A faint smile appeared on Su Mo’s face.

"That’s good."

Things were moving as expected.

However, Leng Shuang didn’t relax.

"Master," she said, her tone steady, "this method has flaws. It’s easy to get exposed."

Her concern wasn’t unfounded. The plan relied on deception, and deception always carried risks. As long as one party gets suspicious and uses another method of contact. Everything will fail.

Su Mo didn’t seem bothered by his words.

"Don’t worry about that," he said calmly. "We won’t give them the time to think."

His words were simple, but the meaning was clear.

They would act before any doubt could form.

He then turned his attention to Yang Qingxi and Zhang Xulin.

"Miss Yang, Sister Xulin," he said, "I need you two to handle Ye Chen’s cadres."

Yang Qingxi immediately understood.

"You want us to pretend to be Ye Chen?" she asked.

Su Mo nodded. "Yes."

"Shuang should have already sent you the details about those cadres," Su Mo continued. "Their personalities, habits, relationships... that should be enough. If it fails... just use force to catch them."

Yang Qingxi gave a small nod. "Understood."

Then she looked at him again.

"What about you?"

Su Mo raised his thumb and pointed at himself, then slightly tilted his head toward Leng Shuang.

"We’re going to Ye Chen’s current hideout. The Mayor’s home."

***

At the Vermilion Canvas Hotel, the four cadres of King’s Palace Organisation were already in position.

Inside the suite, Casey stood near the table with her phone in hand. A short message had just come in.

["I’ve arrived."]

She glanced at the description in the message again—grey jeans, black T-shirt. It matched what their king usually likes to wear. In terms of dressing sense, at least there’s no problem.

Her expression sharpened slightly as she relayed the information.

"Everyone, get ready. They’re here."

Richard, who had been leaning against the wall, straightened. The relaxed look on his face disappeared, replaced by quiet focus.

Even though Casey had already checked, the hotel earlier and found no obvious threats, she hadn’t lowered her guard. Instead, she had prepared for the worst.

The hotel’s surveillance system was already under her control. Cameras in the lobby, corridors, entrances, and even the street outside were all being monitored through her laptop.

At the same time, Rose was already in position.

From her sniping location, she had a clear view of the hotel’s entrance and part of the lobby. Her rifle was steady, her posture relaxed but ready.

Casey looked at the live feed on her laptop.

Two men had just entered the lobby.

"One of them matches the description," she said. "Grey jeans, black T-shirt."

She paused for a second.

"But both of them have their faces covered."

The man wore a mask and a baseball cap, keeping his face hidden. The one beside him wasn’t any better—dressed in dark colours, with his face also concealed.

Casey didn’t rush to conclusions.

"Richard," she said, "You go down alone first and confirm if it’s him."

Then she added, "Rose, cover him. If anything feels off, take the shot."

"Received."

Richard pushed himself off the wall and headed for the door.

"Got it."

Rose’s voice came calmly through the earpiece.

Just then, Jerry spoke up, his voice lowered but clearly unconvinced.

"Casey, I don’t think my great King would hide his handsome face like that."

He paused briefly.

"It feels suspicious."

Casey rolled her eyes.

"The police and military are searching for him in the entire city," she said. "A simple disguise is normal to hide his trace."

Jerry still sounded reluctant. "But—"

"Enough," Rose cut in, her tone flat. "Richard is about to make contact. We’ll know soon."

Jerry fell silent after her rebuke, though it was clear he wasn’t fully convinced.

---

In the lobby, Richard stepped out of the elevator and walked forward at a steady pace.

His movements didn’t draw attention, but his muscles were tensed. His gaze moved naturally across the surroundings, checking exits, distances, and angles without being obvious.

This kind of caution had become a habit.

He approached the two men without rushing and maintained enough distance to be prepared for an attack or being taken hostage.

When he got close, the man in grey jeans moved first.

He pulled his mask down slightly—just enough to reveal his face—then covered it again.

"Richard," he said, his voice low, "I’ve kept you waiting."

That was enough.

Richard recognised both the face and the voice immediately.

The tension in his shoulders eased.

"Good to see you, King," he said with a small smile.

At the same time, his left hand made a subtle movement.

It was a signal to others that everything was alright.

---

Upstairs, Casey saw it on the screen.

Rose saw it through her scope.

Both of them relaxed slightly.

"Confirmed," Casey said.

Rose eased her finger away from the trigger, though she didn’t lower the rifle completely.

---

In the suite, Jerry’s expression changed instantly.

The doubt from earlier disappeared, replaced with obvious excitement.

"Hehe~ My King," he muttered. "He is here."

He adjusted his clothes quickly to make himself more presentable, already moving toward the door.

"Those police are really troublesome," he added. "Making him hide his handsome face like this..."

His tone carried a hint of dissatisfaction.

"Anyway," he continued under his breath, "I’ll see him soon."

"Jerry," Casey said, stopping him mid-thought. "Focus."

"Yeah, yeah," he replied quickly. "I’m coming."

He didn’t argue further and headed out.

Back in the lobby, Richard had already turned slightly, leading the two men toward the elevator. Not knowing that the real Ye Chen was not even in Jiangnan City anymore. 𝑓𝑟ℯ𝘦𝓌𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝑐ℴ𝓂

With the news of their delayed arrival. He had already left with Lu Shixun to explore the so-called ancient tomb and secure the rumored treasure capable of giving supernatural powers.

Whether it’s true or not. He would check that himself.

Anyway, the fake Ye Chen being escorted by Richard was none other than our dear Sister Xulin, and the other man acting as Ye Chen’s subordinate was Miss Yang.