57: A word to the wise

Two weeks later, Tiger Gate Wharf.

Early morning at Tiger Gate Wharf was shrouded in a light mist, the salty sea breeze carrying the smell of diesel as it blew against the face.

Li Zhan stood before the berth, watching workers move the last few containers onto a freighter.

Tang Shirong wore a casual suit, his gold-rimmed glasses glinting coldly in the morning light.

Standing behind him were five or six confidants, along with that squad of Cambodian mercenaries—

These desperate men, whom Master Bai had kept at great expense, had now become his foundation for expanding overseas.

"Is everything arranged?" Li Zhan handed over a cigarette.

Tang Shirong took the cigarette but didn't light it, merely twirling it between his fingers.

"Uncle Jiang will help you steady the situation. His son manages the ledgers for the smuggling lines; they're both reliable people."

Uncle Jiang was the middle-aged man who had previously gone to deliver the message to Shu He in Nancheng.

He was an old-timer of the Bai family and knew their territory and industries like the back of his hand.

Over the past two weeks, the two had already completed the handover of the territory.

The Bai family's nightclubs and Gambling Dens were operating as usual, still under their original managers.

Li Zhan only planted two confidants in each venue to keep an eye on things.

He knew that integration took time; being too hasty would only be counterproductive.

These overt industries left behind by the Bai family actually didn't amount to much.

What was truly valuable and critical was that smuggling line—

In Dongguan, especially in coastal areas like Chang'an and Tiger Gate,

the dense network of river and sea wharves alongside a developed manufacturing industry made smuggling a highly profitable trade.

Refined oil, imported cigarettes, auto parts, electronic components—

these high-tariff goods yielded double the profit the moment they changed hands.

The Bai family had operated for years, long ago smoothing out the connections upstream and downstream.

From sourcing to distribution, the entire line operated seamlessly.

Li Zhan and Tang Shirong had also been discussing this line for the past two weeks;

no matter what, they had to ensure this line continued to operate safely and smoothly.

The specific operations were fully entrusted to the Jiang father and son, but Li Zhan had the final say.

This gave Li Zhan control while leaving a source of income for Tang Shirong himself.

A siren blared, and Tang Shirong picked up his boarding case. "I'm off."

Li Zhan suddenly asked, "You really don't plan on coming back?"

Tang Shirong pushed up his glasses, his gaze behind the lenses cast toward the distant sea.

"There is nothing left here for me to miss."

He patted Li Zhan's shoulder.

"Take care. I expect I'll be waiting for you in Thailand."

The freighter slowly left the port, crushing the morning mist as it sailed toward the high seas.

Li Zhan stood there for a long time until the ship's silhouette disappeared over the horizon.

In present-day Chang'an, the central area was Ninth Master's Phoenix City, while the remnants of the Nancheng forces in the south were barely hanging on.

And Li Zhan—

this migrant worker who was still living in a rented room half a year ago—

had grown into a force that could not be ignored in Chang'an's underworld after swallowing the Bai family's territory.

He turned toward his mercedes-benz, and his phone began to vibrate.

Uncle Jiang sent a text message:

"Brother Zhan, tonight's boat has arrived. Do you want to inspect the goods personally?"

Li Zhan replied succinctly, "Handle it according to the old rules."

During this period, he wouldn't immediately intervene in the Bai family's original businesses; he would observe for a while first.

As the car window rolled up, he took one last look at the Wharf.

The port in the morning mist swallowed and spat out countless riches, cranes standing tall like steel behemoths.

A cold smirk curled on Li Zhan's lips.

Chang'an was only the beginning. Once the dust settled there—

Tiger Gate would be next.

—

Back in Chang'an, at the second-floor office of Xinrui Entertainment.

Li Zhan pushed the door open and casually hung his coat behind it.

The atmosphere in the office was so heavy it felt like it could be wrung out like water.

Old Zhou and Shui Sheng stood before a whiteboard,

brows furrowed as they stared at the dense surveillance logs and photos pinned there.

Li Zhan walked to the whiteboard, his gaze sweeping over the route maps and time nodes marked in red pen.

"Still no discoveries?"

Li Zhan asked, his voice tinged with a bit of irritability.

Three weeks had passed, and there was still no progress regarding Director Zhang.

Shui Sheng shook his head and pointed at the photos on the whiteboard.

"We've been tailing him in 24-hour shifts for these three weeks.

Director Zhang hasn't had contact with a single woman after leaving the Sub-bureau. It's really strange.

Could it be he's not into that?"

Nowadays, if you wanted to find someone's weakness, it was usually through money or women.

As for money, they currently lacked banking channels, so they could only concentrate their efforts on finding a woman.

He paused. "Could his lover be inside the Sub-bureau?"

Li Zhan also frowned.

"I've asked Captain Zhao.

In all these years, they've never noticed Director Zhang being particularly close to any female colleague in the Sub-bureau."

He lit a cigarette. "Even his office staff and driver are men."

Old Zhou crossed his arms, his expression dark.

"Another group has been tailing his family for two weeks, also with zero results."

He pointed to another whiteboard.

"His wife and son have been perfectly behaved lately.

They haven't even played mahjong, as if they've caught wind of something."

The office fell into a temporary silence.

Li Zhan exhaled a smoke ring, squinting at the photo of Director Zhang on the whiteboard.

The middle-aged man in the photo had a serious face and a crisp police uniform; he looked every bit the image of an upright officer.

"Keep watching."

Li Zhan stubbed out his cigarette. "I don't believe he's truly this clean.

We just haven't found it yet."

"Who says a man can only look for women?"

Sister Hua's voice suddenly came from behind, startling the three men into turning around at once.

She was already standing at the door at some point, leaning against the frame, her sharp gaze fixed on the whiteboard.

The cigarette butt in Li Zhan's hand almost fell to the floor.

Old Zhou and Shui Sheng looked at each other, their faces written with shock.

The three of them froze in place as if a paralysis spell had been cast on them.

A single word had awakened them from their dream.

The office fell into an eerie silence for a moment.

After a while, Shui Sheng suddenly turned around,

walked quickly to the coffee table, and began rummaging through a pile of scattered photos.

"I knew I felt like something was off..."

He muttered to himself, his fingers flipping through the stack. "It turns out we were looking in the wrong direction."

"Who would have thought, this Director Zhang..."

Li Zhan had a sudden realization and was about to step forward to give Sister Hua a hug, but he suddenly stopped.

Sister Hua, who had been smiling, now had an expression that looked awkward no matter how one viewed it.

Her fingers, painted with bright red nail polish, twisted together unconsciously, and the smile on her lips was forced.

In those peach-blossom eyes that were usually full of affection and laughter, complex emotions were now surging—

disgust, self-mockery, and a hint of an indescribable sorrow.

Li Zhan keenly sensed something, and his outstretched hand stopped mid-air.

"Sister Hua?" Li Zhan called out softly.

Sister Hua snapped back to her senses,

the gloom on her face swept away as she regained her charming demeanor.

"What's wrong?

Are you so excited just because you discovered a new continent?"

She walked toward the whiteboard in her high heels and casually picked up a marker to draw a circle around the driver's photo.

"Send a team to tail him. There might be a surprise."

But Li Zhan clearly saw her fingers trembling slightly as she turned away.

"Look at this."

Just then, Shui Sheng pulled a photo from the pile and showed it to everyone.

In the photo, Director Zhang had just stepped out of the car, and the driver was handing him a briefcase.

In that instant, the smiles on both their faces were clearly different from a normal superior-subordinate relationship—

the curve of Director Zhang's lips was too soft, and the look in the driver's eyes was excessively fervent.

More subtle was that when they exchanged the briefcase, their fingers clearly made a deliberate touch.

The few people in the office stared at the photo and simultaneously let out bitter laughs.

"I really didn't expect..."

Li Zhan sat back on the sofa and rubbed his temples. "Sister Hua is still the best.

Shui Sheng, arrange it immediately..."

He looked up to say something, only to find that Sister Hua was no longer in the room.

Through the half-open door, he only saw a receding figure.

Li Zhan suddenly stood up and chased to the door, opening his mouth, but ultimately he didn't call out.

Under the hallway lights,

that slender figure in high heels

looked exactly the same as when he first met her at the barbecue stall—

a straight back and elegant steps, yet permeated with an indescribable loneliness.

Just like that night when she was drinking alone,

even though she was sitting in the busiest night market, she seemed isolated from the entire world.