The Xu Family’s mountain estate, built halfway up the mountain, clearly isn’t just a residence; it resembles the layout of a Daoist Temple.

Lin Wanwan and her group dismounted and climbed the mountain path. Even before they reached the estate, they could hear the distant sounds of commotion.

It seems quite lively inside.

"Here, right here..." The shiba inu walked slowly, with a rather tragic expression on his face.

For him, moving forward is a cliff edge and retreating is an abyss; he truly was in a predicament.

But the eyes watching him from behind were dangerous; he dared not refuse to lead.

If he led the people up, he could survive a bit longer. If he resisted forcefully, he figured he’d be slaughtered.

But since he had decided to lead the people up, he might as well go all the way and help this group overturn the gambling den. This way, Lu Ergou might still have a way to survive.

If not, even if this group let him go today, the people in the gambling den would not let him see the lantern festival of Shangyuan.

"Let’s circle around from the left to avoid the guards. There are several banyan trees along the left side of the courtyard wall, climbing over it won’t immediately alert those inside."

Baye Feng was not surprised by his candidness. People who defected at the last minute were something he’d seen often during tribal conflicts.

"How many enforcers are in the gambling den? Are there any martial arts experts? How is the defense arranged? Where is the main gambling hall located?" Liu Rushi asked Lu Ergou, their guide.

Baye Feng had never interrogated the specifics, but Liu Rushi finally couldn’t hold back and asked.

The Starfall Organization, though only a branch under the overarching strategists, was trained by the current Sect Master himself. They certainly did not enjoy fighting blind battles.

Strategists enjoy devising tactics and plans; their favorite thing is to advise from the shadows while others carry out the fight.

Knowing both oneself and the enemy leads to unerring victory.

Their Sect Master had always disliked proceeding blindly without conducting thorough intelligence investigations and never sent out people lightly.

When capturing others, it’s either like catching a tortoise in a jar — surrounding and slowly suffocating the opponent, or feigning an attack in one direction while striking in another.

Even in situations requiring direct, forceful confrontations, the Sect Master prefers using many against the few, like a lion hunting a rabbit with one lethal strike, not like their current method of rushing blindly into the enemy’s base without any information.

Regarding the probability of success, Baye Feng probably hadn’t calculated it, only thought brute force would solve many problems.

It’s too presumptuous; no matter how confident one is in their abilities, proceeding in this manner isn’t wise.

At this time, Lu Ergou, hearing Liu Rushi’s inquiry, eagerly began recounting every detail: "Inside, there are forty-two enforcers, all strong and trained. There are two guards at each door, and only one patrol in the courtyard, roughly five people per group, patrolling every half an hour. The rest mainly maintain order within the casino."

"Can you draw the internal layout? It doesn’t have to be perfect, just understandable for others."

"I... I can’t read; I’m not sure if I can draw it well." Lu Ergou was uncertain.

"No worries, just draw it." Liu Rushi said, "Use a stick to draw on the ground."

The team stopped as Lu Ergou prepared to draw the terrain map. Initially hesitant, he gained confidence as he went on, and moments later, finished drawing for Lin Wanwan and others to examine.

Although his drawings were rough and uneven, the basic outline was discernible. Despite not being able to read or write, with Liu Rushi asking and supplementing details, they quickly completed the internal structure.

A two-entry courtyard, with the front being the casino, the rear a brothel, gambling and soliciting combined, indeed yellow and gambling are ever intertwined.

TAXED prostitutes have heavy tax burdens, while unlicensed ones are targeted by the government as tax evaders undermine the court’s treasury — unacceptable.

This place really is a haven for vice and corruption.

After Liu Rushi finished inquiring and supplementing the map, Baye Feng slowly retrieved a silk map from his chest and compared it to the crude map on the ground.

Liu Rushi glanced over, and it was indeed another map — much more refined and detailed than the crude ground drawing, clearly crafted by an educated person.

Liu Rushi guessed correctly; this was Xu Kai’s own hand-drawn internal map.

Several maps had been drawn and multiple interrogations conducted; this was the most detailed, far surpassing the crude version on the ground.

Although Xu Kai was a depraved character, being part of the elite class, he was educated, and education distinguishes the elite from the commoners. Even the most unskilled noble knows basic arts and literature.

Liu Rushi seeing the map, couldn’t help but ask, "You had this map all along; why didn’t you bring it out earlier for us to see?"

Baye Feng replied indifferently, "The battlefield needs only one commander; why show it to you?"

Liu Rushi: "..."

Hard to refute, but the guy is truly stubborn. Shouldn’t decisions be made collectively?

However, Lin Wanwan admired Baye Feng; his cool personality was impressive.

After matching the two maps, Baye Feng found them mostly consistent, showing both had drawn honestly, with no tricks.

He put away his map and ordered, "Proceed according to the original plan."

The group nodded in unison.

This team marched in silence, with horses’ mouths muffled, in quietude.

Lin Wanwan distinctly felt this silent Armed Department was no longer a simple rabble.

A team able to maintain silence on the march is impressive, especially while handling horses.

Indeed, soldiers resemble their commander; this Armed Department embodies Baye Feng’s silent ruthlessness.

A hundred meters from the estate, forward scouts stealthily advanced and with cold arrows dispatched two undisciplined lookouts at the entrance.

Guarding, they never imagined someone would actually dare raid a gambling den during the New Year!

During New Year’s, who doesn’t want to relax with family, except for gamblers? Even the government takes holidays!

After eliminating visible guards, the advance team efficiently tossed climbing hooks over the wall, scaling inside, quietly opening the door from within moments later.

Gamblers, in their frenzy, are capable of anything, and not everyone at the gambling den is kind.

Baye Feng and Liu Rushi, one in front and one behind, protected Lin Wanwan in the middle; though they spoke no words, they tacitly sheltered her.

The group passed through the door silently, one after the other.

The casino guards were actually just a motley crew. In Lu Ergou’s words, they were strong and trained, but to truly trained Armed Department soldiers, they were fragile like embroidered pillows — all show and no substance.