Chapter 57

It was a dark and windy night, the kind where murders are said to happen... but it wasn't that exaggerated. On May 19, 2000, it was the 16th day of the fourth month according to the lunar calendar, a full moon night. Although there were some clouds in the sky, blocking most of the moon's light, the outskirts of Qingshan City were not completely dark. After adapting to the environment, visibility could reach about five meters. With He Ping's current eyesight, he could clearly see things within a twenty-meter radius.

Indeed, He Ping had already arrived at the outskirts of Qingshan City. In the southern suburbs of Qingshan City, a special area called the South Suburban Industrial Park was designated to accommodate the city's large enterprises and factories. During the day, this area was quite busy and noisy, with many companies operating here. But at night, the daytime hustle and bustle vanished instantly, and the stark contrast gave the night a mysterious veil. Even the night-shift security guards of various companies were reluctant to move around casually.

He Ping had already arrived at the outer wall of Dongfang Hardware with ease. His level 5 reaction skill allowed him to clearly sense the surroundings, and his level 5 stealth skill enabled him to hide his presence without using any disguise or sneaking techniques. At least, ordinary people would find it difficult to spot him in such an environment. He Ping was fully equipped, and the low-light night vision goggles allowed him to see everything clearly around him.

Of course, he couldn't enter through the main gate. According to the factory's regulations, two security guards were on duty in the gatehouse every night. At that time, surveillance equipment was not yet widespread, so the two guards would patrol at night. In reality, the night-shift guards often dozed off, and all the doors in the factory were locked. The things that could be moved were not very valuable, and the valuable items were too heavy to move. If anything happened, the police station in the industrial park would handle it.

There was another reason He Ping didn't go through the main gate. If the real culprit who framed his father was planning to act tonight, how would the culprit get in without alerting the guards? It was almost impossible to complete such a series of actions without being noticed unless the culprit had the same abilities as He Ping. This led to a disturbing conclusion: the night-shift guard on duty tonight might be helping an outsider to frame He Xiangdong!

Although he couldn't enter through the main gate, He Ping still quietly checked it out. In the gatehouse, a middle-aged man in his forties, wearing a security uniform, was watching TV. He Ping vaguely remembered this man from his childhood, as he often came to the factory to find his parents and had met and greeted some of the factory workers. This guard seemed to have been an employee of Qingshan Machinery, but after being laid off, he found He Xiangdong, who then arranged for him to be a security guard.

Only one person? He Ping frowned. Security work was usually done in pairs to prevent internal theft and to have someone to consult with if anything happened, making night shifts safer. He Xiangdong certainly knew the dangers of a single guard on duty, so Dongfang Hardware always had two guards on duty. But why was there only one person in the gatehouse now?

Where was the other person? He Ping thought of a possibility: leave! He had always suspected why it was May 19th and not another day. What was the real culprit waiting for? If the guard who was an insider was on duty and his partner was absent due to illness or other reasons, then this night would be the best time to act. The real culprit was likely waiting for such a day to come.

Having figured this out, He Ping didn't linger. He came to a secluded spot by the outer wall. The top of the wall was lined with broken glass and barbed wire. In an era where security systems were not yet advanced, this was a common method to deter intruders, at least leaving some traces and causing some trouble. The wall was high, and He Ping didn't want to waste time climbing it. He activated his ability, and in the next moment, he appeared inside the factory.

Dongfang Hardware covered a large area. Initially, the factory only had one production line bought from Qingshan Machinery, so there was only one workshop. But as his business expanded, there were now over ten workshops, along with warehouses, offices, canteens, garages, and power rooms, making it one of the largest in the area.

After entering the factory, He Ping headed straight for the third workshop. He couldn't forget this place; it was where the controlled knives were eventually found. This was one of the first workshops and production lines built by Dongfang Hardware after the initial one.

At the entrance to the workshop, He Ping didn't notice any abnormalities. The workshop door was locked, and there was no light. He didn't sense any living beings nearby, and the night vision goggles showed no one around, nor any signs of vehicles. Had they not arrived yet, or had they already completed their task? He Ping thought it was more likely that they hadn't arrived yet. It was summer, and it got dark later, so such activities were unlikely to happen during the day. It had only just gotten dark.

He Ping took a few more steps toward the main gate, reaching a position where he could clearly see the gatehouse. He noticed that the guard who had been leisurely watching TV was now pacing back and forth in the gatehouse, seemingly preoccupied, frequently checking his watch, and occasionally looking out the window, as if waiting for someone. The suspicion level was rising!

He Ping thought for a moment and moved closer, almost to the side of the main gate. Taking advantage of the guard's momentary distraction, he activated his disguise ability, blending into the wall. Even if someone looked closely, they wouldn't see He Ping, but he could monitor the guard's every move from this position. The more he watched, the more he felt that this guard, whom he remembered as Zhang, was acting suspiciously.

At that moment, the sound of a car engine made He Ping's nerves tense. A car was coming! And it was a large truck! What was it doing here at this time? The factory had already closed, and if it was delivering raw materials or picking up goods, it should have come during the day. Moreover, this area only had one factory, Dongfang Hardware, so there was no possibility that it was heading to another destination or just passing by.

As the sound of the car engine grew closer, the guard's behavior became even stranger. He walked to the window, carefully checked the situation outside, and then walked out of the gatehouse to the main gate. At this point, the large truck, which He Ping couldn't see from his angle, must have already arrived at the factory's main gate. After confirming the license plate and the people in the truck, the guard silently took out the keys and opened the factory gate.

The show was about to begin!

[PS: Third update of the day!]