Now was the time for them to take action.
Long Tao's gaze swept across the room and finally landed on Yan Xia. His enigmatic and fleeting look made her feel extremely uncomfortable.
Long Tao didn't rush to leave. Instead, he asked, "What's your opinion on this matter, Miss Cheng?"
To back up Shangguanyao's words, they should try to force Long Tao out of the hotel first. Since Long Tao was asking for her opinion, Yan Xia took the opportunity and said, "Although our deal is top - secret, unexpected things may still happen. If someone really leaks the information, the police might have already obtained specific clues. Once caught red - handed, we'll lose both the goods and our freedom. So, it's better to cancel this deal and leave here as soon as possible to avoid trouble."
Long Tao nodded approvingly. "Miss Cheng makes a good point. Let's leave now."
The group got up in a hurry and left. The remaining two lackeys quickly packed up the things and erased all the traces that could identify them in the room.
The lackeys in front led the way. Yan Xia and Long Tao walked in the middle. They originally planned to take the elevator downstairs. But when the elevator door opened and they just stepped out, they saw plain - clothes policemen checking IDs downstairs.
So they stepped back into the elevator. Long Tao's face turned gloomy and ugly at this moment. Maybe he had already sensed that something was really wrong.
A moment later, he pressed the button for the first floor again. "Let's leave from another place."
He had been through gunfire. This small situation was nothing to him. As long as his life wasn't at stake, everything was a minor problem.
The group got out of the elevator on the third floor and walked straight to the fire escape. There was a small open - air balcony on the third floor. Jumping from the balcony, they could quickly escape the police's sight and leave the hotel. Once they got on the nearby road and into a car, all the crises would be over.
Long Tao smoothly slid down the smooth water pipe to the first floor. There was a grassy lawn below.
Zhou Qi followed and slid down the pipe to the first floor to pick up Yan Xia. There was also a lackey on the upper floor to protect her. Yan Xia wasn't clumsy. With the help of the two, she also successfully landed on the first floor from the third floor.
The sea in the distance sparkled, but it was too quiet. There was no sound at all. It was dead silent.
Yan Xia had already seen Long Tao's intention. At this moment, it was really hard for her to just watch him escape, even though in essence she was an outsider.
Just then, Shangguanyao's voice came through the earpiece. He must have been watching the surveillance footage. When the situation changed, he would appear to give her advice.
"Yan Xia, find a way to force him to the deal site. He mustn't be allowed to leave like this."
This task was too difficult. She had no idea how she could force him to the site. Moreover, there were his men all around, and she was the one being controlled.
Her nerves were extremely tense and she couldn't relax at all.
Long Tao was surrounded in the middle. Flanked by his lackeys, he tried to take a shortcut to the road. However, just as they poked their heads out of the hotel's shadow, a silenced gunshot came from an unknown direction and hit right beside the lackey in front. Obviously, someone was warning them.
It was clearly unrealistic to escape this way.
Yan Xia let out a sigh of relief. With the police's covert cooperation, it should be much easier to lead him to the deal site.
She said, "It seems they've made multiple preparations. It's unlikely for us to escape on the road."
Long Tao snorted coldly from his nose, expressing his disdain. He didn't seem to take these people seriously.
Finally, one of the lackeys said, "Boss, there's our cargo ship at the dock. It's almost finished unloading. As long as we get to the dock and board the ship as fast as possible, they shouldn't be able to control us on the sea."
Worst - case scenario, if they were chased on the sea, they could put on diving suits and make a getaway. As long as they could leave the deal site and create an alibi, they could completely get rid of the charges the police wanted to pin on them.
Yan Xia was a bit stunned. She didn't expect things to go so smoothly. She didn't say a word, yet Long Tao's men themselves proposed going to the dock, which just happened to be what she wanted.
So she quickly echoed, "I think this method is feasible. If we keep dragging it out, the cops will surely catch us. Since it's not time for the deal yet, let's go quickly."
Suddenly, Zhou Qi said to Yan Xia beside her,
"Boss, Lu Qianzhou didn't come today either. You've always wanted to involve him. Could it be that he deliberately leaked the information and is trying to do the opposite? After all, he's indirectly responsible for several lives. Maybe he's trying to atone for his sins this way."
Yan Xia knew very well that this was deliberately said for Long Tao to hear.
But she hadn't arranged for Zhou Qi to say such things. Was Zhou Qi adding his own drama?
Long Tao was always aware of the ambiguous relationship between Yan Xia and Lu Qianzhou. Moreover, he had seen how protective Lu Qianzhou was of her before. Long Tao would never believe that Lu Qianzhou would sacrifice Yan Xia to save himself.
Zhou Qi was her man. Deliberately saying such things at this moment might arouse more suspicion from Long Tao.
So Yan Xia looked back at Zhou Qi with a sideways glance, not understanding why this sensible man would suddenly say such offensive words today.
Long Tao sneered. "How could President Lu be willing to leave Miss Cheng and take such a risk?"
In his eyes, as long as he could control Yan Xia, he could control Lu Qianzhou. That was why he had been fearless even though Lu Qianzhou didn't come.
"Nothing is un - sacrificeable." Yan Xia thought Long Tao's words were very ironic. "In the face of interests, nothing is irreplaceable. Mr. Long once told me that to be in this business, one must be ruthless, right?"
Long Tao nodded. "I didn't expect Miss Cheng to remember every word I said."
There was an inexplicable sense of urgency in his tone.
"Boss, let's not chat here. The cops might come here soon. Let's go to the dock and leave by ship first," the lackey beside him reminded.
They set off again, walking along in the shadows of the buildings to minimize their presence.
Yan Xia deliberately stayed behind and found an opportunity to talk to Zhou Qi alone, warning him,
"Don't say things you shouldn't say and don't do things you shouldn't do. I valued you because you know your limits and when to advance and retreat, but your performance today is really disappointing."
She rarely spoke to her subordinates with such pressure. Maybe because the situation was urgent today and for her own safety, she had to be more sharp.
Everything seemed pre - arranged. As long as they walked in this direction, there would be no danger.