The Omniscient

Chapter 45: The Money?

Chapter 45: Where’s the Money?

“Hahaha! They actually got scared out of their minds just from a phone alert!” Xiao Zha laughed.

“No surprise there. That’s a death sentence they’re carrying! Of course, they’re jumpy as hell. Domestic drug dealers are always so paranoid,” Old Wang chuckled. He had once been a police officer in the United States.

Over there, he explained, people would draw guns and fight back head-on—no one would bother destroying their goods. As for money? Not a big deal—they could always pay taxes. The IRS, after all, was scarier than the police.

Listening to them mock Cao Jing’s overreaction, Huang Ji smiled faintly to himself. It wasn’t just the alarm that had driven Cao Jing into such a frenzy. The key factor was the message he had received. Huang Ji had used Old Ma’s secret code—a private set of phrases shared between the two of them. Naturally, Cao Jing took it seriously and didn’t dare take any chances.

“Boss, you’re incredible. I’d never dare pull something like this…”

“To think you actually tricked them into handing the money over to Old Wang! Hahaha!”

Zhang Junwei, hearing the full account of what had happened, couldn’t stop laughing. He had never seen anyone steal so much money so effortlessly.

His rhetoric, strategy, observational skills, analytical ability, and psychological tactics were top-notch.

Even Old Wang, along with the rest of the group, was in awe of Huang Ji’s brilliance, bowing metaphorically to his sheer ingenuity.

Everything had unfolded exactly as Huang Ji had planned. The suited man had lost two lots of 500,000 yuan, while Cao Jing was left the biggest loser of all—8 million yuan gone, and his stash of drugs destroyed.

Now they were leisurely retreating. After crossing the street and getting into their car, they rendezvoused with Old Wang, who had been lying low.

Looking at the money stacked in the vehicle, Zhang Junwei and Xiao Zha could barely contain their excitement.

“This is insane! Absolutely insane!”

“Boss, do you know how ruthless Cao Jing is? He once nearly sent people to kill me. I had to beg Old Ma on my knees to spare my life,” Zhang Junwei said, laughing at first but then tearing up as he stared at the money.

Xiao Zha froze for a moment. He knew about the incident—it had been caused by one of their brothers messing up, dragging them all into the mess. But he hadn’t realized that Zhang Junwei had been forced to grovel to Old Ma to make peace.

Overcome with emotion, Zhang Junwei had let the truth slip in his excitement.

Still, he didn’t care. All he felt now was relief.

No need for bravado or brute force—they had turned their enemies into fools and achieved everything they wanted with a few clever moves.

Not only had they secured the money, but they’d also destroyed a significant amount of drugs. Cao Jing’s downfall was inevitable.

“He’s finished! This time, Cao Jing is totally done for!” Zhang Junwei exclaimed, finally feeling vindicated.

Looking at Huang Ji, he began to feel that getting beaten up and forced to join Huang Ji’s crew was the best thing that had ever happened to him.

Huang Ji smiled silently. He already knew about Zhang Junwei’s grudge against Cao Jing.

When it came to making money, Huang Ji had countless ways. Gambling, lotteries, sports betting—those were practically free cash grabs for someone like him. ȓἁꞐŐᛒÊŚ

But while those methods worked occasionally, they would attract attention if used too often. Nothing was as satisfying or straightforward as robbing from criminals.

They hadn’t just taken the money—they had also destroyed the drugs, avenged Zhang Junwei, and eased his lingering guilt.

Most importantly, robbing criminals like this meant their targets couldn’t openly retaliate.

Huang Ji’s first pot of gold had come from confiscating the money of a couple who had been smuggling cultural relics. They had secretly stashed 3 million yuan, hoping to dig it up after their release, only to find Huang Ji had spent it all.

But so what? They didn’t know who had taken it and wouldn’t dare call the police. They could only swallow their losses in silence.

Similarly, Zheng Xuan had once extorted a Wall Street manager who had committed financial crimes. Despite being blackmailed, the manager had let it go, fearing scrutiny from the FBI.

Now, with this operation, Huang Ji and his crew had secured 9 million yuan in a single night. Meanwhile, Cao Jing’s gang was likely still in the dark about what had happened.

Even when they eventually figured out they’d been played, they wouldn’t know by whom.

First, there were no surveillance cameras on that floor of the building. The KTV only had cameras in the main lobby and at the front desk on each floor.

No one running a shady business like theirs would install cameras in their stash houses. They trusted people, not machines. Instead of relying on security systems, they would post guards around the clock.

Second, Huang Ji and his crew had barely shown their faces during the entire operation.

Old Wang had been collecting the money downstairs with his head mostly lowered. Even when he looked up, it was only partially, and the poorly lit back door ensured no one got a clear look at him.

As for Lin Li and Xiao Zha, while they had briefly interacted with the suited man and Ah Lei, a single encounter wasn’t enough to leave a lasting impression.

Ah Lei, for instance, had barely looked at Lin Li and Xiao Zha, assuming they were part of the suited man’s group.

The suited man, on the other hand, thought they were Cao Jing’s lackeys.

The blackout and the dim emergency lights in the hallway further obscured everyone’s features.

Throughout the entire operation, neither group ever realized a third party was involved.

Soon enough, they’d likely turn on each other, fighting like dogs.

“Where the hell are the cops?”

Cao Jing had finally started to realize something was off…

When he had first come downstairs, he’d been on edge, watching his lackeys scatter and leave without a word. After all, he had told them to run.

But he soon noticed there were no police cars outside, just customers gathering on the first and second floors, causing a commotion.

The manager and floor supervisors were busy calming the guests and investigating the power outage.

“You’re saying it was just a circuit breaker tripping?” Cao Jing asked, wide-eyed.

Something didn’t add up. If the cops were staging a raid, why would they cut the power? Wouldn’t that make it harder for them to search the building?

Then again, Cao Jing had never been raided before, so he couldn’t be sure about police tactics.

He even imagined an anti-drug task force shouting, “Cut the power! Release the dogs!” as they stormed in with night vision goggles.

The manager replied, “It wasn’t a breaker issue. Someone broke the lock on the electrical panel. Looks like someone deliberately cut the power to disrupt our business.”

“F***!”

Cao Jing looked around nervously, his face pale as a sheet.

Was it a false alarm?

Suddenly realizing something, he bolted upstairs, shouting, “Stop! Ah Lei! Stop flushing the goods!”

Racing up to the third floor, he burst into the office. What he saw made his heart sink.

Ah Lei had already cleaned up the broken Guan Yu statue and was diligently scrubbing the toilet with cleaning agents to eliminate any traces of powder.

Seeing Cao Jing enter, Ah Lei grinned and said, “Mission accomplished, boss!”

“F***…” Cao Jing’s vision darkened, and he nearly collapsed.

This stash had been worth a fortune—it wasn’t easy to source. And now, it was all in the sewer.

At that moment, the lights flickered back on.

Ah Lei quickly supported Cao Jing and pressed on his philtrum to revive him. “Boss, did the cops leave already?”

“No… no cops…” Cao Jing muttered, staring blankly at the ceiling.

“What?!” Ah Lei exclaimed. Could it have all been a misunderstanding?

He, too, realized the gravity of the situation.

“Was it a mistake on Old Ma’s part?” Ah Lei asked cautiously.

Cao Jing nodded, his face bleak and devoid of hope.

Ah Lei sighed inwardly. This was catastrophic. So much product had been destroyed, and as the one in charge, Cao Jing would undoubtedly have to take the fall.

Even if it had been Old Ma’s mistake, there was no way Old Ma himself would take the blame. Cao Jing would have to shoulder it. That was why he looked so defeated—his authority would inevitably take a major hit.

“Still, it’s better than an actual police raid! You’re Old Ma’s most capable lieutenant. This setback is nothing in the grand scheme of things. You have to stay strong, boss,” Ah Lei reassured him.

Taking a deep breath, Cao Jing pulled himself together. “You’re right… This was just a false alarm. Call the guys and tell them to bring the money back.”

Ah Lei immediately began contacting the lackeys who had scattered with the money.

Meanwhile, Cao Jing sat down with his phone, closing his eyes to think of how to word his report.

There was no avoiding it—he would have to call Old Ma and inform him that his intel had been wrong.

But blaming Old Ma directly for the false alarm wouldn’t work. Doing so would only end badly for him.

Cao Jing knew Old Ma too well. In situations like this, the only option was to preemptively take the blame.

Even if Old Ma had been mistaken, he would still pin it on Cao Jing. By proactively admitting fault, Cao Jing could lessen the repercussions. While his influence in the organization would take a temporary hit, it would demonstrate loyalty. Over time, with a few small achievements, Old Ma would likely reinstate him.

After ten minutes of careful deliberation, Cao Jing finally crafted the perfect script. It subtly shifted some responsibility away from himself, while still taking the fall and leaving Old Ma a graceful exit. It was flawless.

He dialed Old Ma’s number, and the moment the call connected, Old Ma’s voice came through, short and curt: “Talk.”

Cao Jing smiled and began, “Old Ma, the situation has been resolved.”

“Oh?” came Old Ma’s monosyllabic reply.

“Your message was very timely…” Cao Jing continued.

This was the opening he had planned. He would first pretend that Old Ma’s intel had been accurate and that he had handled the situation perfectly. Later, he would express some confusion about why the police had backed off. Together, they would analyze the situation and “discover” that it had been a false alarm.

At that point, Cao Jing would take the initiative to accept blame, promising to catch the saboteur who had cut the power. That way, everything would be smoothed over.

It was a good plan, but on the other end of the line, Old Ma was utterly baffled.

“???” Old Ma asked, “What message?”

Cao Jing froze, stunned. Then he forced a wry smile. Old Ma’s really something…

So, he’s already figured out it was a false alarm, huh?

What a masterful move—denying everything right off the bat! Not even acknowledging the message? That’s cold, Old Ma…

This one sentence—What message?—completely dismantled all the careful preparation Cao Jing had done.

Caught off guard, he struggled to come up with a response. Just then, a few of his lackeys returned to the office.

Cao Jing was about to ask them about the money but held back, mindful that he was still on the phone. Instead, he silently gestured to Huang Mao, signaling, Where’s the money?

Huang Mao, confused, interpreted the gesture differently and reached into his pocket to pull out a cigarette, offering it to Cao Jing.

Cao Jing’s eyes widened in disbelief. With a swipe of his hand, he knocked the cigarette away and gestured again—this time miming counting money, as if to say, The cash—where is it?

Huang Mao tilted his head, shrugged, and spread his hands wide, a puzzled expression on his face.

What are you talking about?

At his wit’s end, Cao Jing smacked Huang Mao on the head, making him duck and cover in panic.

Where the hell is the money? he fumed internally, anxiety bubbling over.

On the phone, Old Ma, growing impatient, asked, “What message? Keep talking.”

Feeling the situation spiraling out of control, Cao Jing stammered, “Uh… Old Ma, I’ll call you back in a bit.”

“What’s this nonsense? You call me in the middle of the night, get me out of bed, and now you’re wasting my time?” Old Ma growled.

Cao Jing’s sweat ran cold. Something about Old Ma’s tone felt off—it didn’t sound like he was deflecting blame.

“Uh… I’m sorry, Old Ma. Let me sort things out first, and I’ll report back.”

“Beep, beep, beep…” Old Ma hung up.

Cao Jing put down the phone and roared at the returning lackeys, “Where’s the money?”

In unison, they replied, “We already gave it to Old Ma!”

“Oh… Good, good,” Cao Jing sighed in relief, collapsing back into his chair.

“Don’t worry, Brother Jing. We threw the money down to Old Ma’s people ages ago,” Huang Mao said confidently, smiling.

“That fast? You managed to deliver it to Old Ma already?” Cao Jing asked, rubbing his chest in disbelief.

“Of course! Old Ma’s men came to pick it up, didn’t they?”

“What?” Cao Jing froze.

The lackeys were equally bewildered. “Yeah, it was you who said Old Ma’s people were downstairs waiting for the money! You told us to throw it down to them and have them take it away!”

“Bullsh*t!” Cao Jing exploded, jumping to his feet.

He grabbed one of them by the collar and yelled, “You threw the money downstairs? And someone took it?”

“Yeah!” they all nodded in unison.

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