Chapter 0012: We've Been Set Up

Ning Fan licked his lips, ignoring the skeptical looks from the others.

"Brother Chuan, can I ask — have you run into someone like Cheng Bin before?"

Lin Chuan's expression grew serious. He pinched the few messy strands of his beard.

"Rarely."

He furrowed his brow. "The Hound Shelter has a reputation in this area — poor but tough. Even people looking to rob and pillage wouldn't be stupid enough to come after us."

Huizi chimed in proudly, "Exactly. Robbing us just isn't worth the trouble."

Ning Fan couldn't help but smile. Then he pressed on. "So doesn't it strike you as strange? The way Cheng Bin acted?"

"A starving man will fight to the death for a meal. What's strange about that?"

Qiao Fei said flatly.

"Out beyond the zone, getting robbed is normal enough," Ning Fan said calmly. "But first — we'd need to be carrying something worth stealing."

Everyone's gaze sharpened at once.

"Cheng Bin had sixteen thousand Sola on him when he slipped into our group."

Ning Fan's brow slowly creased. "Sister Fei, he doesn't look anything like a starving man to me. Honestly? He might be richer than all of us put together."

This time, Qiao Fei didn't bristle at Ning Fan's words. Instead, she fell into thought.

She could see exactly what he was getting at.

"So what you're saying is..."

Lin Chuan's eyes drifted toward the vehicle.

Ning Fan nodded. "I think the first thing we need to figure out is what we're actually transporting."

Lin Chuan himself had said it — the Hound Shelter was known for being broke and hard to beat. No one would normally bother targeting them.

That meant whoever was behind this wasn't after the Hound Shelter at all. They were after this specific job.

"We can't just open the client's cargo," Lin Chuan said, his brow still tight. "That's the rule."

"Brother Hui, I remember — even before we set out, you thought this commission was too easy. But the pay was set at Tier 2 High-Risk Commission rates. That's odd, isn't it?"

Huizi gave a firm nod, though the look he gave Ning Fan carried a new trace of interest.

This kid has a sharp mind.

He actually remembered a small detail from before they even left?

"And then," Ning Fan continued, "Cheng Bin was waiting for us right along our only route — and he knew our destination was Zone F27. If there's no mole among us, then who leaked that information?"

"Yang Beihai?!"

Huizi shot to his feet, fuming. "That bald bastard! He dares to screw us over?!"

"Sit down and shut up! All that chattering is giving me a headache!"

Lin Chuan snapped.

Huizi glared and huffed loudly but sat back down without another word.

Lin Chuan turned to Ning Fan. "Keep going."

"Brother Chuan, the way I see it, there are two possibilities for what's in that vehicle."

Ning Fan held up two fingers. "First — whatever's inside is incredibly valuable. Worth more than we can imagine. The actual risk level might even exceed Tier 3."

Lin Chuan gave a thoughtful nod.

That part wasn't hard to guess.

"But personally, I don't think that's likely. If that were the case, Yang Beihai would never have leaked the information. It's his cargo — if it got stolen, he'd be more torn up about it than anyone."

Ning Fan tapped his fingers together. "Of course, I can't rule out that he's colluding with someone in Zone F27 — but I think the odds are low."

Teaming up with others to pull something like this was too risky.

When Sola was on the line, who could trust anyone?

Once that War Bear made off with the goods, what could Yang Beihai do if he didn't get his cut? He'd set the whole thing up himself — he couldn't exactly go around demanding answers.

"So I'm leaning toward the second possibility."

Ning Fan narrowed his eyes at the vehicle. "Whatever's in that cargo — it's worth nothing."

That left everyone puzzled.

"What does that even mean? What are they stealing? What are we even protecting?"

Huizi blurted out before he could stop himself.

Lin Chuan shot him a look, then turned back to Ning Fan. "When you say it's worth nothing — what do you mean? If they knew the cargo was worthless, why come after us at all?"

"Brother, isn't that the same thing I just asked?"

Huizi muttered under his breath.

"Because Yang Beihai never intended for us to deliver anything to Zone F27."

Before Lin Chuan could react, Ning Fan pressed forward. "More precisely — he's done everything in his power to make sure we never reach Zone F27."

Silence fell over the group.

In the glow of the fire, every face looked grim.

"You're saying... Yang Beihai was coming for us all along?"

Lin Chuan's voice was low. "I still don't see the motive. We've worked with Yang Beihai before. There's no bad blood between us."

"Brother Chuan, let me ask you something. If we all died out beyond the zone — would that count as the Hound Shelter failing this commission?"

"Of course."

Lin Chuan had barely finished answering before he was on his feet.

"I get it now."

Some faces in the group lit up. Others still looked lost.

"Yang Beihai must have told the receiving party that the Hound Shelter would be making the delivery — and then we failed. The cargo never arrived, but none of that falls on him."

Lin Chuan clenched his fist. "He planned to keep the cargo for himself all along. Damn it. I've walked a long road and never once been made someone else's scapegoat — until now."

Ning Fan nodded. "Exactly. That's why I said the cargo might be worth nothing. Because he knew from the start — whatever it was, it was never going to reach Zone F27."

Lin Chuan spun around and strode toward the vehicle.

The others followed immediately.

When they opened the back and pried open the iron box inside...

Every pair of eyes turned to Ning Fan.

The box was empty.

He'd guessed right.

But there was no joy in Ning Fan's eyes. Only a deep, heavy unease.

The fact that Yang Beihai was willing to pull something like this meant he was confident enough to leave every last member of the Hound Shelter dead out beyond the zone.

He'd worked with them before. He knew their capabilities well enough.

And yet, he still had this level of confidence...

"Brother Chuan, let's head back," Huizi said coldly. "Drag Yang Beihai out and make him answer for this."

Lin Chuan stared at the empty box in silence, his expression unnervingly still.

Ning Fan could tell — Lin Chuan was furious.

Lin Chuan was a man who lived by rules.

Which meant he had nothing but contempt for people who broke them.

And Huizi's suggestion was, at this point, the only real option. There was no way this mission could continue.

But what Ning Fan never expected was this: after a full five minutes of silence, Lin Chuan suddenly turned to face the group.

His expression was as still and cold as a deep, dead pool.

"Rest up for thirty minutes. Get yourselves to peak condition."

He paused.

"Then we move forward."