Rebirth in the 1970s: Refusing to Be a Side Character

Chapter 39: Schemes

◎Dong Jiaojiao is destined to not be her match.◎

In the provincial capital, Cao Da has been in quite a mess lately.

The police and armed forces have been searching for his people, raiding three of his black market hideouts, and arresting several of his men.

Through inquiries with some released brothers, Cao Da quickly connected the crackdown to the job he assigned to Lai Mazi.

Lai Mazi, who has been keeping a low profile these past few days, is usually quite active. This drastic change in behavior clearly indicated something was wrong on his end.

Thus, Cao Da immediately ordered his subordinates to find Lai Mazi.

The police had also traced the leads back to Lai Mazi and were searching the city for him.

Lai Mazi, who had been navigating the underworld for years since the late 60s and early 70s, survived even the harsh times of the Red Guard with a certain degree of skill.

He was an expert in reading people and sensing danger.

The night Dong Jiaojiao escaped, a squad of armed personnel arrived for a search in the latter half of the night.

Lai Mazi knew things had gone south and quickly went into hiding.

He had no idea that the person he kidnapped had military ties, leading even the armed forces to get involved.

Had he known this earlier, he wouldn't have taken on the job.

For the first time in his life, Lai Mazi had misjudged the situation. What appeared to be an ordinary village girl with no distinguishing features apart from her looks had led him to such a dire situation.

Knowing his boss, Cao Da, very well, Lai Mazi understood that if he returned, Cao Da wouldn't just refuse to help but would likely turn him in for a reduced sentence.

Cao Da, who was known for his ruthless nature, having done a lot of looting and killing in his bandit days, wouldn't hesitate to kill someone like him—a mere street thug.

This made Lai Mazi even more reluctant to come out of hiding.

Lu Yao drove to Cao Da's hideout but found the place deserted. Even the street boys who usually guarded the entrance were gone.

Just as she was about to leave, two plainclothes police officers suddenly blocked her path.

Fortunately, Lu Yao was driving a military jeep and happened to have her work ID from the arts troupe with her.

Lu Yao lied, saying she came to buy something, with a polite demeanor and sincere tone. The officers gave her a brief lecture and let her go.

Nowadays, many people came to the black market to buy goods, and the Red Guards mostly ignored this, so Lu Yao's excuse was believable.

However, she was puzzled as to why the police suddenly got involved in black market matters, which seemed more like a task for the Red Guards.

But she didn't dare to inquire further and left in disappointment.

Lu Yao was here to urge Cao Da to act against Dong Jiaojiao soon, but unexpectedly, she couldn't even find Cao Da.

Feeling frustrated, Lu Yao thought her efforts might have been in vain, but then she saw a figure rushing out from a secluded alley, blocking her car.