fatty Wang's words. "What are you standing there for? Call the police now!"

Fatty Wang, seeing this, grabbed a vase from nearby and smashed it over the butler's head, dropping the vase with a shatter as the butler let out a cry. In the chaos, Fatty Wang leaped over the bed to the butler, clamping his neck with one hand, and with the other, wrested the phone from him, looping it around his neck.

"Stop!" Wang Zhanting rushed forward to intervene, only for Fatty Wang to pull the butler to face him. "Nephew, this is illegal."

"Hand over the staff." Fatty Wang's eyes were bloodshot, and the tightening phone cord made the butler's hands flutter helplessly. He couldn't even speak, and from Wang Zhanting's side, it was clear he was exhaling more than inhaling.

"The staff isn't with the Wang Family, I told you, it was swapped and taken away years ago. What you're seeing now is just a fake." Wang Zhanting adjusted his aim as Fatty Wang moved, wary of any sudden actions.

"Uncle, are you going to watch your butler die?" Fatty Wang, like a wounded beast, seemed to forget he was holding someone, his eyes fixed on Wang Zhanting.

"You're insane." Wang Zhanting didn't dare get closer, and the struggling man now had his hands hanging at his sides with no more movement, presumably beyond saving.

Fatty Wang let go of the butler, who twitched twice on the ground before becoming still. "I've already killed one person, another won't matter. Uncle, you'd better hand over the staff, no more of your lies, I'm determined to get it today. Don't push me to make a move against you."

Having nothing left to lose, he stepped closer to Wang Zhanting, who retreated. "Stay back."

"Uncle, you either kill me today, hand over the staff, or wait for me to kill you." Fatty Wang stopped a step away from Wang Zhanting. "You need to know that once that recording tape is leaked, the Wang Family will truly be finished. You raised me all these years, do you want to watch me die in prison?"

Wang Zhanting hadn't expected Fatty Wang to kneel before him, leaving him at a loss. "Turn yourself in, I can still save you from death." That was his most significant concession; before the butler's death, he might have still protected him living abroad, but now, with a murder committed, it was hard to influence anything.

"Uncle, remember how I grew up by your side. Give me the staff!" (To be continued. If you like this work, feel free to visit Qidian (qidian.com) and vote for it. Your support is my greatest motivation.)

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